A Plague Of Tics

I honestly do not even know where to begin. This story is probably one of the weirdest things I have ever read, but I also did not want to stop reading. Throughout the whole story I kept trying to figure out what illness this man had. I first thought he had OCD because he kept having to touch the same thing every time he walked by or he counted his steps walking home from school but if he messed up he had to turn around and restart. Then as he became older I thought he developed turrets. I thought this because he would shake his head viciously every 30 to 45 seconds. He shook his head so much he could not even stand still for his school pictures. At the end of this story I still do not have any idea of what his issue was. I have never heard of such a traumatic issue being cured by something as simple as taking up smoking cigarettes. The one thing about this story that really bothered me was his families and teachers reactions. His teachers did seem concerned but they only took tiny steps to help him and when his parents acted like it was not that big of an issue his teachers seemed to just drop the subject all together. Also his mother gave me a very bad impression. She just acted like all of his tics were not a big deal and just yelled at him to stop. A good mother would be worried about her son and do anything in her power to help him.     

More About My Topic

1.) The specific question I plan on asking in my research paper is...Why should Family and Consumer Sciences not be removed from school systems? Family and Consumer Science Education is my major and I feel that it is a great basis for a paper.  Many schools are beginning to, or at least beginning the process, of removing these programs from schools.  As the topic becomes more apparent among schools, it is becoming a controversial topic. 2.) My thesis statement is Family and Consumer Sciences should not be removed from school systems because the information the students learn from these courses will prepare students to live independently in college or after high school, it will help improve critical thinking skills, and it provides an exciting atmosphere. Students learn better when they are enjoying what they are doing and Family and Consumer Sciences is a prime example of that. I enjoyed these classes so much in high school that I dedided to come to college to pursue this.  Without these classes in our systems, students would not only lose all of these opportunities, but the opportunity for students like myself to make this their career.  3.)  I am going to school to become a Family and Consumer Science teacher so this issue is something that is very important to me. The discussion of removing this subject due to budget cuts is a huge mistake. Most courses are losing some funding for supplies, but it is rare to see an entire subject removed from the system.  I know that without the minor knowledge of cooking, sewing, and nutrition I would not have been able to survive my first year of college. Learning how to do laundry in middle school really saved me a lot of stress. I was able to help my parents out around the house and I was able to help my roommate and others that did not know how to do laundry.  The proper techniques and knowledge of nutrition and proper eating habits helped me make better decisions about meals, especially my freshman year of college. I also know that the knowledge of hemming pants, or taking in a shirt is very helpful and cost effective.  4.) I need to obtain more information about improving critical thinking skills. 5.) Some arguments that might come up are students can learn this information from their mothers or fathers. Students do not need to learn proper nutrition for college because the dining halls have tons of healthy options.  6.) I have looked up information through EBSCOhost, the Stapleton Library and YouTube.  At first, I found it very challenging to find information.  I learned that the professional way of describing this subject was not as commonly found among the databases.  I had to use the phrase “home economics” instead, and was able to find many more sources.  Using the library as a resource was the best way for me to find information for my topic.