Social Voice

2010-04-19T14:25:00.002-07:00

Social Voice is an online social issues-oriented blog created by students in Mr. Spencer' class and students in IMPACT in Phoenix, Arizona. Our goal is to express our social voice through exploring issues, engaging in the community and expressing what we have learned to the world. Please join us in the dialogue! All items on this blog are created and developed by students.

why recycle?

2009-12-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

by Alex

Is it important to recycle? What happens if we don't? Does anyone really care? Would the world really change? The reality is that recycling will help us not to pollute the world, because when we choose it as an option, all of our trash is either reduced, reused or recycled.

Recycling is important in a way that will help us to not pollute the world. All of our waste could be used again and made into something more resistant that would last longer. We could take the paper, alluminum and other products and transform them into a new product. In the United States, we have massive landfills that contain waste. If we could choose recycling instead, we would change things. Just imagine thousands of waste sites being transformed into green areas instead. Just imagine our trash transformed into something useful.

People can recycle in their everyday lives. For example, they can use paper bags instead of plastic. Or better yet, reduce by using reusable bags. Plastic bags take longer to dissentegrate into the ground and paper means fewer trees. However, a canvas bag means nothing is being destroyed. You can also collect all the plastic bags and take them to the grocery store in teh recycling senter.

You might ask yourself, "What would happen if we never recycled? Maybe it's not a big deal." However, if we never recycled, this world would be more of a disaster. There would be more trash, more landfills, more pollution. The air would be more contaminated. A chance of living a longer life would diminish. However, when we reduce waste and recycle, we make the earth more sustainable.

I believe that recycling is very important. For that reason, I joined the IMPACT club and we recycle. Once a week, we go around to all the teacher's classrooms and help people and our environment. It's one of the small ways that students can make a difference.

photo credit

the new plan in Afghanistan

2009-12-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

You can check it out at:

Internet Archives

or listen below

photo credit

when teachers bully

2009-11-30T14:05:00.002-07:00

by A.L.

Most teachers are great. They spend hours after school helping tutor kids. They like their jobs and it shows in their personality. I've had those teachers and it's like they are saving lives. On my worst days, it's actually the teacher that can inspire hope.

The thing is this. Even if most of them are great, some of the teachers out there are mean. I don’t know if they are having personal problems or not but they can't be taking it out on us. If they have home problems they should at least not take it out on us. We aren’t the cause of there problems or are we? Just think about it. The same teachers who rip into kids because they are having a bad day are the ones who say a child is making an excuse if he asks a teacher to leave him alone.

Adults say we should just talk to them one on one. If we try to ask them then they will surely get angry because we can't ask them about their personal life. It's considered "off limits." So what is the point of even trying to help the teacher they don’t want our help? We're just supposed to smile and pretend, because they are the ones who are in charge.

It's rare, but some teachers actually bully their students this way. And the kids tell the other teachers but they don’t believe them. This can cause the kid to have stress this way and it can even lead the kid to having suicidal thoughts and things like that the kid might be afraid to tell their parents and they just want to get rid of the pain and they will just kill themselves. That might sound extreme, but I had a teacher once before who made life feel this way. The student ends up in a big ball of depression.

I know this sounds harsh. I've had great teachers. But I want people to know that there are good and bad ones out there. The good ones are unappreciated and the bad ones seem to go unnoticed.

photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/2341162140/

this i believe

2009-11-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

Chipmunk Cholo and the Bad Economy

2009-11-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

Chipmunk Cholo discusses the bad economy

the reality of bullying

2009-11-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

by Angie

One thing bad about bullying is it scares you for life. Most schools have bullying in them. Some schools don’t do anything to it. Others do a lot of things. Some kids that are bullied become the bully in the future. And the bullied becomes the victim. It turns into an ugly cycle.

One thing that is bad about bullying is that kids can get hart or even die. The second thing is they can get even by doing something really bad back at that person. The last thing is that their parents would sow that kids mom and dad.

People can do something about bullying. Bullying can change for going to the bus to getting your mom and dad to taking you to school. Bullying starts when kids leave kids out of games and chats. Most of the times they just don’t like them. Also most kids do that because they’ve been bullied so they bullied other kids.

Bullying damages the bully as well. Bullying makes them even more violent then they are. Both girls and boys are the ones who start the bullying and once they begin, they find that they can't stop. Parents and teachers don't always step in to change things. So, it just gets worse and worse.

