My research question is how can we improve the American education system? I came up with this question because this was a similar topic for my last essay and I wanted to research more about it. This is important because there are many flaws within the American education system and I want to understand ways in how to improve this system. There are many issues such as teaching students that grades are the most important thing in life which creates pressure within students to perform within certain expectations. Furthermore, I feel that the system relies more on the memorization aspect of the subjects rather than teaching students how to understand it. Are politicians aware of how bad our education system is? I feel like people need to be aware of this situation since it is the cornerstone of nurturing children and for them to become successful. A broken system would not be ideal for the growth and development of our youth because it would greatly affect them in the future. Students tend to not learn properly in the classroom as well and having a lot of homework can affect them negatively since it can create stress on them. This can potentially result in depression and hopelessness because of how flawed our education system is. I believe it needs to be more lenient on the students and implement better teaching methods. The education system needs its attention on its students rather than trying to teach every student the same method because every student learns and adapts to material differently. I want to know about more solutions on how to improve the current American education system. I plan to explore this question in my research by looking at various articles that address this issue and highlighting key ideas that resonate in how to improve the American education system.

What are the primary contributing factors to rising U.S. crime rates during the Covid-19 Pandemic? After reading an article a few months ago in the NY Times that violent crime in New York City was up by 50 percent and continuing to see an increase in reports of criminal activity each morning on the news, I decided to use this as my initial question for the research essay. I would like to align my paper with that of an informative/explanatory genre as I am truly inquisitive as to what factors may be of significance in this surge of delinquency. When reflecting on the weight of my initial inquiry I found myself with a long list of follow up questions: Is the rise due to a general unrest and agitation due to stay-at-home orders and wide sweeping loss of financial security? Are de-fund the police protests and riots subsequently contributing to a decrease in law enforcement? Are higher numbers of homeless and displaced individuals a factor in this recent increase of misconduct? What about the early release of violent criminals due to Covid-19 concerns within penitentiaries? Are regional discrepancies suggestive and do greater crime statistics correlate with highest infection rates? Or does it ultimately come down to political polarization and a country divided during an unprecedented and life altering global outbreak? From the reading I gather that the development and refinement of the actual research question is largely what this assignment centers around. I hope throughout this process  I am able to accomplish focusing my subject and investigation in a clear and structured essay that may offer clarity and enlightenment regarding this recent unsettling increase in crime.

My research question as of right now is “What causes school shootings, and how is this linked to the education system and social media?”. The reason I decided to choose this research question is because for a while now when me and my fellow classmates were having debates regarding topics such as school shootings we often only focused on the guns. Gun laws are important however I believe the issue is more geared towards the students themselves. People used to say that committing a murder splits your soul and takes part of it. To go from that to annual school shootings in America where hundreds die is a big leap. To have the mentality to commit such an act one would almost have to go through hell. However, we have kids going into schools and killing each other. Guns should be limited yes; however, I don’t think that will solve the problem. If someone decides “I will go kill people in my school and then kill myself” they will end up finding another way to do it. So, an approach from the psychological perspective might be the way to go, to avoid kids from even having a thought such as that. So, therefore I chose this research question, to see what causes these crazy acts and how we can help people calm down to avoid it.

My initial research question would be “What are some causes of depression and how it affects students in their daily lives in the United States?” I initially came up with this question by thinking about some of the common issues the students have in their daily lives, but I also wanted it to be related to schools and other outside causes. I think this issue is important because nowadays many teenagers and students are having different difficulties and matters that influence their mood and behavior toward certain things, and might even drive to their misconduct actions due to their lack of calm and thinking of clarity in its consequences. After that, I also want to know how this issue drove them to this cause and what some of the common effects are to the students, and how most of the people manage it. In other words, I would like to know how we as students can do to manage these feelings of depression and what are some of the strategies to calm ourselves down and get some of the comforts after all this. With all of these in mind, I plan to explore my research question through some of the open webs at first and then move on to reading relevant articles and to look for some scholarly sources to give some of the basic ideas of this issue, and also to look for the answer later on. This research focuses on how some people hold different ideas and views toward this question on depression in teenage ages.

The question that my research paper will be based on is “How does racial inequality and poverty correlate with one another?” I started off wanting to analyze the topic of poverty, especially because many people were losing their jobs and the poor are struggling even more than they already are when the pandemic impacted the US economy. But I was also interested in exploring the topic of racism, therefore, I decided to combine both topics by analyzing how racial inequality would be related to poverty. I would also consider this a learning experience because I don’t really know much about poverty in America and how race could be connected to it, therefore, I created this question. I hope to learn why most lower socio-economic people are made up of Hispanics and black people and what factors make up these statistics. Also, I want to know if there are any solutions to this social issue and how these racial and ethnic groups could rise in their socio-economic status. This is an important topic to dive into because racial inequality and poverty—especially racial inequality—is already a problem in America. If racial inequality was a factor in those who are in poverty, it would mean that their opportunities in education, career, food, and access to medicine are hindered because of their ethnic and racial background, and that’s not right. I plan to explore the question by reading research articles, historical articles, and statistics that analyze the correlation between race and poverty and to give me a historical and/or present background that explains why it is the way it is.

