The Final Meta Post

I can’t believe the school year is already over!  Well almost, we still have to make it through finals…  Anyways, this year has gone by so quickly.  I feel like it was just yesterday that we were beginning class, and being introduced to blogging.  I remember the very first day blogging was introduced to us; I was nervous and a little overwhelmed.  I felt like I wouldn’t ever have anything interesting enough for people to want to read, and I think the act of putting my writing out there kind of scared me.  However, as weeks went on, I began to like the routine of the blogging world, and how I began to feel “more connected”, to say the least.

When looking back at this semester in particular, I feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as a sense of “oh I wish I had done this” or “improved on that”.  I feel proud that I was able to take on the task, even though I felt a little unsure and uncomfortable at first.  I met some of my previous goals, but also have some that I didn’t quite accomplish, and some I will continue to strive for.  Specifically speaking, I still have trouble keeping my posts concise.  I tend to write lengthy posts (one example is my post “Black and Yellow”… and another may be this one, unfortunately).  However, I have had some posts this semester that had a more appropriate length, but this is still something I would like to work on, if I continue to blog, and even in my own writing in general.  Another thing I wish I had done more was write more controversial topics (I’m not saying something offensive, more of posts that gave more of an opinion and make the reader want to comment, and “extend the conversation”.) The posts that I have felt most rewarding are the ones I get the most feedback on.  It’s great to see how others view the specific topic, especially if it’s a different opinion than my one, because it helps me look at the topic from a different perspective.  I think it is important to not lose sight of perspectives, and that it only helps us grow as writers when we see the world through many lenses.  Even if we don’t agree with what someone else has said, it helps us get a better understanding of the topic as well as helping us strengthen our own opinion. With that being said, I enjoyed reading the comments on my “Success?” post, in which I was able to see another side to the story. 

However, if I had to pick, I think my most rewarding post was “Athletes vs. Firefighters”.  And it’s not because I got over 2,300 views on the post alone (though Mr. Bolos says I only got that many because of the title, I like to think differently…) Anyway, the reason I got so much out of that post was because not only was I able to connect it to a topic we talked briefly about in class (what do different career incomes say about our society, and what we value?) but also I was able to hear from an actual firefighter.  It was cool to hear his take on it, since I wrote about his job, so he obviously is more educated on it than I am.  Since this post was technically not second semester, although most of the views and comments were, I cannot pick it for the post I would like to be graded.  Instead, Doc OC and Bolos, I would like you to read “A Not-So-Typical Graduation”.  I feel like this post reflects my attempt to connect what I have learned in class to my every day life, which ultimately was my goal of blogging.

I’m really going to miss this class (special thanks to Doc OC and Bolos for making this class so incredible), and this blogging experience, so I hope to stay connected when I can.  For now, hope you all have a great summer!  P.S. I apologize for the lengthy post…

A Not-So-Typical Graduation

This past Thursday was the 8^th grade graduation at Sears School.  And although completing 8^th grade is not a very big deal at most schools in the United States, in the North Shore, particularly Kenilworth, it is.  Let’s just saw that after the ceremony there’s a convertible parade for the graduates.  Literally, dads of the graduates use their convertibles, or rent some, to drive the students around town.  And not only that, but all the families with 8th graders get professional signs made with a personal saying and a picture (for example, "Congrats Jake!  Good luck in high school!  We love you"...)

The weird and sad thing is, I used to think this was normal and that many schools celebrated afterwards with a type of parade like this.  In fact, I remember when I was younger watching the convertibles go by, and how I couldn’t wait for that to be me.  What color car would I ride in?  Who would I be assigned to sit with?

When your in 8^th grade, the oldest in your school, you feel like your on top of the world, or at least at Sears.  And this parade gives you an even better reason to believe so. 

Anyway, this year was not my graduation (obviously), but my youngest brother, Cole’s.  My family, relatives, and friends all got together to watch the parade and see Cole wave at us as the cars drove by.  And behind my smile and wave back, I couldn’t help but to laugh to myself and think how not normal this was.  But I’m not saying that it’s stupid.  Of course, myself, and the rest of the town love this tradition.  However, I can understand why other people may see it as strange, even “ridiculous” or “showy”. 

