ySummer tests are a form of torture, they generally are such a waste. The amount of pressure and stress we are put under to try get the highest grade we can is ridiculous. I wish teachers could realise that we're not robots.. We can't just eat paper and memorise all this information! Learning off and pages upon pages should not be what educations about because that is defiantly not for everyone. I know our parents and teachers might kill us, but at the end of the day they're tests we can't let a piece of paper with a grade on it define who we are or how intelligent we are and it certainly should not upset any one of us. No one is going to care about fifth year summer tests in a couple of years time well actually , they'll probably be forgotten about by the time we come back next year. I'm all for getting an education and everything but learning off pages of all this pointless information isn't for all of us!! It's too close to summer at this stage to even try and be serious about tests....
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It's hard to believe that we will be sitting the leaving cert in fourteen months time. We already have to start making decisions about what courses we want to do and what collage to go to, that one decision will determine what future or job we will have. Everyone is constantly asking me what I want to do with my life, but really, im not 100% sure yet.. School days just fly by without us even realising, I dont remember one day from first year or second year, to be honest i dont even remember the first day of fifth year. I got so much done this year, from going on holidays, to celebrating birthdays and Christmas with friends and family, thinking back on it all makes it sound like the year went on forever, but yet it flew. Last year I was saying ''ah I'l have plenty of time to figure out what i want to do, the leaving cert is 2 years away.'' It seems like that was only yesterday, and now I'm going into 6th year in four months and I dont know what the hell happened. I feel like i havent caught up with time yet and I'm just not able to make all these 'right decisions' and choices. There does come a time where things will have to change, anything could get thrown at us in the future and we all want to know what it is, but I guess its something we have to work towards and hope for the best because there are always better and great things ahead of us. It's funny how half of the girls we hang with in school now, were not the ones we were friends with in first or second year, things changed and we met new people. Even some of the teachers I have now are more likable, and are the ones I hated with a passion in 3rd year. When we go to collage, change will play its role again, we'l meet new people, and the majority of the time most of our friends from secondary school will begin to drift away, and will become a memory. Over all my view is that time and change play a huge part in our lives, and we should be prepared to what hits us in the future, think positive and try make the most of everyday. J.M I cannot wait to get older and go to college. I can honestly say I hate secondary school. There is nothing exciting about secondary school. We get tests most days and trying to study every night and doing all your homework. I hate the way we get homework, as if 7 hours of torture isn't enough we have to go home and do more work. As much as I loved my childhood, I am so happy I'm nearly done secondary school. Secondary school is so much pressure, with the Leaving Cert. The Leaving Cert basically decides on all of our futures. I always ask myself, what if I don't get enough points? what if I don't get accepted into the college I want? They are all scary thoughts and the Leaving Cert decides whether I do or don't get into the college I've always wanted to go to. My parents always say that secondary school is the best days of your life, but for me college will be mine. In college I will be away from my parents and all the drama of being from a small town. College will be great! L.H The thoughts of growing up kind of scares me a bit. Making all these important decisions about what you would like to do in college to what career you would have when your older. It only seems like the other day we were preparing for our juinor cert. But now its a whole new kettle of fish as we prepare for our leaving cert next year.
I miss being young because we never had to really worry about studying for such a big exam and preparing for the next chapter in our lives. I find it weird that the leaving cert can determine what we want to do for the rest of our lives. As much as I cant wait to leave school and go to college, it worries me that I wont be in the same environment that i was in everyday. And that i wont have the same routine everyday. Everything is going to be so much different. The time is really flying past us and we dont even realise it. My mother always tells me that the school days are the best days of your life, so enjoy them while you can. I really dont think theres much to enjoy in school. Not unless you like constantly studyig for tests and doing homework. Secondary school has just flew by. It has easily been the fastest five years of my life. HD Animal cruelty is one of the most overlooked problems in Ireland. It is a serious problem and needs a lot more attention. Everyday there is more