60. ARE BEAUTY AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OVERVALUED OR ARE THEY REALLY SO IMPORTANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE ? , by A.S (Bachillerato 2)

MY SONG:  Pet Shop Boys - Domino Dancing

Physical appearance is greatly valued nowadays as society has created a way of thinking that makes us look at each other as different animals. Since long ago, humans have fought for their rights, however, there wouldn't be any rights to be fought for if we wouldn't be divided in colorcasts, if we weren't judged for where we come from or how we look.

If we think objectively, physical appearance is overvalued. On the other hand, if we just make an objective vision of life, almost everything we do or think is completely crazy. We can't have an objective vision of life, however we have to be conscious of which feelings are coherent and which aren't, as nowadays our feelings and thoughts are completely influenced by a society that makes women have operations to be ''pretty'', and that persuades men to wear a wig on their bold head in order to find a fine job.

Unfortunately, beauty is extremelly valued, but that doesn't mean that you can't be successful in life if you are ugly or what some people would consider ugly, fat, or just use an S size instead of an XXS, or even if you're not a blonde with blue eyes and have a perfect skin. Nowadays, more and more people are changing the way they see and value people. For instance, if your dream is to be a teen model but you are suffering from acné, there are some alternatives such as becoming a model to advertise a beauty cream.

Beauty is also required for other jobs, maybe to be a sales assistant at a clothes shop or a waitress at a restaurant. In this case, I really think that beauty is overvalued. I wouldn't stop going to a restaurant just because the waiter were ugly.

Society has taught us to judge people for their appearance, so nowadays, if we just meet a person, and we are asked what we think about her/him, the first answer most people will utter is: ugly, pretty, fat, thin. And that is really sad. 

                                                                     By A.S

                                                                               

57. ARE BEAUTY AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OVERVALUED OR ARE THEY REALLY SO IMPORTANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE ? , by SPA (Bachillerato 2)

MY SONG:  Linking Park - Lost in the Echo

We are all extremely used to seeing TV advertisements, films, series and even reality shows in which the people who appear are physically idyllic. However, is this a realistic representation of the world? Are we really all perfect?

My philosophy teacher asked us an interesting question last Wednesday. He told us to imagine that we were students who were organizing everything in order to start studying in a different city. Of course, we needed to look for a place to sleep and study, and there were several people offering us to live with them: one of them was a baker, with a little flat, 25 years old and two dogs; the second one was a hard-core music singer, with lots of tattoos and piercings; and the third one was a young student who was about to get a degree in physics, who was blond and who loved pop music. Just after having presented us our possible hosts, a fair amount of the people in the class rushed to say: ‘I would definitely choose the third one’. Nevertheless, they had almost the same information from all the hosts, so why would they have chosen the third? How did they know that he was not a serial killer? They did not know it, but they instinctively chose him.

Believe it or not, a part of you would have told you to choose the young physicist. We are all conditioned to the physical appearance of the people who surround us, and that is something inevitable.

The question is: is physical appearance that important to be successful in life? The answer, from my point of view, is: sometimes. If you apply for a job as an office worker, someone with a better CV than you will probably get the job. But if you apply for a shop assistant work in a ‘Zara’ store, even if you have cured 300 diseases and discovered three new elements, a handsome 1’90 meters tall ex-rugby player will get that job. Yes, even if he does not know how to do up his own shoes.

All in all, I believe that having a good physical appearance is a clear advantage in life, but if you work hard and never give up on your dreams, you will get as far as you desire, even if you are 1’60 meters tall and the biggest portion of your body mass is located in your massive nose or in your huge ears.

                                                             By SPA

56. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER , by SPA (Bachillerato 2)

MY SONG: Linking Park - Hands Held High

Being a student is pretty nice, as you are still a young person with lots of friends and whose life is full of incredible adventures… Well, students have to study hard as well, but the exam period is not too long. We all know how being a pupil feels like, but only a few understand what being a teacher implies.

