Suggestions Anyone?

I’ve noticed I have been struggling to come up with topics outside of my usual thoughts lately. Does anyone have any good ideas for a blog post, or any controversial topics that I could take a side on and explain? Thanks!

P.s. Am I the only one having this problem?

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My Second Teary-Eyed Post about How Much Growing Up Sucks

A while back, my parents were seriously considering moving into a new house. It’s no secret that I have a fear of change but something about the thought of moving made me want to crawl up into a ball and cry. It wasn’t until today that I figured out why I have such a fear of leaving; this house has all of my memories. I have lived in the same house for 13 years and I feel like my whole childhood is here.

Childhood is something we try desperately to hang on to, but can never get back. Santa won’t become any more real, no matter how many times we watch the Polar Express and we can try really hard but it is impossible to feel as innocent as we did at the age of six. For me, it is an everyday battle between childhood and adulthood. I feel like every ten seconds something else is being shoved in my face that says “You’re an adult now.” But all I want is to be a kid again. Is that so wrong? 

For one day I would love to get my jammies on and sit in my daddy’s lap while we watch “The Wizard of Oz” and have his shoulder to lean in to when the wicked witch comes on the screen. Unfortunately, I can’t, I’ve grown out of that stage of my life and am being shoved into adulthood as every day goes by. While I’m sitting here crying as I write this, the song ‘Never Grow Up’ by Taylor Swift is stuck in my head “Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up. Just stay this little. Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple.” I wish it were that easy “never grow up” and BAM back to tricycles and nap time, but it’s not and we’re growing up whether we like it or not.

Because I’m not Peter Pan, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have to grow up but that childhood doesn’t have to leave forever and maybe if we wish on enough shooting stars we can find that magic that we once knew. Until then we need to try to find the joy in the things that we used to find amazing and wonderful, it may not be exactly the same but the photo albums, and Disney classics will always possess the magic that we once knew no matter what, we just have to look for it.

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Think Before you Speak, People!

Today as my mom and I were walking through houses for the annual “Parade of Homes” we couldn’t help but overhear two ladies talking about how awful a closet looked because it didn’t have lights in it. Oddly enough, when my mom and I got back in the car we had the same question; what entitled them to criticize someone else’s work? These days it seems that people think that they can say whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want. I’m not sure why people have become this way but it seems like there is a lack of common sense, do people really not know what it impolite or inappropriate?

I’ve noticed the unnecessary comments from high schoolers especially. Don’t get me wrong I understand that teenager’s frontal lobes aren’t exactly developed and sometimes we say things impulsively, but some of the things I hear are totally uncalled for. For example, the other day I heard a girl in my class talking about another girl’s outfit. I believe her quote was something along the lines of “She looks like she is wearing an Amish swimsuit!” First of all, what the hell is an Amish swimsuit? Second of all, did that need to be said? Third of all, what made the girl entitled to say that? I find it ridiculous that the girl thought it was okay to be that rude. I happen to know that the particular girl whose outfit she was criticizing likes to make her own clothes and even made that particular dress. If I worked that hard on something the last thing I would want to hear is someone telling me how bad to it looks, especially if they are just another high school girl.

This blog is a little all over the place but what I’m trying to get at is that we have gotten so that we feel this sense of entitlement, like we can say whatever we feel. However, I think that what people fail to realize is that making comments that critique someone else, when they don’t want to be critiqued, can really hurt or offend that person. Just remember to think before you speak!

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Too much commitment in High School sports, Part 2

I previously blogged about too much commitment in high school sports and I felt the need to add onto that. Recently, I have noticed the commitment becoming even more overwhelming, to the point where I have considered quitting.

This previous week I was trying to finish a last minute story for our upcoming issue of the school’s newsmagazine.  On top of all of that I was sick, with a 101 degree fever. I knew that there would be no way for me to make it into practice that night, so I dragged my butt down to the pool deck to tell my coach. My coach was not thrilled, to say the least, but how is that fair? Should I feel guilty for being sick and having school work? That is sad for me to think that I am getting looked at negatively for missing one practice due to illness. It doesn’t quite seem fair.

Another thing that really bothers me about the commitment to high school sports is the lack of family time. My mom returned from a two-week vacation to Europe not too long ago, but I feel like I haven’t seen her at all. By the time I get home from swim practice then finish my homework, it is typically 9:30 at night, at the earliest. My mom goes to bed early so I don’t get to sit down and talk with her or even ask for homework help. It makes me sad. I want to have family time but everyone else’s lives don’t stop because I’m in swim season.

