INDEX

Homework Nowadays

Homework has always been a strategy for reinforcing the learning process at home and a way of keeping the kids busy in activities that help them to develop their intellectual side. However, homework has become more and more complex, demanding more time from the kids and their parents. This has caused a reduction of family time and other activities that are equally important for kids as recreation.

Our parents remember homework as a help to improve their score but without scarifying the family time and the other activities that they had to do at home. The teacher assigned homework in order kids could review and practice the new concepts learned. After doing the homework, they could play and help and finally go to bed early at night.

In the present, kids think about homework as a punishment and although homework can help to keep our kids away from drugs and video games, the complexity and the time they have to spend doing it made them think negatively about homework. Teachers are less creative and the system is less flexible now. This causes that some kids will be worried all the time and other do not even do it.

In the future, teachers and schools will have to be more creative and calculate a reasonable balance in order they can do the homework and most importantly, learn from it. This is a powerful tool, but in the near future it will require a change to assure that the purpose is being reached.

The truth about homework is that it implies the word “work” and some kids can feel overwhelmed only because they think that it will require effort and at their age, they only want to play and go out. Improving the ideas for homework will cause that kids can change their minds and be eager to learn. Also, not only the system and the teachers have to change, the parents support and control will make this strategy effective.

Guardian Angels

The first thing that comes to our mind when we say guardian angels is that they are dead people who take care of us from heaven. Some others, like blind people, they regard their dogs as their guardian angels because they are always with them. These dogs have special skills that they develop during training that allow them to be able to take care of the blind people every day.

These dogs are a special company for people who cannot see, especially if someone blind lives alone. These people see them as their guardians because they do not have a companion who can take care of them the way these dogs do it. These animals are the only protection they have inside and outside the house and they trust their lives in them in a way we sometimes cannot believe it is real.

For example, these dogs have the ability to walk the blind people through the surroundings of their homes. It works basically like this: if the dog walks, the human walks; if the dog stops, the human stops. This is a very helpful way to work especially when they have to cross a street. If there is any object or whole in the sidewalk or the street, the dog will stop and will take a safer path for its owner to keep both of them safe.

Another skill they have is the ability to ignore people in the street who might interrupt them. The dogs have a label hanging on their neck that says “Please do not disturb, I am working”. They need to stay focused on the road to avoid taking the wrong direction. The way dogs protect the owners transmit a feeling of protection towards the owners when they are walking on the street, especially in crowded places.

It is very important not to disturb these dogs even if they seem harmless. They are performing a very important task and we have to show them respect. They build a relationship based on trust: the human trusts the dog, and the dog’s instincts of interacting with humans. We as society have to respect them both and protect them as we protect ourselves from any danger.

My Top Three Worst Eating Habits

People’s lives have changed as time goes by. Our lives get busier and sometimes time is not good enough for all we want to do. As a consequence, our normal habits are affected. Eating is one of the habits that get affected by our crazy way of living. I do not try to change my eating habits because I am aware that I can get sick because of this. There are three eating habits that I consider are the worst for me.

The first one is the processed food. This food is salty and the size of these meals is just too much for one person. This is not fresh food and the condition of the products can sometimes be not too good. For example, I believe meat has to be prepared in a special way because they can bring bacteria from the warehouse. Processed meat can bring too much condiments which are not healthy for our bodies.

My second worst habit is mindless eating. Sometimes people eat just because they are having a depression. There are people who feel support when they eat and this can bring serious consequences, like overweight. I believe we have to eat when our body asks for food and not because we feel the need to. This habit can also be caused by periods of anxiety when people just eat without thinking about it.

My last worst habit is eating on the run. For me, it is impossible to eat when I am busy. My body rejects the food because I am not actually enjoying it. This habit also makes people get processed or fast food instead of a fresh homemade meal. I think people must dedicate at least thirty minutes of their time to eat their meals if they really want to be healthy.

I think people should really consider that having bad eating habits can lead to serious health issues. People think that eating less is healthier and that is not true. Having a good distribution of your time and setting priorities in your life can definitely mark a difference.

This way people would have enough time to dedicate to their meals and they will be able to enjoy them.

Our Mari

Overcoming obstacles has been always a challenge for people; it means, to fight against something that is not made for your size or way. But when you think about people who have limited capabilities to do something they like and that requires double or triple of the effort that a normal people need, it makes you think that this effort is really worth it.

My aunt Maribel has always been an example for me, she has Down syndrome, and even though she knows what Down syndrome means, she does not consider herself that way. She has fought all the time with teaching methods that are not made for them; that is why she forgot how to read and write. But she remembers the letters and that is all she needs to make the most beautiful letters to all the family.

“Mari”, as we call her, has set up to do some things and against all odds, she has successfully learned them. My mother used to knit at my grandmother’s porch, and she used to be on her side watching and talking to her, until one day my mother tried to teach her, after a lot of complaining from her. My other aunts and my grandma thought

that she was not able to learn and repeat the things successfully but she did it and until today she knits and she remembers that my mother was the one who taught her.

I think that what my mother did with Mari was a proof for her that she can do anything she wants. My mother kept trying to teach her and Mari remembers her as the only sister who helped her. Although Mari has more sisters, she calls my mother “mi hermana”. This has also proofed me that I can do whatever I want, but also show me that I can teach a person with a disability.

Sometimes we assume that a person with a disability will not learn something that we normally do, but the truth is that they will require more effort to learn it, but it does not mean that they will never learn it. We are not prepared to teach some people depending on their disability, but at least we must try and take some time to try it. Mari has learned a lot of things since that, and now she is 48, and she has demonstrated us that she can also use a computer, because she does not have boundaries.