The Ethics of Social Media After Death

What happens to our online personality after we die? Could it...live on?" Should it live on?

In my opinion, I believe the outcome to personal identities should be left up to the person who created/evolved the identity. After we die, if there are any instructions left for the identity, they should be followed. But if not, I think they should be terminated after a few months. It's not healthy to keep an online identity "living" once the person has already passed. I think that if there were instructions left for the family, they could be in charge. But, if there wasn't, the family should not get to be in charge because it is not their identity and not their property.
From reading the online articles, and being introduced to websites for the dead, made me uneasy. I don't think it is appropriate for others to make websites and other social networks solely for those who have passed. If I were to die, I would not appreciate others being on my profile, and seeing my "tweets" or blog posts after I have passed. I believe these sites open society up to something we should not be the deciders of. 

My 20% Project

My first 20% project of the year has to do with one of my passions in life. All-star Cheerleading. I have been doing All-star Cheerleading since the age of 8, and it has made a huge impact on my mind and body. My main goal for this project is to tackle the debate on whether this competitive activity is a sport, or not. Many of my friends and peers have very strong opinions on the fact, and I am happy to finally be able to make something of it. When "cheerleading" comes to mind, most think of the Rah! Rah! you see on the sidelines of your local football game. But All-star Cheerleading is so much different. I chose this topic to try to show the public how difficult and physically demanding the sport I love is. I anticipate to conduct a survey of my peers and adults in my community. I think a few problems I might run into, is how biased I am about the sport, because it is basically my life. I am going to consult my coaches Chrissy Shnieweiss and Sean Timmons at my cheerleading gym World Cup Allstars in Freehold while I do this project. You can check out my 30 second preview of my 20% Project here!: My 20% Project Preview

Chris Langan: "The smartest man in America"

In my opinion, I believe Chris Langan is indeed, successful. Not only does the man have the highest IQ recorded in the world, but he also has the title as "The Smartest Man in America". The way I look at it, having these titles to your name automatically make you successful. My personal definition of success, is being satisfied with how you're living your life, as well as being satisfied with the suggested outcome, etc. For example, if someone is totally comfortable with living a lower-key life without a college degree (like Chris Langan), then I see them as successful. I see them this way because they are completely happy with their life and everything in it. Also, I believe he is successful because he is the smartest man in America. He has the highest recorded IQ, and doesn't need a college degree or anything to prove that he is smart and successful.

All About Being Gifted

     Being Gifted and Talented is a bittersweet quality to have. There are many pros and cons that come along with bring gifted. Throughout the years, being gifted has helped me in many areas, and has been bothersome in others. For example, there are many advantages to being gifted. I don't have to try as hard as other students to excel in classwork and other assignments, and school pretty much comes easy to me. This is a disadvantage in itself because eventually, I am going to have difficulties in studying or some sort of classwork, and I am not going to know proper studying techniques to help me excel. Also, another advantage would have to be my positive reputation. Most teachers at Northern know me, because of the classes I take and the grades I get. This can also be used as a disadvantage because even though I carry that positive reputation with me, I have to live up to standards and high expectations set by teachers that know what I am capable of. Another disadvantage of being gifted is the peer ridicule and expectations. Even though there are anti-bullying policies, etc, students still find a way to pick on the more advanced kids simply because we are just that, more advanced. Also, another disadvantage, is the peer pressure. I am known to be a smarter kid, who produces better grades and work, etc. Therefore, this automatically makes me a target to get copied off of. My peers think that I have the right answers, and will always come up to me asking to copy. Also, another disadvantage is the need to be "perfect". We all know, that perfection is impossible. But, according to my peers, because I am gifted and talented I am expected to get everything right all the time, and someone is sure to make a snide comment if I am ever to get something wrong. 
     Also, there are many different myths and truths about being a gifted child. The most common myths I have experienced are: gifted kids get excellent grades, gifted kids are only gifted in academics, and gifted kids are nerds. The truth is, not all gifted kids get straight A's; we still have problems in certain subjects just like your average student. Although we are expected to get straight A's, that doesn't mean it always happens. Each individual is different, and has different strengths and different struggles. In addition, not all gifted kids are gifted in academics. Most gifted kids have other talents in sports or music or theater, etc. Some kids can even be gifted in an extracurricular activity and not school. Once again, every child is different. Finally, not all gifted kids are "nerds". Some gifted kids can be in the popular crowd, and well rounded, while some are fine with being a quiet, more reserved student with a small group of friends. Again, every child is born different and likes to live their life differently. For example, according to the National Association for Gifted Children "Many gifted students flourish in their community and school environment.  However, some gifted children differ in terms of their emotional and moral intensity, sensitivity to expectations and feelings, perfectionism, and deep concerns about societal problems. Others do not share interests with their classmates, resulting in isolation or being labeled unfavorably as a “nerd.” Because of these difficulties, the school experience is one to be endured rather than celebrated.  It is estimated that 20 to 25% of gifted children have social and emotional difficulties, about twice as many as in the general population of students". In conclusion, every gifted child is different in their own way, and should be treated that way. The unwritten myths and expectations are usually unrealistic and should be perceived that way.

