Say No to Pressure

Picture a student that’s sitting or standing but look at their facial expression. It’s full of tiresome, stress and their shoulders are tired of carrying the weight of expectation set by others, parents and themselves. On the other hand think about that one person who is excited to go to school after the long summer break. Who would you rather be? Which do you think is the better way to face school?

“Most parents say the grade doesn’t matter, it’ s all about the effort but it’s not true because when you get a bad grade they never ask about the effort.” said Kiana a student from 8JRa. Most would probably agree with her as some have experienced it and know the agitation of those hypocritical words.

In a society where people are constantly consumed by jobs and work and the measure of your success is the key to any further success, grades seem to matter a great deal to students. However in Middle School do the grades really matter or is it the added pressure of something else? Perhaps maybe the whirlwinds of other people’s success, A’s and 7’s, or is it the competition? Maybe the future you is telling you that the things you do now are going to majorly affect your future. Have you experience any of these things?

Mr. Raisdana, and English teacher in UWCSEA and a parent, stated that pressure should be low for students. “My daughter says that if someone is doing something good, she has to do it the same or better. I don’t know where the pressure is coming from...” and who really does? Is pressure this invisible object that is held and dragged through life with a string that can only loosen or tighten but never be cut?

Even though Mr. Raisdana says that he doesn’t think that pressure is a good way to get his child and students working, as a teacher it’s his job to set deadlines to students and sometimes it is necessary to pressure them because things need to be done so that the student and the rest of the class can continue going forward.

Starting from a young age it is inevitable that you will compete, whether it’s the game of tag or who’s the teacher’s favorite, but there is competition the minute you step out into the world and you figure out that there are other people around you. In most schools grades and report cards are given out in the first grade. Aditi, a grade 8 Student of 8JRa says “There is pressure from the first report card. Your parents see it and you automatically think you have to keep it up or do better in the future.” so is it not such a good idea that report cards are given out to students and their hopeful parents at such an early age?

Needless to say that there is a very large amount of students that feel a lot of pressure coming from their parents but it is definitely not the only source of pressure. A lot of pressure also comes from ourselves. In such a crazy world where you already have pressure that is out of your control, why would you add more to yourself?

Mrs.Weima, a councillor in UWCSEA East, says “A certain amount of pressure could be helpful as students are still developing and their parents are there to guide them. Sometimes parents put pressure because they want to help them get to where they need to go. A lot of the times we don’t feel like doing something like homework but a lot of the times Grade 12 students will come back and be thankful for the pressure their parents gave them.” So the pressure that many students find stressful coming from their family is coming from a good place but sometimes it can get overwhelming. Your parents expect lots from you. You don’t want to let them down but you have other priorities. There comes a time when you don’t want to go to school and learning is a pain in the butt but this is a guide for you and it will help you in the future. 

A survey was done that asked 21 students of 8th grade what they thought of when the word pressure was said. Answers included stress, forcing them to do things they don’t want to do, homework and expectations. These words don’t necessarily have a good name to them. The result is a reflection on what this word means to students and how it affects them. Parents and teachers, maybe this is something you might want to think about?

According to Northern Illinois University’s Department of Education, children are more likely to suffer from self-esteem issues and confidence problems if they feel that the parental pressure is too strong. Also if the child experiences too much pressure they might not get adequate sleep affecting their mood and the way they learn. With such expectations and pressure from parents, it could lead to the students cheating or going to caffeinated drink to keep them awake and alert which is not healthy. Adding on Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth says that you should stay away from pushing them too hard on a test but rather encourage them to learn from their test, whether a bad or good grade, so that it becomes a learning experience for both parties.

A lot of parental pressure can be solved if the parents would maybe sit down and talk to their child. Ask them questions like ‘Are you feeling stressed? Pressured? Overworked?’ and you might find yourself getting closer to your child at the same time being a supportive parent that knows how to balance fun with academics. Peer pressure is an inevitable kind of pressure that is mainly out of your control. A lot of the times it will be small things without such a large consequence but make sure to train your brain to know that ‘Yes, I am being peer pressured now. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?’ and make your decision as an independent teen and you can learn from these experiences too. There’s one thing you can control and it’s the pressure you are putting on yourself. When you live in a world where there is so much pressure on you already, why would you put more on yourself? Take a deep breath and pause and realize that sometimes what you are pressuring yourself to do is useless and not the best way to go about things. 

Written by Seika

Racism? Over? Yeah right.