On the one hand, being a teacher can be a rather stressful job, since young people - especially teens - can be extremely arrogant and annoying. Students always tend to behave against their teacher’s will, which often becomes a problem, as they have to give the lessons in an extremely strict and serious way. Being a teacher can also be very repetitive, as after all, you are always teaching the same things, which blocks the constant knowledge income that people like students, doctors or chemists are used to having every day. In addition, the working hours of a teacher are not limited to the ones that take place in the classroom, because they must keep working on their own in order to prepare the material and the lessons which pupils have to receive.

On the other hand, teachers are the main pillar which supports society, as their job is the most important: if they did not exist, all the people would be stupid and ignorant, which would mean a lack of doctors, lawyers and policemen that would finally lead to the extinction of the human kind. In addition, truly good teachers know how to keep their pupils focused on their work without having to rebuke them all the time. I believe that that is the top achievement of a teacher: being able to have a productive class in which there is a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Furthermore, teachers are the only people who enjoy three months of holidays each year, and that is fairly attractive.

To sum up, I believe that teachers have to carry out a task which is both hard and complex and important. Without them the world would not be as nice as it is right now.

                                                            By SPA

55. WRITE A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PET YOU HAD AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU TOOK CARE OF THE PET , by C.S (Bachillerato 2)

During my life I have had many pets: three fish, two hamsters and one dog.

The last pet I have mentioned is a small chihuahua called Elvis, whose story is very interesting but also very sad...

During the Christmas holidays we usually go to my grandparents´house, but in 2013 my mum preferred to go to a country house in Potes. Therefore, we prepared the suitcases on Friday. We just took warm clothes since it was winter and the weather that year was extremely cold. The next morning, after breakfast, we started our journey to Potes.

A few minutes later, my dad saw something on the ground so he parked the car and then we walked towards the strange thing. I was the first one who saw it and it wasn´t an object. Instead, it was a small dog with a broken leg.

Immediately, we took him to the nearest vet. Our holidays at the rural house weren´t possible as we had to help that dog. When we arrived at the vet´s, a woman was the person who did the complicated operation because of his tiny leg. 

One hour later, she had finished and we returned home with Elvis, whose name was decided by me as there was a song of Elvis Presley on the radio.

                                                       By C.S

54. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER , by B.R (Bachillerato 2)

MY SONG : Adele - Hello.

When I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher.  To me, it seemed to be the most interesting job in the world, but now, I don’t see it like that.

A big advantage is that you are teaching what you like, and you're working with your brain, which is very useful. You also have the satisfaction of seeing your students learn. Besides, teachers have more holidays than other workers, as they have part of the summer, at Easter, and at Christmas. Although it is true that they have to correct exams and prepare the classes. And if they have a family, this profession has the best schedule to combine it, in order to spend a lot of time with their children and go on vacation.

A disadvantage is that you sometimes have to deal with difficult students that you don’t want to be in your class, but you cannot choose it as if they were your clients in any other job. For that reason, a teacher must have patience and organization. Also, you could find students who do not want to learn and be there, so you have to be tough and strict and get their attention.

                                                        By B.R

53. WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING ABROAD AS A VOLUNTEER ? , by L.B (Bachillerato 2)

 MY SONG : India Martínez - Corazón hambriento

Since I was a child, I have wanted to help people as I’m concerned about the disasters our planet suffers every day.

That is probably the main reason why I’m looking forward to studying medicine at the university if my academic results allow me, of course. I cannot stand that billions of people around the world are living in infrahuman conditions, starving, without enough food, medicines, clothes, shoes or shelter and without even a minimum amount of knowledge while influent people and politicians who run the world, turn a blind eye to this major problem as it is not profitable for them to try to solve it.

As a result, lots of people are trying to make a change by contributing to volunteer organizations. In the near future, I would like to participate in one of these projects since I do believe we all can improve the world. However, there are several aspects that we ought to take into account when volunteering.

On the one hand, a volunteer shouldn’t have ties as he has to be able to start a new life in another part of the world. In addition to that, he must travel with an organisation which supports and protects the volunteer as internal conflicts and foreign diseases are a risk for those who wish to volunteer abroad on their own.

