love

Find a girl you love enough to call beautiful instead of hot, who u call back when she hangs up, who u will stay awake for, just to make sure she's safe. The girl who u want to show off to the world even when she is in her sweats, who u don't want to let go of, who is just as pretty without makeup on. Wait for the one who's constantly reminding u of how lucky she is to have u, wait for the one who turns to her friends and says 'thats him,' the only one you say "I love you" to.

Social Study Class Reform

The Social Studies are very crucial series of subjects from which students can develop their understanding of the relationship to their society, their heritage, their history. Objective of those classes are that one can acquire knowledge as to how to look upon their country with patriotism; how his/her motherland has evolved throughout two centuries; and how he/she deals with the whole world. Franklin High School has provided good Social Study classes which I truly enjoy. However, I think its Social Studies classes have not fulfilled these goals. Therefore, I would like to make some suggestions which, in my view, would make Social Studies classes at Franklin High School more effective and competitive than those offered by other schools, whether public or private.

Many students know very little about the outside world beyond their own country, and they do not even bother to explore. It is so saddening because, as citizens of the most powerful and leading country of the world, we should have more knowledge about other countries that are in the world we lead. After all, many citizens in our nation are from so many of the countries. Given the situation that we should have geography lesson at some points, I suggest that any Social Studies classes give a one day geography session each month. It would be so beneficial because students would be inculcated with geography knowledge without conflicting with their schedules. Besides, students will become interested in that one day session, since it would be refreshing, breaking from those routines of government or history study. In addition, when they study geography, they will learn some cultural aspects of other countries together, so it would help fulfill the objective of learning about the outside world.

Relating oneself to the outside world would be hard since the outside world is so intangible, but relating oneself to the American society is far easier. Connecting to internet could bring infinite amounts of information to students, so that they can be educated on current world issues. Instead, many students put most of their precious time on the internet into entertainment and games. So, unfortunately, they ignore one of the most improper uses of the internet, providing useful news as soon as it happened. Therefore, my second suggestion is to mandate students to read weekly, and if possible, write a summary and a personal thought about that article.
In 21st century, the computer and printer are already prevalent among American families. Why do we not make a better use of it, a more educational and significant use, which many parents may think is good and eventually support it. This suggestion has many advantages which are that more people will be educated; it helps clubs, such as model UN, Republican Club, and Public Issue Club, to recruit members once everyone becomes engaged into public issues; encouraging a reading habit; making social study classes more enjoyable; and, finally, improving their writing by requiring them to write more, which is a helpful step toward better penmanship. In addition, I want to suggest that Model UN and Model Congress, which are only offered to GT kids, should be open to any students, no matter what classes they are taking and what grade they are in when students become more active in Social Study classes. The only-to-GT-kid program will eventually incite students’ unhappiness, since they are not given an opportunity to show off their abilities which proves no difference against those GT kids. This idea has virtually no, or few, significant disadvantages to students; but it has a big effect on teachers, since they need to grade more papers than they did before. However, I think it is workable since students will benefit exponentially, and teaching students responsibly is an integral part of this suggestion

Accompanied with the news-summary suggestion, I suggest there will be a current issue discussion, in which students can express their opinion on news they read the day before, and it should be held twice a week which replaced those soporific and repetitive drills, which always ask what students learned the day before. Discussion will be far more interesting and motivating where students would automatically start debating, which is what Social Study classes intend students to do. It would also exercise their brains toward readiness for learning after discussion. From debating, they would find their stances on the society and pride themselves on the ability to bravely speak out their true thought about some issues. Many students who do not care about how the society works will enjoy twice-weekly discussion, and then they start debating with friends, family than talking useless junks in their leisure time.

My intention is clear after I present my suggestion. I sense that students participate so little in their Social Study class but so much to entertainment and luxuries. I feel it is not right that students do not absorb as much knowledge as they can when they are in brightest stage in their life. Franklin High School always competes with other schools within Baltimore county, no matter public or private. By increasing workload on students, whose time was wasted only on entertainment, they will have a better timetable for themselves and exert their intelligence to its best, and eventually beat every school academically in this county social-study-wise.

A Plea For Increasing Teacher’s Salary

Teachers’ salary has remained low nowadays. Critics argue that teachers are very comfortable because they only work for 8 hours everyday and have a two-month long vacation in summer. However, they do not realize the teachers have so much work. The society is unfair to them, and increasing salary is justified.

Being a teacher is not as comfortable as people think. Waking up early everyday, teachers have to be in school by 7:15. Then they have to make sure that the majority of students learn. They also face argumentative students. Fighting in school is often. Teachers have to assume leadership. 5 classes a day, with ever-increasing students in classes, teachers’ burden has gotten heavier. After school, teachers have to grade paper and plan lessons. Statistically, they work till 10 at home. They are not paid by anybody, and teachers sleep right after completing their “homework” without any leisure at all. Is the society fair to them?

People argue that teachers have a two-month long summer vacation. However, they have to work in summer too. To meet the ever-changing world, teachers have to keep upgrading themselves. They also have to find jobs to sustain their family. Therefore, they work all year long. Sometimes, the government recruits teachers to write new plans without pay. Lawyers and Doctors receive more money than teachers do, but they probably work for the same amount of time, so is it fair?

The society has found so many reasons not to increase teachers’ salary, and they never realize how hard teachers work to improve the academic quality of their children. The government has spent so much money on school facility improvement, but it is reluctant to give teachers more pay. Their salary should be increased.

AP AP AP

AP Exams finally hit students across the nation this week. I am taking 5 this years personally. AP Exams are challenging because they cover a year's material in a matter of three hours, but my counselor, who was also a proctor for my AP Statistics Exam, said one of the most insightful things I have ever heard.

He asked me if the test was hard after I took it, I said, "It was ok." He said, "What am I asking you here? Of course Statistics is hard. but it is the teacher who makes it easier for students." I agree with him totally. Without good teachers, I probably would not have felt well after taking AP Calc yesterday and Statistics today. However, there are really not a lot of good teachers out there anymore.

When I tried to find out what causes the drastic quality of teachers, I found out that the problem is too big. Today, i will try superficially to look at one cause, pay.

The government is not willing to increase pay for teachers relative to what the market suggests. Therefore, no one, espcially the college students majoring in science and math, does not want to teach. The good ones are going to be engineers, doctors, etc. Those who major in English and Social Study will be lawyers. Therefore, only those who are underqualified want to be teachers since they are content with the pay.

However, I do not think that the teachers should organize themselves to bargain for more pay. (i am talking about unions) Union will distract the teachers from their goals, teaching. Union does nothing except for wasting money and time.

I just realize that my thought is not organized well today. Well, I had been in school from 7 to 4, and I took an AP test.... anyway. I shall continue my argument someday. yes someday