Homework or Personal Lives?

Many students get home and the first thing they do is homework. They’re pressured by their parents to do their homework while simultaneously being encouraged to spend time with family, eat, spend time with friends, go outside, participate in sports or other extracurricular activities, and sleep for 7+ hours. Rather than motivating students to master material and learn efficiently, homework negatively impacts students by taking away from personal time that is necessary for them to lead balanced lives.

In an article published by The Washington Post by Gerald K LeTendre, a professor of education in education policy studies at Penn State, states that, “Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement.” This means that there is no direct correlation between homework and test grades, and very few studies have been able to prove this, and the ones that have were more of a reach. At Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia,  16 out of 19 of the students in Fire Stream agreed that homework adds extra stress onto them or takes time away from other things that they’re encouraged to do, such as sports, extra classes, extracurricular activities, family time, etc. This means that just over 84% of students in Fire Stream have agreed that homework is added stress and takes time away from things that they’re encouraged to do outside of school. Many students participate in these activities because they’re passionate about them and it makes them happy. Sports and exercise is proven to relieve stress, homework adds stress and if time for this stress reliever is taken away that just means more stress, this can cause more problems in many aspects of their lives.

In an article written by CNN about how homework has been banned in some cities and not others, “What is clear is that parents and kids don't live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world where there are piles of homework on the kitchen table.” Meaning that students don’t have the luxury of just easily saying that homework helps their academic performance or not, and they don’t have the luxury of just not doing homework. That is especially true to highschool students who have to regularly chose between sleep and doing work, especially when they get homework from every class every night and homework can be up to 30% of their grade. Students in every grade get piles of homework and a lot of the time they don’t have resources on hand to see if they’re right or to get help, meaning they might do it wrong and not learn anything at all.  Even if students do try and do their homework it might take a while, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital adolescents should be getting 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep per night. Due to homework and trying to fit other after school activities in many adolescents don’t get the necessary amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation in teens has many negative effects such as mood changes, being more inclined to engage in risky behavior such as driving fast, drinking, etc, doing worse in school, and declined cognitive abilities.

In an article published by the New York Times, a mother explained how… , “The stress homework places on families starts early.” The article also talks about how homework takes away from family time and family activities. The author also says that her kids “are fighting not just over the homework, but also over their share of my coveted attention and my unique ability to download and print images.” This shows how homework adds extra pressure and can cause tension in families. It takes away from family time and causes more stress on students and parents. It’s almost as if once children start school and the homework starts that it never stops, and that more family time is taken away while more stress is added.

In a study concluded in 2003 by Dr. Harris Cooper he tries to argue that homework has a positive effect on students, but his studies also found no direct correlation between increased homework for students and improved test scores. Cooper himself said that “The analysis also showed that too much homework can be counter-productive for students at all levels.” Meaning that excessive amounts of homework can cause negative effects on students, but who is judging what excessive amounts of homework means? He talks about the “10 minute rule” meaning that every grade that a student increases they should get 10 more minutes of homework, meaning that a second grader should get 20 minutes, and a twelfth grader should get around 2 hours of homework. That would seem ideal, but in most high school settings teachers don’t interact with each other to see how much homework each of them give to equal it out to around 2 hours. This means that one class’s homework could take a student 2 hours alone and that would be what the ideal amount of homework is, so if it takes 2 hours for one class’s homework then how are students supposed to have positive benefits from doing all of their homework? Cooper’s research was also limited because very little research was done to see if student’s race, socioeconomic status, or even their ability levels has an affect on how much homework is “good” for said age range. This means that other aspects than just that they’re students in a certain grade weren’t taken into consideration. These things could cause major changes to the data that was collected.

Rather than encouraging students to master material and learn efficiently, homework negatively impacts students and families by causing more stress and taking away from family time. This is a problem not just for the overworked students, but also for students who have more complex personal lives. Many students work or have family obligations that they have to deal with, but don’t necessarily feel comfortable talking to a teacher about them. Although teachers might not think that the amount of homework that they give matters much,its influence goes beyond giving students work to do at home to how they interact in other important personal aspects of their life.

