Students chose a topic they felt passionately about and weighed their own opinions on the matter. They then organized their thoughts, guided by their thesis statements, and each chose three powerful reasons to support their opinions. Their goal was to write an organized essay filled with evidence. Enjoy reading!

Don’t you love to sit down on the couch and watch the big game? Don’t you love to watch your favorite player hit a home run? Well I do, and it’s fun to watch. But since ballparks are tough, it is hard to see a very fair game. If your favorite team plays in a small ballpark, and your favorite team is playing against a team with a big ballpark, and that team is playing at their home ballpark, your favorite team is likely to lose. I think all baseball parks should be the same size because of trophies or awards being handed out, team advantages, and player reputations.

I think all baseball parks should be the same size because of trophies and awards being handed out. This is because some players are awesome; they work hard, and play well. But some players don’t work hard, and don’t play well, but they still win more awards for home runs because it is too easy to hit the ball out the park for a home run.  They still win more awards than the players who work hard and play well. They win more awards because their home ballparks are smaller than the average sized ballpark. The players who don’t work hard are the players who play at small ballparks. The players who work hard are the ones who play at big ballparks. So the players who get awards and don’t work hard pretty much get awards for showing up. That is not fair. If a player wins an award, it should be for working really hard for something that they win. An example of someone who just shows up is Chris Davis. He could hit an out-of-the-park home run with one hand if the ball hit the ground first. An example of someone who works so hard is Miguel Cabrera. He works so hard, but it is hard to win awards for home runs at that ballpark.

I also think all baseball parks should be the same size because of team advantages. Doesn’t everybody like to watch their team work hard and win? I certainly do. I was watching the World Series, Cardinals vs. Red Sox, I thought it was unfair. When the Red Sox played at home (Fenway Park), the Red Sox had the advantage. Not because of the ballpark, but because they could play David Ortiz (Big Papi), and Mike Napoli. But when the Cardinals played at their home ballpark (Busch Stadium) the Cardinals had the advantage because their ballpark is bigger.  The Red Sox had trouble hitting home runs out-of-the-park because the ballpark is so big. I remember when my baseball team played Everett at home, we won by a lot. But their ballpark is so small that when we played them at their home ballpark, three kids on their team hit home runs. But when we played them at our home ballpark, they could barely hit off the wall. This is because my home ballpark is much bigger than theirs.

Another reason why all baseball parks should be the same size is because of player reputations. Can you imagine playing in the MLB and being a great player, but still not getting any fan attention because your ballpark is so big? This is how some players play. They are great, but don’t get much attention because their ballpark is so big and hard to hit home runs out of. But some other players don’t have to play well to receive a lot of attention. What does this have to do with ballpark sizes? Well the reason the players hit home runs is because their ballpark size is small and easy to hit home runs out of. And if your ballpark is easy to hit home runs out of, then you receive a lot of attention. It’s not fair that the size of your ballpark decides how much attention you receive.

I think that all baseball parks should be the same size because of awards being handed out, team advantages, and player reputations. This is not fair to baseball fans because your favorite player might play great, but since he might play in a big ballpark, he could crush the ball, but not win any awards for home runs. His team might lose because they are not used to smaller ballparks, and could play great but not receive much fan attention. Those are the reasons why all baseball parks should be the same size. 

Do you ever feel that toys such as dolls make bad images on girls? I do. I think that because the dolls put stereotypes on girls that aren’t true. They make girls want to put on makeup and clothes that are inappropriate. And because it makes girls have a low self-esteem; and makes girls feel like they have to be someone they aren’t.

The first reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls is because they make girls have a low self-esteem and makes them feel like they have to be someone they aren’t. One reason I think that is that is girls want to look like there dolls and when they can’t they feel bad. For example once someone I know cried because she didn’t look like her dolls. That is horrible girls shouldn’t feel they have to look like there dolls!! Dolls also make girls see all the bad things about themselves. Psychotherapist Maribeth Blunt sees dolls not helping, but rather attacking a person’s imperfections using unrealistic viewpoints. Blunt feels that dolls urge kids to change who you are to be accepted, and being who you are isn’t good in off.

The second reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls is because the dolls put stereotypes on girls that aren’t true. One of the stereotypes is that boys are stronger than girls. I think dolls influences this because the dolls make girls look weak by making them have skinny arms. Boy dolls always look buffer. I think that’s just not right! Dolls also make boys and girls have different professions and characters. Like how girl dolls are always princesses and fairies; and boy dolls are always firemen and police. Why can’t girls be fire woman or police woman? I’m sure there are girls that would want to be police and fire woman. Why aren’t there dolls for those girls?

The third reason I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing bad images on girls is because dolls make girls think it’s OK to put on makeup  and put on clothes that is inappropriate or too mature for them. One reason is that girls look at their dolls and think if they have this I can have it too. Some dolls are inappropriate and girls want to dress like that. Then when their parents don’t let them where the clothes they get mad. I feel bad for the parents because they are doing the right thing; and their children get mad at them for that. Another reason is that dolls makes girls want to put on makeup that makes them look bad. Someone I know puts on makeup and it makes her look unappealing to people that don’t know her. I don’t think it’s OK for doll manufactures to think that girls won’t look up to their dolls and try to look like them and even the inappropriate parts.

