Education During the 1930's

The crash of the stock market in 1929 ushered in a new decade known as the Great Depression. While many families were struggling for simply enough money to provide another dinner for their loved ones, education was not a priority of most families. A majority of students dropped out so they could find a job and help provide for their families. The number of students that went to college decreased by half. However the percentage of males that attended college rose because it was easier to get a job with higher degrees of education. Most smaller school towns were forced to close because people were not able to play their property taxes which funded the schools.

Today, there are about 50.4 million students who attend either elementary or secondary school. Oh how times have changed!

                                                                                                                          ~Ally

Websites used:
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_21.html
http://www.ushistory.org/us/48e.asp
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

Schools Around the World

Everyday there are thousands of students in America dreading coming to school. But what about the millions of children across the world praying for the chance to get an education? In fact 72 million children don't have access to education and about 759 million adults are illiterate. These statistics are mind blowing to me. I live in a society where receiving an education and going to school is assumed, a right and safe. In some countries, such as Somalia in Africa, more then 50% of children go to school for two years or less out of their entire lives. In war stricken places such as Syria, many schools are targeted by non-state groups because the schools symbolize an embodiment of state authority.

The children who do have an opportunity to attend school are often forced to drop out so that they can help provide for their families. Many students also have to drop out of school because of illness such as malnutrition.

With so many children who live in developing countries not receiving an education, its much more difficult for these counties to ever advance.

Girls of developing countries are probably the most under privileged because traditional gender roles and male privilege still plays a big part in their societies. Of all the children worldwide who have no access at all to any type of education, girls make up 54%. In Yemen 80% of girls will probably never be able to attend school and 12 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa will also probably never get the opportunity to become educated.
                                              
                                                                                                                     ~ Ally


Websites used:
http://www.humanium.org/en/world/right-to-education/

Rape Culture

Rape culture has increasingly become more and more used as a way of describing modern America. Rape culture according to, WAVA, (Women Against Violence Against Women) is explained as, "a term that was coined by feminists in the United States in the 1970's. It was designed to show the ways in which society blamed victims of sexual assault and normalized male sexual violence."

A reference such as rape culture is a very different than how a "culture" is typically spoken about. Its often said that "rape culture" is just a term used by feminists to make men look bad. However when looking at many things that are commonly posted on the internet or heard in hallways or streets, it becomes clear that sexualizing women, younger children etc. has become a common theme in society today. The website, Everyday Feminists, does a wonderful job at pointing out 25 commonly seen examples of why todays culture can be defined as a rape culture. To view click here.

 54% of sexual assault victims are ages 18-34. This puts college students at a much higher risk. Reported sexual assault incidents in college has been going up; for every 1 robbery 2 women are sexually assaulted. This isn't just a problem with women either. About 21% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students have reported a sexual assault incident. Although it is less, there is still an alarming rate of males who are victims of sexual assault. 1 in 16 men have been sexually assaulted.

                                                                                                                        ~Ally

Websites used:
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence 
http://www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/
http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_factsheet_media-packet_statistics-about-sexual-violence_0.pdf

Question 2 on the 2016 Presidental Election Ballot

With the election coming up in a few weeks, I decided to take some time to talk about the other questions on the ballot besides the next U.S. President. Questions number 2 is very important because it will dictate the type of education students will receive and the amount of funding schools will receive. The bill is called, An Act to Allow Fair Access to Public Charter Schools, if approved, state education official will be allowed to add a maximum of 12 new charter school each year. To read more in-depth about this law click here.

Many parents like this bill because it would give them more options on where to send their children to school. However there is lots of concern that this bill would take away funding for public and private schools. After all, about 96% of American students attend either a public or private school while charter school students only make up 4%. If passed it would take effect on January 1, 2017.

What happens to this bill is up to the American people! Make sure to vote November 8th (:
                                                                  ~Ally








Websites used:
 https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Authorization_of_Additional_Charter_Schools_and_Charter_School_Expansion,_Question_2_(2016)
http://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/why-question-2-grassroots-opposition-is-growing/

Sleep Studies

Myself and I'm sure students everywhere dread the early mornings that comes with school. Waking up at 5:30am to the sound of an alarm clock is not exactly the most pleasant thing in the world...

Between extracurricular activates, sports and homework myself and I'm sure many others,  rarely even have the option to go to bed earlier than 10pm. Besides this, a study was done by Anne Wheaton from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia. Her study says that during adolescence a teenager goes through a "natural shift in their inner body clocks". This shift makes it so teenagers feel naturally tired around 10pm-11pm. Going to bed any earlier then this is difficult. The study also shows that in order for teenagers to function the best, they need between 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep per night. The majority of teenagers are not meeting these requirements which impacts them in a severe way. It causes teenagers to lose a big portion of their sleep cycle called the REM cycle; a cycle that helps to control mood swings in all people.  A lack of sleep has been shown to be leading to increased risk for obesity, depression and drug use in teens.


American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that schools should start no later then 8:30am in order for Teenagers to be fully functioning and ready to learn at school. But in America, the only states who have the majority of schools reaching these guidelines are North Dakota and Alaska. While many schools have changed the time school begins in the morning, it will take some time for massive change to happen.

                                                                                                             ~Ally

Websites used:
 https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/survey-finds-us-schools-start-too-early

Documentary: Homelessness in America

 

 

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3stVCh-kAic

When you go to a city, one of the first things you might notice are people standing on the side of the street asking for money. Although it could be viewed as "sketchy" the number of homeless people in America is surprisingly high. Many of these people are then unable to afford school, clothes and struggle to find shelter, especially during the winter. For our journalism class, I teamed up with a few of my classmates to create a documentary about this devastating problem to raise awareness.

The most important item  homeless people need during the winter are socks. Socks are the most needed item for homeless people and the least donated to them. People on the streets need socks more than anything to protect their exposed feet from frostbite, fungus, and in extreme cases, blood poisoning.

Simply donating a pair of socks, something we take for granted, will change somebody else’s life by giving them warmth and hope.

Without the necessity of socks, people could develope trench foot or even frostbite. Although many people take shelter away from the elements in abandoned houses or under bridges, they are still exposed to the cold as well as litter that surrounds these places. Think broken glass, used needled, and mold.

“One homeless man named Kiwi told me socks are more important than food. He said that he knows of many pantries and shelters where he can get food, but that there’s no way he can walk the streets of Toronto without socks.”

• Costello (Points of Light)

Uniforms in Schools.

Schools requiring uniforms has its pros and cons. On the upside, it could prevent possible bullying and ensures that the way every student looks allows them to be treated equally in school. It also allows for school to become a place where the primary focus is to learn rather than a beauty competition.

I personally believe however that schools should not require students to wear a uniform. Its hard to be who you are when what you wear might not match your true self. During high school, teenagers are vulnerable and just trying to figure out who they are. Without being able to express themselves it makes that process just that much harder.

Let me know what you think below!

            

                                                                                                           ~Ally