This tradition, as fun as it is, is definitely weird to look at from the outside.  If you tell people what your 8^th grade graduation was like, and about the parade, they’ll most like laugh or roll their eyes.  It just goes to show how different perspectives can be, and how some things we don’t even think twice about, just consider them typical or normal, can be seen so differently.  I think sometimes, or maybe its just me, but sometimes people from here live in this “bubble” so to say, and that we sometimes forget to distinguish that some things we do are not like most of America at all.

A "White" World

Last weekend, I saw the movie Bridesmaids.  It was honestly one of funniest movies I’ve ever seen.  But besides that, I actually found a connection to what we were talking about in class, when discussing Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. 

One common theme Fitzgerald portrays is class, and he uses many indicators to emphasize how much of a role class system plays in the novel.  One example of this is his constant reference to the color white, when describing someone in the upper class.  White dresses.  White golf clothes.  White…  And those who don’t exactly fit in socially tend to not wear as much “white”, or try hard to wear white to fit in.  For example, the first time Nick Carraway is invited to one of Gatsby’s parties, he makes sure he wears “white flannels”.  This upper class society mirrors the typical white, country club playing tennis society. 

In exactly the same way, the movie Bridesmaids hints at the differences between those in the upper class, and those who aren’t.  Not to give the movie away, but to provide a quick summary, the movie is about a woman, Lillian, who is getting married, and her best friend from when they were kids, Annie (Kristen Wiig), and her new rich best friend Helen are helping plan her wedding.  However, Annie and Helen don’t get along that well, mostly because Helen has so much money that she is buys everything for Lillian, making Annie feel inferior and worthless as a friend.  However, all Lillian wants is for her friends to get along, so she asks Annie to spend a day with Helen.  In this scene, Helen takes Annie to her country club to play tennis.  Helen and the rest of the club members are wearing all white; whereas, Annie is in a bright yellow outfit, making her stand out.  She seems out of place in this “world”.

Both The Great Gatsby and Bridesmaids emphasize social class, and use certain indicators, such as the color white, to portray those who are in/ fit in the upper class, and those who do not.

Track Your Happiness

Last week in class we talked about happiness and life goals.  We all agreed that we make goals (sometimes in the form of lists) for the ultimate goal of happiness.  However, happiness is hard to define because it is so relative.  After reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picult, I used to think of happiness as a sort of mathematical equation.  "Reality divided by Expectations.There were two ways to be happy:improve your reality or lower your expectations."  Being a person who likes math because there's almost always one definitive answer, I thought putting such a term into a formula made it a lot easier to measure.  However, after thinking about what happiness really is, and discussing in class, I have found that it is hard to determine how happy a person can be.  Many factors can influence a person's happiness, and people's emotions change so much it's hard to tell.  But Mr. Bolos mentioned an interesting survey called "Track Your Happiness".  It is a free online survey in which iPhone users can sign up to receive texts (you pick what time and how often), to ultimately determine your happiness.  I signed up for it, and have taken a few of the surveys already.  I'll let you know how it goes, but if you have an iPhone, I highly recommend it because it is really interesting!

Wavin' Flag: "Justice Has Been Done"

Almost ten years ago, our country experienced the deadliest attack on our country, September 11th.  The man behind the horrific tragedy that killed more than 3,000 people was Osama bin Laden.  Today, May 1, marks his death.  He was killed in a firefight inside Pakistan, ending a 10-year manhunt for the world's most wanted terrorist.

Tonight,  as a country, Americans are celebrating his death, relieved, or experiencing other emotions.  Families, friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans gather in recognition as this day will go down in history.  As my family sat around the TV to watch Obama's speech, my dad went and got the American flag my cousin in the Air Force sent us (a flag that had been flown in Afghanistan).  My dad waved it around the room, in excitement.

And everybody will be singing it
And you and I will be singing it
And we all will be singing it
...They'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag

My family, and thousands of others, watched Obama's speech in relief.  Al-Qaeda's leader is finally dead; Obama commented that "Justice has been done."

