Daddy, Are We Rich?

Editor's note: An essay about not telling your children too much about money

By Jerry, Age 12

I think kids at an early age shouldn’t learn about money because it can put pressure on them in a way that can affect them physically and mentally. For instance, if they learn that they are poor then they may save their lunch money and not eat lunch.

If you tell them why you don’t or do have a summer house, mansion etc., they may feel bad or jealous of others. This could lead to other questions such as “Why aren’t we rich?”. One way we could reduce is to cut the down the chances of your child asking the question. Never give them the chance to ask the question. Be careful what you say and do not give hints about money.

If your family is rich and your child asked if you are rich and you told him the truth, he may boast about it and make others feel bad. If your family is poor and your child asked if you are rich, and you told him the truth, he might start saving up.

On the other hand, if you told your children about money at an early age it might save you a little money with them trying to save their allowances but it would have little effect on your family’s future. Or if they were rich they might hurt other’s feelings if they kept boasting about it.

Therefore you should not tell your children if you are rich or not. It would affect their lives a lot more if you told them. Don’t want your child thinking he is helping by not eating his breakfast, lunch or dinner? Don’t want your child thinking she is helping by skipping lessons to do choirs? Be smart. Don’t tell them.

Letter to My Future Self

By Chloe (Age 10.5, Singapore International School)

Dear future fifty-year old happy but old Chloe, I have a letter for you. I think I will be a vet in forty years and that's for you to know and for me to find out! I think my family will be closer than before and they will still be happy! We will live in a huge house with a huge television and a bedroom each, with our own TV set and radio! Fifty-year old Chloe, you could really lose your memories when you get older, so I have some thing to remind you:

Beware of pickpockets!
Keep your things safe!
Always go out with an interesting book!
Don't even think of wearing tights!
Beware of mosquitoes!

I think now because I'm younger than you, I can do more things than you can. Do you think you can hop or jump? Well, sure I can! Can you stretch your legs and do a full split? I can! Can you draw well? I bet you can because we will never lose that talent! Will you still be able to play the piano well? Maybe, but I can! Can you do math in three minutes? We all can! Hey, do you think your memories will run out soon? Don't worry, I've got just the cure! Here are some of the memories that are the most important to remember in life:

What we did as a family together.
All the mistakes that you made and should never make again.
How your little sister tortures you... never mind that one.
All the good things that your parents did for you.
All the things that made you happy.

You should try to remember all these things in life. And also, have a great time! Soon I'll be you! You can even use your time machine (if it is invented as I predict) to come and visit me anytime. Have fun in Australia (where I hope you are) and have a great time! Bye!

Regards,
Chloe

Teacher Rankings

By Albert (Age 12.5, Canadian International School)

In Los Angeles, there is a new system for ranking teachers. The Los Angeles Times ranks the teachers by how well the students do on a test. The Times published the rankings in the newspaper and most teachers were insulted and couldn't figure out how test scores could determine how good a teacher is. I think this is a very unfair and disrespectful way of ranking the teachers and it should be stopped. This is because the student may not have studied and got a bad grade, thereby affecting the teacher's ranking and reputation.

This is insulting for the teacher because if the teacher has a low rank, he/she might be teased, bullied, and his/her students might even have no respect for the teacher. It also insults teachers by showing the public how bad or how well they teach. It might even get them fired from their job because of the low rank. It will also lower the teacher's reputation and no one will like the teacher.

Another reason this is a bad idea is because learning is more than just test scores. It is also learning about how to live after graduation. If the newspaper rated the teachers on exams, the learning would be based on exams and memorization because the teacher would be so eager to do well on the ranking and avoid being insulted and disrespected. It would also make the quality of learning poor, despite the good grades on the test, because the students won't really understand the content.

The main reason that this is a bad rating system is that it is unfair. If the teachers teach the students with all their heart and soul, but the students don't study or just didn't do well this time, the teachers get blamed for it when it is really the student's fault that they got a bad mark. The teachers will be unfairly judged because 90% of the student's test mark comes from the student, not from the teacher. The other 10% might be help from the teacher or some tips, but it is mainly the student who determines the test mark. If the student didn't understand what the teacher taught, it is the student's job to get help, so the test score should be blamed on the student instead of the teacher.

On the other hand, it can help improve teaching quality because the teachers will be motivated to do better and not get insulted. But most teachers will be so insulted, even the ones who did well on the ranking, that they will most likely try to stop the Times from doing this because it is unfair.

Overall, I think this is a very bad system for rating teachers, who don't know and don't want to be rated in this very unfair way. I think that it would be much better if the Times rated the teachers based on what the students think of the teacher and what the principal thinks of the teacher. It would also be better if the Times told the teachers that they were rating them. 

