What to do...

As many of the Glenbrook North health class students know, sex ed is now our new topic for the next couple weeks. The other day, our class had a guest speaker come into our class to talk to us about birth control, and how to prevent pregnancy and STDs. But there has been some controversial ideas about the teachers teaching us the lessons about preventind pregnancy. Although they do tell us that abstinence is the only 100% way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, are they saying it's ok to be having sex in high school? Are they saying it's ok to engage in an activity with another that is actually illegal when we're under the age of 18? But at the same time, maybe they are doing the right thing by trying to prevent bad things of happening when some people actually do these things. So which one is right? I'm still not even sure. I agree with both sides of the idea, but can't figure out a way to make both sides happy.

An example of where this actually occured was Jamie Lynn Spears. She got pregnant a while ago by her boyfriend and is now caring for her own child-- while she's still a teenager! So how did this happen? Is it from her not being well educated enough about birth control or is it from not being informed it was an illegal and wrong act when she's under the age of 18? There's no real telling the answer to that, but I think people should understand both sides- that sex is illegal when one or both partners are under the age of 18, and what birth control to use. Although one baby seemed like enough for Jamie Lynn, magazines say she is pregnant again, but not yet sure of what to do. It seems crazy to me that this could be happening to her again. But I guess it's all about choice, weather it was your choice to have a baby or not. Make sure you're informed before you do something!

Magic in a Word

What comes to your mind when I say the word, Twilight? An amazing book? Stephenie Meyer? A beautiful actor in the new hit movie? No matter what comes to mind, it's always something. Almost everyone, at least at school, has at least heard of this movie. Becoming the number 1 movie in America, a very popular movie among girls of all ages, this hit book and movie has swept the nation, and the main character, Edward Cullen, has become a household name. When I first began reading the book, even I couldn't put it down, and I'm not a big fan of reading! So what makes this book so unbelievably amazing?
Twilight is enriched with suspense in each compelling word. The end of each chapter is a cliffhanger that just falls into the next chapter, and this makes it almost impossible to put it down. This incredible suspense mixed in with romance, action, and the twist that the main character being a vampire brings to the story, makes up for a bestseller. Although I will admit, the book and movie are both pretty cheesy, but reading the book is not time wasted. I believe Stephenie Meyer does a great job of making the reader feel the same way as a character in her book, which compells the reader even more. Twilight, which used to simply be a word to describe the time of day around dusk and nightfall, now brings magic into the air when spoken, and gives us the hope to believe anything is possible.

Beauty- It's All Around Us

New technology is being created each and every day, and most of the time teenagers are getting so caught up in it that many other things are being left in the dust. Focus, for example- we can never be doing one thing at once because we're texting someone else, or IMing someone on the computer. Sometimes this makes it difficult to appreciate good and beautiful things in life. We're going by and seeing things but not actually looking. This is something that I started to think about this year, and especially after Mrs. Gallagher's story about her best friend from school when she was our age who died years later. She said that he had done everything 100%, and it made me realize that we really need to take in what we see, and appreciate it.
I've loved photography ever since I was little, and still love going out and taking pictures, but now I'm really loving it because I'm appreciating the beauty in everything I see. It's taken me a while to fully realize what I'm photographing, or actually see how beautiful it is. But now I think I finally get it. These pictures of flowers in this post I have taken at the Botanic Gardens, and even just walking there in the gorgeous gardens takes my breath away. Even if I never get a professional photography job or anything, I'll be happy if I touch a single person with the beauty of the things I'm photographing.
Nature is a gift to us in and of itself, and so often we take for granted even an old Oak tree we pass on the way to school, or the garden in the backyard that it seems like our parents will never stop adding to. But really, we should be admiring and taking care of the beautiful world we live in, and photography is a great way to share with people the beauty that is all around us.

Odysseus Who?

When I mention the name Odysseus, pretty much every sophomore knows exactly who I'm talking about. He's that guy who were reading an a million page book on for what we think is no reason at all. But what's the story behind teachers choosing this book, The Odyssey, to read for us?
In my opinion, we shouldn't have to spend hours and hours active reading, memorizing characters' names, and writing essays on a book of mythology written so many years ago. To me it seems pointless. But when I actually thought about it a little bit further, through the mind of a teacher, it made complete sense. This book, rich in poetry, information, and adventure, was written by an author named Homer at the end of the 8Th Century B.C.! It seems a bit crazy that this man, so far back in history, could write something so long and intricate.
As well as the knowledgable language he is writing in, the content in his book is also a wonder in and of itself. The type of writing in his book, mythology, is something very complex yet something very interesting as well. Myths change and are added to while they're passed along the years, and they're created for religious reasons, entertainment, help to live lives, and for moral examples. They help people for many different reasons, so in a way this book, The Odyssey is our little time machine back to the ancient Greek times.
Without this book, how would we know today what people belived in and looked up to so many years ago? Without this book, a huge chunk of Greek culture vanishes. So we read this book to learn about Greek culture, and to avoid the question, "Odysseus who?"

Jesus Freaks

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Christians? Crazy? God- obsessed? Jesus freaks? Although these stereotypes are ones that many people think accurately describe people who follow the religion of Christianity, we’re normal just like anyone else. In high school especially, this topic has really touched my heart because I, myself, am a Christian, and firmly believe in the teachings I follow. I’ve actually been made fun of for reading the bible, going to youth group every Sunday, and even for just being the minister’s daughter! The truth behind it all, though, is that we have our reasons, and they’re good ones too!
I feel very passionate about the beautiful religion I follow and wish people could see it the way I do. Our religion is based off of the life of a Jewish man named Jesus, who lived around the year 3 A.D., and who, as the son of God, set the example for Christians in the future to base their lives off of. Many of the values and morals we cling to are some that “good people” who may be atheists or that come from a different religion follow as well. Once again, we’re not that different! Examples of these values are love for everyone including enemies, honesty, trust, peace, fairness, not stealing, etc. We read passages from the bible that help us to better understand these values, why we need to follow them, and how we can better carry them out into our daily lives.
One of the greatest mysteries and most amazing sacrifices ever to happen in the history of the bible was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most confusing stories to understand, but the moral of the story is a sentence that describes God’s extreme love for us. In the book of John, chapter 3 verse 16,it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In this passage it describes how if we simply believe in God that we’ll live forever in paradise with him! It might just be me, but I think that sounds like a dream come true. Wouldn’t everyone want to live forever in a care free world in paradise with the greatest God they could ever imagine? When you think of it that way, us Christians don’t seem that crazy. If someone thinks of Christians as people who are striving to live a good life so that we can please our amazing Lord and so we can be rewarded in heaven with eternal happiness, we don’t seem like such Jesus freaks after all.