Junior Theme: DONE

Today, marks the end of junior theme... or at least until revisions come around.  Regardless, it feels good to have have turned in the paper!  After countless hours of reading articles, pulling quotes, conducting interviews, writing, peer editing, and editing more, I feel relived to be done!

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the process.  Actually, I liked it a lot.  While at times I got tired of reading some of the articles, and at times I could not physically look at the computer screen without hurting my eyes, I felt it was a great experience.  I loved being able to research any topic of my choosing, and thought it was so interesting how each of us choose such a wide variety of topics.  It was so cool to see that by the end, we all were experts on our individual topic.  I thoroughly enjoyed this project because of the independent study/ research aspect, and because it was unlike anything I've ever done before.

After weeks, days, and hours of working on this project, I can certainly say I feel accomplished to be done.   While there were days when I felt so frustrated and lost and unsure where to go with the research/ paper, I was able to steer through and complete the task.  And, I would just like to say, good job to everyone who finished their junior theme!!

Junior Theme: Blog #4

This past week has been exciting, yet also a bit frustrating.  After researching a ton, and really getting to understand my individual topic, I was looking forward to presenting my work through my paper.  However, easier said than done.  As I am finishing up my paper now, I am starting to go back and take out some excess detail, clarify others, and make some sentences more concise in order to have empathy for the reader.  I have found this particularly hard because I feel like sometimes when we know a topic so well, we forgot that others may not be as familiar, and are not as empathetic.

I also conducted my interview last week, and felt it went well.  I interviewed Mr. Ottaviano, the assistant principal of administrative services at New Trier.  Although his job entitles many different types of work, one of them is that he is in charge of school safety and all lockdown procedures.  He works hand and hand with the Winnetka police department.  However, after transcribing the recording, a somewhat lengthy process, I have only found a few quotes that I will actually use in my paper.  Nevertheless, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to talk to him, and felt he provided the best information he could in regards to my topic.

We are approaching the final hours of this huge project.  I am finishing up some editing and what not, and looking forward to turning it in tomorrow!  Good luck to everyone as they finish up their papers!

Junior Theme: Blog #3

Over spring break, I visited a few colleges and then went skiing with my family.  I also had time to work on junior theme.  It was nice to have the free time away from school, with no homework other than some reading for junior theme.  With this time, I was able to read a whole book, start another, read through a few articles, and watch a film on a school shooting, “Elephant” (directed by Gus Van Sant).  I have started to keep track of important quotes and statistics as well.  It was nice to have this time to learn more in depth about my topic before I tackle the actual writing of the paper.  This next week I hope to begin the interview process; I am starting to brainstorm who I will interview, as well as what type of questions I plan on asking.  However, this part of the project seems a little harder for me because I’m still having a tough time deciding exactly who to interview.  Again, my topic overall topic is “school shootings”, and my specific why question is “Why are school shootings on the rise?” So far, I was thinking of interviewing either a police officer or a faculty member of one of the schools in the district.  That way I could maybe hear about if/ how serious school violence seems to be around here, compared to other districts, or maybe if they an increase in violence over the years?  Or not only has it gotten more frequent, but is it also more severe?  However, I’m not positive those would be those most beneficial interviews.  Anyone have any suggestions?  If so, please let me know, thanks!

I plan on working heavily on the interview process, as well as continuing to read through more and more articles to make sure I am seeing as many relevant sources as I can.  Hope everyone had a great break, and good luck with the rest of the junior theme process!

Meta Post III

I can't believe third quarter is already over!  So here's my meta post...
Doc OC and Bolos, please read "Black and Yellow". Thanks!

