We have recently read selected text from The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. In this excerpt, the people of Ember have recently arrived and the people of Sparks have become concerned. The big question they are trying to answer is whether they should allow the people to stay or force them to leave.
If the people of Ember stay, then there is a serious chance the there would not be enough basic supplies for everyone to survive.
If the people of Sparks do not take care of and educate the people of Ember, they will not survive on their own.
What should the people of Sparks do? This was the basis of our discussion, but we also discussed what happens in the real world.
Students thought about, surveyed others, and discussed the following questions:
What exactly do you need to survive?
What do you consider wants? Luxuries?
Exactly who do you consider to be part of your community?
How far should we extend help to those who are less fortunate than ourselves? our community?state? nation? the globe?
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Some people usually get money handed to them, such as loans and tax rebates. They need to realize and think about there future by finding a job and earning there own money, these people are usually called people living in poverty. These types of people are usually poor, and often get money handed to them, well they must learn to strive to earn there own money because the people who provide money for them, such as charities or foundations. They might not help as much when these people get older. Huston Professionals have weekly two hour shops in English and Spanish, these shops help students make something of their life by allowing them to learn about money and how to succeed economically. Students in high school and college need to spend more time thinking about there future to realize the importance of making the right decisions today to achieve there goals. Most young adults drop out of school because there in poverty and they cannot pay to attend school. I think they should have schools make the students pay less so they can have more of an education. There should be way more learning classes and apportunities that are cheap around other areas.
ReplyDeleteI think people in poverty should have an education and a job but they also could have done it to their self. 30 million people lived in poverty as of last year and 15 million people out of the 30 million dropped out of school and could not get a job. People also can live in poverty because they could have had every thing handed to them as they were growing up, then didn’t know how to live on their own after moving out of their parents home. People in poverty should be required to be independent. They should because they don’t need to live on the streets and they need to get an education and have a job because if they don’t how are they going to have a house of their own and how are they going to get a job they want if they don’t finish school. 1.2 million Public high school students drop out every year. 99 percent of children who don’t attend school live in the developing world with challenges. There for live in poverty. People that do get every thing handed to them as they grow up should learn to be independent as they get older so when they do move out they don’t keep asking their mom and dad for money all the time.
ReplyDeleteIn 2008, the family poverty rate and the number of families in poverty was 10.3%; therefore the people living in prosperity need to help out the poor to help the economy. The people living in prosperity should be required to help one poor person, by helping them learn about investing money, at the best time and the basics to investing money into compiles. They should show them how to use the news paper and on the computer to find stock information, and show them what’s a good company to invest in. They can make money faster and get more money and afford better homes too. They can show them there trade and show them what to do to get a better chance to get a job. So they can help them find a good paying job, and for each prospering person they will have to teach a poor person that needs the help to get off the streets. I think that all prospering people should be required to help a poor person.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time the top 50 public universities grant aid to the lowest income students by 29 percent. They increased grant aid to the wealthiest students by 186 percent. People all over the world can’t afford school, so they drop out. There are 1.2 million people dropping out of school every year. Colleges and universities that give scholarships should be focused on poverty. The people who don’t have any money at all need the money for school. The prosperous who do have money could give it to someone who does need it. People who don’t have any money should get the scholarship in my eyes. That would be because they can’t afford it and want to go but cant go. In conclusion I think colleges and universities should now and always give the scholarships to the people living in poverty over those living in prosperity. If people living in poverty get scholarships, then we can down size all the dropouts every year by enormous amount.
ReplyDeleteWow. These are some pretty heavy questions. I want to take some time to think about them before I answer completely. I will start with the first question.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly do you need to survive?
Hmmm. I think the barest answer is that I need adequate food, water and shelter to survive.
What I WANT is to do more than simply survive.
I am very fortunate to have access to luxuries like education, medicine, excess food, dental care, more space to live in than I know how to decorate and a supportive family. I certainly WANT lots of things in life, but those are not things that are necessary for survival. Even though sometimes I want things that I can't have, in my heart I know that I am very lucky to have the things that I do.
There are many people in the world who do not have the bare necessities.
Who I consider to be part of my community is constantly changing. I think that with the advancements in technology in the last decade or so, people who seemed very far away are suddenly very close.
I do think that my education makes me a privileged person, even though I don't have a ton of money. I have come to realize that having ENOUGH makes me rich, because there are so many that do not have enough. I think that as a person with an education, I have a responsibility to help people who have not had the same opportunities that I have had.
I think that sometimes it is easy to judge people who live in poverty and condemn them for their life choices. I think it is important to remember that being born into wealth or privilege or a family that values education doesn't make someone BETTER than someone else, it makes them LUCKIER than someone else.
We all have a responsibility to take care of one another, but not necessarily by donating money. I guess what that means practically (to me) is that we can all take opportunities during the day to share the skills and knowledge that we have with other people in our communities - school, work, family, neighborhoods, churches, or even online communities. We can also take help when it is offered to us if we need it.