I’ve never quite understood the idea of the proverbial rain cloud that takes residence over the head of anyone in a bad mood. In fact, it seems as though the vast majority of media portrays the occasional downpour as a negative thing, constantly associating it with bad luck or depression.Continue Reading

While class participation grades intend to raise incentive, they often promote conversations that aren’t constructive. Participation may not be the most accurate reflection of a student’s ability to absorb and comprehend material. Remarks made by students can be perceived as not meant to further the discussion, but simply to meetContinue Reading

The Student Information System, otherwise referred to as SIS, is now up and running across Fairfax County. Unfortunately, these accounts promote drastic levels of parental involvement and leads to the encouragement of helicopter parents. A helicopter parent is defined as being a parent who takes an overprotective or excessive interestContinue Reading

It’s difficult to argue that summer vacation isn’t a great time. After a grueling school year and its dizzyingly cathartic end, a long break seems almost vital for us all to keep forging on. However, summer vacation is an exercise in excess. German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus presented the forgetting curveContinue Reading

When comparing the subjects of a standard curriculum, English tends to exclusively own the right to student interpretation, yet it is still important not to lose this aspect of exploration in other classes. In History courses, a majority of the lesson plan consists of the memorization and regurgitation of unwaveringContinue Reading

As educators continue the centuries old quest for silver bullet solutions to transform the education system, they have progressively proposed more and more radical reforms. While the ideas often address real issues with the current education system, they often slash away vital aspects of education without thinking through all ofContinue Reading

Our generation has grown accustomed to avoiding the pursuit of love, and instead we have turned to immediacy and a ‘no strings attached’ approach to relationships, which coincidentally has caused a very sensitive and imbalanced state of trust and respect among partners. Pressure, expectation and the shaming of conventional loveContinue Reading

Foreign language courses are key to graduating high school with either an advanced or IB diploma, and can be useful later in life. To many, this may seem like an inconvenience, especially if they do not speak the language. But the challenge is exacerbated when the curriculum has obvious flaws.Continue Reading