The Plaza was full of chatty, pre-pubescent teenagers who were either eating their lunch, or just talking. Li Xien was sitting with her friends, nibbling away at her wrap while laughing at her friends jokes. Everyone liked her, but she never really had a close best friend, she was always on the outskirts of her friendship groups. But she didn’t mind.

She sat there listening while her friends talked about some recent test. “It was so difficult!” exclaimed Amelia - the only person who was part of this friend group who Li Xien didn’t know the last name to. “I know right?! I didn’t get any challenge, and I am pretty sure just from overhearing Akhil that I got question 12 and 13 wrong.” sighed Jennifer. “Hey, what did you get Li Xien? You got your test back right?” asked James. “Yeah! I um got a...um ...a 4”. She mumbled. “What?! Your Asian, how did you get a 4?” gasped James sarcastically. Li Xien nervously laughed, trying to get off the topic. “Hey look! When you laugh you can’t see you eyes! Its like you close them! Can you still see?” Laughed Amelia. “Yeah, I can still see...Thats a little bit racist you know...” uttered Li Xien. “Oh calm down! She is just joking! God, it’s not like we are having a world wide controversial issue here!” giggled Jennifer. “God, Li Xien - to stunned by the fact that her so called “friends” didn’t realise how racist they were being.

You may think that we are in the ‘golden age’ and that segregation is over, but racism is still a big part of modern day society. “‘Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in fighting to end racism.’

This advances the idea that racism is a relic of the past. It isn’t. And over the last few days, there have been several stories that reaffirm the extent to which racial bias—and anti-black racism in particular—are real things that happen to real people.” - The daily beast.The daily beast (who is commenting on the twitter user “@FeministaJones” tweet) is absolutely right. Although there is not specific seatings for darker skin coloured human beings on busses, and isn’t different water fountains for them, doesn’t mean that racism and segregation is a ‘relic of the past’. In Fact, there has been recent incidents such as the Michael Brown shooting and only a few weeks ago during the AFL (Australian Football League) grand finals, snide remarks such as “Black dog” was directed to a specific -darker skin coloured- man named Adam Goodes.

You may wonder if other people have experienced this. They have.
Over 80% of people who were asked if they have personally experienced racism (even if it was supposed to be a joke) said yes. Some people have even experienced backhanded compliments! “For an indian girl, you are pretty!” is one of the comments that Akanksha, a grade 8 student from UWCSEA has experienced. “You’re Asian, why aren’t you smart?!” is another common remark that is stated.

“Its not over, its just not. I think that people pretend its over so that they don’t have to deal with the pressure of having to fix the issue.” Explains Lizzie, a girl who has also personally experienced racism, and racist comments.

In the end, people need to realise that not all acts of racism are big, controversial issues. So many people can fall victim to it from their peers/friends, who probably think they are only having a laugh. People need to stop and think about their actions before they do them, or in this case, say them. People need to know that racism isn’t just a bad memory from the past, it is here, it is now. What are you going to do about that?

Written by: Patrick

Are Tech Devices Taking Over Our World?

After school in the library of UWCSEA East, the vault of silence gets dramatically cursed by the witches of middle schoolers. Computers, phones, gaming devices all summoned, geared with all gaming armory. “Everyone ready?!” someone screams. Sooner or later students are gaming all around the library. Some together, some alone, all get sucked into the void of games. Turning them to more than witches, even into a big fierce monster acting violent to their friends by swearing and insulting. Words of inevitable failure floods throughout the library, but others filled with triumphant laughter. Out of the mist comes a sound of a bell, ringing through the void. Magically transforming the ferocious beasts into a busy high schooler. All gaming gear back into their school bags and flashes down the stairs in a blink of an eye, into their buses. Of course it hasn’t stopped yet. The void isn’t too hard to escape from.

At school, at home, in buses, taxis... Everyone has their phones or their computers out. A lot of tech devices are bought every day all around the world. Phones computers are now starting to become a need to human beings. An average person usually spends about 7 hours on their tech devices, which is about ⅓ of our day. Could tech devices ruin our lives? Are there any ways to solve this?

People all over the world go through a big and crucial problem with their tech devices. All around the world billions and billions of money are getting used on tech devices. Almost everywhere you go, a tech device always comes in handy. Sometimes it can be a really big distraction at school, work, etc… Many murdering cases have occurred due to people (mainly young kids or teens) that get mixed up with their online life and offline life. “Too much inappropriate gaming can make you be influenced by the game…” Dylan Tsao Grade 8 student of UWCSEA East. Not only were gaming addiction causing murder cases, a case in South Korea, where a student has been an outcast online in a chatting application. Not only was he abandoned by his friends, he was also insulted and basically cyber-bullied. This made him a very suicidal person, and sadly killed himself because he decide he couldn’t take it anymore. Therefore, it is important for us to use technology properly, since it could affect us and other people around us.

