Category: Opinion

Gun Violence affects on youth

~ jeniffermelissa2020 ~ Leave a comment

Photo by Tom Def on Unsplash

By: Jupiter Sousa
Sprayberry High School
Marietta,GA

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) firearms have become the number one cause of death in youth in the US.

CNN reported children’s deaths by guns have been steadily increasing each year, , passing car accidents in 2020, with at least 18 school shootings being reported in the US as of May this year. 

In the spring semester of freshman year, my school had its first school stabbing. In America, gun violence in schools is normalized as it happens so frequently. In most cases, school shootings are forgotten a month later until the next one cycles through. That next week, no resources were provided and nothing was discussed, I was terrified for my life. The intruder was discovered to be an enrolled student, and he successfully stabbed a student. The victim was severely injured, stabbed multiple times and immediately transported to the hospital to undergo surgery. 

Weapons are extremely easy to obtain at such a young age. In some states, it’s easier for a minor to attain a weapon than it is to attain a vape pen. For example, in  Georgia, “Any person under the age of 18 years who is on real property under the control of such person’s parent, legal guardian, or grandparent and who has the permission of such person’s parent or legal guardian to possess a handgun…” said WomensLaw.org.

Youths are the number one demographic targeted towards gun violence, all of them being too young to experience life to the fullest, their lives being cut short by a bullet. This is a result of the lack of background checks and instruction teens are given. In many states, there are few regulations for teens possessing guns at a young age. 

Gun violence does not only impact its victims, but also its survivors. Many who have experienced gun violence go through survivors guilt after a traumatic situation, which can lead to depression, PTSD, and suicidal idealizations. Not to mention physical harm effects of being injured causing “problems with memory, thinking, emotions, physical disability from injury to the brain, and paralysis from spinal cord injuries” CDC states. 

These major effects can mentally and physically consume a person, a situation they had no control in permanently changing their perspective in life.  Disproportionately affecting minorities 

Gun violence mainly targets minorities. Violence increases in Black, hispanic, LGBTQ+ and more communities. Gun violence occurs everyday however “none more so than Black communities. In fact, Black Americans die from gun violence at 2.7 times the rate of white Americans,” according to the Giffords Law Center. Every person, despite religion, gender, race, should feel safe existing, but the trend continues to prove that gun violence disproportionately  affects minorities. LGBTQ are among those minorities.  : “In 2023, the Human Rights Campaign reported that at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people were killed by partners, acquaintances, or strangers — 78% of whom were shot.”

The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”However, this amendment never states that gun rights supersede human life. Imposing stricter gun laws does not erase gun rights. Countless lives have been taken because of the lack of regulations to get a gun. A massive decrease in deaths will occur with stricter laws being applied to gun access following higher age requirements, weapon licenses, and extensive background checks. This will massively impact society to have a decrease in homicide, school shootings, suicides, and accidental deaths if we implement stricter gun laws.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) firearms have become the number one cause of death in youth in the US.

CNN reported children’s deaths by guns have been steadily increasing each year, , passing car accidents in 2020, with at least 18 school shootings being reported in the US as of May this year. 

In the spring semester of freshman year, my school had its first school stabbing. In America, gun violence in schools is normalized as it happens so frequently. In most cases, school shootings are forgotten a month later until the next one cycles through. That next week, no resources were provided and nothing was discussed, I was terrified for my life. The intruder was discovered to be an enrolled student, and he successfully stabbed a student. The victim was severely injured, stabbed multiple times and immediately transported to the hospital to undergo surgery. 

Weapons are extremely easy to obtain at such a young age. In some states, it’s easier for a minor to attain a weapon than it is to attain a vape pen. For example, in  Georgia, “Any person under the age of 18 years who is on real property under the control of such person’s parent, legal guardian, or grandparent and who has the permission of such person’s parent or legal guardian to possess a handgun…” said WomensLaw.org.

Youths are the number one demographic targeted towards gun violence, all of them being too young to experience life to the fullest, their lives being cut short by a bullet. This is a result of the lack of background checks and instruction teens are given. In many states, there are few regulations for teens possessing guns at a young age. 

