Moeller+Phase+III+Local+Challenges

Read how our team members are planning to change the world.
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Phase III Table and Links comments ||= Laura's comments ||= Victoria's comments ||= Tia's comments ||= Matt's comments ||= Aaron's comments ||= Emilia's comments ||= Sunny's comments ||
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 * = Elizabeth M.  ||= recycling ||= link ||= I can see a connection between my local issue and Matt's. Matt recognized that litter along the roads in his community is a issue that must be dealt with. Matt explained that the litter can reach the lakes and oceans, thus damaging ocean and marine life. In my community, I believe that the lack of recycling may lead to environmental damage as well. ||= Conservation of resources is a serious global issue. Matt and Sunny both raised related concerns. I think it will be one of the greatest challenges of our generation and the next. I love the recycling project you did with the art teacher. I think this is an outreach to the community as well. When parents, grandparents, and visitors come into your school they will see this symbol of your students' commitment to preserving our environment. ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Laura F. ==== ||= ====declining reading rates==== ||= ====link==== ||= Unfortunately, I believe that this issue extends beyond our local community. As an educator, it is devastating to see so many children ignore reading in favor of television and video games. As a child, I enjoyed reading books because I was able to use my imagination and explore with the characters. Unfortunately, students today think they use their imagination when they watch a television show. I like your idea of starting an E - Reader program. I know that the students would enjoy reading texts on a Kindle or on an iPad. Additionally, you could have "Family Literacy Nights" at your school.

In my school, the AIG program has 10 Kindles for their classes. Additionally, the third, fourth, and fifth grades each have an iPad cart. While I don't believe they are using the iPads especially for reading, I can see them being utilized for reading in the future. ||= I see connections between my issue Tia's, Ksenia's and Valentin's. A person's education and reading ability has a significant impact on a his ability to find a quality job and provide adequate income for their family. I also see some connection with Victoria's bullying topic. In my school I see that students who can't read well are treated differently and looked down on by student on or above grade level. Providing them with technology to help improve their reading could improve their social standing. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Victoria H. ==== ||= ====bullying==== ||= ====link==== ||= Unfortunately, bullying is an issue throughout our country and beyond. Recently, my school system has created a "Tip Line" for students, parents, and staff members to report bullying. This was created after a terrible incident at one of our local high schools. Like you, I often feel like there is "nothing I can do." However, as a teacher, I believe it is my responsibility to set a positive example for my students and to always listen to my students. In your community, I think you could start a school wide initiative to prevent bullying. Perhaps you could form a club? If you have a guidance counselor at your school, he or she could be "in charge" of the club. This may be a good outlet for students to share their concerns and ideas of how to prevent bullying. ||= Bullying is a problem in the schools where I live also. I know it can seem like there is nothing you can do to combat the issue, but I think if individuals take a stand in their group of friends it can change the culture. Defend other students when they are being bullied and let an adult know if the incidents are ongoing. Maybe you could make anti-bullying signs to hang in your school or invite a speaker from the public service program you mentioned to come speak at your school. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Malia M. ==== ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Jesse M. ==== ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Tia Y. ==== ||= ====homelessness==== ||= ====link==== ||= The image that you shared with the group is unbelievable. I am very impressed that you are taking an active role and volunteering at a local shelter. I admire your strength and your courage! I agree with Laura, I think that you should encourage some of your friends to volunteer with you. This will help raise their awareness to the problem in your community. The connection that you made to the economy is heartbreaking. In my local community, I see that as an issue as well. It is a struggle for many people to survive and provide for their families due to the rising cost of shelter, food, and other necessities. ||= Your statistics on homelessness in Hawaii are very compelling. Your active role in volunteering in a shelter will certainly make a difference. Perhaps you can inspire some of your friends to come with you to help the homeless and raise your friends' awareness of the problem also. The connection of homelessness to the job market is very insightful. Valentin from Russia is also concerned about employment issues. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||= Wow! i had no idea so many people in Hawaii were homless. You were exactly right when you said people think of Hawaii they think of paradise. That's exactly what i thought! Your pictures of Hawaii are super pretty and i love to look at them. ||=   ||
 * = ==== Matt S. ==== ||= ====litter==== ||= ====link==== ||= Like Laura, I am impressed to hear that your school is actively involved in "cleaning up" the roads. This is a wonderful idea that I would love to share with the schools in my community. To combat this issue, I would like to see you share this idea with other schools in your community. I know that projects like this instill a strong sense of pride among students and ownership of their community. ||= It's great to hear that your school is taking an active role in cleaning up litter. I think that improves the situation in two ways: the roads you clean up are litter free and everyone who participates is less likely to throw garbage out of their car in the future. You mentioned the effect litter can have on the ocean near the coast, which reminded me of the negative effect litter can have on the water supply inland which can affect many neighboring communities. Sunny is concerned about this issue in China also. