Monday, November 29, 2010

Back to 1983 for a Day !

The going back to 1983 project , was assigned to us by Lia Muller my environmental science teacher for a day during the thanksgiving break. When Lia first discussed the assignment I was slightly excited to see how it would actually turn out,and if it would change my view on communication items(i.e cellphones, laptops, house phones)etc. But as we were let out for break I continuously pushed back the day on which I would actually complete the assignment. I would always counter up some excuse as to why today wasn't a good day , and maybe tomorrow would be better. By the time I knew it it was thanksgiving day and I figured it would be the best day to complete the assignment seeing that there are tons of things to keep me busy throughout the day. I believe the hardest thing to get rid of for a full day was my cell phone, in between cooking and cleaning I would always reach for my phone to do a quick Facebook check before it was time to take the cakes out, or reply to a few text before I was instructed to do something else. But NO I was phone less , and felt disconnected from the world. Although, I never seen myself as someone addicted to there phone, I seen myself fening for just 5mins of talking to someone, or reading someones status. I found myself having to hide my phone just so I wouldn't be successful in picking up my phone if I couldn't take it any longer. The most difficult part of this assignment and picking to do it on that specific day was that everyone was at my house enjoying there different conversations via, text msg, phone calls, Internet, etc, and all I could do is wait until Friday to catch up on everything I missed the day before. The entertainment part came easy for me at first I began reading my book , then talking to my family but quickly that turned boring. I began helping out more around the house and in the kitchen , but that became boring also. I tried napping but it didn't take up enough hours for the day. I reluctantly began at 8am Thursday morning and couldn't take it anymore by 9:34pm. Thursday night.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

History Reflection

When going on to college I would want to have Franklin D. Roosevelt as a professor at my university because he is such a stronger speaker, he had genuinely good suggestions and ideas, and he spoke words of inspiration. He also was very loved by our country which means I would most likely not have such a hard time loving him as a professor myself.

When first coming into term as the United States 32 president America was going through the great depression, a time where everyone had began to loose all hope. Around 15 million people were unemployed; families began to be kicked out of their homes. Farmers began to loose there land, and families were forced to sleep in shacks. There also was a shortage of food due to the dust bowl that came through ruining most of the crops. Once the banks began to fail many families lost their whole life savings, and sent America into a very depressing state.

Roosevelt had very inspiring words that lifted many spirits. By this time many people had gave up, and were exhausted by the poor conditions of the United States at the time. But FDR came along and said “this great nation will endure as it has endured, will receive and will prosper. So, first of all let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” with that one line it gave so many people hope, that believed that there was going to be change.

He promised that he was going to take a hand on approach at things and he did just as he said. He began to slowly put back together the economy by building jobs and new laws to protect the people, such as the New deal and the Social Security Act.
I would like to have him as a professor because he seems as if he has a lot of wisdom that would be important for me to learn. He also would have experienced a lot of the major things in history that connect to the state of the economy today as well so back then. He knows a lot about wars since he lead us through most of World War II. FDR would be able to tell us a story about what he was first thinking when the bombs dropped in the Hawaii island in December 7th 1941. He was a natural born leader so he would be able to have a strong control over his class. FDR would have had to been very organized as a thinker in order to get good ideas out that he could actually fall threw on.

His speeches were very uplifting which leads me to believe that he had an overall nice personality or at least a genuine side to him. This would be good for me if I ever needed to discuss with him about a grade or assignment, he would at lease allow me to voice my opinion. He seemed to have a optimistic view on some of the more negative things in life, like when he said “No matter how long it takes us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” In his speech to the congress a day after the attack on the Hawaii Islands. This was something that was very shocking and devastating for many Americans but still with his words of wisdom he was able to come and ensure the people that everything would be alright. That would be just the person I need to get me through college.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Literary Reflections

If I were to take any character from the novels we've read this year, with me to college I would most likely take with me Tom Joad from Grapes of Wrath by John Stienback. When we are first introduced to Tom Joad in chapter two he catches a ride with a truck driver who was reluctant to let him in. He persuades the man into giving him a ride by saying “Sometimes a guy'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker". I like the way Tom chose his words wise enough to get the reaction from the truck driver he wanted. If Tom was to go to college with me I would get the benefits of his persecution skills. For an example it would be easy for us to be invited to parties and events, and if they weren’t he could persuade them to let us in. If I hand around him enough I too will pick up the persuading skill and be able to word my words correctly to get what I want.