We have to learn to manage a consistent balance between our online and offline life. This way we can enjoy our time online and also maintain a healthy lifestyle. We have to retain technology from taking over our lives, sooner or later even babies will know how to work a tech device. As Orison Swett Marden quoted “Work, love and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being.

Written By Youngchan 

Plastics, Asians, Nerds and Geeks

As you enter the cafeteria of UWCSEA East during lunch time, you’ll hear screaming and shouting. You’ll see students running around and laughing. Picture sun rays beaming down towards the tent plaza and the rapid movement of people’s shadows. Listen to the chatter of students going about their day and later lessons. Breathe the air of the hundred sweaty students and welcome to UWCSEA East Zoo. Every friendship has its own cage for protection but also as a way to keep people in. The cage gets bigger when newbies come in. The cages move closer together as the lessons go by but they are never merged and when they are, bad things are bound to happen.

I’ve started to pay more and more attention to labels and stereotypes after watching the movie Mean Girls. I can tell you straight away the names of the Plastics in the school or the names of the Best People You Will Ever Meet. This is because we have given names to these people. Keeping animals in cages is never the right thing to do because we’re supposed to be able to roam free and interact with other animals even when the risks are high but when it’s about humans, circumstances tend to change. Anyone that tries too hard to fit in won’t as people become judgmental about your every move as if you are being hunted by your predator.

A lesson that I’ve learnt just by going to lunch is how separated we are. In classes we are forced to be with someone for group works. This by no means will determine that you are going to speak to them outside of class. Just looking at the canteen you’ll easily spot the Asian, Nerds, Geeks, Popular People etc… Within these groups it seems that everyone in them has the same interests or get the same grades. Is that how we want our school communities to be like? Living as if our friendship groups are cages? Not being able to be a confident individual?

Mean Girls isn’t the source of influence to stereotypes and labels. You may not have realized, or you may have, but Divergent, the popular book in a trilogy, has their citizens divided into factions. These factions are separating the stereotypes from the beginning of their life. Ultimately, they do get to choose which ‘label’ and ‘stereotype’ they want to be in, though in the book these labels are called factions. There is a test to see which faction you belong in, almost like the permission that you can sit with a certain friendship group. Once you do choose which faction you want to be in, you must prove yourself. This system that is introduced in the book has actually been going for a long time. Needless to say most, if not all, of us have experienced some type of neglection from a certain group of people.

Mr.Raisdana, an English teacher in UWCSEA East, said “ People often joke with me when I have a beard, that I look like a terrorist. It makes me feel bad. They are not aware enough that a comment like that makes them appear ignorant and unkind. Also, they don’t know me enough to know that something like that might bother me.” Jasmine, a student of 8JRa, said “ People often say that I’m smart and when I don’t get 6’s or 7’s their reaction is just “I thought you were smart though.” and it really puts pressure on me.” Jasmine also remarked “Being labeled ‘Asian’ gives me the pressure that I have to be smart and get good grades.”

Although some may only be joking when they are calling somebody by a label and don’t mean to hurt anybody, it has the great potential that it will. Some people automatically categorize Asians as the smart kids when in all reality we start of the same. Just with different cultural backgrounds it ranges. Labelling someone is hurtful and insensitive. By labelling them you are telling them that you belong to this group of people and you should stay there. Within that group of people there might be expectations.

According to simplepsychology.org, stereotypes makes us ignore the differences between individuals therefore what we might think things about people that are probably not true. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes.
So the next time you are about to judge somebody and stereotype them, remember this article. Stereotypes and labels are hurtful to people even when it doesn’t seem like it is. Catch yourself before you categorize people and judge them as you probably don’t know them well enough and grouping people never quite gets you as many friends.

Written by Seika

The Answer To Homework

The buzz of the school bell followed by an intense rush of students sprinting down the hallway and out of the school gates as if someone had pulled the plug under a humongous whirlpool. Most people would think that the craziness and frantic writing of tests would be over after school. But is the enervating part of the day really finished; or is it the start of another evening filled with mountains of monotonous, exhausting homework.

According to technology.com, homework has its pros and cons. First of all, it can allow families to become closer together as students may ask a sibling or a parent for help, not only does it do this but can also lead to parents unearthing more about their child's school life. Also it can help students become more principled as it takes a lot of responsibility to remember to turn in your homework and finish projects by certain deadlines.