I believe that writing is an important form of expression. It is almost everlasting, as we are able to read people’s writings from the beginning of time and apply it to whatever we want in our time. I believe that writing is a necessary tool and can help one manage emotions. When writing in my journal, I use my pen to place any inner turmoil onto the paper, it heals me. Writing can communicate thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. in a specific way, unlike any other form of communication. This class is further teaching me how to use writing to communicate ideas and thoughts with others. This class is also teaching me how to analyze what I am reading and apply it to other texts as well as in real life. What I am learning in this class does not necessarily aid me in using writing as a way to deal with my emotions. However, I am able to write about what I feel passionate about, as I am allowed to choose my topics. 

I tried to make a timed plan for this essay, finishing one source a day from the time of 7:30 to 9:30. I used to do this in my freshman and sophomore year of high school when I went to a community school. This approach failed, I ended up submitting my final essay days after the extended due date. One reason why this approach failed is because I allotted time during the night to work on this assignment, rather than during the day. My anxiety increases during the nighttime, making it hard to do stressful things. Sometimes I would end up falling asleep while trying to do it. Another reason this strategy failed is because I prioritized work from my other classes as well as responsibilities I have throughout the week. Only giving myself 2 hours a day to work on this essay was not realistic, and I was in a bad space mentally. To cope with my anxiety, I avoid the very thing that is contributing to my anxiety. For our next essay, I will make more time during the day to work on the assignment. I want to schedule time each day so I am not struggling to finish the entire thing within one day. I also will do breathing exercises to cope with my anxiety, continue going to therapy, and I plan on doing yoga again in the mornings and at night. 

Question: How does earning a college degree impact the outcome of an individual in the United States?

When exploring the assignment description, I was originally unsure of what I wanted to write about considering the variety of topics we are able to choose from. However, I decided to focus on subjects that relate to me as an individual in the United States. As a freshman in college, the impact a college education has on someone’s life is a question I can ask myself today. In addition, there are millions of teenagers and young adults around the country who most likely have this exact question in mind as they plan to attend a college or university. Current college students who are unsure of what careers to pursue may also have this question in mind as they continue their education.

The idea of going to college is seen as a traditional next step in a students’ education around the United States after completing high school. Obtaining a college degree has been taught as a necessity for an individual to “succeed” in their future. This idea was consistently brought up throughout our education as we grew older and closer to the completion of high school. From teachers to our own parents or family, society has encouraged us to pursue a career through college because it will ultimately benefit us and our future. By further exploring this question through research, I will compare and contrast the various perspectives that individuals have towards the college education system. Furthermore, I will explore the statistical outcomes of having a degree as well as the impact of not having a college education. This is not a simple yes or no question about college, but rather a question that explores the many viewpoints society has about this matter.

Rape is one of the worst social issues in our world, which is now seen as a constant in the headlines of daily newspapers. I have chosen this topic so that people in our society have concerned about this issue. Now, I have so many questions in my mind about this topic. But I think these two questions are best. Also, I am a little bit confused about which one I should use. So, my first question is Appetite for rape: Whence can parents let their daughters out? And my second question is Yet how many more incompetent girls have to commit suicide, just from some cruel beasts of sexual intercourse without her willing?  Last week, I was watching the news channel of my country where a teenager was raped and killed by a gang. Now all over the nation are protesting for justice. So, my relatives called and discussed this issue with us. They are too scared to let their daughters go outside alone. I was wondering at that moment when girls could easily go outside and lead their lives like a man. That’s how I came up with my first question. Even there are so many incidences where girls commit to suicide because of sexual intercourse. They take their lives because they don’t get justice sometimes. I think this is important to increase more awareness about this issue. We need to make sure that our daughters, sisters are safe not only inside but also outside of our nation. In my research, I will explore more about self-protection from rape, seeking justice, family support, more duty.

When I think about writing, I think of brainstorming ideas that need to be separated and organized to create a giant masterpiece worthy of convincing a worldwide audience. In the beginning, When I wrote my essay, I forgot about my audience and the effect I wanted to evoke in them, making my paper look weak or less developed compared to others in terms of organization and analysis. Contradicting everything I thought I knew about writing was differentiating what the author is doing from what the author is saying. I used some strategies to focus on what the author was doing rather than what he was saying. Every time I read a paragraph, I stopped and thought, “ok, so what is the author trying to evoke in me?” and even though I couldn’t explain in the way I wanted to be in the paper. I never lost track of what I was reading. Another strategy I used was to try to connect the text’s purpose with the audience to see how they are related, and in some of the cases, it helps me continue when I stuck in a sentence or an idea. After analyzing my first draft, I realize how bad it was my analysis level because I couldn’t organize my thoughts, ending up with a summary for each article or video. As a priority, while reviewing my final draft, I tried to make sure I could get something better out of the first analysis. I start focusing more on rhetorical analysis than the summary, which helped me develop a better well-organized draft.