I Pass the Test

Today, society relies less and less on its own critical thinking skills, and have turned to a life where the answer is right in front of you them. I remember learning how to use my context clues to figure out an answer to a problem, but now a majority of high school and college students, at least some I work with, cannot put two and two together. Can we blame them? Who is responsible? This people are not dumb people, I have seen them use their brains to make connections; However I have watch them make a simple mistake, one would only assume be common sense. When I was growing up I remember doing puzzles with my dad, maybe because television wasn't like it is now, ,maybe that is when I developed my ability to form connections. I do not want to make myself sound too alienated from the youth of today; I graduated in within the past five years. With that being said, I feel like I witnessed the destruction of the educational system in Texas first hand. Not to say it was perfect nothing ever is, but I felt like I learned more when standardized testing was not involved in the curriculum. I understand the need for a form of assessing students’ grades, in order to see how they are developing and learning, but it should not come at the expense of students and teachers. This will only weaken our society and economy in the future because our workforce will not be properly trained. A good education leads to a better life. So why are we robbing our future generations of this incredible ability to use one's head? One could assume that the less amount and less difficult the tests are, could make it easier for a student to pass the assessment. The higher test scores the more money from the government, along with teaching abstinence. Wanting our students to do well is a good goal, but rigging the system to make it look like you do your job is only crippling these kids. Maybe one solution to fixing this increasingly unstable problem is to reset the state's testing system. This issue was briefly discussed early this month in the Austin Statesman and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, after the Senate Bill 135 passed, killing the fifteen percent rule. The "Bill is a step back from rigorous public schools in Texas." When I went to high school we had the "four-by-four" curriculum, meaning four English, four math, four science, and four social studies, but the new bill only calls for four English, three math and social studies, and two sciences. Why these cuts in fundamental courses? I even took five years of math, because I started in middle school. These articles shine light on the topic of standardized tests and target the parents of students in these communities. We need to revisit the educational system and find a solution that better enhances our society. 

Fracking Down the House

  What is "fracking"?  Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly reffered to as "fracking", is one of the most frequently used forms of mining by natural gas companies today.  What I like to call the "secret sauce", is a unknown mixture of water, sand, and undisclosed chemicals, that are shot into the ground, over a mile deep, in order to break up the rock; This causes gases to be released through the new cracks in the rock, and the gas is collected. The secret sauce sometimes mixes with the water wells nearby, contaminating the supply of water for neighboring residents. Other times the waste water seeps back up to the surface, only to be flushed back down into the earth or reused, and also causing bordering lands to start shaking.
   This topic caught my attention when I saw this article, 'Colleyville drill site could be fracked frequently for next year and a half'; Being from Colleyville I have discussed this subject for years. I remember being in high school and my dad had just received a letter in the mail about selling his mineral rights, to this gas companies in order for them to start fracking. When I went back home to visit last September I experienced an earthquake, nothing terribly damaging, around a 3.4. It was not as intense as the after shock of facebook posts about this crazy moment of seismic activity, but still a big deal for a region that does not normally experience earthquakes. Sadly there has been an increase in seismic activity in the Dallas Fort Worth area following the spurring of the hydraulic fracking industry. Fracking Likely Cause Of Weirdly Strong Texas Earthquakes? Dallas Earthquakes May Be Tied To Wastewater Disposal From Fracking Operations, Geophysicist Claims?
  Have there not been studies done? There have been many studies about this form of extracting gases from the ground, but can you really trust everything you read? The University of Texas did a study a couple years ago and found there was no direct link between the use and improper disposal of the secret sauce and contaminated water and earthquakes. However the Huffington Post found a contaminated Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and professor at UT. It turns out the man in charge of the study "sits on the board of Plains Exploration and Production" and was receiving money from this drilling company, which fracks throughout Texas. How is this legal?!!! I can't stop wondering this, especially after reading this article, "U.S. Government Confirms Link Between Earthquakes and Hydraulic Fracturing". This is not breaking news, our own government has known about the affects of fracking for over forty years and has allowed companies to make billions of dollars exploiting a process, even themselves had deemed to be hazardous to the environment.
  Hopefully a light will be shined on this topic sooner. Maybe celebrities can help, I was excited to find an article in my new issue of Rolling Stones about fracking. Anti-fracking celebrities take tour of Marcellus Shale (not a link to the rolling stones article, but about the same people and event)