Parents are the Cause of Failure?

The pressure of doing well is everywhere; especially for high school students entering the college field. A portion of PSEO students of Anoka Ramsey Community College are going through the struggle that is possibly bringing their GPA and grades down.

        Beginning in high school, students get used to the life where slacking off is heavy, friends are number one, and teacher’s are simple. Entering a whole new environment of college they have to adjust to something different. Some students though, gain even more struggles, beginning their junior year as college students. 17 year old PSEO student, Desirae Cram, stated, “My family was very supportive of it. Actually, it was kind of pushed onto me. In the end, it was my decision to do PSEO but if I decided not to then I think my parents would have been upset with me.”  A large portion of students entering college in their junior year, go through that process, of parents pushing them for such an opportunity. PSEO is, after all two free years of college.

Free college then sparks a desire, to finish as many credits and classes that could possibly finish schooling sooner after finishing high school. Although it is the student’s choice to load on credits or not, some parents find themselves involved in the decision also, and push their juniors to take many credits so that paying for college would not be such a high price. Another PSEO student, Carla Hemminger, said, “My mom was very interested in me joining the PSEO program. She actually pushed me to take more than one class. She kept saying, “It’s free college, Carla!””

Family and friends love to get involved at this point. But counselors do their job and warn of the consequences expected when following such pressures. High school counselor of Pact Charter School in Ramsey, Heather Walsh, warned, “I always caution parents when setting these expectations for their kids.  They may be setting their child up for failure if the student is unprepared or over challenged with college level classes. Students' ability to carry a high credit load of college level classes varies from student to student.  Some students would bloom and thrive much better in a high school environment.  Some students fail PSEO classes as well where they wouldn't necessarily fail a high school class, which compromises their high school diploma as well as future college plans.  Other students may get by, but nearly all students I see take PSEO classes are highly challenged at the PSEO classes and most earn a lower GPA while taking PSEO classes than they did when they were taking high school classes.” Walsh does all that she can to have her students succeed in not only school but life also. Sometimes though, it becomes a struggle when students don’t communicate or contact her about their trouble.

“I used to do PSEO also and I have to admit, I wish I could have contacted my counselor more often. The only time I saw my counselor was when I had to fill out the 3-part state form and even then she just filled it out and I would leave right away. I struggled a lot in my classes, barely passing a few of them.” Aleena Krinitsyn, now a student of Northwestern College, stated. “My parents would pressure me into getting enough credits to graduate with an Associate’s Degree. That’s about 16 credits per semester. The recommended is 12 credits per semester. I did eventually graduate with an AA but my grades weren’t the brightest Letters on my report.” Krinitsyn wasn’t the only one out there being pushed to more credits. A few others had also accomplished what their parents desired, but with lots of stressful lost brain cells and sleepless nights.

The more credits, the more time spent on studying. A general rule of thumb for college classes is that you should expect to study about two to three hours per week outside class for each unit of credit. Based on this rule of thumb, a student taking 15 credit hours should expect to spend 30 to 45 hours each week studying outside of class. Students entering PSEO are expected from their counselors and teachers to be responsible of their choices and lifestyles, especially during college. Walsh also added, “I expect that PSEO students are independent, good problem solvers and good at using any resource they have available to them, in order to be successful.  PSEO students need to meet high school graduation requirements as well, though there is a little more flexibility and options for them to do so.”  

        There are though, those parents that don’t need to mention anything, and their student dives into college by themselves. Erica Eggan of Pact Charter School in Ramsey, confirmed, “My parents were very supportive. I don't remember discussing it with them, but I remember just knowing that I wanted to do PSEO and them being supportive of me! My mom helped me get everything done that I needed to get done (accuplacer test, online orientation, and signing up for classes). It would have been a mess if my mom hadn't been helping me along- keeping me on track with everything I needed to get done.”

        Parents are those that could and should push, but not to the point of stress and trouble. Students are making this decision to receive the free opportunity; parents are support and that drop of confidence.

