Standards

Standard; noun; 1 - level of quality; 2 - moral principle

The word ‘standard’ can mean different things to different people, which is why I put the two major definitions above.

I have noticed that people’s moral standards vary depending on their background and their upbringing. Both my parents are quite prudish, and the same goes with the rest of my family. I have previously addressed the fact that I have strong morals, most of which come from how I was raised. But, as I have progressed through school, I have witnessed many different types of behaviour. The majority of my friends are like me; usually polite and well behaved, following the rules. Personally, I think life is easier when you follow the rules and are a more pleasant human being; people will like you more and be more willing to help you if you get stuck.

But some people do, of course, set lower standards for themselves, enthused by their background and family. Making trouble for teachers (people who try to help them) and those around them, falling into bad habits and ignoring rules.

And I think this is a real shame; just because they haven’t been given the best start at life, doesn’t mean they can’t improve their standards, their quality of work, even quality of life. If they could up their moral standards and the quality of the work they produce in school, I am 100% sure they would notice a few differences in their life. Low moral standards often result in your peers having low respect for you and your actions. Girls who sleep around with anyone and are undoubtedly going to be looked down on, instead of being viewed as a role model.

If more people in my year would just buckle down and work, actually putting some effort into the set tasks, rather than messing the teachers about and disrupting lessons, they would like school more too. You get out what you put in, right? By working harder and not bugging the teachers, perhaps they’ll find the time they spend in school more enjoyable, or pleasant. Teachers will praise them, not shout at them.

I don’t understand how people don’t see this simple logic. We are incredibly privileged to have free education in the UK, and I often find myself wishing the troublemaker could be swapped with a child from a third world country, with no education but desperately hoping for one.

I know I am lucky coming from the background I do, but I don’t always feel it. However, sitting here, writing this article makes realise just how blessed I am to have the family I do, coupled with opportunities and options that so many people don’t have, while thousands of British school kids just throw it away.

This kind of went off topic but never mind.

Winter Food

I’m always told by my parents I should try to eat a more balanced and healthy diet and to do more exercise, accompanied by a lecture on how much I’ll appreciate it when I’m older.

It’s not as though I’m 25 stone and don’t do any exercise; I walk to school most mornings, and I always put a lot of effort into PE lessons. In the summer I often go to school’s after school athletics club, working at my 800m when I can. However, it is harder to do decent amounts of exercise in the winter though, choosing to stay home eating mince pies over going for a walk. But I’m definitely not the only one.

In the winter, it can be really hard to eat healthily and get your heart rate going for a lot of people. Because of Christmas and the holidays, it’s really easy, and much more preferable, to eat chocolate and snuggle up in bed, rather than going for early morning jogs and eating salad. That is not my idea of fun.

I know I eat too much rubbish, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem to be doing me any harm. I think it’s the combination of growing so much so quickly, having a seemingly high metabolic rate, doing enough exercise and eating enough of the good and healthy stuff.

I think so long as you are in control of your diet and how much you eat, you should be fine. It’s when you can’t control your chocolate cravings that you need to worry. 

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

Talents

In Year 5, I started to play the flute, going to school earlier than usual so I could have my lesson, within school, without missing out on class lessons. I carried on through Year 6, taking my Grade 2. In Year 7, when I moved to Kirkbie Kendal, I had a new teacher which was, at first, quite unsettling, especially as I had to leave my lessons in school to have my music lesson. In Year 8, I took my Grade 3, and stopped playing at the end of the school year.

Today, as I was feeling particular festive, I dug out some music books and my flute, hoping to play some Christmas songs and carols. I have played on occasion since Year 8, but only for short bursts, or one offs, nothing more. But today, I looked at the music and thought ‘how on earth do I play that?’ I was completely blank, and this worried me. I had played the tunes many a time before, and had no problem once I had learnt the tune and keys. But now, after 2 years, I had nothing.

Once I had checked which note was which, I was alright, and played through my favourite Christmas songs, testing them out. Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie is always fun to play on the flute.

