Eating Rituals~

Ever since I was little, I can distinctly remember my family and I sitting around the dining room table, together, eating dinner, every night.  This used to be my favorite time of the day, because it was there that I could discuss (in full detail) what I had done that day, who I had talked to and what grade I had gotten on my math or my spelling quiz.  I remember this is the time when my Dad would come home from work, and I would get to talk and play with him as well. Now that I am older, it has become more of a struggle to have regular, sit-down family dinners for various reasons, such as sports and homework.  There have been times when I have resented my Mom for making me sit down for family dinner because of other things I would have much rather been doing, however, now that I am not able to eat dinner with my family regularly, I miss being able too.  Family dinners provide not only a way for parents to question their children with questions about their lives, it is also a time where families are given the ability to connect and establish a stable family dynamic in their home.

Studies have shown that there are many health benefits to having nightly family dinners.  Among these include: Children who have family dinners on a regular basis reduce their chances of  taking drugs, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco and, children with families that eat dinner together are more likely to consume more foods that are nutritious, and therefore less likely to become overweight.  However, these same studies have been able to find many more emotional benefits to having regular family dinners.  Several benefits that were found include: Families who choose to have regular family dinners often enable the children to develop stronger connections to the parents; Children who grew up in households that valued regular family dinners tend to associate those family dinners with having a stable home environment, therefore making it easier for children to make more stable choices in pertains to friends, and who they associate themselves with.

In conclusion, the benefits of having regular family dinners go far beyond those of nutrition and health.  Providing children with the opportunity to sit down with their families once a night helps to reduce feelings of instability, and also opens up doors for them to discuss with their parents issues that might be taking place in their lives.  With that being said, as children get older and become more engaged with extracurricular activities (and more swamped with homework), the opportunities to have family dinners become limited.  However, it is important to remember all of the benefits that can come out of having family meals, and therefore it is important to take the chance to have a family dinner whenever you are able to.

Sources:
http://www.superhealthykids.com/healthy-kids-recipes/10-benefits-to-eating-family-dinner.php
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/12/why-eating-family-meals-together-is-still-important-today/

A Pursuit for Justice~

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  This quote was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a letter that he wrote from Birmingham Jail.  His point in writing this letter was to, among other reasons, address the hard-pressing issue of the discrimination of the African American population in the United States during the nineteen hundreds.  However, this quote has proven to be applicable in modern day issues.  The unjust treatment of people happens everyday in every country, and this decision to mistreat others often influences those around us, and can lead to the discrimination of even more people.  In essence, this quote tells us that until injustice stops completely, just treatment for everyone else is constantly being threatened.   

This quote was particularly moving because upon reading it, I was immediately reminded of several current world issues to which this quote could apply.  A good example of this would be the Middle East. When we look at what has become known as the Arab Spring, it becomes apparent that when one group of people calls for a cease to injustice, that voice then echos in many other countries and civil wars and massacres follow. In relation to the quote, the injustice from one country has over time threatened and influenced that of others, thus we have rioting populations fighting for the return of what they believe to be just.  The injustice that we see in the Middle East is not often directed at just one group.  Often times, injustice is thrown upon women, religious minorities, ethnic minorities, people who support a political power that is in contrast to the one set up, and also the poor.  This shows us an example of what the quote is saying.  As fighting continues to take place in the Middle East, more people are given more reasons to hate and suppress more people, so the injustice that was cast upon one group can also spur the unjust treatment of another.

Everyone is sensitive to the concept of ‘justice’.  Americans often go berserk when they feel like they have been treated unjustly by anyone, whether it’s a salesman, the president or even another country.  However, most everyone has at least once treated someone unjustly (by cheating off of a classmates test, by not letting someone sit with you at lunch because they were ‘uncool’, by gossiping about someone, etc.).  This is slightly ironic because we often expect to be treated justly, but find no need to treat others justly in return.  Part of what makes Dr. King’s quote so powerful is, that it challenges us to analyze our actions and treatment of others, and encourages us to stop injustice even in our own lives. By doing this, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to personally touch everyone with this single quote, and inspire us to seek and give justice in every aspect of our lives.