Now that you read my essay I hope you understand that toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls. The reasons I think toy such as dolls make a bad image on girls is that they make girls have a low self-esteem, they make hurtful stereotypes, and they make girls put on inappropriate clothes. That is why I think toys such as dolls should stop drawing a bad image on girls.  

The media should stop saying bad things about football because parents will worry and won’t let their kid play. For example, I have a friend who was coming home from school and wanted to play football with a sibling. He was looking everywhere for the football.  Earlier that day his mom had hid the footballs that the family owned. My friend was looking for a week without finding them. Eventually he found out that his mom had hid them. Apparently it was because a player on Sunday had broken his arm and his mom had worried.

In addition to that, parents start to think that sports like baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, and football are dangerous. To back up this evidence, I was antsy to go outside and practice kicking the football. My mom said I wasn't allowed because I could "slip on the ball and get a concussion.” About a one out of one-hundred chance of that happening.

The media doesn’t balance the bad things in football with the good ones.  Usually, when you play, you come out rolling in the dough. This can be donated to charity or help find houses for orphans. The media says, “So & so got a concussion” or “So & so has a shattered knee!” instead of what the retired players do that’s good with their money! What the press doesn’t do is say, “Let’s give a whooping shout out to Rob Gronkowski for making a diving catch and rolling into the end zone for a touchdown that won the game for the patriots!!!” or, “The patriots give thanks to Drew Bledsoe who has retired, and served a long career!” Before the game, the reporters say the highlights of the previous game. I love it when they do this because it is the one time that reporters aren’t saying all that football is bad for.

When the newspaper says something, people believe it because the newspaper said it. But really, the paper sensationalizes their stories all the time. They exaggerate their stories so people will read them and say to their friend what a good story it is. The most dangerous position is running back because of high momentum collisions. But even running back isn’t that dangerous. The most dangerous thing you can get is a moderate concussion; and in the coaches opinion, a fumble! The only reason that the running backs get concussions is because they run straight into the pack. This position isn’t as dangerous as the newspapers make it sound. The paper exaggerates how bad injuries are. They say that a sprained wrist is a broken arm. They say that a broken toe requires surgery. I’ve broken my toe and the thing that it needed most was ice.

I understand that sometimes something awful happens and people have to report it. But in the news we already have too many stories of bombing, suicide, and wildfires. Why add football injuries to the list? With too many bad stories on the news where so many people get their local news, it makes the world seem like a terrible place to live.

The last reason and the most important is that there will be a generation of bad football players because nobody has experience. They will be so awful that not a single person wants to watch the games in person or on T.V. The teams won’t be able to pay the players salary and the N.F.L. will have to drop teams. The little fans that still watch will sue the N.F.L. for dropping their team. They lose more money and have to drop even more teams. People keep suing the N.F.L. and more teams get dropped. Eventually, there are no teams left and the N.F.L is lost forever.

 I think the media should stop saying bad things about football because parents will worry and won’t let their kid play, the media doesn’t balance the bad things with good, and the game of football will be gone forever.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Students task was to write a well-structured opinion essay filled with evidence supporting their claims. Special features include:

• A strong, clear thesis statement
  
• Three unique, powerful reasons
  
• Meaningful personal experiences
  
• Facts and evidence from others
  
• A strong introduction and lasting conclusion

Students could write about any topic that they felt strongly about. We hope you enjoy our essays!

Many boys think they are better at girls at sports but I disagree. Adults always tell kids that it is not about winning or losing. I think it is all about fun. To be honest sometimes I do get mad when I lose but I just have to remind myself that I played hard and it is all about fun! For example in gym class, boys use to jump up and down and shout. But that makes the girls feel like they are not good.

Many boys think they are better than girls at sports but I disagree. Someone said that if a boy tried to do the uneven bars in gymnastics they would fail. I disagree with him because I think all it takes is practice, effort and time. For example when I first started basketball I was not good at it. But then I put some effort in to it and I became good at basketball!

Many boys think they are better than girls at sports but I disagree because I believe that girls can play any sport than boys can play. We can play sports just as well as boys can play. For example my brother and I both play soccer. We started soccer at the same time and our skills are the same. Another example for our skills is that we both can play defense, midfield, offence and goalie. We can both do the side circle trick. We are also twins. Because we both put in the same amount of effort into soccer. We also play soccer together in our backyard.

Many boys think they are better than girls at sports but I disagree. It might make the girls feel like they are bad. The girl might feel like she is trying her best but someone else might think it was pathetic. For example when I was little I played soccer. Once at soccer practice I was dribbling the ball up the field some crazy kid came charging at me. He kicked the ball it was stuck in the middle of our feet. He got it out and I fell and everyone was laughing at me. I felt like I was not good enough.

Many boys think they are better than girls at sports but I disagree. Because sometimes boys don’t give girls a chance.  For example in gym class boys would keep on passing the ball to their friends or the best boys on the team. I think it is not fare to the girls because the boys are not giving us girls a chance.