But this made me think; how many people stop working at a talent or a hobby, and forget all their skills after a few years? I managed to remember the notes and ‘finger placing’, but not easily, and it was a while before I was once again comfortable with playing the tunes.

I can imagine a lot of people discontinue playing instruments, for any number of reasons, and when or if they come back to play it again, can’t remember how to do so. Will this encourage people to try at it, or put them off?

I think if people are put off by their memory loss, it could have recurring effects; they may not want to pick up another hobby or interest, for fear they’ll forget everything they learn after a period of time.

So, what I’m trying to say is, people should keep trying at things, even if they’ve completely forgotten everything they already learn; surely, relearning something is going to be easier than learning it the first time?

I will keep getting my flute out every now and then, to ensure I don’t forget absolutely everything. Knowing me, I’ll forget everything anyway. 

'Tis the Season To Be Jolly...

Everyone has a favourite part of the Christmas season; some like the presents, some enjoy the idea of giving to others. A lot of families see it as an opportunity to get together, happy to see relatives they perhaps haven’t seen for a while. Personally, I think the best part of the festive season it the excellent food; there’s always plenty of mince pies and Stollen in the Grove household, with the highlight on Christmas day itself; the wonderful roast dinner!

Lauren Hine, aged 15, thinks the best part of Christmas is “everyone getting together and the food!” I think this is why Christmas and the holidays are so popular; as I mentioned before, Christmas is an opportunity for families, big or small, to come together and celebrate for a short period of time, with a happy, cheerful atmosphere surrounding them.

Megan Hine, aged 15, says “Well, I think the best part of Christmas (apart from the food) is the time you get to spend with your family and not having to worry about anything and being able to have a really good time”. This is another good point; it’s like all your worries melt away like snow in the sunshine. I think this, for a lot of people, makes the festive period a lot more enjoyable and relaxing, as you have time to take it easy and eat chocolate.

“I like shopping for presents for my family and friends, and finding something that I know they'll really like and getting excited to give them it” says Arran Wylde. I think this is a sort of subconscious part; the present buying often gets people in the mood for Christmas, knowing it’s just around the corner.

I think it’s different for everyone; younger people will look forward to the presents while teenagers enjoy the chance to lie in over the holidays. Adults probably appreciate the time off work, and the chance to see family and friends, along with spending time with their immediate family too.

Everyone has a favourite part of Christmas; I think it’s impossible not to!

Kennels Update

I am keeping a small diary for my volunteering, so I can keep track of how often I go. In the back of my little book, however, I have written a short paragraph about each of the dogs I have walked. So far, I have worked with 11 dogs, all of them very different to the other. Many have gone home, I am glad to say, and while I miss them a lot, I am happy they have gone either back home, or to someone who will love and care for them, like they really deserve.

I really love the variety between the dogs; some are really energetic and whizz round everywhere, others are more laid back and relaxed, plodding along at their own pace. With one dog in particular, I have noticed a massive improvement; I cannot put into words how his behaviour has improved since he first arrived at the kennels. Whenever I go to put the lead round his neck, he sits very still, patiently waiting, his tail wagging excitedly. Then, he’ll stay by my side, always checking to make sure I’m okay. He’s very ‘self-aware’, and still gets quite nervous when something takes him by surprise. If I ever stop, or sit down on the bench, he always snuggles up to me, resting his head on my lap, his gorgeous brown eyes warm and happy. It’s so heart-warming to see this, especially after his behaviour when he came in; very shy, cowering all the time. It really broke my heart to see him like that, as it would with any dog, but the contrast now is insane. I really enjoy walking him; he’s so sweet and calm.

I have learnt a lot from volunteering for the RSPCA; some ‘lessons’ more unexpected than others. Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect. But now, after 2 months on the job, I couldn’t imagine it any different. I don’t know the staff all that well, as they’re always busy looking after the many dogs in the boarding kennels, but the owners are really lovely and understanding, always explaining any changes in the dogs or warning us about new ones.

