Things can be tough for students with jobs

I learned recently that many students are dropping out of college without earning degrees. Students drop out for a number of reasons, including lack of motivation and not enough study time due to working off-campus. I am having the same problem.

I lack motivation, working a part-time job and also working full-time as a mom and college student. It has been hard for me to concentrate, and this is only my second semester in college.

What should I do? I do not want to drop out of school. I want to better my education, so I can get a better job. I do not want to quit my job, because I need the money. And I cannot quit being a mom to my 2-year-old daughter.

If I quit my job, that would give me more time to be a full-time student and mom. Since my daughter is almost old enough to go to preschool, I would not have to depend on other family members to watch her. Therefore, while she's in school, I'm also at school.

Mydee S. Agricula
Waialua

Working at school may be the answer

Teachers are finding it hard to hold on to their students because more than half of the students have part-time or full-time jobs. As an assistant manager at my part-time job, I find it hard to squeeze in study hours to my schedule. I can't quit, because I hate going to my parents and asking them for money.

I think the solution for students like me who want to work but need to go to school is to sign up for work-study jobs at school where a computer lab or the library are just few minutes away. With this type of job, a student can fulfill his or her duties.

Stephanie Candle
Aiea

Unstable newsstands make walkers wary

I'm all for businesses advertising and promoting their products, but something's got to give. While I was walking the other day in downtown Honolulu, two newsstands owned by small publications literally blew over into a lane of traffic. This is the second incident I have witnessed in the past two months.

Fortunately, they were light enough for me to place upright, and there was no traffic, but what happens when the next gust of wind comes along? Whose job is it to monitor these stands? Let's hope it doesn't take an injury to a pedestrian or a car accident to ensure better enforcement of the standards of these structures.

Debby McGraw

Islands offer many other types of coffees

I continue to be amazed that even the news media seem to think that Kona is the only coffee in the islands. I refer to the article about Gov. Lingle meeting with Attorney General John Ashcroft (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 21). It's time to recognize all the work done by all the other farmers. Give them a break and some acknowledgement. Puna, Kau and Hamakua coffees -- as well as Kona -- are all from the Big Island. Maui, Oahu, Molokai and Kauai also have their own coffees.

Kathy Patton
President/CEO
Hilo Coffee Mill
Keaau, Hawaii

Knee-jerk nationalism threatens democracy

I deeply admire the role of the dedicated soldier in securing the benefits of liberty, but it is clear that many free-thinking people in other democratic nations, as well as our enemies, currently perceive America's actions as autocratic and oppressive.

War replaces one type of suffering with another of a more menacing variety. There are no winners, just victims and sympathizers, many of whom will be bitter and vengeful. Because of our wealth, technology and global influence, America has the superior military might and strategic high ground in any confrontation with Iraq. Moral individuals in true democracies must appraise the actions of America's leaders and respond with lawful dissent, debate and compromise as their consciences dictate.

Endorsing policies based on knee-jerk nationalism places too much power in the hands of too few individuals -- which is the real threat to the democratic ideals of our forefathers.

Donald Piburn
Kaaawa

Girls loved a Saturday filled with science

As an eighth-grade teacher, my primary goal is to motivate and excite my students in the field of science.

I saw an ad in the paper a few weeks ago about a science symposium for girls sponsored by Sacred Hearts Academy. Saturday is usually a busy day for me, but I decided to take my students. Besides, it was free.

What a great choice! We joined at least 400 junior-high girls for a morning of math, science and technology. Michelle Thaller, an astrophysicist from the Space Infrared Telescope Facility at the California Institute of Technology, made the world of Star Wars come alive for the all-girl audience.

Students participated in sessions led by an engineer, pilot, architect, veterinarian, meteorologist and others. They learned why planes fly, even the ones that carry tons of cargo; how astronomers make invisible light visible to reveal the mysteries of the universe; and how to design skyscrapers and super-speed highways.

All in all, it was a fantastic morning. Thank you to the Sacred Hearts Academy and all the sponsors for this worthwhile and exciting morning.

Darah Hee
Niu Valley Intermediate School

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