To the Editor:
Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia.
In third grade, we do state reports, and I have chosen your state. I am very excited to learn more about the great state of Nevada as I work on my report.
Information that I gather for my report will mainly be from books and websites, but I would also like to get information from the people who live in the state. This is why I am writing you.
I was hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. It could be things like postcards, maps, pictures, souvenirs, general information, this newspaper article, or any other items that would be useful.
You can mail items to the address below. I really appreciate your help.
Sincerely, Bora
Mrs. Bozorgzad’s Class
The Langley School
1411 Balls Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22101
TO THE EDITOR:
How much can be expected from our children?
Many families take advantage of school report cards to talk with their children about school. Even if the report card is itself important, it should not be the sole standard to evaluate a child’s academic performance, since every child is different and so are his or her circumstances.
A child’s academic performance is satisfactory when it conforms to his or her intellectual capacity and realized effort. Performance is sufficient when a student’s grade level is “passed” or “progresses adequately”.
Two paradoxical situations may occur. The first one would be that the student passes with a sufficient grade point average, but his or her performance is clearly unsatisfactory because the student could have gotten a better grade as a result of improving his or her learning capacity according to what was expected. This is the case of gifted students that with explanations and little effort obtain a passing grade. It also depends, however, how demanding the teacher is and if he or she is satisfied with the minimum obtained basic knowledge.
The second situation would be if the student makes a big effort and dedicates many hours to studying but does not achieve a sufficient grade. This depends on whether the student’s studying methods are efficient (or not), whether the student lacks the minimum basic knowledge of a certain subject in order to progress, or whether the teacher is too demanding.
Nevertheless, parents should not value in themselves the grades their children obtain in school because they could be making three mistakes. The first one is to demand their child less than what he or she is capable of giving, thus fomenting commodity and conformism. By not acquiring the habit of studying, the student s propelled to fail in the future even if now he or she is passing by a margin.
The second one would be to demand the student more than what he or she is capable of giving. Expecting a high performance from an average student that tries hard to progress could stir a state of anguish and anxiety within the student that could lead to desperation and the explicit refusal to study.
The last mistake would be to demand all children the same expectations, when in reality each one of them is different. Comparisons between siblings or classmates always produce negative consequences and can lead to jealousy or envy.
Rather than assessing the report card itself, one must consider whether the academic performance that each student achieves is satisfactory with his or her capacity, and most of all, if the student has given his or her maximum effort and dedication to the daily labor of studying (Translated by Gianna A. Sanchez Moretti).
Arturo Ramo
it’s time for all Nevadeans to stand behind Dean Heller in his courageous fight again JYucca Mountain Nuclear waste dump.
There are safer alternatives.
President Donald Trump is asking Congress to approve $120 million in spending to restart licensing activity at the Yucca Mountain repository and fund an interim storage program. That would allow development at the remote site located about 100 miles from Las Vegas to start up again.
Most Nevadans oppose the plan, which would consolidate the U.S. nuclear waste load currently spread across the country in their state. The project has essentially been on ice since 2010, when then-President Barack Obama suspended licensing for the Yucca Mountain facility.. We can relocate the waste to safer sites. The toxicity of this nuclear waste would remain dangerously high for thousands of years.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS,contamination of our soul, pollution of any waters, poisoning of any fish and plant life. The danger of creating cancers to local people. We have scientists who report the danger of Yucca valley mountain waste dump.
Th3e lives of American citizens are invaluable!
We can’t risk knowingly killing or making anyone sick.
Stand up with Dean Heller and say “no!”
STAND AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND SAY “NO!” TO THE HUMAN DEVASTATION OF NUCCA MOUNTAIN NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP.
SAFER ALTERNATIVES EXIST@@
Stand with Heller and say “Ni!” to Trump!
TO THE EDITOR:
Recently, President Trump talked about arming the teachers to deter school shootings. That is not solving any problems because the root of the problem is not the guns. The guns are just the medium that is used to act out concepts that the individual has formed.
Lately, I read a couple of articles that were on the internet that pertains more to the problem. One article was by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the other from Victor Cline on a research done at the University of Utah concerning the effects of the media that goes back to the 1950’s.
First off, let me start with a comment from the AAP, “Although shootings in schools around the world periodically prompt politicians and the general public to focus their attention on the influence of the media violence, the medical community has been concerned with the issue since the 1950’s.” In 1972, the US Surgeon General issued a special on the public health effects on media violence that was based on a growing and nearly unanimous body of evidence. In 2007, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) released its report on violent programming and its effects on children and agreed with the Surgeon General that there is “strong evidence” that exposure to media violence can increase aggressive behavior in children. They go on to say that children between 8 and 18 years of age spend an average of 6 hours and 21 minutes each day using entertainment media (television, commercial or self-recorded video, movies, video games, print, radio, recorded music, computers, and the internet). The article also states that such media portrayals results in increased acceptance of violence as an appropriate means of solving problems and achieving one’s goals. The media normalize carrying and using weapons and glamorize them as a source of personal power. It creates what some call “emotional blunting” or the turning off the conscience and what is called “bystander apathy” which is an unfeeling or indifferent response. By the age of 18 years of age, the average young person will have viewed an estimated 200,000 acts of violence on television alone. Television, movies, video games, etc. can teach new behavior. To me, some of the video games are nothing more than killing fields. Because children have high levels of exposure, media have greater access and time to shape young people’s attitudes and actions than do parents or teachers. Children are influenced by media–they learn by observing, imitating, and adopting behaviors. They learn the “mean-world” syndrome.
The articles state many more scenarios between media influence and real life or sometime the virtual reality life.
Recommendation listed included limiting video game playing to two hours per day. My daughter and son-in-law limited their children to one hour of video games per day. Another was to take televisions, Internet connections, and video games from the children’s bedrooms, avoid screen media for infants or toddlers younger than 2 years, be more interactive with the youth in your life, make non-violent media choices, etc. Television and other media forms do have the power to inform, educate, persuade, and even change behavior.
On a personal note, when I came back from Vietnam I had no desire to hunt or kill anything anymore. There is no glory in seeing dead bodies. Movies glamorize the effects with all their special effects they use, most of which is not true. Again, guns are the medium used in a lot of the killings because it takes away or isolates the individual from the cost and sorrow left by such acts. The solution starts in the home. It doesn’t matter how many laws restricting guns use gets passed it is not going to stop until we as parents, friends, and relatives limit the media influence in our homes. I have guns and they and the ammo are locked up. I have one key and my wife has the other key and the guns and ammo are kept out of sight. Our own attitude means a lot to others. Thanks