Can Sports Aid Student Success?

There are all sorts of movies based on high school sports teams. Many of them potray most of the athlete's as being well-liked, popular, and successful on the field. What they don't show is the other side of being a student athlete, which is balancing your school work.

Sports definately benefit athletes in a physical aspect but they also benefit the students in the classroom and socially. Being on a team allows students to identify with a group of people and build a bond with them. I was a student athlete in high school and I know that the girls who were part of my team became like family, during the season and offseason. You end up spending so much time with them, practicing everyday after school, traveling to games, and having team get togethers that you build such a bond that it lasts even after the seasons over.

Sports allow students to become more disciplined. The rigourous schedules of practices, workouts, and games forces students to have better time management so they are able to stay on top of their school work. Other students who do not have a strict schedule to go by often put off assignments knowing they will have time to do it. Statistics show that kids who are involved in sports while in high school are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school. Also students motor skills, strategic thinking, and even math skills are improved by playing sports. Students develop strategic thinking as they figure out plays and the best way to get around a player or score a goal. Math skills are used as they calculate scores and stats.

They also develop discpline in having respect for their bodies. It has been researched that students athletes are less likey to do drugs, or drink alcohol becuase they know the consequences are much more for them. They face all the same penalties as non-athletes and on top of that they have to deal with letting down their teammates, and most likely being suspended or kicked off the team.

I believe that playing sports is very beneficial to students. Not only is it great for their bodies, it also builds their self-confidence and it can be a great release of stress. So many doors open up for students athletes, espceially those who excel in a sport. College recruits can offer full scholarships to honorable schools if they want you to come play for them.

http://http//fitness.families.com/blog/kid-fitness-a-guide-for-physical-activity

http://http//www.ask.com/bar?q=Benefits+of+Playing+High+School+Sports&page=1&qsrc=6&zoom=Health+%3CKW%3EBenefits+of+Playing+Sports%3C%2FKW%3E%7C%3CKW%3EBenefits%3C%2FKW%3E+of+Teens+%3CKW%3EPlaying+Sports%3C%2FKW%3E%7C%3CKW%3EBenefits+of+Playing%3C%2FKW%3E+Team+%3CKW%3ESports%3C%2FKW%3E&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fparenting.families.com%2Fblog%2F10-benefits-of-playing-sports

D.A.R.E Funding

Studies show that there has been steady increase in drug and alcohol use and the acceptance of drugs is also becoming more and more common. There has also been a major increase in violence, especially among juveniles. Lately, Boston has been on the news numerous times with more violent crimes and has been coming down under public scrutiny for the rapid increasing rate.

Due to this, the program D.A.R.E was founded in 1983 in order to provide kids with the information and skills on how to live a drug free and violence free lives. D.A.R.E, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a collaboration between local law enforcement and schools which teaches students about the personal and social consequence about substance abuse and violence. Since 1983, the program has had multiple revisions as research has discovered increased knowledge of effective substance abuse prevention. Millions of children in the U.S. in more than 300,000 classrooms have experienced the D.A.R.E program. There are also 43 other countries who are involved with the D.A.R.E program. More than 50,000 law enforcement officers are trained and certified to teach in the program.



Although D.A.R.E has helped millions of young children, the program is not funded by the government. The material and the instructors training is provided by D.A.R.E America, which is a non-profit organization. Less than one percent of D.A.R.E America's budget comes from federal sources. There are also many grants that are used to fund the program, Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Money is the most popular one. Another source of funds is Safe and Drug Free Schools. The D.A.R.E website suggests that you "can't find grant funds for D.A.R.E, find them for something else and then maybe money in your regular budget will free up." Schools are struggling so much that this statement seems almost impossible. Sports programs, music, and art programs are all being cut and schools are still struggling to cover their expenses.



I understand that the government is struggling right now and is handing out billions of dollars to businesses but I believe that the D.A.R.E program should be funded by the government. States across the country are having to cut the program. New York, Illinois, Washington, and numerous other states have had to cut the programs. I remember going through the program in 5th grade and the officer, Officer Daugherty, was in charge of our cities program had a major effect on so many kids lives. She knew each one of our names and if she ran into us out in the neighborhood years down the road doing something wrong, you got such a motherly speech from her, that showed she genuinely cared. Who knows how many lives she changed and had an effect on and I'm sure kids in all different states each had their own Officer Daugherty that changed their lives and to see the program end after 26 years because of a bad economy is not a good enough excuse for me, especially since it is effective.



http://www.dare.com/home/InsideDAREAmerica/Story43fd.asp?N=InsideDAREAmerica&S=13&S=28

Should Sex Education be Taught In Schools?

In early 2004, a poll was taken to end the debate about whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. The poll revealed that only 7 percent of Americans believed that sex ed. should not be taught in schools. So, the next question would be, "What exactly should we be teaching in these sex education classes?" The poll also discovered that there was little debate about what kind of sex education should be taught. Parents are content with whatever their child's school decides to offer and principals are reporting that there has been little or no debate in PTA, school board, or other public meetings about what should be taught.

Sex education was originally about teaching children about avoiding pregnancies and keeping themselves protected against sexually transmitted diseases, but now the poll has revealed that many parents are more concerned about the effects of sexual activity on their child's psyche. But 55 percent of Americans believe that information about how to obtain and use condoms should be taught. They do not think that this will encourage intercourse, just simply encourage them to do it safely when the time comes around.

Sex is everywhere you can't turn on the television or the radio without hearing or seeing some type of sexual references. Throughout the years the censorship on both the TV and the radio has been rapidly decreasing which allows young children exposure to such topics. Kids love to talk and share what they heard and what they have been told by others and learning about sex education in this way can be harmful for a child. That is why I also agree that sex ed should be taught in schools. With the proper education and the right information being shared with students, it may encourage and help them with making better and more knowledgeable decisions when it comes to sex.

The reason I choose this topic was because in my senior year of high school sex ed was still a touchy subject. All we were taught was one class on STD's and our teacher explained that he could get into trouble if he was caught speaking too in depth about topics concerning sex education. This survey was taken in 2004 and with such a large support of teaching sex ed in schools, why is it still such a tabu subject?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610

About Me

Hi Everyone!

Well here is the first offical post for my online education class. I've never had a blog before so the first few may be a little rough around the edges but hopefully I'll get the hang of it quickly. To introduce myself, my names Danielle. I grew up in Medford, but have lived in Salem for the past three years now with two of my best friends. I'm currently a senior at Salem State studying accounting and taking this education class as an elective. I'm hoping to walk in graduation this year and finish two classes over the summer. I work full-time at a bank, part-time for a restaurant paying their bills, and I'm a full-time student, so things can get a little overwhelming at times. A few months ago I bought a puppy who also adds to the demanding schedule but I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is a little beagle/bulldog mix named Charlie. I love sports; baseball, hockey, football, softball, I'll even watch golf and tennis if it's on TV. I'm a true Yankees fan, there's no going back and forth between them and another team when they aren't doing so well. But that is the only sport where I turn my back on Boston, other than that I love the Pats, Bruins, BC. I play on two summer league softball teams, and I also use to coach a JV high school softball team. That was probably the only experience I've had with structured teaching and I loved it. I was teaching girls who had the same passion I did for softball, skills and techniques that could help make them a better player and person both on and off the field. Watching the team succeed was worth more than any amount of money. I'm hoping to be able to coach in the future when my schedule allows me to do so, so I'm hoping this class will teach me with some techniques that I could use in a coaching setting as well as a classroom setting.