Many boys think they are better than girls at sports but I disagree because sometimes they might have not even seen you play a sport before and expect to be better than you. For example at gym class the boys used to never pass to the girls. I’m guessing it is because they would think the other team would get the ball right away. But after a while I did not like it. Also boys think they are rougher. But I think you do not have to be rough to be better at a sport than someone. Another small reason is that many girls are going to the Olympics for example a sport is gymnastics.

So remember those five things it is not about winning or losing, it takes practice, girls and boys can be equal, don’t give up and show boys that girls can be just as good at any sport as boys. Just keep in mind that I am not talking about every single boy thinks they are better than girls at sports. Those are some reasons why boys should not think that they are better than girls at sports.

                                                                                  

Kids should always go to school to get knowledge and be able to read and write. You could learn to write words and you could write neatly.  So about the reading part it’s good to read makes you smart reading a lot.  The children can have knowledge if they go to school life gets a lot easier  and they will have better chances of getting a job when you’re a grown up.

  For example first comes school then comes college then comes a job for you that you could work in.  So when you’re a grown up and you don’t go to school  you don’t know how to write, read, or math  you can’t get a new job you have to get a boring job  you will have to work like a mailman you have to work from morning to night coming from work tired.  The reason is to go to school is because you have to get a job that you could work in and earn money and buy food and other thing you need to buy.

 I learned so much from school you will too only if you go to school. Everyone should go to school to get a job that you could work in. everyone should go to school if you don’t want to be homeless. What I want to be when I a grown up I want to a professional it is a teacher that knows a lot of math but they are smart people  that know a lot of math I don’t know a lot  of math but I want to be one when I grow up and it’s time to get a job.

Then if want a job you better go to school then. I don’t want to work for the whole day it's boring. The children could have information in their heads so they get job that they could work in a new job for them.  If the children want to learn they could learn in school. Jobs help you earn money and buy stuff you need to buy.

 So you should go to school to get a job and have information in your head. Children should always go to school everyday.

About 70 % of the children learn across the U.S, many of them are assigned homework. Well I think mandatory homework should come to an end in some states.

I think we shouldn’t have homework because it can cause guilt to the students that don’t do it. For example, if a child has baseball, or gymnastics, or soccer, or any of that kind a stuff they will probably end up NOT doing their homework, and when he or she comes into school the next day their homework will not be completed. In addition it will make the teacher and the students feel bad.

Reason#2 why we shouldn’t have homework.

Like I said in reason#1, a child might have a sport or activity once or twice a week, and they probably won’t get home till 7:00pm or 8:00pm, or somewhere around there.  Then, he or she has to eat dinner. After that they have to do their homework, and that will prevent them from going to bed at their (regular) bed time. Also it will make them stay up late, and they will be very cranky tired grumpy etc., and I’m sure his or her teacher (or teachers) wouldn’t want to deal with A. they didn’t do their homework. B. their tired grumpy cranky etc. and c the teacher (or teachers) wouldn’t his or her “excuses.”  Plus if that kid is a good kid, then he or she SHOULD NOT be punished.

Another reason why we shouldn’t have homework is, as children get older they are assigned more homework. A lot of it requires the assistance of computers, which not everyone can afford, and I’m sure that kid wants to do their homework. But, they can’t if they don’t have a COMPUTER!  Also if they don’t do their homework (on the computer) it might reflect on his or her grade and it might cause them to have a bad grade.

Reason #4 why we shouldn’t have homework.

I’m sure many kids and teens have older or younger brothers or sister at his or her house.  Many of them are A. distracting B. annoying C. complaining and D. trying to torture them. A couple years back my older brother kept mimicking me, and that made my homework hard to do. I asked him to stop but he kept doing it, and that really got annoying.  On the other hand if he or she has a younger brother or sister they will get VERY ANNOYING.  For example: if your younger sibling is screaming, crying, running around the house, or saying your name over and over, it will be very, very, very distracting and annoying. There for making it difficult to complete his or her homework.  

Reason #5 why we shouldn’t have homework.

The work that students do these days are ALOTE different then what parents use to do, and if a child needs help with the “new” way of homework their parents probably won’t understand it. So they probably can’t help his or her child with the “new” way of homework. And I’m pretty sure that his or her parents aren’t hovering over their shoulder all day. In addition there are no teachers at home to help.

My last reason why we shouldn’t have homework is, teachers have to sit in their classroom for hours and hours grading homework, and I’m pretty sure that they don’t want to do that. Plus we need to give them a break. They work they’re butts off to teach us. And when we are at home they have to stay and grade homework, and that’s not fair. While their grading homework they could be having fun not just sitting there grading homework after homework.  A couple of my teachers said “it’s a pain in the butt grading 22 papers year after year.” Even though I’m not a teacher, I totally agree with them.

In conclusion it’s a pain in the butt to grade, it can cause guilt, there are no teachers at home to help, there are house distractions, it will make them stay up late, not everyone has computers, and they might have a sport or activity. 