Gun violence does not only impact its victims, but also its survivors. Many who have experienced gun violence go through survivors guilt after a traumatic situation, which can lead to depression, PTSD, and suicidal idealizations. Not to mention physical harm effects of being injured causing “problems with memory, thinking, emotions, physical disability from injury to the brain, and paralysis from spinal cord injuries” CDC states. 

These major effects can mentally and physically consume a person, a situation they had no control in permanently changing their perspective in life.

Gun violence mainly targets minorities. Violence increases in Black, hispanic, LGBTQ+ and more communities. Gun violence occurs everyday however “none more so than Black communities. In fact, Black Americans die from gun violence at 2.7 times the rate of white Americans,” according to the Giffords Law Center. Every person, despite religion, gender, race, should feel safe existing, but the trend continues to prove that gun violence disproportionately  affects minorities. LGBTQ are among those minorities.  : “In 2023, the Human Rights Campaign reported that at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people were killed by partners, acquaintances, or strangers — 78% of whom were shot.”

The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”However, this amendment never states that gun rights supersede human life. Imposing stricter gun laws does not erase gun rights. Countless lives have been taken because of the lack of regulations to get a gun. A massive decrease in deaths will occur with stricter laws being applied to gun access following higher age requirements, weapon licenses, and extensive background checks. This will massively impact society to have a decrease in homicide, school shootings, suicides, and accidental deaths if we implement stricter gun laws.

If you or someone you know has experienced suicide ideation or trauma by gun violence, dial 988. Reach out, you aren’t alone.If you or someone you know has experienced suicide ideation or trauma by gun violence, dial 988. Reach out, you aren’t alone.

Social Media: Spread like Wildfire

~ maggieliu667 ~ Leave a comment

Social Media: Spread like Wildfire

Over the past decade, social media has transformed the way people consume news, share opinions and engage with the world. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram have not only made it easier for the world to stay connected, but they’ve also turned into primary news sources for many people, especially teens and young adults. However, in addition to its advancements and ease of use, experts have said it has turned into a strong tool for spreading false information.

“It’s not that people are lazy or don’t want to know the truth,” Ceylan, a postdoctoral at Yale SOM, says. “The platforms’ reward systems are wrong.”

Algorithms are at the core of this problem. Social media companies boost user engagement to drive their profits to earn more money. Their recommendation algorithms often favor sensational or controversial content, regardless of its accuracy, as it keeps users engaged. This approach has resulted in notable consequences in the real world. In 81 countries like Brazil, India, and Myanmar, social media misinformation has been linked to violent unrest and targeted attacks.

“One of the ways that we know that increases dopamine in the brain are extreme feelings,” Joe Dennis, a professor at Piedmont University and a former journalist, says. “So extreme feelings of anger is one of the ways that people keep engaged on platforms.”

As artificial intelligence evolve, the challenge of pulling the truth from online is only getting harder. AI technologies enable individuals to generate images and news that can be difficult to tell apart from factual information. People with large followings with spiteful motives can rapidly produce and spread propaganda across social media platforms. Videos can be altered with realism to make people appear to say or do things they never did. Truth and fiction are even harder to differentiate real and fake.

“Even just regular people who don’t use AI just to tell stories and use pictures of people who aren’t even part of the story to describe it,” Vayda, a rising sophomore at Loganville High School, says. “Most people scrolling will believe it without Googling it.” 

On social media, bots and fake accounts play a massive role in the spread of misinformation, often mimicking users to amplify their lies across the world. Bots and fake accounts often pose as regular people, sharing false stories of made-up “facts” to stir up arguments.

“They’ll be like, I’ve read about that and blah, blah, blah. And then you go there and blah, blah, blah is not even a website you know?” Saybel, a rising freshman at Academy for Classical education, says. “It’s like you read these and then you think they’re actual people commenting and being smart, but it’s false information.”

Bots and fake accounts spread information and they also help boost analytics by interacting with posts. When bots flood a post with likes, shares or comments; even if the content isn’t true, it gets pushed into more people’s feeds. The result is that false or misleading posts get more attention, while real information can get buried. It’s not just what the bots say, it’s how they help spread and amplify the lies.

