Hypersexualisation - Slam

Many adults find ways to criticize our generation

Complaining about gangs and our lack of motivation

Violence, laziness, drugs and overconsumption

But what I find the worst is hypersexualisation.

Nine and ten year olds being told they’re sexy on facebook

When they really should be reading stories about captain hook

Thinking they should look like america’s next top model

No wonder their parents can’t understand the riddle.

We say we are free, that we believe in liberty

But really teens are stuck being their own enemy

Judging and only caring about the physical

Bringing other girls down, making everyone mental

Turn on the TV and what do you see

A whole bunch a girls wearing nothing but a bikini

All made out of plastic, they resemble Barbie

Standing by their side, rich men old enough to be their daddy

Twelve year olds reading Cosmopolitan

Checking out tips on how to have an orgasm

Having sex so young, thinking they’re in love

Entering an adult world they really know nothing of

Thirteen year olds already feeling the pressure

Celebrities everywhere, they’re all getting thinner

Where are the role models, the ones who give the example

Really? A size zero as the regular size sample

People, Life&Style and Us weekly

Comparing and judging who has the best beach body

What message are you sending to that six year old

That she’s already supposed to fit into that perfect mold

But if they’re too short, fat and ugly

Then what am I? Just another piece of normality

I don’t wear knee-high boots or even see-through shirts ?

And I don’t want all the boys looking up my skirt

When you can’t see the difference

Between Playboy and the new Guess ad

Our world is slowly losing all it’s innocence

Wanting to please everyone, it’s making me mad

It’s crazy how our intimacy has suddenly gone public

Why don’t you keep it to yourself that you want his dick

I feel like the world is upside down

What? Does the dirtiest one win a crown?

Young celebrities getting thrown out of their childhood

Expected to act like adults, to skip a stage of life

Would you sell yourself, just because you could?

Chopping off moral values, with the help of a knife

Silly little girls taking pictures in their underwear
And at night they still need to sleep with their teddy bear
Equally young boys drooling all over the pictures
Will you stop acting like a bunch of immatures?

Yes, immatures, in the way that you act
Cause sexy doesn’t mean mature, that we know for a fact
You have plenty of time for sex when you’re old
Now keep your body to yourself, and treasure it like it’s gold

You can keep your clothes on and still look beautiful
Look in the mirror and see, it might be helpful
Your confidence will built up, sooner than later
And for clothes keep in mind: sometimes more does look better.

Family Murder

Family Murder

                It was a dark night. The only car on the road seemed to be the Jacksons’ huge hummer.

The Jacksons were a very wealthy family. Just as Dudley Jackson was getting tired and impatient,

a car went smashing into the hummer. Dudley and his wife died. The two children, Janice and

Michelle went to live with their uncle Jeremy.

                Janice was sitting on the couch having a cup of tea. She was fourteen years old now.

Tomorrow it would have been ten years since the accident.  She had been living with her uncle,

his family, and her little sister for almost ten years now. She was home alone. The phone

rang. She answered. The voice said “Keep this secret and you might see your little sister again.”

And so the voice told Janice that he had kidnapped Michelle and that she had to do everything

he said if she wanted to see her little sister again. The voice said «You must give me all your

money and promise to run away from your uncle’s house and family. Last thing you must do is

give all the memories and souvenirs you have of your parents. If you do all of this, you will see

Michelle in 24 hours. » Janice did not know what to think. The money didn’t bother her and she

could manage to find a place to live. But she didn’t want to give to a mysterious stranger the only

things she had left from her parents. 

        

          

                          She thought about what the voice had told her. She loved her parents but they

were dead now, and she didn’t even want to imagine what they would do to her sister. So she

started to go around the house taking every little thing that reminded her of her parents and

putting it into a box. Then she put the box were the voice had told her too and she went to sleep.

Long tears started to pore from her eyes.

             

                     The next morning she went into her sister’s room and to her surprise, she was there

sleeping quietly. She went to the garden secret spot and the box was gone. Has she walked back

into the house she saw from the opened door the box under the bed of her uncle. He was the

voice.   

2010-2011

Matters Still To Be Discussed - Israel/Palestine

As many may know, multiple conflicts taking place in 2010 often started as a simple disagreement between two nations a very long time ago. In my opinion, this is the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Of course, the issues that are still being negotiated are of great importance, but most of the citizens don’t even know how the hatred for the other nation began. This text will put into context the recent conflict, which is about the settlements for the construction in the West Bank area.