On the other hand, volunteering allows you to develop your social sensitivity so that you will understand better the reality of the people who live there and the problems they have to deal with. It also helps you to improve your work experience and apply your knowledge. Besides, enterprises highly value becoming a volunteer since it shows that the person has values like solidarity, justice, and social commitment.

The greatest reward in volunteering is the satisfaction of knowing that you contribute with you time and energy to an altruistic cause.

                              By L.B

52. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER, by A.S (Bachillerato 2)

MY SONG:  The Script: No good in goodbye

                       Linkin Park: Powerless

My mother is an English teacher, so I feel some of the advantages and disadvantages of her profession affect me directly.

Everybody believes that teachers are very fortunate as they have long summer vacations, however, being a good teacher implies alot of work, and a lot of willpower. On many jobs, you might not have as much holiday, however, if you are a teacher, you have to work even if you are on holiday. Teachers are 24/7 thinking how they can improve their methodology, and this can even become sickly.

Teachers have to be people with a high self-esteem, as it is not easy to deal with a bunch of teens at their awkward age. You might think I am saying it is easier to teach small children than ''big'' children, but from my point of view, every kid is a world, and teachers have to deal with each one of them.

Being a teacher requires a special love to your job. Students notice if a teacher likes what he is doing or not, and that is why I feel it is a very special job that not everybody can do.

For a son or a daughter, the advantage of having a parent who is a teacher is that that kid can become very good at a specific subject, and as they will have almost the same holidays, they can have a lot of time for themselves.

When I get older I would like to become a teacher, because as my maths teacher says: ''If I talk about maths to someone in the street, he will think I'm crazy, however in class, I have a lot of time to talk about my passion, and even make people understand what I feel about it. It's marvellous!'' Teachers' goal consists of making younger generations feel passionate about what they like, and it is very satisfying when they achieve this goal. It is a feeling only a teacher can experience, and I am sure it is unique.

                                                      By A.S

50. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER, by A.S (Bachillerato 2)

Teaching is generally regarded as an admirable profession since you have the opportunity to infuence students academically and personally. However, this job isn´t as easy as it looks like because teachers should be really patient.

On the one hand, becoming a teacher is an effective way to keep your brain working every day as you have to explain the pupils your subject and also give them some examples which make you think about them. Besides, you are always surrounded by young people so you can learn how the generations are developing.

On the other hand, you have to face pupils who are in their puberty so they won´t behave as well as they should. In addition, you have to deal with pupils who don´t want to learn and this might discourage you.

To sum up, when I was little I wanted to become a teacher because of the holidays and I also wanted to transmit my knowledge to other people. However, I´ve realised that this job isn´t what I want to do so I´ve changed my mind and I will study another degree related to helping people too but in another way.

                                                      By A.S

48. WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING ABROAD AS A VOLUNTEER ? EXPLAIN THE PROS AND CONS , by A.S (Bachillerato 2)

Volunteering abroad is a great opportunity to share your skills, knowledge and kindness while you are immersing yourself in an unique culture, discovering new places and contributing to a good cause.

On the other hand, going abroad as a volunteer requires having good physical and mental conditions since, in that kind of countries, there are usually tropical illnesses such as "malaria". Besides, you should be really mentally prepared as you are going to face certains situations with which you aren´t accustomed to.

On the other hand, going abroad as a volunteer is a great experience to learn foreign languages and also to make friends as many volunteers make lifelong friendships because of having dealt with difficulties together.

To sum up, I would like to go abroad as a volunteer since I think it would be a fantastic experience to see new cultures as I would be able to spend a period of time in a country which doesn´t look like my own country.

                                                            By A.S

47. WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING ABROAD AS A VOLUNTEER ? EXPLAIN THE PROS AND CONS , by S.E (Bachillerato 2).

This year I have been thinking about going abroad after finishing university to learn a new language and know about new cultures. However, when I think about it, I imagine myself working in a job and earning money, but never going as a volunteer.

