"No More Homework" by J-Story

Schools believe that the amounts of schoolwork and homework they give is appropriate for students.  The argument towards justifying the excessive amounts of homework is that students will be moving into careers that are as or more stressful than school. However this is not always the case; school doesn't necessarily prepare the student for life in the outside world. Instead school should be focused on what the individual prefers. It could minimize requirements for all but certain subjects that are important to what the student wishes to study and pursue outside of school in the real world.

This would allow individuals to get the most out of their ‘free’ education especially when it sets them up for their real world job and what they wish to pursue in college. And for those who aren’t certain what they would want to study, it allows them to try and experience different careers they may be interested in. As a student currently enrolled in the final months of his junior year of high school an education in this way would have been far more beneficial to me. I would have liked to experience what college is like aside from the general AP course which may or may not count towards college credit. Whereas not only do I have standard American high school courses and hours of homework alongside the athletics I’m in I have to explore college courses and prepare for standardized tests. It is just not possible and what makes matters worse is that teenagers have to make a life altering choice while under a ton of pressure and they are completely unsure as to what they want to study outside of high school. Why should we pay extra money to change our college majors when high school could prepare us for college better and eliminate unnecessary and pointless standardized tests. Plus it would eliminate homework that is completely unnecessary and only give homework if it were absolutely necessary.

Education would be focused on what it was meant to be: educating. Not forcing masses of persons who are completely different to memorize general trivia. Of course some of the common knowledge is necessary in order for a student to be well balanced but it would be better if the knowledge was condensed into a shorter span. Here in the United States we cover information we learned in grade school a second time, which takes away from continuing on an educating ourselves for the working world. Wouldn’t it be better to eliminate this ‘review’ and make it an optional course in school or make it available for those who absolutely need the review. This would also eliminate the extra trivial work and homework that is not completely unnecessary for students. Restructuring our education system with less homework and education focused more on the individual would be more beneficial to society. Especially now when there is so much ‘general’ to memorize. This would allow for specialization and allow persons and competition to improve in all sectors of the work force.

Also think of the teachers. They are basically forced to teach towards a test. They must have their students score well on test that is focused on general knowledge of general areas. Why not make school mean something for teachers? If schools were focused more on the preparation for college rather than the mediocrity that is teaching to a test teachers would be further motivated to teach with passion and care. Think for a second: a teacher who controls everything from homework, if any, to any sorts of grades given. There is no big ‘necessary’ test at the end of the year the state requires. Instead free education in which students and teachers feel motivated and obligated to do well. A variety of courses could be offered with the restraints of common knowledge; engineering classes, literature and poetry, arts, music, business and administration, technology courses, history, and mathematics for individuals interested in all sorts of careers.

One of the leading countries in education, Finland, doesn’t give homework to its students. They have less stress and are encouraged to pursue balanced lives outside the educational system. They are given time to relax and do not have to balance work outside of class with their extracurriculars. They are encouraged to be social, to go outside and meet with friends. Where as other countries like the United States have seven hours of school and can receive up to five to six hours of homework on top of extracurricular activities. Scientists have proven that students across the United States have the same anxiety levels as insane asylum patients during the 1950s. As a student in the United States high school educational system I can verify that the system needs change desperately.  Homework is only one issue that induces stress and hinders personal performance in life and society. It saps motivation and emotion from people; encouraging people to do whatever they can just for the sake of completing the work. If not done right, work can actually hurt the student so why should the student be practicing without the teacher supervising them, making sure the student has the competence to perform well.

Another way the system has failed us as an educational device is how state and federal governments have standardized tests and lessons. There are students, like myself, who take certain tests which are designed to be easy and find them hard, but when we take a harder test we find them easy. These tests make intelligent students fall behind the diligent ones and if you do not understand the difference between intelligent and diligent then you need to go back to middle school. How is it fair to victimize students of higher intellect such as myself and a countless number of both friends and peers and place us with individuals who have ‘bulled’ their way through? It is an intolerable obstruction to fair education and opportunity. Such tests should be eliminated for such a reason, aside from how wealthier families can afford to send their children to prep classes designed for them to ace these tests even though they haven’t scored higher than a C average their whole schooling career. Where is the equal opportunity for in that?-nowhere. The school in which I am currently a member of only a few are fortunate to afford one of these classes at a lesser quality for a cheaper price, but a majority of students won’t bother because their parents cannot afford to place them in college. Then there is the school on the other side of the district where everybody is in the top ten percent of the American economic hierarchy, not only can they afford these classes but they can afford to send their children to Princeton and Harvard without aid. Yet most of their children are over privileged and incompetent, I know I’ve met many, and these are going to be the future leaders of America. No wonder we are the ‘doomed’ generation.

Finally let us not forget that homework is one of the leading causes of stress in the world. The extra work focuses on the most important information that the majority should know. But it doesn’t allow for individuals to cover certain topics they need help on or want to explore more. It only aids in the general knowledge and excludes individuality and self exploration. The only ways to fix this issue is to add even more homework to the already super stressed student body, or completely eliminate homework altogether. But this will never happen because we are too focused on pressuring students rather than helping them. Along with forcing teacher to teach to a test that only further limits the areas of which they can teach to us.