Works Cited:

LeTendre, Gerald K. “Homework Could Have an Effect on Kids’ Health. Should Schools Ban It?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 Sept. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/09/02/homework-could-have-an-effect-on-kids-health-should-schools-ban-it/?utm_term=.3ed6d0fa2c72.

Kralovec, Etta. “Should Schools Ban Homework?” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/opinion/kralovec-ban-homework/index.html.

Dell'Antonia, Kj. “Homework's Emotional Toll on Students and Families.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2014, parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/homeworks-emotional-toll-on-students-and-families/.

“Duke Study: Homework Helps Students Succeed in School, As Long as There Isn't Too Much.” Duke Today, Duke Today, 7 Mar. 2006, today.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html.

“Sleep in Adolescents (13-18 Years).” Sleep in Adolescents :: Nationwide Children's Hospital, www.nationwidechildrens.org/sleep-in-adolescents

 


What countries are ranked the highest at playing ice hockey?

For many years the game of ice hockey has been played on frozen water with sharp blades on the bottoms of the players’ feet. The goal of the game is to put a frozen piece of rubber called a puck into the net. The game hockey was created in Canada, but since then this sport has spread to many other countries, all of whom are attempting to catch up with Canada and become the best nation for hockey. Based on the rankings Finland, Russia and Sweden are rapidly becoming better at winning and making outstanding NHL players because they're Training is getting better.


Over the years hockey is almost played in every country to this date. Based on the rankings, individual nations are better at winning and better at getting NHL players into their teams. The International Hockey Federation or the IIHF ranks all the teams in the world by winning the gold medal in the world championship. The winner receives 12,000 points, and there is a 40-point difference between the silver and bronze teams. People always think that Canada as the best. According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, Canada is ranked number one in the world rankings, and their training is ranked number according to Korey Beckett of the Sporter. Countries are starting to get better at training and getting better at the sport. One example of a country that is more likely going to get a gold medal in Russia. According to the IIHF, Russia is ranked second after Canada. This is shocking because most people would assume that the U.S. would be second after Canada because for many years Canada and The U.S have dominated international hockey, but that’s not the case. Russia currently has 3,105 points. The training in Russia was ranked second, which was not shocking because Russia has provided over 50 players this year for the National Hockey League with fantastic players.

One example of a player is Alex Ovechkin who has over 500 goals. This shows that Russia has a lot of NHL players today and this due to having good training. This also indicates that the Russian hockey team is starting to develop and one day will be better as they come close to winning over Canada. It has already overtaken the U.S. hockey team. However, they still have not passed Canada because Canada is ranked number one according to the rankings.

The next country behind Russia and Canada is Sweden. Sweden is behind Canada and Russia, and they have 3,080 points based on the world rankings. Sweden moved up two places from last year. This means Sweden is improving, Sweden has also provided many quality players. Sweden also has over 50 active NHL players. This means Sweden is improving and this is due to some of the best training in the world, and the Swedish hockey team has moved up every year so it would not be a shock to overtake Canada because they already exceeded the United States hockey team regarding rankings. However, it is one spot behind team Russia.

    The next country is Finland. According to the IIHF world rankings, Finland is ranked 4th with 3,060 points. Yes, the Finnish team finished 4th and dropped back two spaces in the world rankings, but this team still has one the best prospects playing for them. One example of this is last year in the NHL, Draft Patrick Laine was selected, and Patrick is one of the best young players in the league based on him having 37 goals in his first season and a half. This shows that Finland is Making quality NHL players and are starting to be ranked higher because they are beginning to win more.

This shows even though the Finnish team dropped this year there are still making quality players.

   People who like hockey might not realize that many countries have hockey as a recent popular sports People have a bias towards the United States’ hockey team and Canada is the best. It is true that Canada is still number one but the way these countries are improving in the rankings and teams already passed the United States’ hockey team. Therefore, based on the ranking Finland, Russia and Sweden are rapidly becoming better at winning and making outstanding NHL players.


















Works CIted

“Active Swedish NHL Players ‑ All-Time Stats.” QuantHockey, www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality/active-swedish-nhl-players-career-stats.html.