Imagine that their no animals on earth .It will be dry and no sounds and it’s just people .You won’t see a beautiful animals at the zoo. I believe it should be illegal to kill animals for fun and for sport so that won’t happen.

It should be illegal to kill animals for fun and sport because animals don’t hurt people, so people shouldn’t hurt animals. For example deer’s don’t hurt people they are very nice creature. Bunny’s don’t hurt people they just hop and look adorable and have fun. It should be illegal to kill animals for fun and sport.                                                                                                                                               

It should be illegal to kill animals for sport and for fun because each year they kill 100 million in the U.S. alone some animals become endangered or even extinct from it. For example panda are endanger because people are cutting down the bamboo and the rainforest   they cut the entire tree and they ruining their home and they don’t know where to go. It should be illegal to kill animals for sport for fun.

It should be illegal to kill animals for fun and for sport because some animals help the earth. For example bats help the earth they eat all the mosquitos and some bugs help the earth like the worms they make the soil soft for the gardens for people.                  

It should be illegal to kill animals for fun and for sport because animals are important like human. For example they hunt like they sleep like us, they hide like us. It should be illegal to kill animals for sport and for fun.

I hope you learn lot about it should be illegal to kill animals for sport and for fun. They are very important for the world.

Have you ever had to lost a field and never got to play on it again I have.

I think the brooks school field should not be closed just to plant grass because we have to play on the drive way and that causes a hassle. For example all of the kids that play on the drive way and we will have to stop the game just so a car can pass by. Also the cars are parked where we play so we might hit a car with a ball and break a window.

Another reason why I think the brooks school field should not be closed just to plant grass is because the fifth graders won’t get to play on the field for the year. The worst part is that it’s our last year at the brooks school. Have you ever had that experience something like that when you have to lose something like a play area? In addition is that the field is still no grass planted so it could take maybe two years to sod the field?

The other reason I think the field should not be closed gust to plant grass is because It can cost lots of money for them to sod the field and even more money for turf. When I heard the governor of Medford gave the school money I was like damnit because as I said before I don’t want the field to be closed for grass planting. The author thing is that talking about sod it comes in rolls and one can be up to twenty dollars and for that big field it will cost a lot.

That’s why I don’t want the field not to plant grass and specially because I won get to see it any more or play on the field by-by field maybe one day I can go play on it because my sister might go to that school  in the future.

Some people never think before cutting down a tree; they just grab their axe, and go find a perfectly good tree and chop it down to the ground. They probably don’t know that the earth would become a polluted wasteland without trees; some of those trees could be home to small animals, and that we need trees to create oxygen for us to survive.

People should stop cutting down trees because without trees, the earth would become a polluted wasteland. I’ve been to a small city with no trees around. There was a huge power plant in the distance, and a grey, cloudy sky. There was trash all over the ground, and the sound of police sirens in the distance. It was a place I never want to go back to. Another example is that trees add a little bit of color to the world. The small city with no trees, was 0% green. This might not be true, but it could be that most people throw recyclable materials into trash cans. More trash means more dumps, and more dumps mean more trees that have to be cleared away to make them.

Another example of why I think people should stop cutting down trees is because those trees could be home for wildlife. Once, when I was hiking in the woods, I found a bird’s nest on the ground right next to a fallen tree. This is important because, some birds provide food, yet if their home is destroyed; try imagining Thanksgiving without turkey for dinner. Also, some animals eat animals that annoy us like bats eating mosquitoes. This is important because I don’t think anyone on earth would want to be ambushed by ten thousand mosquitoes. Finally, there are the bushy tailed tree climbers, the squirrels. The squirrels dig small holes so they can bury acorns to dig up for food in the winter. If the squirrels forget to dig up some of the acorns he buried, the acorns will grow into oak trees. This is important because the tree population won’t decline, it will increase because of the squirrel’s gardening skills.

Finally, I think people should stop cutting down trees because we need trees to make oxygen for us to survive. The scientific term for plants creating oxygen is called photosynthesis. It would be even worse if people smoke and cut down a tree at the same time because one, the tree wouldn’t be able to produce oxygen anymore, two, the smoke will pollute the air, three, there is a huge chance that of a forest fire. One time, my friend Almir heard a news story about a man who caused a forest fire because he was smoking while cutting down a tree. Pretty much, no trees means no oxygen, and no oxygen means no life on earth. I used to think that you could breathe in any type of gas, but now I know that the only gas that is healthy to breathe in is oxygen.

Now you see why people should stop cutting down trees, because the world would be a wasteland, animal’s homes will be destroyed, and trees make oxygen so we can breathe; so before you go cut down a tree, think about what you are going to do.

Have you ever been board in gym class, well if you did not know girls do not like it here are some reasons why. Gym should be more girl friendly with more sports girls will like because we do the same sports over and over again .For example  we di soccer then we did soccer  for four weeks straight, it would not be fun  to girls  that we do sports over and over again  

Gym class should be more girl friendly with more sports girls like because girls confidence level will go down when they do sports they do not like over and over again. Because one time my mom asked me if I wanted to try out for a basketball team.  Said no because I am stink at that no way. That meant my confidence level went down.