Junior Theme: Blog #2

Things have really started to pick up this past week regarding junior theme.  It was exciting to start collecting sources, reading books and articles pertaining to our overall topic.  However, finding the “right” why question proved to be more difficult than I expected.  Early last week, I thought I had my question all set; I planned on focusing simply on “Why do school shootings occur?” (specifically, the psychological explanation behind them).  However, this question was too matter-of-fact, and would only provide a paper full of lists of possible explanations, with no real argument.  My search in finding a better why question was difficult, and I struggled to find a question that was neither too broad nor too specific.  After talking to Ms. Eich, Doc OC, and Mr. Bolos, I finally formed my question:  Why are school shootings on the rise?  I plan on focusing on why they are more prevalent today.  I mean bullying has been going on for years, so that can’t be the main reason why school shootings are on the rise.  However, the way we communicate has changed drastically over the years through all of the media connections.  Many years ago, teenagers could go to school, and if they wanted, go home and “get away” from the other students.  Nowadays, there are so many ways to communicate, that even when students leave school, they are still immersed socially with other students.  There’s Facebook, texting, cell phones, TV, and more.  With more media ways to communicate, it can end up being a negative factor to some teenagers: it means more ways to get bullied (i.e. cyber bullying).  However, this is only one hypothesis I have regarding the issue, and am continuing to research deeper into other possible reasons school shootings are more common now.

When I was talking to Mr. Bolos, he recommended the book The Copycat Effect.   The book is all about how media and pop culture trigger the mayhem in our society.  While I am just beginning to read this book  (after going to the Skokie library for the closest copy), it focuses on how if one person commits some action or crime, it may subconsciously allow others to think such action is okay for them to commit.

I still have a lot to work on, and am working on finding more articles before I can come up with any such thesis.  I have definitely made some progress, yet have a lot still to do…

Pure Madness

March is always an exciting time of year, and the NCAA tournament is definitely the highlight.  It connects so many people, even those who don’t particularly follow the collegiate teams during the regular season (which is basically me; I watch a few games here and there, but when it comes to March Madness, I follow it religiously).  It is a very anticipated tournament.  Beforehand, friends and family put together brackets and have fun picking who they think will win.  And it can be pretty competitive.  What’s so exciting is that there are almost always upsets (which can also be very frustrating when trying to fill out brackets).  However, the upsets make it all the more exciting.  I mean, who would have predicted that Morehead State (number 13 seed) would beat Louisville (number 4 seeed)?!  It shows that the “underdog” can win, it’s just a matter of which team wants it more.  Who works harder, who has the passion, the perseverance.  (I blogged earlier about the drive and determination a team needs to succeed with my personal experience of our team winning the field hockey state tournament here.)

Junior Theme: Blog #1

Day 1.  Today was the first official day of Junior Theme.  I have to say, after hearing so much about this project for so long and anticipating for it to come, I was actually kind of excited to get started with it.

I have to say so far I haven't found the process too frustrating or overwhelming.  Maybe I took too narrow of an approach, I don't know, but I was able to come up with a theme I really wanted to focus on pretty quickly.  It all happened when I was brainstorming for topic ideas last week, and looking at books around my house, when I came across Columbine by Dave Cullen.  I immediately thought of focusing on school shootings.  While such rampages are so horrific and devastating, I think it is interesting to study.  I think it would be cool to learn and understand some of the psychology behind it, and what explanations it may provide.  I plan on looking at specific incidents and incorporating some of the psychological explanations to why a teenager would commit such a horrific crime.  Why does such a thing happen?

Day 1 is over, and I have a lot of work to do.  Let the research begin...

Black and Yellow

We have been studying racism, and where it is seen in our society today.  In the sports world, racism is still prevalent.  One report mentions the following:

“African-American head coaches make a million dollars less than their white counterparts.  In college they make 400,000 less.  While there are some black head coaches, the percentage is significantly smaller… blacks are significantly under represented.”

Evidently, whites are more represented in the head coaching spots, specifically regarding the NFL.  Briefly in class someone mentioned the Rooney Rule, an NFL rule created by Dan Rooney in 2003, that states that “any team with a head coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate in good faith or face commissioner sanctions.” Thus, this rule was intended to promote diversity among the head coaches in the National Football League.  Later, the rule was changed to cover general managers’ spots as well.

Dan Rooney-- Steelers owner and founder of the Rooney Rule

While some claim this is an example of affirmative action, it is not exactly the case.  One article says that, “ Diversity did not increase because teams were required to hire a person of color; after all, the Rooney Rule requires only a meaningful interview, nothing more. Diversity increased because team decision-makers who took the rule seriously opened their minds to candidates who had previously been overlooked, and with open minds, they saw talent that had theretofore gone unrecognized.”

