Marriage

What is marriage? For every person, it is something completely different. For some, it’s an event that is to be taken very seriously. Others call it love being taken to a whole new level. In history, marriage joined kingdoms and provided families with new wealth. Most traditionally, marriage has been designated as between a man and a woman. Over the past decade or so, it has come to the average person’s eye that perhaps gender has nothing to do with marriage.

We all know gay marriage will be legal one day. But what are we fighting against exactly? We have DOMA, for example, an act signed by Clinton in ’96 saying marriage is strictly between a man and a woman. I’d like to think of that as a starting point to what’s going down in D.C. and across the country. Was that act even constitutional? To my knowledge, there is no mention of anything about marriage in the constitution. So why are there even laws considering marriage?

There’s the whole “don’t get married until you’re 18” law, WHICH OF COURSE makes complete sense. That is the age you are considered an adult under the law. Logic. There is common law marriage, where there was no witness, but both parties have taken each other as husband and wife. Some states still recognize common law marriages. Then there is civil marriage, which is recognized by the state, et cetera, et cetera. Names that go on a marriage certificate really aren’t, or shouldn’t, be of too much concern to the state. This means that those names on a marriage certificate are only really needed for identification.

To be honest, why does the government even care who we marry? I’m not out there fighting for gay marriage rights, but I have nothing against it. Go on, live your life. It is your life right? We’re talking about a marriage, not some sort of felony. Who you marry and what gender, race, religious affiliation two people happen to be, why is the government going to worry about that? There are more pressing matters to deal with. How about this: the only intervention the state needs to make with marriage is having the documents filled out. Other than that, people should be free to live their married lives as they wish. 

Ah, Standardized Testing...

SATs, ACTs, and a variety of state or regional testing are students’ most nightmarish annoyance. You spend three to six hours meticulously filling in the dreaded bubble sheets. Answering questions everyone else is answering, robotically filling in essay sections, and mentally cursing the person who designed this boring torture device. Why is this test so important anyway? It’s a test deciding what standards you should meet and when. High schools in Rhode Island have passing this fiend of a state test compulsory to graduate and be on your way to college.

Recently, fifty adults from Rhode Island took the NECAP, the state test for the northeastern region. Sixty percent failed, earning a score within the range of “substantially below proficient”. Rhode Island has begun to implement a new policy requiring high school students to pass the NECAP in order to graduate high school as of this year. The purpose of a state test is simply to see where students are at in their education, not to deem an individual as able to graduate or not. If the NECAP is so important that you have to pass it in order to get out of high school, why can’t an adult pass it?

The thing about standardized tests as a general is they are merely standard. They do measure a student’s expanse of factual information, and allow the state to gauge a school as a whole. That in itself can be expanded into a whole argument over whether the government can decide what a student can learn and when. However, using these tests to declare a student able to move on to their future endeavors is a bit silly. Out in the “real world” you need so much more than facts moseying around your brain. You need to be able to think, be creative, be innovative, be individual. There is no test for that, nor does our system have the goal of teaching those things.

There’s another concept; standardized tests force teachers to base their curriculum solely on preparing a student for the content on the test rather than allowing the students to soak up and learn as much as possible. The rest of your life shouldn’t be balancing on whether you pass or fail a state mandated test. School is made for learning right? Not for taking a test. It is superfluous to use a state test to decide whether you graduate or not.

I understand the use of standardized testing as a means for the state to see how schools are doing. That is completely understandable since public education is in the hands of the government. But please, don’t abuse the system.

There's an app for that

I was browsing the App Store on my iPhone when I came across a new app. Intrigued, I clicked on the little blue cube with the white Q. It was then that I finally was introduced to Quizlet.

Quizlet was originally launched in 2007. Andrew Sutherland, a high school student, needed a new way to memorize vocabulary from his French class, and thus, Quizlet was born. Sutherland was fifteen when he wrote the code making personalized electronic flashcards. Quizlet has grown to include various games and a wide variety of topics students are able to study. They have gone from being used solely on a computer to being available on many mobile devices.

You don’t need an account to start using Quizlet. You can get the app for free on either Apple or Android. For ten to fifteen dollars (per year) you can acquire Quizlet Plus, which allows the user to customize flashcards with images. I've just started using Quizlet for SAT words, with the game Scatter (much like the game of Memory). And yes, it is helping me learn my words and keep them in my head. The game times you and every time you play it, you want to beat your previous time. Or maybe that’s just me.

Something you are doing, anything really can make a huge impact. Maybe you teach an after school art class that could be the very reason one of your students still has hope for the future. Another of those students could grow up and have his art displayed in Milan. By releasing Quizlet to the public, Sutherland has indirectly aided many a student who are at a loss when it comes to studying. Don’t underestimate what a great impact a small, maybe personal, accomplishment can have on others. 