He also had a very good first impression to me, when Tom said " "Homicide," quickly that’s a big word means I killed a guy. seven years im sprung in four for keepin my nose clean" in pg. 13 it seemed to me as if he was a very straight forward guy and he had nothing really to hide. This to me is something that shows a lot about a person’s true self. When first interacting with a person is when you normally make your first decision as to what kind of person they are and if there is a chance at a good friendship. I am someone who is very straight forward I and who appreciates honesty. I have things in my past that I am not so proud of and things that Im sure in college I will do that wont be the best decision and if I have a friend like Tom Joad there to talk to, without hiding facts or parts of the story would be very helpful to get through college a little less stressed.

He also is a very outspoken person who always voices his opinion, or idea no matter what it is. Like when he said "Seems like the government's got more interest in a dead man than a live one.” He didn’t care if Jim or Ma agreed with what he was saying he just felt the need to voice his opinion about something that he felt wasn’t right. I am the same way, I voice my opinion rather or not someone agrees with me. I would enjoy Tom being there in college so that we can have conversations about the different things that are going on in the world that we don’t think are right. It also shows that he isn’t a pushover and that neither he nor I will be “bullied” through college because of our outspoken personalities.

Overall Tom Joad would be a good person to have around during college, rather it be just for conversation, parties, or a friend to lean on.

Monday, May 24, 2010

SemesterTWO: WWII Letter

Dearest Mama,

How are things back home in New York? I miss you and Charlotte more than ever. I received a letter from her couple months ago said she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. I hope you have been keeping yourself busy and checking your health like the doctor said. It’s been a whole year since I’ve last heard from you and a lot has changed since then.


They finally moved me from working out there on them roads and cleaning hospitals. I got the chance to go to a school called the Tuskegee Institute. It’s a training ground for only us negros to be trained as pilots in the Army Air Corps. Yes, mama I’m going to be flying them big ole planes. You might have heard bout congress passing that civilian Pilot Training act back in June, well since the passed that I was trained to become a pilot then took the civilian pilot exam test in March. Once I passed my exam I started training out at the Montgomery airport until they approved the Tuskegee Kennedy field for us to practice flying on.

Back when I was working in the military hospitals cleaning rooms and serving foods I ran into a lot of racist bastards but also a lot of brave men. Some of the wounds and stories they have told me about the frontline give me nightmares. They say if things keep going as steadily as they have been they might have to begin drafting in more soldiers. I guess they desperate for men out there on them battlefields, I heard from one of my pals that there planning to put some of us negros out there on the front lines with the other white soldiers. The south is so much different out here from back home mama, but the weather isn’t much different its been around 65 degrees. The weather here is generally mild in the spring and fall but hot in the summer. temperature can be in the mid-30’s during winter to the low 100's in the summer.

there are so many people that say and do such hurtful things to us cause the way we look. Sometimes when were being transported we aren’t allowed in certain parts of Alabama because of the ignorant whites that like to give us a hard time. Once we were ordered to sleep outside in troop tents while over 180 German prisoners slept in barracks. I guess as long as there skin isn’t colored there still seen as better than us.


I don’t understand how they can look at us so different, aren’t we all Americans?
It took a lot for them to finally convince the war department to let us fly In battle there are still many people against the idea of us negros flying out there but I am set to depart out in May. I am scared that something will go wrong and this will be the last time you hear from me So I just wanted you to know that I love you and think about you every day. Please continue to pray for me

-Your son



Saturday, May 22, 2010

Post Trail

1. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution. Include relevant witnesses and testimony.

John Adams:

-He believed in a fair trail, he defended the soldiers during the Boston Massacre even though he didn’t necessarily agree with there ways.