Clearly it is not exactly affirmative action because the teams is not “required to hire”, just simply to “interview”.  A few years after the rule was implemented, diversity increased amongst the coaching staff.

There have definitely been steps toward eliminating the apparent racism in the coaching world.  In fact, take a look at the five most recent Super Bowls.  “Seven out of the ten teams in those games had either a head coach or general manager of color.”

Mike Tomlin-- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, has lead his team to 2 Super Bowls, and one victory.

These people of color have just as much talent, and it’s great that because of the Rooney Rule, more minorities will get the chance to be interviewed for coaching jobs.

Twain and Reconstruction

After finishing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as well as discussing the Reconstruction period in class, I noticed that Twain reflected in his book the social issues that came with this period after the Civil War.  Twain finished the book approximately 20 years after the war was over.  Slaves were “free” by this time.  Yes, they were indeed free (as of the thirteenth amendment).  However, I feel like Twain hinted the truth of that time that while by law slaves were free, they still certainly did not have equal rights.  Black Americans during the time may have been free in a technical sense, but they did not have the same freedoms; Black codes (defined in Foner as “laws passed by the new Southern governments that attempted to regulate the lives of former slaves”) were enforced, and they could not vote.  Twain showed how Tom took advantage of Jim and mistreated him  (knowing all along that Jim was actually free).  However, in the end, such mistreatment causes other characters to acknowledge Jim as a worthy human being.  Reflecting on the entire book, it is evident how Twain portrayed Jim how probably many “free blacks” at the time felt; free in a legal sense, but not necessarily by society’s standards.

Looking at the immense segregation that followed the 13th amendment, clearly blacks were not equal.  How do you believe Twain's constructed world, the way Jim is seen by society, parallels the issues that would evolve during the Reconstruction era and the time to follow?

Jim was free all along?!

Last week, we have finished Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  After finishing the book, a few thoughts came to mind, some that were particularly frustrating (please note, I am not trying to devalue the book—it was definitely a good read).  But I’m not here to write a summary of the book (those who haven’t read it can do so or can look online for a summary).  However, the frustration I felt was the realization that most of the actions done by Jim and Huck were done, in hindsight, for no actual purpose.  It was a troubling aspect that a lot of what they did was for potentially no reason.  Throughout Huck and Jim’s journey, Jim had to be careful of who say him, and what he was “allowed to do” because of his black identity, set by society’s standards.  In the end, we find out that Jim has technically been a free man all throughout the adventure when Tom reveals that he has known all along that Miss Watson has been dead for two months, and that she freed Jim in her will.  That whole entire time when Jim was constantly cautious about being caught as a “runaway slave”, he was actually free!  To me, that was frustrating because I seemed to sympathize for Jim.  I felt sorry for all the masking, hiding and what not, he had to do because of his identity; especially since morally Jim seemed to be the only decent human being in the end...  

Success?

Recently in the news, Chinese mother, Amy Chua, published the book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”, as well as an essay titled “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”.  In her piece, she mentions how she chose to raise her two daughters, and how it was “successful”.  Yeah academically I wouldn’t doubt it.  Both daughters, Sophia and Louisa (Lulu), (currently 18 and 13) never got a grade below an A (they “weren’t allowed to”, according to Chua).

In her book, she talks about her parenting style, why it “worked”, and why she thinks it is better than the “permissive Western parenting style”.  To say Chua is a strict parent is an understatement.  Talk about a parent who doesn’t allow their kids to have playdates, watch TV or play computer games, choose their own extracurricular activity, etc (click on the article above for more specifics).  Her daughters were raised to focus strongly on schoolwork and were required to play piano and violin (they were not allowed to play any other instrument) hours each day.

Throughout her piece, at least from what I could tell, she seems assume all Chinese parents are like her.  Maybe not to such extreme, but nonetheless that this is the “Chinese” way.

