Last week, I spent the entirety of a badminton game in gym class arguing about cheating. My doubles partner and I are both reasonably intellegent people, if I do say so myself, and our opponents were, shall we say, not. They were attempting to convince us that we were really mean because we wouldn't give them answers on tests. The girl we were facing kept on tossing around the phrase "share the wealth!"
What?
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Clark
Well, I had fun.
I also had no time to work on my Hebrew, but whatever. Could've gone to a Hebrew class, but then I probably wouldn't have gotten home until about now.
Clark's very nice, although the city of Worcester, which it's very firmly embedded in, is not so nice. The Provost isn't a very good speaker, but what he had to say was interesting. The astronomy class that I sat in on was a bit of a joke, as I knew everything they had to say about quasars, dark matter, and dark energy. Either that or Mr. A, Brett, and I all have very in-depth discussion.
But speaking of the astronomy class! There are four people from camp that attend Clark, and one friend from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). Of course, I was avidly trying to reach Jeremy, the NFTY-ite, the entire time, but he never picked up his phone.
In the astronomy class, I spent the whole time staring at the back of the head of this one guy who looked so familiar. After the class ended, he stood up, stretched, and turned around, and I immediately went "Aaron!" He looked up, and we went, "Woah, small world. Hi." He showed me to the building I was meeting my dad in and offered to answer any questions, as he's a tour guide.
Then I spoke to the Hillel director, and while talking to him, he pointed out the window and said, "Oh, there's Dan." Dan and I worked together on the Bonim (entering fourth and fifth grade) show, Peter Pan, this summer. I face-palmed a little, on the inside, and continued the conversation, as I couldn't just walk out. When I looked up again to go find him, he disappeared, and I was very sad. But then he was ten inches away, giving me a hug. Fantastic.
The Hillel director couldn't remember the name of the last Eisner-ite, though he thought she was Israeli. I, for the life of me, could not recall a single Israeli at Eisner who attends American Uni, so I was a little confused, but that's okay.
Later in the conversation, I saw someone very, very familiar walk by. Someone Eisner-y, and...Israeli. Only not. I thought she was Israeli at camp, and I was embarrassed by my assumptions there, so I blocked it. I called to her retreating back, "Yael!" She turned around slowly, and we both went, "Well. I'm confused. Hi. Random."
Good times.
Of course, Clark has more positive attributes than merely the presence of three Eisner-ites that I ran into, another Eisner-ite and a NFTY-ite. But I don't particularly feel like detailing them now, since I've already run longer than most of my other posts.
I also had no time to work on my Hebrew, but whatever. Could've gone to a Hebrew class, but then I probably wouldn't have gotten home until about now.
Clark's very nice, although the city of Worcester, which it's very firmly embedded in, is not so nice. The Provost isn't a very good speaker, but what he had to say was interesting. The astronomy class that I sat in on was a bit of a joke, as I knew everything they had to say about quasars, dark matter, and dark energy. Either that or Mr. A, Brett, and I all have very in-depth discussion.
But speaking of the astronomy class! There are four people from camp that attend Clark, and one friend from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). Of course, I was avidly trying to reach Jeremy, the NFTY-ite, the entire time, but he never picked up his phone.
In the astronomy class, I spent the whole time staring at the back of the head of this one guy who looked so familiar. After the class ended, he stood up, stretched, and turned around, and I immediately went "Aaron!" He looked up, and we went, "Woah, small world. Hi." He showed me to the building I was meeting my dad in and offered to answer any questions, as he's a tour guide.
Then I spoke to the Hillel director, and while talking to him, he pointed out the window and said, "Oh, there's Dan." Dan and I worked together on the Bonim (entering fourth and fifth grade) show, Peter Pan, this summer. I face-palmed a little, on the inside, and continued the conversation, as I couldn't just walk out. When I looked up again to go find him, he disappeared, and I was very sad. But then he was ten inches away, giving me a hug. Fantastic.
The Hillel director couldn't remember the name of the last Eisner-ite, though he thought she was Israeli. I, for the life of me, could not recall a single Israeli at Eisner who attends American Uni, so I was a little confused, but that's okay.
Later in the conversation, I saw someone very, very familiar walk by. Someone Eisner-y, and...Israeli. Only not. I thought she was Israeli at camp, and I was embarrassed by my assumptions there, so I blocked it. I called to her retreating back, "Yael!" She turned around slowly, and we both went, "Well. I'm confused. Hi. Random."
Good times.
