Monthly Archives: December 2015

There is No Free Lunch

There is No Free Lunch

“The side effect that most neuroscientists fear is not physical discomfort but subtle mental change. Over time, a memory-enhancing drug might cause people to remember too much detail, cluttering the brain. Similarly, a drug that sharpens attention might cause users to focus too intently on a particular task, failing to shift their attention in response to new developments. In short, someone who notices or remembers everything may end up understanding nothing.”

– Drugs That Enhance Students Achievement: Good Kids Making Bad Decisions

                  The author summarizes this passage in 5 words, “There is no free lunch”. One coin has two sides. Even though the so-call “smart drugs” are able to enhance students’ memory and attention, it causes the side effects as well. For instance, the “smart drugs” will lower oneself adaptive ability. Through this passage, students take “smart drugs” in order to increase their learning ability. This phenomenon reveals a fact that students are stressed because they are doubt at self-ability. They would rather to believe that the “smart drug” will grant them strength which help them to overcome the obstacles. In my opinion, the “smart drug” fails us to  adapt in new environment. But these days, economy is developing, if we are not capable of adapting the change quickly, how we are going to survive in this competitive marketplace. There is no free lunch. As educators, we are responsible to let students understand that the “smart drug” may help them to fix the immediate problem; however, it might leave a unpredictable consequent in the future.

Supportive Adult Mentors Can Greately Affect Adolescents’ Lives

Caring Connections- Mentoring Relationships in the Lives of Urban Grils

by Jean E. Rhodes, Anita A. Davis, Leslie R. Prescott, and Renée Spencer

reply by Shu Shi

“…‘relationships between girls and adult women may be particularly critical during the transition into adolescence’ because girls at this juncture are eager to ‘seek out and listen attentively to advice from women’” (as cited in Rhodes, et al.) Continue reading Supportive Adult Mentors Can Greately Affect Adolescents’ Lives

Advocates Against Brain Drugs

“The ethical issues surrounding brain enhancement concern the social effects of brain enhancement: How will it affect the lives of all students, including those who may prefer not to enhance their brains?” (Philip, 185).

It is true that students who prefer not to enhance their brains will feel pressured through competition to participate in the use of such drugs. However, the ethical issue I am most concerned with is what will become of students who are too young/immature to make educated decisions about what is best for them. Teachers and parents will have to act as advocates for these children’s best interest. Continue reading Advocates Against Brain Drugs

Drugs and College

Phillip (2006) Drugs that Enhance Student Achievement IN Engaging “Tweens” and Teens:
“… What would he do with the PSAT coming up? Wouldn’t it be great if he could swallow a pill rather than study for the test? Perhaps he could take a pill and get a “mental tune-up” for the PSAT.”

Reply:

Wow… This is the story of the lives of many students. In my experience I have witnessed high school and college students dive deep into pill bottle to help them with their work. The most common drug I witnessed students munching on was Adderall. Adderall is commonly known as a drug prescribes to patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. Friends have told me that Adderall helps them focus on their papers, or that it helps them study for a test. Interesting enough, they always happen to wait for the night before their test or due date for their assignment to pop this magic focus pill, leading to an “all-nighter,” where they would be for hours on end. I’ve witnessed people turn this into a common practice. Party, procrastinate, pop pills then do the assignment or study. It’s scary when you think about it. Our society is hyper active when it comes to drug and alcohol consumption. Sometimes people think it’s okay but they have no idea what the consequences to their actions are.
Nathaniel Jimenez