Minorities Becoming Major-Minorities in U.S.

  In the article " The New Face Of America" by Veronica Majerol she shows us how the minority ethnicity's are now becoming major-minorities due to more childbirths of different ethnicity's. The article states that " Minor populations now outnumber whites in 348 of the more than 3,000 countries."
  The article includes quotes from kids themselves who are of all different ethnicity's.  She also uses graphs and surveys to illustrate her point. One quote that stood out to me was "People our age don't care where you're from" from Moises Morales who moved to the U.S from Mexico. this quote stood out to me because it is a true statement. Younger generations these days don't care what race you are. The thing is if your cool your cool. We don't define who you are because of your race or skin color. Why can't other people think the same?
  I think that the minority races becoming major-minority will make the U.S better because we will then really be a multi-cultural nation. By doing this we can have more diverse people of all ages and cultures to befriend and not just have one culture dominating.many people in the nation may not even be aware that there are so many other cultures.
  This article makes me wonder just how many type of ethnicity's are out there. There could be a whole lot that I do not know about. I have heard that there are festivals that are for the many ethnicity's out there and maybe I could try going to one and find out more about a culture.

Questions Concerning Syria War

  In the article "Civil War in Syria Raises Questions About When to Intervene" by Ja'anai Delaney who works for NewsHour Extra, talks about the war going on in Syria and how the U.S. is trying to find ways to help the people there who are suffering. In the article it states that " The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that over 200,000 people have fled their homes" This shows that the war in Syria is really serious that people have had to leave to get away from all the troubles going on there.
  This article is in the first person so the quotes are from the author themselves. Though they do site their data from other sources such as surveys. One quote that stood out to me was "While some members of the government continue to support the regime, others, including many higher-ups, defected in protest of the violence." This shows that the people who don't support the regime aren't really looking out for the people if they started a whole war against them.
  I think that this war, any war, is foolish and uncalled for and that there needs to be more being done by the U.S to stop this war as soon as possible. I understand that they are waiting for more information and the right time but we need to take action before it gets even worse. If things get worse things could end up badly for the U.S especially if we have a alliance with Syria and then they will attack us since we did not help sooner.
  This article makes me wonder if all the wars that have gone on and are going on in the world are even necessary. They surely don't help in the end since all of the town is in ruins. Why have a war when in the end you have to pay for the damages and it doesn't even really work out in the end. They may have peace treaties but they are only as good as promises. Promises can very easily, be broken. I hope when someone has a war and then they notice the non-benefits of having it then they will stand up and speak out on wars and why they are not necessary.  

Child Depression and Anxiety due to No Play-Time

  In the article "All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed" Esther Entin explores a professors five main causes and effects of children having no free play-time to themselves. In the article the professor says that "Since about 1955... children's free play has been continually declining, at least partly because adults have exerted ever-increasing control over children's activities."
  This article includes quotes from professors and the author themselves. Entin also cites data from surveys and researchers. One fact that stood out to me was "As children negotiate both their physical and social environments through play, they can gain a sense of mastery over their world." This was a statement that stood out to me because it could be true due to it saying that basically if the child gets to play and gets to control their emotions and the environment that they do better and can master their world on to a new level. This shows that play time to children can be really beneficial to them.
  I think that play time to children while they are still young and developing is really important because they get to experience self-independence and get to be in their own world with their own rules. Many parents may not know that their children need play time to develop because they are so focused on the future and aren't focused on the present.
  This article made me think that parents can sometimes be quite oblivious to what their children really need and want in their life. Children don't want someone who plans every second of what they're going to do everyday. Parents do have some control over what their children do but that some can turn into always. The parents should be the one to give the child that free that they need in their life since for most of their life they are going to be in school. I wish parents could see and take action on what their children need to fully develop in their young lives.                          

Superintendent Chosen School Closings Announced

  In the article "Philadelphia superintendent identifies schools he intends to close" by Kristen A. Graham, she examines the issue of school closings and what good and bad things will come out of it as a result. She also interviews the Philadelphia school district superintendent herself and gets quotes from other interviews as well. In total, Four middle, 11 high, and 22 elementary schools are closing in the city in almost every neighborhood. That means that there will only be 200 schools remaining in the city of Philadelphia.
  The article includes quotes from the superintendent and deputy superintendent, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and The Mayor. One quote that stood out to me was when the districts superintendent said "These data are simply unacceptable" when the article stated " The district is struggling academically, with the vast majority of schools failing to meet state standards. Eighty-two percent missed the mark on either math or reading goals, and 68 percent failed in both." The statement he made is shocking. The test scores are low but he made it seem that the whole world revolves around test scores with the statement.
  I think the school closing and the combining of schools could make things harder on the students. They have already adjusted to the school they were in and now they have to get used to another one due to schools closing and combining. Students now have to adjust to a whole different school, curriculum, and the other students along with them.
  This article makes me think that most people in the school district only pay attention to the test scores and that's what holds are overall grade for the year. I'm a student and even some of my teachers I've had and have, have said it themselves that our grade is also rounded up with the state tests and counts for most of our grade. I see it as true since each year we have so many tests do in any grade your in. I wish that we wouldn't have to take so many tests and that they weren't the most important thing in our school lives.