I cannot believe any mother would raise their children like this.  To infringe on their freedoms and basically take away the normal childhood seems wrong.  Reading this one particular story made me particularly mad.  It went like this:  Amy Chua was celebrating her birthday with her husband and two daughters, 7 and 4 at the time, when they gave her a handmade birthday card.

"More accurately, it was a piece of paper folded crookedly in half, with a big happy face on the front. Inside, 'Happy Birthday, Mummy! Love, Lulu' was scrawled in crayon above another happy face. I gave the card back to Lulu. 'I don't want this,' I said. 'I want a better one – one that you've put some thought and effort into. I have a special box, where I keep all my cards from you and Sophia, and this one can't go in there.' I grabbed the card again and flipped it over. I pulled out a pen and scrawled 'Happy Birthday Lulu Whoopee!' I added a big sour face. … 'I reject this.'" [an excerpt from her book]

I am in shock that any parent would do this to her children.  Her whole parenting style seems too much, in my opinion.  It seems like she is raising robots.  Yeah maybe her style would be okay if all we wanted were flawless brains.  But the interesting thing about humans is their characteristics, their individual interests, beliefs.  And not allowing children to try new things (school plays, sports, etc.) seems to be depriving them.  Clearly “success” is defined in many different ways, but do you think this the “successful” way to raise a child?

Are Faster Trains Worth the Cost?

Last week, in Obama’s State of the Union Address, he stressed how the United States must “out innovate, out educate and out build” in order to “win the future”.  Living in such a competitive time, Obama believes we must advance in our technology and research in order to compete with such countries as China and India.  One way he wishes to do so is by building high-speed rail.  While I agree that innovation is key for such competitive world we live in, I do not necessarily think high-speed trains are worth it.  He mentions how China “is building faster trains”, and calls to the attention that we Americans, who first built the transcontinental railroad, must improve our system.  He states, “Within 25 years our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high speed rail.”  While it would be nice or cool to have the fastest trains in the world, I do not believe it would be that beneficial.  In fact, with so many alternate ways to get to work, many people don’t even use the trains that much. Yes, there are definitely some who ride the train to work everyday.  Yet, with all of the highways that are easily accessible and our extensive airport system, train travel seems to be fine as it is.  It’s sufficient enough, in my opinion. 

In fact, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin cancelled a high-speed rail project in his state.

“Walker argued that Wisconsin didn't need $810 billion for a 78-mile line between Madison and Milwaukee because there's already a transportation artery — Interstate 94 — that enables people to get from one city to the other in a little more than an hour."

And for us Chicagoans, we should “consider the $1.1 billion track improvement on the Chicago-St. Louis line in Illinois. It would reduce travel time between the cities by 48 minutes, but the trip would still take over four and a half hours at an average speed of 62 miles per hour.”

Driving to St. Louis really doesn’t take much longer than this proposed train system.  Although I frequently drive there for field hockey tournaments, I’m not quite sure if a good amount of people travel between the two cities enough for it to be beneficial.

Therefore, I do not think it would be worth the money to create the fastest trains.  However, maybe if I rode the train more often I would think differently.  I would be curious to see what other people think, or how much a difference you think it would make?

Meta Post II

Overall, I feel blogging has become easier for me this quarter.  First quarter, I had trouble coming up with topics to blog about, and sometimes rushed to come up with a post. Last quarter, I feel like I only blogged when I felt like I had a strong enough or interesting enough topic.  However, that was also a negative factor because I sometimes waited over a week to blog.  Although I still have a fair amount of posts, next semester I definitely want to work on blogging more frequently and consistently.

I have to admitt, at first I really dreaded blogging.  I think the reason was because I was so nervous about putting my opinion out there, and worried what people would think.  However, if there’s one thing that I know we’ve been taught over and over this year, it is that “writing is a process”, and there’s only room for improvement.  The more practice I get, the better I will become at writing.  While sometimes it can be scary and nerve-wrecking putting your opinion out there, it only helps.  Take peer editing, for example.  Once I write a rough draft, I’m always a bit hesitant about having others read my work.  However, getting their feedback only helps me grow as a writer.  I feel like blogging is so great about that.  While with blogging people aren’t necessarily critiquing your writing style, they still are reading your opinion and responding to it, either to agree or disagree. 

