Writing on Demand: Week Five
Prompt One: "We have a mechanism for controlling the behavior of young people outside of school," ACLU representative Ed Yohnka states in the article St. Viator High School in Illinois to Start Testing Students for Alcohol, "they're called parents."
This quote summarizes the debate from last week's prompt: who is to blame for poor performance both inside and outside of schools, parents or schools. The school mentioned in the article is trying to find ways to prevent poor decision making in schools. Do they go too far?
Using the article (below) and any research from reliable outside sources come up with a solution to a common teen problem. For example: how should society prevent underage drinking, underage smoking, or drug use?
Start by summarizing the problem and explaining why it is an issue. Then, explain a possible solution (drug/alcohol testing as schools, letting families make the decisions, the government setting up laws). Explain why your solution would work and who would be in charge of enforcing it.
Accommodation: If you have prior permission from Ms. Panther, you will be expected to complete this assignment with a paragraph response. See the black crate on the red table for more details.
This quote summarizes the debate from last week's prompt: who is to blame for poor performance both inside and outside of schools, parents or schools. The school mentioned in the article is trying to find ways to prevent poor decision making in schools. Do they go too far?
Using the article (below) and any research from reliable outside sources come up with a solution to a common teen problem. For example: how should society prevent underage drinking, underage smoking, or drug use?
Start by summarizing the problem and explaining why it is an issue. Then, explain a possible solution (drug/alcohol testing as schools, letting families make the decisions, the government setting up laws). Explain why your solution would work and who would be in charge of enforcing it.
Accommodation: If you have prior permission from Ms. Panther, you will be expected to complete this assignment with a paragraph response. See the black crate on the red table for more details.
alcohol_testing.pdf | |
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Prompt Two: Last week as we explored interpersonal relationships more in-depth, we talked about characteristics of friendship. Basically, what do we need to keep relationships strong, and what things (if they're missing) can ruin a friendship? Using your new knowledge, respond to some of these real questions posed by teenagers. The more in-depth your answers, the fewer you'll respond to.
Question One: I want to dance professionally or become an archeologist. My mother believes that I still want to become a lawyer and go to Harvard or Boston university. But I changed my plan. I want to go to NYU and double major in the first mentioned fields. My family can’t afford dance because my mother does not work and my father is never really there. But she won’t understand my wants. She thinks what I want to do is useless for my life. So I never told her of my change in plans. Advice?— Unknown Wants, 15
Question Two:In my junior high school, we have your average literacy kids, your literacy support kids, and your ’gifted’ literacy kids. I fall into the latter category. And since I do, I get the same literacy teacher for three years straight. What a “joy” it is when the literacy teacher you have for three years happens to be a belligerent old woman who seems to have it out for me. I’m a good kid, do well in just about every subject, and am always at or near the top of the class. But my teacher, Mrs. H, yells at me for turning my head slightly to the right, and once went on a tirade about not paying attention when I scratched behind my ear and yawned quietly. (I was exhausted from staying up all night studying for her 300 question vocabulary test.) We also do vocabulary projects in her class, where we are assigned a word and do a PowerPoint presentation on that word, including the definition, part of speech, etymology, three sentences using that word, etc. I was marked down for, and I quote from the rubric “having a background.” Nowhere on the rubric did it state that the background of the slides had to be interesting. And why should they, as we do these projects to take notes and learn about the words, not focus on pretty pictures. She yells at me all the time and gave me detention for getting out of my seat to ask if I could use the restroom. It’s been nearly two years now and I’ve had quite enough of it. I’ve started my “Insult Notebook,” which is filled with all the awful things I’d like to say to Mrs. H but never will unless I feel like getting expelled. It helps a little, but I don’t want to go into eighth grade next year with the same teacher. Several times I’ve really struggled to resist the urge to slap her across the face. I’ve thought about quitting her class, but I would be bumped down to average literacy, as there is only one ’gifted’ literacy teacher in the entire school. I don’t want to do this because average literacy is just too easy. (I’ve been in it before.) How do I deal with such an inconsiderate woman next year without getting too agitated? Please help before I rip my hair out.( Oh, wait, too late for that. She made me come home crying and screaming one day because she read my essay in class, and told me how awful it was, and didn’t even leave it anonymous!)
— Belittled and Bellicose, 13
Question Three: My mom won’t talk to me. Here’s what happened: I had after school band practice and I told my mom that in the morning. So after practice I rode the bus home. During the bus ride I was going to call my mom on my phone and tell her I got out of practice and to pick me up. When I turned my phone on I saw two missed calls from home and my battery was low. When I tried to call her my phone went dead so I had to walk home from the bus stop. When I got home I told my mom what happened but she didn’t believe me and said I called her during practice, which I didn’t. I only tried to call her when I was trying to tell her to pick me up and I told her something in my backpack must have pressed the call button. She still didn’t believe me. Now she will not talk to me at all and she ignores me completely, and I don’t know what to do. Sorry if this confusing. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I understand.
