WhatWhyKids

Perspectives: Retail Workers

As part of an effort to understand the retail store workers job from their eyes, I visited a few stores around my neighborhood to get their perspectives. I asked them 2-3 questions about their job experience, such as their likes and dislikes of the job, and found that many had issues with impatient or frustrated customers. Some employees also expressed that one reason they enjoyed their job was customer interaction, while others talked about the freedom and simplicity of their jobs. First, I’ll explain some of the positives that the retail workers explained, and some of their dislikes.

Likes

Some workers liked the customer interaction. A Customer Associate who had been working for a year told me that she liked speaking to customers and interacting with new people. A lady working at Self Checkout explained that she enjoyed interacting with the customers and doing customer service, meaning workers enjoyed interacting with new people every day.

2 crew members working at Trader Joes told me that they enjoy how the shifts are only 1 hour long. By this, they meant that each job is only done for 1 hour, for example a worker may stock bread for an hour and then run one of the cash registers. They told me that this meant that their job wasn’t monotonous. 

A manager at the same store said that she enjoyed the compensation, the perks, and the freedom of working at Trader Joe’s, who she’d worked for for 27 years. 

A Shift Leader at Walgreens told me that he enjoyed this job because it was a simple, white collar job, and a Flower Manager at Safeway I interviewed mentioned that she enjoyed everything about her job, especially working with flowers

        Dislikes

First, I had 3 workers talk to me about customer frustration over coupons and prices.

I talked to a lady who had worked in Self Checkout for 5 years, and she told me she’d like customers to be patient with the workers. She said that sometimes prices change, and you shouldn’t get grumpy with the workers, because they may not know what is going on. She meant that if coupons didn’t work, or if the price in the aisle wasn’t the same as the barcode price, the employees were often blamed for this mistake, and she wanted customers to know that sometimes mistakes happened. I also talked to a Shift Leader at Walgreens, who had been working for 15 months, who also explained that he would like customers to understand that if there was a problem with the coupons, it wasn’t the workers fault and to not get upset at them. I thought this was solid advice, because we had to realize that it wasn’t the employees fault, but rather a flaw in the system that the workers often took the blame for. I also talked to a Flower manager who had been working for 2 weeks, and made the flower arrangements herself. She told me that she’d like customers to know that making flower arrangements took time, and that they were expensive because they took effort. Frustrated customers could blame the workers for the high costs, and she wanted everyone to know that the costs were based on the effort to create the flower arrangements. 

Next, a manager of a Trader Joes store I visited told me that the workers don’t have control over what products are discontinued, and that there can be a variety of factors, such as the vendors discontinuing their product or switching prices. If your favorite product goes out of stock or is discontinued, the workers shouldn’t be blamed because they don’t control the vendors actions. 

The first worker I talked to, who had been working as a Customer Associate for 1 year told me that she encounters impatient customers, and would like us to know that working as a retail store employee isn’t easy, and that she couldn’t be in too many places at once. Sometimes, impatient customers may have tried to rush her when she was busy in something, but she would like people to know that she can’t do many things at once. 

Speaking about workers who were busy, a crew member working at Trader Joes told me that sometimes customers asked questions or for help when she was on her knees and trying to do something, and she explained that although she understood that it was her job to help people, she’d prefer if they went and asked someone who wasn’t as busy. 

Finally, I also talked to a store Manager at Walgreens, who told me that there were 2 main challenges in her work: that the staff didn’t listen and that elderly customers told the workers that the way they did their job was incorrect. She would like the customers to know that the employees didn’t choose the way they did their job, they just did their job the way they were instructed. 

The likes in this situation varied-customer service, the freedom, the perks, the simplicity-although the dislikes mostly centered around impatient or frustrated customers who blamed the workers for mistakes, rushed the workers and criticized the workers on the way they did their job. 

Perspectives: Library Employees

As part of my next interview to find the perspectives of workers in places we often visit, I visited one of my favorite places. It has tons of books and programs, and has an amazing studying atmosphere. It’s the LIBRARY! The library is a place many of us often visit, but we don’t take the time to think about what goes on behind the rows of shelves with neatly stacked books. I interviewed 2 workers in the library to find out more. 

