Lisa Orchard's Blog - Posts Tagged "series"
Cheating an Epidemic in our Schools
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m back after a two week Halloween Party. It was a blast! And I want to take just a minute and thank all the wonderful authors and contestants who participated in our event. I hope you had a great time and we’ll try and brew up some new and exciting events in the months to come. So stay tuned!
The topic that I want to discuss today is cheating. I posted this on my blog yesterday and I thought I should share it will all of you today. :)
From my research, I’m finding that cheating is a way of life in our schools today. At first, I was surprised by this but then I looked back on my own high school days, and realized that cheating was prevalent back then too.
Back in my day, (not so long ago, wink) I remember a certain football player who wanted to copy my answers on a test in health class. The teacher had left the room and there was a debate between all the students. Half of them wanted me to let him copy my answers and the other half didn’t. What a dilemma I was in, because I liked him and considered him a friend, but I didn’t want to get caught cheating.
Luckily, the teacher returned, and the class settled down. I didn’t have to make that decision. But what about kids who do? From what I’ve learned, it’s becoming easier and easier to cheat. It’s almost the norm nowadays. There is tremendous pressure on teens to get good grades and many are taking the quickest route to success.
And it’s hard for parents to caution against the perils of cheating when kids get away with it and are rewarded with good grades. And isn’t that the goal? Good grades?
What makes the process even more difficult is that these students see adults cheating as well. In fact, what do you do when your own school does it? In this article, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/06/i...
Authorities found that educators in Atlanta were changing test answers on students’ tests in order to get a better score. Officials suspect this is a widespread problem brought on by the initiative “No child left behind” where teachers can suffer salary cuts and lose their job if their class doesn’t meet the requirements specified by this initiative.
So what’s the answer to the cheating epidemic that seems to be a problem not only among students but teachers as well?
In my opinion, the problem is that we’ve become a results oriented society. Our society is sending this message and our kids are smart…they’re picking it up loud and clear, and that message is…we don’t care how you get the best score…it only matters that you get it.
How very sad. We’re not doing our children any favors by sending this message. We need to shift that focus from results to the learning process. That’s right. :) We need our kids to be graded on how much they’ve learned or improved and let’s make learning fun again! I mean when they were babies those kids were curious they wanted to learn. Now, that curiosity has been snuffed out because society says you’ve got to learn these specific things and you’ve got to achieve this result. I don’t know about you, but for me that takes all the fun out of it!
I know what you’re thinking, how in the world are we going to do that? That is a good question and I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got some ideas. :) In my opinion, as parents we need to focus on the strengths of each of our children. And we need to work in conjunction with educators in developing those strengths. I believe that our kids will grow up with healthier self-esteem and more confidence because they were able to develop these strengths.
There’s a great book available written by Jenifer Fox, M. Ed., titled “Your Child’s Strengths” and it’s a great resource for parents and teachers. We need to start there and create an educational environment that allows each child to develop their strengths. By doing this, we’ll eliminate the cheating problem we have in our schools today.
You can find the book in many book stores or on Amazon. Here’s the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Str...
I know what you’re thinking…that’s going to be hard to do. You’re right it is…we’d have to revamp the whole educational system…but aren’t our kids worth it?
I’d love to hear any other ideas or thoughts on the topic. Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!
The topic that I want to discuss today is cheating. I posted this on my blog yesterday and I thought I should share it will all of you today. :)
From my research, I’m finding that cheating is a way of life in our schools today. At first, I was surprised by this but then I looked back on my own high school days, and realized that cheating was prevalent back then too.
Back in my day, (not so long ago, wink) I remember a certain football player who wanted to copy my answers on a test in health class. The teacher had left the room and there was a debate between all the students. Half of them wanted me to let him copy my answers and the other half didn’t. What a dilemma I was in, because I liked him and considered him a friend, but I didn’t want to get caught cheating.
Luckily, the teacher returned, and the class settled down. I didn’t have to make that decision. But what about kids who do? From what I’ve learned, it’s becoming easier and easier to cheat. It’s almost the norm nowadays. There is tremendous pressure on teens to get good grades and many are taking the quickest route to success.
And it’s hard for parents to caution against the perils of cheating when kids get away with it and are rewarded with good grades. And isn’t that the goal? Good grades?
What makes the process even more difficult is that these students see adults cheating as well. In fact, what do you do when your own school does it? In this article, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/06/i...
Authorities found that educators in Atlanta were changing test answers on students’ tests in order to get a better score. Officials suspect this is a widespread problem brought on by the initiative “No child left behind” where teachers can suffer salary cuts and lose their job if their class doesn’t meet the requirements specified by this initiative.
So what’s the answer to the cheating epidemic that seems to be a problem not only among students but teachers as well?
In my opinion, the problem is that we’ve become a results oriented society. Our society is sending this message and our kids are smart…they’re picking it up loud and clear, and that message is…we don’t care how you get the best score…it only matters that you get it.