I wish I could go more often, but with the winter really setting in, it makes it hard to go whilst still be safe; the field is full of lumps and bumps, and is often very muddy, and going in the dark after school isn’t great.

Overall, I’m really enjoying working with the dogs, and I hope the dogs, and staff, appreciate the time and effort my mum, my sister, my dad and myself put into the dogs. I like to think I’m making a positive impact on the dog’s life in the kennels, along with the rest of my family.

:)

Ideas

1) Fear and Faith - are we afraid to believe in things? Explore (possible, not sure how well it will work)

2) Kennels Update – pictures included? How it has changed since I have arrived, experiences I have learned from.

3) Eating Healthy – it’s hard as a teenager, always told to but never really do, my opinion.

4) Leveson report - need to research – what do I think? Effects now and in the future, good and bad.

5) Perfection – why do we go to such lengths to look cool in front of friends? Link to Mike Garry? Girls feel pressure to meet standards; boys feel pressure to act ‘hard’?

6) Christmas Essay – must be done by 12th December.

7) Learning From Mistakes - inspired by my car incident :) Little things can make a big difference to people's perspectives on things, good and bad.

8) My Generation – drink, drugs, sex with only a few sticking to the rules. Repercussions discuss

(will add more when I think of them)

My Generation

Most teenagers these days go through a wild streak, some lasting longer than others. Some never get to that point, preferring to behave and study hard and get the grades they need and want. I think I fall into this category, although I think a lot of this comes from my parents; they make sure I’m getting the work done, and always there to help me when I get stuck. Because of my upbringing, I have a lot of strong morals that a lot of people my age wouldn’t even dream of. Unfortunately, there are a worryingly large portion of adolescents who run wild, both in and out of school.

When I encounter such people, I feel two things; pity and fear.

I feel sorry for them because quite often these teens are very misunderstood and usually have underlying problems causing them to be rude and reckless. Also, the decisions they make now may well be regretted in later life when it comes to getting a job. I would say university too, but I get the feeling they’re not particularly bothered about further education. 

Despite many fair laws, a lot of teenagers choose to ignore them, drinking underage, experimenting with drugs and of course, under age sex, which unfortunately often leads to unwanted pregnancy. Humans have been drinking alcohol for centuries, but now laws have been put in place after it has been discovered alcohol can be harmful, especially for younger people. Drugs are obviously dangerous for everyone, with all drugs and their respective laws in place for everyone, along with tobacco and household painkillers. Then with sex, it’s illegal if you’re under the age of 16.

So many people I know ignore all these laws, which I think are fair and just. They’re there for a reason, not just because the government wants to ruin the fun.

It wasn’t that long ago that most people saved themselves for marriage, waiting to be happily married before starting a family. Now, this is all but forgotten, with ‘casual sex’ on the up rise. TV shows like ‘Teen Mom’ and ’Underage and Pregnant’ highlight this, documenting teens who have fallen pregnant at a young age. It could be argued that alcohol and drugs are largely responsible, turning this whole issue into a big, crude circle; teens get drunk and high, and end up with an unwanted baby and lots of regrets.

It’s harsh, but it’s true. And this is why I think it’s such a big problem; older generations tend to overlook it, pretend it doesn’t happen and carry on as normal, not wanting to face the ‘ugly truth’. The government do try to lower the figures, with free contraception available to youths as young as 13, despite the age 16 limit. Why hand it out to 13 year olds? Because they know it happens, despite the rules and regulations.

All this could have serious effects on our future; if teenagers are more bothered about drink and drugs than getting a good education, are they going to be able to get jobs when it comes to it? Or are there going to be even more tax problems in order to give ‘benefits’ to those who can’t get a job? Are there going to be thousands of babies born that no one really wants? I think these are possibilities that need to be considered, especially if this behaviour we see in many of today’s teens continues to worsen, developing through many generations to come.

