When in Europe...

Do as the Europeans do?
Okay, it does not quite flow the same, but still, it was a cultural experience unlike anything else.

Singing Through Amsterdam and London

42 residents of Valley City (or nearby) travelled to Europe for Spring Break and it was truly a culture shock. We travelled first to Amsterdam, and right away, saw people whom we would never have called different than ourselves. At points, it was hard to remember which face belonged to our group because they all looked alike.

When I prepared for this trip, I expected the basic Eurotrip type feeling: Girls in bikinis accompanied by a lot of alcohol and drugs. True, all of this was there, but what lay hidden away behind was a culture that we may have long forgotten about. These people live in a place that has such a unique design and natural beauty, I could not believe people take it for granted. This website, which gives basics on the Red Light District, said something I found very believable: They have all this, but that is not what they are about! Having seen it, I can truly say I believe it is true.

The thing that really got me while in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House, which is now a museum. If you have not seen it or read the book, I feel pity on you (not to be mean). But, of course, this book is way too popular to not be read, so crises averted. Back on track, we were allowed inside the house in which this family hid for nearly two years; one can't help but feel a brand new respect for what these people went through. People sat, staring at the walls--ones that Anne had seen every day--and cried. It was hard not too! This is something we grew up hearing. It's the same with 9/11. It is one thing hearing about the towers going down, but when I went to New York in April last year, and saw the GAP where the towers used to stand, it brings a whole new perspective on everything.

Another huge cultural experience was in the cuisine: Croquettes! These are like a meal that has been deep-fried. They are quite tasty (in moderation) and found to be quite enjoyable. Along with these, the Pancake Houses were extravagant. At one point, a student had a pizza on his flapjack. Another received a pancake that was topped entirely with ice cream. Our waitress couldn't believe that we did not top our pancakes as such. She was even more shocked when we compared sizes. "But they are dis thick, no?" she asked. And we explained that in America, we stack our pancakes. I swear, she about fainted.

Our trip then took us across water to London. It was comparable to our New York or L.A., except with more history. And boy, did it have history. For one, Westminster Abbey took me completely by surprise. There lay people that had formed their country. They were responsible for great things: Handel and his music, Shakespeare and his writing, Mary, Queen of Scots and whatever it is that she did.

Basically, through this blog, I wanted to capture just a little bit of what their culture has taught me about my own. I want to know about the stereotypes that people from Holland or England think when they come to the states. The one thing I did not sense was the Eurotrip environment.

Wouldn't it be nice...

Wouldn't it be nice to be as famous as Chris Brown? If you haven't heard the recent news about Chris Brown, after he attacked fellow singer Rihanna, he is now being allowed to see her and have contact with her. He abused her one night when they were a couple, and they have recently been seen chatting and making amends.

Ah, this must be the life. To abuse someone and then turn around and be forgiven just like that. I mean, everyone must go through the exact same thing, right? Forgiven so easily and paid for commenting on an article. What a pile of crap! I mean, honestly. Let's think about this. Chris Brown abused Rihanna, and as a star, of course the entire world found out. But instead of facing the repercussions that others would, he is let off with a warning.

I know that this has been discussed in previous blogs, but I would just like to reiterate how stupid celebrities take their power. They are not the most amazing people in the world. I have seen my share of talent here on campus, and some of our students have more talent than some of the celebrities who gain millions of dollars for their performance.

Maybe I am alone here, but I am tired of celebrities taking advantage of their figures. They get out of so much because of a movie they have been in or a television show they appeared on. It is to the point where most of the laws being broken are not being enforced because the ones breaking them are too good to punish? Shia LeBeouf after his DUI was told to go back to work. He was not allowed to do anything extensive because he hurt his hand during the crash.

Okay, so next time I get picked up for a DUI (not that it has happened), I will just tell the officer I have to get to a movie set. If it works once, it should work for me.