How very sad. We’re not doing our children any favors by sending this message. We need to shift that focus from results to the learning process. That’s right. :) We need our kids to be graded on how much they’ve learned or improved and let’s make learning fun again! I mean when they were babies those kids were curious they wanted to learn. Now, that curiosity has been snuffed out because society says you’ve got to learn these specific things and you’ve got to achieve this result. I don’t know about you, but for me that takes all the fun out of it!
I know what you’re thinking, how in the world are we going to do that? That is a good question and I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got some ideas. :) In my opinion, as parents we need to focus on the strengths of each of our children. And we need to work in conjunction with educators in developing those strengths. I believe that our kids will grow up with healthier self-esteem and more confidence because they were able to develop these strengths.
There’s a great book available written by Jenifer Fox, M. Ed., titled “Your Child’s Strengths” and it’s a great resource for parents and teachers. We need to start there and create an educational environment that allows each child to develop their strengths. By doing this, we’ll eliminate the cheating problem we have in our schools today.
You can find the book in many book stores or on Amazon. Here’s the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Str...
I know what you’re thinking…that’s going to be hard to do. You’re right it is…we’d have to revamp the whole educational system…but aren’t our kids worth it?
I’d love to hear any other ideas or thoughts on the topic. Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!
Why I write YA
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you, my name is Lisa Orchard and I’m the Young Adult author of the Super Spies series. I’m here to share with you why I chose to write for the Young Adult Genre.
First of all I love this age group! When I started writing “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”, I looked back on my own life and realized my teen years were some of my happiest times. It’s that time in your life when everything is possible and I remember how excited I was to explore all the possibilities I could imagine. I wanted to bring that same feeling of joy and anticipation to my readers.
It’s also a time in your life when you develop your strongest bonds. There’s a lot going on during those tumultuous years and teens go through many changes. They learn a lot about themselves as they grow and challenge their boundaries.
In my story “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” my lead character Sarah develops a strong bond with her new friend Jackie. In the story, an innocent game of Truth or Dare turns dangerous when Sarah is dared to go up on the Cat Lady’s porch and ring her doorbell. Sarah discovers the dead body of the old woman and shows it to her sister, Lacey, and Jackie. Suffice it to say the girls are found at the crime scene of the Cat Lady’s murder and the story takes off from there. The relationship between Sarah and Jackie is strengthened by the setbacks that they experience as they try to snare the Cat Lady Killer. Sarah’s relationship with her sister also takes on a new dimension as she realizes that not all relationships are the same and she gains a new perspective about her sister as the story develops.
Not only are relationships evolving during the teen years, but there are added expectations as well. With all the pressures on young people today there are times when a teenager is going to make the wrong decision. There’s a lot of angst about making a bad decision at this age, and the reason for this is that it’s the first time young people will be making some of the decisions that they have to make. It can be overwhelming. In my stories my characters sometimes make bad decisions and I did this on purpose, because I wanted to illustrate to teens that they can survive a bad decision. They will have to suffer the consequences of those decisions, yes, but those consequences are not permanent. :) Good news, wouldn’t you say?
So there you have it, my inspiration for writing my stories in the Young Adult Genre. :) So, check out my books and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Sch...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...
You can find Me at these Social Media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-O...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1
Website/Blog: http://www.lisaorchard.com/
First of all I love this age group! When I started writing “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”, I looked back on my own life and realized my teen years were some of my happiest times. It’s that time in your life when everything is possible and I remember how excited I was to explore all the possibilities I could imagine. I wanted to bring that same feeling of joy and anticipation to my readers.
It’s also a time in your life when you develop your strongest bonds. There’s a lot going on during those tumultuous years and teens go through many changes. They learn a lot about themselves as they grow and challenge their boundaries.
In my story “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” my lead character Sarah develops a strong bond with her new friend Jackie. In the story, an innocent game of Truth or Dare turns dangerous when Sarah is dared to go up on the Cat Lady’s porch and ring her doorbell. Sarah discovers the dead body of the old woman and shows it to her sister, Lacey, and Jackie. Suffice it to say the girls are found at the crime scene of the Cat Lady’s murder and the story takes off from there. The relationship between Sarah and Jackie is strengthened by the setbacks that they experience as they try to snare the Cat Lady Killer. Sarah’s relationship with her sister also takes on a new dimension as she realizes that not all relationships are the same and she gains a new perspective about her sister as the story develops.
Not only are relationships evolving during the teen years, but there are added expectations as well. With all the pressures on young people today there are times when a teenager is going to make the wrong decision. There’s a lot of angst about making a bad decision at this age, and the reason for this is that it’s the first time young people will be making some of the decisions that they have to make. It can be overwhelming. In my stories my characters sometimes make bad decisions and I did this on purpose, because I wanted to illustrate to teens that they can survive a bad decision. They will have to suffer the consequences of those decisions, yes, but those consequences are not permanent. :) Good news, wouldn’t you say?
So there you have it, my inspiration for writing my stories in the Young Adult Genre. :) So, check out my books and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Sch...
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...
You can find Me at these Social Media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-O...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1
Website/Blog: http://www.lisaorchard.com/
"The Super Spies and the Pied Piper" is Available Now!
Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s determined to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?You can find this book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press, Smashwords, and Kobo