The Banning & Challenging of Books~

It is hard for literature teachers to give their students the best education that they can, while constantly having to worry about how the students, and their parents, will respond to the reading material that they choose. Each student comes from a home that may have different ideas on what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in regards to reading materials.  There are many reasons that families and schools challenge, and even ban books.  First of all, approximately 1/3 of the books challenged in the last decade were challenged on the basis of including sexulay inappropriate content.  Several books that were challenged for sexual content include Alice Walker's "The Color Purple", Toni Morrison’s  “Beloved”, John Steinbeck’s “Grapes Of Wrath” and Allen Ginsberg “Howl”.  Another prominent reason for the banning and challenging of books includes violence.  Over 1/4 of all book challenges include that the book being challenged was to violent for students to read.  Books that have been challenged due to the appearance of violence include Lois Lowry’s “The Giver”, Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” and Richard Wright’s “Native Son”.  A third reason for why people wish to ban books is because it is believed that the book that was read includes magic, sorcery or demonic aspects (usually argued as occultism).  Surprisingly, the “Harry Potter Series” by J.K. Rowling was one of the most challenged books based off of this reason.  “The Lord of The Rings Series” by J.R.R Tolkien was another that was attempted to be removed from both schools and libraries for its sorcery and ‘demonic aspects.  There are many other reasons that people use to challenge and ban books, such as for Religious reasons, the appearance of homosexuality, and substance abuse.  However, no matter what the reason for the challenging of a book, the main reason behind it is typically for the better good of student.  Parents challenge books more than any other group of people. The reason behind this is that they are trying to protect students from ‘dangerous’ or ‘corrupting’ content.  The American Library Association states that, “Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from ‘inappropriate’ sexual content or ‘offensive’ language.’” .  However, this brings up the question of, what benefits could there be for the student to read ‘racy’ or ‘edgy’ books while in school?

One of the largest driving points for being able to teach and read controversial material in the classroom is that of developing critical thinking skills. Procon.org sates that, “Learning and discussing controversial issues in school helps students become more informed and more active citizens”.  The reading and discussing of controversial books enables students to grasp a better understanding of the world around them.  No matter what time period the book was written in, students are able to understand how social and political problems come to be, as well as how conflicts grow (and how they can spiral out of control) through reading them.  Aside from this, students who read controversial books become less ‘sheltered’.  While this can be argued as both good and bad, these books can help to prepare them for what the world will look like after they leave the safety of home, and go off on their own. It is argued that the world is not a censored place, therefore neither should the books that students be allowed to read. The more they know and understand about the world, the better prepared they will be to live in it.

With little knowledge of people and issues going on around you, it is easy to develop stereotypes and bias.  For example, we know the story of how European settlers conquered the Americas, and how they trampled all over the natives and reigned victorious in the end.  It is easy to look at that and view the Europeans as the heroes, conquerors and perseveres that took what belonged to them.  However, through reading the documents that have been found written by Native Americans at that time, one is introduced to the utter horrors that were inflicted upon them by the Europeans.  These documents and stories may be looked at as inappropriate because they include sexual harassment, violence, paganism (native religions) and other aspects that can easily be deemed as inappropriate for students.  However, by reading these, the bias that we built up is broken down and we gain a better understanding of history.  Another example includes the stereotype that all Arabs/Middle Easterners are ‘terrorists”. If we are able to read primary sources of civilians that are caught up in the middle of the conflict that consumes that area of the world, we can see that the ‘terrorists’ make up a very small part of the population. Of course these stories too can also be seen as to violent or to inappropriate to be read by students.  By banning reading materials, students are not given the opportunity to develop well thought out judgments of the world, and they are not given a strong chance to break down the stereotypes and bias they have created.

In conclusion, there are many reasons used to challenge and ban books, and many believe that they are doing it for the greater good of children and students.  However, when a book is banned, the knowledge that a student is able to obtain through reading becomes more limited, and their knowledge when the time comes for them to go out on their own is lacking.  Books, no matter what the content can be helpful to students by both helping them develop critical thinking and understanding.  While the topic of reading content will continue to be an issue, students should be prepared to face deep issues (such as those presented in books) in life, and by reading uncensored books, they will be able to gain the information they need to be able to face this.

Citation:
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/censorship/bannedbooksthatshapedamerica
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/top-10-challenging-book.htm

About Me~

I'm Mikaela Malouf~
   I'm 16 years old and I'm a junior, and this is my first year at SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I moved to Colorado a little over two months ago, and before that I lived in Seattle, Washington for six years.  I have also lived in Scottsdale, Arizona and the Sacramento area of California.  I love the sunshine and the warmth of Colorado, and so far I have really enjoyed living here.  I live with my Mom (who is a professional photographer), My Dad (who is computer programmer/web designer), and my younger brother. I play on the girls varsity volleyball team for SkyView and besides that, I really love to dance.  I love to travel and I love to move to new places and I love trying new things.  My family is mainly Arabic and Ukrainian, and I would like to live in the Middle East someday.  I'm very exited for this year at school, and I hope it will turn out great!