It would be nice to see such changes to the education system for when my potential children might one day attend school in America. But then again it most likely won’t because what do I know?-aside from being a student who constantly deals with such issues on a regular basis. We can only hope dramatic change will come and we must pray that it is a good change.

"The Four Seasons" by Platonic Soulmate

Spring is joyful and bright,

The sun comes out and makes things right.

As flowers of all colors bloom,

Rain clouds overhead loom.

The warm weather comes as the cold weather goes,

The windy wind blows as a green tree grows.

Summer sneaks up on us like a little critter,

The sun shines on the water and glitters.

The blazing sun heats up the weather.

Young birds try out their new feathers.

Bright fireworks are shot in the night sky

And soon enough summer ends and says good-bye.

Autumn comes around, the forest leaves start to change

From red to orange, the possible colors have a huge range.

As leaves on the trees then begin to fall.

Squirrels gather nuts to stuff in their tree home walls.

The weather gets colder as the sun sets sooner.

Make sure to adjust your violins with a good tuner.

Winter is finally here as people wait for the first snow.

Most people would love to stay in bed watching their favorite show.

The roads and sidewalks begin to freeze

As people might go out to eat for some Chinese.

The New Year approaches soon and the cycle repeats again.

The four seasons are finally done, amen.

"Kyrielle for Bonnie and Clyde" by Naomi Jean Lewis

He laughs out loud with eyes of stars

His heart tattooed with jagged scars

He smiles at me, like Hell-fire bright

We drive on through the moonless night

Fighting and swerving on the road

Weary-souled, but we keep our load

Highbeams fly by with fading light

We drive on through the moonless night

Bullets with our names, carved in deep

We flee on to our bandit’s keep

Escaping home; we nuzzle, bite

We drive on through the moonless night

Happiness is your hand, my gun

Baptized in blood, we became one

Our stolen car rumbles with might

We drive on through the moonless night

No place is safe from hired men

Like Daniel in the lions’ den

We’re on the run in constant flight

We drive on through the moonless night

Two sinners’ souls, ‘neath the sky

We won’t say, “no” and won’t say, “bye”

Together our burden is light

We drive on through the moonless night

"My Curious Obsession with Pokemon" by Phil

Since the first day we got back from winter break, senioritis has been a plague that has seemed to slowly but steadily creep into my life. What started out as drifting off in class at times led to full blown afternoons of doing little to no work at all. I laugh out loud to think that I once upon a time told myself I wouldn’t be like every other senior, but alas, I’ve been dragged into the norm. And to think it all started going downhill on that fateful day when the original Pokémon series came out on Netflix. For wherever there is Pokémon, I will always be there.

_________________

It was a dull and rainy Saturday afternoon as I sat and played with my action figures on the living room floor of the same house I live in today. But the day wouldn’t be dull for much longer, because today was the day that my mom was taking me to see my first movie ever in theaters. The name of the movie was Pokémon 2000, a tale in which main character Ash and his friends stumble upon three legendary Pokémon and fight bad guys to save the Pokémon from captivity. You can only guess where such an exciting movie like that took me.

Not even a year later, what had started out as a mild interest transformed into a full-blown obsession. I had Pokémon-themed everything: shoes, clothes, hats, posters, wallpaper, bed sheets, stuffed animals, and much more. If you name it, I’m pretty sure I had it! I fondly remember rushing home from school every Tuesday and Thursday, so eager to catch the latest Pokémon episode that was on at 4 o’clock. There would never be a time where I would watch my Pokémon shows without my favorite Pokémon blanket and stuffed Pikachu right by my side. I even recall at one point forcing my mother to buy me the new Pokémon cereal, of which I ate the whole box despite its bland taste. I even got plastic Pokéballs for Christmas one year, which I used every single day until they all were broken.  As I raced around the house after school with Pikachu in my arms, I would always imagine that we were embarking on a great adventure to become the best Pokémon trainer of all time! You could say I had quite the imagination when I was a kid, and it only continued to grow as I got older.

As the years went by, my love for Pokémon only grew. After the original series ended, I began to collect every trading card I could find. Without a doubt, my favorite two cards I ever owned were my shiny Electabuz and shiny Charizard, both of which were valued at around $25 each. I must have spent every penny I had as a child completing my whole collection, which ironically sits in a box in my closet untouched for years despite my still-persistent love for all things Pokémon. But back then, my Pokémon cards were my most prized possession; they would’ve been for any boy or girl my age. I loved being the envy of all my friends when I’d bring my card binder over to their houses and show them all my latest additions to my ever-growing collection. I even tried to enter in a local card game competition when I was eleven, but alas my parents said I was too young.