The 2 workers I interviewed were named Gayatri and Sharon. Sharon explained she has over 20 years of experience in the library sector, while Gayatri has had 4 years of experience. Sharon works as a substitute librarian. She is a retired librarian who works like a substitute teacher. When there is a shortage of staff working at the library, she is called in to work. Gayatri is a library page, who shelves books and pulls books for library visitors who place holds. 

Both Gayatri and Sharon got inspired to work as librarians through their love of libraries and books. Sharon explains that when she came from Taiwan over 40 years ago, she had 2 young children who both didn’t know how to speak English. In an attempt to help them learn, she visited the library with her children, checked out books, and participated in storytelling programs. Gayatri explained that she has always enjoyed books, so she decided to work in the library. 

I asked both workers what their favorite part of their jobs were. Sharon enjoyed how there were many types of books. She said that she loved to read and even just look at the books. She enjoys matching people with books and information that they want to find, and considers her work like a bridge.Gayatri said she enjoyed when kids asked for books they had been searching for, and it brought her immense joy when she was able to find the books and give it to them. 

Sharon didn’t have a least favorite part of the job, but Gayatri said that shelving books for 5 hours in a row like she usually had to do was taxing. 

I asked both librarians how they decided what programs and books to include in the library. Sharon told me that the library used professional book review magazines like The Publishers Weekly to buy books. Gayatri told me that the library liked to implement diverse programs, and the library also took surveys from their patrons to see what the community would like to improve. 

Sharon said that working in a library is perfect for people who enjoy books, learning and have people skills. Both workers said that it is important to be able to socialize to work in a library, as library workers often have to interact and help people. All in all, library workers are often social and book loving people, who are happy to help when asked, and often have a history with libraries. Next time you visit a library, make sure to think about how important libraries are to learning, and appreciate their workers!

Perspectives: Gas Station Employees

*Disclaimer: the usage of the names of the gas stations in no way represents the company opinions, but the opinions of singular employees working in their company. 

TIP: Gas stations are typically pretty expensive, so buy things ahead of time if you want them to be cheaper. 

We often talk to various workers in our day to day life, but don’t stop and think about things from their perspectives. On my search to gain insights from various workers and facilities I visited 3 gas stations around my neighborhood. I met three workers from 3 different station stores who I will name Alliance, Valero and Chevron, respective to their individual stations. I learned a few things about how long they’ve worked there, their busiest hours, and their favorite part of their job, among others. 

First, I asked the employees to introduce themselves. Alliance has worked for 2.5 years at her gas station, and has a younger sister. Chevron said that he has been working for 8 months at his job, and that he is a college student nearby. Valero said that she is almost 70 years old, and she has been working in the gas station industry for over 20 years. 

Then, I asked the workers what their job entailed. All of the workers gave me similar answers; restocking shelves and coolers, filling the coffee machine, cleaning the store, and helping customers outside.

Next, I asked the workers the hardest part of their job. Alliance said “ My job is not really hard, but sometimes there are crazy and rude people. If the situation escalates, we may have to call 911,” although she said that she’s never had a situation escalate. Valero said that there are rude customers sometimes, and it is hard to be polite to them. Chevron said that sometimes, there are heavy items that she has to carry, but it is sometimes hard to carry due to her old age. She shared that sometimes, it seemed like the businesses didn’t care about their workers as people, and she wished that businesses, and some customers would recognize that they are human too. 

However, despite some struggles the workers faced, they were all able to share a favorite part of their job. Alliance explained she likes interacting with customers, and Valero did too, explaining he especially liked talking to the chill customers and the regulars who’d sometimes 

“Share daily stories”. Chevron told us that she’s a friendly person, and has sympathy for people who may be struggling, especially women with children. If she sees that they find it hard to pay, she tries to pitch in a few dollars to cover their expenses to help them out. She also told us that she tries to point out to the customers the items that are cheaper, and help them out as much as she can. 

