To Study or Not to Study

2 Million Minuets really opened up my eyes about the education in the US compared to education in other countries. By the end of the week I am exhausted ready to sleep in and have some time off. In other countries I feel like kids never get a break for football games or trips to the mall, their mind is only focused on school work. I do agree that the priorities of students in today's society may be a problem. It concerned me that at the Carmel High School in Indiana, the football players spent more than double the time practicing football than studying. It was also concerning that the town spent $13 million dollars on a new stadium and athletic facilities. Although I am a big believer in extra curricular activities, I think that the United States needs to find a balance between school work and fun. We need to revamp what being a student athlete is all about.

When watching this movie you could tell that it was extremely biased. Not all American teenagers sit around watching Greys Anatomy while "studying." Not all of us just go into the SAT thinking "hmm...I'm not going to try very hard, hopefully I'll do fine." I think high-schoolers in the United States have more pressure then ever before. With every passing year it becomes more difficult to set yourself apart from all other applicants for collage. Collages expect to see a number of activities on you application and if you fall short, too bad no excuses for not fitting in the extra time to become the president of Spanish Club or work with orphaned children on a mission trip. Teenagers are stretching themselves thin trying to impress the collage board. Community Service, Student Council, NHS, Team Captain, and Youth Leader are all activities collages EXPECT to see on your resume, what sets you apart...good question.

Although teenagers in India and China may stress themselves out studying to apply to the top collages in their country, Americans are stressing themselves out working to apply to the top collages in the country. In other countries grades and test scores are at the top of the list to be accepted. In America colleges look at scores but also your time management and how many hours you put into activities outside of school and how far you achieved in them, the more activities the greater chance your going to collage.

In both cases I feel that teenagers need to work hard but shouldn't have to feel that they must do more then they can handle. After all we are still kids and we should be able to enjoy life while we are young.  

"I get by with a little help from my friends..."

1.Definition-Friendship, “the state of being a friend…” says the dictionary. Friendship is so much more than just being a friend though. I mean what all goes into being a friend? To be a friend you must be willing to put someone else before yourself. If you love this person enough, this shouldn’t be difficult. You should be able to see their good qualities and set aside the bad. Friendship means that when you hear your friend just got dumped, again, by her boyfriend you over with a box of cookies and the notebook without a second thought. Friendship is when you know the new episode of Glee is on but you go to his game instead. Friendship is just being there, because you care.

2.Classification-Friendship can mean different things to different people. Take my brother for example he has many friends, but he only has about 4 friends who he lets in his inner circle. These people he will take his wall down for, he feels he can really trust them. For me I give my trust to people easily, so I make friends quickly. I also use the term “friends” very loosely. In consider just about everyone who I associate with friends. My brother takes the word “friends” more seriously. I know his friends well, and when someone new comes along I can guarantee after he leaves my brother say “Were not friends, were just in the same class.” Other people may not like to get close to people so therefore they don’t have many friends. Some people may have so many friends that they come off as fake and insincere. 

3. Process Analysis-Friendship takes many stages; sometimes you may get to one stage but then fall back a few stages after a fight. 1. Introduction-introduce yourself to someone nice looking, and then banter about things you like until you have something in common. 2. Hang Out-Once you find something your both passionate about, go do it! 3. Inside Jokes-Inside Jokes, I feel are a large part of a friendship, developing a playful and fun relationship with each other. 4. Hang Out MORE- Hang out some more but maybe introduces each other to friends, boyfriends, family, ect. 5. Be Open-Once you have established a strong and trusting relationship feel free to open up and share your innermost secrets with that person.

4. Example-Friendship dosen’t always mean your super close with the other person. I think that kindness and friendship go hand in hand and can be shown in the same way. It makes me smile when I hear about the “Drive-Through Difference”, when one person pays for the person behind them. They might not know anything about the person behind them but they show them kindness anyway because that is what friendship is all about. You never know maybe the two cars will meet up for lunch afterward and become great friends, anything is possible.

5. Narration-Entering preschool, all I could think about was making new friends. I wanted to meet every kid in the classroom, know everyone’s name, and be everyone’s best buddy. But then I realized that it’s the relationship you have with someone that makes them your friend, not the fact that they say “Please…I’ll be your best friend!” I knew walking into that colorful classroom that I would make friends that would last a lifetime. In that classroom I learned valuable lessons about how to keep friends and what you have to sacrifice for them. Maybe it was splitting me PBJ when they forgot their lunch or sharing my crayons when theirs were broken. No matter what age you are the foundation for a strong friendship remains the same.

6.Description-A girl runs down the escalator passed the baggage claim and is hit by a warm embrace by another girl in a green t-shirt. Their eyes fill with tears and neither one of them can get out a full sentence without a sob in between each word. Still wearing their class rings they walk hand in hand down the airport to their car. They know the week will be filled with long nights reminiscing about old boyfriends, girl drama, and their plans for the future. Five years have passed since they walked out of the doors of high school and into college, and their bond couldn’t have been stronger.  

7. Comparison/Contrast- “We can be friends or we can be enemies”, this is a popular quote used in many western or action type movies describing the relationship between the hero and the villain in the movie. Normally, your not ever friends with your enemies. In the movie case the hero usually has some kind of connection with the villain but somewhere down the line the relationship grew rocky and the villain vows to destroy the hero. To defeat the Villain the Hero refers back to their old friendship remembering the good times; sometimes the Villain hears this and decides to come out of the dark side and into the light. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”, another famous saying that appears in movies often. Both of these phrases sum up the fact that there will be people in your life that you don’t like but, you should always be friendly towards them, because you never know when you may need to lean on your worst enemy for guidance or help

8.Division of Analysis- Friendships may take you by surprise. Sometimes you have no idea how close you can get to someone, how you have became a part of their life, how you feel when you’re with one another. Friendship involves good communication, trustworthiness, and love. Friendship allows for walls to be broken down and for emotions to flow and be shared. Friendship is something we all crave but may not seek out, it can be found in the most peculiar places.  

9.Cause and Effect-Friendship is caused by a rush of emotions, mainly the happiness of being accepted and loved by another. From day one, people crave attention and love from everyone. When you begin school all you want is to find people who want to play with you and maybe invite your over for a few hours on the weekends. As you get older, you still feel the same way. In high school everyone wants to get in with the in crowd no matter what it takes. But once you find that group or person that accepts you for who you are, the effects begin. Friendship plays a big role in the “Cups Theory.” The Cups Theory describes how people’s needs are met as they are growing up. The more love and attention they receive from family and friends the more likely their cup will be filled and later on attract others who needs are met and a chain reaction occurs.

10. Argumentative/Persuasive- Thousands of people are rushing passed you, one kid even pushes you off balance as you approach your next class. You scan the roomnay friendly face. You find a nice looking girl wearing a John Mayer Shirt. “I love his music” you stammer. “Oh, yeah…me too.” The girl utters, then flips her hair and goes back to talking to the boy next to her. Your heart sinks. Can you imagine being the new kid in school? It’s more work than you think to jump into a group of kids who have been together since Preschool. I don’t understand why people are so afraid to say hello to the new kid. If anything it’s going to make their day that you’re saying hello. This is where I feel friendship is so important. You don’t have to become best friends with this new kid, but give them a break and show them a little friendship and hospitality. Chances are you’ll make him or her feel so much better and you’ll be feeling good to. When I got to high school I was afraid to step out of my circle of friends, but it was so worth it to give new people a chance. I have so many friends with different personalities now and I have never been happier. So if you’re in class debating if you should go greet the new kid of go sit with the girl you talk to in science at lunch, go for it!