-Failure of the Alien Sedition Act


The act was passed June 18, 1798, it failed 1802 because it was unconstitutional. The act removed all power from state agencies regarding the prosecution of illegal aliens for violent behavior.


-Proposition 187

California Proposition 187 was passed in 1994 to create a state-run citizenship screening system and to stop illegal immigrants from using health care, public education, and other social services in The State of California


James Madison:

-Amendments 5, 6 and 14 / Bill of Rights

(5) No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

(6) In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

(14) All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.



2. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the defense. Include relevant witnesses and testament

-Alien Seduction Act how it was very similar to the same thing we were experiencing with senate bill 1070.

illegal immigrants are increasing violence

The president Jan Brewer was talking about how the law isn't racial profiling, and that police are getting training so that they don't use just race as finding out who a illegal immigrant is. But she didn't know exactly what to train them to determine if they were a illegal immigrant or not.

3. What was the most significant piece of evidence, in your personal opinion?

Proposition 187 because, it has so many similarities as to the very same bill that we were all debating about ,and when the prosecution was presenting the evidence it seemed like it was a simple case of history completing itself. And if people over ruled it then why would’t they overrule a law so similar. Therefore I felt this was a good piece of evidence to help out the case.



4. What was the most significant argument made, in your opinion?

I think the most significant argument made was on the defense side about how they can be unsafe and if they can’t be trailed as a citizen that it would be hard to keep Americans safe. I liked this evidence because it was one that made me think differently about the way that I felt towards the case already.



5. What do you personally believe the correct verdict should be? Do you agree with the jury? Why or why not?

I think that the Prosecution should have won because I feel they had more of a variety of evidence from history that shows our country fighting for fair trail and for everyone to have freedom and justice. And they made it clear that look at history repeating itself and we must learn from history instead of repeat it.

I think I deserve a __45_ out of 50 points because I feel that I did a good job as a witness during the trail; I worked very closely and efficiently with the lawyers bringing evidence in and researching history and background for my person. However I failed to be significantly prepared for the questions that the defense side asked me, I also took notes and scripted everything that I needed to say for the actual trail which was probably not that best idea .When I was reading the script it was hard for people to hear and it was unclear for them to understand what it was I was saying because I was looking down. I feel that even though I didn’t deliverer as good as I would have liked to do I still did a great deal of good work that can be representing in physical work. I also learned a lot from the whole trail process through research and communicating about different history events that helped out the overall trail.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Semester TWO: Honors Blog

During both World War I and World War II Germany fought against Great Britain, France, Russia and The United States. Germany lost in both wars and had land taken away from it. In the First World War Turkey had a genocide going against Armenians and during the second war Germany had a genocide going against Jews? It seems to be as if World War I had some sort of influence on World War II, although WWI was mainly a war between countries and WWII was more based on Fascism and Communism, it is safe to say that there are many connections between both of the world wars, with the second war ending in more causalities and damage than the first. Both wars play a major role in the way our Economic, Political, and Social systems are ran, here in the United States and also in places around the world that weren’t directly involved in both wars.

Because of these two wars new countries were formed such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia formed in 1918. There was also Greece, Poland, Finland and a few others. Not only were there new countries formed but there were countries completely destroyed. These are all countries that we visit, live in, and love, which would have been completely different without World War I and II being involved. Many of the economical deals that United States has with other countries such as Japan, France, and Germany wouldn’t have been possible without both of these world wars. In today’s time we conduct a lot of business deals with the three countries named above. Before the world wars and the peace treaties that came after them it would have been nearly impossible for us to do trade materials and supplies with Japan with it having an Empire and having different rules and morals than our country it would be hard for agreements to be made. Because of the world wars Japan and Germany has done almost a complete 360 as far as the government making it possible for The United States to have the everyday supplies we use today such as technologies, food, cars, and shoes.