On the one hand, being a volunteer must be very comforting as you are helping other people without receiving anything back. Sometimes we focus too much on material things and we don’t realize that the best moments in life are those which we spend with other people. It doesn’t matter if it is going out with a friend or helping an unknown family. If you go abroad as a volunteer, it is not only the satisfaction that you feel by helping people, but also the new things that you learn about different cultures and places.                                                                                                            

On the other hand, everybody needs money for living, and by being a volunteer, money is something you don’t have. Besides, if you go abroad you don’t see your family and friends for a long time, and depending on the place you go to, you can get sick.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t mind going abroad as a volunteer because I would visit and know new places and I could help people. However, it could be dangerous if I got seriously ill. And I would need to save money before going abroad just in case I decide to come back some day.

                                                                       By S.E

46. MY FAVOURITE SONG AND WHY I LIKE IT , by S.E (Bachillerato 2).

I usually listen to Maroon 5 because I like that kind of songs and the voice of the singer. However, if I had to choose my favourite song, it wouldn’t be one by Maroon 5. It would be “Beautiful”, by Christina Aguilera.

I think that the most important aspect of a song is its rhythm. If the lyrics of a song are not very good but the rhythm is catchy, people are going to listen to it. However, if the lyrics are better but the rhythm is very slow or doesn’t attract people’s attention, it won’t be so popular. Because of this, my favorite song is “Beautiful”. It has a catchy rhythm and the lyrics are very emotive.                                                                                                                                        

It is a message for people to tell them that they are beautiful in their own way and they can’t let other people’s opinion bring them down. Many young people are ashamed because other people laugh at them and it makes them feel less important or beautiful. I believe that when a person in that situation hears a song like this, which comes directly from a famous person that they may admire, it comforts them.

In conclusion, my favorite song is “Beautiful” because of its catchy rhythm and the message it gives to people. 

                                                                         By S.E

45. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER , by M.S (Bachillerato 2)

In my family environment, there are six people working as teachers, both my parents included. For this reason, family meetings always include anecdotes and comments about school or pupils, so I have been able to understand what being a teacher is like. Some people undervalue this job, focusing on the amount of days of vacation teachers have and on their timetables. They think teaching is something easy, at least not very hard, and complain about the idle life they have. However, they are wrong.

On the one hand, being an instructor is a nice job. You have a worthy salary and, as I said before, you have the same holidays as a student to travel, spend time with your family and relax. It is not a monotonous job: every day is different, it is not as if you worked in a factory. Apart from that, you spend your life teaching pupils and making them learn things that they will apply to their lives. If you like this job, you will enjoy your class time when you realize that students are interested in your subject.

On the other hand, you have to deal with the pupils, and there are some of them that may be rude to you and complicate your lessons. You can meet excellent people, but also conflictive and bad-mannered ones. In addition, education at school is not sometimes in keeping with education at home, therefore some decisions taken by teachers are not approved by parents, and that can create a conflict.

To sum up, becoming a teacher requires vocation, because carrying this profession out might get really difficult and stressing if you don’t like children or teenagers. Despite the popular belief, being a teacher is a demanding job, since you are forming individuals to become adults, so you ought to be a role model for the pupils.

                                     By M.S.

44. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BECOMING A TEACHER , by A.D (Bachillerato 2)

Becoming a teacher is not as easy as it seems. It requires a lot of patience and self-confidence. However, most teachers say it is the most wonderful job but also vocational, which a lot of people ignore.

On the one hand, teaching includes a lot of challenges, like the variety of students with so many different needs, the time teachers spend outside school hours to prepare their lessons, class overcrowding and attending extracurricular activities, among other issues. Besides, working with parents, which can be a pro, is often a con, as wonderful parents can make you feel you're making the difference, but critical parents can make you feel frustrated.

On the other hand, apart from the weekends-off, as well as holidays and summers-off, a teacher plays a key role in inculcating good values in children and teaching them not just lessons from books, but lessons of life. Therefore, a teacher is really important in kids' lives, which gives you a gratifying feeling.

