Rachel, you talk about a good point when you say that it doesn't show their true strengths and weaknesses. People are so worried about having their grades 'look good' to colleges that they focus all their attention on it and this isn't an accurate representation of who they are as a student. When you talk about how it is effecting the future of children and how we deal with problems, I agree when you say that parents are pushing children too much, and that all the money they spend on extra tutoring or 'donating to colleges' to get in. Children are forcing themselves into fields they don't like so they can get into colleges that force them even more into boxes they don't want to be in. It's really amazing that people think that only Ivy League colleges will get your child a good, high paying job. You shouldn't have to pay all that money for the same education you can get at every other college. There are definitely other options a parent should look at before making their child a 'model student' with 'perfect grades', because maybe, that isn't actually what they want. If they can get a job from going to a normal college, why should they pay 50,000$ more a year?

You are definitely right when you say that the reason he makes such an impact is because he is younger. Younger people tend to want to wait for the future until they start doing things and actively getting involved in the world, but with Shin, it seems he understands that even at his age he can accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. A lot of people say they want to change the world, but you're right when you chose Shin, because he is actually getting out there and doing it and not just wishing the world would change. I really like that he traveled to Honduras even when he was a sophomore and decided right then and there that he wanted to start his fundraising foundation to provide them with education and a place where they can go to school. You make a great point when you say that Shin's preemptive actions against the poverty in Honduras inspires us to do better in our own lives. Seeing all the things that these people do for others makes me want to go out and try and help too. I think that that's what makes a successful hero; that they have the ability to inspire someone to go out and do what they do. I think that CNN is doing something amazing by giving the everyday person who changes the world in their own way a shout out. This brings people into the light of the media to show young people that there is more that we can do in our lives then just go shopping or hang out with our friends. This young man managed to gather 750,000$ to help those people just on his own. Now, imagine if he had even 100 more people on his side.

You're right when you say that making finance courses could enhance businesses and could help out the economy. Some people have no idea when it comes to personal financing and only make the wrong mistakes because they weren't taught how not to. I think it's important that students know how to finance as well, not just to help their parents, but to do it for themselves so that in the future, they will be able to survive in the slowly worsening economy. We don't have to face the same circumstances that our parents do because ours are much more problematic and our generation should definitely have a personal finance course because you can't expect your parents to teach you everything you need. What Armario says is very apt because if you don't know what you're doing, you'll end up in situations you don't understand and then you could go bankrupt without even knowing it. Budgeting is an important aspect of mortgages but you can't start to work on all of these things until you understand the workings of it all. A person can't get a mortgage is they have no idea what that means, and credit card interest is something that people sometimes think as nonexistent. Adding a finance course could not just change the our futures, but it can help us in the present.

That is a good point that you talked about in the first paragraph. While athletes should be able to maintain their grades and not cheat, and that should be cracked down on, there should be room for those who can do both to excel and not be looked at like they are cheaters and only got in because they are good at sports. The reason this doesn't happen is because so many people are able to get into college sports because they cheated, so it's only if this is fixed that it can be fair. Students have to understand that while college sports are fun and can lead to having a professional career, that going to college means taking on a large course load of college level work. If they cannot keep up with doing it all, then they should not be going to college and expecting to just breeze by because they are athletes. You make a good point when you cheating can't be stopped but controlled. So if they just watch teh students they believe are cheating and make sure that they are able to maintain their grades on their own, they will be at least one step closer to fixing the problem in the college sports system. Students should not have teachers who like sports help them out with cheating so they can stay on a team. If a student can't keep their grades up, they should be focusing on that, not on athletics and practice. The last point I'd like to agree with is when you say about colleges being proud. Shouldn't they be proud that they have athletes who are keeping up with the college curriculum without struggling so much they have to resort to cheating? College athletes deserve help so that they can participate in sports, but they need to learn how to keep their grades balanced one their own.