The final thing that REALLY gets to me about being in high school sports is not being able to be home. This may sound stupid but I get extremely homesick when I’m in swim season. I often find myself in class or in practice dreaming about going home; not because school is awful or practices are hard (but they are) but because I just miss going home. Home is where my family is. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gotten to take my dogs for a walk or take a study break to talk with my parents. For me, those are the things that get me through the day and I feel like swim team takes that away from me.

So once again, I think that we are dedicating too much time to high school sports, and for what? A letter that gets stored in a box after graduation and gets pulled out 20 years from now. Is it worth it? I often find myself wondering if it is.

The Hallway Epidemic

Lately, there seems to be an epidemic going around school, rude hallway goers. I’ve noticed four specific types of rude hall walkers; “the stoppers”, “the shovers”, “the texters” and my personal favorite the “I’m too cool to walk any faster” people.

Let’s start with the stoppers. These people can be classified as people who chose to stop walking right in the middle of the hallway or foyer. I have observed various reasons for stopping in the middle of the hall such as talking with friends, trying to get something out of a backpack or waiting for a significant other. Let’s analyze one of these situations: you just heard that Johnny is going to ask Kathy to homecoming and you REALLY need to tell Beth because she likes Johnny. When you see Beth in the hall do you either,

 A. scream the information across the hall to her

B. tell her you need to speak to her later

C. Pull her out to the side of the hall to break the news

D. Do a dead stop in the middle of the hall and break the news to her as the two of you stand there

If you picked B or C, you have the right idea, congratulations! “The stoppers” on the other hand, would have picked D, the incorrect answer. If there is something that needs to be said, there is a better place to discuss that information in middle of the hallway during passing time. We are only given five minutes and to some people, such as myself, those five minutes are crucial and actually used to pass between classes in an adequate amount of time.

The next hallway nuisances that I have observed are the shovers. These people can be categorized as people who are so impatient that they decide they have authority over everyone and push innocent walkers out of the way to get to their destination. I have to admit, even I am guilty of this sometimes, but only if I see “stoppers” (see above) and I have no other option. The REAL shovers, however, are the people that are in a line of people walking at a slow, but normal hallway pace, and then proceed to grab backpacks, shoulders, arms, etc. and push them across the hall so as to make their own path. These people not only annoy the person that is being shoved, but also the people who are having others shoved onto them.  This causes unnatural hallway flow, and sometimes even some bruises.

“Omg, did u see what Cindy is wearing? She looks like a total dirty.” You all are smart people, is that text what you would consider urgent? I wouldn’t! There is no need for texting in the middle of the hallway. I don’t care if you think it doesn’t make a difference if you are texting or not, I guarantee that by texting, you are making yourself and every single unfortunate person walk slower. Maneuvering the halls is like operating a car, texting and walking not only causes slowing, but collisions and many times swerving. It’s dangerous, people! Don’t text and walk!

Last but certainly not least, my favorite of the hallway annoyances are the glaciers who think that they are way too cool to walk any faster. There are many characteristics that qualify a “too-good-for-you snail”, as I like to call them. They can typically be identified as an extremely slow walker who flashes you a dirty look when you try to pass, or chooses to be extremely rude and not acknowledge the fact that someone is trying to pass them in the first place. These people are easily identifiable; they are often listening to headphones, many times they have a swing to absurdly slow walk, and almost always travel in packs. Beware!

The goal of passing time is to get from point A to point B, don’t let yourself become one of these people! If reading this has made you identify yourself as a rude hallway walker, there is always time to change!

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Weekend made better

No one likes the thought of the weekend being over, and monday rolling around. However, I am convinced that I have "Super Sunday Struggle." Every Sunday night I find myself trying to squeeze in all of the things that I wanted to, but didn't accomplished over the weekend; such as, doing my laundary, finsihing homework, cleaning out my car, catching up on "Gossip Girl", and baking. All of these things were done between the hours of 7 and 11 p.m. tonight. I always feel like I need to get one more day to finish everything.

 Because this happens to me almost every week, I just now decided that I am going to list some tips for myself (and for others too!) of how to have a more productive weekend!

1. Make a list! I know personally, when I can see everything that I need or want to do, I am more likely to buckle down and get it done sooner. I'm convinced that just crossing something off a list makes you feel as if a weight has been lifted off of your shoulder.

