4 Ways To Spot A Toxic Relationship By: Sophia James
Toxicity. We all know it’s out there. One thing you may not know is your best friend, your sister, or even your boyfriend may be led by it, and they are not someone you want to be around. Here is a list of the 4 ways you can spot a toxic relationship, so it doesn’t progress further and hurt you permanently. They’re Controlling
One way to spot a toxic friend is they’re controlling. Toxic people usually try to control your relationships with them, and with others. Some signs are: they’ll tell you can’t hang out with certain people, they’ll tell you can’t invite people over, and it can only be you and them, last but not least they like to know who you’re hanging out with at all times. Then they try texting you repeatedly to know exactly where you are. They try to tell you that you can’t go somewhere or do something because you’ll be with them, and a lot of the time they tend to even control what you eat and wear. Also, when you are with them they like to only do what they want to do, and they never take an interest in your hobbies or things you like to do.
They’re Unreliable
Toxic friends love to be unreliable. When you ask them to hang out they cancel last minute, and when you tell them secrets they tend to spill them to others. They even might lead you to believe they can hang out up until the designated time, and then while you’re on your way they text and say they can’t when actually they’re just sitting at home. Sometimes you may even tell them your crush or how you don’t really like another person, and the next day that person somehow found out and the whole school knows.
They Have Poor Emotional Support
Even when you’re very upset or crying they might ignore you, or even laugh and say it isn’t a big deal. This shows that they may not even really care about your emotions, feelings, or even you. This might be an indication that they may only be friends with you for a certain reason, or to get something out of or from you.
They Tend To Use You
Some toxic people only find you if they need something from you. That can range from asking for money to using you to become popular. After they get something from you they start to not talk to you as much anymore. You may even hear things from other people about how they might not even like you, and just act nice in person. It is okay to hear this about someone. It just means that maybe this person should not be your friend or someone you trust.
Just remember, friends are supposed to make you feel better about yourself… not worse. Hope you figure it all out!
Depression In Middle School And how to deal with it. By: Kayla Butterson
Clinical Depression (also called Major Depression): A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
We all had the time where we feel down or sad, but the most common thing is people have thoughts to hurt themselves or just thoughts that are horrible. It mostly happens in Middle School because Middle School one of the hardest things ever to get through. I had one of those experiences myself, and I am fine now. I wanted to help people who feel the same way I did back in 6th grade.
1. Tell someone
Tell someone. It’s very simple. I didn’t want to tell anyone. I thought that it would mean that I am weak and I didn’t want to come off as weak. So I didn’t tell anyone and the depression worsened. Finally, someone noticed and actions were taken.
2. Don’t lie Lying is the worst thing you can do. You might lie about yourself and lie about how much you hate yourself or hate everyone. When really, you are just sad and need comforting.
3. Listen Some people don’t listen about them being depressed and they deny it. I don’t want you to deny for the trouble you are going through. You deserve love like the next person. It doesn’t depend on if you are bad or good, you are human and you will get help.
I hope you liked my short advice and I do hope you get help if you are reading this. Thanks for reading!
How To Stay On Teacher Pace In Kenowa Hills Middle School Staying on pace at Kenowa Hills is very important and this is my advice on how to do it. By: Kamari Jones
Kenowa Hills Middle School is a great learning environment with expectations for their students. One of those expectations is to stay on pace with the teacher. If you get behind teacher pace you may not catch up all year especially if you slack off. Well, lucky for you I will give you advice so you can always be on teacher pace. I will give you great advice because I am a student that stays on pace and hasn’t been behind pace with the teacher. So, here goes the secret to staying on teacher pace.
The first step to staying on pace in any class is to do your work in class, and don’t goof off. This is very important because all the work you don’t finish will be homework, and all work has a due date. As soon as you don’t finish that work in class your already behind teacher pace. Yes, I know it's easy to get behind teacher pace. If you don’t goof off and focus you will be okay.
Another way to stay on teacher pace is to do all your homework. Homework is important in two ways. One way is that if don’t do your homework you will have an incomplete in PowerSchool, although, it doesn’t affect your grade. Another way homework is really important is because the extra practice can really help you in the long run. Teachers will do what is best for, and homework is one thing that they do to help you. Homework helps you with tests too because you will know the answer from your homework, so take my advice and do your homework. That is my advice to stay on teacher pace at Kenowa Hills. I hope you take it because you will be a better person and you really will be a better student. Also, you will see a difference in your mood, and maybe even your grades. Have a nice day!
How To Come Out Of The Closet By: Brady Monroe
4.5% percent of adults are LGBTQ+. Many of which had a hard time coming out. If you didn’t know LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, and Queer ( or questioning). I have some advice on how to come out to family/friends.
-Consider whether you're ready to come out. Coming out is a personal choice that should only be done because you feel like it's right for you.
-Do you feel fairly certain of your identity? Do you feel secure in your identity, or are you still struggling to accept being LGBTQ+?
-Is this choice coming from a desire within you to be open, or peer pressure making you feel like you have to come out?
-Keep in mind that not all people will be loving/ supportive, some people still look at it as a bad thing.
-Don’t change for other people, be yourself, and if they don’t agree with your decision that's just their opinion.
-Take your time, wait until you’re ready.
-This is a big deal, research shows that people that are LGBTQ+ are happier if they aren’t closeted.
-Be prepared for homophobic people.
Homophobe - (a person with a dislike of or prejudice against homosexual people.)
-Don’t be afraid to express yourself, show PRIDE.
Different Sexualities:
Lesbian: Females who are only attracted to females. Gay: Males who are only attracted to men. Bisexual:An individual who is attracted to only men and women. Transgender: denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. Queer/Questioning: An individual who is questioning their sexuality. ETC.