            Among different issues and negotiations, the Israeli construction moratorium forms a huge part in the discussions being held between the Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu, who has held this position since 1996, and the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In the recent months, the relationships between these two nations have been even more tense than usual because of the ending of the construction moratorium instated in Israel. This moratorium, which is a suspension of some kind of activity by the government, concerned the new housing construction by the Israeli in the territory of West Bank. This small land consists of 5 600 km². Although it is technically under Palestinian authority, the Israeli military has been there for a long time. This moratorium states that construction in the West Bank area has been frozen temporarily, for a ten month period. This time expired during the last week of the month of September 2010, and that is the reason for the tense discussions between the leaders of these populations.

            To make matters more complicated, the United States have been involved in these negotiations. Recently, the secretary of state of the country, Mrs Hillary Clinton, has been travelling to the middle-east with the purpose of reaching a compromise between the two heads of state. As an open ally to the Israeli state, the government of the United States has been trying to move forward recently in the peace negotiations.

            As of the Palestinian demands, it has been said more than once that the Prime Minister wants to extend the moratorium to permit the discussions to continue.

Abbas continues to state that his council does not want to end the discussions, although they will have to leave if the construction resumes after the end of the freeze. The US government does agree with Palestine on this point, the construction has to be put on hold once again, for negotiations to be peaceful. The United State’s Middle East envoy has said, echoing the President Barack Obama: ‘‘We think it makes sense to extend the moratorium, especially given that the talks are moving in a constructive direction.’’ On the other hand, the Israeli Prime Minister’s negative response to the end of the moratorium has been particularly frustrating for the Palestinian, the USA as well as any other nation involved. Netanyahu refused to extend the work stoppage any longer and so the settlement building resumed.

            In my point of view, this dispute cannot be judge so quickly. This conflict, as I mentioned previously, has so much history and hatred behind it that it is almost impossible for the citizens to ever agree on anything. In my opinion, the government of the United States should convince the Israeli government to stop the construction, as it is the only way to continue these negotiations in the right direction.

 

            All in all, these confrontations have been going for too long, and so nobody, not even the leaders of the nations, know what they are really fighting for anymore. One can only hope that these discussions will go smoothly. Moreover, one can only wish that there will not be another destructible situation, as there was with the Second Intifada.

2010-2011

A Mind Overcome By Vengeance

As I opened the door to leave, I turned around to glance one last time at his face. He looked peaceful: he could have been sleeping. The calm smile upon his lips made me shiver, almost out of shame. No, he had deserved this; it had been the right thing to do.    I had to leave, before I changed my mind.

***

            I had not always been this way. Hateful, I mean. When I was a child, my aunt informed me that my mother had not died in a car accident, but had been suffered a terrible faith, I did not quite understand. The atrocious truth I learned that day made me what I am today. I had always wondered why I did not live with my father if he was still alive. From that moment on, I never spoke nor thought about my father. He did not exist to me. He did not deserve my attention, for he was a horrible, discusting man. The idea that this man had to pay for his action only entered my mind on my eleventh birthday. Like a parasite, once the thought had entered my mind, it would not, could not leave it. That is when I started to fully understand the meaning of the word ‘hate’. As I grew older, I grew wiser, learning to manipulate, lie and trick people into doing whatever I wanted them to do. Love was not important, as it was a rumor, an overrated emotion that did not truly exist. The only true feelings I believed in were the ones I could really feel. Hate. Sadness. Vengeance. And Justice.

            It was only when I realized what had torn me apart that I started to really explore the dark and sinister side to my brain. I cannot say I had never thought about anything of the sort. All my life, teachers did not know what to do with me, did not know what was wrong or different about me. I suppose it was a good clue as to what I would do in my adult life.

            I went to work, owned a house and made money of my own just like every other man. It was inside that I differed. My brain was assembled in a distinct way, in a better way. I could be the greatest man alive, the strongest, because I did not let things such as love, trust and friendship get in my way. If I wanted something, I got it, no matter what stood in my way. If some people felt bad for my solitude, I pitied them, because they were weak. So weak and foolish.