Freedom and Traveling

Recently (two months ago now, but the feeling is still new) I acquired a most valuable piece of identification: my driver’s license! I no longer was on a permit requiring an adult in the car. Even better, my parents provided me with a nice little Bug, along with some Harry Potter stickers to put on the windows.

One of the best things about getting your license is indeed the sense of freedom and responsibility that goes with it. You are no longer bound to need a ride to hang out with your friends or head to wherever it is you cause mischief. This little three inch card with a picture of you on it grants you a new frontier to explore. Having been a military brat the first twelve years of my life, having gained a means of independent travel is amazing. I spent years going from state to state, and even getting to live in Europe twice. Getting behind the wheel, merging onto the highway, seeing the open road in front of me. Every single time, I’m imagining the countless adventures that lie ahead.

I love traveling. I mean, so do most of the world’s population it seems, but still. I came home from studying in Spain for four months. Barely a month after I’m home and I have my license, ready to go on another adventure. It’s an addiction. When most people are going hard on Reddit, I’m on Google Maps or cheaptickets.com. I plan routes, check out flights, find hotels. I know that most of my adventures won’t happen for a while, but I love just sitting in front of a map, finding yet another place I want to visit or live in.

Another thing I have grown to love: learning languages. I was raised with English and Spanish. For three years, I lived in Italy, and had to learn Italian. I’m currently trying to learn Mandarin Chinese. I still have a list of languages I want to have a basic understanding in. And then there is all the culture that comes with language and traveling. I won’t even get started on that.

It’s really incredible everything there is out there to learn. I’ve been lucky to have experienced all that I have so far. Now that I can drive, I'm already planning a great many road trips. As I like to say, adventure awaits!

Reading is AWESOME

At this very moment, your brain is taking a bunch of letters and translating them into information that you are now registering. Or something like that anyway. Later, you might go read your biology textbook. You’ll log into Facebook for a distraction, reading memes, statuses, and comments. No matter where you are, reading is a key. It’s just as important as writing, except that reading tends to come first when learning. Why do we read? What value is there in reading?

We are taught from a very young age that reading is absolutely necessary. It helps us read stories, birthday cards from your grandparents, and maps. Being able to read is way of listening, taking in information. We learn when we read. We are entertained when we read. Reading gives you the intellectual means to sail across the Atlantic or start your own business.

Now imagine a world where this isn’t an option. There are no books to read, no knowledge to consume. Even worse, picture having books but not being able to know what the markings on its pages mean. At first someone might think, hey, less work for me! But after a while, curiosity or just a mere desire lead right back to reading. That is why I love the mission of the Book Wish Foundation.

If you are not aware of Book Wish, the mission is getting books to refugees and AIDS orphans in Darfur. They provide literacy programs and all supplies needed for reading and writing (lights, pens, pencils, notebooks, even glasses). They raise money through the work of their volunteers. These volunteers design the webpage (bookwish.org), make designs for their products (shirts and other such things), and because of this, about 95 percent of the money they raise actually goes to program services.

It is incredible what Book Wish has accomplished thus far. Currently, they are selling a book, What You Wish For. It is a compilation of poems and short stories by award winning authors. These are people like Meg Cabot, R. L. Stine, and John Green. The proceeds from this book? They go to the next project: building libraries. They also intend on providing specific books requested by refugees.

It’s an incredible project, changing lives for the better. Knowing how big of an impact reading can have on someone, cherish the moments you get to sit down and escape into an infinite and new universe. That’s what Book Wish gives these people; amidst the terrible things they have seen in their lives, there is still a spark of hope. 

When I read about politics

Just four words into an article (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/white-house-to-enact-sequester-cuts-friday-amid-questions-over-impact/) and I can’t deal with politics. Why is this? “President Obama placed blame…”

Placed blame. BLAME. ARE WE CHILDREN HERE? First of all, do not go pointing fingers. That will not change the situation nor will it earn you any respect. I thought these were dignified adults we were dealing with. Oh right, there is a difference between a dignified adult and a politician. Don’t get me wrong, I like to believe that humans really do try to make the world a better place. That’s one of my goals. However, that doesn’t mean we execute bettering the world very well every time we try.

As has been in the news, there is this whole sequester ordeal. Most people are cool with it, but it appears that Obama is not entirely happy with it (from what I've read anyway). From what I can fathom from the situation is that our federal spending has gone way up. The deficit has significantly grown as well. Sequester cuts, which are basically budget cuts, have been put into effect. My dad shot me this cartoon that sums up the situation more or less:

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/02/39031-cartoon-idiots-guide-to-budget-comparison/

Also, people are saying the sequestration came from the White House. Whether it did or not does not hold any relevance. Don’t blame someone else when things are not going your way. Fix them yourself.