Mar. Issue
Why Fingernails on a Chalkboard Make a Bothersome Noise
Julie Evers
If you've ever been in an old fashioned classroom, you understand the aches and pains your ears suffer when a classmate scrapes their fingers along a chalkboard. Every piercing squeak causes a shiver to go down your spine and instinctively you muffle your ears with your palms. Although most of us have experienced this, little of us have asked why we respond in that way? Take the time with me now to understand what researchers believe to be the cause of this phenomenon.
Our reaction to fingernails scraping along a chalkboard is primal. It has the same frequency of a crying baby and a human scream. Hearing these frequencies start up our survival instincts. Our bodies react with stress when we hear fingernails on a chalkboard the same way it would react in either of these situations. Based on a study, it is believed that for human communication and survival our ear canals have evolved overtime to amplify certain frequencies between 2,000 and 4,000 Hertz.
Although this information comes from studies, it is all speculation until further research. In the meantime, though, we can stick to white boards.
https://www.livescience.com/57106-why-fingernails-on-chalkboard-hurts.html
Goals. What I Learned Building a Puzzle.
Val Valderrama
Around a month ago I went to the Natick Center Library (Morse Institute) to pick up some books. As someone who enjoys reading and writing, the library is one of my favourite places in Natick. Since it is only open except for pick up, I take every chance I have to go. That particular day I found out that they were selling books and games for about $1. In a rush I took the books I wanted to pick up, and a Hallmark 500 piece puzzle of bears sharing a cup of tea.
The only previous experience I had with puzzles was taking and hiding a piece from one my dad was trying to make when I was around 3 years old. I was curious to see what actually building one was like. The week that followed I had a particularly hard time balancing work and rest, so I chose to follow the Pomodoro method. (25 minutes of study/work + 5 minutes of rest).
My rest became building the puzzle.
I finished it last weekend. More importantly however, I learned some very interesting lessons about creating and finishing things that I would like to share with you.
Take the time to get to know the picture and to create the outline. Putting the rest of the pieces will become almost instinctive that way.
The puzzle picture needs to become something you know. Likewise if you have a goal in mind take time to know what it is. Write out what you want in as much detail as possible and visualize it as if it were already a reality. This will allow your brain to create it almost instinctively with the things that surround you.
Give it some space.
I had to literally clear out a table at my house to put the puzzle in. Similarly, if you want to do something clear out and block a space in your schedule. This will allow you to get to work on it while still doing all the other things you need to do.
You have all the pieces at your disposal. If you are missing any, it is better to focus on the ones that you have.
All the pieces of the puzzle are there, the only job is organizing them (with patience). Applied to real life, you are born with the DNA that will give you your talents and traits. It is literally already inside of you, you do not need to look for it or buy it from anywhere. Meaning, that everything you will do, you are completely capable of doing or completely capable to learn (with patience). If you don’t have a “piece” or talent, you are using your time in a kinder manner by accepting others DNA is different from yours and focusing on what you do have.
Trust me. You have more than what you don't have. Look at others to see where you are similar rather than where you are less than.
The best thing to do sometimes is leave it alone and come back to it later.
After I got around 100 pieces done, it gradually became an obsession. Yet, the pieces were very similar and I was getting frustrated quickly. I found that I put it together more efficiently and enjoyed it more by looking at it during my 5 minute break leaving it alone afterwards (and being ok with that).
When trying to accomplish something I’ve noticed it is better to do it in bits. It is very tempting to try to do it all in one sitting.
Trust me, I know. Right now I am sitting behind in my online classes. I would love to pull an all nighter and be done with it all. Yet, I wouldn’t be done if I did that and I would have a headache and sluggishness tomorrow that would set me behind again.
It is more effective to make it something you work in intensively for a set period of time.
Sometimes it is not that you have pieces for another puzzle or that you can’t do it. Sometimes your pieces are just in the wrong place.
As I mentioned before you have all the parts to make it whole, all the capacities to do what you wish to do. Instead of being unable to do something, maybe you are using your traits in the wrong field. For example, when someone close to me is struggling I often feel that they need me to tell them all the ways I've dealt with that problem. Speak. However, to be helpful that person might only need to be heard. I need to listen and quietly be there.
Building it with others creates a special place where memories grow.
After I began building the puzzle my family and I had times where we would sit around it and just try to make it work together. When you are doing something, even if you don’t notice, the people around you will see that and be inclined to do the same. That principle applies for behaviors that promote growth as well for those that are hurtful. If you do things that make you happy, the right people will be inclined to do those things with you and make memories trought.
Sometimes unfinished is finished.