Struggles into Memory

               One may always say their life is the worst but Olga Krinitsyn of Minnesota has gone through what may seem like even worse than worst.

               Olga Krinitsyn, 42 years old, has been living in America for 20 years. Immigrating from Yekaterinburg, Russia she left what we call struggle, and to her, home. She remembered, “When I first came here to America and when I got married, that whole first year I cried so much. I wanted to go back home. I knew nothing that could help me live the life in America.”

(Olga in Belarus)

               Communism of the Soviet Union was founded on January of 1912 and dissolved on August of 1991. Living through all its struggles, Olga states,”If it wasn’t God, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The life was very hard there. The only way we could buy products was with coupons. Money was rarely seen.” The Soviet Union had very many catches for those that wanted to be members of the communist party. Wikipedia.com stated, “Those that were part of the communist party, enjoyed many perquisites denied to the average Soviet citizen. Among those perks were shopping at well-stocked stores, access to foreign merchandise, preference in obtaining housing, access to dachas and holiday resorts, being allowed to travel abroad, sending their children to prestigious universities, and obtaining prestigious jobs (as well as party membership itself) for their children.” Life was very hard, if one did not join the membership.

               Olga was a Christian and believed in God. Those who stood for their faith never accepted the membership of communism and she stood firm in her belief. In school, students were pushed and forced to join the Young Pioneers; after a while they would graduate to Young Communist League. “I had many students and teachers tell me to lie to my parents and secretly join the Young Pioneers. But if I lie to my parents, I lie to my God. It was wrong and stood against it.”Olga confirmed, “there was also a point where I could have gone to college and continue my career, but due to that I was not part of the Young Communist League, I never had the opportunity to further my career.” Olga looked at the party in a disgusted way and so regret of not joining had never crossed her mind.

                Winters were the hardest in that part of Russia, and being an enemy of the country did not ease situations. “We had a small church that had to secretly gather, because if the government found out, the pastor or leader would be put to jail. In the winter sometimes we gathered outside, deep in hidden forests and have our church services there” Explained Olga with a distant look in her eyes. “Sometimes we’d be caught sometimes we were able to Praise God the whole way through.”

               Yet so much happened, Olga Krinitsyn was able to hold through her life and still have the desire to stay at her homeland, rather than rushing out of it. Sometimes the memories that are harsh to remember are those that are best to be thought of.

A Fulfilling Child

When a life has priorities, it’s time runs faster than they really thought it would! Well that’s exactly what had happened to Nutrition teacher, Jill Gromberg of Anoka Ramsey Community College.       

She had been married to her husband for a round amount of years and they had both been deep into their professions. Continuing in school and busy in work, they had both finished with masters degrees. Due to such fast paced life, they constantly postponed having kids and then it hit them that they needed that one thing to continue their family. So other options appeared and one that was most convenient was, adopting.

Coming from a family that had been in a typical situation, Gromberg had a brother with Down syndrome. Doctors had predicted that the likely cause of this was, of her mother’s age. Jill had agreed that having a Down child would not be problem but she had her mind on doing something that would benefit someone and benefit her and her husband. That’s where their journey of the adoption process began.

            She stated boldly, “In our family our relatives have adopted kids in the past and so we knew how it would go and we were prepared for it.” Beginning with the choice of what gender they had most wanted. They did not care if it was either a boy or a girl. They were happy with either one. There was one thing that had made them get a boy in particular. “We knew that there is a tendency for people to adopt girls. They say that girls are easier. Because the majority of people adopt girls and if we didn’t choose, they would choose for us and it would most likely end up being a boy. That was fine, we were open for either.” Explain Gromberg.

Picking a gender was one of the easy points of the process but when it came for from where they wanted the child, it was tougher than expected. Going through the Children’s Home Society and Family Services, they were offered from multiples of countries. Gromberg expresses, “For example when we were looking at the options, we were thinking about, Russia, India, and China. But china was going through SARS, and something was going on in India. Russia was open and we were actually comfortable with it. So we aimed at Russia.”

