Different upbringings

Growing up, my family has alway been different. I have a mom, dad, step dad, step mom, but they are still all friends. So I guess I have a dysfunctional working family, if that makes sense. With my family being kind of different I always thought that other people had more functional families, but what I have learned that every family is different, way different.

I am very close to someone who has a quite different set of parents than mine. I wouldn't say that they are bad parents, but they are un supportive, uncaring, and not very giving. They would rather throw their child on the streets than have to pay for them, which just blows my mind. They actually are mad that their child goes to college, rather than having a full time job, they are constantly trying to get them to quit school with threats of throwing them out. The first time I heard their parents call them "stupid" and a "loser", I was actually speechless. I try to be respectable to them when I see them, but it is so hard, trying to respect someone who doesn't always deserve it.

I once asked him if his parents have told them that they loved him or even hugged him, and he told me "Not that I remember, but it is what it is", wow. It felt like I was in another universe when I first experienced his parents screaming at him that he was a waste of space, and he just shrugged it off, used to it. I mean of course they still feed him, and give him a place to live, spot him money when they have to, so I cannot really call them bad parents, but still, can't imagine growing up like that. But I need to realize not every family is perfect, certainly not mine.

This really showed me how amazing my parents are, and how lucky I am to have loving and supportive parents, four of them! I feel kind of stupid when I would get mad at my parents for the minor things, because I do have it good, and I should be more appreciate them more. Of course I know my family is not perfect, but they sure do love me with all their hearts, care for me, and always support me. I wish that every child could grow up in that kind of environment.

Have times changed that much?

I remember when I was a kid, I was constantly outside with kids my age playing hide and go seek, or tag, or kick the can! We would have done anything for a park in our area where we can actually play some real sports!

Of course I understand that now-a-days, with all the fancy electronics, kids are trapped indoors with the temptation of the TV, video games,  and the computer, but if they had a beautiful sports park next to them, would they use it? I would think so. I'm sure parents would enjoy getting their kids enrolled in a local baseball league, soccer team, etc. It has so many benefits, health and self esteem wise.

When kids feel apart of something, such as a team, it teaches them how to set short term goals for themselves at a young age, and learn how to handle loosing and winning, which is very important in life to know.  It also teaches kids that when one practices something diligently and doesn't give up, amazing accomplishments can happen, plus it always nice to know that they are getting plenty of excersise at the same time!

Yeah sure there are plenty of these parks around...in nice areas. What about the not so nice areas? Should the kids have to suffer just because they don't live in the suburbs? no. Everyone should have equal access to living a healthy fun lifestyle through sports in their area.

Even if there was enough money to get more sport parks built, how would we get the kids, or anyone to get motivated to participate when they would rather be playing with their newest gameboy or whatever? Maybe its time to turn this generation away from electronic dependent and turn them towards a healthier life style. But I really don't know how, I don't think anyone really does. I just hope that someday it happens, because once playing a sport at a community park becomes a trend, maybe many will follow?

Is it the student or the teacher?

What is a definition of a bad student? I guess the typical view of a bad student, is one who is lazy, careless, and disrespectful. I know that the teachers get frustrated with these students, because they fear that their poor grades will reflect them as a teacher, which isn't even their fault. These are the students that can't be changed, not by the best teachers. We have all encountered these bad students they sit there with their head down, and mind off. But what about bad teachers?

My definition of a bad teacher, is a teacher who doesn't know how to teach a subject where it can be grasped by the students, who doesn't do their job of entering in and grading assignments, one who isn't concerned with a high percentage of poor exam scores. It really irks me when someone justifies a bad teacher, saying "well, maybe it is the students, not the teacher!" uhhh no. Sometimes there is such a thing as a bad teacher.

This year, my last year of high school, I encountered a bad teacher. So my teacher knows what they are talking about, but they don't know how to explain it to the students in a way that is actually learnable, so basically the information goes in one ear and right through the other, with no registration of what that information actually is. It is not like I didn't pay attention and ask questions, I did. A lot. I just could not take what he was saying and actually apply it to the material.

If that wasn't enough, my teacher doesn't grade a damn thing, all that goes in there  is our sad and depressing exam scores that do not refflect our intelligence one bit, that brings down are grades dramatically. Obviously, I know once my teacher puts in my assignments, my grades will go up, but who knows if he will actually put in everything that we have done over the year. I'm frightened that he will pick and choose what assignments go in, and what if those are the assignments that i didn't do too particularly well on?

As I mentioned before, the exam scores. Wow, I never thought getting a 55 percent would be a good thing until I took this class. I'm serious. The average usually is around a 40 percent on every exam that the class has taken this school year. I really don't understand how the teacher doesn't see this, and realize that "hey, this is a problem, I need to fix this!" nope. We turn in our tests, walk back with
sorrow on our faces, and as a class, we never discuss the tests again.


With all this complaining, I'm trying to make a point. My point being that sometimes it isn't the student it is the teacher. No matter how hard that students tries to understand that teacher, it just doesn't happen.