Bullying

I don't think bullying in any form should be taken lightly. There shouldn't be a set definition of the word because it doesn't matter what one person believes it should mean. In the time that someone sits down to decide what "bullying" should encompass, there are children that are being hurt either physically or emotionally. It seems that adults are the people worked up about the issue, even though children are the victims. Why should someone, who is merely an observer, be allowed to decide the difference between teenage drama and bullying? I believe that the two are equivalent to one another. If someone is constantly involved in conflict with their peers, they are slowly beaten down until they have no fight left in them. If someone wants to actually address the issue, they should stop bullying at the source by providing positive interactions between students. There was a show on TV a couple of years ago that brought a group of people into schools with major conflicts between students, and made them all sit through a day of group discussions and activities that allowed them to get to know one another. The students learned about the backgrounds of peers that they may never have had contact with before, allowing each person to understand that before choosing to make a rude comment or to push someone aside in the hall, they should think about how that person may be affected. It is easy to hate someone when you don't know them, but it is impossible to have any negative feelings towards a person when you begin to realize why they are the way they are. Why are adults so worried about defining bullying when they could be doing something about the conflicts?

Reading

Although I don't get the opportunity to read as much as I would like, reading is one of my favorite outlets when I'm having a bad day. I might say I have outgrown the teenage love stories, but occasionally I slip back into reading them to help cheer me up. Sometimes, after you've watched a good movie with a happy ending, you have a feeling of elation surge through you. In my case, I lose sense of reality for a little while. I know what is real and what is not, but I begin to think that certain parts of the movie are part of my own life, or perhaps a better way to put it is I imagine some aspects of my life and that of the character’s life are shared. I get the same feeling when I read a teenage love story. Some people may find the stories depressing to read because when they finish they wish their lives could be the same as the fantasy lives that the author created, but I live through the characters and find satisfaction in their happiness. It is more relaxing to sit down and read a novel than it is to watch a movie, because you have the ability to imagine the characters’ appearances. Each person reading the novel will make different interpretations, while in a movie the same freedom isn’t available. While the feeling I get from watching a movie and reading a novel are the same, I prefer reading the novel because of the chance to use my imagination.

Spelling

Proper spelling is essential in life. It should be a complete embarrassment to any high schooler or adult that cannot spell. In elementary school, I missed two words throughout my five years and even when I missed those words I was ashamed and crumpled up the paper to throw it in the garbage. Maybe I was just a perfectionist, but looking back, it amazes me that students were okay with missing words week after week. The best solution to this problem would be to test the words again on the kids who weren't successful the first time through. The only issue I could see with that is time, but if a teacher refuses to try to help their children learn then they aren't very good teachers. During senior seminar the other day, we had a discussion about the current way that public schools are being run. When students miss words on a spelling test it isn't likely that anyone is going to hold them accountable for knowing those words in the future, resulting in a problem later in their educational career and even into their jobs after. This is true for any subject. In math, the students that get 95% on their tests are still missing 5% of what they have learned and this continues to build to the point where they may struggle later in higher math courses. Spelling, along with any other material should be mastered by the students before the teacher continues on to a new spelling list or subject matter.

Lying

This past month I was in a scholarship interview and I was asked if it is ever okay to lie. Out of all the questions I have been asked over the past few weeks, this one stands out the most. Is it ever okay to lie? Society as a whole would have to say yes based on their actions. Everyone has told a lie at some point in their life and they would be lying if they said they hadn't. It may not be right to lie to someone, but I think it may be beneficial to that person and to yourself if you do avoid the truth. No one wants to hear that they look fat in a dress or that they have gotten a tad overweight. There are certain people that can tell them that information kindly, but it is more than likely that you aren't going to be that person. Last year, I was given the opportunity to watch "The Invention of Lying" for English, a movie where everyone told the truth until one day a man managed to tell a lie. Before this lie it seemed that society was chaotic and it's a miracle they functioned because wouldn't it be awful if you were in a relationship with someone and they constantly told you what they thought of you? I don't understand how anyone was even able to reproduce to bring more truth-telling people into the world. Lying is almost a necessity for survival. To get anywhere in life you have to tell a couple of lies here and there.