All Schools Should Be Free and Equal

             "Education doesn't just beat poverty,"Queen Rania of Jordan said, "it beats disease. It beats inequality. And for girls education is nothing less than a lifesaver, from insecurity and violence." Many families a year drop into poverty because one or both parents lose their jobs and can not get another due to lacking education. Also, many countries with low literacy rates tend to have turbulent governments with harsh dictators. Finally, undeveloped countries with little access to good education tend to have more criminals and insurgents. That is why I think that all schools should be free and have equal education.
             Many people can't get a job because of poor education."It is simple: The better-educated a person is — and the more education they get, the more likely they will avoid economic and social despair," said RiShawn Biddle, editor of online education magazine Dropout Nation.When less people get jobs those people continue the cycle to their children because they can't afford good education for them. This lowers countries' economies because less people are  working and more people are needing financial assistance. Also, children are more likely to dropout because they are not taught the value of education. If people were more educated we would be making more advancements in our society.
             Now that we've talked about individual effects lets move to the broader picture. Many countries suffer from harsh dictators, like in North Korea. With better education people could have more chances at democracy and other fair types of government. Right now poor countries with bad education programs have more turbulent environments. There could be less money lost fighting wars if we improved schooling in all countries.
            From the newspapers we hear of many crimes. Those rates would decrease exponentially if we just improved all public schools. People would learn more about discussion and diplomacy at school, which would decrease crime. Yet even more help would come to lowering crime rates if we just improved the schooling experience so it was valued and fun, and less people  would dropout. This way people would be too busy to partake in crime.
           Some might say that we would lose money  funding all these schools, yet money is just an object. If the whole world contributed,  we would finish in no time. Contributing more ways to keeping the world at peace. When you think of it that way there is nothing stopping us.
            For these reasons, I think that all schools should be free and have equal education. First it would help decrease poverty, Second it would stop harsh dictators' Finally crime rate would decrease greatly. Next time you complain about school, remember, as Doctor Suess said, "When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad... you should  think things are bad,what I do! just tell yourself Duckie, your really quite lucky! Some people are much more... oh ever so much more... oh muchly much-much more unlucky than you!"

― Dr. Seuss, Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

"Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? Quotes." By Dr. Seuss. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.

"Schools - Google Search." Schools - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.

Biddle, RiShawn. "Education Is the Long-term Solution for Fighting Poverty." N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.

All About Kayaks

           One spring day, to be exact March 1, 2015, my dad and I were walking along Sawmill Creek road. It was a beautiful day, one that felt like summer although it wasn't even close. The water was sparkling and the sun was beating down on my back making it pleasantly warm.

Video Link   Kayak link        You could see all the way to the sea floor near the shore when the sun hit it right, which prompted me to ask ,"Dad, will you teach me how to roll a kayak,this summer?"
             My dad has quite a bit of kayaking experience under his belt. When he was younger he kayaked to Russia from Alaska and everywhere in between. So of course he replied,"I would love to."
              I made him promise that when we practiced in the ocean we would do it on a warm day and he agreed.
             We walked on and he explained the principles of rolling a kayak to me . "Do you know," he asked,"that you aren't trying to get on top of the kayak, you are trying to get the kayak under you."
            "Like a unicycle?"I added. Thinking back to the time when my family and I had attempted to learn how to ride unicycles (my dad's crazy idea).
            "Yes," he replied. He then went on to explain how you use your body more than the paddle, and how the water is like the substance "ooblik" (a mixture of cornstarch and water) which feels hard when you move quickly and soft when you move slowly. After a little while we discussed different types of kayak rolling, and the best types of kayaks to use.
               " What do traditional Eskimo kayaks look like?" I said.
                My dad replied, " They sit really low in the water and are narrow and used to be made of animal skin."                                                    
              "So they would float?" I said.
              "Yes, so they would float," he answered.
               We talked some more about kayak physics.
              " What are the different types of kayak rolling?" I asked.
              "One handed, two handed, and no handed."he replied.
               "Can you do no handed?"I questioned.
               " No." he said, "but I can do one handed."
               I remembered back to a picture I had seen of him kayak rolling. It had looked tricky, but since many people can do it, it must not be that hard.
              " How long does it take to learn?" I asked.
              My dad answered," Not very long for two handed, but a bit longer for one handed, and a lot longer for no handed."
              " I think that I am gonna start with two handed." I added.
              " That is a good choice." He agreed
              " May I use the green and blue kayak." I said.
              " Of course." He said with a smile.
              " When did you learn?" I said.
              " A long time ago." He replied.
              As we lapsed into silence I pictured myself floating in a green blue sea, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the rocks, and dreamed of the day when I too would be able to paddle to many new places.

What to Add to DYP

              Last week we had Discover Your Potential (DYP) week. I really enjoyed DYP, but if I could add a new class, I would add a class teaching you to become a food critic. I think it would be fun, demonstrate a job you could have in the real world, and it would be very different  from the other classes.

            During DYP, learning to be a food critic would be really fun. It would give you a chance to see restaurants in Sitka. Also, you would be able to see new things. And would be able to laugh, talk, and have fun with friends.
           Another reason why a food critic class would be fun, is because it would let you test a job you could actually have. Unlike many other classes, you could discover your dream job!
            Finally, the class would be different from all others. It would combine food, traveling around Sitka, and learning something new. Also, after taking that class you could confidently tell your friends where to eat.
           I think that a class on becoming a food critic would add a lot to DYP. If I were to take a class at DYP, that class would be at the top of my list.