Speaking of people’s responses, I used to only think it was “good” if people commented “agreeing” with my opinion.  However, now I realize I prefer when people disagree or challenge my view, because it makes it more interesting and really gets me to think, and see the issue at different perspectives.  That is the great thing about blogging; the opportunity to have virtually any internet-user to comment on your writing.  However, if I want classmates to comment more on my posts, I realize that I myself need to step it up and comment more on theirs.  I feel like commenting is an important aspect to the blogging world, and I would like to be better connected to that “world” by commenting more next semester.

Looking back at my “Meta Post” from first quarter, I had three main goals.  One was “creating more concise and to-the-point posts”.  Reflecting back on last quarters’ posts, I think I only somewhat achieved this goal.  I have definitely had some that are shorter, but some have been a bit lengthy.  However, for the most part, I feel the longer ones were the length they needed to be to get my point across and to provide adequate proof. 

Another goal I had after first quarter was to “extend the conversation”.  Once again, I feel like I have improved on this some, but still find it something I want to continue to work on.  For example, second quarter I had more comments on my posts, some of which led to a debate.  In my “The Price of Awareness” post regarding a high school football player who was kicked of the team for wearing pink cleats in support of breast cancer, people commented on whether it was right for the coach to do so or not.  One person agreed with my viewpoint in that the boy’s civil liberties were violated, while another took the coach’s side.  And more recently I blogged about “Teen Pregnancy and the Media”.  After mentioning a specific area where teenage pregnancy is so high and showing one reason people think it’s so high is because the media seems to “glamorize” it through shows like “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant”.  I ended the post with the following:

“That mom argues that these teenagers are getting so much attention over a controversial topic.  Do you believe it is morally right to give such attention to these girls?”

By posing a question for the audience to respond with really opened up a conversation.  One person allowed me to see the issue in a completely different light by giving a statistic that such TV shows actually “helps them [teenagers] better understand the challenges…and why they should avoid it.”

My last goal from first quarter was to vary my topic choice, and I feel like I’ve done that.  I’ve written about strictly class discussion topics, as well as pop culture posts.  I’ve written serious posts, and some that are more fun.  I think having a variety is important, and I hope to continue writing all different types of posts next semester.

As this semester ends, it is hard to believe how much I’ve grown as a writer.  While I still have plenty to improve on, I am thankful for the chance to practice blogging all next semester.  A process is a "continuous action", and this writing process is one that I plan to continue working on, and to strive for improvement.

*Doc OC and Mr. Bolos-- Please read "Teen Pregnancy and The Media".  Thanks!

Teen Pregnancy and The Media

When I opened up my Yahoo! homepage, the article “High school dealing with 90 pregnancies” caught my eye.  I clicked on the video to find out more.  After watching and reading the article from Yahoo!, out of interest, I further researched the issue.  I was shocked that within this school year, so far, 90 girls have gotten pregnant or had a baby at Frayser High School in Memphis, Tennessee.  (To see the teen birth rates across the US, click on this map). 

The article goes on to say that while Memphis already has a pretty high teen pregnancy rate (15-20%), at this particular school, the rate is 26%. 

While there are many factors to take into account on why more and more teens are getting pregnant, Deborah Hester Harrison, the executive direct of Memphis’ Girls, Inc., partly blames the media.

“It’s no surprise that Harrison places at least part of the blame on the media, such as the popular MTV shows ‘16 and Pregnant’ and ‘Teen Mom.’”

While I haven’t seen enough episodes to make a complete judgement, from what I have, these shows seem to glamorize teen pregnancy.  In fact, recently I have noticed that more and more articles in "Us Weekly" are about "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom".  Here is just one mom’s response to the media.

“Farrah. Maci. Catelynn. Amber. We know these teens by name. We see them not only on TV but also on the covers of magazines, entertainment blogs and pretty much everywhere we look. Their celebrity status rivals that of any rock star. The bad decisions these teens made have been rewarded with fame and attention. There’s a concern that impressionable young girls will want to emulate these pretty girls who get as much exposure as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Angelina Jolie.”