Iihf. “MORE HEADLINES.” 2017 Ranking, www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/championships/world-ranking/mens-world-ranking/2017-ranking/.


Beckett, Korey. “Top 10 Countries That Produce the Best Hockey Players.” TheSportster, 29 May 2015, www.thesportster.com/hockey/top-10-countries-that-produce-the-best-hockey-players/.


NHL.com. “Patrik Laine Stats and News.” NHL.com, 9 Oct. 2017, www.nhl.com/player/patrik-laine-8479339.


“Active Russian NHL Players ‑ All-Time Stats.” QuantHockey, www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality/active-russian-nhl-players-career-stats.html.


NHL.com. “Alex Ovechkin Stats and News.” NHL.com, 9 Oct. 2017, www.nhl.com/player/alex-ovechkin-8471214.


Blood Rush Or Nothing

                 


At a very young age, many people discover horror. Whether it be spine-chilling
 movies, a creepy looking mask, or a Halloween walkthrough at their local school.
Some people get a sense that they aren't ever going to like horror and being scared and then there are others who live for fear and spooks. Some even like to take it to the next level and scare themselves with not only horror and thriller films but haunted houses. These haunted houses tend to mess with one's imagination and become reality when going through them, which is exactly why they are an enduring form of horror.
Going to haunted houses are something that people can only go to for about a month in the fall time. This gives them all the reasons more to go to as many as they can before the season ends. These haunted houses are typically on farms in what looks like in the middle of nowhere. They decorate the farms to look fun for pumpkin picking in the morning and to look like a bloody masquerade at midnight. The difference between movies and haunted attractions is that for a movie they can have all the lights on in the room and family and friends around to watch it together. For attractions there, is no choice whether the lights are on or whether or not friends the person went with getting separated from them. Now, yes these people might seem crazy for wanting to jump out of their skin but it's not just the scare they look for. They love the feeling of the build up when they are walking through not knowing what could be lurking around the corner, and then they also love the feeling they get after they have been frightened. To the people who don't like getting scared they don't understand how someone could put themselves in those type of situations on purpose.
Not only is it about the scare but it's about what's happening inside that person's body when something or someone jumps at them. In an article written by Daniel Bennett from BBC focus magazine called ¨The Science Of Fear ¨he explains that there is a part of the brain called the amygdala it is located at the bottom part and it can get set off. When the amygdala is set off it can cause higher blood pressure, a higher and faster heartbeat, and can also make a person sweaty. In another article, written by Allegra Ringo called ¨Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? ¨ She talks about how there is a hormone released called dopamine which also goes hand and hand with the adrenalin felt. Some people appreciate and savor the feeling while others disfavor those feelings and reactions of the body. There's no way of controlling this because a person could get scared in various ways.This part of the brain is also attached to the hippocampus. This is where all the memories are, so if something scared the body and brain, it would remember that and the brain would automatically have the same reaction and fear it did the first time it saw it.
When looking at a video of Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart go into a haunted house in New York it was a great example. The very first room that they were walking through was dimmed and the color of the lights were red, the scene that was set up was a rainy forest. As soon as they got into the room the door shut very loud behind them , they continued to walk further into the room and something sprayed in them and when it sprayed it also made a noise as soon as this happened Jimmy screamed and Kevin said “C’mon Jimmy you're makin it worse!”. This continued with them jumping out of their skin and screaming, the better the actors hid themselves from Jimmy and Kevin the more scared they became. From the beginning, they knew that they were going into an environment that was going to scare them but they were never really ready for being scared because they didn't know where the people were coming from or when certain sounds were going to happen.
This is always a choice that comes up in life. There is a choice to watch a scary movie, there is a choice to go to a haunted attraction and then there is a choice to not do any of these things because staying in a safe zone will make that human being feel comfortable. But, if people who avoid being scared stopped to think about it, they would realize that going through haunted houses are not just about the vulnerable fear, but it is also about the physical aspects that happen inside of the brain and to a human being’s body as well. 