Gym class should be more girl friendly with more sports girls like because that does not get a chance to be athletic. Why because they do not like the sports we do like .soccer, basketball, hockey and kickball. And if girls think they are not athletic that might say I stink at sports like I did so they never try out for a team like me. I want to be athletic because I do like to play hockey, but I do not know how to skate. I really want to be athletic but also in gym boy take it away from girls too. I also am a gymnast and in gymnastics you have to be strong and flexible. So maybe in gym we can do that so then other kids can too.

Gym class should be more girls friendly with more sports that girls like because girls might worry about their weight, and then they think gym class I can lose some. But they will not because they sit out in gym class. So they are really just gaining weight. Even though they gym teacher teaches about exercise some girls do not listen because girls think gym class is boring so they will think that is boring too.

I hoped this help you realize that gym class is boring to girls in many reasons.    

 Have you ever been scrolling through TV shows on your TV? I know I have, I do it all the time. Do you ever see a show on obese kids losing weight? I have and it’s just not right. That’s why I think girls and boys around the world should be more active

I think girls and boys around the world should be more active because the kids that are not active could be lead to being extremely unhealthy. One part of being unhealthy is being obese. To me being obese is not only caused by being inactive but is caused by being lazy.  For example kids should be outside playing games instead of sitting inside staring at the TV and eating junk food.

Another reason girls and boys around the world should be more active is because not being active can affect their brain and body. When I get up from watching TV for a long period of time my eyes will hurt and my legs and my arms will be shaky.  If kids are lazy at home it will cause them to be lazy in everything they do, epically in school. This affects their grades and future life. Being inactive will also make you weak. So when you decide it’s time for you to be active you won’t have a lot of strength to be. This makes me realize that sitting around watching TV and being lazy isn’t as fun as you think.

The last reason I think girls and boys around the world should be more active is it could help their social life. I have made friends while being active at the park and the playground.  Being active will also help get along with other people because if you’re getting teased obviously you’re not going to get along with the people that are teasing you. 

Part of being active socially is being on a team, which helps you learn how to be in a community which could also help you later in life. I know this girl in my class who’s very sweet and nice but gets made fun of because of her size. I don’t think that’s right and if girls and boys around the world were more active that wouldn’t have to happen.

I used to think that eating junk food was fun, but it’s not. So I believe girls and boys around the world should be more active because being inactive could cause you to be extremely unhealthy, it could affect your brain and your body and it can affect your social life too. 

Have you ever been to a baseball game? Isn’t it fun? Don’t you hate that there not enough security? I think there should be more security at baseball games.

One reason I think there should be more security at baseball games is because people can get robbed. Have you seen someone get robbed at a baseball game? Well I know I have. People get robbed almost every baseball game. If there were more security there would be less robbing at baseball games because people would be afraid if they rob. Some guy’s wallet got robbed, but if the police were there they could’ve stopped him from stealing the wallet. That’s my first reason why I think there should be more security at baseball games.

My second reason I think there should be more security at baseball games is because people distract. Have you ever been distracted? Well I know I have. People distract all the time, if a person jumped on the field and distracted it would ruin the game and there would be no security to stop him. Wouldn’t you hate wasting your money on a ruined baseball game? That’s my second reason why I think there should be more security at baseball games.

My third reason I think there should be more security at baseball games is because people get beat up for cheering for the visiting team, a guy got beat up by giants fans because he was cheering for the visiting team. He was in the hospital for two years. But, that might have not happened if there was security. That’s my third reason why I think there should be more security at baseball games.

That’s why I think there should be more security at baseball games. People get beat, people get robbed, and people distract. These effects the baseball fans by making them get robbed, and beat up.

Gym should have more varieties of sports because it gets boring. Aren’t you sick of doing the same thing every gym class? The girls and some of the boys don’t like it. Some girls fake injuries because they don’t want to do gym. For example, Leah said that sometimes she wears boots to get out of gym. Almost all the girls and some of the boys do not want to do gym. The reason they don’t want to do gym, is that it’s boring for us. It’s boring, because all we do is hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and kickball. For example, Gavin said that we only do four sports, it’s boring, and Mrs. Penza should teach other sports. Also, Aidan said that we only do the games that Mrs. Penza likes, and when we want to do something else, she’ll say no, and we’ll do something boring. Gym should have more varieties of sports because it gets boring.

Gym should have more varieties of sports because gym is too focused on boys. For example, Jenna said that whenever the boys are captains, they pick the most aggressive boys for their teams, and the girls do nothing. We also never get passed the ball. One reason that gym is too focused on boys is that whenever the boys ask to do something, the answer is yes, but whenever the girls ask to do something, the answer is no. For example, Daniel said that in gym he wants to do other things, but the boys would never agree with him. This makes me realize everyone thinks that the majority of the class is boys, but it’s not. This is important because gym isn’t as much physical education for girls as it is for the boys, because girls usually just stand, and talk. We’ve even tried to fix this. Gym should have more varieties of sports because gym is too focused on boys.