and more animals being abandoned, starved and abused. Within the last few years the number of abandoned animals has increased. The recession has had a huge impact on people abandoning their animals as they do not have the money to keep, feed or pay for medical attention. The Dogs Trust say that 20 dogs a day are being put down by local authorities across the country. Although there is many animals being abandoned and harmed, there is also a lot of society's helping and taking in a lot of animals. The ISPCA (The Irish society for the prevention of cruelty to animals) is Ireland's largest national animal welfare charity. The members of the society help, rescue, treat and responsibly re-home tens of thousands of animals of all different species. They prevent cruelty to animals, promote animal welfare and pro-actively relief animal suffering in Ireland. They believe that animals have the right to live their lives free from needless suffering. I think if everyone just becomes that little more aware of animal cruelty a lot more could be done and it could be prevented. It is happening everyday in our local towns and cities whether we know it our not. Even a simple donation can go a long way for a harmless animal suffering without a home. R.D Why be sad or be angry with yourself when there is many reasons for you to be happy and to smile.. 1.Family - They are great and they will always be there for you. Even though they can be so annoying sometimes by being over protective and not letting you go somewhere, to making a show of you in front of your friends. Just by your brother or granddad saying the cheesiest joke in the world they will always make you happy and make you smile. 2. Friends - What can i say they are probably one of the best things you can have in life. Between helping you with boy problems, trying to help you find something to wear out or making funny faces they will always make you happy. 3. Food - Hmm food, this is one of the things that i love in life. Sitting down on a Friday evening after a hard week in school with a big tub of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream and a big bowl of popcorn, really does put a smile on my face. 4.Waking up an hour or more before your alarm - On that cold, horrible, Monday morning waking up and dreading having to keep up and then you look at your alarm and you still have a hour or even more left before you actually have to get up really makes me happy. 5. Finding money in your pockets - That horrible feeling when your broke and you have no money but as your checking your pockets when putting your clothes for the wash and you find even just €2 or €3, its such a good feeling. 6. Watching my favorite TV show - There is nothing better than sitting down and watching your favorite TV show. Mine is The Big Bang Theory and even just thinking about it makes me happy, as i love Sheldon's laugh its the best thing ever. There is no reason for anyway to be sad when there is so many reasons for them to be happy. These are just a few of the things that make me happy but there is so many more. Everyone should be happy and smile :) C.Br I believe that if you want to achieve anything in life, you have to put in both work and effort. Everyone has something they want to achieve at some stage in their life whether it be getting the points for a course in college, loosing weight or even making a change in their life. ''If you can dream it you can achieve it.'' Last year, I made the U16 Waterford Ladies football panel. At the beginning, my aim was to get fit, make the starting team for every match and win an All Ireland. I was determined to succeed. I knew the training would be hard but my god, not that hard! I dreaded running laps upon laps of a GAA field every Wednesday and Saturday. We trained in weather from rain, sleet and hailstones to a blistering sun of 30 degrees. No matter what the weather, we trained. In the space of about eight months, we did approximately 75 training sessions. Finally, all our hard work paid off. We made it to an All Ireland final which we went on to win. Although I complained alot and dreaded training, it all paid off in the end. We put in the work as a team and achieved the goal we had set out in the beginning. I got fit, and won an All Ireland like I said I would try to do. I did not make the starting team for the all Ireland, but I haven't given up yet, I have made the minor panel for this year and I am determined to be on the starting team. ''Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest.'' S.P A reflection on something we covered in class
A reflection on your education in general A description of a typical day An explanation of your view on an issue of your choice Something that makes you angry Something that makes you smile 200 words approx. but not much less will be accepted I am for the statement mentioned above that the continuing decline of CD sales along with the rapid growth of music downloads signals a new era of innovation of music.In my opinion this change was to be expected people all around the world are becoming more technology reliant with their i pads, i phones laptops and whatever else the technology world have come up with.Especially with Facebook and twitter being set up has got people very computer friendly. Anyway I will give my reasons below for choosing for in relation to the above statement.