It’s not going to stop overnight, but there is definitely more people could be doing; teenagers could be more responsible with their actions, thinking about the repercussions and effects their choices could have later on. But adults, parents, teachers and MP’s could help as well; making sure teenagers are not consuming alcohol or drugs, and encouraging them to be responsible.

I am thankful my parents have drilled many morals into my mind, and I think other families should do the same thing.

Laws are in place for a reason, and too many people forget this.

Learning from Mistakes

Today, when walking home from school, a Range Rover reversed into me. In hindsight, there are things I could have done differently, or better, although I still believe the driver was more in the wrong than I was. Either way, it was an experience I have learned from; always be very careful when it comes to cars in close proximity.

As I continued my walk home, it made me think. I made a mistake, and I have learnt a little from it. It’s not much, but potentially lifesaving in a different situation. And everyone does this almost every day. We make a small mistake and take something out of it, something we can use later on in life, or that same day. Whether it’s dealing with a friend who’s causing a spot of bother, or getting the wrong answer in a maths question. These little things can be taken, improved on, learnt from, and used in a different situation or lesson.

I’ll use the car issue I had to deal with today as an example. Instead of stepping out into the road to cross it whilst the car was encountering another, I could have waited until the cars had gone their ways, and the road was clear. Now, I can take this experience and, if and when, I am faced with a similar situation, I now know what to do; be patient.

My German teacher always used to look out for what she called ‘nice big juicy mistakes’. At the time, I used to think she was just trying to get us excited about mistakes because she liked them. But now, looking back, she was teaching us a valuable lesson, even though she was rather patronising. I think what she was trying to say, is that mistakes are good, and they shouldn’t be ignored. Even the littlest things can become very useful later in life, and she was trying to drill that into us at a very early age.

Personally, I think the best thing about this ‘learning from mistakes’ is they can be any sort of mistake that you have experienced. Whether you were dealing with someone in a restaurant, having a fight with your friend or partner, going shopping, spilling a secret, in a lesson or crossing the road.

Some are more common than others, and some are more important than others, but basically what I’m trying to say is that, after my experience today, it is good to look back on things and think ‘what could I have done better?’ or ‘what did I do wrong that I won’t do ever again ever?’

It’s amazing how much impact the littlest things can have on day to day life. 

Perfection

“I have great fashion sense; I’m just too poor to prove it”

Last week, Year 10 was very lucky to have poet Mike Garry visit school. He really gave me a lot to think about, although in hindsight, the “subject of conversation” was probably unintentional on his side. He touched lightly on his poetry, handing out one of his works for us to look at, to study. But generally, his talk was based more on ‘why aren't you bothered?!’

This man, standing in fronts of us, was clearly very passionate about this. His frustration, almost anger was shining through as he tried to get a reaction out of us, his audience. He would ask us a question, starting off with English based questions; do we like reading? Do we enjoy poetry? That kind of thing. But then, once he realised no one was really bothered, and no one wanted to ask his questions, he tried a different tack; asking us why we weren’t answering. Were we too scared to look ‘nerdy’ or ‘geeky’ in front of our friends? Were we worried about looking stupid or silly before our peers?

So I put my hand up. Partly because I felt sorry for him, and partly because I couldn't come up with a decent reason why not to. He seemed pleased to have someone talking to him, someone with something to say.

After the talk, I kept thinking about Mike’s questions; why are we so fussed about our image? Why aren't we bothered about anything important?

And it’s not just us Year 10’s; I’m sure almost everyone at school is worried about how they appear to others, along with adults, working in all kind of professions. I think the clothes side of things is more exclusive to the younger generations, but some adults feel similar pressures to children and teenagers; adults often feel pressured to provide for their children, or maybe to go to the gym, keep fit or perhaps even feel as though they need to best their siblings.

But why?

Why do we feel this pressure? I always find myself thinking back to the cavemen; they wouldn't care what they looked like, what they wore, who they talked to. It may sound silly, but realistically, they wouldn't give one, would they? So why do we? Where has this pressure come from?

