Essay About Depression

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It is known that depression is a growing issue, but the question is why it is continuing to affect more and more people, specifically students. It is difficult to pinpoint a specific cause when there are so many theories as to what exactly causes depression. Some argue that it is genetic while others say it is a result of too much stress. This is not to say that there is only one cause of depression, but there has to be a reason why the number of depressed students has been increasing in the recent years. While there may be many causes of depression, stress plays a big role in the increasing rates. Stress has always been present in people’s lives, so what is different about today’s stress that is causing so many students to become depressed? …show more content…

It seems obvious that no student particularly likes any sort of test, but the question is whether or not standardized tests are doing more harm than good. The concern of many educators and parents is that these tests are diminishing any sense of creativity a student may have. Eric Sheninger states his concern,”…we inch closer to an educational system that focuses on test scores as the number one determinant of achievement.” (Sheninger). He has a very valid point. Once you limit a person’s sense of achievement to the score they get on a test, you are risking their entire self worth. Maybe a student is not very good at biology, but they have a very creative eye. What does a standardized test have to show that? Our entire education system now is made up of scientists and mathematicians who have to see numbers and measure things for them to exist. You cannot measure or grade creativity so of course standardized tests do not see these things as necessary, but does this mean they are not important? In 2014 the Fort Lee Board of Education in New Jersey decided nearly unanimously to get rid of some art and home economics classes throughout the high schools and middle schools. These classes consisted of woodworking, power mechanics, dance, foods, interior, fashion and graphic design and auto maintenance. In place of all these classes, the board decided to put in STEM, this stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students are required to take two of these classes to graduate (Shkolnikova). The board had to get rid of things that “weren’t a necessity”, but shouldn’t each student individually decide what is a necessity depending on their career

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