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In Australia, there was recently a study done to prove that homework can be just the opposite of beneficial for students. Educational psychologist Richard Walker at Sydney University claims some data shows that in countries with more homework score lower on the PISA, a certain kind of standardized testing. In my opinion, if more homework can lower students’ test grades, it is unnecessary.
If you google, “Is homework necessary?” You will most likely find a large amount of results with a ‘no’ point of view. This is because not many students enjoy homework, and a lot of parents dislike it as well. If you go to debate.org and go to the debate “Is homework necessary?”, you’ll find that 73% of people say no, while only 27% of people say yes. That’s less than a third of people surveyed who think that homework is necessary. So why is it being given out? Many teachers argue that there isn’t enough class time, which is a valid point. However, from experience, sometimes teachers talk a little too much, leaving little time for classwork. The unfinished work could be finished if teachers spent less time explaining. I have noticed that in our districts and many other districts, the homework load starts to get bigger when you get older. Many older students will find themselves with hours of homework, and very little time to do it. About 79% of America’s middle and high school students have extracurricular activities after school, leaving them only a small amount of time to do their homework. The homework will become rushed and stressful, and that is most likely going to result in much less than satisfactory grades. Is homework okay? A little homework to practice skills is fine, but the older you get, you become even more overloaded with homework. And if homework is not completed, you can get really bad grades. And the older you are, the more your grades will matter for college so you can get a good career. I, believe that homework is mostly unnecessary and an added and unneeded stress for students. sFrom outgoing Student Council President, Greta Luf: Recently, the Student Council took the reins for the semi-formal dance. We decorated and scheduled the dance with the help of Mrs. Arnold and Mr. Koldys. Special thanks to Mrs. Pegorari, Ms. Boland, Mr. O'Dell, Ms.Gillis, Mrs.Ramsay, Mr. Erickson, Mrs. Rueger, Ms. Bilodeau, Mrs.Kinne, and Mrs. Cormier for coming in to help too. Thanks to Mrs. Malone Smith for taking awesome pictures, posted below. There were about 150 -200 attendees, and everyone had fun. My advice to Student Council for next year: Plan ahead, don't try to do things things without a good plan, and good luck to all of the current Student Council members. I hope you all run again next year because you all did a great job. (Greta is off to Spain for the 8th grade Spanish trip so this will be her last GHG update.) Monarch butterflies are magnificent creatures. They start out as tiny eggs, hatching into bold yellow, black, and white caterpillars. They move into their chrysalis phase, a time when they are wrapped up tightly in a cocoon. While inside, they undergo a shocking transformation – they go from fat, grubby caterpillars to delicate, beautiful butterflies. Monarchs generally live from four to five weeks. But in the summer, a special generation is born. They will survive for months. They need to live a long time because they will be making a special journey. They will be traveling a long, long way. Where are they going? The monarchs are heading to the forests of Mexico. Monarch butterflies need to go there to escape cold winter conditions in the United States and Canada. There, so many of them will crowd onto trees, branches will bend. Their journey is a long one, at almost 2,800 miles. That’s the longest known migration of any insect! Unfortunately, monarch butterflies are threatened. The forests they go to in Mexico are being cut down. There is less protection from harsh weather when there are fewer trees. Also, pesticides are very harmful. Milkweed is the only plant monarchs will lay their eggs on, and the only plant caterpillars will eat, but pesticides are causing it to majorly decrease. Climate change, or global warming, is a big threat to monarchs as well. Changing weather and different patterns of precipitation can be harmful to monarchs. Droughts can lead to less food for caterpillars, who would normally grow into monarchs. Monarch butterflies aren’t as threatened as sea turtles or elephants, but someday, they could become extinct. This is a bad thing for not only monarchs but also for our world because monarchs do so much for us. Monarchs are important because they pollinate plants, just like bees do. This means that while collecting nectar to drink, they help plants reproduce. Not as many monarchs equal not as many beautiful flowers. But it also means something very serious for us humans – it means not as much food. So how should you help monarchs? One way is to plant milkweed in your backyard. Make sure to research what type of milkweed is local to where you live. Another way is to never use pesticides. If you have a garden, stop using weed killers or insecticides. Buy organic food. Plant an organic garden that monarchs can collect nectar from. Learn all about monarch butterflies, and spread the word about what you learned and how to help them. Together, we can save monarch butterflies.   |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from mastermaq
