Articles written by Jocelyn Pearce

What is Helium

About me - Jocelyn Pearce

I'm from Asheville, North Carolina, but, as a high school senior trying to choose a college, I'll be off to another part of the world next year, and I'm excited. I'm always up for seeing new places I'm always seeking new experiences; it inspires me to write.

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Style & Beauty > Body Image A body of numbers: Weighing body image issues: 1 of 8
"Get the body you want, now!""Drop two inches or dress sizes in the first week!""I lost forty-five pounds, and I feel sexier than ever.""My husband loves my new body!""I get to eat the food I want, and look the way I want."Unless you live under a rock, that probably all sounds familiar. We've all heard and seen these things, ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Should America pay restitution to the descendants of slaves?: 17 of 131
Restitution doesn't advantage the disadvantaged; it only assuages our guilty consciences. When we pay restitution to those who are descended from people who were wronged by our own ancestors, we are only keeping the eyes of our society on the past, rather than the future.The past is over and done with, and there is absolutely... More..
Education > Secondary School (Other) Is an academically competitive atmosphere helpful to a student?: 3 of 20
A healthy level of competition is fine, and, in fact, necessary; the world is competitive. People aren't always worried about hurting each other's feelings (though perhaps they should be). The competition shouldn't start too early, though; small children need to be nurtured, not placed in a competitive atmosphere. They need t... More..
Education > Study Skills & Test Taking Do final exams help or hinder the education process?: 4 of 26
Learning can't really be measured, but assessments are necessary to evaluate students' progress. We take it as a given that this means final exams (often standardized government tests), but perhaps it would be better for the learning process overall to do away with these tests.Learning should be assessed throughout the proces... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Should schools be allowed to teach creationism alongside evolution as part of their science curriculum?: 15 of 78
Science classrooms are for science. Evolution is certainly an important part of science that should be taught there. Is it something we can prove a hundred percent? Not unless we can go back in time. However, the same is true of many ideas in science. Once there is a large amount of evidence, though, we tend to believe these ... More..
Education > College Search When to start planning for college: 2 of 10
At the beginning of high school, college seems light-years away, but you'll be ready (or not so ready) to start the application process before you know it. If you're not ready, things might not go as well as you hope, but, luckily, being ready isn't as difficult and mysterious as it might sound.At the start of high school, yo... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Would you rather be born rich or intelligent?: 19 of 70
To be born rich is to have an advantage over the rest of the world. Being born into a wealthy family means having the means to pursue any dream of any magnitude. It means being able to afford the best schools, the best teachers for any skill one wishes to pursue, and, if you should decide to do so, benefitting the world immen... More..
Travel > United States Travel destinations: North Carolina: 3 of 11
Asheville, North Carolina might not look like much at first, but this small city has a lot more to it than meets the eye. Any visitor to Asheville wants to visit the Biltmore House, and it's certainly a magnificent place, but this city is home to a lot of hidden gems.Before you see any of what humans have built here, though, ... More..
Style & Beauty > Fashion Trends & Styles Should underweight models be banned from participating in runway fashion shows?: 5 of 18
Fashion magazines and runway shows are populated with people we're supposed to consider the epitome of beauty. They are generally very thin, and this is an unhealthy ideal; many people can't ever be that thin without starving themselves. There are, however, people who are naturally quite thin, and size discrimination goes bot... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Does the Internet harm grammar and spelling skills?: 2 of 6
Today, almost everyone is connected to the internet, at home or at school or at work, or, more probably, more than one of those places. There are outcries from educators and parents that the internet is harming our abilities to write properly; however, I would argue that the opposite is probably true.Before the internet, read... More..