From my point of view, teaching is about loving your job and not just getting a paycheck. And, the most relevant aspect to keep in mind is that it is an exciting and rewarding job.

                                                            By A.D.C.

43. WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING ABROAD AS A VOLUNTEER ? EXPLAIN PROS AND CONS , by A.D (Bachillerato 2)

I can't say I have never thought of going abroad as a volunteer, since I have. However, I am a very apprehensive person and also, I feel terribly sick when someone has a disease; that's why volunteerism would be really hard to me.

On the one hand, going abroad as a volunteer provides you with so many human values. Firstly, you become a more altruistic person, as volunteerism implies altruism. Secondly, you learn to recognize the worth of all you have in your life. And, last but not least, you learn other values such as humbleness, empathy, a huge sensitivity or solidarity.

But, on the other hand, it is really hard to leave your family behind for a long time and move to an undeveloped country. Besides, it has a lot of health risks, and many times you could be in great danger.

To sum up, going abroad as a volunteer is an indescribable experience I wouldn't face. In my opinion, I would have to do my bit of help from here.

                                                                 By A.D.C.

42. MY FAVOURITE SONG AND WHY I LIKE IT , by A.D (Bachillerato 2).

I'm a person who likes many songs, and so, I have not just a 'favourite' one, but now, if I had to choose, the one I like the most is Wicked Game by Chris Isaak.

I remember the first time I listened to it, when a friend of mine showed me this amazing song. From the very beginning, I got goose bumps. And still today, every time I hear the first guitar chords, I have the exact same feeling.

The reasons of liking one song or another are, in my opinion, three. First of all, you have to love the music played in it, and, in this case I believe it is a perfect match of sounds with the guitar and the really special voice of the singer. Secondly, lyrics are really important too, as they have to mean something to you; you have to understand them - it might be because you have gone through the same situation or not. The lyrics of this song seem to me a deep feeling of love that many times become contradictory. And last but not least, the memories that assault you when you hear it: in my case, Wicked Game reminds me of that friend I was talking about at the beginning.

In conclusion, Wicked Game is, to me, an optimum mix of wonderful feelings, and that's why it is one of my favourite songs,

                                                                                By A.D.C.

41. IS IT BENEFICIAL TO SEPARATE GIRLS AND BOYS AT SCHOOL ? , by A.D (Bachillerato 2)

Separating girls and boys at school has been a controversial issue in our society.

To me, it is a setback to separate girls from boys at school, as the purpose of it is the students to get better marks, but the effect those children are going to obtain is that in their near future they won't know how to communicate with the other sex.

Some people who think it is positive for kids to be separated from their opposite gender state that, firstly, when boys and girls are not separated at school, they obtain worse marks and, secondly, they get distracted more easily. However, in my opinion it is not about separating them from each other, but about enhancing their personality and teaching children so that they can learn together.

To sum up, I think that if boys and girls are segregated when they are being educated, they won't know how to react when they are out of school. They need to learn how to communicate with the other gender since, otherwise, their life may be so difficult.

                                           By A.D.C.

39. WOULD YOU CONSIDER GOING ABROAD AS A VOLUNTEER ? EXPLAIN THE PROS AND CONS, by M.S (Bachillerato 2)

Going abroad on your own can be a challenging experience. Everything changes for you: your bed, the citizens, the customs, even the water you drink. But it is nothing compared to volunteering in another country. There, you won’t find comfortable accommodation nor full dishes of food. Your comfort isn’t a priority now. You must help people around you, and in order to achieve it you have to forget your lifestyle as a citizen of the developed world.

On the one hand, volunteers go abroad sometimeS even risking their lives, since there are many places where street violence is usual. In spite of knowing that, they keep teaching illiterate children, healing people or building shelters. All of these tasks aren’t paid, so it’s an altruistic project. And if you aren’t really convinced, forget about it.

On the other hand, going abroad to help people is something that everybody ought to do, if we all were generous and concerned people. I think it must be a really enriching experience, in order to meet foreigners and see how they fight against poverty every day, and the way it doesn’t affect their mood. With this experience, you learn to appreciate your life, and realize that we don’t need too much to live properly.