“They’ll comment over posts and they’ll increase the engagement on those posts. And so that’s what pushes it into more people’s algorithms,” Alli, a rising sophomore at Academy for Classical Education, says. “So, even though the bots and themselves don’t seem to be doing anything, they’re pushing out that misinformation.” 

Misinformation can spread like wildfire. The truth is still out there, you just have to look a little harder to find it.

How the pitch clock saved baseball

~ Caroline Conner ~ Leave a comment

By: Caroline Conner
Walter M. Williams High School
Burlington, NC

Yankee Stadium, 2024. Photo by Caroline Conner

My favorite memories are playing catch with my dad in the backyard, watching my beloved Chicago Cubs win the World Series and cheering for my Tar Heels on their road to the College World Series. The common denominator? Baseball.

The “national pastime,” baseball is a huge part of American culture and history. However, some, particularly the younger generation, find it about as exciting as their history class. Claiming that the game “takes too long” or is “boring,” many have concluded that baseball moves too slowly and that the 3+ hours it takes to get through all nine innings isn’t worth it. Lucky for them, Major League Baseball (MLB) came up with a solution. The new pitch clock, which was established in 2023, made for shorter games, less theatrics from players, and more action.

In an attempt to attract a larger audience, specifically the younger generation, the pitch clock has dramatically shortened the average MLB game length. According to ESPN, the average game time in 2022 was 3:04 (hours: minutes). After the implementation of the pitch clock in 2023, the average game length for that season was 2:40. According to Forbes Magazine, that 24-minute decrease in average game length led to a 9.6% increase in attendance from 2022 to 2023.

The pitch clock has also resulted in fewer theatrics and lengthy routines by players, which speeds the game up substantially. Batters are cutting down their time spent doing things like adjusting batting gloves, calling time to take a lap around the batter’s box and fastening elbow guards. They have done so due to the resulting penalty for taking too much time to get set up in box. The rule is if the batter isn’t set up and ready to hit before the pitch clock reaches 8 seconds, they are given a strike. Likewise, pitchers have had to shorten their pre-pitch routines to accommodate the new pitch clock. They must start their motion towards the plate within 15 seconds of when the ball was returned to him by the catcher. This time extends to 20 seconds with runners on base, or 30 seconds in between batters. A ball is added to their count if they fail to do this. These rules and penalties have allowed the game to move quicker, and therefore more action to occur, which has helped beat the narrative that the game is “boring,” increasing both interest and attendance.

The pitch clock and its new rules have also created more action by mandating that there be two players on each side of second base at all times, preventing infield shifting. When the infield can’t shift to cover the spots a batter is likely to hit the ball to, more hits will get through the infield. This creates more runners on base, resulting in more action and potentially more scoring. This is proven by the difference in batting average before and after the new rules on shifting were implemented. In 2022, the league batting average was .243, which was the worst in 54 years according to the LA Times. After the pitch clock and shifting rules were established, the league-wide batting average immediately rose 5 points to .248 according to the Society for American Baseball Research.

“These approval numbers for the rule changes seemingly verify that MLB made the right call.” said Seton Hall Professor Charles Grantham, who conducted a study that involved collecting polling data regarding the new pitch clock rules.

With MLB attendance and interest increasing as a result of the pitch clock, more kids will get to experience the thrill of baseball the way I did. Listening to Cubs games on the radio or watching the College World Series are some of my most treasured memories, and I’m excited that the pitch clock will allow more children to experience that same love for the game.

Online testing: a double-edged sword

~ deweyaly27 ~ Leave a comment

The room is too brightly lit. It’s too early in the morning. There are too many terms swirling through my mind, none staying long enough to make an impression.

The test proctor is reading from her paper, a long, droning speech that I’ve heard before. The only difference is the Chromebook that lies flat on my desk, waiting.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, online exams have been growing rapidly in prevalence throughout the country. Covid-19’s forceful isolation and online schooling proved that virtual testing is possible. Whether it is a good idea is a very different question.

In February of 2024, the American College Testing (ACT) exam was first offered in a digital format. The SAT followed along, making the switch in March 2024. The next May, most Advanced Placement (AP) exams were administered at least partially digitally for the first time.

For the first hour of the exam, words swim across the harsh light of the screen, multiple choice options blur into endless paragraphs. But for the two hours after that, my hands fly across the keyboard writing essays faster than I ever could by hand. I finish early, but my head aches after three hours of reading from a glowing surface.

