High Schools Sports

               High school sports are necessary to getting the full high school experience.  Do you think your child would get more out of school if sports did not exist?  In my opinion, I think high school sports are a great way for teenagers to stay in school, learn to be supportive and respectful of peers, and to stay active so they live a healthier lifestyle.  In the article, The Case Against High-School Sports, the author Amanda Ripley, disagrees with my point of view and thinks teens everywhere would do better in school if sports did not exist.  Being a student myself, I know of a lot of students who come to school each day just to pass their classes so they can play a sport.  The article TrueSport also sees the benefits of sports: "Data show that high school students who play sports  are less likely to drop out.⁴⁸ Participation in sports also has been associated with completing more years of education⁴⁹ and consistently higher grades in school.⁵⁰ " This is a proven fact that more teenagers not only stay in school but also get higher grades.

 

               Initially, Ripley does make a good point that: "There's been a definite decline in misbehavior." (Pg. 76)  I believe that this may have just been a coincidence because she fails to remember that sports teach a lot of lessons.  Coaches train athletes to behave, respect one another, and work together.  Jason Gilmer mentions in his article: “Participating in sports helps with discipline and self-control and to keep them out of trouble. We’re not out here just teaching these kids some silly game.”  I play sports, so I have the "inside scoop" on this subject.  Playing sports teaches you so many things, from learning the rules of the game to learning to support your teammates.  Whether on the court (field, mat, etc.) or off, you use those skills.  Coaches help you gain much self-discipline and and control and you learn  how to behave appropriately. 

 

               Subsequently, Ripley doesn't seem to consider how much time school takes up.  After school, sports are a great way to relieve stress and get active.  Kids who do not do a high school sport may find it hard to fit in an activity that works into their tight schedule.  TrueSport tell us about the things that could happen if you do not participate in a sport: “Playing sports also conveys other beneficial outcomes: Girls and young women engaged in sport are less likely to be overweight or obese, depressed, smoke, use illicit drugs, or have unwanted teen pregnancies. This may possibly be related to the goal of maximizing athletic performance or the goal of protecting sport eligibility or scholarships.¹⁶ Suicide and sexual victimization  is also lower in girls and young women engaged in sport.”  It would be very possible to become obese if you are getting zero exercise, and your health will slowly decrease.  Overall, high school sports bring happiness to teenagers all over the world and also have many other benefits.  I think Amanda Ripley was wrong for saying that high school sports should be banned because as we can see now, they are much more than just games we play for fun.




Resources:

"Good Grades to Play?" Gilmers Gospel RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

~The quote I used from this site, the author Jason Gilmer was quoting  a football coach in Guilford County, Tommy Pursley.

"Psychological and Social Benefits of Playing True Sport." TrueSport. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014

Ripley, Amanda. "The Case Against High-School Sports." Oct. 2013: 72-78. Print.

              

Should Cell Phones Be Banned in Schools?

Pathos: "Today, almost any parent can use a cell phone to ask their children about their whereabouts, occupation, or health."

- The unknown author of this article really connected the reader with their feelings by making them think of their own lives and how they use cell phones to communicate with their children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethos: "I believe that cell phones today pose a great distraction for students—especially higher-end smartphones that provide numerous opportunities for entertainment—and thus should be prohibited from use in schools; but, at the same time, I stand for not prohibiting cell phones from students’ possession entirely, since they allow parents to monitor their children for safety."

- The author shows their integrity by being a strong believer in their thoughts and sound like they know the subject they are talking about. He/She shows us this by saying statements with "I believe..." and "I stand..." in them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Logos: "The first and foremost reason why cell phones should be prohibited from use at schools is that they pose a significant disruption in the educational process (School Security)."

"Another reason for prohibiting cell phones in classes is an increased temptation for students to communicate with friends instead of focusing on study material."

"One of the strange phenomenons of using cell phones at schools is so-called cyberbullying."

-The author explains the three main reasons to why cell phones should be banned in school.  These points are well thought out.



My Pet Peeves

Empty Boxes- One morning you wake up and you're craving your favorite cereal.  You open the door to the pantry and grab the box, but to your disappointment the box is empty! If you have finished something please throw the box out, it is not that hard!


Feet- I absolutely can not stand feet! Please do not put your crusty, dirty, trash-smelling feet anywhere near me, and definitely do not touch me with them!  If you happen to touch me with them I might have to punt you all the way Africa.

Parents and Instagram- When you are trying to show your parents a picture on instagram and they try to zoom in on it. No, you will never be able to zoom in on a picture! To make the matter worse, they end up liking a picture you did not want to like.


Board Erasing- I find it so aggravating when teachers do not erase the board completely.  They just leave like one or two letters on the board and then continue teaching the lesson and writing over the marks.  Please erase all of the white board before you begin teaching again.


Snapchat MyStory-  If your snapchat mystory is longer than ten seconds you need to reevaluate yourself.  I am sorry but no one really cares about what your doing or who you are with.  The only reason people view your story is to make your little notification go away.


Food- I hate when people talk about their food.  I do not want to hear about how great your food is every bit that you take. I especially hate when they use the adjective "delicious". I do not know why, but that word just makes me cringe, just eat your food and be quiet.