Bullying often starts school or at home. Bullies don’t always starts at school. It can start at home or stores. It can also happen in public place. There is more then one place that kids can get bullied. Some kids that are bigger bull kids younger then they are. Or they get bulled be smaller kids but stronger then they are. They can come to the house when their mom or dad is not there. Some kids don’t tell their mom and dad that they are being bulled. So, it gets really complicated.

Not just kids get bullied. Adults get bulled at work or on the phone. Some parents call the cops but the person comes and looks for them. So adult’s change there names and moves away. That sometimes never works. Sometimes the person finds them at the end. So there is bullying all around as and no one can get ride of it. It just comes back. And no one knows if it’s him or her who’s next.

So, what's the solution? Bullies can grow into grown-up bullies. Victims can turn into bullies. The situation can get worse. The answer is to ask for help. Tell someone before it's too late.

Reference

http://what is bullying.com

http://what is the affects on bullying.com

http://what is the rezone why kids bully

Podcast: A Short Discussion on Technology

2009-11-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

Click below

http://www.archive.org/details/SurveyOfTechnology-SocialVoiceStudents

or listen to the following:

photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/102689399/

a powerful trip to Mexico

2009-11-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

by Azucena

A powerful memory I remember is when I was eight years old and I moved back to Mexico because my brother was going to play for a soccer team named PACHUCA. On our way over there we made many stops. One was to Mazatlan, but we didn’t know there was a hurricane! We were eating at the time when the lady that owned the resturant told us that we were in the middle of a big hurricane. She told us and we quickly hurried out of there. We got in our car and drove away and we managed to get out in time. My mom was relieved that we got out in time so was my dad my brother and I were just confused. We were just glad that we where back on the road to go to Culiacan, Sinaloa (that’s where my mom was born) and we stayed there for a couple of hours and left.

Again we just wanted to get to Pachuca Hidalgo we were so tired we were to hours away. I fell asleep and I woke up later. It felt like forever, but we were finally there. My brother was playing soccer with some guys I didn’t know. I got out of the car to see our new house.

It was pretty small compared to my house in Phoenix. The land felt different. Everything was smaller but some things felt bigger. There was more dirt. People were more friendly. It felt foreign but it also felt like home.

The last thing I remember was that all the soccer coaches said my brother Ventura was a good soccer player and that he would probably make it to play with the first class team. After a while they kicked him out because he couldn’t come and visit us if he wanted to be in the soccer team.

Jesse Cadenas gave my dad a number for EL CLUB AMERICA. They wanted my brother to go and play for that team. Right now my brother is playing on el sub 17 they say he’s close to being pro and playing with la primera divison wich is sub 20. Hopefully he does get to play for them on the big screen.

photo credit - flickr creative commons - glennharper's photostream

the power of dance

2009-11-17T06:14:00.001-07:00

by AS

It's all about the power of dance. It's what unites us. It's what makes us all human. It's in every culture. It's dance:

speak up against bullying

2009-11-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

by F.

Have you ever been bulled in your life? What grade was it in? Did you ever blame it on yourself? Did you ever think it was somehow your fault when you were actually a victim? Did you tell anyone? Did you talk to a teacher? Was it physical? Was it emotional? Was it words or was it fists? These are the questions no one seems to ask. Because no one is asking them, bullies keep their power.

Bullying is very bad. It can happen to anyone, even teachers. There is not only punching but also texting, random calling, spreading roomers about other methods. With the popularity of computers, people bully on Myspace and Facebook. Some people call it cyber-bullying.

Bullying is bad and the effects of it can be lower grades and lower attendance and sometimes even suicide. It's not simply "kids being kids." It's kids taking the voice away from others and making them believe they are lower humans. In a map I saw from 2000, there are thousands of violent bullying incidents throughout the nation. This means that bullying is a universal problem.

There are things people can do about it. Many states including ours have laws, so if you know some people who are bullying, report them. Don't stand by, even if it means people will think you are a tattle tale. You wouldn't stay silent if someone was robbing a house. Why stay quiet when they rob a person of their dignity? Speak up for yourself. Speak up for the kid getting bullied.