Gym should have more varieties of sports because change is good. Haven’t you always wanted to try something new? For example, I found online that making kids play team sports, is neither healthy, nor educational. Because it’s like if you’re not good at sports you’re not cool. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t play any team sports, but maybe less intimidating sports like volleyball. That would be a good change. If we changed our sports, we wouldn’t have to do the same thing over and over again. For example, Chelsea said that we did the same sports over and over again, and weren’t allowed to do anything else. Also, my sister Sarah said that even when she was there, which was four years ago, gym was still the same sports. We only did gymnastics two or three times this whole six years I’ve been here, and it’s because a small group of girls asked, no one else participated. We also only did volleyball about 4 times. Gym should have more varieties of sports because it gets boring, it’s too focused on boys, and change is good. All the girls and some of the boys don’t like gym.

People love school…then they walk in.

At least 10% of children across the globe fake injury’s or actually hurt themselves to get out of school burned throats from gulping the parents coffee when  they’re not looking, broken bones from “falling” of slides knocking themselves out with something. Why have all this pain continue? Give kids a choice to go to school.

School can (and will) cause self esteem disorder such as bullying. Your kid could come home in a full body cast for all you know. Home is much safer much safer… Timmy was at his locker and Jared started taunting Timmy so I got a teacher. As I watched I could almost feel Timmy about to cry. My stomach hurt sooo bad L. Do you want your kid to experience that? Really?!

School wastes money for the community school have been wasting money that the community gave them… and they bought PLANTS. Also it made the outside of the school nice. Instead of the inside learning.

In conclusion I believe school should be a choice for the reasons listed above.                                         

Have you ever hated homework? Well than, do you think kids should have homework? Some people think homework is very useful, but homework is just additional work than what you already did in school. Well I don’t think kids, or anyone should have homework. Mostly every kid in America hates homework; well about 98% of kids. To my stand point homework is just plain useless. It has no purpose in this world so somebody, I say somebody take homework out of the world. It does not help kids or anyone learn!

I think kids should not have homework because homework is tedious and intimidating. For example, once I got a headache just from doing homework! Another example is once my cousin spent all weekend doing homework and still had more homework left! The last but not least example is once my sister had 20 questions on each page; and she had 5 pages of homework. That means that she had to do 100 questions in total. All of the questions were so alike. Now that must have been tedious, or what.  At least I think it would be very tedious.

I think kids should not have homework because homework makes you stay up late. Staying up late can make you tired for school the next day. An example for this is that once my mom had to write a 40 page essay. She waited until the last day, and worked on it all that night! The next day she was really tired for college and got nothing done at all! Another example for this is that once I stayed up all night doing homework. The next day of school I was so tired that I got no work done! See, having homework can lead up to not learning in school. Now think about that parents and teachers. This is why you shouldn’t give kids homework.

I think that kids should not have homework because homework is pretty much doing what you already know and, what you already learned. This made me realize that kids should not have homework! For example, once we had been learning division for a whole week; than we had homework on division. Another example is, once last year I had homework on addition, and of course I already knew addition! It was 10 adding questions I know, easy right. That’s what I thought at least. I knew all of this stuff. It is just unfair that we get homework that we already know!

I don’t think kids should have homework because homework is tedious and intimidating; it makes you stay up all night. Homework is also just doing what you already know. Eventually every kid in America is going to get tired from homework. That means in school no one is going to learn anything. And that all leads up to the whole world being dumb! Now that would be bad, wouldn’t it…. Well I think it would be. Everyone should think it would be bad. Well actually no one would be thinking so I guess not. All-in-all I think that kids should not have any homework.

Have you ever been to a skating rink and saw a person skating without a helmet? Did they fall and get a head injury? Well I saw it before! That’s why I believe people should wear helmets while figure skating.

I believe people should wear helmets while figure skating because helmets help you not get hurt. Helmets prevent you from getting the most major head injuries. Like cracking your head open. I once was wearing a helmet while I was at my figure skating lesson and I fell. Did I get hurt...no. Helmets are solid protection against your head.

In addition to that, people should wear helmets while figure skating because helmets make the world a lot safer in general. Not only for figure skating, but for other sports too. For example, people should wear helmets while skateboarding because if you fall, you can get a concussion. The pitcher in baseball should wear a helmet because the baseball could bounce off his head. You should wear a helmet while biking because if you fall off your bike, you can crack your head open. I once went to a baseball game and I saw the baseball bounce off the pitchers head.

This connects for recitals for figure skating too. I think people should wear helmets for figure skating recitals too! It doesn't matter that people look ridiculous wearing a helmet when they are skating like pros! All that matters is people's protection.

My last reason why people should wear helmets while figure skating is, helmets prevent any kind of head injury. Perhaps if you fell off your bike and you’re not wearing a helmet you’re probably going to crack your head open. Same thing goes with other sports too. If you’re not wearing a helmet and you fall doing a sport such as figure skating, you have a 50% chance of getting hurt really bad. If I were you, I wouldn’t take the risk.

This is important because people are taking the risk of cracking their head open. I want people to wear helmets because I don’t want people getting hurt.