            I was surprisingly swift. I had little specific preparation. However I had thought and re-thought the scene so many times in my mind, that it was clear how I would proceed. I did not care for such insignificant things as getting caught. Nothing scared me, because it was simply essential to eliminate this man, this piece of garbage, before I could move on to any of my other brilliant plans. Regular men were so easy to trick, to destroy.

            I had decided to kill him at nightfall, for a dramatic effect. I wanted the man who had abandoned me, had destroyed to suffer, to regret every moment of his ridiculous existence.

            I entered the house, with no care at all for the noise I was making. I locked the door, crossed the landing and the kitchen to finally see him reading, alone, in a dark room. I believe he heard me, for he turned to face me. I knew I had a terrifying grin spread across my face. He knew who I was, and I saw his expression change from fear to a mixture of terror and shameful regret. I did not move forward, and I knew he would not try to run away. He had done that enough. He seemed to want to say something, but was frightened to break the silence. So I spoke in my most chilling voice:

“You had to know it was coming, Tom. You had to be shivering in your sleep.”

“My son… you have to forgive me.”

“I am not your son. You cannot do anything that will change what you did.”

“Please, my son…”

His feeble attempt to justify his actions only made the cold hatred inside me burst into immense flames. How could he have an excuse for what he had done?  

“You knew all along, you knew that your actions would mark me. Make me different. I was fragile, and now, you pay for your actions, Tom. It is time for you to understand how weak you feel when you have nothing to hold on to, just like I did. I will never be like that again, I will never be weak.”

            He knew he could not protest. I had been right all along. I lifted the pistol directly in front of me, and I shot. And with cold satisfaction, I turned around.

Just then, a strange feeling took over my body. I felt as if the burning flames that had motivated me seconds ago had turned to stone and frozen my insides. No. It was impossible. I could not feel pity or sadness for this man. This horrible, hypocritical man did not deserve anyone to worry about him. How could I feel this kind of worry and shame about killing a man who had not cared, even for one second, about anyone else but himself? Even before his death, he had only pleaded for his life, not even worried about mine for one second. He had the coldest heart a man could have; he had killed his own wife for money.

As I opened the door to leave, I turned around to cast one last look at his face. He looked peaceful, he could have been sleeping. The calm smile upon his lips made me shiver, almost out of shame. No, this had been the first act for my great plan, and the only option. I had to leave, before I changed my mind.

Written by a corrupt, imaginative soul.

2010-2011 

Le mouvement Rastafari

Les enjeux de l'humanité

Dans la société d’aujourd’hui, tout est controversé. Chacun a son mot à dire, son opinion à exprimer. Les problématiques de demain sont nombreuses, se rattachant à plusieurs catégories. Ces enjeux, présentés dans le présent document, restent un dilemme considérable pour le futur des citoyens, car ils affectent tout le monde.

D’abord, un des plus grand point de discussion au Québec est bien les accommodements raisonnables. Avec cela, pour les Sikhs, vient le port du Kirpan. Le Kirpan,  un couteau porté quotidiennement pour la protection de la personne, fait parti des traditions religieuses des Sikhs. Le port d’un couteau, même s’il n’est qu’un symbole,  dans les espaces publics au Québec reste extrêmement controversé.

Le régime politique d’un pays, s’il est juste ou non, peut tout changer du futur. À travers l’histoire, les grands dictateurs ont su donner rage, violence et peur à leur peuple, supposément pour le sauver. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Staline, Kim Il-Sun et Kim Jong-Il, tous en amour avec leur nation, faisant tout pour la faire reconnaître. Jamais dans l’histoire de l’humanité une dictature ne fonctionnera, pourtant elles continuent toujours d’exister par la faute d’hommes voulant tout le pouvoir.

La mondialisation reste un des problèmes les plus incontrôlables de notre monde. Avec les crises économiques, on le voit plus que jamais, le monde de l’argent change rapidement. Comptant plusieurs avantages, mais pourtant plusieurs désavantages, la mondialisation au 21^ème siècle ne présage rien de bon pour les employés et les consommateurs, seulement pour les producteurs. Puisque ce sont eux qui contrôlent tout pourtant, comment l’empêcher ?