To Build A Fire (Alternate Ending)

Editor's Note: This is an alternate ending to Jack London's short story, "To Build a Fire".

By Maggie (Age 12, Hong Kong International School)

Within seconds, his now numb legs were slowly freezing. If he were to build a fire, it would take him at least ten minutes, which he quickly realized would not be fast enough. But, being the type of person he was, he figured the ice was just ice. Yes, it would cause some discomfort, maybe even a sickness of some kind, but that was all.

Lumbering along the ground, accompanied by the dog, he rushed to find loose branches and twigs: anything to help ignite the fire. He limped to an open area, unable to bend both legs. Rubbing the sticks together as he had done before, slowly growing more and more impatient, the man sat and waited, knowing there was no other option. As sparks danced to life over the wood, the dog trotted over to the man. Without a sound, it stretched itself over the man's icy legs.

Had this been other circumstances, the man would have simply regarded the action as an action. But in this moment, he realized the significance of the situation. It was an act of loyalty and compassion, and then he realized how truly special the dog was. His soft fur, radiating warmth onto the man's legs, had a slight glow to it. The man looked around, suddenly realizing the true wonders of the wilderness. And, the imagination that had left him as a child finally returned. One simple act of compassion had changed him.

****

The man, for the first time in hours, smiled. This smile was unlike any other he had ever had. He was so pleased with himself, and with everything around him. He was a mile away from the warmth of the campsite, with a fire already going, and the love of his family. After waiting for his calves to thaw out, he set off down the hairline trail once again, the eagerness of seeing his boys bubbling inside him. 

His gaze shifted from the horizon to the husky trotting beside him. The husky, whose clear instincts had told him to burrow some place warm and protected, had stayed with the man for some odd reason. But this husky had somehow changed the man. By helping him melt the ice from his legs, it had somehow melted away something else. Like a curtain pulling away to reveal the wonders underneath, the man suddenly noticed all the spectacular things in life hidden behind his unimaginative personality.

Then he heard something from in front of him. It could've been the wind, but the man noted the sheer joy in the noise. As he looked up, his eyes rested on the image of his two boys running to him, welcoming him to the camp. And it seemed like, though he knew it was not possible, the sun had come out once again. 

Shark Attack!

By Ryan (Age 10, St. Paul's Co-Educational College)

A dorsal fin was approaching me. The dorsal fin was grey with spots. A tail was moving from side to side. I noticed it was a shark that had a scar on its head. Its look made me feel petrified and its skin was as thick as a book. Looking down into the water, I saw its eyes were all black and furious-looking, and it paralyzed me.

My heart was pounding faster and faster. Sweat drops were dropping down from my head. Questions suddenly appeared: Can I escape from this? They made me feel dizzy and that was disastrous.

First, I screamed as loud as I could. I hollered, "Go away, you shark!" I was not absolutely sure if it worked or not, but I had to give it a try and I hoped it could succeed.

The shark swung its tail from side to side, sniffing around itself and all of a sudden, his eyes got bigger and bigger. They were wide open. It was like it was extraordinarily angry. It turned around slowly and swam away, flipping its tails from side to side, faster and faster. It seemed it wanted to find someone else instead of me.

I was frozen in the water, not moving a bit. A sigh of relief came and I bellowed, "What an awful day! I hope I can get this experience out of my mind!" I promised I will never go into the water again.

Emotion vs. Rationality

By Erica (Age 14, St. Paul's College)

Intent is the first thing lawyers look for when they take up a case, especially those involving murder or manslaughter. Intent provides the motive and reason behind the crime, and maybe even the method of killing. Sometimes, it also provides an excuse for the defense lawyer or the suspect.

In a recent case in the US, a college student named Ravi lent his room to his roommate, Tyler, for the night, turned on the web cam and recorded an intimate moment between Tyler and his gay partner. Ravi then later posted the video on the Internet and even broad-casted it live on the Internet. Deeply troubled by this exploitation, Tyler ended his life by jumping off a bridge. This has sparked controversy since Ravi had indirectly caused Tyler's death, making him liable for manslaughter and therefore, invasion of privacy will be too small a charge. Since intent is one of the key factors in this case, I will start off by listing some possible motives. First, Ravi may have long suspected that Tyler was homosexual and decided to record his acts in order to feed his curiosity. Second, Ravi may be homophobic and felt uncomfortable with Tyler's sexual orientation. He might have done it in order to humiliate and embarrass Tyler because of his differences or to make himself feel superior. Also, Ravi may have used this video and exposed the secret to gain popularity and to increase his social status. Most people like to gossip about others, and this may make Ravi think that the video is the ticket to become the most admired guy in school.

