14TH OF JANUARY 1993

Today, I am officially 18 years old..

Welcome to teenage life..

I am no more a kid.. no more 17 years of age..

I must stand on my own feet now..

a teenage is the one who can think properly, thinks about future, can make a wise decision, and enjoy life but must know all the limitations..

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

I wish myself a good health to me and my family and more wealth..

and Lord, please help me pass my studies.. pour me with all the blessings. shower me with all your love and share me all your knowledges so I can learn from you..

LEGAL OR NOT??

"is it legal to take someone's life?"

-I say no...

Many woman feel trap once they find out they are pregnant with an unplanned pregnancy, these woman become overwhelm with feelings of terror and hopeless choosing the a quick unmoral decision: Abortion.

Many countries have their abortion’s laws based on scientific and biblical perspectives.For example Belgium find abortion to be legal for many reasons: the mother’s life is being threaten by the fetus, fetus has a medical problem or generic defects, to maintain the mother’s physical and mental health, rape, and even popular demand.  The government of Belgium find these fact to be sufficient to make abortion legal.

In the other side of the world, El Salvador’s law does not find these facts to be justifiable to terminate a child’life. In addition, El Salvador has always had a strong Roman Catholic identity, which influences the government’s desicions. Salvadorian have a biblical perspective: Roman catholics maintain that abortion denies the most fundamental of all human rights “the right to exit.” In addition Salvadorian Government quotes “from this moment of his/her existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person, among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.”

Many countries may find different facts justifiable to abort, whichever is in order to safe a life or just for the mother’s quick fix convenience. At the end it’s up to each individual to accept what is right or wrong no matter if it’s based on a scientific and biblical perspectives, and if we do choose abortion as righteous, the individual must be responsible with the consequence.

TEENS AND DRUGS

First of all, what is a drug?

A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic and non therapeutic effect on the body.

Today, they are more than 40 million users and dealers of illegal drugs in the world out of which over 35% are just teenagers. It’s a sad reality that the teenage stage of one’s life in which one experiences a variety of changes can be used to experience the wrong things at the wrong point in time. The usage of drugs by teens can be of varying reasons; the most common of them all is peer pressure. Kids are often threatened if their friends are using drugs and in order to “fit in” the also follow suit. Teens often don’t see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. Another reason may be due to the fact of being brought up in a drug filled home; children are exposed to many harmful ideas at such a young age. Often parents who work for long hours and have very less time for parenting often miss out giving sound advice to their children on certain issues, as a result, devoid of attention and love from their families, teens often seek refuge at certain things and places that would make them feel accepted and loved. They of become gangsters or even drug dealers themselves, poor parents working and slaving away for their kids will have no idea about the whereabouts of their kids. Teens also may use drugs to reduce stress, to feel grown up or just out of curiosity. The number of teen smokers and alcohol users has escalated at an alarming rate, and teens who smoke and drink at a young age are more likely to become drug users in future.

Teens at risk of developing drug habits in future include those who are often depressed, those with low self esteem, those who feel like they don’t belong and those with a family history of drugs. 

         Teens use a variety of drugs both legal and illegal, ranging from tobacco to ecstasy. Tobacco has been in practice among teens all over the world. Kids start the habit of smoking at a pathetic age of 14 or less and the age is decreasing at an alarming rate. Teens often come across such drugs at parties and such teen hang-out places, where there would be no adult supervision. Cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other club drugs such as raves and trances has all been abused by teens not the mention, alcohols and booze such as beer or vodka. 

Drugs are often taken because of their immediate effect, alcohols give immediate relaxation and a slight anesthetic effect and slowly the person loses control of himself. Marijuana a strong drug smoked in pipe or rolled in a cigarette gives a buzzing feeling of light headedness, these drugs makes one forget their problems and often makes one feel high and on top of the world. Marijuana is dangerous as it leads one to try harder drugs in future; it depletes motivation and ambition in the user. Drinking is a teen’s fatal attraction; it leads to drunken state of mind and violent behaviors such as homicide, suicide and crimes. Drug use is a plague to society and must be stopped. We should attack the demand and supply. We should stop the circulation and extreme punishment must be meted out mercilessly to those who choose to defy the law.

"say NO to drugs, because drugs will drag you down.."

