Youth Empowerment for the Future

by Raghad Ahmed Shaltout

The future of our country and the world is dependent on the current state of our youth. To ensure a prosperous and flourishing future, we need to invest and care for the limitless potential of the young students and children in our country. It is within the youths of our people in which the potential for prosperity, discovery, development, wisdom, and greatness exists. Because of these reasons, our future depends on how well we care for and educate the youth.

With proper education and encouragement, the students today will one day become the workers, police, doctors, teachers, and leaders of tomorrow. The development of the country as a whole is dependent on its population. It is why the empowerment of youth is so necessary. The children are like blank slates. They are not stupid or ignorant. They are simply waiting for someone to fill them with wisdom, beauty, and knowledge. These gifts that are supposed to be given to the youth are the foundations of a successful society which is why it is necessary to strengthen the efforts in fostering and nurturing the minds and abilities of our youth.

As blank slates, the children have the capability to adapt and learn from the environment they are exposed to and form their personalities and ideologies within those lines of thinking. Because of this, it is easy for them to be misguided away from what they should be often enough, these unfortunate youths turn to delinquency and on certain occasions, become those who hamper and obstruct the development of the country. We need to empower the youth with the proper morals and knowledge that will allow them to be productive members of society. We need to remind ourselves that not only all the role models and aspiring members of society started off as children. The bad members of our society did as well which is why it is important to be responsible and teach the young ones to become those who will guide our country to greatness. We need to bestow them with love and care so that they would grow into adults with the aforementioned attitudes.

The youth is our hope for a better future but when not supported and not taken care of properly, they will become our downfall. Their potential for greatness is only limited by themselves and others who restrict their freedom to think and learn. The beauty about blank states is that there are moments when you would’ve never expected the results when someone finally bestows or empowers them with something. Just like how we would never expect that one kid in class will one day become the future leader of our country. We all originated from our youth and what we learned and experienced from the start, what we will do to our society and how long would it last.

Adviser’s Note

“The beginning is always the hardest.” This is what I always tell the Editorial Board who pioneers Campus Journalism. As a school paper adviser, I witnessed the passion and determination of the writers in accomplishing their tasks. Being immersed in extracurricular activities did not hinder them from actively honing their skills in writing. I am proudtosay,“Greatjob!”Continuelogginginyourimaginativethoughts!

To our avid readers, I hope this paper will inspire you to tailor your craft and spark your interest in writing. This paper serves as your voice, so havethefreedomtospeakwhatyouhaveinmind,andjoinusbysharing and logging in your thoughts!

- Ms. Jonalyn Mañalac School Paper Adviser

A Nurture or a Pressure by

AA

The best, but we still need a rest!

Most schools’ primary goal is to provide the best education for their students. This is usually accomplished by offering carefully planned lessons and loads of extracurricular activities that give learning opportunities to the students, for them to explore the world in and outside the classroom. While the school sets its standard high to secure its place on top, it unintentionally puts so much pressure on its students, which seems to be intolerable these past few days.

Students often find themselves under the pressure on regular school days. They are bombarded with never-ending tasks, the assignments they must comply with; projects that need to be accomplished, not to mention the non-academic activities they are forced to participate in. These whole bunch of overwhelming responsibilities made the students question if they have done enough.

With the pressure on SAMIS students’ palm, they barely get “a wink of sleep.” Most students get only a few hours of sleep a night due to the pressure of maintaining balance of all upcoming due dates. Projects are assigned at roughly the same time, with due dates that are close to each other. Although the school has good intentions for their students, this does not excuse them from the mountains of work they ask students to complete. Most teachers advise students to balance their time well, but can they actually do that with tutoring session they have for their SAT, GAT, or other tests they have to do outside of school? Or that Zoom meeting with their group mates on a project, how about that report they need to turn-in in few days.

What should a teenager do? They’re on the verge of “exploding,” with so much work on their plates that they barely have time to act like teenagers. There is no time to spend with friends and family; instead, they are glued to their desks, completing the work that has been assigned or “thrown at them.” Students question themselves again… “Is it really worth it?”

The school’s intention is good but the students’ mental health is being at risks. It is obvious that balancing the workload that students receive is nearly impossible for a student, and it would be difficult for even an adult. Imagine the strain on these students’ mental health; if you saw them at work, you wouldn’t question why they feel like a “ticking bomb”.

At the end of the day, SAMIS is a fantastic school, but all of their extracurricular activities, non-academic activities, clubs, sports, and art opportunities combined with last-minute information, are causing their students to be on the verge of “exploding”.

In response to “A Nurture or a Pressure”

Pressures Of Perfection

by Miss Marivir Modesto-Mercado

Thank you for sharing your sentiments and we appreciate your opinion on matters that affect( positive or negative) your academic life. The school administration understands where you are coming from.

Since 2014, SAMIS has been accredited by COGNIA, an international non-profit, non-government organization that accredits primary and secondary schools. To sustain this accreditation, the school standard needs to be maintained in accordance with COGNIA standards. We aim to deliver the highest quality education and in order to realize such an aim, the school strongly encourages its students to imbibe and be attuned in the pursuit of excellence, through hard work and dedication to their studies.

