Observations Pt. VI

The iPad
A common object at Monte Vista, the iPad is used throughout the school  as a useful tool for learning. It is promoted by the school, paper (supposedly) has become extinct. Supposedly. The truth is, the majority of classes still use paper for something, sometime. And secretly, at this iPad-only school, almost everyone has a certain dislike of the iPad. "Have you ever seen this? It's...paper. Don't tell anyone we're using it." teachers whisper, as students iGnore esco and buy hardback, real-life copies of their textbooks, and girls hang up post-it notes of encouragement on bathroom mirrors. Why do so many have this aversion, and why does no one speak out about the truth? Is there a certain addictive quality to the iPad? Is there just enough merit to it for many for a protest to begin? Or are students and teachers afraid to "hurt" this iMage of a school where everyone is has access to and is in love with modern technology? And why, for that matter, has research not been done recently by the school to evaluate students' opinions on learning with such technological advancements? What is it that is keeping this minor, yet iNteresting "iSsue" silent among users?

Prepare Yourself For The Future
Whenever I was given a "hard" test in elementary school, I was told "We're preparing you for middle school." In middle school it wasn't any different. "We're preparing you for high school." And now in high school, anytime I have a research paper, I'm told "We're just preparing you for college." Preparation is good, but only to a certain extent. It quickly can become a worry that if students are not taught this now, they'll fail next year, rather than something new and interesting to learn. Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Why don't many teachers let students be in the grade they are and work at their level, living in the moment, rather than constantly looking to prepare for the future? And furthermore, why do we as a society constantly live towards moments, rather than in them? Four-year-olds can't wait to be five, elementary schoolers wish to be in high school, high school seniors just want to leave, college graduates are waiting till the day they get offered that one dream job...Is this something that is simply part of being human, or is this a bad habit that we continue to teach the younger generations through our actions?

Watch Out, You Might Get Mugged

Tea in a teacup, coffee in a mug, wine in a wineglass, pop (or "soda" to make this West Coast Appropriate) in a glass—certain drinks have been given specific cups to use when drinking them. But why has this rule been established by us? Why isn't it acceptable for me to drink my lemonade in a beautiful teacup, or my coffee in a wineglass for all to see? And who came up with these norms, for what reason? Do carbonated drinks taste that much better in a tall glass? Strange isn't it? I can already see you becoming glass-y-eyed at the mere thought of having root beer in a shot glass. Wait, why don't we do that actually? It'd limit sugar intake like shot glasses "limit" alcohol intake! Sorry, getting a cup-le of steps ahead of myself here. Cheers!

Observations Pt. V

Twin Thursday
The day to designated to dress up to look exactly like your friend is a day of hilarious duos. And trios. And quads. And quintets. And numbers of people for which I have no idea what it'd be called. And that is a bit strange. Why do we assume it to be acceptable to dress up exactly the same as more than one other person on twin day? It isn't quadruplet+ day! Yet for some reason, when we hear "twin" we automatically deem it completely normal to exceed the limit it presents. Why is that a "rule" that many do not follow?

School Spirit
The concept of school spirit is a thing unknown in much of the world, yet is almost hard to imagine for many of us. Isn't the goal of all teachers and leaders at school to get us excited to support our school, its sports teams, mascot, and the community? To wear the school colors on game days, dress up for homecoming, and shout with much excitement at the pep rallies? You come to identify yourself with your school and school is where you spend almost the entire day. At many schools on the other side of the globe though, this idea is strange. A mascot for a school? School colors? Pep rallies? Cheering for your class? Dressing up silly for a week to get "points"? Why? What is the purpose of that? When would there even be time made for something of the sort?

Wall Hangings

As great as it is to be able to plaster your bedroom walls with posters and pictures and quotes, it is really quite strange. Why do we put things on our walls, not on our floors, ceilings, or any other part of the room? Who came up with such an idea? Why would we want to see the very same thing every time we enter a room? Ranging from a thin piece of paper to a thick wooden frame to an artsy bicycle seat, there is not much that isn't considered for a wall hanging somewhere in the world. Does this say something about us humans?