Blog 10

hey tashaaaaaaaaaaa...that was the most sweetest letter ever! I sware I was about to tear up...and don't worry I won't abuse my children..I'll come visit you when I have them after I'm married and than you can decide if they have been abused or not ;)....Your class was amazing! The only class I looked forward to attending when I came to school, also your the only professor that I know the name of LOL. You kept us engaged in ever clss and everything we learned made us think. You completely changed my schooling for me because in many of my classes, I use to think why do they teach us this stuff, it has nothing to do with our life or reality, but you made us think about issues that we deal with everyday. I truly learned to think out of the box and always ask why. Never accept things that are just handed to us. I appreciate your teachings and your involvement with the class. I learned alot from your class and shared many laughs. Thank you for treating us as your friends rather than students. I appreciate that you could relate to us and we can feel comfortable around you. This relationship you kept with our class, kept us engaged in learning. Every video we saw was interesting and lead to something we could reflect on and write about. Thank you so much for everything.

Blog #8

After viewing the websites, it amazed me to see that people my age are causing such a movement. I always had a feeling that I can't do anything, I can't make a change, but after seeing that, I am inspired to start a movement. My favorite website among those was the one of the Rainn project. It seemed as if this group is getting alot done to help those people who are victims of sexual assault. In the beginning of the documentary as the girl opened up speaking about what happened to her, I got shivers. After seeing that, I became aware of this can happen to anyone, even me. Organizations like these that take a step help those that are in danger. They aren't just starting a movement but saving a life...

Blog #7

I personally found the video very horrifying. It shocks me on how humanity has been coming to a downfall. It makes me question on the fact of are we considered humans anymore or just a bunch of hungry animals. It was disgusting on how the mentality of such men works. I cannot believe a place like this exists and that too in America. I teared up just seeing the horrible truth. So many thoughts came through my mind on what these young girls must go through, how must they feel. They have no one in their life just old men coming up to them and stripping them from every self respect they have. I could not hold back my tears when I learned that the man beat up the girl with a hanger for two hours when she decided to leave. They have no freedom, they are basically slaves. I thought slavery stopped years ago so why does it exist today? This video has disturbed me alot but has made me so grateful for the life I live.

Wikiz

#1 Yeliana From Section U1N
#2 Jessica From Section U1N
#3 Kenneth Jones :)

Song Analysis Critique

The song I critiqued was the "Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel. The writer of this analysis seemed to have alot of knowledge on the background of the song. She found it necessary to provide historical facts to explain why this song was written. She analyzes in detail the events that took place in the time of the war and links it to the lyrics of the song. I like how she writes in detail every aspect that can provide her analysis with support. She even uses family related thoughts and events. She chooses certain quotes and interprets them to the best of her ability. She emphasizes the author's tone setting the mood for the song. She links the feelings and emotions accurately in the song with accordance to the events taking place. One weak point is that she relied too much on historical context rather than the artist's point of view or why he chose the words he chose. Overall it was a fantastic analysis. I will give her an A.

Saggin Pants

I think the government has gotten to far concering this issue. There are alot of other serious matters that should be focused on. How people dress is not as important as people dying, poverty or education. I don't understand why the government puts so much force on the people and tries to control every aspect of our lives. In my point of view, I believe that the government is using this law as the base, pretty soon they will take it too far and implement religious laws, such as Muslim women unable to wear their veil or Jewish men unable to wear their caps. The government always ends up having an evil plot towards everything they do.
Baggy pants don't bother me. I just see them as a form of self expression that should not be controlled. You cannot force people to respect themselves, that is their choice.

Prompt #3

I had attended a private school all my life until I moved and reached the 8th grade. In 8th grade, my mother admitted me in a Charter Public School, new to the system, I was hesitant and nervous about taking the FCAT. I didn't understand the process or why we took it. Teachers frightened me that if you don't get an accurate score, you will get held back or will have to retake it. This system bothered me for months, maybe even years. I didn't like the fact that a pathetic test like this can determine if I am learning based on my grade level. I use to ponder upon the fact that the things we are learning inside the classroom are a waste or not.
We spent weeks preparing for the FCAT. Put our daily schedules, exams, quizzes and lectures to the side and just focused on this test. Like 5 days weren't enough in a week, my school required their students to attend FCAT Saturday as well. That bugged the hell out of me! I didn't like the fact that I had to give up my saturdays to prepare for a test that was so lame. Even when I went to attend FCAT Saturday, the teachers had no idea what they were teaching. Basically, it was a waste of everyone's time. I argued with my mother non-stop, that I didn't want to attend. But she thought it would benefit me in a way. I use to attend every Saturday and not pay attention to the prep our teachers were giving us. And guess what, I passed the FCAT!
I don't like the system of No Child Left Behind, I think it causes a break from what we are learning in the classroom. It is a break from what we need to know. Something that causes frustration in the school system. Many teachers in my highschool didn't agree with it and hated the period of FCAT. I don't like the fact that children are compared to the students from the previous year, it simply doesn't make sense. It is wrong to punish those schools that do poorly on the FCAT. You have to take into consideration the area, the people and the income of those people. I agree with the fact that this system puts fear in the school system, administration, teachers and the children. It should be destroyed.