So answering the question, I really don’t know if I am ready to volunteer abroad. I don’t want to be a selfish person, but I am not very adventurous and this experience might overwhelm me. I believe you have to be mentally prepared, because it is hard and it requires a mental stability. For now, I won’t consider the possibility of travelling to help other people, but who knows if, in the future, I will join this project.

                                            By M.S.

37. MY FAVOURITE SONG AND WHY I LIKE IT, by L.B (Bachillerato 2)

In spite of loving lots of songs, as I´m intereted in several types of music, I am really keen on sentimental lyrics. Those are the songs that stir up feelings and make me think about life.

If I had to choose a song, I´d  choose “En el muelle de San Blas”, which was written by “Maná” in 1997. This song, belongs to a little musical subgenre of lovers waiting for someone that doesn´t come back.

Rebeca Méndez, was the woman who inspired this theme. She died in 2012 and her ashes were thrown by her family to the sea, from the quay of San Blas.

There are different versions of why this woman was walking along the beach dressed in a wedding dress when she met up with Maná. One of them tells that she fell in love with a fisherman who put out to sea and never came back as he might have been a victim of a hurricane.

As Rebeca suffered from mental disorders, she never assumed this tragedy, and she was called “ the crazy woman of San Blas” since she spent her life on the beach waiting for her beloved.

I strongly believe anyone who listens to this song will be touched by the feelings it transmits. That´s why I love it.

                                            By L.B

35. MY FAVOURITE SONG AND WHY I LIKE IT. By M.S (Bachillerato 2)

In my 17 years of living, I can't calculate the amount of different songs which I have listened to. I am sure there have been hundreds, even thousands (well, maybe that's an exaggeration). Nowadays you can download illimited songs from the Internet and send them all to your iPod or Smartphone. I have known lots of songs, of different styles. I have forgotten some of them, but I still remember others.

For that reason, it is difficult to choose just one song as my favourite, but I have come up with one. This song is “Hotel California”, released by The Eagles. I discovered this song as my father told me about it once.

Sincerely, I don't usually listen to “old” music, in spite of knowing several ones (always due to my father). However, I liked this song since the first time I heard it. I think the melody is very catchy, and the best part is a guitar solo at the end of the song, something that I always love since it looks really hard for me to play a guitar so quickly and well.

Apart from its melody, it has really entertaining lyrics. The song is supposed to be sung by a man that, driving across a deserted place, finds a lonely hotel. At first, he is seduced by a misterious woman, but when he finds out that the hotel residents are kind of crazy, he wants to escape. Nevertheless, a man tells him: “You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave”. I believe lyrics are original and interesting, as if the song were a horror story.

To sum up, this song is included in my “Favourites” list in my smartphone, since it is a really wonderful song and I think people should listen to it, although it is not the sort of music played today at the discos. It is mythical!

                            By M.S.

34. IS SEPARATING GIRLS AND BOYS AT SCHOOL BENEFICIAL ? by M.S (Bachillerato 2)

Single-gender schools are a weird phenomenon here in our area. There is just one school which separates both sexes in Cantabria, and in my opinion it seems really old-fashioned. I cannot understand how this kind of school keeps on existing, since I think society's mentality has evolved and become more involved with gender equality.

A long time ago (unfortunately, not so long), separating boys and girls at school was common. Even when the situation changed and boys shared their classtime with girls, the most distinguished and richest families sent their children to single-gender boarding schools. Why? Does it mean girls should learn different things from boys, or the other way round? Must women be separated from men because of any incomprehensible reason? Personally, I think it is a mistake to separate both genders as children should be prepared at school to face their future life, and they won't find only their own gender outside there. They also have to learn to socialize with the opposite sex, and school is the right place to do it.

All in all, I can't find any benefit in these schools, just disadvantages. Segregating the children looks sexist to me, as if girls couldn't carry out the same tasks as boys.

I believe those parents who send their children to those schools should think about the consequences that this may have on their children's future life.

BY M.S.