Blog stage 8

In my classmates post about gun control, they support a gun ban in Texas and I couldn't agree more. With gun rights being so prominent these days with everything in the news from open carry to school massacres, I think now is the right time to push for a gun ban. Texans of all people might not be to keen to do this but the evidence is strong. People claim they need to have guns for self defence but shouldn't there be a limit? Keeping a gun locked up in your house is one thing but having multiple in places like your car or even on your person is totally different. Guns are relatively easy to come by and the fact that one can buy a gun without any background check is both wrong and frightening. I think only law enforcement should be able to carry guns because making them illegal would surely cut down on gun related deaths and would probably eliminate gun related accidents. This is a long shot and I don't see it happening but considering all the destructive history of guns, I think a gun ban would benefit all.

Changing goals (blog stage 7)

It was brought to my attention in class this Monday that the Texas Board of Education will no longer require Algebra II for high school students who aren't on an honors plan or are pursuing a degree in math/science. While I have mixed feelings about this, I think that dropping this requirement is for the best if substituted with a more practical class. Although our education system is heavily criticized and dropping a math requirement that has been around for decades may seem wrong, I think it is the right thing to do when steeping back and looking at the current situation. With more and more kids dropping out of high school to get a job, I think dropping algebra II (a class a lot of people think of as useless) will perhaps encourage kids to stay and get their diploma. If they replaced the class with a "math in the real world" type class then students might learn practical math that will hopefully entice them by using situations in the real world. If students think that some information or a class is useless to them then motivation levels drop. I don’t see why we should cram Algebra II down every student’s throats when they might never have to remember 90% of the information. Students should spend their school time learning something that is practical and will help them latter in life.