Macro Blog 13 - Death Penalty

With declining murder rates, the issue of whether or not the death sentence penalty shall remain in effect must be discussed. Although there have been studies which suggest that a rise in executions result in a decline in murder rates, when deciding whether or not the death penalty should remain part of the United States criminal justice system, the high expenses and morality must also be considered.

In recent studies, death sentences and murder rates have decreased dramatically. According to Liptak in his article Does Death Penalty Save Lives? A New Debate, "For each inmate put to death, the studies say, 3 to 18 murders are prevented." This argues that the number of recent executions have decreased the number of murder rates, and with less murder rates there are less cases to penalize with death sentences, thereby resulting in less death sentences and less murder rates. This connection between death sentences and murder rates is still merely a theory, however. As Liptak further mentions, "'It seems unlikely,' Professor Donohue and Professor Wolfers concluded in their Stanford article, 'that any study based only on recent U.S. data can find a reliable link between homicide and execution rates.'" There has not been enough recent data on death sentences and murder rates to provide sufficient evidence in supporting the claim relating death sentences to the number of murders. Therefore, it is safe to assume that murder rates may fluctuate regardless of the number of death penalties. Furthermore, the expenses of death sentences have recently increased. In her article Death Sentences Drop To Historic Lows In 2011 Sullivan writes, "The practice has been flawed, and it's getting very expensive." Execution has been known to further complicate things, especially due to its high expenses. In addition, the money spent on each execution could be spent on something else. Liptak says, "'Capital punishment is very expensive,' he said, 'so if you choose to spend money on capital punishment you are choosing not to spend it somewhere else, like policing.'" The vast sums of money used to execute offenders could instead be used to finance better reinforcements of the law to decrease crime rates in general. Executions do have there benefits, but overall it is more beneficial to remove the death penalty from the United States criminal justice system.

Macro Blog 12 - Homeschooling

With the development of new technology, the standard education process of one-room blackboard schools has become practically nonexistent. Schools have expanded and can use the aid of technology to better educate students using multimedia presentations, or use the convenience of the internet to research new topics. The development of technology has not only improved the conditions of existing school; it has also promoted the success of alternative methods of education such as homeschooling. Homeschooling is increasing in popularity, however it is not necessarily for everyone. When deciding whether or not homeschooling is the ideal method of education, it is important to consider the academic benefits, the social and emotional effects on the child, and the toll on the parents.

A common misconception of children that are homeschooled is that they are undereducated, which is overall false. In fact, according to Dr. Kellie Sorey and Dr. Molly H. Duggan in their article Homeschoolers Entering Community Colleges: Perceptions of Admission Officers, "homeschooled students had a significantly higher mean GPA than the traditional high school graduates." Many people assume that without the educational teachings from a certified teacher, students do not receive a proper education, therefore homeschooling is an inferior method compared to public schooling. However, without the distraction of other students, a looser learning style, and an individualized approach to conform to the learning style of the student, they are more likely to excel academically than traditional high school graduates, as study shows. So long as the parents are dedicated in educating their child and the child is dedicated in learning, homeschooling proves to provide a higher academic education than traditional schooling. Although the homeschooled child may learn more academically, this may not be the case socially and emotionally.

It is difficult to imagine how a homeschooled child would develop the social and emotional skills he or she would normally obtain through traditional schooling when said child is isolated in a classroom of one. According to Ryan's article The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling, "Not being able to learn with friends, and not being able to associate and congregate with other kids of the same age could lead to some developmental problems." Though it is true that homeschooled children will not develop the social skills they need in the same routine as traditional high schoolers, they can resort to other means of skill development. For example, in the article Homeschoolers on to College: What Research Shows Us, Dr. Brian D. Ray explains that homeschooled children "were quite involved in youth group and other church activities, jobs, sports, summer camps, music lessons, and recitals." So although a student may learn alone, there are endless opportunities for the student to interact with others, make friends, and learn the social and emotional skills they need in life. Parents must make note of which opportunities interest their child and encourage and motivate them to excel in those opportunities. Parents must guide their child and dedicate themselves to educate their child whatever way works best, which may take a toll from parents.

If a child is to be educated from his or her parents, the parents must make time for their child. Fiona Moon Pearl writes in her article Living Room School: The Real Deal on Homeschooling! that the three things a family needs to homeschool successfully are "A love for learning, a love for each other and strong family relationships with good communication, and parents who love spending a lot of time with their children." Time and time again, homeschooling has proved to be an exceptional form of education when executed properly. However, if the parents are not suited for instructing their child with educational and life skills, then homeschooling becomes inadequate. For instance, what good would homeschooling be for a child whose parents are constantly working and are never around the house? In this case, the child would be better off in traditional schooling. Parents must set time aside for their child and be there for support. Of course the child must also be dedicated and take it upon him or her self to study and learn independently through reading or online courses, however ultimately it is through the guidance and support of the parents who will determine the success of the child. This takes time and patience from the parents, so the parents must be willing and determined in order for homeschooling to become ideal, as well as determine the best routes of education for their child.