Should Cities Preserve Old Buildings

Should Cities Preserve Old Buildings The Importance of Keeping Old City Buildings Around Most cities try to move forward with the times, but keeping true to its past is another challenge altogether. There is also the debate, whenever a city wants to build new, exciting buildings that transform its skyline or business community, of what existing buildings should be torn down or kept. Some advocate for tearing down dilapidating historic buildings, while others call for the destruction of only ugly, non-important structures. But when it comes down to it, a city should preserve old buildings if these old buildings serve a very important purpose; these buildings should be kept if they are historically significant, aesthetically appealing and make up a considerable portion of a city’s skyline, and kept if these structures can be repurposed to house working organizations, businesses, and government offices. Historical Buildings Help People Remember the Past To begin with, cities should preserve old buildings of historical significance because seeing these buildings help modern-day people remember the past – as to not repeat it, or to be mindful of how a city or nation came to be, its heroes or armies that make sacrifices to create or keep a territory. For example, St. John’s Church still exists today in the Church Hill neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. It is where Patrick Henry, speaking to the House of Burgesses, gave his famous â€Å"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death† speech – which would convince the leaders of British America to wage war  against the oppressive British crown. The rest is history, of course: the colony became its own republic, its own nation. But this 270-plus-year-old church could have been torn down ages ago – but it was rather preserved to remind people today how the American nation was established, and what efforts our founding fathers went through, the risks they took, to bi rth a nation. Cities all around the globe should do the same in preserving old buildings that are culturally or historically important. You may also like these articles: Human Dignity: How Is It Valued? Learning Moral Values in College Movies The Value of Academic Debate Perspiration Is Nothing without a Little Bit of Inspiration The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds Cities should also preserve old buildings if these structures are beautiful, aesthetically important and attractive to tourists; also buildings that make up a considerable portion of a city’s skyline should be preserved. As our society gets into the future, technology will be king – which means art and beauty will fall to the wayside. So it’s crucial to preserve old buildings that contain an undeniable amount of timeless beauty. People do not flock to a city to see the offices of new business; tourists come to cities to see beautifully sublime buildings – ones that may be old, of course. Also, if a structure – like Austin’s state capital building – has become an iconic part of a city’s identity or skyline, it should be preserved. New York City it not itself without the Empire State Building, just like Paris is not Paris without the Eiffel Tower. Buildings are more than just existing structures; they are the image of a city †“ and some, if beautiful and culturally important, should be preserved. Making Old Buildings Serve Modern Purposes Lastly, if old buildings in cities – if law-abiding and often renovated to maximize safety and usability – can be repurposed, then a housing city should make incredible efforts to preserve them. Many buildings in cities can be used as government buildings, business, and organizational offices. And if the buildings serve a modern-day purpose, and if they meet strict safety codes, they should be preserved for as long as possible. This is especially relevant to the older cities of the world, and even some of the more modern ones, too. If a building doesn’t need to be torn down, even if it could make room for a multi-billion-dollar business, a city should give extensive consideration in preserving it. It could not only save money for a municipality; preserving old buildings and turning them into new offices could also be enticing to a business looking to start over. To conclude, some cities around the globe are growing at an astounding rate, with an influx of newcomers and tourists alike. This is especially true with some American cities – like Austin, Texas, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, who knows, maybe even the world – that want to make room for new businesses and large populations of people. It makes sense to tear down old buildings so new ones can be created. But when this happens in a particular area, a committee of good-minded people should be assembled to decide whether an existing – perhaps â€Å"old† –building should go or not, and they should go by the aforementioned points when doing so.