Celebrities are to the point where their public image is no longer apparent because they are doing good things. It is different if a person is the center of attention because of donating to a charity or something of that sort. However, when one hears a story about celebrities doing things that ruin their reputation, than that is very different.

For instance, Zac Efron, everyone's favorite High School Musical star, was recently in the news because his mother bought him condoms. If this is not a hard-hitting news story, I do not know what is. Is there a reason that this is being reported, and especially since Efron's main fan-base are children. Some of these children probably do not even know what a condom is, so why tell them?

Celebrities need to realize that there is more to society than what they do in a movie. Because one day, and I hope one day soon, celebrities will be treated like people. The United States is founded that all men are created equal, but I guess celebrities are the exception to the rule.

Advanced Children? Add to the solution...

How many of us remember the days of our youth? I am not speaking high school glory days, but actual youth. Back in 1st or 2nd grade when everything was new information and students had an undeniable urge to learn. And then, as children progress in their education, they lose this desire and it is replaced with utter disgust of the entire school concept.

However, at this young age, each of us discovers something about ourselves, whether it be a passion or a talent. We all find out that we are unique and we must build upon these abilities to find our true potential. And this is not something that can be done alone.

Students who are too smart for their own good are not a problem in our society, but not encouraging them to reach further can grow to have damaging effects. In 2005, a 1st grade student was finding her mathematics class boring and had trouble paying attention. This was not due to her lack of motivation, but was a result of her already in-depth knowledge. If the student already understands the material, why is it necessary to reteach the information to them? To them, they are just wasting their time, even as young as 1st grade, and if they are not pushed, then they will have to settle and their edge will die out.

However, if these students are encouraged to do better...to achieve more...they feel a sense of accomplishment and these traits remain as are. The students can strive to meet their own goals, but when someone assists them, the outcome is far greater.

The debate arrives in the time they spend on their studies. If a student enjoys school, that is one thing, but to devote every second to this can be just as harmful as committing no time. When is it too early to push these students even more: Basically, advanced placement classes.

In Tampa Bay, 9th graders are allowed to take advanced placements classes, which means they are learning information that some of us would not have learned until our senior year in high school, or maybe even our freshmen year in college. This is where the fine line between a devoted student and an obsessive one comes in. The student may spend too much time doing homework and not enough time doing kid things. Many people may tell them "you are only young once." Is this true? Or are some kids growing up to early?

According to Kim Jorissen, English teacher at BCN high school, "Teaching is a lot like acting. You must keep the student engaged. If they are not picking up on the information, some of the problem could be in their attitude, but the majority rests upon the teacher. Not every student learns the same, but you have to teach as if they all wanted to learn, and the ones who care will pick up what you are putting down."

This is the paradox: When do we push the students, and when do we back away? "We should push them, if that is what they want. If it is going to harm their character or themselves as people, then yes, we should back away. But if taking trig is not hard for them as 9th graders, then why not let them? If it does not weigh them down, then who are we to stop them?" says Micki Bucholz, a sophomore at VCSU.

I guess on this issue, I am in the middle. I cannot decide which is better; hiding children's talents from them when their young or allowing them to become too smart? Is this was NCLB (No Child Left Behind) is about? Or is there more to it?

Who can talk the bestest?