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Aaron I. ==== ||= ====distracted driving==== ||= ====link==== ||= Like Laura, this issue concerns me as well. Unfortunately, I believe that drivers are too attached to their cell phones to pay attention to the road. Recently, one of our local communities, Chapel Hill, created a ban on cell phone use while driving. Unfortunately, I do not believe that will solve the problem of distracted driving. As a high school student, I recommend that you raise awareness of this issue in your school. You may be able to arrange for a presentation by the local police department. Last year, I noticed that they had a heart - breaking display of the effects of distracted driving at the North Carolina State Fair. ||= Aaron this is an issue that is of great concern to me also. Perhaps you could borrow an idea from Sunny, our team member in China, and make posters to raise awareness among your school community. It is certainly a global problem. I found a report from the World Health Organnization describing its impact across the world. (You can Google 'distracted driving global' to find the report.) Another effect of the problem is rising insurance rates resulting from the accidents caused by distracted driving. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Emilia M. ==== ||= ====overcrowded schools==== ||= ====link==== ||= Unfortunately, I believe that overcrowded schools is a problem that will continue to increase in the future. Due to the increase of budget cuts, classrooms in our neighborhoods are hit the hardest. In my school, we will lose 10% of our teaching positions this year. While it doesn't seem like much, I know that it will lead to greater classroom sizes next year. With a greater class size, teachers are unable to effectively educate their students. I like your idea of writing a letter to your local school board members. Students voices need to be heard, and I know that this will help you accomplish that task! ||= Overcrowding s a serious problem that has many effects. Research shows that overcrowded classrooms lead to less personal attention from teachers and ultimately lower graduation rates. This can affect unemployment rates in the community, because adults without high school diplomas are much more likely to be unemployed. Teachers are also less likely to be aware of problems between students and bullying could go unnoticed. I think your idea to write Wake County officials is excellent. Well written student input carries great influence with school board members. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Ksenia I. ==== ||= job opportunities ||= link ||= This is a problem that I see in the United States as well. Due to the current economic crisis, many college graduates are having a difficult time finding employment. It is very heart - breaking for me to see my friends work so hard during college, and then struggle to find employment. I like your suggestion of "trying not to lose the opportunities given to you." Instead of feeling defeated, individuals need to continue to pursue opportunities. I like Laura's idea of working with your school to create a program that educates and prepares students for the job search. I know that North Carolina State University offers programs like that for their upcoming graduates. ||= Making the transition from school to work is definitely challenging. I think your suggestions for how to tackle the problem are very good. To help others with this problem perhaps you could work with your school to create a program that prepares students for the challenge of looking for a job. Your issue is directly related to the Valentin's unemployment topic. High unemployment rates make the transition from school to work even harder. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Valentin S. ==== ||= unemployment ||= link ||= I like how you mentioned that "unemployment is a problem for the entire world." The effects of unemployment and global competition will continue to play a role in the future of each nations workforce. Like Laura mentioned, I believe that there are many different things that you can do before you become the President of the Russian Federation. For example, you could work with local universities to create programs that inform students of the job opportunities that are available to them when they graduate. Too often, I think that students don't know where to "look" for employment, therefore they get discouraged. ||= Unemployment and global competition for jobs is an issue that I have been reading about in my college course in the US also. I think there are many things you can do to help even before you become the President of the Russian Federation. As economies become more globalized, the less skilled jobs move to countries with lower wages. However, countries with a more educated workforce can find more jobs for their highly skilled labor force. If you connect your issue of unemployment with better education (mine) and helping students know how and where to find jobs (Ksenia's issue) it could help reduce unemployment. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Evgeny D. ==== ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Moxin "Sunny" C . ==== ||= ====environmental pollution==== ||= ====link==== ||= Pollution is an environmental issue that affects our entire planet. Unfortunately, Mother Earth can not take the abuse of her population. I like your idea of creating a "Green Group" with your friends and other community members. In your group, you could raise awareness of the importance of reducing use, reusing materials, and recycling products. Additionally, you could create informational posters that share the effects of pollution with others. I see this as an issue in my local community as well. ||= Pollution of our environment is a problem that affects everyone on our planet. I like your idea about making posters to promote recycling and taking care of the environment. If we raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage more people to be involved in solving the problem we will improve it. Your issue is directly connected to Elizabeth's and Matt's in North Carolina. Perhaps you could organize students to clean up a certain area as Matt's school does. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Mehlika K. ==== ||= Poor language skills ||= link ||= In your local community, the younger population does not speak proper Turkish. I notice a similar problem in my local community. In the age of "texting," I believe that many young students and even young adults, have discussions like they are "texting." I often shake my head in disgust as I hear young children talking in the hallways. I agree that this is a problem that needs to be addressed. I would like to hear what the other members in our group have to say about this. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Will Cl ==== ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = ==== Katie G. ==== ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||
 * = Gwenyth L. ||=  ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||=   ||