English Blog Post #2

College Student With Elementary Reading Levels. 

Sara Ganim. Some college athletes play like adults, read like 5th-graders. CNN. CNN, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/ncaa-athletes-reading-scores/index.html?hpt=hp_t1>

                                        

College Football. Photograph. Wikimedia.com. Wikipedia, 23 Oct. 2009. Media. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://goo.gl/Yv5pMH> 

In this article we learn that some college athletes are reading at an elementary school level. Many schools were surveyed and results show that this is in fact true. A survey at UNC- Greensboro shows that about 70% of collegiate athletes read below an eighth grade level. This survey does not speak for all schools, but in many others that were surveyed there is a margin between the academic levels of student-athletes compared to other students who do not participate in sports. It is also said that many of these athletes were given extra help and some did not even participate in their classes but were still given a passing grade. 

This article relates to me because I will go to college one day and it's not fair to me, or anyone else for that matter, if some people are being accepted because of the sports they play. College is a place for learning and sports are a privilege. I realize that sports are for entertainment and that a lot of athletes bring in revenue for colleges but its just not fair if people are being admitted solely based on their ability to play sports. "They're graduating them. UGA is graduating No. 2 in the SEC, so they're able to graduate athletes, but have they learned anything? Are they productive citizens now? That's a thing I worry about. To get a degree is one thing, to be functional with that degree is totally different"(Hawkins). I feel that this quote supports the argument that college is a place for learning, if they aren't learning how are they going to help impact our society positively? 

I think that is unjust for colleges to accept someone who can't handle the educational standards of the university. I also feel that this goes against everything that the educational system stands for. When you go to school you're supposed to learn but some of these athletes can't even read. I feel that this reflects badly not only on the colleges who allow this to happen for their own selfish reasons but also on the previous teachers the student had, the students parents, and the student themselves. If a teacher sees that a high school student, or any student, is struggling this badly with reading or can't even read they should step in and help them academically. If a parent sees this they should try to help them themselves or get a tutor. Lastly, if a student knows that they are having a hard time with academics they should alert someone so that they can get help. If a student can't handle school when it's the only thing that they are focusing on how are they going to handle playing sports and all of the responsibilities that come with them and still do schoolwork?

What is the purpose for using statistics?

I feel that the use of statistics helped to make this article more convincing and also more informative. The use of numbers shows that what they are saying is actually true and makes it more real. When you don't have any data to look at it can be hard to imagine if this is a serious issue. "Many student-athletes scored in the 200s and 300s on the SAT critical reading test -- a threshold that experts told us was an elementary reading level and too low for college classes"(Ganim). This helps me to visualize the incapability of these athletes and to understand that it is very unlikely that they are passing these classes without some type of cheating.

English Current Event #1

Affluenza Defense

Madison Gray. The Affluenza Defense. newsfeed.time. CNN, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
                                         
                                          

Carrearas, Iris. Ethan Couch. Photograph. cbsnews.com. CBSnews. 18 Dec. 2013. Media. 12 Jan. 2014.

In this article we read about a 16 year old boy, Ethan Couch, who was on trial for vehicular manslaughter. Not only did he kill four people but he stole beer from a Walmart and seriously injured two other people in the car with him. Ethan could have gotten up to a possible 20 years in jail but he got no time in jail. The judge, Jean Boyd, felt that he is suffering from Affluenza meaning, in my own words, that he is so rich that his parents paid to get him out of trouble and now he doesn't have to deal with any serious consequences.

In class I am reading a book about a young girl who commits suicide. In this book she sends out tapes to the people who she feels made her come to the decision to end her life. The people who got these tapes were never the same again and though she takes full responsibility for committing suicide the people who got the tapes lives are forever changed. I relate this to this event because I feel that people need to take responsibility for their actions.In both of these cases people lost their lives.

I feel that though he got sentenced to 10 years on probation that still wasn't enough. I understand that he is young but I still feel that he should have done some time in jail. People need to understand that with every action there is a consequence and the fact that he doesn't have to deal with his because he's too rich to tell wrong from right is ridiculous. This event affects me because it allows more dangerous drivers on the road.

The central idea of the article is that as long as you have a ton of money to throw away then you can do whatever you want and get away with it. “She fashioned a sentence that could have him under the thumb of the justice system for the next 10 years,” (Scott Brown). I feel that this quote really reinforces the idea of paying your way out of your problems because as long as he gets a minor consequence then it's overlooked. “Ultimately today, I felt that money did prevail, If [he] had been any other youth, I feel like the circumstances would have been different.” (Eric Boyles). I couldn't agree more with this statement and it just goes to show how corrupt our justice system is. It's not about fairness anymore it's about who can throw out the most money.