Why do all my teachers assign projects at the same time? Like for real how are they about to expect us to complete 6 final projects in one week. I don’t mind doing a project but why would they make it so that we have something worth 15% of our grade impossible to finish on time. I think that’s why this year has gone by so fast for me because I never have enough time to get everything done. I don’t understand how I’m getting so much homework. The thing is none of my classes give a substantial amount of homework but they all give some. It’s not usually super hard, it’s just time consuming. I feel like I understand the content, and I have plenty of support and the ability to get help but I just have to spend an insane amount of time getting it done. We’re on the home stretch. One more week.
Day: December 8, 2023
Finals Rant
With finals approaching, I thought it was only fitting to write another rant discussing my thoughts on finals. First off, I don’t enjoy how much emphasis schools put on them. Finals are meant to be a test of how much knowledge you have acquired during the semester or school year. However, what if someone was able to learn a very good amount of stuff and is proficient in the skills taught in the class but is not necessarily a good test taker. Because many teachers stress the final so much, that student is probably going to be a worse test taker when it comes to something as big as a final. And, even if the student has a high grade in the class because they are proficient in the class and understand the concepts, since they are such a bad test taker, their grade could plummet to a number that doesn’t represent their true understanding of the class. This can be true especially because some teachers make the final such a significant portion of the grade overall.
If I were to provide a solution for this issue, I would recommend the teacher to provide different methods for students to prove their understanding of the course. They could do a traditional written test, or maybe a presentation of some sorts. The means of displaying comprehension could vary in general based on the class, but I feel this would be a more fair way to test the student’s knowledge without completely erasing the finals system, as I do think it is important to some degree. Another thing is making the final count for no more than 25% of the grade. Finals that range from 30% and up are solely testing the student on how good of a test taker they are. One of the more telling aspects of a grade, in my opinion, are class participation and homework grade. Both of these demonstrate not only enthusiasm and effort of a student, but also how dedicated they truly are the learning the material.
To conclude, I don’t believe the current education system is exactly fair, particularly when it comes to finals and their impact on a student’s grade. If teachers could provide more means of testing, as well as not have it count for the majority of the overall grade, many solid students would not have their grades falter due to unfair and unaccomodating methods.
PC: https://news.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/stress.jpg
My week……
Thanksgiving is over and Christmas break is only 2 weeks away. I am amazed at how fast this week has gone by. In this blog, I would like to write about the highlights of this week. The biggest event of the week was the soccer game. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would play soccer this year. One of the reasons is that until last year there was no official girl’s team. But having an actual game motivates me and makes soccer more enjoyable. I was only able to score one goal in this game, but I thought it was great to go for one goal with great teammates. The result was 4-2 and I enjoyed the game for the first time in a long time. However, there were many issues in these games, and I thought that I needed to run more and improve my physical strength. Today, on Friday, we are watching our recorded game on the tv. To be honest, when I look at my own game, I am embarrassed because there are many areas where I am not strong enough. If I have a chance in the next game, I would like to score more than two points.
This weekend I want to prepare for the final exams and study so that I don’t choke myself.
I want to get my driver’s license and finish watching a Korean drama that my roommate and I are currently watching. I will be on vacation in two weeks, so I want to give my all to everything I do.
i love spotify wraped
I love spotify wrapped so much. I hated it last year but that was because I was embarrassed about mine. This year it is literally so good. So many people hate that others post them on their stories and stuff but I love looking at them because it tells you so much about that person. It’s so much fun to see how many minutes I listened to and what podcasts I kept up with the most. It makes you recap over all the music you listened to all year and forgot about. I see why people hate it but I just don’t and my wrapped playlist is my new favorite. I love how many different genres it is and that it’s all songs I know really well. I hate looking for new music, it feels like a chore to me and spotify just made a super long playlist with every song I actually like on it and it’s so easy to listen to.
photo cred: me
Chai Latte
Chai Lattes are literally a blessing to me. They are just absolutely perfect. I could go through the worst day of my life and have the day end up being perfectly fine as long as I have a chai latte. Every once and a while, I switch up my Starbucks order. Before I became addicted to chai lattes, I had an obsession with getting a pink drink with cold foam. After basically drinking that every day for a year, it began tasting way too sweet. Two years ago, I began drinking chais and they were life-altering. It was sweet but not too sweet, and it wasn’t as intense as just having a normal latte. Once I came to my new boarding school, I could barely ever go to Starbucks, and I started going from every day when I lived at home to once every two weeks. By the end of last school year, during a camping trip, there was a bottle of a Tazo pre-made chai latte and all I needed to do is add milk to it. I tried it, thinking that it would taste horrible, but shockingly it was really good. I started buying tons of tazo chai, and I could finally begin having it way more. Chai lattes are just perfect.