It’s as though you are required to be perfect; it’s not an option. If you don’t get it right, you’re out of it. Take to the trends, buy the brands, do the drink.

It really pisses me off when kids judge other kids based on what they’re wearing, what they say and what they do; what gives you the right to decide how you’re going to treat a person based on what they’re wearing?

No one’s perfect, and no one needs to be. It’s perfectly alright to be yourself.

If only more people saw that.

The Meaning of Christmas Has Changed

Christmas; noun; annual festival on December 25^th commemorating the birth of Christ.

Christmas was, originally, the celebration of Christ’s birth, the biggest event on the Christian calendar, Christmas day being the end of advent and the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas.

Gifts are given to represent God giving his only son as a gift to the world, but today, a lot of people forget this, or don’t even know this. Many of the decorations we use at Christmas time have meanings; sugar canes represent the shepherds crook, holly is to show the crown of thorns worn by Jesus and so on.

But today, many people, especially the younger generations look past this, the true meaning of Christmas, and see it as a time for presents and time off school. There is the unconscious thought that the holidays have a different meaning, a more religious one, but instead choose to celebrate the commercialized Christmas, with big brands hoping to ‘revitalize’ the economy, a large portion of the world’s population spending big on presents and food.

Already, Christmas lights and decorations are up, houses lit up for the short winter period. Why do we have lights and decorations? These days, they don’t represent anything, they’re just a tradition that has developed from other, more meaningful things that have been cheapened and lost their integrity as the years have passed. I can imagine a lot of small children don’t know what Christmas is about; they get lots of cool presents, it snows and all the houses look pretty, with Christmas trees everywhere. None of this relates to the real meaning of Christmas, developed thousands of years ago.

Even religions other than Christianity celebrate Christmas, although not as largely as your average Christian would.

So yes, I think the meaning of Christmas for a lot of people, has changed, and it will take a lot to restore the real reason we celebrate.

Apologies

I've noticed my articles are rather sarcastic at times, and I moan a lot, especially in my entry about growing pains.. Sorry. That's just the way I write haha! I find if I try and be really deadly serious about everything it gets very boring very quickly, so I think I'll continue to write in a more lighthearted tone, even if it is pretty sarky.

:)

The Leveson Inquiry

I don’t know all that much about the Leveson Inquiry, I’ll be honest, but I do know it’s pretty important in a lot of ways to lots of different people.

In History, we are studying World War 2, and from it I have learnt a lot about Communism and Capitalism; the UK is Capitalist, with a free vote and a range of poverty and wealth, and free press. But that could change, depending on the outcome of the Leveson Report; will we still have the free press? Or will it be regulated and controlled by the government?

I did try doing some research on the whole situation, but I really struggled finding what I wanted as there is so much to sift through; articles about celebrities who have been affected, victims who want justice, the media’s reaction and so on. But, based on the little knowledge I have, I think the Leveson Inquiry and its effects is generally a good thing.

Personally, I think the press being allowed to write anything and everything is wrong, but I also think it is a bad idea to largely confine the press, like with Communist countries. The fact that newspapers will be regulated and moderated in the UK will probably do a lot of good, raising the standards of journalism in Britain. Some newspapers need it more than others, however. The Sun and the Daily Mirror, tabloids that were criticised in the Report for releasing private and/or inaccurate information are an example of such papers; the new control should improve their ‘quality’ of journalism, with only correct, precise, and legal information published.

The Leveson Inquiry talks about how an independent regulatory body should be established, with the ability to sanction and investigate the newspapers and its sources. A ‘whistle blowing hotline’ may also be set up, for journalists to call who feel pressured to write about or do unethical things. This hotline is a great idea; journalists can report any wrong-doing easily, knowing the problem will be tackled.

Journalism will change for good, but hopefully with a positive outcome.

I found this article hard to write because I don’t know as much as I would like to, and I couldn’t find the information I needed/wanted to help me write it, so it probably doesn’t make much sense. I tried though.