Middle School to High School Transition

Middle School to High School Transition The middle school years are a time of transition for tweens in many ways. There are obvious social, physical, and emotional changes happening with 6th to 8th graders. However, middle school also serves the purpose of preparing students for more challenging academics  and greater personal responsibility in high school. For public school students (and their parents), the expectations in the first year of middle school can be an abrupt and demanding change. Instead of teachers communicating with parents about assignments and due dates, they communicate directly with students and expect them to be responsible for meeting deadlines and completing tasks. There is nothing wrong with that, and it’s part of preparing students for  the middle school to high school transition, but it can be stressful for students and parents alike. Tales abound  of late-night scrambling to complete a forgotten project that makes up a high percentage of a student’s grade. As homeschooling parents, we don’t have to institute such abrupt changes, but it is wise to use the middle school years to prepare our students for high school.   1. Transition from Guided Learning to Independent Learning One of the biggest transitions during middle school is preparing students to assume responsibility for their own educations. It’s during this time that parents should adjust their role from teacher to facilitator and allow homeschooled tweens and teens to take charge of their school day. While it is important that teens begin to transition to self-directed learners, it’s also vital to remember that they still need guidance. It’s important that parents remain active, involved facilitators during the middle school and high school years. Some ways you can do that include: Schedule regular meetings to hold your student accountable for completing assignments. During the middle school years, plan to schedule daily meetings with your tween or teen, transitioning to weekly meetings by 8th or 9th grade. During the meeting, help your student plan her schedule for the week. Help her break down weekly assignments into manageable daily tasks and plan for completion of long-term projects. A daily meeting also provides an opportunity to make sure that your student is completing and comprehending all of her assignments.  Tweens and teens are sometimes guilty of pushing challenging concepts aside instead of asking for help. This practice often results in stressed,  overwhelmed students who don’t know where to begin to catch up. Read ahead. Read (or skim) ahead of your student in his textbooks or assigned reading. (You may want to use audio books, abridged versions, or study guides.) Reading ahead helps you keep abreast of what your student is learning so that youre prepared if he needs you to explain difficult concepts. It also helps you to ask the right questions to be sure that he is reading and comprehending the material. Offer guidance. Your middle school student is learning to take responsibility for his work. That means he still needs your direction. He may need you to make suggestions about writing topics or research projects. It could be helpful for you to edit his writing or offer advice on how to set up his science experiment. You may need to write out the first few bibliography cards as examples or help him come up with a strong topic sentence. Model the behavior you expect from your student as you transition to expecting him to complete the projects independently. 2. Help Your Student Improve Study Skills Middle school is an excellent time to help your student develop or hone her independent study skills. Encourage her to start with a study skills self-assessment to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. Then, work on improving the weak areas. For many homeschooled students, one weak area will be note-taking skills. Your middle schooler can practice by taking notes during: Religious servicesCo-op classesRead-aloud timeDVD or computer-based lessonsDocumentariesIndependent reading Middle school students should also begin using a student planner to keep track of their own assignments. They can fill in their planner during your daily or weekly meetings. Help your students get in the habit of including a daily study time in their planners. Their minds need time to process all that they’ve learned each day. During their  study time, students should do things like: Read over their notes to ensure that what they wrote down makes senseLook over the headings and subheadings in their textbooks to recap the day’s lessonPractice spelling or vocabulary words  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ illustrating words or writing them in different colors can be helpfulMake their own flashcards to help them remember important facts and detailsRead over any highlighted textRead text, notes, or vocabulary words aloud 3. Involve Your Teen or Tween in Curriculum Choices As your student enters the teen years, begin engaging her in the curriculum selection process if you haven’t been doing so already. By the middle school years, students start to develop a sense of how they learn best. Some students prefer books with large text and colorful illustrations. Others learn better through audio books and video-based instruction. Even if you’re not willing to hand over the selection process to your middle school student entirely, take her input into consideration. Remember that one of the goals of homeschooling is to teach our children how to learn. Part of that process is helping them discover how they learn best. The middle school years also provide the perfect opportunity to test potential curriculum.  When you find yourself in the position of needing to modify or  change curriculum  in high school, its hard not to feel as though youve wasted an entire semester or longer. Instead, give potential high school curriculum a test-run in middle school. You can try the middle school version of the curriculum or use the high school version in 8th grade. If it is a good fit, you can put in on your childs high school transcript since high school level coursework completed in 8th grade counts toward high school credit hours. If it turns out that the curriculum isnt a good fit for, you can shop around and choose something more appropriate for high school without feeling as though youve lost ground. 4. Strengthen Weaknesses Because the middle school years are a time of transition, they naturally offer the opportunity to catch up on any areas in which a student is behind where you’d like him to be and strengthen areas of weakness. This could be the time to seek out treatment or learn the best modifications and accommodations for learning challenges such as dysgraphia or dyslexia. If your student still struggles with automatic recall of math facts, practice them until she can recall them effortlessly. If he struggles with getting his thoughts on paper, look for creative ways to encourage writing and ways to make writing relevant to your student. Focus on improving any areas of weakness that youve identified, but dont make that the total of your school day. Continue to provide plenty of opportunities for your student to shine in his areas of strength. 5. Begin Thinking Ahead Use 6th and 7th grades to observe your student. Start exploring his extracurricular interests and talents so that you can tailor his high school years to his skills and natural aptitudes. If he’s interested in sports, check to see what is available in your homeschool community. Often middle school is when kids move begin playing on their school’s sports teams rather than recreation leagues. Consequently, it’s a prime time for the formation of homeschool teams. Middle school sports teams for homeschoolers  are often instructional and try-outs are not as stringent as high school teams, so it’s a good time for those new to the sport to get involved. Most colleges and umbrella schools will accept some high school level courses, such as algebra or biology,  taken in 8th grade for high school credit. If you have a student who is ready for a bit more challenging coursework, taking one or two high school credit courses in middle school is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on high school. Make the most of the middle school years by using them to create a smooth transition from the teacher-directed elementary school years and the self-directed high school years.