You can always go live in the woods
It’s late evening of November 30th. Tomorrow, I will find out if I get the scholarship to go to college. Surprisingly to myself, I am at peace. I mean, if I get rejected, I can always apply the standard way through the common app and still qualify for many scholarships. If that does not go well either, Ventura community college has a 100% acceptance rate. If I am the reason they modified it to 99%, I can always go work in McDonald’s. If I mess that up, well, I have always fancied the idea of experiencing what it’s like being an Amish. As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Sure, not all of them offer unlimited access to hot shower, but maybe that’s for the better. And even if get accepted into one of the colleges, it does not change the fact that one day I will turn into dust and none of that is going to matter. Gotta keep things in perspective. So, I will see what happens and have some fun with the path I have to take.
pc: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c3/b2/e6/c3b2e63d361cff38a0da32fa3213b992.jpg
Life
Over six weeks ago, I hurt my ankle during the first play of the last flag football game of the season. The injury left me unable to perform one of the most basic human tasks – run. This meant major restrictions on much of the physical activities. For the first time in my life, I felt crippled – not able to do what I so earnestly longed to. The recovery, therefore, has been painfully long and frustrating. Not once had I placed my foot in the most unbearable way. Not once had I regretted that dire game. But my foot has healed! And now it was time to play against Newbury Park, one of the best soccer teams in the league. This was both the first official game of the season and my first game since recovering. I am playing as a middle back. The game is far from over, and every pass counts. The opposing team is rolling the ball towards our half. We are dropping back to protect the goal. The player with the ball is only 20 feet in front of me. He passes the ball to his teammate, and I intercept it. With all my strength, I kick the ball towards their goal. And drop down from the pain in my ankle. I have hurt it. Again.
People Watching
I watch the window as I sit at work. Waiting for someone to come in on this cold, wet day. Watching outside for even the shortest time, I notice so many different people. A pair of friends walk by, bags in their hands, and I wonder how long they have been friends. A langer family walks by like a flock of geese piled together to keep warm. The kids turn to peer in the windows of the shops. The lights for the holiday season make the darkness of the night brighter. I watch a cold, frail woman lug her big wagon full of everything she has, walk by without a jacket to keep her warm through the crisp winter. A man runs by frantically, looking scared, did something happen in town I think silently to myself. No, nothing happened he must have been in a rush for something I know as a couple passes happily hand in hand smiles on both faces. A little girl and her mom walk by the little girl had a toy in her hand. Admiring the toy her mom looks down admiring the girl. I sit and I wait. No one has walked by again. No one has come in my work in a while. It is probably because I work at an air-conditioned ice cream shop in this keen weather. Cars fly by the windows as I still wait for my last person to write about. Maybe it will be a young family? Maybe a large friend group? How about an old couple holding on to one another? I am unaware. I hope it isn’t one of those people who walks slowly past the window and stares in the shop not planning on walking in. It is a tall slim man. He has a headlamp on his head and is in a warm looking pile of clothes. Where is he walking to? Does he take a walk every night? Does he have a family waiting for him to start eating dinner with him? We will never know. The beauty of people watching. We won’t ever know what people are doing. Where they are going to. Why are they here? My last description because someone just walked by. A sad looking man in blue. He strolls by and it fascinates me to ponder on why this man is so sad and alone.
PC:Me
My issue with Spotify Wrapped
On November 29, I woke up and connected my phone to my speaker and noticed Spotify wrapped came out. I was excited at first, but I realized my disappointment at this same time last year. I personally believe Spotify wrapped is hacked for two reasons. First, on my top artists list, I had 21 Savage, who I never listen to unless he is featured on a Drake song. I personally listen to a lot of Zach Bryan and Lana Del Ray, and I believe they should have been there instead of 21 Savage. Secondly, I believe I listened to way more minutes because I always listen to music when doing homework, getting ready, showering, eating ,biking and often have aux in the car. The one thing I do like about Spotify Wrapped is everyone posts it and it gives sorta a insight in peoples lives. The music people listen to say a lot about them and Spotify Wrapped is a good way to learn a little about people you don’t know.
Driving
When I was fifteen, I kept telling myself that I would have my license as soon as I turned sixteen. However, I didn’t start driver’s ed until I turned sixteen. I took months to start it, forget about it, and then finish it. I took the permit test two weeks ago, which was four months after I finished driver’s ed. However, I finally got behind the wheel and drove around a parking lot for the first time! Thirty seconds in I told my dad there was no way I would ever drive on the street. I don’t think I drove faster than ten mph at any point; the fact that people drive at seven times that speed every day baffles me. Driving reminded me that cars are completely operated by people (most of the time). Sitting in a car or seeing cars moving everywhere every day seems so natural and instinctive that everything almost seems automatic; it feels as if the cars move on their own the way that clouds or birds do.
Picture Credit: Darwin Vegher
OVS Journalism Blog 
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