But homework isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. There are quite a few facts on how doing homework can negatively affect your lifestyle. For example, if a student is given too much homework, he might be extremely stressed out and won’t have enough time to spend with their families, friends etc. Furthermore, too much homework can encourage students to cheat on assignments as students end up copying from one another to finish homework. What’s the point of doing homework if you’re not learning anything? So the main question is, are grade 8 UWCSEA East students currently doing too little or too much homework in order to lead a balanced lifestyle.

According to the students of grade 8 class, 8JRa, more than 50% of students do more than 10 hours of homework per week and 78% of students are stressed because of homework. The UWCSEA homework policy states that only 7 hours of homework should be done for a grade 8 student per week so how should this problem be solved. “I do get stressed when I have homework to do, especially when I’m stacked with papers ,” says Youngchan Lee,”But I do admit that I sometimes get distracted while doing homework and because of this, I end up staring at my computer wondering how in the world will I ever finish my math homework.”

Maybe the real answer lies in how students do work these days, is the real problem the constant visiting of that facebook page? Or is it the urge to chat online with someone about the latest tech release. Whatever it is, whether it’s the way that students do homework or the amount of homework teachers give right now, it’s eating away at the lives of students. Something needs to be fixed as currently, students are struggling to cope with the pressure and are being pushed to their breaking points.

Written by Harit 

The Prioritized Problem

She rubbed her eyes to try to wipe away tiredness. After cross country in the morning, school during the day and badminton training in the afternoon she was exhausted. The rate at which she was working told her that she had solved 2 math problems/hour. “I’ll just do this later” She said and she hit the hay after setting her alarm for 5:30 in the morning. “After school activities take up so much of time, some days the homework is okay, but somedays i’m buried underneath homework” Says Lizzie.

Almost every 3 in 5 teens procrastinate while doing their homework. This contributes to stress and in some cases might affect their health. Not having a stable sleep cycle might cause teens to have a short attention span and might cause depression over time.

Imagine a day as a weighing scale. People should try to make their activities, passions and priorities all equally balanced on this scale. “I would usually go on tumblr, check my mail and text a few people before I get down to doing homework” Says UWC student Aditi Rudra. Having a routine or a timetable of things you are aiming to accomplish will help you to find balance. Listening to music, drinking tea, taking breaks by looking outside are all strategies you could use to help reduce stress, test anxiety and will keep you relaxed.

Sleeping and being relaxed actually has quite a large impact on people. According to http://www.coco-mat.com/?i=coco_fr.en.reasons , Sleeping can help with:

• keeping your heart healthy
• Reducing stress
• helps you concentrate & help you evaluate better
• helps you boost memory
• helps your body replenish and lose weight. 

“My grade 8 goal was to try sleeping earlier, for the first few weeks i could easily aim and shoot for this goal. I felt more energized by following my goal and I also could get more work done. But, at week four I was finding it hard to keep up and i ended up missing my goal most of the time” says UWCSEA student Akanksha Shukla.

She needed 3 consecutive alarms to wake up the next morning. She rubbed her eyes to try to wipe away tiredness. 6:40. she still needed to finish homework. she still needed to take a shower. she still needed to eat her cereal. she still needed to wear her shoes. Finally she was able to catch up with the bus and get to school in time.

Rethinking over your day to balance your weighing scale will help you lead a healthier lifestyle and relief lots of stress. All simply done by being an effective prioritizing procrastinator.

Written by Manini

The Pro’s of Exercise

Watching TV on the couch on a Friday night, flipping through the channels when you come across the sports channel, seeing all the professional athletes do their thing, Kobe Bryant shooting round the arc and swishing a three, Usain Bolt tearing up the track and Michael Phelps speeding down the cold pool, you get the point.

In all seriousness, many adolescents are worried and concerned about their bodies. Teens these days suffer a negative body image. Negative body image is when someone thinks that they are too fat, too skinny, too weak, too short. Maybe for girls it is when they are not pretty enough. Research has shown us that exercise boost our self-esteem and helps tone our bodies and keeps our hearts healthy. Exercise is something that everyone needs. It also helps us stay positive and mindful as well as keeping us fit.

If exercise is not in your daily regime, you may face many physical problems, Obesity being one of many. Not only does Obesity cause physical problems but also social problems. If you don’t exercise, Obesity is inevitable. Bullying is something that could be one of the consequences of being obese. People may tease people or make fun of them for being obese but it is not entirely the obese persons fault. Genetics play a major role on obesity.