Work Cited:

Bennett, Daniel. “The science of fear - what makes us afraid?” Science Focus, www.sciencefocus.com/feature/fear/science-fear-understanding-what-makes-us-afraid. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.
Ringo, Allegra. “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 31 Oct. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.
latenight. “Jimmy and Kevin Hart Visit a Haunted House.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozVRGho-cZQ.

Trends of Modern Day America


Trends of Modern Day America

In modern America, every decade has had its own fashion trend that sparked the nation, such as leather pants in the 80’s and flannels in the 90’s. Nowadays, however, it seems that America is no longer coming up with a new trend for this decade specifically. This is because the fashion industry can’t create any new trends. Fashion designers have taken a nostalgic approach for the fashion of today and make these trends popular by celebrity involvement.

Nostalgia is a wistful desire to return in thought or fact to a former time in one's life (Dictionary.com). This emotion can be triggered by objects, settings, people, or events. Other emotions can trigger it as well such as loneliness. Despite these negative connotations, humans like the feeling of nostalgia. In reference to a study done by Batcho, a psychologist who is referred to in Self Continuity, compared to younger adults, older adults have higher self-concept clarity and engage more often in remembrance. Older adults reminisce in the past more often than younger adults. Since most of the people in the fashion industry in charge of designing outfits for popular celebrities are older -- such as Marni Senofonte, designer for Kendall Jenner and Beyonce--they are specifically picking the styles that they grew up wearing in order to feel a “sentimental longing” for the past. For example, Kendall Jenner who has been seen wearing high waisted jeans, oversized coats, and crop tops. All of those styles were popular in the 1980s. This then causes present-day fashion trends to be from past decades and to be popular due to famous celebrities.

Due to the influence of nostalgia in the fashion industry, styles have moved more towards an 80’s look, which includes mixing and matching fabrics and patterns. Leather and leggings have become a staple. There was also the punk scene which brought the idea of DIY clothes such as patching and ripped jeans. Examples of what is sold in stores today are pre-patched jackets, leather jackets and skirts, leggings, and chokers (Forever 21), similar to  popular items in the 80’s. Fashion designers are feeling nostalgic to the eras they grew up in. This then causes them to focus on past decades and take those styles as inspiration or direct reference to create the fashion of the today. Fashion designers want to see the world of fashion fall into the past to make themselves feel nostalgic. They do this by having popular celebrities such as Cara Delevingne, who has worn leather jackets and t-shirts similar to Winona Ryder, a celebrity who started her career in the late 80s. Winona Ryder was and still is a heartthrob for most people who grew up in the 80’s. Everyone wanted to be like her, similar to how people see Cara Delevingne. According to Vogue Cara Delevingne is bringing back the tracksuit, an 80’s trend, as an airport style. These celebrity outfits were put together by designers who think about the past and incorporate it into celebrity outfits.

On the other hand, the 90’s brought denim into extreme popularity, along with music influencing what people wore, similar to punk in the 80’s. Grunge introduced flannels and brought back ripped jeans, creating “the rocker” style (Kass). Today those styles have been brought back and made popular. Trends that are coming back are oversized blazers, flannels, high waisted jeans, acid washed jeans, ripped jeans, and band shirts. Fashion designers such as Senofonte are dressing their clients, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin for example, in a “90’s vibe’ because they are reminiscing in the past. Fashion designers are even bringing out their own clothes such as Senofonte, Kendall Jenner’s designer, who states, “Kendall’s been wearing some of my old clothes I had in storage.” This then brings 90’s clothes into popularity. The fashion of today has brought people to a nostalgic place. The “90’s style” is now sold in popular stores like Urban Outfitters to make these styles more accessible to the younger generation, making these nostalgic items popular.

When asked, people might say that there is no way there couldn't be something new that has been created in fashion, but on closer inspection, everything that is popular today was once popular in past decades, showing that we can't create new fashion. It’s not that the fashion industry just doesn’t want to create something new; it is that they can’t. They feel the need to dress celebrities in old fashion in order to bring it back. Fashion designers want to remain in the past in order to create a nostalgic feeling for the past in the present.