Firstly,people download their music nowadays because it is simply cheaper and more convenient sitting in front of the computer and waiting for songs to download on i tunes. It couldn't be more easier. Also the fact that there's YouTube people can listen to a never ending list of songs and music videos for free.I begin to ask myself is there actually any point for CD's anymore? Of course since I am for this argument my answer will naturally be no. When you have and i pod which can store hundreds of your favorite songs then whats the point of having a load of CD's clustered in heaps around your room?Technology is trying to make life easier for us in this context and impersonally I think we should embrace it and technology should keep trying to better itself for future generations.However the older generation are still quit fond of their CD's and their cassette tapes.These people probably have oceans of nostalgic memories about their first CD or tape which is nice but they have to understand that this is the 21st century now and for alot of people around the globe their world revolves around technology.Its better in my opinion having downloaded music on your i pod or mp 3 player as it gives you the freedom to listen to whatever genre of music you want at whatever volume (as long as it doesn't damage you ear drums too much). Also as for earphones and headphones for music, there is a numerous selection to choose from so your as comfortable and as relaxed as possibly listening to your songs.Even the radio,which is probably the most influential aspect for music,have developed app's and pod-casts so you can listen to your favorite radio station whenever and wherever you like,whether it be at home or on the go its very convenient. To conclude,downloading music is so much more cheaper than CD's and since now we have entered a state of recession its more practible than going to the nearest music shop to buy the new CD of you favorite artist or band.Even at that sometimes the music shop wouldn't even have the CD your looking for and they'd have to order it in for you which can be a bit of a nuisance and pain.However if you opt to download the album then your almost guaranteed that i tunes would have it and you could then listen to the music VERY quickly.I know some people are stuck in their ways when it comes to this topic but I hope that I gave a bit of insight into my views and made you think about your own. G.P. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. (FOR)
In my opion I think students should take a forgein language because you can get an understanding of different people and their cultures. You should also take a language for admission to universities as most colleges and universities require a language study for admission and require study of a foreign language for graduation. The most common languages that is studied in secondary schools is French, German and Spainish. There is also benefits that come from taking a foreign language such as better employment potential, increased native language ability, sharper cognitive and life skills and an appreciation of international literature, music and film. You can gain communication across the world as you will have the ability to talk in a different language other than english and in Irelands case Irish. Being able to communicate across the world can broaden career opions for you and will make trips to countries like Spain much easier. L.W (5th year) 4. All Citizens should be required by law to vote! (Against)
I completely disagree with the statement that ‘All Citizens should be required by law to vote’ and it truly rages me at the fact this is even a question that has been asked of this country. I have stated facts while also peoples opinions, as well as my own, that clearly prove the point that we ‘The People’ of a country should not be forced into voting if we do not choose to do so. I would like to point out that I am entirely grateful that this country is a democracy and we have the right to vote, but none the less I don’t feel that it is right to put pressure on the people to vote if they do not wish to. From doing my research on this topic I first learned that only 27% of people said ‘Yes’ to this motive whereas 73% of people said ’No’. This just clearly states how unhappy people would be if this were law, almost most of the population, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what would happen when most people disagree. Of course tempers would be high yet again towards the Irish Government. Also an issue raised in my research, what about the people who don’t know anything about Voting? People who have no interest in the Government and would walk into a ballet station and pick any random name just because it sounds like their husband/cat/dog/granny or whatever, which lets not kid ourselves that is what happens. Then there are the people who genuinely care about who’s the head of our country, people who spend there time doing research and finding out the best candidate, what happens to them because guaranteed there’s more people who don’t care than people who actually give a damn. Not to mention we are a Democracy, for any people who agree with this statement and don’t fully grasp the ‘Democracy’ part, it entails that us the people have a choice! Free Will!! Free Speech!! Our choice!! When you think about it, we’re told enough things by the government that we have to do such as Pay taxes, why should we be forced into recognition and told we have to vote. Your role in how the government is run should be a personal choice and not a legal obligation. Obliviously there are other reasons people don’t want to vote as it ‘Violates their conscience’ such as Christians but the main reason is that it is your right, one of a very small list of things you are in charge of in life. A powerful quote I found whilst researching this topic was ‘If the Government wants our say then why don’t they listen when we say no. Don’t care don’t vote. Some don’t know anything about voting so to make it easy, we save time and we don’t vote’ So to sum it all up to putting a legal obligation on us ‘The People’ to vote you’re upsetting at least 73% of the population and in reality you’re not making this country better you’re ruining it. Perhaps it’s to be said that if you don’t have any interest then you shouldn’t vote, what’s to be said for the people spending hours doing their research and homework, It’s very clear there shouldn’t be any obligation and if I haven’t persuaded you by this then I have failed miserably. L.H (Fifth Year) 1. Dieting makes people fat. (For)
I could not agree more with this statement that dieting makes you fat. Many people are under the common misconception that dieting will make you thin, however diets are a quick fix and usually lead to the dieter gaining more weight in the long term. One in three women are on a diet, two thirds of these women will regain the weight lost after the first year, while all regain their lost weight after five years. In twenty percent of these cases women were found to gain more weight than they had previously lost. There are many reasons that diets can make you fat. First of all most diets are unsustainable in the long term as they can involve cutting out entire food groups, this is an unhealthy and dangerous solution to weight loss and inevitably this weight loss will not last. Yes, with these ‘yo-yo diets’ a considerable amount of weight can be lost, and lost quickly, but this weight loss is almost always temporary, for a short time you will be happy with how much you have lost and how you now look. Soon these fad diets will begin to catch up on you, you will be short in energy, low in blood sugar and craving all kinds of sugary, fatty foods as a result of this almost starvation, or diet as it is so called. Finally when you’re happy with how much weight you’ve lost, or you have given in to temptation of this diet and decide to end it, it won’t be long for many before all the weight begins to pile back on, and in some cases even more than before. I believe dieting is a temporary solution to a permanent problem, if someone really wants to lose weight they should make lifestyle changes which will last rather than getting into the habit of going on frequent ‘yo-yo’ diets, which will result in the weight continually being lost and regained once again. Not only is dieting a waste of energy and time, it can also be dangerous to your health and may cause long term psychological problems, resulting in eating disorders. Dieting which encourages cutting out certain meals such as breakfast, result in overeating later on in the day, as the body is low in blood sugar and it makes you feel like it’s okay to over-indulge, as the body makes up for the calories it has missed out on. Also cutting out on high fatty foods may seem like a good idea, although it is still possible for weight to be gained as a surplus of carbohydrates which the body cannot burn. Even then, eating excess healthy food will result in weight gain. Either way, for ninety percent of people who diet, the weight will be regained, this figure evidently supports my argument. LL (5th year) I disagree with this statement. I believe that higher taxes should not be imposed on soft drinks and junk food. Yes, obesity is a huge problem in today’s society, but is extra taxes really the solution to this problem?
