Khayla Carway 810 Should Ellen Hopkins books be banned from middle school libraries Many students around the world face depression and being drug abusers.There are many reasons for why students hurt themselves or use drugs. For some students they don’t know what the outcome of drugs and bullying is. In many Ellen Hopkins books she shows what happens to students that do go through bullying , depression and underage drinking and the stories don’t end happily, telling of true stories that most likely happen everyday. Middle school libraries should not ban any books by Ellen Hopkins',because her books educate students by showing the consequences of drug use and bullying. In Ellen Hopkins “Crank” trilogy describes, to readers how kristina a high school honor student, was introduced to "the monster". In the book the monster is a metaphor that refers to drugs such a "Meth"and when Kristina intoxicates herself she becomes "Bree" a character that drives Kristina to do stuff that she would never dare to do. As Hopkins explains the experience of doing "Meth" is like a person that prevents you to being stable and forcing you to do stuff that you would rather not. As Hopkins points out: " He jumps into your head and opens your mouth,making it spout your deepest darkest deception." A new survey from the national center on addiction and substance abuse at Columbia University states that about 17 percent of high schoolers drink, smoke or use drugs during the school day. Many believe that it is a very small amount of students, but if students are performing these acts during school imagine what students may be doing on there freetime. If students aren't enforced to learn that putting drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol damages your body,especially at young age, then this problem will not just disappear and will continue to get worse overtime. In many Ellen Hopkins books the reader is lead to understand students doing dangerous acts or being peer pressured into drugs and choose unsmart decisions. In Hopkins "Tilt" the reveals how six different main characters that are going through struggles are all facing forms of depression, bullying or self-bullying. Many students relate to "tilt" because it shows explores characters that are gay, or secretive, obsessed, popular, and children of divorce parents. Hopkins wrote this book to show students they are not alone in experiencing these problems. As hopkins explains through her characters: "Behind a fake smile. I wear it all the time. Everyone says how I always look so cheerful. Shows what they know I guess..." There are about 7 types of anxiety and depression that students and adult can face daliy. Research has shown that over 15 million people men and women suffer from social anxiety disorder typically beginning around age 13. Many students face these problems everyday, and don't know what do or where to go. In Hopkins' book she shows the readers how they're students like them and some take the wrong step so you can learn from what they did learn from their mistakes. One major conversely aspect of many of Hopkins books does contain sexual content, drug use and underage drinking. Many parents and adults are concerned that readers might encourage and get the impression that students have to copy the characters in order to handle there problems. Ellen hopkins books doesn't just show readers that intoxicating is a good way to make yourself feel better but shows all the dangers as well.

Social Awareness Project

 

For my social awareness project i will be doing mine surrounding the struggle that teen students face. I chose the topic because every single day students face problems in life and some don’t know how to cope with them, or feel like the only one. When really that isn't it there are students exactly like them and adult and Peers that can help them.

Part 1:Find a true story about someone who changes the world everyday

My interview will be with 37,Fatima who is in her 13th year of teaching middle schoolers math.

What your role do you have as a teacher?

“Take care my students and class,and not only teach math but also social and personal skills.”

Why did you chose your Job?

“To help kids shape their lives to grow up and become successful in.”

How do you think teaching students makes a big or small impact on the world?why?

“It makes a big impact because, if children werent getting educated students wouldn’t be able to contribute anything to expand economically as a country. The country would n’t had came out with ideas, or technology.”

When you were 13 years, how did you picture your life would be like when you got older?

“Imagine to have a good career, a husband, and be able to travel the world which i have done.”

What has change from when you were younger to now?

“Kids weren’t socially involved at all, i didn’t get a phone till i was in my early 20s.”

What 2 major problems did students have while growing up?

“the same that students face to today, about not being good enough or standing out from others.”

After speaking with Fatima i learned that many of the situations students and teens face now, was faced by students in the 1980s.

Part 2 : write a response to a work of art, film, or performance

This year during the small break I had watched  a short film dealing with suicide in the 1990s called “Virgin Suicide”. In the film the narrator is tell the story about the 5 lisbon sister, and how the youngest had committed suicide. Throughout the movie i thought to myself why would someone commit suicide, even if times are tough you still have to fight through it.