Comme toujours, la question reste la même : profits économiques rapides, ou conservation de notre environnement à long terme ? Les gaz de schistes, récemment découvert en Alberta, rapportent un très grand profit à l’état. Est-ce pourtant une bonne raison de trouer la couche d’ozone et de continuer la destruction massive de la Terre ?

En dernier lieu, un enjeu de taille, le clonage. Certaines personnes croient que le progrès et l’ingéniosité technologique que peut amener le clonage est inspirant. Nous ne connaissons pas encore les bénéfices incroyables que peuvent amener la reproduction d’organes humains, tel dans le monde de la médecine. D’autres pensent qu’il est insensé et irrespectueux envers l’intégrité humaine de faire ce genre de science. Que chaque humain est unique, et qu’il serait dérangeant de pouvoir les reproduire.

Parmi tous ces enjeux, plusieurs n’ont pas vraiment de solutions simples. Nous ne pourrons jamais remédier aux dictatures rapidement, ni régler notre problème environnemental du jour au lendemain. Pour ce qui est des accommodements raisonnables, il y a une solution. Lorsque les immigrants rentrent au Canada, ils devraient pouvoir comprendre que les lois sont différentes ici que dans leur pays natal. S’ils veulent vivre dans un autre pays, ils doivent pouvoir  respecter nos règlements, nos lois et nos valeurs. La religion ne devrait jamais passer avant la sécurité de chacun des citoyens.

Le clonage, même s’il n’est pas très bien développé encore, sera une facette de la société qu’il faudra considérer très bientôt. Des règlements qui permettront la recherche scientifique, tout en respectant le droit humain à l’unicité et l’individualité, seraient la solution idéale pour le clonage.

Le premier argument contre la mondialisation serait l’enrichissement des pays riches et l’appauvrissement des pays pauvres. Bien que des multinationales s’installent dans des pays en voie de développement, tous les revenus qu’apportent ces multinationales vont aux grandes puissances puisque c’est leurs compagnies. Deuxièmement, dû à la mondialisation, plusieurs personnes vivant dans les pays développés se voient perdre leur emploi à cause de la relocalisation de leur compagnie. Cela causera beaucoup de chômage dans ces pays et ils ne voudront sûrement pas déménager de continent pour conserver leurs emplois! Troisièmement, les nouveaux employés dans les pays sous développés sont très exploités. La raison principale pour une compagnie de se relocaliser est de pouvoir payer leurs employés moins cher et de leur donner moins de protection et d’assurance. Quatrièmement, un autre argument contre pour une compagnie dans un pays riche de s’installer dans un pays pauvres serait l’exploitation de l’abondance de ressources naturelles qui s’y trouve. Vu le fait que dans un pays développé tout ce que l’on trouve est des gratte-ciel et des usines, dans un pays en voie de développement, il y a beaucoup plus de bois, d’eau, de pétrole et de métaux. Dernièrement, vu l’apparition des multinationales dans les pays, ces derniers vont probablement perdre leurs cultures individuelles. Il y aura beaucoup moins de petits commerces nationaux. Par exemple, le McDonald’s qui remplacent les restaurant la Belle Province au Québec, ou bien des Wal-mart qui vont remplacer de petits commerces brésiliens ou chinois. Par contre, la mondialisation a ses bons côtés. Dans les pays en voie de développement, cela créé beaucoup d’emploi pour les habitants des pays. Même s’ils ne gagnent pas beaucoup d’argent, ils en gagnent assez pour pouvoir faire vivre leur famille.

            Ces arguments vont à l’encontre de la personne car vu les pertes d’emploi, toutes ces personnes se retrouveront au chômage et sans emploi, sans façon pour faire vivre leur famille. De plus, les personnes vivant dans les pays où les multinationales s’installent, perdrent leur culture peu à peu ce qui ne contribuent pas à la poursuite du bien commun de la population car ils devront vivre dans un nouveau pays qui n’est pas le leur.

            Nous avons eu peu de difficultés lors de ce travail. Par contre il a été dur de trouver des solutions à nos enjeux car il n’y en a peu réalisable. De plus, au départ nous avions décidés d’élaborer sur des enjeux comme l’avortement et la séparation du Québec mais nous avons du les changer vu que ce n’est pas vraiment des enjeux pour l’avenir de l’humanité.