I used to think kids shouldn’t wear helmets because they are pros at skating, but now I realize not all kids are good at skating and they should wear helmets.   

Have you ever been to a hockey game before? Have you ever seen the hockey players move around? Don’t they look so stiff and stuck? You may not agree with me on that one. I know they look so fast. They would look so much more agile if the equipment wasn’t so stiff.

That’s why I think people that make hockey equipment shouldn’t make it so stiff because it can affect how people play the game and limit their skills. Here’s a personal experience. One time my brother Andrew was skating in a game and one of the players on the other team bumped into him and Andrew tried to move his arm but the fact that his equipment was so stiff caused him not to move it in time and he broke his arm in three places.

The stiff hockey equipment is also very uncomfortable it feels kind of awkward because you need to fix it like every 5 seconds and re-Velcro it and it can be a pain. Here’s a personal experience of my own. Almost every single minute of my hockey game or practice I have to fix my shoulder pads and that really is a pain.

I feel like it would be more fun to watch if the equipment was less stiff because you would have better skills and you could impress more people like coaches and scouts. Here is another example of why this stiff equipment can limit your skills. Say you have a wide open shot. You try to take the shot but you have the stiff equipment blocking your elbows from moving and you miss the net. That could make people lose faith in you and you could get cut from a good hockey team just because of the equipment.

If you think of it you might agree with me. I don’t want to risk breaking bones because of stiff equipment. Many people think the equipment is fine just the way it is, but I think it would be safer having it less stiff.

Have you ever dribbled the ball to the net getting ready to score when suddenly a boy or girl slides and you trip without the referee calling it a penalty? That happened to me before. That’s what my essay is all about, the safety standards of soccer players.

I believe that soccer players should respect safety standards because anyone who plays the sport could get hurt.  For example, I get hurt at most of my soccer games and it’s usually a stupid accident. I realized that many other players on my team get hurt as well. A few times this season my brother got hurt while he was in. On a website I found in the past 14 years, 1.6 million soccer players got hurt around the world. This isn’t just pros getting hurt this is kids too. Probably half of these injuries lead to kids. One soccer game in 2006 a soccer player named Totti fractured his left leg when he played soccer.

I believe that soccer players should respect safety standards because kids see pros play rough and sometimes it’s an influence. In my division I don’t see players not take the game both fun and serious, you only see some kids take it 100% seriously. A few times I played against a town named Draked and one time a boy scored and he decided to show off and do a few backflips some of my team said that he was a show off. People look up to soccer players sometimes like an idol. This can be bad because kids can try to do a skill move that they do and could get hurt if they mess up. A website I looked at said that the game of soccer should be a balance of fun and competition.

I think soccer players should respect safety standards because we can have less soccer injuries if we be a bit more careful. For example, my friend fitzy said he believes we should wear cups in soccer. I agree because sometimes the ball hits the crotch. Another example I found on a website was as much as soccer is a popular sport, it leads to injuries as well. In California there was one year that 68 soccer players got injured playing the sport. 80% of these injuries led to fractures. I remember one time I was playing a game against Waltham and a very tall kid tripped over me and I fell then he stepped on my kneecap. I got a bruise and a bad cut that was bleeding. I got subbed out. Another example iis another website said be safe and protect yourself when playing soccer.

Remember to always follow the rules when you play the sport soccer. Keep in mind some of the facts that I told you about.

Have you ever sat down on your couch with some popcorn and a cool glass of Coca-Cola while waiting for the big game to start? Then you end up waiting an extra ten minutes just listening to a reporter list off all of the players who got broken ribs, concussions, pinched nerves, and torn ACL’s! But what they’re really trying to do is make you not want your kids play football even if they really want to! I don’t like the media, either here are some reasons why.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because the media speaks about football as a more dangerous sport than it really is. One reason I believe this is true because the media usually reports about every single bad injury they hear about. For example, a girl in my class named Maya said that her mom is scared of football because of a horrific injury in the paper she had seen. Another example is that one time, during the half-time show, they had a reporter list all of the injuries that had occurred during the week. In addition, the media has way too many articles and reports on football injuries. One time there were 8 reports about terribly injured players.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because I believe that you should learn from personal experience. One reason I believe this is because you shouldn’t just assume things like terrible injuries. Someone I know told me that his parents let him play football but he could quit if he wanted to, or if he got anything worse than a major concussion playing football. I can somewhat relate to my parents protection of me because I have already sustained a mild concussion and a broken clavicle. Both playing baseball! So it might not be the best decision. But I would do it anyway.

People shouldn’t get most of their football information from the media because they’re only trying to make you scared of football, therefore not letting your children play even if they really want to. My parents saw an injury report on a player from the stupid Carolina Panthers and then rejected me when I asked to play a week later. Maya also added the fact that her mother turned down her brother when he asked because of a reporter that said “Football is probably one of the most dangerous sports in the U.S.” The media shouldn’t be able to trick people like that!