There are many people who are a healthy weight, do regular exercise and generally have a healthy diet. These people like to enjoy the odd bottle of coke or bar of chocolate. And why shouldn’t they? Everyone deserves to treat themselves once in a while. Even the top athletes these days get to go wild and have a McDonalds every now and again. Why should these people be charged extra tax just because the government are attempting to stop unhealthy people buying them? Especially at a time when the country isn’t in a great economic state and as we all know, money doesn’t grow on trees. But everyone needs something small to treat themselves from time to time. I believe a tax like this would be highly unfair. If we think about how much a bar of chocolate costs today; a regular bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk costs approximately eighty cents. The most expensive chocolate bars would cost in or around a euro. How much tax can really be put on a bar of chocolate? Even with a 100% tax a chocolate bar would cost no more than €2. Now consider a drug addict, even if their dealer puts up the price, they are still going to want their fix. A chocoholic is effectively the same scenario. Is a euro or so extra on a bar of chocolate really going to stop a chocoholic from buying their favourite bar on a regular basis? I highly doubt it. Now if we consider the price of a 500ml bottle of coke, on average it would cost about €3 in a pub. Add a tax on top of that and it could be round €4 or more. Also, the price of a pint of beer is about €4. It would work out that a glass of coke could cost more than a pint of beer. In a country where we’re trying to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed and trying to prevent drink-driving, and where money is tight for everyone; it really isn’t a good idea to be cheaper to spend a night drinking alcohol rather than soft drinks. This sort of government taxing would not do the country any good, either economically or morally. I hope these arguments have shown how it would be completely detrimental to the society in Ireland in which we live to introduce higher taxes on soft drinks and junk food. J.N I am against the statement romantic love is a poor basis for marriage. In this modern world many people believe there is no place for romantic love as it is not real or that it is unrealistic as people are influenced to easily by celebrities, media and other aspects of life. I believe that if you love somebody that is a strong enough basis for a marriage.
Between the years 2008 and 2012 it has been shown that eighty percent of people married on the basis of love alone so this show's in the world today people do still marry for love. On the other side of this it shows that thirty percent of people marry somebody who they do not love but because it is a sensible decision. In my opinion this is not a good idea because you're going to be with this person for a large part of your life (hopefully). Yes, romantic love is the one that you read about in storybooks with the fairy tale endings but in my opinion that form of love is important, some people will disagree completely and say that this is not a firm basis for a relationship and its not a strong foundation for a relationship but if you don't love them then whats the point of the relationship in the first place? "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage" Lao Tuz. I strongly agree with this quote as when a relationship has love it can come through everything. Nowadays divorce has become more frequent and i feel this is because people are marrying for the wrong reasons, if you romantically love someone and those feeling are true you both should be able to work through these issues. From what I have said above these are the reasons I believe that romantic love is a good basis for a marriage. A.Cooney. I strongly agree with this statement that college students should have a right to choose their own course. Nobody knows better than students what is best for them.