Then, I asked the workers for things they’d like the public to know. Alliance said that she would like the public to know that customers are first priority and that she tries to do her best. Chevron said that he has learned more about being polite to customers. Valero offered a very detailed insight, saying she would like customers to be more patient as the workers were people too. She compared her job to a bartender's job, where she was often on her feet and would often listen to people telling her their problems and venting to her. 

We’ll now cover the busiest hours for these workers. Valero told me that at his gas station, the busiest hours were 6 am - 2 pm, but that weekends were not as busy. Alliance said that mornings and evenings on weekdays and all day on weekends were their busiest days, and Chevron said that 7-9:30 am in the week were her busiest days. 

Furthermore, 2 workers were kind enough to share the approximate profits of the gas station on a typical day. Valero said his gas station made $12,000 a day, and sold around 3,000 gallons of gas a day, and Chevron said her gas station made $16,000 a day. She explained that a lot of this money came from their car wash, so it was vital to keep it running at all times.

Finally, I asked the stores what their most popular product was, and this was the second unanimous answer, with all employees concluding their most popular product was soda, with one Valero describing it as, “cokes, colas, energy drinks”. 

My takeaway from this experience was that gas station employees have a more complex job than I would have imagined; having to help customers, restock the store, and more. The employees enjoy interacting with customers, but also deal with difficult customers. The employee from Chevron offered some very useful insights on how she felt she wasn’t appreciated by her company and often had to do hard labor, but still attempted to help people wherever she could. To sum this up, gas station store workers do a pretty hard job, and we can help make their lives easier by being polite to them, and understanding that they are humans too. 

                                            Perspectives: Farmer at the Farmers Market

On my next trip to attempt to see the perspectives of places that we visit often, I went and visited a place where many of us may go to support our local farmers and buy some organic food. Farming is not easy, it costs a lot of money and time. But the food we get from farming is vital to everyone's survival. I got to talk to an amazing farmer at the Farmer’s Market! He offered a lot of insights into farming and Farmers Markets. 

The farmer I, Mr. Bedhi interviewed grew up on a farm in India. His grandfather did farming, and he was accustomed to farm life from a young age. Despite getting degrees in different fields such as civil engineering, farming was his passion. He has been farming for over 25 years, and wanted his son to be raised on the farm like his upbringing. He owns 10 acres of land. 

Mr. Bedhi said that his favorite part of farming was farming itself, as he loves farming. He also enjoys growing food, and knowing he can pluck his organic goods from his farm and eat them without worrying about pesticides. He said farming is nice because in the COVID times, he was able to go outside when many were stuck at home because of his large, 10 acre farm. He said he almost “didn’t notice” that COVID was here because he tries not to leave his home too much, and you “lose track of time” when you are farming. 

Mr. Bedhi was also able to share a few challenges he faced. He said it is costly to come to the farmers market. He lives 3 hours away in Fresno, but he has to come every week to sell food. It costs about $1000 in expenses to rent the stalls at the markets, to get food, housing and to cover gas costs of travel. That means that it can be even more devastating if his crops don’t sell. Mr. Bedhi actually shared that he stopped coming to the Farmers Market in April, but was called by the Farmers Market 3-4 times. The market said that customers had asked where he was, so he decided to come back because of the customer “fanbase” he had built.  Another thing that is difficult is the cost of farming itself, especially farming organically. The cow manure Mr. Bedhi puts in his field annually costs around $35,000! Building infrastructure is pretty expensive too; a greenhouse that was 75 by 20 feet was estimated to cost $75,000. Don’t let this deter you from getting into the farming industry though. The farmer was able to buy used wood and build the greenhouse by himself for only $9000!

Mr. Bedhi also thinks farming is important as it allows people to be independent. In a situation like COVID, when food is scarce/people can’t leave their houses, food is vital for survival. People who can grow their own crops can survive easily, because they have their own food source and knowledge on how to maintain that food source.

