N. Family

Family plays a major role in everyone’s life. No matter in a good way or bad way, family shapes a person’s life and makes them who they are. I consider myself so lucky to have such a supporting and loving family. Not only are my mom and dad always behind me, but I always have the support of my aunts and uncles as well as grandparents. My grandma tries to make it to all my basketball games, which really means a lot. She is the best fan and even after a loss can make me smile. My parents are also the best. They barely miss a game and always do so much for me. I think it is very important to have a strong support system. To have someone no matter what you do, there to watch and back you up it means a lot. Whether it is a sport, graduation, concert, play, etc. The holidays are always an exciting time because I get to spend so much time with all of my family from out of town. I really love every minute I get to spend with my family. I am really looking forward to the upcoming week to spending so much time with the people that mean the most but yet I rarely get to see.

N. Just a Thought this Holiday Season

                My mom came home and told me a story about a 12 year old girl she met at work. This little girl had an extremely abusive father, but her mom married someone and he was a very good step father to her. The step father was having chest pains and went to the hospital to find out he had a small heart attack. He was told to stay at the hospital because they needed to make sure he was okay. However, he went against the medical advice because he said that he needed to work to make money for Christmas gifts for his step children. While at work, the man suffered a massive heart attack and tragically died. The little girl is at a psychiatric center and was able to leave to attend her step father’s funeral. She has been having a lot of trouble sleeping so her mom brought her one of her dad’s blankets from home and she laid it next to her to give her comfort to sleep at night.

                I can’t get this girl and her family off my mind. It is so sad a 12 year old has to be going through this. Around the holiday season we all get a bit stressed over the shopping and the things that don’t truly matter in the long run. Here is someone who would only wants her dad back for Christmas. We should all take a minute to be thankful for the family we have around us this holiday season and for everything we do have. The material things really don’t mean anything. We should also think of the families in need and do something to help them. Overall, many of us are very fortunate and giving is really much more important than receiving in the holiday season.

M. Image in Today's Society

The other day I saw something very interesting on Twitter. It was a picture of a model and it said something about when we see the ribs of an animal we feel bad for it and think it is abused, but when we see it on a woman it is very attractive. This got me thinking a bit about the society that we live in. So much emphasis is put on body image and on being thin. I think many people, including myself, would rather be insulted based on personality than based on looks. Which brings me to many young girls struggling with what they look like. We don’t and won’t ever feel pretty when being compared to celebrities. So many people are always on diets and trying to lose weight. Eating healthy and controlling what you eat is a good thing but that isn’t what all diets are all about. People want to lose weight and they want to do it fast which is where it goes bad. I can remember being in 5th grade and being upset over my weight and trying to go on diets. It’s sad really because what 10 year old should be wanting to lose weight. And it feels like society is pushing girls to be thinner and thinner. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show was on this week and many girls on Twitter were saying how jealous they were of these girls. How is being so skinny considered to be so beautiful? It is crazy how so much emphasis is put on looks. People really should care about how you treat others rather than the way you look. But it’s almost like people won’t even give you the time of day unless they think you are attractive. It’s funny really, we like to think we are different than other people, but really we just become what society wants us to be. So why can’t society push for good caring people, rather than the pretty self absorbed kind?

M. 6 Year old accused of Sexual Harassment

                Did a Colorado elementary school go too far when labeling a 6 year old child’s actions as sexual harassment? The 6 year old was suspended because of “sexual harassment” when he kissed 6 year old girls hand. First-grader Hunter Yelton made national news from this incident. After a meeting with the 6 year olds parents and the superintendent, it was changed from sexual harassment to misconduct. Hunter Yelton’s mom described the incident and said it all happened because Hunter had a crush on the girl and he kissed her on the hand during a reading group. The little boy had gotten in trouble before for rough housing and kissing the same girl on the check, which does make sense that he got in trouble. But is what he did really sexual harassment?

                The little girl’s mother agreed with the schools punishment. She says Hunter tried over and over to kiss her daughter without permission from her. Her mom had this to say: "I've had to coach her about what to do when you don't want someone touching you, but they won't stop,"

                The school says that they don’t label things with sexual harassment on the first offense, and asks to look at the situation from their point of view. However, does a 6 year old know what they are doing isn’t right? Is suspension the real way to resolve the problem? Many young kids have crushes and I;m sure this type of things happens every day at some other school. It is not labeled as sexual harassment in other schools though.

                                                                

L. Vet Tech

                So far this year my plans for after school have changed a lot. My main issue with going away to a four year school is cost. Being a Physician’s assistant is something I really considered but 5 years of schooling will cost so much and even though it will pay off, I don’t think I am willing to pursue it now. I was looking into ECC and planning on working while going there to get some money saved until I decide what I want to do. One thing I have thought about was becoming a DEC officer. I would love to do that but the only problem is chances in becoming one are very slim. So what I am considering now is becoming a vet tech. It is a two year program, so it won’t cause me to accumulate too much debt. It doesn’t make a ton of money, but I really love animals and would like going to work with them every day. Also since it is a two year program, if I end up wanting to get a better job, I can go back to school while still working as a vet tech.

                The job outlook for vet techs is very good. It has an expected 52% increase between 2012 and 2020. As of 2010 they make about $30,000 which isn’t great, but isn’t terrible either. A vet tech works under a veterinarian and can perform medical exams and diagnose illness and injury of animals.

Alfred state, Medialle, and GCC all offer vet tech programs. I would be most interested in attending Alfred state if I could get a decent scholarship. If not I would probably look into GCC.  Overall, right now I am considering becoming a vet tech. However, that will probably change in a week or so because I can’t seem to make up my mind.  

L. Community College

                One thing that will always really annoy me is when people talk down to community college. Yes community college is very different from a private college, but it still is an education. In many cases it is a better financial decision as well. For example, many degrees won’t offer a job that will be able to pay back very expensive student loans. What is the point of going to school for four years for 60,000 dollars a year when someone will only make 50,000 dollars a year? It is best to look at college and decide whether or not a very expensive school is something that is necessary.  There are a lot of fun experiences and a lot of opportunity to meet people when you go to a big school. But community college could be a better choice in many decisions. A lot of people cannot afford an expensive education. So when kids whose parents can afford to send them to an expensive four year school talk down to kids who will go to community college it is very annoying. A college degree is a college degree. I think more people should consider community college if it offers what they are interested in. Or even start off at a community college and then transfer later on. It is a good financial decision for now and for the future. The amount of money one can save is crazy. ECC is about $4,000 a year where any other school someone could be staying and living at can be very costly. College is a very big decision and requires a lot of thought. It is very easy to be given a lot of money in a student loan, but unless you will be making enough money to pay it off, it is very difficult. Students must start making payments within 6 months after they stop attending school full time. It is very important to plan carefully for the future.