These changes were not unexpected, but they also were not always welcome.

My freshman year, I took the AP Human Geography exam the old-fashioned way: with pen and paper. Answering 14 short answer questions, my hand ached beyond belief, and I barely finished in time. Yet, I received an excellent score.

This year, I took the AP English Language and Composition exam in the modern way: with a keyboard and a computer screen. After three essays, my mind hurt, but my hand didn’t.

When I talked to my friends, I found that we each had different opinions on the usefulness of online exams. 

My friend with dyslexia had been able to read even less than usual. My friend with ADHD hadn’t been able to concentrate. Others weren’t able to type, so they were slower in the written portions. Contrarily, some loved the new way of doing things. I heard praise for fewer testing materials, quicker essays and easier work-checking.

This is why online testing is a double-edged sword. There are aspects of exams that work better online, and there are aspects that work better on paper. The problem is, what those aspects are depends on the person.

Flawed and cruel: the true identity of the death penalty

~ Eva Saraf ~ Leave a comment

The death penalty is many things, but for starters, it is flawed, expensive and defined by bias. Besides this, there is also the essential question of whether human beings deserve to kill. 

In 1989, Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and bestselling author of “Just Mercy” created the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) to provide “legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons.” Part of their mission is to challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment as well. 

“Just Mercy” follows the true story of Walter McMillian and how he was wrongly convicted of murdering a white woman in Alabama and sentenced to capital punishment. With the help of Bryan Stevenson and the EJI, McMillian’s innocence was proved with clear and frank evidence, but the book also follows the stories of other incarcerated individuals.

One of these individuals was Joe Sullivan, who was sentenced to die for a non-homicide crime he committed as a 13-year-old. Sullivan was finally released in 2017, 25 years after he was sentenced. The book also shed light to the issue of botched executions, especially with the use of lethal injections. According to a study conducted in 2024, 73 lethal injection executions were botched, which is just over 5% of those conducted since 1982. There is no doubt that the instances and statistics listed are painted in bias, as majority of the botched executions and unjust sentences are carried out on Black men. 

American society as a whole must look at the problem as it is and draw attention to the truth — the death penalty is unjust, cruel and adds no benefit to the safety of our country. How do we as human beings grant ourselves the right to end another person’s life? How do we allow retributive principles — a life for a life — to govern our justice system? This is not a justice system dedicated to justice. 

At the root of the problem is how little attention is given to this problem. It takes a significant accident to spark empty conversations dealing with the issues of mass incarceration. The leading thought is that these people truly did commit their crimes, so they deserve their punishment. 

The world discusses human rights concerns with civilians around the world, so shouldn’t the same rights apply to these prisoners? Let’s start with the most basic right, the right to life. 

Journalism is “dying” when it is needed most

~ chloejaneorton ~ Leave a comment

The world is falling apart and no one knows it.

Journalism is being ignored when it is needed most. To have freedom of the press is to have the freedom of information. Now more than ever, the public needs journalism. A new president means new policies and laws and it can be hard to stay informed. It’s a scary thing to not know what is going on in the world, let alone your own country. Protests, riots, wars, injustices and conflicts. These things are always happening. Every day, all the time, around the world. But not everyone knows. 

For example, many people are unaware of the many conflicts and wars going on in Africa. According to the Geneva Academy, there are more than 35 ongoing armed conflicts in Africa. There are also many who are or were unaware of the fact that the conflicts between Israel and Palestine began long before Oct. 7, 2023. 

One of the main purposes of journalism is to tell the truth and keep people informed. Staying informed is about knowing and understanding both sides of a story. Understanding both sides is extremely important, especially if you decide that you prefer one side because it is important to know what you stand for and what that means to yourself and others. If you don’t know and understand the details of what you are fighting for, how will you be able to properly plan for the outcome.

A good example of this is President Trump’s tariffs. While the purpose of this was to boost the American economy, it ended up raising some prices even more for businesses such as Mattel. According to AP News, “Company executives told analysts on a conference call that China currently accounts for 40% of Mattel’s global production”, and due to the fact that Trump’s imposed 145% tariffs on most of China’s products, Mattel has to raise their sale prices. 