Adopting their son, Ryan, had been a long process and tough. He has lived with them already for six years, being adopted at age 3.5. There were only a few struggles that they had gone through, such as attachments, bonding and language. Gromberg expresses a humorous moment, “ There were times when we were in Moscow, we stayed at a hotel and there were other families that were adopting also, and they would start talking to him and we sensed that he’s telling them stuff like, ‘these people are idiots. They keep talking about yellow buses and red cars.’” But learning and working together they figured things out!

Jill Gromberg and her husband had thought of adopting more kids but there were a few complications that just got in the way of another child.

“I thought the process was really positive. I don’t and never regret it” stated Gromberg, closing the conversation.

ACT Advice

COON RAPIDS,MN-John Granoulis, an Americor Developmental Class speaker, promised, on Wednesday the 20^th, to higher students ACT scores by three points.

            Granoulis agreed that it may take several tries but following a few simple tips, it may boost up the points.

-          Eliminate answer choices.

-          Don’t be afraid to skip problems!

-          Don’t lose track of time.

-          Underline or highlight key words.

Granoulis started off by keying off the main point, “Really the best way to improve your score is really to practice. I am here to help you know what to do or to know the plan of attack in any emergency.”

Handing out worksheets with helpful hints, he allowed us to stay active by asking questions and communicating with other students.

One of the first things mentioned was that out of so many choices, we can lower the probability of getting the correct answer. “Process of elimination,” is what Granoulis called it, “You may not always know the right answer, but usually you can at least identify one wrong choice and make an educated guess. The probability that you’d do better is higher.” Looking at the reading section, he advised to always select the answer choice that is as short as possible. Considering this, it’s connected to always eliminating the longest answer choices.

Working on a math problem usually doesn’t give shorter answers and longer answers. So Granoulis suggested using the skip method. “Don’t be afraid to skip problems! Each problem is worth one point. Some problems you’ll finish in ten seconds. Other problems can take ten minutes.” Experiencing the math section live, Granoulis challenged students on a mini test to see how well they can skip.

Skipping those that take long also keeps time saved. Time is something everyone should keep in their head, while the testing is being done. Don’t lose track of time. Keep a look out on what’s ticking. “Don’t relax too much,” mentioned Granoulis clearly.

Another method that Granoulis spoke of was, “make sure to highlight, make notes and/or write summary statements.” It’s a guarantee that it will save lots of time. When highlighting and underling key points, it will prohibit students from glancing back to text or picture. Taking an example from the reading section of the ACT, Granoulis mentions that, “it’s easier to take the reading paragraph, browsing through it, and on the side writing down the major topic in one-to-three words. So that when a question approaches, you’ll know where to look.”

Taking the majority of the time to do hands on work, John Granoulis allowed students to practice each section, with timing. A student, Martin Mcshane reacts, “I definitely think this helped me understand and get a taste of what will happen.”

Ending the session and meeting, Granoulis comments, “I hope that everyone that came learned something new. I have actually seen students finish in flying stars and I believe I will keep seeing it.”

A Girls Memory

[Hannah with her parents at one of her volleyball games.]

Some call it ability, others call it a talent but Hannah Swanson calls it a dream. Living with it, doing it and loving it, Hannah enjoys playing volleyball at any chance she can get.

Many times, in first and second grade, she’d find herself watching her sister, spike, hit, tip, and serve the volleyball and an interest was born that had lasted and still lasts. As life went on, she would on occasion play with her family. “A lot of summers we would just go outside and play a game or two with the family or even with some neighborhood friends. It’s an interest of the whole family,” she says. They would teach her the basics and she played and practiced.

Hitting the teen years, Swanson soon joined her school team. Playing from seventh grade to tenth grade, she grew in her knowledge and love of volleyball. After games, her family would encourage and coach her on what could be worked on. Expressing her level, she says, “I would say that I’m okay! I’m pretty good at blocking and serving, but I don’t have the technique down for hitting very well. Also, since I’m tall, being in the back row is sometimes a challenge.”

