Texas's New Education Goal: Can We Do It? Yes We Can!

As a student, growing up to me was always competing to be the top student. People all over the world compete in many different fields such as sports, technology, medicine, and so much more. Because in the modern days in order be successful one has to be the best. Education is the key to having a successful community and as Texans, we aren't ranked as number one, we really need to step up our game. Therefore I believe that the Texas state government should continue the 15-year strategic plan. This plan includes a goal to have 60 percent of Texas residents ages 25-34 to have a certificate or a degree by the year 2030. This plan started taking place last Thursday and the state government should try their best to make it successful. This is very important for our government to take the time and money to help the future generation to push Texas to the top. 

There is currently only 38 percent of people aging 25-34 who have already met the requirements for this plan. This makes the task very difficult. But if you think about it, the hard work put in to this will help Texas and the U.S to have longer lasting results that could change Texas forever. With Texans being pushed to achiever more in education, it will cause people to build new technologies and bring more ideas and good to our state government. Texans will have better ideas of how to run our state and local government. They will help bring out better solutions. And for this to happen, we need the citizens' educated input and participation to bring solutions and concerns to the legislatures of Texas.

Is Charlie Baird the Right One?

All around the world people live in crime and poverty. It is a concern that needs to be fixed in almost every area, even here in Texas. Blogger Rachel Farris describes this problem in her post: An Endorsement: On Problem Solving and Criminal Justice. She gives numerous scenarios of situations that everyone has seen in their life. This really helps connect the readers to her argument. In the last paragraph it is clear that she is trying to reach out to those who live in the Travis County. She seems credible for the situations that she lists because she claims it happens around where she lives. Since she is reaching to the people around her, they can easily relate to the situations that she claims to have seen. However when she jumps into saying that she supports Charlie Baird for the Travis County District Attorney's race and says that he is someone who can fix these problems. I think that she could have said that about anyone, it didn't really make me want to support him in the race at all. She needs to give evidence that he will fix the problems in our area. Maybe give examples of what he has already done and his own personal life showing how he is the right person.
Although Blogger Rachel Farris grabbed her intended audience's attention, her argument didn't seem to be strong enough to convince me that her choice to support Charlie Baird is the right thing to do to help make the community a better and safer place for everyone.

We need to be healthier

As I was scrolling though the opinion and commentary section on the San Antonio Express news website, I found a commentary by Esther J. Cepeda called Pay attention to what you eat, which talked about changing and become informed in what you consume. For many months now I've been trying to become a lot more healthier by replacing sugar with other natural sweeteners. This commentary is focusing on the average person who just like me aren't very educated in the food that we consume. This commentary appeals to everyone except for those who are already healthy and educated about things such as how to count your calorie consumption. She gives real life examples that are relatable to many people who aren't living a healthy lifestyle. She starts off by grabbing people's attention by listing scenarios that relate to the people she is trying to attract. The author seems to know what she is talking about. She gave many facts that support her claim and argument. She gave statistics that opened my eyes to the reality of what an unhealthy diet is doing to many people. I think she could have added one major experiment or research done by scientists on how the body is being affected to really convince the audience. I think her argument is valid. The suggestions she gave to a healthier lifestyle are very true. Many people are becoming obese and it is something that we need to take care of especially here in Texas. As people usually say "everything is bigger in Texas" is sometimes a bad thing. Especially in carnivals that take place in Texas that stick with the logo about having everything big in Texas. They usually have unhealthy carnival foods with twice the size they should be. Texas might not be the state with the highest obesity rate but it is one of the top states with obesity. Cepeda's argument should be a reminder to all of us to eat healthier and to remind us the positive effects that come from it.

Does the GED Exam need a change?

American-Statesman's staff member Melissa B. Taboada published an article called:  Is the new GED too hard? Critics make case at Texas Board of Education,where she talks about an important topic that affects many people and their future.

The General Educational Development exam or GED for short is a four subject exam that when passed, indicates that one has achieved the American high-school academic skills. This article begins by clearly introducing the issue that will be discussed in the case. The state board will discuss and vote on giving Texan students the right and option to take other exams that are similar to the GED that also tests an adult's ability to reach the high-school level. 
The GED exam is known for being difficult and because of this, many students have a hard time passing. Research shows that fewer Texans are able to pass the exam each time. Many test takers and groups such as the Center for Public Policy Priorities are all ready to address the board and make a change. 
This article is a quick and easy read to inform many students, adults, and anyone who is willing to gain the skills of a high school student that in their luck, there might be better and easier options of exams for them to take. She addresses the concern clearly and gives great evidence from people who are affected and shows that this case is important and really matters.