JUST A SIMPLE THOUGHT

"If I'm such a legend, then why am I so lonely? Let me tell you, legends are all very well if you've got somebody around who loves you." - JUDY GARLAND

So have you ever felt this feeling? I’m not quite sure what it's called. where you think you don't quite fit in. you're not "with the program." the black sheep, the ugly duckling, the one in the back of the math class going... hurrr when everyone else seems to be mastering how to antidiferentiate from dy/dxodifjoeijasd to the millionth power of the integral BODSF. Walking down the halls everyone seems to be busy, everyone seems to have some urgency get to somewhere else, another class, with other students, they can't wait to arrive somewhere. They’re traveling to a place far far away, from you. They’re walking urgently in the opposite direction and you watch from a distance. Can you be totally surrounded by 20 friends, let's say, in a hypothetical situation, but feel utterly and completely alone. Without friends. But no, you say, you have friends. Look at everyone around you, talking, socializing, and looking right into your face. You have a conversation with someone and you see their mouth moving, their expressions, their smiles, their frowns. But you block out the whole world. You see everything, but hear nothing. Have you ever felt like you've frozen the picture? You’re outside, looking inside the window of reality. No one’s there to open your door of happiness for you to let you in. inside, you are expressionless. You feel blank sometimes and it scares you. There’s something missing but you can't figure out what. And it gets harder and harder every day. You find it easier to express nothing. It’s more difficult to wake up, more difficult to open your eyes. And some days, you find it harder and harder to put on a smile. The places you use to go and people you use to know, they've changed, situations change, life is changing. The thing I’ve realized now is that time is the one thing you can't beat. No matter how much you try, time wins in the end. But with time, there is no end. So does it really win?

Vulnerability is the one thing you try to run away from. You hate rushing into things, especially afraid to try new things because you fear becoming exposed. The one thing people fear the most is this closeness, this showing someone else a side of you that you don't want them to see. Giving them a chance to affect your life, power in the hands of another, there's a sense of trust yet a fear of heartbreak. You hide things from the world so it can't hurt you.

INTERNET IN HIGH SCHOOL

The social impact of the Internet in high school students

The Internet has become a great benefit for our society, but it would be neglectful to dismiss its two-pronged effect on the world population. On the one hand the Internet is very positive in the sense that it keeps the world informed and updated, but on the other hand it has evolved into a very harmful and detrimental entertainment for adolescents who spend many hours in front of a computer in cyber cafes or at their own homes.

Socially speaking, the Internet has created a destructive addiction, especially in adolescents. In Argentina, the use of Internet is not regulated. Anyone can invest money and set up a cyber café. Adolescents take advantage of this fact to surf the net with no restrictions. They surf pornographic pages and chat with people they do not even know and who will probably never meet in the real world in the famous chat rooms. They also use Internet to play games on line which are highly addictive and violent.

Many adolescents at high school suffer from Internet Addiction. This addiction is conceived of as a compulsive behavior, or craving for connectedness. Computer use is increasingly becoming integrated into daily life, and so both the temptations and opportunities for "addiction" seem to continue increasing especially in adolescents who are undergoing family or personality problems or just find in the Internet the companion they do not have in their lives. Are all teens susceptible to this danger? No. Some will always be casual users; some may just go through phases of intense internet use. The ones who do fall prey to the net most likely are experiencing problems in their real lives. Cyberspace becomes an escape, a place to vent, a place to act out or even cry out for help.

Academic performance at school is another aspect to consider when dealing with adolescents who are addicted to the Internet. They definitely do not go to school. They leave home to go to school but they never get there. They lie to their parents and stay in cyber cafés which are near schools. Consequently, they fail their exams and most of the times are not able to finish their studies because they exceed the number of absences accepted by high school regulations.

Internet addicted adolescents escape from reality and they lose contact with many aspects of real life. There is a withdrawal from friends and they show a declining interest in hobbies or sports. Online friends and on line games take the place of the "real" world. They also show little interest in their personal aspect. They display a decline in their appearance or hygiene.

Internet addiction can cause a long – lasting damage to adolescents who are caught in the Net. An old theory about adolescence proclaimed that it is a period of "storm and stress." The pressures of school, family and friends often make adolescents feel pity about their lives. They need to vent it somewhere. It is parents and also teachers’ task to listen to them so as to prevent them from becoming internet addicts.

A TRUE FRIEND

"TRUE FRIEND IS HARD TO FIND, U R LUCKY IF U HAVE ONE"

We all have friends. A lot gets talked about friendships. Everyone wants a true friend, and many of us believe that we have a friend who can be called a true friend. What kind of relations do friends share? When can we call a friend a true friend, and when can our friends take us as their true friend. After a romantic relationship, friendships are the most important relationships we can have. Though all of us have family and distant family, most of us rely on friends for advice, comfort and inspiration. How do we define a relation that can be called as one of true friendship?

The very first sign of a very good friend, not necessarily a true friend is that we are not worried about courtesies. You will call your friend at any hour and talk without any thought of time in your mind. Similarly, whenever you need support, you will call a very good friend and ask him/her to help you out. They expect the same from you. Another important trait of such relations is that we are not much worried about exposing ourselves. We speak about everything in our mind without worrying about what our friends will think. We are sure that they will take our talk in the spirit it was made. We are unguarded and open with friends in our talk.