Le travail a été effectué de façon très efficace, grâce au travail d’équipe. Entre nous, nous pouvions nous encourager à se concentrer et à travailler fort durant chaque période de travail. Les ajustements au projet ont aidé à rendre le projet plus pertinent et moins long, ce qui allégea la tâche donnée.

Nous avons eu quelques difficultés à trouver des enjeux vraiment pertinents, surtout sur les aspects social et politique. Souvent, il était difficile de décrire un enjeu qui pourrait affecter le futur de l’humanité, qu’il soit assez grave. 

2010-2011

Les caractéristiques du mythe selon Mircea Eliade

Il est primordial, dans un cours de philosophie, de présenter le contexte d’émergence historique de la discipline. Pour les habitants des sociétés archaïques, la pensée mythico-religieuse était l’unique façon de comprendre le monde. Mircea Eliade, auteur du livre Aspects du mythe, tente de percer le mystère de ces croyances qu’avaient, et ont toujours certaines sociétés. Nous y retrouvons cinq caractéristiques, tels que vus par les sociétés qui vivent ces mythes : l’emblème d’Histoire qu’ont les mythes, le caractère véridique et sacré de cette Histoire, le sujet abordé de la « création », la connaissance qu’il faut avoir des mythes et leur « puissance sacrée. »

D’abord, il nous faut comprendre que pour l’Homme vivant dans une société « primitive », le mythe est une forme de représentation vécue, et non une légende urbaine ou un conte pour enfants. Il s’agit de l’histoire du « commencement », qui explique le début des temps. Cette Histoire met en scène des personnages surnaturels et ce sont eux qui vivent, découvrent et créent dans notre monde. Ces Êtres Surnaturels varient dépendamment des peuples, mais leur existence est généralement commune à la mythologie d’une société « primitive ». Eliade l’explique parfaitement lorsqu’il dit que «le mythe relate les gestes des Êtres Surnaturels et la manifestation de leurs puissances sacrées ». Par cette première caractéristique, l’auteur tente d’associer un point commun important à tous les mythes différents.

Pour poursuivre, il faudrait témoigner de la véracité qu’ont ces mythes dans les sociétés où ils existent. En effet, « le mythe est considéré comme une histoire sacrée, et donc une ‘histoire vraie’, parce qu’il se réfère toujours à des réalités. » Les Hommes ont raison de croire que ces mythes sont « vrais », car il en existe des preuves.  Prenons comme exemple les poissons : le mythe de leur origine doit être vrai, puisque les poissons sont sur la terre pour le prouver. Ce sont donc des histoires sacrées, puisqu’elles mettent en scène des Êtres Surnaturels qui accomplissent certaines actions durant les temps mythiques, où les peuples y trouvent leurs explications.

Ensuite, nous pourrions décrire la troisième caractéristique comme étant un des éléments très présents pour chacun des mythes : il s’agit de la création. Chaque mythe raconte une « histoire », donne une explication aux choses qui nous entourent, aux actes que nous posons et aux idées en quoi nous croyons. Nous pourrions dire que « le mythe raconte comment […] une réalité est venue à l’existence, que ce soit la réalité totale, le Cosmos, ou seulement un fragment ». Que ce soit pour justifier l’existence d’une pierre ou d’un être humain sur la terre, les mythes sont les récits de la création.

Mentionnons aussi l’importance qu’attribue l’Homme à la connaissance de ces mythes. Selon lui, les mythes permettent d’expliquer le monde mais de plus, « en les réactualisant, il est capable de répéter ce que les Dieux, les Héros ou les Ancêtres ont fait ab origine. »  Pour certaines sociétés, en pratiquant un rite mythique particulier, nous pouvons assurer le retour de la première existence de cette chose désirée. Par exemple, le rite qui raconte l’origine de la pluie, lorsque racontée cérémonieusement par le peuple, assure une abondante saison de pluie.

Enfin, spécifions la magie que comportent ces mythes. Lorsque l’on pratique un rituel mythique en l’honneur d’un Dieu, « on sort du temps profane, chronologique, et on débouche dans un temps qualitativement différent, un temps ‘sacré’, à la fois primordial et indéfiniment récupérable. » ‘Vivre’ un mythe, c’est croire que la réactualisation de ces mythes que nous faisons pour honorer ces dieux a un impact, qu’il existe toujours ce lien intemporel.