Since it was a thrifted (second hand) puzzle it was missing two pieces. So it was finished with two empty spots. Most times projects are finished, jet they don’t look like the finished version you envisioned. Sometimes the limit is never reached, perfection is never reached. That is ok, because you went from having nothing, or a disorganized pile of little parts, to having a concise product that you made and helped you learn.
Which brings me to my last point...
Building it is where the fun is, not in having it complete.
Now that the puzzle is complete, the table where it lays isn’t as fun as when we were making it. Yes, it serves as a reminder that I am able to accomplish things. However, it was much more fun going to it and seeing the potential to make progress. Projects are similar, and it's nice to have them finished. Yet, the truly interesting part is in having the space to create something and learning from that experience. Learning these nice 8 lessons.
What are some lessons you have learned recently?
Dealing With Loss As a Teen
Alexa Solomon, EIC
Loss isn’t easy. When you factor in being a highschooler who has a job, participates in sports and clubs, and has a heavy load of schoolwork, it doesn’t get easier. However, it’s important to realize that grief is something everyone will experience eventually in life, and what’s important is learning how to deal with it in a healthy way.
Death is sometimes unexpected and the resulting grief can be difficult to navigate. When I was 14, I lost a friend to suicide. It threw me for a loop to say the least. I was confused, shocked, and often angry. However, my mom was there to support and guide me which made the grieving process much easier for me. That isn’t to say that grief is easy because to be straight with you, it’s not. Grief by any means does not look the same for everyone but there are things that we can do to help us ease the pain as we return to our everyday lives. In this article, I’ll share some resources with you that may be helpful as you deal with loss. I know that many of these helped me those years ago and I hope that they can help you too. Most important of all, please realize that you are not alone in this process. Everyone in the Natick community is here to support you during this difficult time.
In-School Resources
Natick High has offered grief counseling over the past few weeks. Although now it is not directly available, guidance counselors, school psychologists, teachers, and other adults in the building are here for you if you should need them. If you need to leave class to chat with someone or take a walk, your teachers will understand. I’ve included some more contact information at the end of the article.
Outside of School Resources
We’re very fortunate to have many grief resources in Natick and in surrounding towns. One of these is Jeff’s Place. Jeff’s place offers bimonthly open support groups for teens who are dealing with death and loss. They are facilitated by professionally trained volunteers and clinicians. Jeff’s Place offers both young adult and teen groups which meet in the evenings. Fill out an application today to join them.
Seven Hills offers virtual grief support groups in both English and Spanish weekly for those who are experiencing loss. Their services are free and are facilitated by a professional trauma clinician. Support groups may sound a bit intimidating, but talking with others who’ve gone through similar experiences may prove to be extremely helpful.
Media
Something that I found particularly helpful when I was dealing with the death of a friend was reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts that related to loss. Not only was it incredibly eye opening to hear from others my age who have experienced similar things, but it also acted as a bit of a distraction so I could avoid slipping into a downward spiral of negative thoughts. Here are some recommendations to check out.
Dougy Center’s Grief Out Loud podcast is a mix of personal stories, tips, and interviews with professionals all about grief. You can find it on Spotify! Their most recent episode focuses on COVID-19 and loss as we approach the one year anniversary of the pandemic. GriefCast is a unique podcast that mixes humour with coping with grief which I think is great. It’s from 2016, but a lot of the episodes are still incredibly relevant. If you look up grief podcasts on Spotify or other streaming platforms, I guarantee you’ll find some interesting podcasts and at least one that you’ll like.
There are a lot of books written about grief. Some of them are religious, some of them are humorous, and some of them are plain sad. Regardless, reading is a very helpful coping mechanism and reading books about loss can help you realize you’re not alone. Here are some of my recommendations. Check the library or the Minuteman Library Network for availability.
Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief by Rebecca Sofer and Gabrielle Birkner
It’s Ok that You’re not Ok by Megan Devine
Light Filters In: Poems by Caroline Kaufman
Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health by Melanie Siebert
Bearing The Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore
Music is already an amazing thing and I find that I often listen to it when I need to relax, clear my mind, or even reminisce. Right now I’m listening to a lot of SZA who’s tunes are fabulously soothing.
At the end of the day, grief is a difficult thing. There is no one right way to grieve and oftentimes one person’s grief looks completely different than another’s. We have to acknowledge that grief takes time and we need to be patient with ourselves throughout the process. Just like the title of the book above, it’s ok not to be ok sometimes, but together, we can persevere as a community. At a time like this, we realize just how strong the Natick community is when we come together to honor a life.
Resources:
School Psychologists
Ms. Casey
Ms. Kanavas-DeRocher
Ms. Whittaker
Outside Resources
Media
Tips and Guides