The Kindergarten Debate

     When children are put into school late, they begin a long journey through school on a path that leads them to only good things. Like Gladwell, I agree with the theory of "accumulative advantage" which is the phenomenon where basically "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". When children are put into school late, they are older, and more mature, even if by only a small margin. These kids learn the same material as the younger kids, but pick it up faster because their bodies and brains are more developed. For example, my brother was born August 27th, 1997. With this birth date, my parents had two decisions, they could send him to Kindergarten early with the anticipated Class of 2015, or they could keep him home a year and send him with the Class of 2016. They eventually decided to hold him back, mainly because they wanted him to be the oldest in his grade rather than the youngest. They felt he would have a better experience at school if he matured earlier than the others, rather than later. In my opinion, my parents made an excellent decision. Ever since my brother hit the first grade, he has been in the Gifted and Talented classes, extracurricular activities, and he has usually achieved higher grades than his peers. Also, he matured faster than his peers, and has made all of the sports teams he has wanted to, because he is generally taller than the other boys in his grade. 
      This just backs up Gladwell's theory and concept of "accumulative advantage". Just like in Outliers, the Canadian hockey players excelled because they were older, and taller than the other kids. I feel my brother has had the same advantage because not only is he taller than the rest of his peers, he hit his growth spurt before everyone else. This helped him because he is an aspiring soccer goalie. The moment he 'shot up', he started getting put in the older groups in his goalie clinics because the trainers believed he was older. This only made him a better keeper because he continued to work with the older keepers and older shooters, who had a much more skilled shot than the younger shooters. Eventually when he made it into high school, the coaches didn't even believe he was a freshman. He started training with the Varsity Boys Soccer team right off the bat, and is known to be one of the best goalies in our area. 
     "This advantage fades by the end of elementary school, though, and disadvantages start to accumulate. In high school, red shirted children are less motivated and perform less well. By adulthood, they are no better off in wages or educational attainment — in fact, their lifetime earnings are reduced by one year" (AAmodt). I disagree with this statement made in the online article Delay Kindergarten at Your Child's Peril. Going by my brother's experience, he has done as well in middle school and his first year of high school as he has done in elementary school. There has been no reported drop off in his academic ability or sports performance. He is noticed to be as motivated as he always is, to get good grades and stay up to par with the highest bar set by his teachers and peers.

My First Post

Hey to everyone reading this! My name is Kelly Quigley and I am a Junior (11th grade) here at Northern. I like to play volleyball, I play Varsity for our high school team. Also, I am an all-star competitive cheerleader for World Cup in Freehold. I am a level 5 cheerleader (which is the highest level possible) and at World Cup I am on the Cosmic Rays, which is a Large Senior Restricted Level 5 team. I also like to read. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult and my favorite book series is The Hunger Games. I also like to watch tv, my favorite shows are Dance Moms, Southpark, The Inbetweeners, Awkward., and Glee. My favorite color is purple and my favorite food would probably be Shrimp Pasta. I love fall, and dislike summer. I prefer colder weather over warmer weather and I love to go to the high school football games with my friends. The highlight of my summer was going to the beach with my friends and just hanging out. I don't like seafood, or pets that shed. I also don't like really hot weather. I'm looking forward to meeting new people the most. 

Kelly Q.