Firstly, If college students have freedom over their course they will obviously select a course they love and find interesting, in doing this they will be more eager to attend lectures and more determined to do their very best in their final exams as it could be crucial for their future career Many people are familiar with the term 'Brain Drain' in this country those of you who are not it simply means that educated young people such as college graduates are emigrating elsewhere to find suitable jobs for themselves as ireland has a shortage of jobs. In my opinion having someone else choose courses for college students is yet another case of 'Brain Drain' as students are being forced to attend and learn information from the particular course chosen for them. This is unsatisfactory for the students as the information forced upon them from the lectures is not going to remain in their brains forever. If you truly love something and have a passion for it all the information you learn in college for that particular career will remain with you forever and nobody can take that away from you. But in the case of students who didn't have that freedom they're the unfortunate ones who are missing out on future careers that they wanted but were unable to get as they were enrolled in a course that probably didn't want to do. Therefore the students that come out of college may be probably faced with the options of emigrating to another country to find a suitable job for themselves or attending a college abroad in which they have a say in their course choice. In worst cases some or maybe even the majority of students could have dropped out of college with the dissatisfaction of the course chosen for them. In my honest opinion i think the worst situation that someone could have is having no other choice but to stay in a career that they don't even like or enjoy, lets face it everyone wants a career that they love whether it be teacher,vet or solicitor it all stems from what course you chose in college to get you there. Put it this way, lets say if you wanted to be a nurse but someone else had the authority and you had no say and in the end you were stuck in a business course you had no interest for. Why should someone else have a say in your future? M.W I am in agreement with this statement that drunk drivers should be imprisoned on the first offence the main reason being it is a huge cause of serious collisions on the road which can often lead to the death of innocent lives. Why should someone have to be killed on the road due to driving under the influence before any serious actions are taken? Why not try and put a stop to it before a fatal collision happens?
I think people who drink drive should be imprisoned on the first offence because the second they get behind the wheel of a car lives are being put at risk. At the old limit of 80mg drivers are six times more likely to be involved in a collision. At half the old limit drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a collision. A standard drink is 10 grams and the limit is 50 milligrams (20mg for learner, novice or professional drivers) and with alcohol estimated to be a contributory factor in 1 in 3 fatal collisions, even after what might seem like one harmless drink, will still impair your driving skills whether you realise it or not. I feel that anyone who puts lives at risk should be imprisoned whether it’s their first or third offence. If a person is caught the punishment isn’t that severe. As it stands if the driver is caught under the 20mg limit, they are served with an on the spot fixed penalty notice and receive a fine of €200 and the person will be disqualified from holding a driving licence for a period of 3 months. If driver is caught under the 50mg limit they will be issued an on the spot of fixed penalty notice, receive a fine of €200 and 3 penalty points which will remain on their licence for 3 years. I personally think that whatever the limit if you’re caught driving with an unsafe amount of alcohol in your system you should be imprisoned for unsafe driving and putting lives at risk. If someone gets away with drink driving once, they will more than likely try it again and will probably continue to try drive under the influence of alcohol. If however someone is put in prison the first time they’re caught, for most people they won’t take the chance of getting caught again, especially if the imprisonment is longer on the second offence. So again I ask how many lives have to be lost before people understand that drink driving is a serious offence? Ca.L 'Judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.' Kant once said. If we take this quote literally then it’s safe to say that man’s heart is about the size of a peanut. Zoos are said to be public parks which display animals, primarily for the purposes of recreation or education. But what is really happening? Zoos supposedly are mankind’s recreation of what they now call a 'habitat', however it's clear that they are in fact cages designed to make life easier on the faces looking in and not on what’s living inside them. I agree completely with the statement in question. Zoos claim to be conserving our wildlife and educating us about our world’s endangered species but the actuality is that they are doing more harm than good. The effects of captivity on animals both inside and outside our zoos, the consequential danger to the human population working in the zoo and the false education of the public are just three of the reasons I support this statement. Roadside zoos, petting zoos, and smaller animal exhibitors tend to keep animals in smaller pens or cages. Sometimes, barren concrete and metal bars is all a tiger or bear will know for their entire lives. Larger zoos try to distance themselves from these operations by stating how well the animals are treated, but the issue is not how well the animals are treated, but whether we have a right to confine them for our amusement or "education." Animals in captivity suffer from stress, boredom and confinement. Family bonds are