Dribble, pass, sprint, spike, serve, swing! American pastimes. Who doesn't enjoy watching a basketball player running up the court or feel the adrenaline when one of the baseball players hits a grand slam? How about the enjoyment when a humorous duo takes first place at a competitive speech meet?
Where does this take us? Where exactly is our society heading when people are idolized for being in sports and yet, those who partake in the arts, are criticized. For example, why is it that students who want to better themselves by speaking in public vicinities are not as good as sports stars because they don’t actually do anything.
For the longest time while I was in school, I was told that speech was not actually a sport because no work was ever done. “How hard is it to speak in public?” Well, I always wanted to ask them back, “How hard is it too—” Fill in the blank…
The thing is, in sports, the player – and every player – is a part of a team. They have someone else to help them play their game. There is another person on the court to assist the game. In the arts, such as speech, theater, and choir, the person is on their own in front of the judge. Therefore, the student has to be able to act on their own. This makes the arts harder than people often give credit for.
Now, I don’t mean to sit here and rant on about this, but, when I was at work a couple weeks ago at BCN, there was a huge uproar because of basketball. The head speech coach and I were planning around the basketball team, and then, we find out that they planned against us. Since the district is two schools, we have to drive back and forth 20 miles to get to practice. This creates issues because not all students are allowed to drive on their own.
Now, in other schools, this same thing occurs. Sports stars are idolized and anyone who participates in the arts is looked at as people that are talentless. So, where does that put us? Why is it that we have to divide our students into these two groups: Sports and arts?
Tina Bryn, my head coach, said something that really interested me a couple weeks ago. “My kids are going to pick what they want to be in, yes, but I am going to encourage them to try both sports and arts. It is important to have an understanding of what each activity takes.”
I don’t know where we are heading. As I walked through BCN last week and heard people referencing speech as a waste-of-time activity, I almost wanted to turn and ask, “And where is basketball going to take you?” Of course, there is not forcing people to change their minds. That is what makes our country so special: We all get to decide for ourselves.

If you want more information, look to the experts. Americans for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts are both websites that place emphasis on how important the arts are for schools and in general.

Child father brings about culture shock!

So, as I perused the internet on Monday night at work, I came across a link that said that a man in Saudi Arabia ate 22 live scorpions. Another link shows a boy of 13 living in Britain whose girlfriend just gave birth to a baby. A father at age 13. Another link shows a video of a woman doing something called funny face yoga. What do all these links have in common? They are all the news that is taking over. This is what is being broadcast online for people to observe and to comprehend. Now, the real question: Why should I care? Why should anyone care? News in our culture and our society has been changing. This is evident in the different blogs that we are all posting. There is so much out there to learn about, that people tend to write about stuff we don’t care about and leave the actual information for us to discover on our own.

Is this what our society is leading us to? If we look at the 13-year-old father from London, would it really make any difference if we lived a few hundred years ago? Back then, 13-year-old boys were often turning into fathers, so why is it that today's age is so shocked at this development.

It is evident that we are changing: Look at the WHITE HOUSE for example. Barack Obama would never have gotten to the White House even 50 years ago. So why did he? Because, our culture is teaching us to follow our own minds instead of giving into what history has taught us. Obama is president because we made it so. The people who live in the United States. And he gained it because he wanted it.
That is something that our country has always believed in: Choice. If one chooses to become a doctor, they can. A lawyer, they can. A teacher, they can. There is nothing stopping any of us from reaching our goals as long as we are determined and willing to do the work that comes with it.
Isn’t that an act of culture? What exactly is culture? According to dictionary.com, culture is a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period. That is one of the 12 definitions. So, is the United States a culture? Is North Dakota a culture? Is Valley City?
The thing that surprises me is the attitudes people have to one another. I was observing at Barnes County North on Monday, in the 6th grade classroom, and I have to say, I have never seen so many kids have so little respect for their teacher. Shut up was a common phrase used during the day when the kids did not like what the teacher had to say.
Honestly, only one word came to my head when I saw their lack of disciple: Their parents. Not that their parents had done a bad job, but these kids were not taught to value their elders .To listen to what their elders say and know what they were in the same position once upon a time. It is all a matter of perception. These kids do not perceive anything wrong out of their treatment.
It also comes down to the fact that parents are getting younger and younger. Students are having kids in school, and the children grow up in an unstable environment. Just think, now there are 13-year-old dads: What’s next? 15-year-old grandpas. Who knows?