School work can be very demanding. Deadlines after deadlines, projects after projects, are just icing on the cake. There are a lot more. But almost all teachers of SAMIS are very considerate. They extend deadlines and run after errant students who care less about school requirements. The school recognizes the need for balance in students’ lives. That is why we have several curricular activities which serve as a breather for the students. The number of activities and their preparation days is limited due to COVID and MOE restrictions.

Should Online Learning Be Motivated?

by Fatimah Raza

Online learning, also referred to as E-learning, is education that takes place over the Internet in which lectures and course materials are uploaded on online platforms. As online classes came into use, debates were held to prove which learning method is better: traditional or online learning. Traditional learning has been in use for hundreds of years, but online education became credible recently. Conservative teachers and students think that the traditional method serves more importance, while progressive minds believe that education should be more advanced and effective. Moreover, technology is developing globally which makes it easier for students to approach studying resources easily, such as online laboratories. Overall, online learning has become more popular than the traditional learning method.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, online classes were not a choice, but necessary for every student around the world. It was timeconsuming for both teachers and students to learn how to use the digital tools, and how to adjust to this new type of learning method. It was a challenging experience for them as it was a sudden shift to online classes from in-person classes. However, the quarantine period gave people good opportunities to learn more on online websites, such as Coursera and National Geographic Learning.

Even before the COVID-19 situation, online education was pursued so that people could learn various courses through online lectures wherever they are. A study shows that by using online resources, such as the ASSISTment system, students can learn more than they would at school. This is because learning websites have more detailed information than a single textbook. Just like that, E-learning resources have information appropriate for people of every age.

Online learning can be helpful for students with anxiety in several ways. Students with anxiety find it easier to attend online classes as they don’t struggle with feeling anxious about other people. They can fully focus on their schoolwork instead of school drama and other distractions. Also, students who work at a slow pace find online classes beneficial since they don’t feel like they are falling behind their classmates. Students can work in an environment free of disturbances and in whatever place they like.

Online learning can overcome barriers of place and time. Some learners may live in isolated areas where they don’t have access to schools. Thus, online learning resources provide them with the experience of virtual classrooms. What’s more, some parents don’t want their children to go to school far from home. So, their only solution when it comes to knowledge is online education. This way, students can learn effectively and deal with their family commitments comfortably.

A survey for students and teachers to explore opinions on online learning was open on the School Education Gateway website which attracted thousands of respondents. Students were mostly positive about their online learning experience while some teachers had a tough time adjusting to the digital world. 38.5% of students appreciated the ease of accessibility of online learning platforms. 30.8% of students mentioned the wide range of digital tools that they couldn’t use in classrooms. 33.5% of students commented on the flexibility of online classes as they were easy to adapt to because teachers created a work-friendly environment. Generally, based on the survey results mentioned above, students, as well as teachers, loved their online learning experiences.

Knowledge can be gained in many ways, either online or in person. Research shows students learn more with online resources. However, this doesn’t mean online classes would replace in-person classes. Education should be effective for a better future for our world, so we should look for ways that make learning easier. To conclude the argument, we believe online classes should be an option in school for students who have difficulties attending face-to-face classes.

Reaching One’s Most Stable State

by AA

Just like an atom, life works upon a compensating work of balance, and the things we lose in one, we gain in another.

“No pain, no gain”, most of us always hear this to be motivated to gain something after many times of experiencing lots of suffering and pain. Losing something means something better is coming. But what do we need to lose to gain something better?

We are all aware that an atom tends to lose or gain electrons and form bonds with other atoms to reach its most stable states and it has positive and negative charges. In life, for you to gain, you need to lose something to reach your most stable state. Problems were, are, and will always be there. We can never avoid or get rid of them completely and sometimes we cannot change them. However, it depends on us on how we treat them. We need to face these adversities with a good attitude and enthusiasm, so we can look after ourselves to the best of our abilities. We have two things that we need to let go of to gain something better.

First, release all your negativities. With so much depression around us, it adds up to our misery. How can we get over that? The answer is having a positive outlook on life. It is our attitude that drives us to success. Having a positive attitude will make us content and happy. Looking at the brighter side of things, we will always see goodness in every situation. Remember that negativity not only keeps us down but also makes us lose our hearts and morale. This will never make us happy, so it is better to lose this trait than bury ourselves in misery.

Second, let go of your fears. Whenever we observe our surroundings, the environment, and the people, we realize that the world can be a very difficult place to live in. It is difficult to survive and lead a peaceful life. People not only fight but also struggle every day to achieve their goals and be successful in their lives. Through this, some people are scared of fighting their own battles because they cannot conquer their fears. We need is to be brave, take a stand, and keep going. Being scared will keep us distant from our dreams because it will confine us in our shells of comfort. Being brave will give us control over our lives. This will keep you going!

You may not be able to stop yourself from failing but you can stop yourself from giving in to it. It all comes down to how you react. It all boils down to what you set your mind to. It is about what you do on the other side, at the end of the day, your choice is all that matters. Be like an atom and reach your most stable state!