severed when animals are sold or traded with other zoos. Baby animals may bring in visitors and money, but this incentive to breed new baby animals leads to overpopulation. Surplus animals are sold not only to other zoos, but also to circuses, canned hunting facilities and even for slaughter. Researchers found that elephants in zoos only live for 17 years compared to elephants in the wild that live for 56 years. Ned the Asian Elephant was born at an accredited zoo, but later confiscated from an abusive circus trainer and finally sent to a sanctuary. If the emotional side effects on animals aren't bad enough, there are physical torments inflicted on some of the more “scary” animals. In some of the worst zoos in the world, tigers teeth are pulled out and bears are chained through the nose in order for visitors to take photos and feel safe. Once again, our amusement is put before the basic rights of the animal. Aren't zoos supposed to be simulating the animals natural habitat. I've never heard of wild bears having the urge to tie one another up and have a “photo shoot”. This must be torture on the poor animals, not to mention they must have great difficulty eating without teeth or with something chained through their nose. This in turn could lead to malnutrition and death. How is this any better than living in the wild? Plus, removing individuals from the wild will further endanger the wild population because the remaining individuals will have more difficulty finding mates. Animals sometimes escape their enclosures, endangering themselves as well as people. We may be keeping these animals for entertainment and money but we are becoming the enemies of these creatures and risking the lives of our own species. Many animals kept under supervision of zoo keepers have caused harm and death to visitors and workers. Just two years ago in October, a female elephant at Moscow Zoo killed it’s handler with a kick due to nervousness while being moved into a truck. Another incident involved a tiger who had escaped from its cage and attacked two visitors of the zoo; the same tiger had attacked a zoo keeper the previous year. The tiger was then shot to death after being found. Animals from zoos may cause death and injuries but that is because we give them pain and hunger. It’s a vicious circle. These animals are wild animals, and ironically the frustration caused by their captivity has made them even wilder. They undergo tremendous stress as their natural movements are limited by the boundaries of the zoo. And the sad reality is that no matter how good the facilities of a zoo are, animals are bound to suffer. Finally, it’s said that Zoos exist to educate people. People don't visit zoos for educational purposes. It is just a means of entertainment for them. Moreover, if people get used to watching animals in zoos, a deep-seated thought of zoos being an ideal place for animals may take root in their minds. It is observed that visitors tend to abuse animals by throwing objects or shouting at them; such kind of careless behaviour by visitors has a negative effect on animals. In fact, such type of abuse can also be fatal. As seen in the previous paragraph, tigers and lions are generally at the receiving end of such kinds of abuse. The majority of the educational benefits of zoos aren't even looked at. Think about it, how many times have you stopped to read one of those little plaques? – No, we’re most likely a few meters away, laughing at some monkeys through their faeces at each other. In conclusion, zoos don’t educate. They may succeed in preserving endangered species to some extent, but in terrible conditions, and the effects of captivity on these animals is unjustifiable. How can zoos possibly teach or show us anything positive? It's wrong to teach generations that nature is something that needs to be caged, we are nature. So looking at zoos now, stripping away all the false positives they lay claim to, it is very easy to see that they are just “internment camps for animals and should be shut down”. A.F I completely agree with the statement ‘Students Should not be Required to take Physical Education Courses.’ Physical Education in schools is the cause of emotional turmoil and embarrassment, is a complete waste of our already limited class-time and adds to the insecurity and self-consciousness experienced by
students. Physical education, or the shorthand ‘P.E’ as it is called in schools, is a double period class once a week that is compulsory for all students. If one can even call it a class . For many students, it is an hour of torture that they are unable to get out of. It’s unfair to put students through the embarrassment of Physical Education. In general in school society, there are the ‘Sporty’ students, who are fit, competitive and enjoy sport, and then on the other side of things there are the ‘Non-Sporty’ ones, who detest any form of sport. Now, is it right to have somebody who takes sport seriously playing against somebody who just doesn’t have a natural sporting talent? No, it most certainly is not. And when these unfortunate students who just aren’t athletic in the slightest constantly lose and are forced to engage in something they simply don’t have a talent for, it can seriously undermine their self-confidence and leave them feeling worthless and utterly mortified in front of all their peers. Studies by psychologist Edward Portman on Physical Education in schools in 1995 found that ’Low-skilled students did not enjoy physical education class because they felt unsuccessful most of the time… and indicated that the public nature of competitive events in physical education elicited both physical and verbal harassment from peers.’ P.E is down-right embarrassing and although it is supposed to build character in the students who partake, often it only succeeds in tearing it down. Another reason that I am totally against the mandatory Physical Education courses for students is because it is a complete waste of time that could be spent in class. There are only 6 hours in an average school day with 9 classes of 35-40 minutes each. Although one double class a week for Physical Education doesn’t seem like much, over the course of a year in school, there are over 40 hours spent taking P.E. This is a scandalous waste of a student’s time. At the end of the day, P.E is not going to help any student to get into their desired college courses, nor is it going to improve the grades of any student in the rest of their classes. P.E isn’t an exam subject in Ireland, and until it becomes one, forcing them to take part in a subject that isn’t going to be graded in any way is an utter waste of time. These double classes every week could be used in a far more constructive manner than making students take part in a pointless hour and ten minutes of exercise. If we allow Irish students to spend more time focusing on their studies we will have a better educated and more productive generation of people. My final reason for being against mandatory Physical Education course is because some students are very conscious about their appearance and figure, both of which are emphasised during P.E. Students are required to change in front of each other before P.E class begins. This experience can be extremely daunting for certain people who are insecure about their physical appearance, whether it’s their weight, a disfigurement or even their chest size. Subconsciously when getting changed, an individual can’t help but compare his or herself to the people around them. This isn’t at all healthy, but it’s what happens, especially in teenagers. Take a student who is slightly more overweight than her friends. She can’t help but feel self-conscious about her own body and may feel that all of her skinny, beautiful friends are judging her. This may not at all be the case, but it is custom for a teenager in our society to feel inferior to those who ‘look better’ than she does. These are normal thoughts for a teenager to have, but I don’t think that these thoughts should have to be a burden that comes with a student’s education. School should be a place to learn and enjoy yourself, not a place to feel more self-conscious and insecure about your body than you already do. In conclusion, I believe that students should not be required to take physical education courses. Physical education is extremely embarrassing for those students who aren’t athletic, is a waste of valuable learning time and is an added factor to the insecurity and self-consciousness amongst students. Perhaps making it optional could be considered, but I don’t believe that it is necessary for everyone to partake in this subject that simply isn’t desired by all students. J O'S. I am for the statement that romantic love is a poor basis for marriage. In this modern day world, all aspects of media, be it magazines, films, books, television programmes, even pop songs, are feeding us this unrealistic and most of the time, unattainable, idea of love and how it should all be flowers and butterflies and puppy dogs. Girls buy into it and spend half their time day dreaming of their prince charming riding in on his white horse and then in turn this causes boys to play this role, even if it's an act to win the affections of someone, it's not real, it's not possible for it to be real.
In the 2011 Census in Ireland, 87,770 people were legally divorced, this figure is almost double of what it was 10 years ago. Why? Because people's idea of "love" has been so bent and twisted into an unrealistic ideal that they trick themselves into thinking that they've found the person they want to be with forever, but you can only trick yourself for so long and you when finally realise this isn't what you wanted and by then you might be married and what do you do? You get divorced. Romantic love is the thing from storybooks, love at first sight, butterflies, birds singing. The reason it's such a poor basis for marriage, something that should be for life, is that it isn't real, not really. Romantic love isn't concrete, it's not something you can use as a foundation to build the rest of your life on. The majority of the time it's fleeting, one of those "it was good while it lasted, but it couldn't last," type of things. C.S.Lewis wrote a book called 'The Four Loves' in which he discusses four different types of love, and Eros (romantic love) is below Agape (unconditional love), in the book Lewis recognises the latter as the greatest love of all, and I think that, that is the love a marriage should be based on. Divorces have become so frequent because people rush into marriages, they don't consider everything that comes with it and so, when it doesn't fit the perfect image in their heads, they take the common route out. I blame Hollywood and it's unrealistic idealistic image of love for marriages not working out or struggling and this is why romantic love is a very poor basis for marriage. E.R I can't say I'm the biggest farmer in the world but I do enjoy a bit of occasional farm work. For me there's nothing better to bring back old memories than getting the fresh smell of silage on a warm summers day, as well as the excitement when you see all the tractors approaching. Or during the calving season when it was custom to call every second calf Daisy, not to be original or anything! Or the races across the bales we used to have, which seemed to us to be like the olympics. Yet like anything, farming also has its good and bad points, the bad being called from bed on a Saturday morning saying "Come on, we're going dosing cattle!", and just the luck of it all, the day is bitterly cold and lashing rain, and then out of nowhere a heifer decides to charge for you! But all the same, farming for me is a bit of craic and enjoyment, and if you want to call a sibling flicking cow-dung at you with a stick family bonding, well then i suppose there's some of that there too! LL Camogie without a doubt is my favourite thing to do. Whether it's going outside for a few pucks when your at home, training, playing a match or going to watch a match, I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time!