Pour conclure, nous pouvons difficilement trouver une définition assez large pour englober tous les différents mythes existants, mais ces cinq caractéristiques trouvées par Eliade s’y appliquent et facilitent la compréhension du mythe vivant. Seule chose restante serait d’analyser les sociétés « primitives » d’aujourd’hui et de voir comment l’Homme moderne influence cette pensée mythique traditionnelle.

Le grand cahier

Avec son roman Le grand cahier, Agota Kristof s’inscrit dans le style de la post-modernité en abordant le thème de la quête d’identité. La deuxième guerre mondiale, atrocement violente, amène chez chacun un instinct de protection, de survie qui s’étend d’un bout à l’autre des villes et villages. À cause de cette peur partagée par tous, chacun veut s’endurcir, se protéger. Les citoyens s’exilent dans leurs demeures, le sentiment de confiance entre voisins se perd, tous sont méfiants. Chacun reste chez soi et lentement, l’instinct de survie, presque animal, fait surface. Par exemple, la grand-mère refuse de se laver, d’aider, ou simplement d’accueillir ses petits-fils. Pour s’abriter, la voisine feint d’être aveugle et sourde. Les exercices des jumeaux sont leur technique personnelle d’endurcissement mental comme physique, pour devenir insensibles face à l’horreur à laquelle ils sont témoins. «Nous ne voulons plus rougir ni trembler, nous voulons nous habituer aux injures, aux mots qui blessent.» (p.26) Donc, par l’atrocité de la guerre, et par le besoin de s’endurcir que vivent les personnages, ils finissent tous terriblement solitaires. Chacun des personnages, de Bec-de-Lièvre aux jumeaux, sont laissés à eux-mêmes. Seul face à la violence s’acharnant sur le pays, chaque individu se voit développer des comportements peu communs pour affronter leur solitude. Dès le début lorsque les jumeaux arrive chez leur grand-mère, qui est la plus seule de tous, ce climat d’individualisme et d’égoïsme est ressenti. Cette solitude, vécu par chaque personnage d’une facon différente mais bien intense, est perceptible tout au long du roman. Bec-de-lièvre, elle, vit sa solitude en développant une sexualité maladive: «Il n’y a que les bêtes qui m’aiment.»(p.40) Dans la situation horrible et inhumaine qu’est la guerre, les personnages de ce récit cherchent à se protéger eux-mêmes ce qui résulte en la solitude totale de chacun. 

Bill 101 - Helping or Oppressing?

Though the educational system is always evolving and improving, many problems still persist. Because of the Bill 101 in Quebec, access to one’s high school of choice can be difficult. First, foreign children cannot attend English school, they have to enroll at a French speaking establishment. Moreover, a child who’s parents are both Francophones will be obligated to attend a French high school even if he prefers to go to high school in English. Lastly, the Bill 101 keeps culture from evolving by obligating immigrants to conform to Quebec culture and standards. 

Foreign children do not have much choice for education : they have to attend a french high school. In fact, although the Bill 101 is supposed to help the fragile language stay a force in Quebec, it is keeping immigrants from excelling in high school and feeling welcome to our country. When arriving from a different country, the percentage of people who understand and talk French is extremely low. If they cannot go to an English school, it means they have to learn the language when arriving to the country, which can be an amazingly difficult task when one is still in the process of adjusting to a new home.

Of course, the Bill 101 has advantages, but it also comports negative effects for immigrants who cannot attend the school of their choice. Even the francophones do not have the option to attend an English-speaking school of their choice. Another disadvantage is the unnatural block in culture this bill imposes. Although French language does represent Quebec, is it necessary to oppress different cultures to help preserve our heritage?

Essay Of Classification

Teachers are like students, every one is different. After thirteen years in school, it is easy to acknowledge the individuality of each instructor. Though they are all unique, most of them can be put into one of the three following categories: the friendly ones, the frustrated ones and the motivating ones. 