I chose to write about this movie because all over children and teens  are killing themselves because numerous reasons. Over 14% teens attempt suicide because of bullying and only 7% do. Most would think this is a small amount it okay but really it isn’t because imagine the parents or guardian of these teens how they feel. Although in the movie the Family doesn’t understand why the girl would kill herself, they’re are still left sad and devastated, and you see that in each sister.

Khayla Carway
810

Perfected

by Ellen Hopkins

 

   The book "perfected" by Ellen Hopkins shows us how words can hurt one even if you don't mean what you say. When reading the book I really felt like I knew the characters or if I knew someone like them. The story began out with Cara, twin sister of 17 year old Conner who had committed suicide. Even though I sometimes felt uncomfortable with reading the book, I feel as if students my age should read a book like this at least once in our lives. This book should not get banned, so students see what happens when you name call and bully.

   "Perfect?

how do you define a word without a concrete meaning? to each his own, the saying goes, so why push attain an ideal state of being that no two random people will agree is where you want to be? Faultless." (Cara, P.5)

in the book this really stood out to me because the meaning behind this is that something might seem different meaning to you than other so you shouldn't care what they think.

  "Pretty,

that's what I am, I guess. I mean, people have been telling me that's what I am since I was two. Maybe younger. Pretty as a picture. (who wants to be in a cliché?) pretty as an angel."(Kendra p.12)

Kendra is 17 years old, cheerleader  that everyone admires except Cara. Some wish to be like her but Kendra , just wants to be normal.

"Buff.

don't like that word. not tough enough to describe a weight sculpted body. Built is better, like a builder frames a house."(Sean)

Sean is self obsessed with they way he looks and act.

  Throughout the book the characters talk about depression and anxiety. I think that reason schools and parents would want to banned these books because it talks about thoughts of suicide and depression. 

 

    



Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins shows how teens deal  with disappointing, confusing, and depressing events that happen to high school students /young adults. Throughout the book Hopkins introduces you to many different characters who relate to one of the three main characters (Mikayla , Harley, and Shane).The book Tilt is a coming to age story showing different struggles teens go through with school , family, and love life.

“It wasn’t the work or the struggle to pull exceptional grades. It wasn’t even the gay bashing” Shane (p.12) . Shane’s story starts of about how  he deals with his  problems differently than the other main characters do “ The ability to redirect negative  energy toward something more deserving… I am an expert bad mojo shifter”.

“Behind a fake smile. I wear it all the time. everyone says how I always look so cheerful. Shows what they know, I guess” Harley(p.24) . Harley  like Shane does starts off the story by telling the readers who she deals with her problems .Harley deals with  self pity  by telling herself how “little kids in Africa are starving in  Africa “  and how “old people  freezing to death” and thinks about  the less fortunate ,but somewhat still feels the same as she did before.

In the book Mikayla the first character you meet reading the book doesn’t just deal  problems by blocking out everything, but  putting  her love life before anything .she pauses important things to put love first, until it take a turn for the worst.

Summer Reading response

The Fault in our Stars 

by John Green 

     Over the summer I read 4 novels, all we're young adult novels because I can relate to most characters. The one novel that stood out to me was John Greens famous "The Fault in our Stars", I didn't just chose this popular novel because all my friends raved about how get it was but mostly for the reason that John Green had written this book from the perspective of a teen girl who is trying to over come cancer. The main character Hazel Lancaster is a 16 year old  girl who is diagnose with a metastasized in her lungs caused by thyroid cancer.
   The story all starts in a church basement right in the heart of the church where cancer patients, survivors all gather for a support group, Hazels mother in courageous her to go to the group when she rather watch tv or stay home and sleep like other kids her age. If she hadn't went to the support group she wouldn't had met another major character 17 year old boy, Augustus Waters. Augustus attended the meeting to support his friend Isaac who will soon be losing his eye sight from eye cancer, and Augustus also has been battling leg cancer which after getting his one leg removed he had been unable to play basketball his favorote and best sport.
    Throughout the story you see these 3 characters grow emotionally, and struggle, but even though they have cancer they still want to be like every other teenager. The author John Green shows us even if your sick or dying you have live like each day counts, also just because you have cancer doesn't mean your different because your ill, they try to live as normal life like every other person their age.