Even I have been bulled in my lifetime. In school I got so sick of the kid bulling me so I started to cry in class. I got scared. I begged my mom to take me out of there. My teacher asked me if I want to go see the counselor and I said yes because I couldn't take it anymore of it. I thought the bullying would get worse, but instead it stopped. The counselor stepped in and helped make things safe.

photo credit - flickr creative commons - jnthnhys' photostream

acrostic poems on the economic crisis

2009-11-13T14:30:00.001-07:00

by Alicia

JOBS
Just no
Offerings from
Businesses or
Stores

BILLS
Billions of dollars
In free corporate handouts while you
Live like you have no money
Looks like you're paying your bills
So stop the corporations from getting free dough

IMMIGRATION LIFE
Immigrants of
Mexico
Moving
Instantly
Going
Racing
And
Trying
Inside
Our
Nation

Leaving
It All - the
Futile
Economy

photo credit - Thewmatt's photostream on Flickr Creative Commons

My Mexican Family

2009-11-12T12:14:00.029-07:00

by Maria

Having a Mexican family is special for me. I consider myself to be a lucky child, because my culture values family and I have parents who are with me often. We have great food and special holidays.

My culture is considered latino. I am proud of this, but I don't think "latino" is a fair name. Neither is hispanic. We are Mexican. Say it, m-e-x-i-c-a-n. It's not a dirty word. Latin is European and we are only part European. We're also indigenous. This is called mestizo, which means we are mixed.

Our culture is poor. Sure, there are some rich Mexicans, but most of us don't have a lot of money, but I wouldn't give up my culture for all the money in the world. When I go back and visit my family, they eat together and celebrate together. None of them consider themselves poor, because they know that the measure of richness is people. My nana says it's better to die poor surrounded by loved ones than alone in a mansion.

One of our favorite holidays is Christmas. We get few presents since we don't have much money. We just make food and it's really good. We hit the pinata until it cracks in the middle and the candy is spread all over the floor. The best part of Christmas is when we play with the fireworks and listen to Mexican music. It gets loud with the laughter and the music and the jokes. You may be standing on a dirt street next to a house made of scrap metal and old wood, but you feel like the richest person in teh world.

We enjoy partying together. Everybody from the family enjoys the party. They keep dancing even when their feet hurts. No one is ashamed or self-conscious, because our culture is not so ashamed of the body. We don't believe you have to look like a super model to be beautiful. The party ends at two or three in the morning and everyone is exhausted.

I am proud of being the daughter of two Mexican parents. Although I was born here, I consider my corazon to be in Mexico and my heart to be in American. I love America I love Mexico. I am mestiza after all. I love spending time with my family and friends and sharing our life together. Poets say that life is a path, but we take the path together and we stop often along the way to dance and sing. Who says the journey has to be dull?

photo credit - flickr creative commons - steve snodgrass' photostream

television and truth

2009-11-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

Book Review: Fast Food Nation

2009-11-09T07:55:00.005-07:00

by Adrian

Ever thought about what goes into your hamburger? Have you ever considered just how that fast food ends up on you plate? The reality can be pretty disturbing.

What I learned was that thousands of cows are killed to be made meat. The meat packing place can be pretty unsanitary and dangerous for workers. Some of the workers die drowning in blood. Only when the workers die no one seems to care. In one case, the manager lied to the family and it wasn't discovered for years later. The cows face a pretty cruel death as well.

That was one part of the book Fastfood Nation, which is all about fastfood companies and how they are shaping America. There are parts like that which make people think. I found some of the history parts to be interesting, too. I had never thought about how dangerous it is to market products to little kids. It's like companies have stolen kid's minds.

There were some topic sentences that I couldn’t understand. The vocabulary was really hard. Parts of the book were slow and boring. The first chapter is really slow. Some of the chapters could have been slower.

I think this book should be a history textbook for when we study the fifties, sixties and other decades. But I would shorten it and make the vocabulary easier. If the author really wants to change people's minds, that's the way to go.

a global warming story

2009-11-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

by Julieta Flores

The polar bears stood there, in the freezing North Pole, while they saw the huge ice glaciers fall from above.

"What's happening?" asked one of the daughters to her mom.

"Well, it seems the air is getting a bit warm. I'm not sure what is the problem," the mother polar bear explained.

Suddenly another humongous chunk of the glacier fell down.

"Ahhh!!!" cried the daughter. They were all frightened. The entire polar bear family ran away from the ice berg that nearly fell on them.

