Photo Challenge Day 29

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Well who could possibly narrow that down to one?!? Certainly not me. These are some classic snaps from my childhood that always, always make me crack up :-)

MINE! lol :-)

Oh, little Jeffrey

the expressions say it all :-)

always a ham



happy campers at Grandma's...kinda...

thumbs up!

Jeff & the Wrestling Buddies! (which we STILL have!)

he wore those cowboy boots with everything (and everywhere)

brotherly love! :-)

such classic facial expressions! :-)

it wouldn't be a proper party if this didn't happen

classic

yeah, that's how we roll in Orlando!

Great Grandma Skinner & Gram Leffew keeping us in line with the Super Soakers! :-)

Photo Challenge Day 28

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Now, I've never been swimming in an ocean (gasp! I know...) but I'm not sure I want to.... I'll admit it, I have an overactive (and somewhat pessimistic) imagination sometimes but what if there are huge killer sharks and octopi just waiting to eat me?!? And even if they're not as huge or as monstrous as those depicted, what if some creepy crawly thing gets me?!? Who KNOWS what's all down there--it makes me nervous just thinking about it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure the aquatic life are all fascinating and beautiful in their own special ways but I'm terrified at the thought of swimming with them!

Photo Challenge Day 27

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

This my cousin, Darlene, and me at her brother's wedding reception at the Adler Planetarium a few years ago (SUCH a cool venue!!). She's pretty much amazing and I've always looked up to her. And whenever we get a chance to hang out, it's always a great time full of superfun games, side-splitting laughter, and great conversation. Sadly, I don't get to see her much these days cause she's a smarty pants doctor out at the Mayo Clinic in MN but when we do get the chance to spend time together it makes myheart oh so happy. :-)

Cheaters (Should) Never Prosper

So, there's this fella in my Biology class who other students have noticed cheating on our previous two exams by pulling out his cell phone (to look up answers on the web & also to look at pictures he took of his notes). When we're finished taking our exam we're supposed to wait out in the hallway and that's when my classmates have talked about it. Most of them were upset by it but didn't want to turn him in and others said they didn't care. This student would typically be the last to finish the test and came out into the hallway smirking when some students would make comments about him be slick and getting away with it. He would smile bigger and say that he only used his phone for a few questions.

Whether it was a few questions or the whole test, it doesn't matter; cheating is cheating. Since I didn't personally see him do it I went back and forth about approaching our teacher. I decided not to say anything till I actually saw him do it.
Tonight we had our third exam. Before we started, our instructor told us he didn't want to see any cell phones out at all and seeing one would be construed as attempting to cheat and a zero would be given. You would think that such a specific and stern warning would be enough. Not so.

The student in question sat right in front and to the left of me so I had a perfect line of vision. Sure enough, I saw him pull out his phone a number of times. I decided to finish my exam and write a note to the teacher on the back of my response sheet. I gathered my things, handed in my test, and pointed to my note so he was sure to read it right away.
A few minutes later, as I was sitting in the hallway, I saw the student in question walking out of the classroom down the hallway. He had pulled out his phone again and was caught! Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't feel good about it; in fact, my stomach was in knots. However, I know that I did the right thing. Cheating, in any form, is morally reprehensible, and it is disrespectful to both the teacher and one's classmates. End of story.

Most of my friends agree with me and affirmed my decision to turn this student in, citing it as the right thing to do. To my surprise, though, another friend said she disagreed with turning students in, that it is bad karma. First of all, I don't believe in karma. Second of all, people need to learn right from wrong and understand that there are consequences for breaking rules and ethics. And frankly, it's sad to me that I'm the only one in my class who said something. When cheating and academic dishonesty enter the picture it compromises the educational process for everyone. And I felt that by the extent to which I was keeping quiet, I was participating in and contributing to this compromised situation that affects everyone. Some people might say it's just a test, but what really worries me is the way this ethic tends to get carried into other situations and facets of life. When people of good conscience see something wrong happen and do nothing to stop it, I feel that they're just as culpable. What has happened to integrity, principle, and character?!? People are their principles!!!

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'll step off of my soap box, for now....

What are your thoughts, friends???