That mom argues that these teenagers are getting so much attention over a controversial topic.  Do you believe it is morally right to give such attention to these girls?

1/11/11

1.11.11
January 11th, 2011.  Today's date is significant to a lot of people.  But also insignificant to others.  It's some peoples birthdays (shout out  to Carolyn), some peoples anniversaries.  But besides those who have a reason to celebrate, this day seems special to a lot of people.  Whatever the reason, superstitions or maybe number-obsessed (Haha I must say, I think I fall into that category), the date seems cool.  When really, only 10 days ago the date repeated the same number (1/1/11).

Dates with number repetition or patterns sometimes hold historical significance.  On 1/23/45 Hungary withdrew from WWII.  08/08/08 was the start of the Beijing Olympics, in which the opening ceremony began around 8 p.m. (and in China, the number 8 is considered lucky).  For runners, 10/10/10 was the Chicago Marathon.

Will today's date hold historical significance for years to come?  According to this article, perhaps Verizon's 11 a.m. iPhone announcement will go down in history."  In fact, if you use google images and type in "1.11.11",  this picture comes up... =>

So, for you, is this day significant or just a normal day?  Just something to ponder...

The Significance of Names

Last week when discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Doc OC pointed out the significance of the character’s names.

 

Judge Thatcher

Miss Watson

Widow Douglass

Huck

Tom

Jim

The fact that all adults besides Jim have a proper title in front of them shows how people were viewed at the time; Jim was a black slave, so he wasn’t called by a more proper name.  Huck and Tom were also referred to by informal names because they are children. Thus far in the book, it seems that Twain is drawing a comparison between Huck’s youth and Jim’s status as a black man; they both are vulnerable.  However, since Huck is white, according to society, he has power over Jim.  One example of this at the end of chapter 9, when Huck and Jim are canoeing back to the island: “It was pretty broad day; so I made Jim lay down in the canoe and cover up with the quilt, because if he set up, people could tell he was a nigger a good ways off.” (44)  Jim’s status as a black slave causes people to respect him less than a white child.  I think Twain’s specificity with naming the characters helps us readers better understand society’s views during his time.  

Athletes vs. Firefighters

Last week, we discussed our American culture, and what seems to be valued in our society today.  Many people agreed that celebrities are more valued.  Take professional athletes, for example.  Professional athletes are among the highest paid people in the United States.  In a country where money and status mean a lot, what does this say about our values?  According to the “Top 20 highest paid athletes” article in Forbes Magazine’s June 2009 issue, Tiger Woods is the highest paid athlete of the world (as of 2009), with a annual income of $110 million.  Compare that to firefighters, for example.  The average income for that career is under $60,000 a year.  While obviously not all athletes are paid as much as Tiger, most, if not all, professional athletes do get paid more than a firefighter.  A firefighter saves peoples lives.  Athletes make peoples lives more interesting.  What do these salaries say about our values?  Is it morally right to pay a sports star more than someone whose job is to help others?

Toy Story 3

Over winter break, I had a chance to watch a few movies with my younger brother.  One that I had never seen before was Toy Story 3.  (For those of you who haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.)  The movie is about the same boy Andy, but now he is all grown up and Woody, Buzz, and his other toys are no longer played with, but stored away in a chest.  He is 17 and headed off for college, and his mom is making him clean out his room.  Now that he is going to college, he feels like he has to be this adult that no longer cares for his toys.  He is torn on what he should do with the toys; throw them away or store them in the attic (minus Woody, which he plans on taking to college).  Andy feels pressure to grow up fast, and tries convincing not only others, but also himself, that he shouldn’t care about the toys.  However, by the end, he ends up giving his toys to a family friend, a little girl who he knows will take good care of his toys.  When he gives them to her, he describes each and every toy, and how important and special they are to him.  He makes the girl promise to take good care of them.  By this point he realizes that just because he may be going off to college, doesn’t mean he has to stop caring about childish things that meant so much to him. It doesn’t necessarily mean he has to rush into adulthood.  And even though he still cares for his toys doesn’t necessarily make him a child either.  Just because we get older, doesn’t mean we have to forget about things that meant the world to us as children.