Roses....I don't have time to smell Roses

I woke up this morning to a shrilling sound from somewhere in my room. I checked my alarm clock, nothing; my other alarm clock, nothing; my cell phone, nothing. My ears hurt from the unwanted sound. My mind finally made me look out the window to see what the commotion was all about. Outside my window, I watched as several people skated around on the pavement around a car which had smoke rolling from the hood. The car went down Boss hill! In this weather! The driver locked their brakes early on, and skidded all the way down, smashing head on into a parked car, which hit another car, and the chain reaction continued.
Okay people; let's just look at a couple clear facts:

*We live in North Dakota
*North Dakota experiences snow and ice
*Ice causes roads to be very slick
*Slick roads can cause crashes

That's just it! Our people have learned to go....go....go....without any concern. It is an absolute fact that people no longer worry about conditions as long as they can get in their car and drive. Basically, as people hurry themselves to finish everything in a short amount of time, the work is not done as sufficiently.
For instance, a homework assignment meets procrastination! A large paper is due at midnight, and the author does not begin to write until eleven. Now, if the writer is good enough to create a five page masterpiece within an hour, than more power to them, but that are not most people. For the rest of us, the work should take more than the allotted amount of time. Therefore, when the writer is given their paper back with a low or failing grade, should they be mad at the professor or themselves.
It is critical that people slow down. Europeans have embraced this ideal long before us in the states. People need to slow themselves down in order to understand exactly what is going on around them.
Take for example, this situation with a 22-year-old male grad student. His academic life is going well, but there is no time for a social life. Read the article from Go Ask Alice to see what she suggests. People need to slow down. As someone always tells us when we are younger: “Stop and smell the roses.”
That is just it.
People don’t listen.
People don’t want to listen.
And in turn, things such as easily avoided car accident occur. What happened to smelling the roses? What happened to appreciating everything that lay in front of you?
Until recently, I have taken life for granted, and I know I am not alone. It is funny what small events can change one’s perspective on something as important as life.
There are easy ways to slow down and enjoy everything that is in front of us every day. People are in too much of a hurry to really understand that every day is a gift, not a right. We have the privilege of living as we do: Why would someone try to mess it up by moving just a little too fast?

That's Our Culture

A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll on a highway in Connecticut. He lays motionless on the ground, bleeding, and alone. That is to say, except for the dozens of citizens driving right past him. One man on a scooter circled around the body, taking pictures on his mobile phone. No one bothered to call for help, and by the time help did arrive, it was far too late. The man had already died.
What does this story tell us? Old men should watch where they are walking? Men on scooters have great hand-eye coordination? Or that people did not care enough to use their cell phone (which most everyone has nowadays) to call the police and get this man help? He died, not because of his clumsiness, but because people did not help him.
On Saturday, January 31, my car rolled three times on my way to Finley, North Dakota, for a speech competition. I was able to get myself out, but was without help. I figured the best thing for me to do would be walk to Oriska, which was four miles south. A kind family arrived, and allowed me to use their phone and sit in their truck for warmth.
However, this is not what shocked me. While my car remained upside down as it had landed, dozens of vehicles stopped to rescue me. I never expected to watch people rush to my car to help. I had been helping a student out at BCN write a speech on the Bystander Effect, and proving that it did in fact occur. After my incident, I could no longer help her.
The Bystander Effect is when people will not help someone in trouble because of another person around the same vicinity. If there are several people around, then many will choose not to help. It is not their problem: It is the way we have been raised. Our culture has taught us to watch out for Number One. Keeping ourselves safe has been programmed into our brains from the time we are toddlers until the time we are 78.
Why is this? Why do we choose not to help someone in need? Is it just country folks that help? This phenomenon started in 1964, with Kitty Genovese. She was walking home one day and was viciously stabbed outside her apartment. The killer flocked off when people showed up, but no one called the police or tried to help Genovese. The killer returned and stabbed her once again, until she was officially dead.
People seem to sit back and watch as people die. All around us; we are all guilty. There is something wrong with the way our society is being raised. We no longer care enough for our neighbor and this is going to create a mess load of problems in the future. Think of it this way: If a 78-year-old man was tossed and you drove by, would you stop to help? What if that person was you?