— Candy, 13
Question Four: My mom and dad were divorced before I was born and they only got back together because of me. While I was growing up they would fight and cuss at each other and when I was 8 my mom walked out on me and I think it is my fault. What should I do?— RayRay, 11
Question Five: People constantly make fun of me for this rash I have on my face. It gets really annoying. I tell them to stop but they keep making fun of it. What should I do?
— Anon, 12
Question Six: My friend Selena has been giving me the “silent treatment” for about a week now, and I think it’s because that I told her to take a chill pill when our music notes didn’t match, and I promised that I would do it for her, but later on I was lazy and we quit. I, however, wanted to do the talent show (but not anymore) and I found an old piano piece and asked if it was alright. I think I might have told her to take a chill pill too many times. Do you know how to deal with this?— Shunned One, 11
Question Seven: Hi. My dad is soooo cheap! I needed a new binder and he opened a giant thing of insurance company binders! I told him, “DAD I WILL DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT HOLDING THAT! I’M ALREADY A NERD! I DON’T WANT IT WORSE!" We are fine on money, it’s just that my dad is so cheap and does NOT care about my embarrassment or life!— Cheapdad, 11
Question One: I want to dance professionally or become an archeologist. My mother believes that I still want to become a lawyer and go to Harvard or Boston university. But I changed my plan. I want to go to NYU and double major in the first mentioned fields. My family can’t afford dance because my mother does not work and my father is never really there. But she won’t understand my wants. She thinks what I want to do is useless for my life. So I never told her of my change in plans. Advice?— Unknown Wants, 15
Question Two:In my junior high school, we have your average literacy kids, your literacy support kids, and your ’gifted’ literacy kids. I fall into the latter category. And since I do, I get the same literacy teacher for three years straight. What a “joy” it is when the literacy teacher you have for three years happens to be a belligerent old woman who seems to have it out for me. I’m a good kid, do well in just about every subject, and am always at or near the top of the class. But my teacher, Mrs. H, yells at me for turning my head slightly to the right, and once went on a tirade about not paying attention when I scratched behind my ear and yawned quietly. (I was exhausted from staying up all night studying for her 300 question vocabulary test.) We also do vocabulary projects in her class, where we are assigned a word and do a PowerPoint presentation on that word, including the definition, part of speech, etymology, three sentences using that word, etc. I was marked down for, and I quote from the rubric “having a background.” Nowhere on the rubric did it state that the background of the slides had to be interesting. And why should they, as we do these projects to take notes and learn about the words, not focus on pretty pictures. She yells at me all the time and gave me detention for getting out of my seat to ask if I could use the restroom. It’s been nearly two years now and I’ve had quite enough of it. I’ve started my “Insult Notebook,” which is filled with all the awful things I’d like to say to Mrs. H but never will unless I feel like getting expelled. It helps a little, but I don’t want to go into eighth grade next year with the same teacher. Several times I’ve really struggled to resist the urge to slap her across the face. I’ve thought about quitting her class, but I would be bumped down to average literacy, as there is only one ’gifted’ literacy teacher in the entire school. I don’t want to do this because average literacy is just too easy. (I’ve been in it before.) How do I deal with such an inconsiderate woman next year without getting too agitated? Please help before I rip my hair out.( Oh, wait, too late for that. She made me come home crying and screaming one day because she read my essay in class, and told me how awful it was, and didn’t even leave it anonymous!)
— Belittled and Bellicose, 13
Question Three: My mom won’t talk to me. Here’s what happened: I had after school band practice and I told my mom that in the morning. So after practice I rode the bus home. During the bus ride I was going to call my mom on my phone and tell her I got out of practice and to pick me up. When I turned my phone on I saw two missed calls from home and my battery was low. When I tried to call her my phone went dead so I had to walk home from the bus stop. When I got home I told my mom what happened but she didn’t believe me and said I called her during practice, which I didn’t. I only tried to call her when I was trying to tell her to pick me up and I told her something in my backpack must have pressed the call button. She still didn’t believe me. Now she will not talk to me at all and she ignores me completely, and I don’t know what to do. Sorry if this confusing. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I understand.
— Candy, 13
Question Four: My mom and dad were divorced before I was born and they only got back together because of me. While I was growing up they would fight and cuss at each other and when I was 8 my mom walked out on me and I think it is my fault. What should I do?— RayRay, 11
Question Five: People constantly make fun of me for this rash I have on my face. It gets really annoying. I tell them to stop but they keep making fun of it. What should I do?
— Anon, 12
Question Six: My friend Selena has been giving me the “silent treatment” for about a week now, and I think it’s because that I told her to take a chill pill when our music notes didn’t match, and I promised that I would do it for her, but later on I was lazy and we quit. I, however, wanted to do the talent show (but not anymore) and I found an old piano piece and asked if it was alright. I think I might have told her to take a chill pill too many times. Do you know how to deal with this?— Shunned One, 11
Question Seven: Hi. My dad is soooo cheap! I needed a new binder and he opened a giant thing of insurance company binders! I told him, “DAD I WILL DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT HOLDING THAT! I’M ALREADY A NERD! I DON’T WANT IT WORSE!" We are fine on money, it’s just that my dad is so cheap and does NOT care about my embarrassment or life!— Cheapdad, 11