Work Cited:

  1. Forever 21 , www.forever21.com/us/shop/Catalog/Category/f21/women-new-arrivals.

  2. Kass, Alison. “American Fashion Through the Decades.” 10 May 2011.

  3. “Nostalgia.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/nostalgia?s=t.

  4. Sani, Fabio. “Nostalgia as a Self-Relevant and Positive Emotion.” Self Continuity: Individual and Collective Perspectives, Psychology Press UK, 2014.

  5. Schmidt, Ingrid. “Celebrity Stylists Zero in on Fall's Biggest Fashion Trends.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sept. 2017, www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-celebrity-stylists-on-fall-trends-20170908-htmlstory.html.

  6. Ward, Maria. “Cara Delevingne Turns the Throwback Tracksuit Into a Cool Travel Look.”Vogue, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2017, www.vogue.com/article/cara-delevingne-velour-tracksuit-airport-celebrity-style.



Creative Therapy

Creativity is a huge part of modern life. When humans feel stressed about something, they channel it into creating something, like a story, song, poem, or drawing. But why? Why do people feel an urge to be creative when life hits too hard? While it is often just seen has having fun or wasting time, being creative is actually a very helpful form of therapy. This is because creativity can reduce stress, and even help treat mental illnesses.


In the bustle of modern day life, squeezing in just a little time to relax and gather someone’s bearings can be difficult. However, having a creative outlet can be good therapy for the mind. According to verilymag.com, a magazine dedicated to helping women, “Whether it’s writing, baking, gardening, sewing, or playing music, a creative outlet can really improve your mental clarity.” Clarity is the quality of being clear, so mental clarity is a measure of how clear the mind is. This quote shows that hobbies like writing, sewing, and baking can be beneficial to a person’s mental health. Even if a person isn’t into creating things, experiencing someone else’s creative work, through listening to music or reading, can also help. But how, specifically, can the act of being creative  help a human with mental health?


Studies show that having a creative outlet can relieve stress and improve the mood. According to verilymag.com, creativity increases control over emotional pain and depression. This shows that being creative can help a person feel better after a tough time. From creating an elaborate masterpiece to just doodling, being creative can help improve the mood of someone who is suffering. This is the result of the person reflecting on and understanding themselves when creating something. Creativity allows a person to understand and develop their interests more, allowing a deeper understanding with themselves, their hobbies, and their limits.


Studies also show that being creative can help prevent diseases like Alzheimer's and heart disease. According to the American Journal of Public Health, chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and depression are caused by high stress levels. CNN also reports that creative activities impact the brain in a way similar to meditation. In a way, creativity is like yoga for the brain. This shows that to de-stress, all someone have to do is to take some time to make something. The finished product, from a poem to a scarf to a batch of cookies, doesn’t have to be perfect. They just have to have fun with the process.


Is there a specific reason why creativity has such positive effects on the bodies of people? Perhaps being creative is a way to help us temporarily forget about the stresses of life. According to lifehack.org, “Many of the physical and mental benefits of creativity involve being in flow, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s term for that state we get into when we are so engaged in a creative task that our sense of time disappears and we temporarily forget ourselves and our “internal chaos.” This shows that the positive effects creativity has on people’s mental health is psychological. When people engage in a creative activity, they temporarily forget about the chaos they may be going through in their lives. This connects to the way creativity seems to relieve stress.


In conclusion, being creative can relieve stress and improve the mood, and even reduce the risk of chronic illnesses. This may be the reason many people turn to creative hobbies. At first glance, creativity and its health benefits might only appeal to neurologists, who study the brain, and doctors and therapists when trying to find new treatments for disease or depression. However, this topic should appeal to anyone who’s looking for a way to calm down after a rough time. This especially includes teenagers, who have a lot to go through and figure out  in their pre-adulthood phase. A lot of stressful things can happen, especially in middle and high school. When life hits where it hurts, it’s good to take some time off and relieve the stress by creating something.

Works CIted

Kirsten Nunez, Verily Magazine, 5 Proven Ways Creativity is Good for Your Health

Colette DeDonato, How Being More Creative Improves Your Mental and Physical Health

Julia Furman, Personal Experience