Category: BlockTwo

A pass/fail grading system is a method of scoring in schools in which a student will receive a passing grade or a failing grade instead of a typical number or letter grade on an assignment without having to worry about earring a high rating of success.  If the student does not work at a failing level, will pass the class.  Lots of students and many teachers favor this idea of evaluating student performance with the pass/fail grading system instead of the traditional letter grade method.  There are many pros to using the new grading system such as fairness in grading, group cohesion, more academic risks, and less stress and improved moods amoung students.

First, in a traditional letter grading system, students often feel stress to do extremely well on papers, tests, and assignments and earn an A or B even though C’s and D’s are passing grades as well.  If it were a pass/fail grading system, the student would have less stress because they don’t have to worry about how high of a grade they will receive, as long as they put in effort and work above a failing level.

Second, although the workload and course requiremeants are similar, students have an improved mood due to less preoccupation with homework, upcoming tests and quizzes, and papers while under less stress.

Third, under a pass/fail grading system, students will not feel the need to compete with their peers, as seeing other students as competition will make it less likely that the students will successfully to work together.  Students will work freely with other students.  For example, if students get together in study groups, it will help each student to retain and better understand new material.

Next, the majority of students will avoid participating in classes that they are unsure of whether or not they will excel in because they are afraid that a grade lower than an A or a B might negatively affect their grade point average and/or alter the person’s idea of their own level of success.  Students will feel safer trying new things and may be more willing to take academic risks in a system where grades are either passing or failing.  Trying a variety of new subjects helps students to become more well-rounded and to gain confidence in their passing level skills.

Lastly, subjects, such as math and science, have unbiased and specific grading systems, other subjects, such as English and art, are more intuitive.  For instance, there is not a specific method or way of judging an art project or paper for English.  Students will know that they won’t fail the class as long as they completethe work in a satisfactory manner.  Students often worry that they will not be graded fairly if a teacher has a past of or reputation for favoritism or unreasonable grading.  This system will take away how much a teacher’s judgement effects a student’s grade and idea of skill level.

In the end, although there are a few cons to this recently introduced grading system, it has proved to have several advantages for students and faculty within the society of each high school or college that has adopted this method of rating each student’s academic performance.

Every citizen in the world has people they are connected to in some way, shape, or form.  Some connections people are born into, such as mothers, fathers, and siblings, who will help to form the person we end up being in adulthood. The relationships that truly help to form ones identity however are the ones they get to chose, relationships where the choice to decide whether a person goes from a stranger to loved one, or a fellow employee to a best friend, is completely up them. With friends, the relationships formed and how long they last are completely up to those two people. Unlike a family members who is bonded to a person by blood,  the bonds in a friendship can dissolve within minutes, the choice to walk away is always there. Though  a friendship may not last long in some cases, the memories and lessons learned from the fellow person will always be present, whether good or bad. Due to theses memories that will never truly leave, the choice of who to call a good friend or who to call a great friend is one of the most important decisions that a person will ever have to make. A good friend will be their when they want to, will talk about problems in life when they feel it is necessary, these friendships are the ones that will dissolve. Great friends are the ones that are able to create laughter even in desperate moments of sadness, or that are willing to talk at all hours of the night just to make sure the emotions felt throughout the body are more then okay. Though both relationships may at points seem camouflaged to be the same the difference is clear in the long run. Ultimately in order to succeed in the future from lessons learned in the past citizens of the earth need to make the choice to find and make more great friends.

I have been thinking about chess lately. Probably too much, considering I lack anything that could possibly be considered ‘skill’ in the game. Having developed an interest recently, I’ve realized there are quite a few lessons to be learned, all of which extend far past the checkered board.

The first is the power of underestimation. On a chessboard, the first row is entirely pawns: the little guys, only capable of moving forward and taking pieces in very blatant and easily avoided moves. As the smallest and weakest, the pawn is widely considered expendable, or, at the very least, inessential. However, very recently, I watched a friend take another friend’s queen, the most powerful player, with a simple pawn. Through a combination of determination, strategy, and patience, the ‘little guy’ defeated his formidable opponent. It might not have been the largest or most capable, but it affected the outcome of the match.

Secondly is the option of approaching a problem from another angle. The knight is the only chess piece capable of jumping over others, and it does so in the shape of an L. While another piece might be limited in its moves by the pieces surrounding it, the knight can simply jump over the problem, veering off the beaten path in the process. In order to reach the tight spaces that may lead to success, one must often seek action from a new perspective.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is a lesson of support. The king, while capable of traveling on his own, needs his fellow players—his checkmates, if you will—in order to survive and flourish on his board. Merely moving place to place, making limited progress in a lonely world, is not enough to succeed. It is not possible to win a game of chess, or a game of life, without support to guide and help you along the way.

So, though I am a very questionable player of the literal game, I have found chess to be a significantly rewarding exercise in the area of morals and principles. Maybe one day I’ll find the actual chess wisdom as well.

Trial by Fire, although an article specifically about Cameron Todd Willingham’s case, serves as a window that puts on display the social and criminal injustices that defendants face. In particular, cases involving murder crimes are the ones that require the most difficult decisions, and receive the biggest number of adverse responses and reactions; Willingham’s case is no exception. When the people of Texas heard about a man who murdered his three daughters by arson there was an immediate wave of shock from citizens; why would a man kill his own children? By analyzing Willingham’s case more closely, people of Texas began to realize that there are no solid pieces of evidence, backed by witnesses and/or scientific basis, that point to Willingham being guilty. With Willingham having faced possible injustice, the real investigation begins. 

Author David Grann uses Willingham to offer insight on the glitches within the justice system. The criminal justice system has a goal of identifying and catching unlawful people to inflict some form of punishment upon them. Clearly the justice system does not have intentions to punish innocent people, but many innocent people do face punishments. The system has a flaw; when there is not a lot of evidence, when there aren’t many witnesses, or when the jury disagrees with the judge’s decision, the defendant tends to get the raw end of the deal. Willingham pleads innocent to the charges and he maintains this plea throughout the entirety of his trial. But because Willingham lacked witnesses and evidence, when a jailhouse informant said Willingham confessed to the crime, he was found guilty. The criminal justice system is not the only system that contains flaws. The death penalty can be quite dangerous as well. Not only is the death penalty very permanent, meaning once someone is killed they can’t be brought back versus jail time can be cut short quite easily, the penalty is easily considered ethically and morally wrong. Any criminal is subject to jail time, but why should they face death? The death penalty is wrong because it not only kills innocent people who are convicted of crimes they did not commit, the penalty also plays God. What gives a person or a group of people the right to decide whether someone should live or die? The justice system and the death penalty go hand in hand with each other; the two systems have already resulted in many wrong doings and will only to continue to result in more until the glitches are sorted out. 

Hello from Cole.