Students' Knowledge of Civil Rights History Has Deteriorated, Study Finds

        Look at the title, seems like a total call out for students' lack of comprehension doesn't it? This article caught my attention for two reasons; 1.) I'm a student, and 2.) I specifically remember covering the civil rights movement last year, and being overwhelmed with endless information. I opened the article already upset, I couldn't stop yelling at the screen "What!? My knowledge of  civil rights has not 'deteriorated' in any way, shape, or form! I studied that material for hours last year! I was tested on it! I was quizzed on it! Me and my partners had to do a project centered around that whole movement for crying out loud (and by partners I mean having two people talk and watch you do all the work)....yeah, so I KNOW my stuff about the civil rights!" This defensive rambling continued for some odd minutes, but halfway through the article, and a few deep breaths later, I simmered down. I had to remind myself that the article was not personal, and that the author was not calling out student's of my High School by name. The title was what outraged me, as silly as it seems. I had completely judged the article before I even read it. That being said, I'm happy I reacted the way I did, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have chosen this interesting article. After reading it through with an open (and a little biased) mind, I was shocked by how little the majority of schools in the U.S. focus on Civil Rights, and completely neglect to teach about the movement. If 35 out of 50 states get an F on the assessment of history of Civil Rights, then clearly something is wrong. Interestingly enough, it was actually the southern states that scored higher; in the A, B, and C ranges. This article truly peaked my interest, first with outrage, then with shock. This article made me question where my state stands on its education standards of the Civil Rights.

           In the article "Students' Knowledge of Civil Rights History has Deteriorated, Study Finds" by Sam Dillon. Dillon points out the lack of focus put on the very recent, and important event in history. Dillon believes that students are either misinformed, or not informed at all about the defining decades of the Civil Rights Movement. He has a strong conviction that the students' benightedness is of no fault of their own (for the most part), and that the blame should be placed on the schooling systems that do not require or focus on this topic, "That ignorance by American students of the basic history of the civil rights movement has not changed — in fact, it has worsened, according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center... The report says that states’ academic standards for public schools are one major cause of the problem." Some schools virtually ignore the movement, and its impact on life as we know it. It is shown that states with lower African American populations are the ones failing to teach Civil Rights in depth."The report is by no means the first to sound an alarm about nationwide weaknesses in the teaching of American history." The overall consensus is that there is little to no effort in covering this vital period of history in a majority of American classrooms. And yet, even where there is effort in the classroom, Civil Rights is often (due to the chronological order of U.S. history curriculum) left to the end of the year, giving the teachers little time to teach, and the students little time to learn. The conclusion? The nation should revise and improve the curriculum for U.S. history.
To read Article>>>>Students' Knowledge of Civil Rights History Has Deteriorated, Study Finds