The most important thing that Mr. Bedhi would like to tell people is to educate yourself on the way food and farms work. He said that sometimes people come in looking for cheap food that is organic, but that isn’t possible. Food takes longer to grow if it is organic, so there is less produce, and it costs more to get natural materials and to tend food naturally. 

Mr. Bedhi also has a few tips for shopping at Farmer Markets.  Don’t buy from the farmers who have all the same size fruits(like tomatoes), as it is hard for a small business to sort all of those veggies into sizes-fruits don’t naturally grow the same size. He also told me a piece of information I found pretty surprising; around 30% of vendors are not actually owners of their own farm. Those “farmers” are paid by large corporations to sell their veggies by pretending to be small businesses. That also gives them the ability to market foods for cheap, like $1 for a pound of tomatoes. Large companies use pesticides and cheap tactics to produce food, and their large scale also helps them to sell cheaper food. The farmer said you “shouldn’t buy from unrealistically priced vendors” if you want truly organic food.

To sum it up, farming is a very important sector, as at the end of the day, we all rely on food. Organic food is expensive, but it is worth the investment to keep yourself healthy. Organic food isn’t cheap, so drastically cheaply priced food may not be organic. Produce that is too uniformly sized may not be from a small business farm because it is hard for small businesses to sort their produce like that. If you look at produce in a supermarket, you can see it is often uniformly sized, as consumers prefer that, but small businesses sell most produce they make, not just the “perfectly” sized ones. Educate yourself on the way Farmers Markets and organic food works. If you are interested in farming, don’t be afraid to pursue the career! You can build a customer base and find ways to cut costs while keeping a good standard of food. Next time you visit a Farmers Market, think of the hours and dollars of work that is put into every piece of produce.

For this article, I interviewed a few people around the school to learn about their perspectives on school. I will be using their initials to refer to them for privacy reasons!

D.E. mentioned that she enjoys learning about things and talking with her friends. She wants to get better at math and finance, and the most valuable thing she has learned is to be kind to everyone. She shared that she’d like her teachers to know that she is a good listener who loves learning new and interesting information. Her least favorite part of school is going to school early, and having many tests or due assignments in a short amount of time is difficult for her. She also shared that her favorite subjects are math, PE and woodshop. 

Next, E.N. explained that her favorite parts of school are lunch and brunch, and her favorite subjects are leadership and LA. Her least favorite part of school is going to class after breaks, such as brunch and lunch. 

H.D. explained that she thinks school is pretty fun, and her favorite elective is drama. She wants to make PE less tiring and she has learned to never give up. It is challenging for her to write essays, and she’d like people to know that Miller is a great school!

M.R. said that she likes school because it is cool and she gets to have fun with her friends. Her favorite parts of school are “Brunch and lunch, DUH!” and she wishes that the periods were shorter, like Wednesdays. She’s learned to try hard and do her best, “It's true guys!!!!” She’d like her teachers to know not to give too much homework because lots of people have classes after school. She dislikes the amount of homework, and says it is sometimes hard to understand what teachers expect. She also mentioned her favorite period was Spanish. 

A.L. explained that she enjoys hanging out with her friends, and having chill teachers. She would like more snacks, and she’s learned a lot of things at school. She disliked her grades dropping down frequently, and students who are bullies or super loud. Her favorite subjects are math and band. 

A.L. said that her favorite part of school is choir and lunch. The most valuable things she’s learned are in science and math. She sucks at all of her subjects except choir and math, and her favorite subject is choir. Her least favorite part of school is PE. 

Next, S.R. explained that she looks forward to school and enjoys it, although it can sometimes be tiring. Her favorite part of school is hanging out with friends, and she’d like to improve in math and Spanish. She’s learned life skills in school, but she doesn’t enjoy not having much time to study for tests. Her favorite subject is math. 

To sum it up, various students had different inputs, likes and dislikes, like long school days and homework. A lot of people explained that they really enjoyed lunch, but disliked PE. All in all, the different opinions from students were very interesting to hear!