Recently however, media outlets have come to realize that because of the great amount of time people spend on social media, it would be easier to share news with the public via social networks. BBC claims that roughly 54% of people get their news from social media platforms. Because of this, more people are becoming informed, however it could potentially mean the end of hand held paper news. 

With corruption and the need to consistently fact check our own president, journalism is essential to the people. Journalism allows people to be knowledgeable about the things that affect them, and if people don’t know what is going on, no one can move to make a difference. 

If journalism dies now, so will our rights. Stay informed, stay educated, understand both sides, so that we may all make a difference for the better. 

On the Other Hand

~ finleyaldred422 ~ Leave a comment

By: Finley Aldred

Have you ever been bothered by the right-handed desks at school? Annoyed at all the writing smudged on your hand? Had trouble using certain equipment like scissors, or can openers? Have you ever been drinking out of a mug and not able to see the design on the front while drinking? Gotten weird looks when you tell people what hand you write with? 

These are daily inconveniences that left-handed people such as myself run into while trying to navigate life on the outs.

Only 10% of the world is left-handed which shows that many people do not know what it is like to have challenges doing normal tasks that are much more difficult doing left-handed. But as a “lefty” myself I find myself being inconvenienced at school and items in my household not being accommodated for left-handed usage. 

As a kid, I never thought anything of it because my mom was also left handed. You never pay attention to it mainly because all you use your hands for is picking up toys and food. However, once I got into the public school district I began to see the issue of society catering to right- handed people. 

All throughout my years there has always been the struggles of desks. Most desks at my school have the chair attached to them by an armrest. That armrest just happens to be on the right-handed side. I find this inconvenient because while the rest of the class has no problem comfortably writing I have to be uncomfortable writing, smudging my paper without an arm rest. 

Spiral notebooks are also inconvenient because they are designed for right-handed use. They are often painful because as we write our hands are digging into the metal spiral. In the 20th century the invention of special notebooks for left-handed people were created. However because the consumer population of left-handed people is so low, they are not as commonly available and known to the public.

Another issue is the social aspect of being left-handed. Since it is so rare people are often always surprised and you can be looked at differently because of it. A few of my friends find me unusual or strange for how I manage living left-handed, but trust me it’s not easy or cool. In some cultures it can be seen as having a negative connotation. It can be seen that parents force their kids to write with their right hand because it is seen as more socially acceptable.

Even now I always get surprised when I meet another left-handed person because it is so uncommon. It is nice to be able to have a conversation with someone who is like me and experiences all of the same inconveniences in our day-to-day life. 

Being left-handed has given me plenty of frustrations and inconveniences in my life, but I feel like it has also made up a part of who I am as an individual. It makes me feel unique and it is always a conversation starter.

To all the left-handed people, just know you are not alone in the annoyance of daily life. There is a community of people who share the same experiences as us.

The Handmaid’s Tale: A glance into the future

~ Alli Kruczkowski ~ Leave a comment

The Handmaid’s Tale is a fictional piece of writing about a dystopian society where men control women’s choices of fertility. It’s feared that in the developing world, it’s slowly coming true.

A handmaid in the story was declared brain dead after losing too much blood, but she was pregnant at the time. In the fictional society, women were used to produce children and nothing else. So, they kept the handmaid alive as a human incubator until the child was developed enough to be born through a cesarean section and then the handmaid was finally allowed to die.

Meanwhile, this story happened right in my home state of Georgia. Adriana Smith is a 31-year-old woman who had been having headaches, but received medical attention for the issue. The next day, she was unable to breathe and her boyfriend called 911. Emory University Hospital reported that she had blood clots and she was brain-dead. At this time, she was eight weeks pregnant. 

Georgia’s abortion law is that after six weeks or when a fetal heartbeat is heard, an abortion cannot be performed. There are some exceptions, such as sexual abuse or incest. However, a police report must be filed before they have the abortion. They have 20 weeks to perform the abortion, but it is still very early on in pregnancy. Many women don’t realize that they’re six weeks pregnant until their menstrual cycle doesn’t repeat. By the time most women realize, it’s too late to get a legal abortion. Some women, in fear of being persecuted, take abortion into their own hands. One woman attempted an abortion herself by taking a lethal amount of painkillers, and she didn’t get medical help because of her fear of being jailed. In Ohio, they have a similar six week ban; a 10-year-old had gone to get an abortion, but she was denied due to being six weeks and three days pregnant. Many women who seek abortions don’t have the resources to take care of a child or it’s too dangerous for them to continue with the pregnancy.