I play with Piltown Camogie Club. We are a fairly small club but even so we're after having great success. Last year we won four county titles. Every year we seem to be improving and bringing home more cups. I think that's because everyone enjoys being part of the club and tries to do their best. Over the last few years we've been lucky in that we got to play in a few tournaments where we got to go away for weekends. Whenever our team goes away together, even though we take the camogie seriously, we have unbelievable craic... if it's playing knock a dolly or nearly the whole team getting locked out of their rooms OR even crashing a wedding (that's a story for another day), we're always sure to have a good time whenever P.C.C goes on tour ! For anyone who thinks camogie or hurling is pointless because they think all you do is run around a field after a ball... they couldn't be more wrong and should go watch a good game of hurling for themselves ! I have brilliant memories with hopefully many more to come and have made some great friends not only from my own club but from other clubs and counties as well and I have camogie to thank for that. DP There's alot of types of music in the world such as pop, rap, dance, rock etc. I personally like all types. When I go to listen to music it all depends on my mood to what I listen to. If I'm excited for something I listen to fun, upbeat music that I can dance all crazy like to but if I'm sad or bored I would listen to Taylor Swift or someone along the lines. Music can also cheer us up sometimes aswell, if we are sad and our favourite song is on the tele your mood is just automatically lifted. Music also has the ability to stop those awkward silence moments we all tend to get in the car on long journeys with our parents or if you're in the car with someone you don't particularly like the only way to get away is pop in your headphones and play the music as loud as you can so it blocks out the person's voice. Music keeps alot of us going, I personally can't go a day without listening to music on the tele or my ipod even though it annoys my parents that it's either too loud or " I'm going to break the Sky box if I don't stop flicking from one music channel to another". LW. Meal deal, €3.50 special, chicken roll call it whatever you want! But to me its a meal deal. Its
so simple, a fresh, white roll filled with chicken goujons (southern fried/plain whichever you prefer) served with walkers crisps and a can of coke. And its all mine every Friday! Ok it may sound like an average lunch to some but its not. Its bliss ! Some of you may not understand this certain obsession that I have some may think its crazy, but to me its important, almost a way of life. It all started off back in the day, the good aul days of 3rd year. I can remember it like it was only yesterday, one Friday a few of us decided that we would splash out and go mad and buy lunch up in the Esso. The meal deal was advertised up on the deli counter so we decided we would get it! It turned out to be pure heaven! So it ended up being a routine every Friday from there on. Two years on now and still I've never looked back. Nothing compares to the crispyness of that hot chicken roll at quarter past one on a Friday at lunch when you'd be so hungry you would almost eat a horse!.. or maybe not.. To me the meal deal is the only deal on a Friday and a sign that the weekend has just begun! E.H As human beings we have done some amazing things; we have created the internet, become experts in art and literature and we can travel around the world in a few hours. Yet we all share a common flaw in our essential make-up in that we lack the logical capacity to give or follow directions. Now this ability has eluded us for eons but even more so since online shopping was invented and it became necessary to give directions to others. We have all had the phone conversation- ‘’I can’t go straight anymore’’-‘’Why?’’-‘’Because straight is a ditch’’-‘’Oh............. well is the ditch on your straight in front of you or on my straight in front of you?’’ Now most men seem to have an actual talent in getting lost. Mostly this is due to-‘’Me man, me no need map, me find own way’’. ‘’Me find own way’’ usually involves observing which way moss grows, refusing to ask for directions, darkened alleys and the phrase-‘’I’ve never been here before but I know exactly where we are’’. Generally Women seem to do a lot better but this is because they seem to have the entire city mapped out in relation to everything’s relative distance from the nearest Penneys. This seems to be pretty accurate as women can tell us that the city centre is precisely 0.56 miles directly southwest from Penneys. A big mistake is giving vague directions, my favourite one being-‘’ keep going and it’s just down the road’’, which roughly translates to anything in a three mile radius. But what about GPS you say, our directional breakthrough. I mean, sure, your GPS seems great and confident but in actual fact this detestable device is just bringing you to the middle of nowhere so it can no longer receive satellite signal and leave you in the middle of nowhere, utterly lost. Now the two most important things to remember are: Saying the destination is next to a tree or farm doesn’t exactly help you out when you live in Ireland and (as the man who drove his car into the wall of a McDonald’s because the sign said ‘Drive-through’ will tell you) people tend to take signs and directions literally. N.L Probably not the best thing to write an English blog on but yes I am doing mine on our language, Irish.
Everyone in Ireland has the 'cúpla focal' even if it is just the classic 'ciúnas bóthar, cailín bainne' from the famous Carslberg ad! Luckily we are a country that have our own distinct language and there is no other like it in the world, even if it does sound like double dutch half of the time! Unfortunately for many of us Irish is becoming that dreaded class on a Wednesday that you would do anything to avoid. In Ireland, i think, the use of Irish is becoming very different. The way we are taught this subject in school doesn't exactly help. Everything is stressing on exams and 'how Irish is so much harder at leaving cert level compared to junior cert' , not to quote any specific teacher. We are made study pages upon pages of notes on characters of a made up story that will never be any use to us after we sit those exams of June 2014. I for one would like to be able to speak Irish when I leave school. The chances of this are unlikely. You may say that 'if I want to keep speaking Irish then do so myself' but if nobody can respond to me it is utterly pointless! You would get weird looks speaking Irish walking along the halls in school never mind in a shop! After spending three weeks in the Gaeltacht in Kerry I find it truly fascinating that you can find such strong Irish speaking communities and yet a few miles away in the next town you would be lucky to find somebody who could respond to you in Irish. I'm all for embracing new cultures but lets not forget our own! CM |
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