The drying room at the cocoa farm

In this article, I’ll be talking about a topic different from some of my articles, about a food that many of us enjoy eating regularly…chocolate! I was able to visit the cocoa farm on my recent trip to Hawaii, and I learned a lot about the process of making chocolate. It made me gain a lot more respect for the time consuming and delicate process of chocolate production!

Over the course of the tour, we were taken to see cocoa plants with 2 different types of pods. Our tour guide showed us some trees that were planted, and told the trees to shelter the cocoa plants from the wind, so they wouldn’t get damaged. We also went inside a room where cocoa beans were left out to dry, and got to taste some yummy chocolate.

We were also taken inside a room where the cocoa beans from the cocoa fruit were laid out to dry, which can take a few days to nearly a month! We were told that at the cocoa farm we visited, it took around a week to dry out the beans. In this area, me and my family got to see a cocoa fruit split open, and the seeds inside were moist and sour tasting, unlike the delicious chocolate they would become. The cocoa pods, which are the fruit, are ready to be harvested twice every year. You can check if the cocoa pod is ready to be harvested by checking if the scratched pod looks pumpkin yellow. 

Next, we visited a room where we got to taste multiple samples of the chocolate produced at the chocolate farm, and I enjoyed the milk chocolate with salt the most! This chocolate wasn't hardened yet, it was in a smooth liquid texture. 

Then, I asked our tour guide about her favorite part of her job. She said that she enjoyed working outdoors, and learning the special art of how to transform cocoa pods into delicious chocolate. She said that she'd learned a lot about how intricate and time consuming the process of making chocolate was.

When I asked our tour guide what the challenges of her job were, she said that chocolate production is a very delicate process, and it is important to have the right procedure and climate for successful chocolate production. She also told me that the employees at her chocolate farm had to come in every day to check on the drying beans and see if they were ready. Another insight she added was that chocolate production for pure chocolate is expensive. Large chocolate companies may make cheap candies, but these candies don’t actually have a lot of cocoa. Companies try to use the least amount of cocoa that they can, to make their cocoa supply last as long as possible. Pure chocolate made with more cocoa will naturally be more expensive, as it is more rich and flavorful, and also costs more time, energy and money to produce.

As a fun fact, our tour guide shared that she was the oldest sibling out of 7 other siblings! She’d also grown up in Hawaii and lived there her entire life. It was very interesting heating the perspectives of a person who helps produce one of my favorite foods, and I was surprised at how time consuming the process was! What is your favorite type of chocolate?

In this article, I’ll be exploring the perspectives of some more workers I met in Hawaii! I visited a coffee farm in Hawaii, where I was able to see the process and learn about the experience of a worker working at the coffee farm, who guided us around.

Our tour guide said that his favorite part of working at the coffee farm was being part of the painstaking process of making coffee. He said he’d never knew how long it took to make coffee, from growing the coffee plant, to plucking the right cherries, to drying the coffee beans for days. 

The tour guide said that there wasn’t really much he disliked. He mentioned how every few months, him and some other workers would have to start at the bottom of the multi-acre coffee property and walk through all of the land and harvest the coffee plants that were ready. Not all coffee cherries got ready at the same time, meaning workers would have to comb through all the coffee cherries and see which coffee cherries were ready to harvest. He said that process was monotonous, although he didn’t necessarily dislike it. 

The most challenging part of the tour guide's job was growing the coffee plants. He mentioned that recently, a disease had been hurting many of the coffee plants, CLR. CLR is a fungus that spreads and causes defoliation, meaning the leaves fall off the coffee plant, meaning the plant's photosynthesis process is ineffective and the plant isn’t getting the nutrients it needs. The tour guide said that CLR is a major challenge because it spreads easily and causes a lot of coffee plant loss, which can hurt coffee production and farmer livelihood. 

The tour guide showed us a few coffee plants, and took a coffee cherry and split it open. There were 2 small green bean like items inside the cherry. The worker also led us to a room where thousands of coffee beans were spread out on the floor. There was also a rake, which was sometimes used to rake and move the beans around. The coffee beans were drying/resting, a process that took around 2-4 weeks or so. 