2. Wake up earlier! Trust me, this is the last thing I want to do on a weekend, but the earlier you get up, the more time there is to do other activites (and you can go out for breakfast, which is always a plus!)

3. Don't save everything for the weekend! I am extremely guilty of this one, but just because something is due on Monday doesn't mean it needs to be saved for the weekend. Get all of the boring stuff done before the weekend rolls around, then when it does come Saturday morning, there are more exciting things to do than a page of math problems.

4. Plan! If I can't find something to do on a Saturday, I either find myself in front of the T.V. or spending all of my money on clothes I don't need, and neither of those are good. So make a plan! Find a hiking trail or even an arts festival to go to; anything that gets you out of the house and embracing your weekend.

5. Embrace whatever plans you already have. Signed up to spend your whole day babysitting? Great! embrace that! Take the kids on a walk, go to a movie, anything unique and fun, as long as the parents approve!

I'm hoping that because I made this list, I will actually follow my own advice and do something with my weekend next week, and not get stuck with my sunday night struggle!

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Scholarship Discrimination

Paying for college hadn’t crossed my mind until recently when my parents were talking about how I should start looking for scholarships. When I started my research, I began to realize something; if you are a middle-class, white person, without a debilitating illness, you’re screwed.
Back in early March, a scholarship program was created for illegal immigrants in New York. A similar program was created in California last year. Although many states have not yet created legislation to create these, there are many donors who contribute to the creation of private scholarships for illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants are just one group of people that have had special scholarships created for them. These days there are scholarships for men taller than 6’ 2”, duck callers, people who are left-handed, people who have a last name similar to “Van Valkenburg”, and people who can supposedly predict the future. None of these scholarships have a minimum GPA and provide up to $10,000 to go toward college.

The hardest part of getting to your “dream school” used to be all about admissions and applying. Now, more and more, I’m seeing many refrain from even applying to their school because of costs. For example, my dream school would cost me $61,000 a year, so I completely ruled that school out. How is that fair?

In February 1899 poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling wrote “The White Man’s Burden.” Kipling thought that the White Man’s Burden was that they had to colonize foreign lands and provide for those less fortunate countries that they conquered. Now it seems that the white man’s burden is being too “ordinary”. I fully support scholarship programs that choose their recipients based on something that has to do with their schooling. However, choosing a recipient based on the color of their skin seems to be almost unfair and racist.

Civil Rights used to be about equality for all, but there are problems like this that make me question if we have moved forward, or backwards. In all of our history books we are taught how the fight for equality was a struggle. I feel like even today we are losing that struggle. A white person cannot meet with another group of all white people without someone making a joke that they are racist, there are special clubs dedicated to being anything but white, and money is given to those wanting to go to college who are, once again, not white.  

Back in 2011, a CNN article was published in which Charles Gallagher, a sociologist at La Salle University in Pennsylvania was quoted as saying "We went from being a privileged group to all of a sudden becoming whites, the new victims.” I couldn’t agree more. In Texas, a group was formed that provides scholarships to needy white men, because there aren’t any available for them. 

If everyone is truly striving for equality among races, why are we still focused on what race everyone is? On ballots, standardized tests, and of course scholarship applications, it is asked that you fill in which race you are. Why does that even matter? The purpose of ballots should be to pick a winner, not to see which ethnic group voted for each candidate. Standardized tests should be used to track progress of an individual, not to compare how people from different races perform on a test. Finally, is there a greater likelihood that someone will get a scholarship for marking a minority on their application? I would hope not.

My purpose of this article is not to promote scholarships for white people, but rather promote the idea that being a minority shouldn’t be a deciding factor in who gets to go to college. Scholarships should be based on a specific talent or GPA, not on the color of skin the person has.

It isn’t just my race that contributes to me being discriminated against, so does my lack of unique talents and genetic diversity. As I mentioned before, people can obtain scholarships for having a certain last name, or being tall. My last name isn’t common but it doesn’t sound like Van Valkenburg, and I stand at a perfectly average 5’ 7”, so where does this leave me?

The purpose of this editorial was not to make anyone angry by saying that their need for a scholarship is not deserved, I just want to point out the flaws of awarding money to those who were born “different” instead of awarding it based on how a person acts throughout their lifetime.

