From the first day of kindergarten to the last day of high school, you are constantly told what to do. You are expected to do as ordered by teachers, administrators, and other figures of authority. I never really felt like we ever did anything we wanted to do. I would say that kindergarten was my […]

Imagine your teenage son or daughter coming home from a week of school, homework, and a job. They head straight into their room and start bursting out into tears. This comes from lack of sleep and tremendous amounts of stress. Unfortunately, this has happened to many students, friends of mine, and myself from time to […]

Mrs Shana Haden is a shining example of an educator and role model. Mrs Haden teaches four different types of curriculum and three different class levels between 8th grade english, 11th grade honors, and AP literature courses. Over this past month Mrs Haden brought the national renown poet, Linda Tomol Pennisi, to our school to […]

Students in high school today are stuck in a conundrum. They are forced to so many different things and excel in each and everyone one higher than anyone else. Thus creating this always competing aspect too our lives. When actually excelling in one or more let alone all is next to impossible. But WE as […]

The stupidest thing I ever did was attend a school of the arts. It made the most beautiful, primal emotions that are so essential to art seem like a calculated attempt at making the grade. You’re subjected to criticism from people who don’t exactly deserve to criticize your work. Because of my bad experience in […]

Lazy, arrogant, obnoxious, rude, and annoying. This is what some people think when 7th graders are mentioned. They immediately assume we’re all bad kids because of what they hear other people say, but the truth is, we aren’t all like that. The truth is we are just the same as any other grade. The truth […]

“I just want the bullying to stop. That is all I ever wanted. I used to love going to school. Now I hate it. “(9 -year- old Verity quoted on March 12 2000) Kids all over the world suffer from the same kind of harassment everyday. Millions of kids are neglected or abused at home, […]

What makes someone a workaholic? If you asked me, all you would have to do is look at my daily life. I’m only in high school, just starting out, but I like to think I know enough about work and stress. So, back to the question of “What makes someone a workaholic?” One sign that […]

Even the idea of high school elicits emotions of annoyance and frustration for most teens. I’m not completely against the belief that high school has slowly become a legalized form of slavery. In fact, I came up with that witty analogy myself. However, despite my obvious adolescent viewpoint, I can’t help but be thankful for […]

There is a wonderful girl living in the United States right now. She has worked hard in school as much as possible from the first day of kindergarten to the last week of her senior year in high school. Her parents are hardworking people, but they always had a hard time finding work in their […]

I was wondering who would name their child Maria. Of course my mother would she had the grant idea of naming me Maria. I don’t know about the others that have that name but I truly don’t like it. I don’t hate it but I despise it, it ‘s just a name that I would […]

Why do people feel like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be taught in school? I feel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools because of Huck’s sense of morality. People of the appropriate age group can get many things out of this book. Huck has values that students need to […]

Ms. Davis is a teacher at Palm Desert Charter Middle School and she teaches 8th grade Humanities. Her classroom is a second home to all the students of PDCMS. Ms. Davis is a beautiful and bubbly teacher. She makes history come to life and writing a way to express your emotions. I believe Ms. Davis […]

IImagine giving a group of elderly people cell phones and asking them to text a friend. Now imagine giving high school students needles, thread, and buttons. The general expression of astonishment would beg the question, “Now what?” The generation gap is far too wide; just as the older generation struggles to keep pace with technology, […]

The day the mortarboard caps were sent flying through the air, every graduating senior thought the worst of it was over.They had survived the grueling four-year long battle to maintain excellence, rising through the ranks, from scraggy, scrawny Lieutenants to rugged, robust Generals.Despite their major victory, they had yet to win the war.In our world, […]

This seems to be heard less by younger kids every year, which indeed is a sad statement. I remember when I was eight, sitting in my classroom next to all of the ghost, ghouls and goblins, all of my friends laughing and smacking on candy. This was but one of my elementary schools Halloween parties, […]

“I hate school.” I know I’ve said that many times, and my peers have also. A lot of teens have a dream job/career in their mind, but many do not see the relationship between education and their futures. Although teens think going to school is a waste of time, we must convince them of the […]

Phones in school should not be allowed because students can cheat on test text play games, and go on sites that they know that they are not allowed to go on like:(Facebook,Twitter,Omegle,Myspace) All people complain about is not having phones in school or they complain about having phones in school! But honestly students should not […]

“Getting a diploma at an American high school is a joke,” claims Clayton M. McCleskey from The Dallas Morning News. “American kids are falling behind their peers,” agrees former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (CBS News). “[Chinese] children are better educated than American children in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, and math. High […]

Can we go back to when our parents were kids? Our age maybe? There were a lot of consequences for talking while the teacher was talking or mouthing off in class. What do we get now? Detention. An hour or half hour after school. So what? What’s that going to teach us? Nothing. Nothing at […]

There are many ways to start a great essay as I’ve learned in school. You can start with an anecdote or you could start by asking a question. Some people choose to start with a broad and general statement known as the funnel method; others choose to start by defining words or using quotations. These […]

It doesn’t take very long; from the very moment you’ve entered the door, to realize what high school is all about. But that’s the thing- high school is something different to everyone. For some, it’s torture, and for others, it’s just…school. It’s a place we are forced to come because all our lives we have […]

I go to a Catholic school that has The Satanic Verses in the library. This makes my heart dance with the Satanic daffodils. We even get M2, a magazine “for the New Zealand man,” at my all-girls school. This is also pretty awesome. The lack of censorship is something I cherish. It is a privilege […]

Writing is frightening. There is nothing more vulnerable than the act of spilling forth your heart and soul unto the page, allowing your deepest, darkest secrets to be spelled out in gritty permanence. Thousands of unseen eyes scour these secrets; while many of those eyes are supportive and open-minded, just as many are critical of […]

Relax on the Dress Codes! There are different kind of dress code rules for all schools. Even in the Pennfield School System the different buildings have different rules. When you get to the Middle and High School, the rules become much more strict. Students in these buildings have to wear clothing that is a certain […]

“When it comes to dressing, comfort is overrated. A little discomfort probably means your clothes fit and you’re not in your pajamas.” As Tim Gunn quotes, it’s important for teachers and people in the workplace to remember. The formality of teachers’ assembles affects the learning environment for students. Human behaviorist, Desmond Morris, states “It is […]

Mrs. Mohan was expecting an essay, from her daughter, about how amazing she is, on her anniversary. Her daughter did not write one. I wonder why. Mrs. Mohan is my sophomore world history teacher. She’s taught me a lesson about class participation and that miracles can happen. I hope to use her traits to be […]

In a society where almost everyone over the age of thirteen carries a cell phone, pager, or both, many school systems have banned these items from school grounds. Why? Many say it’s due to the ‘potential problems’, such as texting during classes. Others say it is because they interrupt the learning environment. Whatever the reason […]

Teachers say, ‘Jessi, you’re late; you are getting a detention.’ Why do teachers give students detention? What if students are late to school? I believe that if students at Appleton West High School don’t follow the rules, they should have consequences. I think this is a good way to make a student a better person […]

Schools think up a lot of crazy policies that don’t make any sense. From getting detention for just wearing clothes to getting drug tested for going to gym class, students are getting mad. Many kids find these rules an invasion of privacy and space. Students lockers’ shouldn’t get checked for putting books away and cell […]