"Why is this happening?" the older daughter asked her dad.

"I am not sure, but I think it's this global warming thing we've been hearing about," explained the father.

"I am scared. What is global warming?" asked the younger daughter.

"It is when the air gets polluted and the particles create a process of global warming. I don't completely understand it. Then again, I am a polar bear and we don't have a lot of universities up here in the arctic. But the bottom line is that things are getting hotter."

"Is that why the ice is melting?" asked the younger daughter.

"I guess so. But it's nothing to worry about," answered the father. He knew he was lying. He knew he was afraid, too, but it felt out of his control. If they were going to die, he might as well shelter them with a lie than expose them to the harder element called truth.

After another year, it continued to get worse. Each season felt warmer. Each year the ice dissapated. The prey dissipated. More than half of their habitat became ocean. The father died first. They said it was more out of a loss of hope than anything else. The older sister was the next victim. This time it was starvation.

Ten years passed and most of the North pole was melted away. The earth had more water. Famine and disease spread as nations struggled to provide basic food. Some countries were flooded and others were dry.

Finally, the last polar bear remained. She was the youngest daughter, alone on a sheet of ice. She knew that without a mate, the race would soon disappear. She was very depressed, living a life of loneliness. The polar bear, older now, wiser than before, stared at place where the family had once stood. No glacier remained. Just an enormous, blue ocean.

"It's all gone. All of it," she said. She sighed and kept walking along the narrow strip of ice. It was difficult with such little space to walk and such little food remaining.

The sun baked down and polar bear died in isolation.

As for the people, they weren't much better. Some of them died in the floods. Some of them died from the pollution. Nations started wars over resources. Neighbors attacked one another. The oceans broke free, but there was precious little fresh water. Economies collapsed. The world was no longer fit for life.

And so we became the polar bear, sitting alone on a block of ice, awaiting our fate in a planet that could no longer support life.

photo credit - flickr creative commons

a letter to America

2009-11-05T05:42:00.001-07:00

Dear America,

I love your nation. I choose to use the term "your," because as much as I want it to be mine, it's not. You don't want me here. No, I guess you want me here. You just don't want my family. By a simple choice of location, I was born at a county hospital and gained access to all your privaledge. You accepted me as a stepchild and told me that if I can work hard enough I will be part of your family. I love it here, but sometimes I think you don't love me.

But what about the ones who made it happen for me? You call them criminals. What about the man who spends hours at work so that we can have food? You make jokes about him. What about the woman who saves every paycheck in hopes that my older brother will be able to pay for college? You tell her to learn better English.

A man on the radio blamed my family (and others like us) for the bad economy. Callers from all over Phoenix took time out of their day to tell stories of immigrants who used up the health care system. Apparently, our family is the root of all that is wrong in this state. "Ship them out," a man says. Are we cargo?

My mom never lied to you about your retirement. She never traded make-believe products to men in suits. Instead, she cleaned the hotels where the suits would have conferences. My dad doesn't own stock in any insurance companies. He doesn't jack up the price on your medication. He has never lied to anyone and said that the aspirin they are using costs ten dollars. He's been to the emergency room once, but only because he was cut real badly helping to grow the food that makes you healthy.

My parents never went on t.v. and said, "the fundamentals of this economy are sound." They never stood up and yelled at the president, telling him that he lies. They never called in a few big shot bankers and planned a bailout for billions.

My family came here, because they believe in hope and if you look back at American history, you'll see it's the immigrants who believed in hope that helped pull us out of recessions. My dad does not expect comfort. My mom does not take security for granted. My family knows what it means to work hard. So, America, it just might be possible that we are not the problem. We are the solution.

Sincerely,

a thirteen year old girl who chooses to stay anonymous

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/branditressler/989489697/

education

2009-11-04T20:06:00.004-07:00

is myspace too dangerous?

2009-11-03T18:44:00.041-07:00

Are we too wired?

by Dolores

Do you enjoy talking to friends you haven't talked to in a long time? Do you miss out on childhood friends you used to kick it with in the neighborhood? Do you sometimes wish you could meet new friends? If you're like many American youth, you have found that experience in Myspace.

Myspace is popular because you can talk to friends that you haven't talked to in a long time. You can talk about all the things you have done over the summer or talk about who you like or anything you want. You can meet new people an get to be their friend and over time you can tell them about the stuff you like to do. Myspace is fun, but is it dangerous?