From that point I moved onto the new Pokémon games, which still to this day dominate the video game markets all over the world. My best friend gave me my first Pokémon game on my twelfth birthday, which went quite nicely with the Gameboy my parents bought me. I was a pretty lucky kid to say the least. The games were by far my favorite of anything that the creators of Pokémon came up with. It was not long until I had every single game from the first three “generations”, meaning I had a total of nine games at one point. Though it sounds ridiculous to have had nine Pokémon games at once, I certainly put all nine of them to more than good use, beating them all at least twice. The best thing about the games in my opinion was the fact that I could finally become the Pokémon trainer I had watched on TV and go on my own adventure. I could even catch whatever Pokémon I wanted if I searched for it! It was everything I needed at the time. All my friends played it and so did my brother, which made it all the more fun to keep playing it even as I got to be older.

One of the things I always kept in mind through all those years of Pokémon love was how much it meant to me and influenced my life. I think the thing that always drew me to Pokémon more than anything else was its ability to keep up with the popularity of all ages of children while still remaining nonviolent. When I look at all the popular games amongst children and teens out today such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, it makes me seriously wonder how the violence is acceptable. I am so thankful my parents never let me get any violent video games. Even now they are iffy about me playing any M-rated games even if I am seventeen. It is so strange to me to think about how much has changed in the last five years with gaming. I feel like gaming companies have lost their creative edge and have resorted to desensitizing children like the rest of society has today. And it’s not like violence receives so much of a better rating that what Pokémon has, so we know that kids are willing to enjoy nonviolent games just as much. I just wish that kids today were as much into Pokémon as I was. It was something that all my friends were as into as I was. I still play the games every now and then, and they are most certainly just as fun every single time.

Even now, I still share my love for Pokémon in many ways. I will talk the ear off of anyone who is willing to listen to me about it. Though the Netflix release of the show has affected my school work, I am so happy I get to relive the best parts of my childhood before I head off to college in the fall. It may seem childish to some, but I believe that Pokémon is a great link to my past that I can still access to this day. It’s a fad that may die down as I grow older, but will never die out completely. I may not seem like much of a nerd, but I’m the head of the pack when it comes to my love for Pokémon. 

"If I was a Flower" by Adrenaline

If I was a flower I would sit around all day and soak up the sun. I would stand tall as the sun washed over my petals and down my spine. It would be as if my eyes were closed, laying on the cool grass. I would be absolutely content, if I was a flower.

I would sway as monster-sized raindrops fall gently on my leaves. I’d soak up the water, drink it down with open... “arms”. I would suck it in through my roots, feel it climb up my stem, spread into my leaves, and fuel me for my days of relaxation. If I was a flower, I would be serene.

If I was a flower I would have no real worries. I wouldn’t think about school or grades. I wouldn’t think about what college I could get into or what would be my major. I wouldn’t think about how I would make money to afford college. How could I pay my debts? How could I find a real job? None of that would matter, if I was a flower.

If I was a flower, I would have a lot of flower friends. We would never fight. If I was a flower, no one would steal boyfriends. No one would talk behind backs. No one would be fake or mean or rude. If I was a flower, life would be bliss.

If I was a flower, I would have been born of a seed. I would have grown up on my own. No reliance on parents for money, rides, a home and food. I wouldn’t need to be with my parents. We wouldn’t be constantly fighting. I wouldn’t have to come back, every time I walk away. I wouldn’t even have to walk away. I would just be gone, if I was a flower.

If I was a flower I would soak up the rain as well as the sun. I would have no worries. I would have a bunch of friends, no drama included. I would never have fights with my parents.

I would be utterly happy, if I was a flower.

"Pantoum for a Scapegoat" by Hiram McDaniels

 Note from the author: a pantoum is a poetic style where lines are repeated. But this isn't really a proper pantoum since I changed some words and the order..

I leaned on the railing the night that you lied.

The porch bulb swung gently, a spark still inside.

A sallow-winged moth, entranced by the sight,

Meandered in fruitless pursuit of the light.

The porch swing swung gently. A spark stilled inside me.

Who knew now what other foul truths you denied me?

I stalked off in fruitless pursuit of the light.

The doubt of you followed me into the night.

I knew now there were other truths you’d denied

As the shovel and pickaxe I deftly applied.

Not even you followed me into the night.

You just clutched at the porch-swing and said they were right.

The pick and the spade having been well-applied,

A dark plastic sheet in the earth I espied.

I clutched at the handle and knew they were right.

The truth of it tore at my heart like a bite.

A dark wrapped-up shape in the sheet I espied.

My hands with its dust, red and flaking, were dyed.

You warn with no bark. You’ve a deadlier bite.

Then, floodlights and sirens, all blindingly bright.

A sallow-winged moth burned up at the sight

Of floodlights and sirens, all blindingly bright.

My hands with your sin, red and blatant, were dyed.

I hung by the neck for the night that you lied

February/March 2014 Data

The HWC went into hibernation for a brief time during February and March this year, but we still managed to get a lot done. Thanks to HWC tutor Sam C. for designing our fancy new data sheet!