Crystal Amberlyn

"Just because you come from a rough beginning does not mean   that is where you must end."  I like to believe I am a nice person. I also like to think I am a hard worker and good student. Sadly, I was not always this way. At one point in my life, I was a bully. I was mean and like every other troubled individual, there was a reason why I acted the way I did. During the critical learning period in my life, I learned violence and anger was the way to solve issues or get what you want. So, that is what I did. Fortunately, I reached a point where I decided to change my life. I made the decision to change. My bad behavior started as early as kindergarten. I would get angry at children who would not share their toys with me, and I would constantly rebel against activities. There was a time I climbed to the top of the play tower and would not come down because I did not want to learn the alphabet. I was surely a troublemaker, and it only got worse as I got...

When I tell my brother and sister I can vividly remember living with my dad as a child, they never believe me. They tell me it is not possible for someone to have memories from such a young age. I must admit I think it is odd I am able to remember so far back, but I also find it interesting. Before you read further, I must warn you. Some of these memories may be emotional or uncomfortable. I am not sure why I wish to share these memories. I guess they are a part of me, and I only wish for others to know they exist.  Our home: I can still remember the layout of our trailer in Kentucky. It was on a country road surrounded by a forest. It had a stone driveway and a shabby wooden porch. When you walked in the front door, you entered the main section of the trailer with the kitchen on the left and the living room on the right. Past the living room was the master bedroom in the back right-hand corner. Past the kitchen was my room in the back left-hand corner. In my room, I h...

Would you ever think social media could benefit children? I certainly did not, but a study discussed in this article explains it can. Although I still believe social media can be ultimately negative for children, the article brings up some interesting points about how it can be positive in certain situations. The study focused on how social media can be beneficial to children who live in residential care homes. It found social media can help them make relationships and reduce the feeling of isolation. I can see how these benefits can be true, but I am still skeptical. I think it is a great idea for children in residential care homes to use social media to connect with their birth families. This relationship is an important one. Knowing you can connect with your family and they can connect to you can mean a lot to a child. I have experience with this because my main form of contact with my father is through social media. Although these relationships are healthy, I feel ther...

When I was in elementary school, as many elementary kids are asked, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up. For a long time, I responded that I wanted to be a zookeeper. Looking back on that answer now, I think, “wow that was an odd answer”. I may think that answer is odd, but it turns out that today, quite a few children respond that they want a career in social media or gaming. Alison Kershaw explains in her article that a study shows these careers have been growing in popularity for younger people. Although these careers do not beat out the answers of teacher or veterinarian, they are still ranked higher than I would ever expect. It took me awhile to find out that these careers even existed as careers, not just hobbies. Therefore, it amazes me the younger generation knows this as a career and wishes to pursue it. I can only assume these children know more about these careers because, as Kershaw explains, they are more exposed to them. I can already see this being true...