The good things about Myspace is that you get to hear about some of the drama that goes around. For example, some drama is funny and some things are crazy and you feel like you are a part of it. No one likes to feel left out and Myspace helps keep you from being left out. But sometimes the drama starts fights. Someone can spread a nasty rumor and send it as a bulletin or post a mean comment and it spreads. Is it the fault of Myspace? Not at all. Kids would do that anyway. But Myspace makes it more public.

Another good thing about it is that you can put pictures on your profile page and show people your style. Personally, I like to put pictures of me and my friends. I like finding layouts and redesigning the theme. It's an area online where I can be creative. It's like getting to redecorate your room without having to pay money. But there is a danger here, too. Some kids make profiles public and attract the wrong people. Some kids post pictures that involve drinking or drugs and then they get caught.

Myspace is a new way that kids are interacting. It's defining our friendships. Some say that it's dangerous. Maybe it means we are talking less and playing less and facing a computer screen more often. Or maybe we're connected and social more often and spending less time just sitting in front of a t.v. set. Either way, sites like Myspace are here to stay and we need to think about what makes them safe and what makes them dangerous.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brookhavenlab/3181807959/

the outside view - bullying

2009-11-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

We never got to finish this. We were going to start a podcast called "The Outside View." We're posting what we have, partially because we want people to see that sometimes projects don't get finished. Sometimes they are raw and unnerving - which is how this one was. Still, we think it's important.

You can find it at: http://www.archive.org/details/TheOutsideView-Bullyin

or listen below

photo credit - flickr creative commons

connected

2009-11-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

bees

2009-11-01T14:25:00.006-07:00

BEES

Humans live off making money

Bees have learned to make the honey

Humans panic with a stock market drop

Bees have learned when to say "stop"

Human businesses pollute the air

Bees now realize it's not fair

We realize how it all will end

When Mother Nature has no friend

Your Rights

2009-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Island of the Blue Dolphins

2009-10-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

by Julian

Well this story is about a girl named Karana she lives on a island. when the aleuts came they made a deal with her father. So the aleuts took over the island so the villegers left. Well Karana's brother Ramo forgot somthing on the island so he went back and to get it. So Karana goes looking for himand the ships left them. there alone on the island.

Karana and Ramo dont know theres a pack of wild dogs. So Ramo got attacked by the wild dog's. and dies thats low. Karana is alone on the island. She found a dog it was the leader of the pack. She keeps him and she called him Rantu. The aleuts are back and a girl comes named Tutuk they become best friends. She leaves. Rontu dies ad karana finds his puppy she keeps him.

swine flu hysteria

2009-10-28T09:06:00.030-07:00

by Juliana

Swine flu, also known as H1N1, is on the rise and quickly spreading. It's coming back and surely going to be with us for awhile. Doctors are getting sick ones from every walk of life, from young to old alike. Staff and health care workers are being vaccinated from the swine flu. I am very fortunate to not have gotten it and know of anyone who has it. But I know that it's spreading fast. It's a very frightening disease which can strike anybody at any age.

The swine flu has become a major epidemic in America. Not only in the U.S. but also throughout the world. Disease knows no national boundaries. Political and health care leaders are holding conferences trying to educate people as well as sharing information with health care professionals. The reason for this is to learn from each other and give the highest care for all patients. If we all take note of what is being said and learn from our health officials we should slow down the epidemic.

Doctors are putting young and pregnant women toward the beginning of the list. Then they are putting healthy ones lower on the list. That means healthy people are at a higher risk to die. To me, that suggests that there is a bias. When they are favoring the sick over the healthy, there could be unintended consequences. Yet, the greatest unintended consequence is fear.

We all play the character role in this situation. People are scared to be around people who are coughing. People are staying indoors. After awhile, it begins to look like the movie "Bubble Boy." People are blaming one another - especially Mexico (even though it's a global epidemic). Apparently the disease was spread from Mexico to the U.S. and so now people are finding ways to scapegoat Latinos.

In the long run, that might be the biggest danger. A few people may die, but the lasting consequences will be fear. The answer is simple. Stay clean if you want to keep away from the swine flu. Get check-ups from the doctors. Get vaccinated. Live a healthy lifestyle and if you get it, you'll probably be okay.