Now a junior in school, Hannah Swanson, can no longer play volleyball because of some stomach issues. If life hadn’t taken this course, Swanson without any doubt says she would return to playing volleyball. A dream she wishes to fulfill.

Though she is not able to play, memories still do exist. Some highlights that she remembers most are the games. On a particular game, she served about 10 times in a row to comeback and they won the game. Another memorable event that occurred was when their volleyball team all wore pink jerseys and they sold pink shirts for fans, to raise money for breast cancer research.

Volleyball had left smiles and hopes of something more for Hannah. She shares a piece of advice, “Always believe in yourself and don’t let other people bring you down, play because you love it and want to have fun, and play the best you can, even if you aren’t the best.”

Volleyball Love interview transcript

My Interview with Hannah Swanson

Q: So, tell me about some things you do! I read your introduction on your blog and see that you want to be a sports broadcaster! Does that mean you play a sport? What sport?

               A: I am thinking about being a sports broadcaster, but as of right now I'm not playing a sport. I might weightlift some in the winter and maybe try golf in the spring, but I know and like volleyball the most...so if you want to interview me about that. That would probably be the best!

 Q: How long have you had the interest in volley ball?

               A: I have had an interest in volleyball ever since my sisters started playing, which was when I was in about 1st or 2nd grade.

 Q: Have you ever played for a team? If yes, then for what team?

               A: I played for my high school team from 7th grade until 10th grade and did some camps before and during that. I didn't join this year because of some issues with my stomach, but I really miss it.

 Q: What about with the family? Do you ever play with your family?

               A: I played a lot with my family. They first taught me how to play and then after the games they would coach me on what I could work on. A lot of summers we would just go outside and play a game or two with our family or even some neighbor friends. It's an interest of the whole family!

Q: Do you consider yourself good at it?

               A: I would say that I'm okay! I'm pretty good at blocking and serving, but I don't have the technique down for hitting very well. Also, since I'm tall, being in the back row is sometimes a challenge!

 Q: What is a moment about volleyball that you remember most? Like a highlight or a big event.

               A: Some highlights that I remember most are the game I had a lot of good hits in, the game I served about 10 in a row to come back and win the game, winning the same tournament two years in a row, and an event our volleyball team did last year called Dig Pink. That was a game where we all wore pink jerseys and sold pink shirts for fans to raise money for breast cancer research.

Q: can you remember the date on when you began playing volleyball?

               A: I'm pretty sure that it was 5th grade when I started playing with a team, so that would be 2005.

Q: What advice would you give to someone about volleyball?

               A: My advice would be to always believe in yourself and don't let other people bring you down, play because you love it and want to have fun, and play the best you can, even if you aren't the best.

Q: If you could, would you play volleyball again?

              A: I would definitely play volleyball again if I could!

Horror Scene Comes Alive!

Nina Cortez, a bookkeeper at the North Point Inn, experienced a horror scene, come alive.

About 9 A.M yesterday, money was stolen and a man was killed. Nina Cortez and Kevin Blohm, one of the cooks, who had come in to work had not suspected anything except a strange car in the parking lot.

Blohm, after making coffee for Cortez, walked back down the corridor and Cortez had begun going through the receipts and cash from the previous night.

She described, “A minute or so after I began counting, a man came around the corner, carrying a knife. I started screaming and kicking. My chair was on rollers, and when I started kicking, it fell. I fell on the floor, and he reached across my desk and grabbed $130 in $5 bills.” Moments before police arrived, the man walked out.

Cortez and police walked out into the hallway and discovered Blohms dead body. “It was awful,” Cortez expressed, “There was blood on the walls and floor. Kevin was lying on the floor, dead. He had a large knife wound in his chest and another on one hand.”

No other information was given. Further investigation is to be done.