Journal entry number 4 of remote learning

Journal entry number 4:

Today is Wednesday April 15th, a green day for all the students of New Trier. This means we have periods 5-9. It has felt like we have been in quarantine forever and I have been feeling really bored with myself and I am running out of ideas. For fun today my family and I raked our yard and all the leaves in the backyard. We put the leaves in 8 different yard bags and worked for over an hour. My mom has been putting us to work by cleaning the house and yard as often as we can. My mom is very eager for us to get outside as well, so today I threw a tennis ball against the garage for around 30 minutes which was fun for me to be active because that is definitely something I have not been doing as much as I should.

So how much longer will this whole quarantine be is what the entire world is asking. Personally I think that it will be at least another month. The safety of everyone is far more important and cases are still happening. In fact, on the news I saw there was a nursing home in Joliet that had 23 deaths. Joliet is fairly close to us and it just shows there are still many cases happening. We need to wait for this whole thing to be over to go outside in my opinion. My physics teacher believes it will be pushed back even farther until May 15th and I agree if not even longer. Obviously this is tough for everyone and everyone just wants it to go back to normal but i'm not sure that's happening anytime soon.

Journal Entry Number 3 of Remote Learning

Journal Entry Number 3: 

Today is April 9th and it is sunny out but a little cold outside. I was watching T.V when I watched a commercial offering advice to deal with the corona virus. It was a commercial that was complete silence that stated “the world is a loud place right now, you need silence”, I thought this was very fascinating. Technology has made an extraordinary impact on my daily life. It's funny to think that without technology and internet connection we wouldn't be able to have school. That's why technology has made such a big impact on my life and all the students at New Triers, as well, that's why there is such a big talk about the digital divide because there many students around the world who do not have ipads or computers or even internet connection at their homes. We at New Trier are very fortunate to be able to continue school unlike many other schools around the country where students don't have the materials to continue school. We are very fortunate to be able to continue our education through zoom and be able to prepare for the following years of education rather than taking much time off of learning. 

Being able to zoom with our classes and friends is a necessary thing. Other schools that don’t get to participate in zoom calls and different interactions are unfortunate. Everyone has been stuck in their house for over a month, people are going a little crazy. In life loneliness is a very bad thing, people need daily interactions and as people are unable to go outside and meet with their friends people might find themselves a little on edge. That is one of the huge benefits of zoom and remote learning in my mind. It's a day where I get to interact with my friends and schoolmates and it is beyond necessary for everyone’s mental health and I think it's a very good thing that we are doing it. 

Journal Entry Number 2 of Remote Learning

Journal Entry Number 2:

It is April 7th, if you looked outside today it would feel like a normal day. It's almost 75 degrees out and the people in my neighborhood are not scared to go outside. I live on Sheridan road in Winnetka and the amount of bikers and walkers out does not fail to make it feel like a normal day. However, when I walk outside and observe a majority of the people respect the rule of staying 6 feet apart which is great to see. In the neighborhood a majority of restaurants are still open for carryout and delivery which is very odd to me. Occasionally I will go out to a drive thru to get out of the house and I have observed many people are out of the house. It makes me wonder, are people taking this as serious as they should be? Personally I have not seen this virus up close because I am fortunate enough to say none of my family has contracted the virus. If people were to take it more seriously in my neighborhood would this be over sooner? 

I have heard many stories of people trying new things like trying to learn the guitar, or write left handed and I think people from New Trier are making the best out of the situation. I think the best part of the remote learning for me is being able to spend so much time with my family. Each night I get to do some type of activity with my family. I have been playing with my brother, cooking, puzzles, walking my dog and other different fun activities. In specific, my family and I are really using this time to bond and spend the most amount of time together possible. Throughout my day I have been watching the news and watching different announcements from J.B Pritzker and Lori Lightfoot and it seems like they are on top of things. I believe Illinois and the government is handling this situation very seriously and if we obey the rules they set in place we will be back to normal in no time.