(758- originally a Torch final)

 

 

Stop the Stereotypes, Kennedy

When I meet new people from around the area, one of the first questions almost everyone asks is “what school do you go to?” like it automatically says exactly who I am. If I were to say one school I would automatically be “Dirty” or if I said another I’d be “a rich girl” It’s no secret that schools around the not-so-huge city of Cedar Rapids get their own reputations. Almost all of us know people that completely deter those stereotypes, but that doesn’t stop the school from getting the generalization anyways. Did it ever occur to any of us that maybe we aren’t so perfect after all? That maybe we have no right to call an entire group of people “orange people” or “dirty sluts”?  That maybe we have a reputation too?

I was trying to figure out what Kennedy’s stereotype is, so I started asking around, and personally I don’t think one single group can represent what Kennedy is; but I got responses from “Dirties” to “Potheads” to “Sluts”.  Dirties, potheads, and sluts, oh my! Really though, all jokes aside, is that really all Kennedy is? A giant group of potheads, sluts, and dirties? I’d like to think not! I think Kennedy is a pretty outstanding school, and I don’t think it’s just me.

Another stereotype I heard a lot is that we are rude. I was a little shocked by this, Kennedy has always seemed like a “welcome you with open arms” kind of place to me. So just out of curiosity, I asked them why “rude” came to their minds. Like with almost any schools stereotype, the reason came from a few people once upon a time, being rude. It amazed me how one girls comment at a basketball game, or one show choir mom’s bad judgment call at a competition made us become “the rude school”. 

Instead of accusing everyone for every stereotype that Kennedy has ever had, I think its best that we take a step forward from now on. Let’s stop making ourselves look like the “rude school” or whatever other stereotype we might have. It obviously doesn’t take a lot of work to get a label, so I think we should realize that maybe that one comment or bad judgment call can affect every single person at Kennedy. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m kind of sick of hearing “ooh you go to Kennedy…” Eventually, I’d like to get to the point where there’s no more tone of disappointment, or judgment when talking about our school but rather, a tone of approval and welcome instead.

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Too Much Commitment in High School Sports

16 hours. That’s how long I spend every week at swimming. What all could be done with those 16 hours? I could get two full nights of sleep, drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico, or fly half way across the world in that time. It makes me wonder, are high school sports getting to be too much of a commitment?

Everyday right after school, I head over to the pool deck to do my homework until 4:20. At exactly 4:30 practice begins with a dry land workout (running, abs, etc.) and right at 5:00 we are expected to be in the water ready for the warm-up. Practice then runs until 7:00 and when I finally get home around 7:30 not only am I exhausted, but I’m hungry and usually have mounds of homework to finish.

Why do I put myself through this? I thought high school sports were about having fun and making everyone feel involved but it seems that fun and involvement are some of the last things on coach’s minds these days. Take Labor Day for an example, what was once a day for barbecues and family time suddenly has become what coaches see as a free day to have a three hour practice. That just doesn’t seem fair to me.

As a junior, I want to be able to attend every football game I can. However, when you are just getting out of the pool as the game starts, it’s difficult to attend. I can understand the need for a daily practice, but should I not be allowed to have plans because I’m at practice all the time? I don’t think so. Especially for someone like me, I know I won’t be swimming in college, so why am I doing the exact same thing as the girls who are? I want to have fun time with my friends, and not be up until 2a.m. doing homework.

This isn’t just swimming, I know many people in other sports that have just as much practice. High school sports are getting out of hand. Students should be able to have a life outside of sports and have fun as well as feel included with the sports that they choose to do.

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Stop the hate in politics

I’ll be the first to admit, I know very little about politics and that’s okay with me. However, there is one thing about politics that continues to confuse me. Why does there need to be so much negativity? It seems as though I can’t turn on the T.V. anymore without seeing one presidential candidate bashing the other one. I’ve always heard that politicians play dirty, but is all of this attacking necessary?

I can’t remember who was running or even what they were running for, but a few years ago there was one candidate who only talked about what HE would do if he got elected. Not once did I ever hear him bash a running mate, and I remember thinking if I were of age, I would vote for him just because he focuses on what he wants to do, not what everyone else is doing wrong. I would have a lot more respect for both presidential candidates right now if they could lay down their weapons for a minute, and focus on what they plan to accomplish, not what the other person is doing wrong in their eyes.

This doesn’t only apply to presidential candidates, it seems like everyone in the political world is doing the same. Let’s stop the hate, and just focus on what we can improve.