If there was a way to navigate your seas

The Decline of Violence

        Look at today's news headers, watch the tv, have a conversation, and observe and discuss today's society. Wars, disasters, rebellions, genocide, hate crimes....surely we are living in a fallen world. Surely  violence is at an all time high. Surely man's morals have reached an all time low. Surely? EHHHHHH wrong, think again. After reading Leon Neyfahk's article "The Decline of Violence", I feel confident saying that on the matter concerning man's natural incline to violence, insight has truly trumped instinct. With all the talk of wars and death (you know, the news the media just loves to fill us with), it's easy to just assume that today's society is by far the most violent, gruesome, and tragic yet. If you ever believed that, I'm no better; I was in the same boat. This article opened my eyes. Men have not been on the downward slope, men have not regressed on the moral scale, but instead, men have made leaps and bounds in moving towards non-violence and achieving peace. These times are not times of overwhelming violence, but times of surprising peace! Men is surprising by nature; they are capable of such unspeakable acts of violence and hatred, but at the same time can be loving, altruistic, and peaceful. When compared to the men in the times of our ancestors, we are ANGELS! Violence rates (as time goes on) have gone down, and when I say 'down' im not talkin' by decimals and thenths, i'm talkin' full on hundreds! So before you go and say that today's society is more bloodthirsty and morally bankrupt then ever, think about your great-great-great-great grandpa's days, and appreciate the times of "peace" that our previous generations never had the opportunity to witness.
         Leon makes his case with fact after fact of concrete evidence. He reference charts, documents, and beliefs of studied-historians. It's hard to deny something that is supported so thoroughly. He is fascinated that humans have been able to shy away from their naturally violent instincts, and understand that peace is much more effective. "Not only had homicide rates gone down all over the developed world, but so had the amount of war, domestic abuse, rape, slavery, and all kinds of other unspeakable practices. The more Pinker read, the more convinced he became that humans, as a species, had undergone a truly profound transformation." Human dominance and sadism is taking a backseat to self-control and non-violence. Mankind deserves more credit; we've come a long way. The road has been bumpy, and often at times bloody, but we journey on, and make each new day better than the last. To be optimistic; we've overcome so much, and have defied the odds  by choosing to not follow or basic beastly instincts, but instead to spread peace to each new generation.

To read the Article>>  The Decline of Violence

Everything is Beautiful Here

Sometimes, It's Not You.

       I'm sixteen years old, what could I possibly know about love? The extent of my knowledge of other people's pursuits of love can only go as far as the movies and shows I watch, and the books and magazines I read. I am a young girl with little concern for a love of my own, and all the complexities that follow it; I'll leave that for another day. That being said, I AM a girl! I may not know much of love (nor want it at this point in my life), but certainly I am fascinated by the love of others, or in this case, the lack thereof. After reading Sarah Eckle's article "Sometimes, it's not you", I couldn't help but wonder if that was what life and love had in store for me. Was my life destined to be one parallel to that of a pathetic bacholorette in a 'chick flick'? Would I be lonely and single, and assume that my ill encounters with love were of my own fault? Hell to the No! No way would I ever need fulfillment from a man or a relationship. If no man wants me, then fine! I'll be perfectly content to be on my own. It's tragic how many women(after "he doesn't call") assume that there is something wrong with them. The fault is not with the woman herself (well, in most cases), they just haven't met the Mr. Right! Love by very definition is complex and imperfect, but it's also about transcending all of these things. When you find a man that's truly worth loving, he will know you (and love you) for who YOU are! He'll see the good and the bad and want more and more. He'll see you. He'll see all these things and want you for perfection and imperfection, for better or for worse, and all that jazz. This article made me want to scream at today's women and say "LADY GET A GRIP! Stop whining about how love will never find you, and stop trying to fix yourself. Stop being the pathetic cliche single woman that everyone is already expecting you to be!" Love is worth the wait. Today's women don't need to fix themselves, they need to discover patience.

      
        Eckel tells the reader of her long struggle with love, and how its failures can lead to a crushing loneliness. "It wasn’t full-blown self-loathing, more a hollowness that hit me in the chest at certain times." The reader can relate to Eckel's loneliness, and her embarrassment for longing love. Eckel proposes that many women, when faced with the failure of yet another relationship, automatically think that they themselves are the problem. "Like single women everywhere, I had bought into the idea that the problem must be me, that there was some essential flaw — arrogance, low self-esteem, fear of commitment — that needed to be fixed. I needed to be fixed." She then goes to say that women can try to fix themselves, going to great lengths to make them more appealing to the opposite gender, but the solution cannot come from any self help book, relationship guru, makeover, or expensive therapist. The solution is just simply patience. Love will come along, and suddenly all of your past misfortunes will make sense. "What’s wrong with me? Plenty. But that was never the point." Stop trying to fix yourself, and wait for the one who sees your highs and lows, your faults, your negative qualities, and loves you anyway. Love is worth waiting for, so stop having a pity party and be patient for once!

To read the Article>>Sometimes, It's Not You.