On the plus side, exercise also helps us perform better in school. Scientists have observed students activity levels in a 7th grade classroom. The results came out just as expected. The students who played a sport almost every day were more attentive and performed better.

Sure exercise is tiring, maybe even boring for some people but it should not be treated like a chore. People should think of it as something that you do mindlessly, without thinking about like brushing your teeth every morning or night and eating your breakfast. Lots of people love exercise and sport, just like many people in Middle School. Harit Raghunathan, from 8JRa said “ I really enjoy playing a sport and exercising, it helps me reduce stress. Another reason is it gives you a sense of determination and the drive to become better. If you are competing in an ACSIS team, you find that there is a sense of competitiveness in everyone, the fact that you want you and your team to win and even if you don’t, you will feel proud that you have at least gotten that far.” Almost everyone in 8JRa said that they love sports, depending on which one. Sport is a part of exercise, so it counts. No one can live without exercise, it is a need.

Written by Arjun

Library or Room?

Every Monday to Friday, from 7pm to 9 pm, students at the boarding house who are in grade 7 to 11 have to go and have their study time at the library. It is a time for students to do their homework or review their lessons or tomorrow subjects.

Except for grade 12, they can study at their own rooms. Students at other grades always complain that it is unfair to let the other students go to the library and walk back to their own room. And let the grade 12 students stay in their room after dinner.

However, Marcel, one of the houseparent, explained that the reasons why they let the other grades except grade 12 to study at the library, because they are still little kids so it is better to let them study at the library so that they can pay attention to their study more than at their room. But is it a right decision?

There’s been a rumour from an anonymous student said that, “ I cannot dissipate on what I’m learning at the library. People always keep scolding at each other which is very loud and the house parents don’t even know about that because they are outside. We come to study at the library because it suppose to a quite place but it isn’t. So what is the purpose of being at the library?”

Because of this rumour, the house parents at the boarding house start to think about it over. And they decide to have an assembly after dinner time one evening. It is a vote council. Students have to raise their hand for their own favourite whether at the library or at their own rooms.

It’s about 70% of the students show their hands for their own room and about 30% show for study time at the library. One of a girl claimed strongly that, “ I cannot study at my own room. I always feel disturbed from people around me. Sometimes they do not have any homework so they spend their time make up or chat with their mother. I can concentrate more at the library. I don’t mind walking from my room to the library.”

Because of there are two different ideas and they are both good at both side. So the house parents have to discuss with the other and decide whether should they let the students study at the library or room or keep one houseparent in each room at the library. They still figure out about it. But what do you think, library or room?

Written by Khantey

What Do Sports Days Actually Mean?

Last year, there was a certain anxiety and wait for the 2 most arguably popular days in UWCSEA, the Sports Days. Both days were extremely fun-filled and students of Grade 7 relished the day. These were going to be the days when the mentor groups would compete for the glory of winning the Sports Days. Everyone knew how the day would unfold.

Out of all the interviews held, mostly everyone had loved the 2 days of sports. “I’d rather play video games than swim all day and run around on the field.” said one of the annoyed students. The eventual winners of Sports Day was 7 DSz. Kunal Daga from DSz said that “We worked really hard to keep fighting and win the points.” When asked about the team in a whole, Kunal said “I’m pretty sure everyone gave their best and were really motivated all through out.” Another student from DSz said “I’m glad that we won Sports Day because my friends were always nagging me about how I was really bad at sports. This shut them up.”

After a long day in the sun, the students were excited and waiting to know who won. Going bottom placed to first, the boo’s were loud. As soon as SMu was announced 2nd, the whole of DSz ran out and started giving each other high-fives. There was chaos as other classes blamed them of cheating and made other such ridiculous claims. Even through their best efforts, the teachers couldn’t calm down the students. As the pandemonium wore of, the teachers took control.

Even though they had lost, students from the losing teams were pretty cool about it. According to an unconfirmed source, they didn’t believe that their class could win at all but were happy to have taken part and have a lot of fun. While some believed that their class hadn’t put in 100% effort and were very disruptive to the team’s moral.

Overall, people seemed joyful as they exited out the Astro-turf. They had gotten their well-deserved break from the exhausting routine of Middle School work. Not only that but they had gotten a day where they could bond with their classmates. This was a day full of learning and collaboration even though it might not seem so. For the students this was just a fun day, but the big idea behind this was to bring the school together.

Written by Kunal