I though this quote was a nice little reminder for the week. Enjoy!  “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” –Winston Churchill

(Word Count:246)

About me

As the beginning of this school year has rolled around a lot of teachers have been asking us to fill out questionnaires or write papers about ourselves; I find this extremely hard to do. There isn’t one particular thing that I think everyone needs to know about me so I just throw some pieces of information out and hope that it paints a picture of who I am. Instead of being completely random while talking about myself in this post, I’ve decided to do a “5 Things that people don’t know about me” type of write-up.  

So here we go…

1.       I want to be an athletic trainer for football or wrestling. I can’t quite remember what specifically peaked my interest in athletic training, all I know is when I was younger, whenever my dad and I would watch football I always wanted to know EXACTLY what was wrong with the players when they needed help off the field. Then gradually the pieces fell into place and one day I just knew that athletic training was what I wanted to do. I either want to work with wrestling or football because there are many types of injuries that can happen in either sport, which I think is fascinating. I also love watching both, so that is an added bonus!

2.       I’m obsessed with music, but have no musical talent. I absolutely adore music! I use it to calm me down, pump me up, or even settle my boredom. I love showing people new songs that I’ve discovered or making mixed CD’s of my favorite songs. Unfortunately, my family has very little musical talent at all! I’d like to think I can sing, but when I’m being honest with myself, I realize that I should really just stop. I love almost all genres of music, but my favorite has to be country. I love Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Maroon 5, Frank Sinatra, Taylor Swift, among many others.  P.s. to the people that can sing, I am officially jealous!

3.       I am in the process of starting an organization for kids with cancer. I got the idea for this project a few years ago but it’s still in its preliminary stages. I called my organization “Blankets for Blessings” because I make fleece tie blankets, then sell them. In turn, the proceeds go to the pediatric cancer center at U of I children’s hospital. I’m extremely excited to see where this organization ends up!

4.       My sister and I make a “weekly cupcake”. My sister is in college so we don’t get to do a whole lot together. However, when she came home for the summer, we started a tradition of making a weekly cupcake. Every Saturday, we run to HyVee and get ingredients for a new cupcake. Some of our favorites have been raspberry lemonade, Nutella, and peach raspberry flavored. Once we’re done we always take a picture with our creation before chowing down!

5.       I have a Pinterest problem. I am so obsessed with Pinterest, it’s ridiculous. For those who haven’t been on Pinterest, it’s a website where you can “pin” pictures of things you like. They can be things like crafts, food, clothes, or people. I adore “pinning” recipes, outfits, and crafts, and although my Pinning has become a bit of a problem, it has made me more creative and stylish!

Although the above five statements don’t quite cover all of who I am, I think that they provide some insight into the parts of me that people typically know or see. One last tidbit I thought I should throw in is that I love a good, heartfelt quote. So from this point forward I plan to throw one into every blog post. Since this post is all about me, I share one of my favorite quotes from when I was little, enjoy!

“Always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” –Winnie the Pooh

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Never Grow Up

Last Friday night while everyone was out at the football game, I was stuck at home with a back injury. So naturally, I made myself a bowl of popcorn and watched the latest episode of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. As I was watching, I couldn’t help but think I can’t wait for the day when I get to go pick out my wedding dress! That quickly turned into a downward spiral of me pinning a twenty wedding dresses and table settings on Pinterest. Before I knew it I was thinking about how fun it would be to get engaged, get married, and have a cute little baby with chubby wubby cheeks. It took me a little while but I finally realized the problem with my whole fantasy, I’m 16 years old!

Lately I’ve been getting so caught up in the fantasy of growing up that I have forgotten how to be a kid. Everyone has been asking me if I’ve started touring colleges or something along those lines, I think that’s given me a false sense of independence that makes me think I need to kick start the process of growing up. But let’s be real, I am in no way, shape or form ready to be an adult who is married with a baby. I still have my mommy make my lunch in the morning and jump up and down when I see “Cedar Rapids Public & Parochial Schools: Cancelled” scrolling at the bottom of the T.V. screen. Why is it so hard for us to focus on those happy childhood moments?

I think we should all take some time to sit down to a Disney movie, drink some bug juice and color a few pages out of a coloring book. Let’s take a break from all of the growing up for once and just enjoy the time we have left of being kids; because before we know it the reality of being an adult will no longer be a fantasy and will be replaced by a strong dose of reality. So stop thinking about the future, toss out a little bit of pixie dust, and be a kid for as long as possible.

(Word count: 370)