The worker explained that the place he had his farm was perfect for growing coffee, due to the mountains on one side that sheltered the coffee plants from wind, and the moist air that blue in from the ocean on the other side. This created the ideal climate for coffee plants to thrive. This is why Kona coffee is a big brand of coffee; as Hawaii is a great place to grow coffee plants!

I learned a lot about how coffee was made while visiting the coffee farm.  It was interesting to see how long it took to make coffee, although it was a bit sad to learn that coffee production was drastically declining due to the coffee disease. I hope farmers can figure out a good way to get rid of the disease. What is your favorite brand of coffee?

On my next visit to my routine checkup, I decided to interview some people vital to keeping us healthy. I got to talk to 2 receptionists, 1 pediatrician, or children's doctor, and a nurse. It was very interesting to get to talk to the people who were so important to us!

First, I got to talk to 2 receptionists. The 1st one was named Rachel. She enjoyed meeting new people, and got into her job as she was interested in healthcare from a young age. As a receptionist, she checks in patients and completes paperwork. She enjoys getting to know each patient, but sometimes struggles with knowing each patient's needs. The 2nd receptionist was named Diego, and enjoyed the interaction with people. However, he dislikes bad interactions if the patients are rude. He finds it challenging to help everyone, for example, requested appointment times aren’t always available. He enjoys building connections with patients. For example, he enjoys seeing the journey of pregnant ladies from the start to meeting their kids. 

My pediatrician is named Dr. Chou. She enjoys working with parents and helping kids. A pediatrician is a doctor for kids aged 0-17 years old. Her least favorite part of the job is paperwork. She’d always wanted to work with kids, and did tutoring work in college. She also enjoyed science and math, so she decided to become a doctor. She also dislikes seeing sick children, but enjoys when kids say cute things after a hard day. She also says that it is important to work well as a team in her job. She thinks that it is vital for everyone to have a healthy lifestyle, by exercising often, eating good food, and getting regular checkups/the necessary vaccines. 

Finally, Nurse Kimberly mainly does injections. She has been working as a nurse since 1986! She loves to see kids healthy and smiling. She also enjoys seeing kids she’s known since they were babies grow up. However, she dislikes babies crying. She also mentioned that a challenge was that some kids had mental problems such as autism, which made it difficult to give them shots. 

All in all, I had an amazing time talking to these important hospital staff. Next time you visit the hospital, make sure to thank these amazing people committed to our health! Thank you hospital staff!

In the olden days when the monsters dominated the land, a family lived in a small wooden house. One day a dragon set fire to the house. Luckily the occupants Aqua and her mother escaped. They had no place to live and went through the country side, seeking for a place to live. They found a nobleman who was willing to pay them a few gold bars if they could chase away the ogre who was troubling him and his animals. So Aqua quickly devised a clever plan. Aqua crafted a model of a chicken and layed it beneath a tree so that it was in plain sight. Then she took a big cage and knotted a piece of rope around one bar. She then climbed to the top of the tree with the cage and waited for the ogre to arrive.

It was dusk when the ogre came and Aqua could hear him look around then lumber over to the fake model of the chicken. He now stood beneath the tree, peering at the chicken. Aqua dropped the cage over the ogre and dragged it over to the house where the nobleman gave her the bars of gold as he promised. Aqua and her mother lived over these for some time but a time came when they had no more money. One day Aqua told her mother she was going to seek a job. Her mother bade her farewell and Aqua set off. She tramped over hills and forests till she came to a giant’s liar. There a giant snapped her up. But as Aqua was so tiny the giant didnt chew aqua. Aqua grabbed hold of one of giant’s teeth and it came out. 

Then Aqua plunged the tooth into the giant’s neck and the giant died instantly. Aqua climbed out and found enough money in the giant’s liar to supply her and her mother for the rest of their days. 

But Aqua wanted to visit the castle so she carried on, wading through rivers and stumbling through caves. At last, she arrived at a lake near the city where she camped for the night. 