Of course, Clark has more positive attributes than merely the presence of three Eisner-ites that I ran into, another Eisner-ite and a NFTY-ite. But I don't particularly feel like detailing them now, since I've already run longer than most of my other posts.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
College Search
Hampshire supplement is eating my brain. They want so much. Five out of their seven questions could be essay topics in and of themselves. Grah. Clark wants a little, too, but it's not due for a while, since I'm applying regular decision.
Speaking of Clark, I'm going to visit tomorrow for an open house, and I'm leaving at FOUR IN THE MORNING. Shoot me now. At least we're just making it a day, and not staying over and the like.
I'm bringing a little backpack of stuff, and the contents are as follows:
Speaking of Clark, I'm going to visit tomorrow for an open house, and I'm leaving at FOUR IN THE MORNING. Shoot me now. At least we're just making it a day, and not staying over and the like.
I'm bringing a little backpack of stuff, and the contents are as follows:
- One notebook, for note-taking purposes
- My folder on Clark and the like
- A whole mess of pens and highlighters, for above purposes
- My self-made Hebrew dictionary (a notebook in which I write down Hebrew words in an effort to teach myself the language)
- My real Hebrew dictionary (as in the printed kind - - the pages are yellow, in case you were wondering)
- My Hebrew workbook from the ten minutes I was enrolled in the Independent Study class Freshman year
- My itty-bitty book of Psalms, which is retaking it's position of being taken with me everywhere
- If I can find my Tanach, it's going to be added as well
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Rights
We all have a right to an education. In this country, that's expressed through government funded (which means taxed) public education.
I attended private school for my elementary years. I fell out of touch with a lot of the friends I made there, but through the wonders of modern technology ('the internet is really, really great...'), I recently reconnected to a friend from my early life.
This evening, we had a bit of a conversation about education. After complaining mutually about the terror that is senior year, we compared schools. She had stuck with the private school system, transferring to another private secondary school, while I had moved to public school in the fifth grade.
She mentioned an economics paper (and this is approaching where I intend to go with this post) in which she had to write about the fact that everyone has to pay for public school, presumably from the angle of the fact that it's 'not fair', especially to private school attendees.
I disagree heartily.
Public school is a right and a privilege that we enjoy in this country. The reason the system was created was to benefit those who could not afford if for themselves. The operation of the system, though no where near perfect, at least begins to allow for an equal access to equal schools, regardless of family income, because what everyone pays allows everyone to attend.
By opting to attend, and subsequently pay for, private school, you opt to default the right that you've been given to government funded schooling.
People choose private tutalege for any number of reasons, ranging from religious or personal beliefs, or a desire for a particular emphasis in educations. The ones who are really attempting to cheat the system, I think, are the ones who select a private school because they want a better education than the one offered in their public school district. By paying the extra to send a child to a private school that only the wealthier can afford, the family is cheating the less monetarily enabled families of the district out of a good education, in the long run, because families that send their children to private school typically vote to lower public school budgets, because it does not affect them directly. This lowers the quality of the schools, making more families send their children to private school, and perpetuating the cycle.
This cycle cheats some people of their rights: their rights to a full and equal education, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality or national origin, ethnic background, or socioeconomic class.
I attended private school for my elementary years. I fell out of touch with a lot of the friends I made there, but through the wonders of modern technology ('the internet is really, really great...'), I recently reconnected to a friend from my early life.
This evening, we had a bit of a conversation about education. After complaining mutually about the terror that is senior year, we compared schools. She had stuck with the private school system, transferring to another private secondary school, while I had moved to public school in the fifth grade.
She mentioned an economics paper (and this is approaching where I intend to go with this post) in which she had to write about the fact that everyone has to pay for public school, presumably from the angle of the fact that it's 'not fair', especially to private school attendees.
I disagree heartily.
Public school is a right and a privilege that we enjoy in this country. The reason the system was created was to benefit those who could not afford if for themselves. The operation of the system, though no where near perfect, at least begins to allow for an equal access to equal schools, regardless of family income, because what everyone pays allows everyone to attend.
By opting to attend, and subsequently pay for, private school, you opt to default the right that you've been given to government funded schooling.
People choose private tutalege for any number of reasons, ranging from religious or personal beliefs, or a desire for a particular emphasis in educations. The ones who are really attempting to cheat the system, I think, are the ones who select a private school because they want a better education than the one offered in their public school district. By paying the extra to send a child to a private school that only the wealthier can afford, the family is cheating the less monetarily enabled families of the district out of a good education, in the long run, because families that send their children to private school typically vote to lower public school budgets, because it does not affect them directly. This lowers the quality of the schools, making more families send their children to private school, and perpetuating the cycle.
This cycle cheats some people of their rights: their rights to a full and equal education, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality or national origin, ethnic background, or socioeconomic class.
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