This makes me realize that some people will believe anything they see. Including articles. This is why I believe that people shouldn’t get all of their football information from the media because the media sends negative scuttlebutt to the populous, you should learn from personal experience, and the media is only trying to scare you. It is true that some professional NFL players suffer from dementia that occasionally occurs when someone gets concussions. And other football players suffer from the more serious injuries including cardiac and pulmonary contusions. But I love football, so I would play on.    

My heart skipped a beat as I was standing in line. “Call Me maybe “, was playing.  “Next,” yelled a guy in a grimy blue jumpsuit. My heart fell to my stomach. You know why? I was next.

I’m at a Fourth of July fair with my mom and my brother. The pirate ship ride isn’t like normal ones. This one went close to 70 feet in the air. My brother was too much like a wimp to go on the ride with me so I went by myself. He went to go in line for the bumper cars. Mom went with me to encourage me but not go actually “on the ride” so she is just in the crowd giving me the thumbs up sign.

I gave the man my ticket. “Go on,” he mumbled. I didn’t even think about going at the very end. I climbed in the lowest seat. A boy about my age sat next to me. I had butterflies in my stomach. I glanced at Mom in the crowd. She had a grin that spread across her face. I gave her a half smile. The guy in the blue jumpsuit tightened my seatbelt. There was no turning back now. The motor went to a start. The ride slowly creaked forward. I squeezed the handle some-what ready for the ride to go faster.

The ride went back down then up again. Suddenly, the ride zoomed up. My stomach jerked to the side. I felt like throwing up. Every time the ride went back down, my stomach jerked in a different direction.

   After about 15 minutes the ride slammed to a stop. I was totally surprised that I didn’t throw up yet.  I felt terrible. I waited patiently for the blue jumpsuit guy to come back. He didn’t. I heard the motor run again.

Dear Mom,

I’ve been thinking that our lives stink right now; we are getting bulled by people bigger than us and always getting stuck in traffic.  Well, want to know something that will make our lives better? A dragon will.  Here are a few examples of why getting a dragon would be awesome. 

One example is that no one would mess with us because they would be afraid of the dragon.  Imagine if someone was teasing me.  I would call the dragon with a special dragon whistle.  The dragon would swoop down to the playground and shoot one tiny little flare at the bully.  He would run away in fear because he wouldn’t want to get burned like flaming hot dog.  I would feel ten times safer with a dragon.

Another example of it being epic to have a dragon is that we wouldn’t have to sit in 50 miles of traffic, because we would be flying OVER on our speedy dragon with style. Takeoff and landing aren’t really any different that riding in a helicopter. The dragon wouldn’t go higher than your average tree. The dragon could have a saddle that has a cover that you could pull up that acts like an umbrella when it rains. The only problem is that I wouldn’t know where to put any of our stuff if we had any.  The dragon is superior to cars because there is not so much traffic in the air.

Dad and I have been doing a lot of camping lately. Sometimes lighting a fire yourself can be dangerous.  The dragon will light the fire for us with its hot breath.  Now we do not have to spend money on a lighter or matches to light a fire.  The dragon would help because it doesn’t take up any space in our packs.  Having a dragon when going camping would be like having an extra friend with unlimited matches.

This is just a fourth of the reasons why we need a dragon.

Sincerely, your beloved son,

Ricky

Why I think I should have an underground cave in my room.

I think there should be an underground cave in my room for many reasons.

• When my brother (Julien) and I get into fights, I could just escape to my room.
  
• You and I both benefit because you could relax instead of breaking up fights all of the time.
  
• You wouldn’t have to waste time telling me to go outside and play a sport.
  

For all of these reasons I believe that you should get me this underground cave.  To make it even easier to say yes, I’ll do the dishes for the week leading up to the time that I ask you. You will benefit even more than me. You would also get to come down into the cave with me and whenever you want!

Just about every single person that I had talked to that had asked for this has gotten it, loved it, and even their parents said they were happy they gotten it for their kid. The parents weren’t hearing nearly as much pestering from older siblings.  The parents would even relax and do everything in the cave while the kid who they bought it for was out at school.

If you say no, don’t think about what I lose but think about the opportunities you miss out on too. You would miss out on the chance of a:

• Basement sauna
  
• Basement shower
  
• Loads of storage area
  
• A spot to put a sun lamp so you could read on the “beach”.
  

I have already figured out the price.  There is this place that sells them cheaper than the rest. There cost is $100,000.00 bucks and judging by the customer reviews, they say to drop the idea since it’s impossible to get out of the cave.  The manufacturers changed it so it said it is impossible to get out of the cave because of how nice it is.

This is why  I think I should have an underground cave in my room.

Song
You gotta crave the cave
You gotta crave the cave
You have to be very very brave, to savor the cave.

The cave is the best it aint at all like the rest.
The comfort is great
But it can disintegrate
You put your head on the headrest
You put yor foot on the footrest
You do whatever you need to do in the cave that you gotta crave.

You can put any thing you like, in the cave
 From smooth water to a rippling shockwave.
You have to be brave, to put up with the cave
And brave you will be, if you crave the cave.

You gotta crave the cave
 You gotta crave the cave
You have to be very very brave to put up with the cave.