You're definitely right when you say that people are only trying to maintain conections with their friends and family when they post information online about themselves and can be invaded by people who they don't really want looking at their page. I agree that people think that just by changing their profile to private, that they are being protected from unwanted visitors, but the truth is that isn't always the case when it comes to Facebook. Your point about employers and college admission directors is very true in how people are posting all of these things on the internet about ridiculous things they did but forget that there are important people who can change their lives, looking just over their shoulder. People need to be conscientious about the things they post on the site because Facebook is meant to be a site where people can view each other's pages, and even if it is private - there is still so much that a person can view. Your example are real situations that happened where Facebook was being viewed by outside readers, it shows how important it is to make sure you're not posting more then you want people to know. You are also right when you say that anything someone posts can be viewed by any person on the site. It's important for people to realize this and try to remember that anyone could be watching. If the amount of information that is found on a single Facebook page falls into the hands of the wrong person, someone's life could be drastically changed.

You are right when you say we should know more about taxes and bill paying, I definitely agree with you on that as well as being able to understand the basic things that we will need in life like food, water, and electric. These kinds of things are not taught in school for whatever reason, and I believe that if they actually had these in a class, that mostly everyone would take it. It is actually a good idea to think about how to pick your phone service because teens take advantage of the fact that their parents pretty much do everything, and when it would come to pick our services and what's a good deal; we would probably have no clue. It's also important that we know what place we should use for banking; because of how all of the banks are giving high interest and so many banks are going bankrupt right now. The last thing that I agree with you on is taking out loans because at some point in our lives, we are going to need to understand how they work, how high the interest rates are on them, what makes one loan better then another, how long do you have to pay back a loan, and what happens if you can't pay it back and go bankrupt? The closest class that could be helpful that anyone is taking right now at school, would be accounting because it helps you understand how to manage money. However, yuo have to realize that this isn't enough to help us out in the real world with every problem that may come up. If we don't find out the answers to these questions now, when it comes time for us to do all of these things on our own, we will be lost. So yes, I agree with you when you say we need a "Life 101" class.

I understand where you are coming from when you say that we are so technology savvy that texting was something that students were going to use anyways in online conversation. I also agree with you on your point that while students may text their friends and using instant messaging with lingo, that they would never actually bring that into school essays or actual work. Our generation may seem a little lazy with all the use of texting but I think it only makes us more diverse in our abilities to communicate with other people. But when it comes to being serious and needing good grammatical skills and vocabulary, that texting does not actually effect them in all the ways that the articles are saying. You're right when you say that we will never pass over actual english, because while teachers may not teach as much spelling, they are still actively making us learn about the language. You are also correct when you say the possibility of teachers incorporating texting into our assignments entirely is slim, so I believe that texting is not destroying our english education and that people are over exaggerating.

While I agree with you on the points that cheating may seem the easiest way to get a good ranking and that sometimes students have a hard time with test taking, but I think that a majority of the people who cheat do it because they do not actually have the time to study. High School is a difficult time in how students are crowded with school acitivies like sports, as well as trying to get community service and work at the same time. However, I definitely agree with you when you say that people cheat because they want to be successful. I believe that what you said about cheating in BCHS is very true and that because we are a small school and everyone knows a little about everyone - that cheating is never reported because you can consider so many people friends. I also think you are right when it comes to it being unfair and that when people see others cheat, it makes them not want to be as studious because maybe they could get away with cheating too? It makes sense that if teachers actually got up from behind their desk and walked around the classroom and kept both eyes on everyone, they would realize how many people cheat every day.

For your first goal, I definitely sympathize with you in how the task gets more difficult as the year goes by. I wrote the same in my own blog, and I found that taking everything as it comes is the best way to deal with it. If you try and focus on everything at once, I guarantee you will find yourself a meltdown - like some of our friends. =3 I think that your second goal sounds like a lot more fun compared to your first, I also get that it'll take up a little more of your time to do it all, but it's important to have things you like to do right beside the things you don't. It is also really nice that you could have a possible job lined up if college does not work out. ;) I wish you good luck with all of those lovely things. Just make sure you aren't stretching yourself too thin to do all that you're looking forward to. *Wishing you luck, Vicky. =]*