First day of class, every student is trying to guess what kind of teacher stands in front of the classroom. After giving out the course plan, the instructor introduces herself. Using sarcastic humor and jokes to ease the first-day tension, Mrs.Friendly even laughs at herself, asking students not to take her too seriously. Every student is having the same reflexion: “This class is going to be a piece of cake.” Mrs.Friendly discusses with students about anything and everything, because debating the last music award show is educational. Mrs.Friendly will humor the provided material, lay back in her chair and give her own show. Although this teacher might appear as easy-going, she always hides a dark secret: her evaluations are incredibly challenging. Behind the funny and sarcastic figure lives a quiz champion and an oral presentation master. Mrs.Friendly will attack when you least expect it, charging with mini-tests, assignments and homework for days! Beware of this teacher, she might make the class giggle, but she will be the one laughing in the end. 

Entering the class dragging his feet, this teacher really rather be elsewhere. After thirty years of teaching, the passion, joy and motivation are long gone. Names and faces of students are not worth memorizing, smiles are non-required and originality is a waste of time. This instructor does not believe in passing on the love for the subject he teaches. Repetitive classes, year after year, are as boring for M.Grumpy as they are for his students. Time passes by so slow during this particular class, students and teacher both look back at the seemingly unmoving clock. Wondering every year how much longer he has to keep his teaching job until he can buy that lovely cottage in the Laurentides, M. Grumpy is counting down the years separating him from his well-deserved retirement. Getting through a couple of years of teaching the same technical notions over and over again to groups of students who look as interested by this class as they are by their shoelaces is his one and only mission. Always looking annoyed or bored, M. Grumpy is definitely not the life of the party. 

Our last description is completely the opposite of the two kinds of teachers mentioned previously. Here’s a tip: the answer is in this paragraph. This teacher will do everything to make sure every student succeeds in his class. Every mini-test is announced well in advance, every project explained in detail to assure no failures. Constant hints are M.Motivation’s way of guiding students in the right direction. Students take notes, appreciating the teacher’s subtle answers to the evaluation. The reason for his extra help is unknown, maybe he enjoys seeing every student excel as long as minimal effort is put in understanding.  His clues may be a sign of true passion for his career or maybe he simply does not want any student blaming him for their failure. Though I might simply let this slip : I do think he does enjoy passing on his knowledge to today’s youth.

Mrs Friendly, M. Grumpy and M. Motivation are only three of the extremely varied kinds of teachers that a student may come across during his academic years. In the classroom, there is no limit to what strange, surprising encounters one will make.

A Lesson For A Dollar

Quebec government announced a new increase in university tuition in 2010. These hikes in university fees represent a change in the way university is perceived. University should be free, because it is not a merchandise that should be sold in exchange for capital, and a difficult financial situation should not be an obstacle for an student eager to learn.

While the government is investing in numerous other economical plans and corporations, they are saying our province’s debt is too high to establish free education. What they are keeping from their voters is that complete university financing is very possible. By re-establishing a tax on bank profits as low as 0,7%, free university can be acquired in a few short years. This minuscule tax on extremely profitable institutions could ensure that no more money is taken from the pockets on already indebted students. University is a right to every citizen of this province. It is not a privilege only possible for the most affluent families. To make university attendance only accessible for certain social classes is to transform a diploma into a trendy and accessory limited to the wealthy. All the philosophers, authors and thinkers have said it: education is key to a functional and informed society. The image of students walking into campus and paying before entering to be able to learn essential information is definitely not what Aristote had in mind when creating a garden of knowledge for young men in ancient Grece.

If university becomes any more expensive than it already is, students will not choose to study philosophy, art, dance and teaching. They will have to opt for a more highly paid career path, for example law or business, to reimburse their student loans, which usually add up to more than 15 000 dollars. Can you imagine those crushed dreams when a young student sees his excessive debts and has to give up his ideal career as a professional dancer to pay off his bills, knowing that he probably never will be able to afford continuing his studies. How about when a young student who’s greatest desire is to teach to young children herself one day? She works thirty hours a week to pay off her loans, but realizes she just cannot afford to finish while financially supporting herself alone. Students loans take years to pay off and increase with time because of interests. Stress related to delicate financial situations can cause a student to fail or drop out of school. How many young student’s dreams is the government willing to destroy to be able to save a couple millions, which really is not much to them.

 As proven with this text, financing free education is clearly possible. Free education should be a priority, considering it is not a merchandise sold for profit. Without tuition fees, an great quantity of citizens could be educated and contribute more to a rich and functional society. If our government places accessible education as one of his last priorities, maybe it is time to choose a party which represents the young people in Quebec better.