As a 14-year-old girl, this is terrifying to grow up into. When I listen to the women in my family berate these women who wish to not have children, it’s appalling. Victims of sexual abuse are overshadowed and told that they have more grace with a 20 week period. Not everyone has the resources to file a police report or to find out about the pregnancy early on. It sickens me even further when I hear that it is always the woman’s fault. All we can do is protest and fight for the rights that we deserve instead of allowing state lawmakers to control when and how we can get abortions. 

When a fictional dystopian society slowly starts to become real, it’s bone chilling. I believe that women should have the rights to their own bodies instead of being told what to do.

Opinion Story

~ maggieliu667 ~ Leave a comment

I’m not a politician or a policy expert; however, I’m someone who believes that no one in this country should have to suffer or die because they can’t afford to see a doctor. It’s simple: healthcare should be a universal right in the United States.

I’ve watched people I care about delay treatment because they didn’t have insurance. I’ve seen people on the news refuse medication, avoid emergency rooms, and live with chronic pain, all because the cost of care was too high. These are not rare experiences; they are everyday realities for millions of Americans. A 2022 survey found that 22% of Americans have delayed seeking healthcare due to the associated costs.

Other countries, who have fewer resources, have figured this out. Universal healthcare systems across Europe, Canada and beyond don’t bankrupt their citizens for getting sick. They don’t link health coverage to employment. They treat healthcare as a public good, a human right, not a profit machine. Their people are healthier while the citizens of The United States deteriorate. They worry less about whether they can afford to get the help they need.

Opponents often say it would cost too much, but we already spend more than any other developed country on healthcare—by far—and get worse outcomes. The real cost is in the state of affairs: people avoiding doctors, diseases going untreated, lives cut short. We pay for this every day with our money and with our humanity.

I understand change isn’t easy, but it’s frustrating to hear that universal healthcare is unrealistic. What’s unrealistic is continuing down this path, where health is treated like a luxury and insurance companies dictate care.

Health is a human right, and whether one gets treatment shouldn’t be determined by how much money they have. More importantly, care should be determined by doctors who are invested in the health of their patients, not insurance companies whose sole purpose is to make money.

Literacy rates falling for elementary children

~ andrewdavis1029 ~ Leave a comment

by Andrew Davis
Campbell High School

Reading is a staple of early elementary education. It’s something that we learn so early on, we do it without thinking. It’s what people have known how to do it for years and maybe even decades. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for younger generations to be unable to read. Literacy rates among children around the country are falling, and rapidly.

This problem is prevalent in upper elementary school. According to an article from the National Center of Education Statistics, 67% of children in fourth grade read under the standard level. Children entering fourth grade around 9 to 10 years of age being behind the curve might never catch up.

These children contribute to the eventual 8,000 kids a day that drop out of high school. The number of academically at-risk kids will only grow larger if the problem isn’t fixed.

Photo by Jonathan Borba

34% of children entering kindergarten do not have the skills needed to read. Lacking in these skills may turn out poorly for these children in the future.

The inability to read is affecting these children very much. The children that are lacking now will become the adults that are lacking in the future. According to researchers, 21% of American adults have low literacy skills that are close to, if not illiteracy.

These statistics are worryingly low for a generation of people that have access to almost any book they could want. Reading has become increasingly accessible to everyone through apps and websites such as Kindle and Scholastic. as As more people gain access to resources such as these, literacy rates should be increasing.

“The reason for the lack of expert readers in elementary school is because of the expectations of the school board, requiring teachers to push students to the next grade level without meeting the minimum requirements,” said Jemila Davis, an elementary school teacher.

School teachers are being encouraged to move on the students rather than make sure they learn what they need to. This is causing the children to miss out on information they need to know, for the sake that they can finish school “on time.”

If teachers and administration take necessary steps, we can improve our education system in general.