Journal Number 1 of Remote Learning

Journal entry number 1:

It’s Friday the 5th day of completing home learning. Home learning is much different than regular school, waking up everyday to check into advisory through our iPads is something very odd to me. The whole thing will feel more comfortable as we do it more. The school work is definitely a lot less work through home learning as teachers have to account for the other work students get. Quite frankly the weirdest part of this whole thing to me is the way people are acting in my community. From my point of view it seems as if nothing has changed other than kids are not attending school. I live on Sheridan road which is one of the most populated streets with bikers, runners, and even cars and the activity of people has not decreased. So this makes me wonder, to what extent are people taking this as serious as it is. Do people know the effects of this Covid-19 virus? 

In some parts of this world this virus has caused entire country’s to go on shutdown but here in our community people are still out and about living a normal life. The government has taken serious action by closing all restaurants for dine in. This virus is having an affect on every single person in the world in some way shape or form. Personally this virus has had a devastating effect on me, my hockey team was in the semifinals for the state playoffs, only one more game to win and we would be playing in the state championship in front of 10,000 fans at the United Center. But with this virus they cancelled the remaining two games leaving everyone in shock. Why should we let this virus take such a toll on our lives. This has been my dream since I was a young kid, and now this virus will cancel my hockey games and maybe cancel my entire baseball season. And the worst part of it all is I’m stuck in my house left hopeless unable to do anything about it. In the wise words of my hockey coach, “In life there are some things you can control and this is something that you can't control. It sucks but we cant do anything about it”. That is definitely the most upsetting thing is there truly is nothing we can do about it. So what's next for us?

Controversy Over the Pay of College Athletes

Controversy Over the Pay of College Athletes

Charlie Acri

Throughout months of research my goal was to determine the main reasons why the NCAA is unwilling to pay college athletes for their hard work. Being a college athlete to some is considered a job, as most division 1 athletes are pursuing to play professionally. A majority of college athletes attend college for one specific reason, and that is to play sports. This question has dawned on me for a very long time as I have grown up in a family that always has loved sports. Why are the NCAA and colleges able to make money off of these athletes' hard work? Through much research I have reached a census that college athletes are not paid because college is for education, and there is not enough money for these athletes to be paid.

While researching countless books and websites the most shocking evidence I found was how much money the NCAA makes off of college sports. The NCAA profits hundreds of millions of dollars and the ones making the money are not rewarded. This is what brought my interest to the subject. It is the fact that college athletes are doing so much for their schools but they are not getting anything in return. In the beginning of my research, I thought it was a good idea to pay college athletes but through months of research my opinion changed. I do agree with the NCAA not paying their athletes because realistically education is a very important value and is more than necessary to be successful in todays world. Education for college athletes should be just as much of a focus as sports. Additionally, my attention was brought to how expensive college is and how most college athletes are fortunate enough to receive scholarships so they are not left with lots of student debt like most other college students. This topic is very important in todays society because college sports are a big part of most students lives as it carries many traditions with them. Colleges are proud to directly relate themselves to their sports team, and this controversial topic could have a big impact on the schools if their athletes were to be paid. I am very passionate about this issue which is why I was very eager to being researching. I was most intrigued with the statistics I encountered on how much schools devote resources and money to improving the education of athletes. Many schools invest in tutors and resource centers where athletes are provided help with their homework. Personally this is something I was unaware of; however, after finding this information out, it causes me to think college athletes are provided with so many extraordinary opportunities. Why should they be paid to receive a superior education with significant benefits while other students are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the same thing?

The Hatred Coates Endures

Hatred 

By: Charlie Acri

In today’s world people would like to say racism is nonexistent, however this is far from true. Racism occurs all the time in the world and it is truly a sad and outrageous thing that just continuously occurs while nobody does anything to change this. Very recently in a town not far from Winnetka called Naperville, there was an incident in a restaurant that demonstrated a very sad and angering situation. A white couple sat down in a Buffalo Wild Wings to enjoy a nice meal however, they didn’t feel comfortable eating in the same room with a group of African Americans trying to celebrate a birthday party. This is just one very saddening situation for many because there is no place on this earth for these types of actions. Not only that the couple asked the workers for the group of African Americans to be moved but I believe that the workers actually went through with this and decided to ask the group of African Americans to switch tables. These are just sickening actions, and rightfully so these workers were fired from their jobs. Overall this demonstrates that in today’s world some white Americans still believe that they have some type of ‘superiority’ over African Americans.