The next morning, Aqua heard a rustling sound near the tent as she went out to investigate, a green head with 4 eyes lunged at her. Then an orange head shot a jet of fire at her. It was a dragon and serpent! 

Aqua tried to run away but the serpent and dragon cornered her. They chased her into the sea. The serpent slithered after her but the dragon stayed behind as dragons die in water. Then, the serpent shot a wave of water at Aqua just as the dragon shot a jet of fire at her. Aqua ducked under the water and the wave slammed into the dragon while the fire collided with the serpent. The serpent was enveloped in flames and the dragon had disintegrated.  

Aqua cut off a piece of dragon and serpent skin and stowed them in her backpack along with the giant tooth. She then set off to the castle. When she got there, she requested a meeting with the king which she got once she informed them she had slayed a dragon. The king always wanted to slay the dragon and serpent but all his knights failed. The king knighted Aqua and invited her mother to stay in the palace and they both lived the rest of their lives in pleasure. As for the giants tooth and both of the skins, well they were placed in a glass box with a plaque at the foot of it to remind the people of the brave girl Aqua.

Baby Blue Dragon and Mommy Dragon were having a picnic. “Baby Blue Dragon, go collect some fruit from the forest that we can use for our picnic,” Mommy Dragon commanded. “Watch out for the Black Dragons since they are bad,” she added. Then, Baby Blue Dragon took a basket and skipped off to the forest. As she went along, Baby Blue Dragon saw some juicy pears. She went and plucked some. As she journeyed inside the forest she saw some ripe apples hanging from a tree.

“Mommy can make a yummy apple pie with this,” Baby Blue Dragon thought and she picked some apples. But then she heard a roar. A black dragon came lumbering out of the woods. “Ahhhh,” Baby Blue Dragon screamed. Baby Blue Dragon started to run. She ran until she came to a wide, rushing river. Then Baby Blue Dragon started wading across. “Surely the other dragon would not follow her here,” she thought. But the other dragon was following her. Baby Blue Dragon clambered onto the shore. She was soaking wet. Then she turned around. The Black Dragon was wading across. Except it wasn’t black anymore. It was white. It was her friend Polaris! “How did you become black?” Baby Blue Dragon asked.

“I was playing with some barrels of coal,” Polaris said. “When Ruby Red Dragon came I jumped into a barrel to hide.” “When I got out of the barrel I was fully black,” Polaris finished. Then Baby Blue Dragon invited Polaris to the picnic. But when she looked inside her basket for the fruits she realized they had fallen into the river. Then, Polaris offered to retrieve the fruits. And Polaris did retrieve the fruits and Polaris, Baby Blue Dragon, and Mommy Dragon had a lovely picnic together.

Earthquakes

What is an Earthquake?

An earthquake is a release of energy when 2 blocks of the Earth slip past each other and create a tremor or quake in the Earth. 

Why do Earthquakes occur?

An earthquake happens when 2 blocks, or tectonic plates of the Earth slip and slide past each other,  releasing seismic waves as well as pressure. The surface where they slip is called a fault. The area underneath the Earth where the Earthquake begins is a hypocenter and the area where the Earthquake begins is an epicenter. Foreshocks are small Earthquakes that happen in the same area where the Earthquake happens, and mainshocks are the main Earthquakes, but can’t be predicted until they happen. Aftershocks always happen, and can continue for years. 

What type of Movement in Earth’s Crust causes Earthquakes?

When the surface of Earth cooled and hardened, cracks in the surface created different sections, or plates of rock that carried and continue to carry the continents and the ocean. When the edges of the plates collide, earthquakes are created. 

The plates are slowly moving, creating what a scientist named Alfred Wegener described as plate tectonics. Although his idea was not taken seriously at the time due to a lack of explanation on how the continents moved, his theory was proven correct 25 years later, as a trench under the Atlantic Ocean proved a process called subduction, where molten rock emerged from the crack and created new seafloor, pushing old seafloor away (Faultline: Earthquake History and Science). 

These tectonic plates are what create movement that triggers an earthquake, with the crack being a fault. 

