Attention Dog Owners

                                                
They are considered to be a man’s best friend. They are the most popular pet in the world, out numbering cats and fish. In every neighborhood there is at least one house with a fence and this creature outside. They come in all different shapes and sizes and you can hear them talk from a block away. These creatures are called dogs. Yes, dogs are cute and can be funny at times but they can also be a pain if they are not properly trained.

What I mean by not properly trained is when owners think their dogs will listen to them if they just call their name. I don’t know how many times I have been running and a dog has escaped and chased me while their owner just stands there calling the dog’s name. About 90% of the time the dogs don’t listen to their owners and continue to follow me. Eventually the dogs give up and go back to their house where their owners are still standing and watching. The dogs give me a scare because I always think they are going to bite me.

Something that bothers me even more is when dog owners say “Oh, he/she won’t hurt you” when their dog is chasing you down the street. First of all, how do they know that you’re not allergic or scared of dogs? How do they know their dogs are not going to bite you? Dogs, just like any animal, are unpredictable and if they get spooked they will not think before they act, they will try to protect themselves.

I also question why dog owners feel the need to bring their dogs to crowded events or fireworks. Dogs don’t enjoy being around thousands of people in a hot place or listening to loud fireworks. They are not humans so don’t treat them like they are.

The last pet peeve I have with dog owners is that they feel its okay for their dog to lick you. This is a nasty habit and not everyone wants to be licked by a dog so don’t let your dog near people unless you ask them first.

So dog owners think twice about where you allow your dog to room. Not everyone is a dog person even though it is the most popular pet in the world.
 

Gnats

In one of my last posts I wrote about mosquitoes and how they seem to do nothing for the environment. Well now I have another bug that follows in the mosquito category and that would be little bugs called gnats.

If gnats didn’t group together to become one giant cluster that you can’t get around they wouldn’t bother me as much but they don’t. I have come to hate these bugs because I have had bad experiences with these clusters. When I go running outside I can see these clusters of gnats ahead of me and know that it’s not going to be a pretty sight. I usually put my shirt over my nose and mouth and close my eyes going straight though the gnats hoping that they will not go up my nose or in my mouth. Sometimes though I am not so lucky and gnats make there way into my mouth or nose and it’s nasty.

They don’t just go in your mouth or up you nose they also cling to your clothes. I recently had this experience when I went to the Country Fair in Galena Illinois. Every where I walked they seem to attach to my shirt. We found out that these gnats were attracted to the color of my shirt, which was green. We started noticing other people who were wearing similar colors also had gnats all over them. My mom and my sister who were wearing purple and red were gnat free. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience because I basically had bug guts all over my shirt for most of the day. I did learn my lesson though to never wear that color again on a natty day.

So I ask this question again, why are they on earth? To me, they seem too small to have a significant impact on the environment. Gnats don’t seem to be any other bugs main food supply because you would have to eat a lot of them to be full. They can lay about 200 hundred eggs a day so there is a constant supply of them to bother you.

I realized that gnats are not going to disappear off the earth anytime soon so we are just going to have to live with them. But, if everyone put apple cider vinegar and dawn dish soap (which does work) out in a bowl maybe they will soon become endangered.

School Year Longer?

Recently there was an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette concerning  whether the educational board should extend the school year to an all year around school or extend the school day to 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. like an average work day. Some believe that by extending the school year the United States would improve test scores in the core areas such as math, science and language arts. http://thegazette.com/2011/09/30/should-school-year-and-school-day-be-longer-in-east-iowa/

 

Personally as a student I disagree to an all year around school. I don’t want to be in school all year around. I want to be able to enjoy being a kid while I can because it seems like such a short time before we have to enter the real world of adulthood. You should be able to enjoy it while you can. Most adults would probably agree they would love to experience this little part of childhood again.

Before the school board even considers extending the school year they should actually look at the different countries and their test scores. For example, Finland student s only attend ten more days than we do and they are scored 6^th in math, 2^nd in science and 3^rd in reading. While on the other hand Germany students go 220 days a year and they rank 16^th in math, 13^th in science and 20^th in reading. The United States actually beat them in their reading score, we ranked 17^th. Canada is also ranked really high but they only attend 14 more days. Yes there are countries that go almost year around that rank high like Japan and South Korea but I still don’t think that the days you’re in school help improve your scores that much. 

One thing the board should consider is the number of early out days we have a year. I am not sure whether other countries have these but it is something to look at. I personally like them because it gives me a break from school and I have more time to do my homework. If the school board is considering having us go longer I think first they should eliminate the early out days and see if we improve our scores. 

I don’t think it’s the number of days of school you have in a year but the emphasis you and your family place on when you are actually there. Families in many of the high ranking countries place a lot of importance on education and making sure their children do their best. I think getting families more involved in their child’s education would have a greater impact on test scores than lengthening the school year.

Verizon Wireless High School TXT2Win Contest

The Verizon Wireless High School TXT2Win contest could be a great opportunity for Kennedy High School. If we win, Kennedy would get $50,000 toward improvements in technology. It has been decided that the winnings would be used to upgrade Channel One/ Broadcast systems to newer equipment like flat screen T.V.’s, digital TV Boxes and cabling that would connect to Smart Boards. 

I think this is a great opportunity but I feel like there are other areas we could put the money to use instead of flat screen T.V.’s. First of all, I thought Smart Boards were supposed to replace the T.V.’s usage so it would be easier for teachers to show little clips on the internet without having to buy videos for the T.V. Many of my teachers don’t even use their T.V.’s anymore because they can hook up whatever video they want to watch on their computers and show it through the Smart Boards. The new flat screen T.V.’s are supposed to upgrade our Channel One / Broadcast time. I don’t think I know any students that actually watch Channel One regularly because usually it’s too loud in the class to hear it. Students are either talking to their friends or finishing up homework. I don’t think by changing to a flat screen T.V. is going to magically make us more interested in watching Channel One. 

The other technology items that the money will help buy are the digital TV Boxes and cabling to connect the Smart Boards throughout the school. I don’t know much about these items so I don’t have an opinion on them. I am not really sure what they mean by connecting the Smart Boards throughout the school. The boards seem to be working fine right know. I just think that the school should reconsider the money towards flat screen T.V.’s. Could the money be used for more laptops for the students possibly?  I just feel there are other important things that this money could go to than having a flatter T.V. when the ones we have work perfectly fine.