Here are a couple tips for people who don’t support the LGBTQ+ community:
Keep your beliefs to yourself
Support the individual, (it's really hard for most people to open up)
Keep an open mind
It’s okay to state your opinion, but be careful how you word it.
How to Ask for Help (Mental Health) When should we ask for help? By: 8th Grade Anonymous
When I was 5, I saw a therapist for the first time in my life. I was scared to death. As a young child, I never really liked therapy because that meant I had to be away from my mom. At that age up until 8, my mom had to come to school with me everyday and I had to know where she was at all times. Over time, I began to notice that I was beginning to let go of the constant fears I was having. To this day I’m still in therapy and without it I would never be in the mental state I’m in now. It’s all because I asked for help. Mental Health is commonly recognized among youth and young adults. Whether you yourself are struggling with mental health, know someone who is, or have at least talked about it, you have an understanding of what it is. For those who do not know, mental health is a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. Usually when people hear the word Mental Health, they think about mental disorders/illnesses like depression or anxiety. In my experience, talking about it has never been easy. It’s especially hard when you deal with it yourself. Putting all formal things aside, it’s hard in general. Everything in that area is uncomfortable and painful and stressful, so on and so forth. All though it’s a middle school cliche to write about these concepts, it is serious and needs more recognition. The important thing is that you get the help you need. It pains me a lot to see the people I love and care about struggle, and I have no idea how to help them. I feel that the best way to really get help is to ask for it, no matter how subtle it is. The question that needs to be answered is: How do we ask for help when we need it? Actually reaching out for help is a big step that shows courage, not weakness. A very common reason why people don’t ask for help is because mental health still has a strong stigmatism attached to it world wide. No one wants to be labeled as crazy, but as our society matures, the more comfortable it is to talk about. As much as it has matured, we still have some growing to do. Now, this is where we get into the kinds of people we should ask for help. I’ve found that talking to your parents is the most common and comfortable way to ask for help. Although, education is key. Giving the most information that you can to them is the best way you can get the help. The more they know, the more they can help and understand you. I’m not saying you have to tell them every single thing, but giving the most that you can to them is a really good way to get what you need. Another option is to tell a safe adult. Now, this can be a teacher, aunt or uncle, grandparent, family friend, school counselor, or any other adult you trust. If you are not very close with the person you choose to tell, it can be harder to talk with them. Again, information and education is key. It’s better to tell as much as you can there and then than bottling it up and pouring it out little by little over time. Now don’t get me wrong, none of this will be easy. Actually putting ourselves out there in that situation is a big step out of our comfort zones, mainly because we don’t want to be labeled as ‘that kid’, and for the fact that it’s our information and we think we’re the only ones who feel like this. But in that statement, it’s clear that a lot of people feel that way. For the past 8 years that I have been in therapy, I can really say that I would not be here if I didn’t ask for help. I think part of that was because I didn’t hesitate to ask. I asked for help with my mental health when I was 8. At 5 you don’t really understand what’s happening, which is probably why I was in therapy that little. That’s besides the point. The point is that it’s never too late to ask for help. If you know something is wrong, then tell someone. A lot of people think they don’t need help when really they’re at a point of crisis. It’s not going to be easy, but I swear it will be one of the best decisions of your life. No one wants that much pain, or whatever it may be, in their lives. The people in your life want to help you, and so will the people who help overcome this with you. But it all starts with you, which is unfair. Ultimately, it’s you who has to make the choice to get help. There aren’t really any steps to get help, but you need to take your time and make sure your words get across. This is a very sensitive topic and I am no expert. From what I can say though, none of this will ever fully go away. It’s a life-long struggle. But I promise it will be so much better if you ask for some guidance. Again I am no expert, and this topic has a lot of stereotypes attached to it, like how therapy means you're crazy or all this stigmatism about “depressed people” and “normal people”, or how nobody can help you. Out of all this, the truth really is that the people in your life want to help you. I’m not just talking about parents, I mean everyone. I swear to whatever higher power there is out there that there are people that can help you, not fix you, help you. Remember, someone wants to help you.
3 Ways To Be Safe On The Internet By: Violet Mead on November 11, 2019
We all use the internet for everything. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Tiktok, etc. We all use our phones for 3-6 hours or more daily, but we don’t think about what we click or do on our phones, tablets, and computers. But there are dangers on the internet. Like scammers and hackers. They can take your information in a second. So I’m here to help you to know how to stay safe!
1. Keep Personal Information to yourselfYou ONLY give your information to family or friends. NO MATTER WHAT you do not give your information to someone you don’t know. They could find where you live and start sending things or go to you in real life. So DON’T GIVE YOUR INFORMATION!
2. Be Careful What You Download
You might see something funny online or a cute picture, or apps, but we don’t think about what’s behind the picture. Videos can have dangerous things in it if you don’t think carefully about bad consequences can happen.
3. Be Careful What You Post and Talk to Online We really don’t think about who we talk to or what we post online. So before you post do the think tactic before you post. T- Is it true H- IS it hurtful I- IS it inspiring N- Is it necessary K-Is it Kind Now let’s talk about meeting people online. People can use profile pictures they found online it can be a picture of a random person they take a picture from. So don’t try or even think about talking to someone you don’t know. Because you could give you them you’re number or name and address and things can go downhill. They can even kidnap you if you meet up in real life. Some of them can be child predators, that will sell you online, or worse Kill you. So don’t talk to strangers and make your online accounts private. If something bad happens tell you’re parents and block them. Now you know to be safe online. Use the tips I gave you and use them wisely. Be safe!