In the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates he goes through many experiences where hate is directed at him or his family, in a similar way to this situation at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville Illinois. Coates accurately describes hate as, “Hate gives identity”.(60) Certain actions define and shape a person’s identity, everything people do contribute to your overall identity and beliefs. A certain example of a time hate is directed towards Coates is when a white man tells him, “I could have you arrested”(94). This shows the type of hatred Coates had to live through, and the fear he had for him and his family’s life each and every day. This quote directly relates to the white man thinking he is in a way ‘better’ than Coates. Secondly, some very important words from Coates, “In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body”(103). Coates has gone through so many hatred acts, and this has led to him believing that everyone is trying to ‘destroy’ the black body. His past experiences have caused Coates to self-confess to living in fear constantly because of the hatred he endures each and every day. Lastly, not only was there hatred only towards Coates but to the entire African American community. The result of hatred to other African Americans in Coates’s community had a devastating effect on Coates and his overall safety in the streets, “Your life is so very different from my own”(21). Coates by using the word ‘Your’ he is implying white males. Coates says that because he is trying to get the point across of how hard his life truly is. Coates main goal in this book is for the reader to understand what it’s like to be in his shoes. The scarring and very saddening moments Coates goes through each and every day as a drastic effect on him. 

Finally, in this world it is still a very sad place with many upsetting incidents that occur each and every single day. Constantly we see examples of white Americans still believing they have some sort of ‘power’ over African Americans and this needs to change. Coates has suffered traumatizing events that many white Americans will never understand. Do you blame Coates for living in fear? How can you blame him for all the traumatizing events. I totally understand where Coates is coming from and totally think it is very understandable for him to live in fear when his life is put on the line each and every day. The last thought I can leave you with is, think about the identity you would give yourself, do you ever direct hatred towards someone else? Hatred is very powerful and unnecessary in today’s world. All I can say is try and be the most respectful and kind person you can be because that will go a long way.

Is This Truly Valued? 

By: Charlie

An image that displays a helmet to helmet collision that the NFL is trying t o remove from happening in the game.

There were a reported 281 concussions in the 2018 NFL season. NFL concussion stats. 

Hearing these statistics as a parent would you want to let your child play the seriously dangerous sport of football? The most common answer is no. In fact, the amount of kids playing football each year has significantly decreased. Even other sports with lots of contact like hockey, the number of kids has decreased. I myself am a hockey player and throughout the years I have seen many terrible horrifying injuries to some of my best friends and the same thing goes for football, all the players know the risk when they step on to that field. Being a huge fan of the NFL knowing that the NFL claims that one of their main values is the safety of the players. This is why they have significantly changed some of the rules of the game. In a way these rule changes have impacted the game in many ways angering some of the fans because it is believed that the game is being changed for the worse. For example, there have been many rules added which protect the players from getting injured and if these rules are broken by opposing players there are penalties and occasionally players are disqualified from the game for their actions. So, the question is how can the game be changed so there aren't as many injuries but also be the same sport we all know and love. Clearly, the NFL is progressing in ways that protect its players but is it enough? Can there be more done? Obviously yes, there always can be, and overall there always will be injuries. However, the main goal is to limit the injuries and the NFL is seemingly doing for the most part everything possible to crack down on these injuries. In general the NFL talked about how much they valued the safety of its players and ended up taking action and doing something about it. In life, and throughout the world in each and every community this is something that isn't done very well. People do not defend their words with actions. For example people do not back something up they say by actually following through and doing it like the NFL did in this situation. The NFL knew there was a problem at hand, the NFL said what their values were and that the safety of the players was important to them so they fixed it the best they could. If more people followed through with their values and beliefs like the NFL our communities and our world would be made a better place.