Amira's Reflection:
Did you know that 3.1 million sheets of paper used in EOGs are incinerated each year in Wake County middle schools alone? I sure didn't. I knew that a lot of paper was burned, but I thought much of it was also stored for records. It never crossed my mind that each sheet of paper that was handed out to us was burned, or that such a high quantity of paper was gong to waste.
For our project, we set to the task of finding out how much paper was truly wasted during standardized testing and what happened to it after the teacher collected up the booklets and took them down to the office. Turns out, every last sheet is burned, including the blank scrap paper! I remember doing the math and having to double check to make sure I got the numbers right because I just couldn't believe it. If this was just in Wake County middle schools, how much paper was incinerated nationwide? Not only are we killing trees and reducing oxygen levels, but we are sending up dangerous gases into the atmosphere. If we continue on this path, what will be left for future generations?
As a group, we created a website to raise awareness, and came up with a list of solutions that several students and faculty members at Salem were polled on. In addition to that, we wrote an article in the hopes that a local newspaper would include it in their next issue.
This project has truly changed my views on testing and has made me realize the importance of recycling. In the future, I will continue to recycle all the paper I use and encourage others to do the same. Although we couldn't get our article published, I hope to spread awareness and inspire people to change even the slightest things, such as only receiving blank paper if they ask for it, so that our world can be a better place. It IS possible for one small change to make a big difference.
For our project, we set to the task of finding out how much paper was truly wasted during standardized testing and what happened to it after the teacher collected up the booklets and took them down to the office. Turns out, every last sheet is burned, including the blank scrap paper! I remember doing the math and having to double check to make sure I got the numbers right because I just couldn't believe it. If this was just in Wake County middle schools, how much paper was incinerated nationwide? Not only are we killing trees and reducing oxygen levels, but we are sending up dangerous gases into the atmosphere. If we continue on this path, what will be left for future generations?
As a group, we created a website to raise awareness, and came up with a list of solutions that several students and faculty members at Salem were polled on. In addition to that, we wrote an article in the hopes that a local newspaper would include it in their next issue.
This project has truly changed my views on testing and has made me realize the importance of recycling. In the future, I will continue to recycle all the paper I use and encourage others to do the same. Although we couldn't get our article published, I hope to spread awareness and inspire people to change even the slightest things, such as only receiving blank paper if they ask for it, so that our world can be a better place. It IS possible for one small change to make a big difference.