However, it is undeniable that this whole exploitation was planned and schemed in advance, and not acted on a moment of impulse. This is another key point in the case. The fact that Ravi committed an organized crime is far worse than committing a crime on impulse. A crime on impulse is committed based on emotions. People think less when they feel extreme emotions, but an organized crime is done after thinking with clarity. Ravi had planned this for hours, if not days, and went against his better judgment, carrying out his plan even after weighing in the consequences. He ignored human conscience and morality in order to achieve what he wanted. He invaded his roommate's privacy, indirectly causing his death. This form of privacy invasion is far worse than reading a person's diary or eavesdropping on another person's phone call. Homosexuality is still a sensitive issue and Ravi should have known about the effects and damage he would cause after he posted the video on the Internet. He should think about the impact it will have on Tyler and even his partner. Ravi's recklessness caused an innocent person to end his life. Also, Tyler's sexual orientation is something private that he keeps to himself. Ravi had no right whatsoever to expose that to the whole world through the Internet.

I believe that Ravi and Molly, his accomplice, should be charged with manslaughter. Although Molly did not participate in the recording of the intimate moment between Tyler and his partner, she would have known the plan since Ravi watched video in her room. She should have alerted the authorities and try to stop Ravi, instead of joining an immature person to humiliate Tyler. Invasion of privacy is too less of an offense to prescribe for their acts. Their actions exposed Tyler's secret to the whole world, yet they did not care about this before carrying out this plan. Invasion of privacy can only describe their actions in the dorm, but cannot describe their motive and intentions behind this plan. They had planned for a person's humiliation. If Ravi did not stream the video live on the Internet, the case would be less serious since only three people would have known about it.

In conclusion, what Ravi and Molly did was unforgivable and no excuses should be made in order to defend them. They had taken advantage of another human being to gain popularity, for fun, and to embarrass the victim. This case was not a crime of passion, committed when feeling extreme emotions such as rage or sadness. The guilty party had premeditated about the actions, yet continued to carry them out while being aware of the damage and impact. Ravi and Molly had ruined the life of Tyler, and manslaughter should be the right term for their actions instead of invasion of privacy.

Trust Fund Kids

By Caitlin (Age 13, Hong Kong International School)

Gwyneth Paltrow and Nigella Lawson, two famous celebrities, have decided not to give their children a trust fund. Nigella thinks that her children should have no financial security, and instead will donate the money to cancer charities due to her past experiences of losing her relative.

I have to agree with Paltrow and Lawson. Although leaving a fortune for your child may help them relieve stress and guarantee them a "safety net", it will certainly not help them gain any experience in life. Most teenagers may think that inheriting money from their parents will ease their struggles in school and guide them in life, but really, that's just the beginning of being too dependent on your parents. Gwyneth Paltrow graduated from university and struggled to earn a stable income and had no modes of transportation. But that's what drove her passion. She worked hard to get auditions and now she's an extremely successful actress!

If more parents decide not to leave a trust fund for their child, then maybe there would be more hardworking people with strong, true passions in the world. Practicing this trend may allow new generations to go for their goal and set high standards. This could lead teenagers to become better people and in the future, raise a less spoiled generation. Another reason why leaving money for children may not be the best idea is because of the attitude the children would have towards their standards and goals in life. If a child knew that there was going to be a large sum of money left for them by the time they turned eighteen or twenty-one, they wouldn't focus on their studies and lower their high standards. They could set their standard to getting accepted into an Ivy League college, but then lower it to getting into an average college, just for basic knowledge and education. Children without trust funds could have a whole different aspect on life and know that if they didn't achieve their goals and get a good-paying job, they wouldn't have a comfortable, stable life ahead of them. 

Instead of having a trust fund for their child, the parents could decide to put the money to good use and donate it to a specific charity. For someone like Nigella Lawson, who has lost relatives to cancer, they might decide to donate their money to a cancer charity in order to help promote a more efficient way of fighting cancer. The money could be sent to a good cause and help make the world a better place. It could help fight poverty or diseases. It could be put to a much better use. 

Not leaving a trust for your child is a good lesson for them to know that having a lot of money might be good for a few years, but sooner or later, if they don't start earning some more money, they could be in for some trouble. 

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved site of The Idea Burger!

The Idea Burger is the online student magazine of The Kelly Yang Project (KYP), Hong Kong's premier, award-winning after school writing program for students 2-17. Launched in 2005, we offer creative thinking and critical reasoning classes designed to improve student writing in two ways - creative writing and expository writing. For more information on KYP please visit our website.

In the past, KYP has published paper versions of The Idea Burger, showcasing some of our students' best works. This semester we will be publishing essays and stories online, so you don't have to wait until the end of the semester to read our students' great writing!

We hope that you enjoy these essays and stories as much as we do.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

The KYP Team