Granger high school
Tri-Color Times An open forum for student opinion and expression
TRICOLORTIMES.COM
april 2019 LXI-VIII
Happiness should be taught to every student every year By Emma Pratt LAST YEAR at Yale, roughly 1,182 undergraduates enrolled in a class called “Psychology and the Good Life.” It caught the attention of David Schimer, a reporter for The New York Times because the largest lectures offered at Yale don’t exceed 600 students. Dr. Laurie Santos, a psychology professor and head of one of Yale’s residential colleges, taught the class in which students learned how to live a happier life. “Dr. Santos speculated that Yale students are interested in the class because in high school they had to deprioritize their happiness to gain admission to the school,” as reported on the nytimes.com website. High schools are not making happiness a priority. This lack of focus on happiness has consequences. “In reality, a lot of us are
anxious, stressed, unhappy, and numb,” Alannah Maynez, a freshman that took the course, told Mr. Schimer. With students not being taught how to be happy, they begin to numb their emotions. Essentially, they are taught to focus on success rather than emotions. “The fact that a class like this has such large interest speaks to how tired students are of numbing their emotions — both positive and negative — so they can focus on their work, the next step, the next accomplishment,” Maynez said. When students ignore their happiness, they have more time to focus on their work or next step, just like Maynez said. Focusing too much on their work, school, etc., causes it to be one of few things that makes them happy or successful. “No matter what they did, it wasn’t good enough,” Julie Hunt-
er, an assistant teacher at Bradon Forest School, said. She noticed that her students didn’t have selfesteem or self-confidence. So, she introduced a happiness program to the class. Within a year, the students became much calmer, more positive, and were able to identify their feelings. If just one year of a happiness program changed a class’s mindset, imagine what it could do if it was added to a whole curriculum. The lives of many students would be changed. “When we look at a situation, we tend to think of the negatives before the positives. We need to be looking for the good in people and our situations. If the mindset is changed, then the culture will change,” Ms. Gaskins said. According to Ms. Gaskins, mindset is the key. Once the mindset changes from negative to
positive, people begin to feel happier. A class dedicated to teaching happiness would be very beneficial. When students are taught how to change their mindset, it will affect the culture around them. “When we can understand ourselves better, we can become a happier person,” Gaskins said. Mindset is important, especially when struggling with anxiety and depression. Having a class similar to “Psychology and the Good Life” would help students to learn more about themselves and how to be a happier person. “I’ve struggled with a lot of things. Taking psychology has taught me a lot and has helped me be happier. I feel like we should have a class that teaches happiness because it would be beneficial,” Abigail Martin (12) said. Sadly, Dr. Santos is no loncontinued on page 8
Abigail Martin thinks that a happiness class would be beneficial, as long as it were made a priority.
Taking a vacation can do wonders for mental health By Analicia Montoya THERE are many things that make people happy. Things like drawing, singing, writing, and even traveling can all improve one’s mood. Traveling is good for one’s physical wellbeing, and a significant amount of research suggests exploring a new place can do wonders for your mental and emotional health. When people hear the word travel, they think of vacation, meeting new people, or maybe even Instagrammable sunsets. Going new places and experiencing new things is exactly what travel means. Traveling gives you a chance to step away from the daily grind and have a release from the stresses
at home. There is a lot to look forward to and goals to reach when going to new places. The new events and experiments rewire your brain, hence boosting your mood and self-confidence. Anamaria Zambrano (11) experienced self-confidence when traveling. “I went on a vacation to Hidalgo, Mexico where my family is from. I learned so much more about my culture, and when I got home, I felt happier with myself knowing that I am different from others,” Zambrano said. Traveling to where your family is from is important, because you learn new things about yourself and end up feeling happier with yourself
mentally. Seeing the world for yourself will improve your vision and grip on reality. As a teen, traveling with family can be overwhelming and will feel like everything is taking forever to happen. Teenagers are known to be moody, lazy, and obsessed with social media, so they’re sometimes the ones who can make or break a family vacation. It’s important to stay patient with what’s going on and what’s trying to be reached, otherwise you will become a stressor for those around you. Jacqueline Flores (12) had something to say about this. “Me and my family traveled to Texas for the summer, and it was totally a mess for the
drive. Everything was just getting me mad, but I realized that my mom and dad were trying their best to make sure things were gonna go as planned, so I grew patience for them and helped them out by taking care of my younger siblings,” Flores said. Keeping a fresh mindset can help you keep going and look forward to the trip. Also, helping your parents out and making sure they stay calm as well can make everything go smoothly and result in everyone having much more fun. Becoming tolerant and accepting of your own discomforts can lead to feeling confident in one’s ability to navigate ambiguous situations.
Spring Trends
By Paola Estrada SINCE THE beginning of time, clothing trends have always been an important subject in history. Throughout generations, our clothing trends have changed quite a bit. From wearing neon colors and spandex, to bell bottoms in the late 80’s and 2000’s. Fashion has always been a form of expression in a variety of styles. “It makes me feel confident and empowered when I’m able to dress nice for school,” Brain Haro Gonzalez (12) said. Fashion helps express individuality. As we transition into the newer years, we trend to bring older fashion trends back into style. Sometimes that means taking a new approach on older looks. Tracksuit have always been one of my favorite things to wear. They are comfy and also cute,” Belma Kadic (9) said. Tracksuits have come into fashion in and out for decades. They are made out of cotton, polyester, and terry cloth, making them a silky, smooth feeling. They were most popular in the early 1980’s and are on the rise again today. “Chains on pants make an outfit stand out more, like Cardie dresses. Being different helps you stand out when there is a full crowd of people dressing all the same,” Fabian Hernandez Ramirez (10) said. Fashion industries have always relied on artists to influence their audiences through trends of clothing. For example, Cardi B has influenced millions of women and teens to buy clothes off Fashion Nova. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian also pose as large influencers of fashion today.
Belma sports a tracksuit.
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