How Do Scientists Monitor and Predict Earthquakes?

An example of a seismograph is a heavy drum that stays on the ground as the earth shakes, while a lightweight pen scratches smoke off a piece of paper to indicate the shaking of the Earth, and creates a seismogram. While some models such as this are still in use, modern technology is becoming increasingly popular. Digital seismometers record even the slightest movement of the Earth, and usually allow data to be shared around the world, and quick network access for many seismologists. Being able to predict the slightest seismic waves allows for scientists to warn people about danger and compare data. There are stations all around the world, which can detect the intensity of the quake in different areas. 

Magnitude is a way that seismologists use to describe the amount of energy released in different earthquakes, a popular option being the Richter Scale which is only accurate for a maximum magnitude of 6.5, and other scales are used to classify higher intensity quakes. 

Now, with new technology, seismologists can even figure out which way a plate has shifted! GPS can see slopes, valleys, and other shifts in land, and can detect whether plates have moved up, down, North, or South. It can also detect any new areas for possible quakes (Faultline: Earthquake History and Science). 

Earthquake Example

On March 11th, an Earthquake devastated an area near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan. The quake was a Magnitude of 9.1, killing over 15, 500 people, displacing over 100,000, and causing 5,ooo people to go missing as well as injured. The event also incurred an economic loss of $309 billion(Us money). A nuclear power plant was damaged, fires raged, and coastal towns and houses were destroyed by the tsunami that followed. The event was a truly shocking disaster that incurred many others such as fires, landslides, destruction of houses and nuclear plants as well as a tsunami, wrecking havoc and causing financial losses as well as major death and suffering. 

Name- Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan-2:46 local time in Japan

What are ways people can prepare for Earthquakes?

How do Earthquakes affect people?

-Earthquakes kill people, often through falling items, and collapsing buildings. 

-Earthquakes often cause effects such as fires, tsunami’s, downed power lines, etc.

-Earthquakes destroy homes, shelters, and living areas

-Earthquake damages bridges and roads, limiting the ability of rescue teams, escape from damage, and hindering transport in everyday life

Earthquake safety tips

Before the Earthquake:

-Keep a first aid kit handy in case someone is hurt by the earthquake. Roads and power lines may not be accessible, and many people in the area will need assistance. 

-Plan an escape route in case one door is blocked, or a room is not accessible, and practice earthquake drills in case of a disaster

During the Earthquake

-Anyone in a car should pull over and stop, as driving conditions will not be safe when the earth is shaking

-If outdoors, stay away from buildings, structures, or items that could fall over and pose a safety threat

-Prepare for aftershocks, and make sure to drop, cover, and hold if needed. If there is threat of a tsunami, quickly move to higher ground and avoid flood water as it may contain chemicals and debris

Where do Earthquakes occur?

An earthquake happens when 2 blocks of the Earth slip and slide past each other. The surface where they slip is called a fault. This is where 2 plate boundaries meet, and when stress builds up between them, the pressure is released as the plates slide. Earthquakes only occur on the edges of plate boundaries, as that is the only area where plates can slide past each other. 

What is the relationship between the different types of plate boundaries and frequency of earthquakes?

“Plate boundaries are classified by their relative movement. The three types of plate boundaries are transform boundaries, convergent boundaries, and divergent boundaries. Earthquakes happen in greater frequency at transform and convergent boundaries, where there is a great deal of crustal stress built up and released,” explains Quizlet.

California Academy of Science explains that, “ 80% of earthquakes occur where plates are pushed together, called convergent boundaries.” 

Links page

“Faultline: Earthquake History and Science.” Exploratorium, annex.exploratorium.edu/fault-line/index.html. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024. 

https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0311/8.9-earthquake-The-science-behind-Japan-s-quake

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/official20110311054624120_30/executive

https://www.tetoncountywy.gov/409/Impacts-of-an-Earthquake

Earthquakes | Ready.gov.

https://quizlet.com/59797594/science-earths-stuff-flash-cards/

https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/plate-boundaries-divergent-convergent-and-transform