A true friend is a little more than a very good friend. A true friend will support you even if it hurts his/her own interest. A true friend will understand your motives and needs and will be with you without any analysis or criticism. A true friend will come forward to help without any request and be with us in need without showing it or expecting anything in return. With a true friend, you can be sure that you will get help to the extent possible by him/her. Nothing will remain unturned. A mother is a true friend of her children. If we share such relations with an adult we can say that we are true friends.

A true friend makes no excuses of having work or appointments or anything but will be with you whenever you need him/her. In your hour of desperation, a true friend will support you even if the whole world opposes you. A true friend is not an opportunist. A true friend means to have someone who is like mother, as I said earlier. Instead of having hundreds of good friends, if you have a true friend, treat yourself lucky. If you can also become a true friend of someone, you will be blessed, because it is much easier for all of us to expect but very difficult to give. Be a true friend yourself first.

HAPPY READING =)

A GOOD TEACHER

Teachers have the very important responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable children. With this responsibility comes great pride and joy. Therefore all teachers should strive for what can be considered to be a “good teacher.” A good teacher can be defined as someone who always pushes students to want to do their best while at the same time trying to make learning interesting as well as creative. A positive or negative influence from a teacher early on in life can have a great effect on the life of a child. Teachers, especially at the elementary level, must be very creative with their teaching styles. Not every child learns the same way, nor are they interested in the same things. It is difficult to keep the attention of 15-20 children under the age of ten. Classroom setup and design is a good way to get and keep the attention of students. Workstations are a good way to encourage different types of learning. By allowing children a chance to choose which activities they want to participate in, children are taking control of their own education. At the elementary level, children are always learning and sometimes don’t even know it. When I was in kindergarten, I can remember playing at the different stations in the classroom. One station was for gardening and we could plant seeds and check them every day to see how much they had grown. Another station in that classroom that sticks out in my mind is the arts and crafts station. There was a large array of crayons, markers, scissors, construction paper and building materials we could use to make pretty decorations to give to our parents for our homes. By choosing which station we wanted to work at, we were becoming much more interested in what we were learning because we were doing what we wanted to do, not what we had to do. By setting high standards for a student, the teacher is encouraging the student to do the same and will eventually develop high expectations for him or herself. A teacher who is constantly looking for the best possible work from the child will force the child to try his or her hardest in order to please the teacher. Going along with this idea is the whole idea of the teacher being interested in the subject matter. If the students know that the subject they are studying is something that greatly interests the teacher, they will be motivated to try their hardest in order to please the teacher. My 3rd year high school science teacher is the best example of this type of teacher. I was only in her class for about a month or so but it was probably the most interested I have ever been in Science in my entire life. Whenever she would present ideas about prehistoric man, her eyes would light up and she would get so excited and I would be forced to listen to whatever she had to say. Everyone had told me that she was a hard teacher but I just never saw it that way. She had “done her homework” so-to-speak and was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. When it came time to write a paper on my particular part of the evolution of man, I found myself trying harder than I ever had. I consider her to be a good teacher because even if she did not care too much about what she was teaching, she presented it in a way that made it seem like it was her life. This helped me to want to learn because I wanted to make her know that she really made me understand the subject that she had taught. Teachers must be open to many different types of people, ideas and cultures. They also must always try to respect the views of everyone. Children from lots of different backgrounds are going to be together in one classroom. The teacher must learn to incorporate everyone’s beliefs into the daily curriculum. All students must be aware of the differences in the world around them. The time in which it is most difficult to handle the differences in cultures is the holiday season. Christian children who celebrate Christmas are always extremely excited for Santa to come to their houses and for all the presents they are going to receive. Teachers are not allowed to celebrate Christmas or any other religious holidays in the classroom without mentioning all of the traditions of the different cultures. It would take far too much time to do an activity that pertains to every religion. Looking back on my days in elementary school, I can think of all of the things I did in school around Christmas time. Almost every year, as a writing assignment, we wrote a letter to Santa Claus telling him what we were hoping to get on Christmas morning. We made Christmas trees out of egg cartons and ornaments out of construction paper. The teachers were always very sensitive to people who didn’t celebrate this holiday. While trying to be sensitive to the beliefs of children and their parents, teachers also must try not to go overboard in covering the traditions of every religion. A teacher who instills a bad learning experience in a child could scar him or her for life. Teachers have a lot of responsibility and need to make sure that they make learning a positive experience for all. By being sensitive to the needs of everyone and presenting different ways of doing things, it can be possible for everyone to have an equal opportunity to do their best.

ONE LAST THING TO REMEMBER:

"there is no such good doctors, pilots, engineers, architects, etc. if there is no GOOD TEACHER"

THANK YOU TEACHERS!!