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1 point

Pressure does increase cheating because students don't know how to succeed any other way. I can honestly admit that I have cheated before because I felt so pressured that I wouldn't get a good grade. School really can be stressful. Especially in junior and senior year when school is harder and the work takes longer and you easily get overwhelmed. In March of 2012, reports showed that 196 school districts had patterns of suspicious scores that closely resembled other students. This is too large of a number to think that kids are just lazy! I think we are pressured in school by teachers and parents. WHO'S WITH ME?!

Judd, Alan. "Investigations Lax in Cheating Cases." Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 23 Sep. 2012: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

1 point

Getting paid to come to school everyday would be amazing! I would probably never miss school. If I got paid for my good grades, that would be even better. I know that we get paid with knowledge, but cash would be better. I would quit my after school job and focus more on my studies and attendance. If my parents paid me to get an A in Algebra II, I would put more effort into studying. It's a challenging course and sometimes getting paid "knowledge" isn't enough.

A study was done to see how adults felt about their children getting paid for grades. More than half of the 74 CEOs, chairmen and presidents surveyed last month by USA TODAY said they think paying for grades is a good idea. When asked if they pay, or have paid, their own kids for grades, 33 of 66 said yes. I'm actually surprised that the number isn't higher. I really do believe grades and attendance would increase if a payment was awarded.

Jones, Del. "CEOs Split on Paying for Good Grades." USA TODAY. Sept. 10 2008: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

1 point

Unfortunately, I don't think more education will help. We hear about car accidents all the time and yet we still continue to text and drive. We see the commercials of the families who have lost a loved one because they sent the text "ya". Still, we text and drive. For some reason, we have created this illusion where we think that bad things can't happen to us. However, if you were forced to pay a $3000 fine, would you still continue to shoot that one text? That's a lot of work hours if you make minimum wage. I wish that more education made us change our ways, but I really don't believe it will.

Keep in mind that it's not just texting and driving. Listening to the radio, fixing your hair, grabbing your sunglasses out of the glove box, and taking a drink of your pop all distract you from what should be your main focus, the road. Driving distracted is the new drunk driving! According to Joshua Weller, scientist, texting and driving at 55 mph is similar to driving the length of one football field with your eyes closed! That's nuts!

Hanes, Stephanie. "Texting While Driving: The New Drunk Driving." Christian Science Monitor. 05 Nov. 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

1 point

Unfortunately, I don't think more education will help. We hear about car accidents all the time and yet we still continue to text and drive. We see the commercials of the families who have lost a loved one because they sent the text "ya". Still, we text and drive. For some reason, we have created this illusion where we think that bad things can't happen to us. However, if you were forced to pay a $3000 fine, would you still continue to shoot that one text? That's a lot of work hours if you make minimum wage. I wish that more education made us change our ways, but I really don't believe it will.

Keep in mind that it's not just texting and driving. Listening to the radio, fixing your hair, grabbing your sunglasses out of the glove box, and taking a drink of your pop all distract you from what should be your main focus, the road. Driving distracted is the new drunk driving!

Hanes, Stephanie. "Texting While Driving: The New Drunk Driving." Christian Science Monitor. 05 Nov. 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

1 point

Unfortunately, school programs for bullying aren't as successful as they could be. They’re still many kids who are afraid to come to school day after day because the same person has nothing better to do than harass someone because of age, race, weight, height, clothes, etc. What gives people the right to judge anyone?

Childhood bullying can linger a lifetime! Researchers found those bullied in earlier years had lower levels of education, more physical and cognitive health problems, and poor social functioning throughout their lives, compared with those who were not bullied. Is it really worth ruining someone’s life? I wish that people would grow up and realize that no one is perfect. No matter how many school programs we have, kids will still bully other kids.

"Schools Have Work to Do." Buffalo News. 11 Jul. 2012: A.6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

2 points

School uniforms are a hot debate right now. Does it limit kids’ individuality? Does an outfit have an impact on your education? According to students who wear uniforms, they boost school pride, reduce peer pressure, and help them stay focused on studies instead of outfits. I for one think that school uniforms wouldn't be a bad idea. It would be nice to be judged on your personality for once instead of the brand of your jeans.

According to the United States Department of Education, in 2010, nearly 1 in 5 public schools required uniforms. The numbers are increasing at a higher rate than what we realize. It might not be that long before our very own OABCIG requires them as well.

Toppo, Greg. "What to Wear Back to School?." USA TODAY. 19 Aug. 2013: A.3. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

1 point

If we want to stop careless car accidents from distracted drivers, we need to pass tougher laws. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction occurring within three seconds before the vehicle crash. This is an outrageous percentage. If cell phone usage in a vehicle was completely prohibited, the number of car accidents a year would decrease drastically.

I vote that we raise the prices of tickets. It doesn’t matter how many times a person hears about a fatal car accident involving distraction, they will still continue to drive distracted. However, if we increase prices, people will start to realize that maybe that one text wasn’t that important. According to www.iowadot.gov, a fine of $2,750 could be given to anyone using a hand-held device while operating a motor vehicle. If you drive a bus or commercial truck, the fine could be up to $11,000. I could buy another car for those prices. The law is cracking down on distracted drivers!

1 point

After reading this article about banning books, I have decided to give students the option to decide what they read. Instead of banning certain books, maybe just put an age advisory on it. A lot of the books that have been banned, I've personally read. I don't feel like they should be banned because they teach children that life isn't always flowers and butterflies. I wouldn't want a young kid reading something inappropriate, however, I wouldn't want a teenager denied the right to pick up the book "The Diary of Anne Frank". Every person should have the right to decide what they want to read.

Supporting Evidence: 2005 Banned Books (www.oclc.org)


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