Should College Athletes Be Paid?

By: Khayla L. Carway

Imagine getting a full paid scholarship athletic to the college of your dreams, who offer you a opportunity of a lifetime they have a huge gymnasium, personal trainers, and a huge lounge room for the players. Then you remember that since you will always training for games and making sure you get 75 and above averages in your classes to keep your scholarship that, how you’ll find a way to work a part time job within your busy schedule. Transportation isn’t free, food isn’t, nothing is free when it comes to health and decent living the two most important things in life. wouldn’t you feel as if there is no point of going to a school and not being  to support yourself. that’s how college students will feel if not paid, college students get to be able to provide decent living for themselves.

  In “Personnel Foul:its time to share the wealth to college athletes”by Warren K.Zola states “For decades, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has artificially restricted compensation to a labor force — athletes — that generates billions in revenue while redirecting profits to athletic departments. The athletes aren’t paid because the NCAA has randomly defined what it means to be an amateur: They can accept certain things, like tuition, but not others, like royalties from jersey sales. You’re an amateur because you aren’t paid. You’re not paid because you’re an amateur. That’s the essence of the argument, and it’s looking increasingly hypocritical.”

As you see the NCCA officials see’s college athlete’s amateurs but truly these college athletes work as hard as athletes in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, etc. The only difference is that these students also have to worry about school,if failing at becoming successful athlete they’ll have to get an education to get a decent job, and if this Athlete fails to get an above 75 might have their scholarship provoked. Another problem is what if this student isn’t as smart or bright as others students and all they’re good at is football or basketball, or any other sport they play, this would make their life harder. Athlete scholar’s aren’t like Academic scholar Because are able to get a part time job and be able to support themselves.

“As a graduate student at UNC-Greensboro, Willingham researched the reading levels of 183 UNC-Chapel Hill athletes who played football or basketball from 2004 to 2012. She found that 60% read between fourth- and eighth-grade levels. Between 8% and 10% read below a third-grade level.”

A small reading from “ccn: some college athletes play like adults, read like 5th grader’s” by Sara Ganim, talks about how college Athlete’s are skipping classes and are below reading level. All the external objects that will get you thinking why should these students be getting paid, getting diplomas and graduate when they aren’t even learning. Being an athlete isn’t easy. You have to train and practice all the time in order for you to be good at what you do.

In “College Athletes say they need to cover basic cost of living” by Ray Glier,  Chris Conley, a wide receiver at the University of Georgia, said not all students in need are eligible for a Pell Grant. Conley is one of those students caught in the middle between family income and the threshold to qualify for a grant. Conely states:

“When a coach is concerned about job security and a school wants to win a championship.”

“If it is a large-revenue sport, you are pushed to put more time into the athletic side of things, and it doesn’t shorten the amount of time you have to spend on school. You are putting extra hours in the film room, extra hours in the weight room, extra hours getting treatment.  You end up doing all those things, and you get back to your room at such a late time, you need to study. There is no time for a job.”

For athlete’s like Conely its hard for them to make money, when it comes to sports like this it’s like working a job, an athlete job. you have to train, practice, and show integrity for what you’re doing. Imagine doing all of that without being paid, these students aren’t going to do when they are hungry, and miss their dining hours, and be able after practice to get a drink from the market without money.

In Conclusion College Athlete's should get paid so, those students will be able to support themselves, and have a decent living themselves.  Because, students should able to have a stable life while learn and have an education.

Blog post

Time and Again

By Jack Finney

MY REVIEW:

  Time and again is not one of the best I've read, although it seemed very hard to write about the 19 century in the 21 century in but it does really take you on a an adventure.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

  Imagine waking up in the 19th century it 1882, were there aren't any automobiles , no planes, no computers, television. Nothing.

MY RATE:

 2 out of 5, if you like back to the future or history this is the book for you.