A lot of political affairs also come from WWI and WWII. Many terms that we are familiar with today was influenced or established between the two World wars. After WWI in 1981 a group called the League of Nations was established as a result of the treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations was created to prevent war through collective security, disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Another thing it was there for was to control related treaties included labor conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, trafficking in persons and drugs, arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe. The League of Nations failed because lack of a strong defense army in 1946. League of nation is very similar to what we know today to be as the United Nations. We also got many diplomacy’s established resulting in the two wars that are heavily influenced in today’s political views, a few being The Dollar Diplomacy where if a nation wants American investments then they must act in our best interest at mind. The Moral Diplomacy where we only engage with countries who share the same morals as us. An example of this is towards the beginning of World War I where the United States cut off many of Japans supplies because they were acting in ways that United States didn’t agree with. The same thing is happening currently with United States and Cuba. The United States refuse to engage with Cuba because our Countries do not share the same morals, which is the same thing as the Moral Diplomacy.
2. You are a soldier in (choose one of the following groups): Tuskegee Airmen, 442 Regimental Combat Team, Navajo Code Talkers.

Write a letter to a friend or family member. Think of what might be in a letter like this: it would be on a specific date & from a specific city. this letter might describe your hopes, feelings, expectations, fears, etc. It might reference current events (or, then-current events), technology, or politicians. It might describe people, places, settings, technology and more. It might include the other person's life, perspective or questions. In fact, the person the letter is written to might be one of the people on that list!

Post the basic info for your letter to your blog on Tuesday, 4/27 before 11:59:59 pm. This basic info includes:
1. who you are & how you decided
I decided that I was going to be writing in the view of a Tuskegee airman during the beginning years of World War II. I decided that I wanted to be a Tuskegee airmen when Randy first introduced there role in the war. I also took a glance at a letter in a book that was written buy a black male about how he was fighting in two different wars which was segregation and in the world war that was going on. After reading that I thought of how my brothers and family members might have felt back then fighting the same war as other white men but getting treaty not as equally.

2. research! including specific links and the major topics, people, & info in your letter.
-(http://letter.ie/0008/0001.html) Here is a Link of a letter from a American Soldier . although he wasnt a tuskeege or african american soldier his letter is a example of what I would like to do with the attached pictures.

-(http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/Tuskegee_Airmen_History.html)
-(http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/uploads/nameslist.pdf)




3. an overview of the tone & ideas of your letter.
I want my letter to be written to the solders mother , wife , or family member. In the letter I want the solider to be talking about the different things they are going threw, observations and fears that they have about fighting in the war. I also want to discuss some of my soldiers concerns once he comes home and sees how things are going to change and how the war is going to affect his family and friends back home.
4. more???
I was thinking that I wanted to take a picture of what the Tuskegee airman would have possibly attached , into my envelope as more of a personal touch as maybe one would write if they there was a chance they would never see there family again.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Semester DOS, Blog #14


1. What are the most interesting aspects of World Wars 1 and 2?
I like learning about the Holocaust parts of it , and also some of the major causes of it. and what land belongs to who because of both of them.


2. What do you hope to learn about these wars?
the different technologies that were made during the time , also the bombs that were dropped more details about little boy and big boy bombs. I would also like to learn more about the Nueburg trail and the things that went on after WWII . Another thing that would be interesting for me to learn about is the Tuskegee airmen and the other black armies that were established back then. My father and family all have Tuskegee jackets and we always talk about the Tuskegee men being a strong role model in the black mans life so learning why is something I would enjoy .


3. How/Why are these wars important today? How do they impact and/or inform our world today? hint: think about alliances, democracies around the world, cultures, international institutions, nuclear (and other) technologies, etc.
From what I know so far these two wars have made huge impacts on the way that America is sort of structured now a days. A example of this is like that weapons of mass destructuion rule that they have where countiries can have only certin weapons and there are people who go and check on other countries to make sure that they are following the guidelines.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Semester TWO: Honors Novel 2

The Great Depression brought about a lot of migration, many families began to migrate towards California to find jobs, and food. During the grapes of wrath we get to see two different prospective of this happening. In the novel we are introduced to the Joad family where we explore the different trials and tribulations they endured the great depression.

The Joad family lived on a farm in Oklahoma ,once the stock market crashed and the dust bowl era came about there was no chance for them to survive on there land. The dust bowl demolished the crops leaving there farm worthless. They began trying to sell prized possessions but the economy was so bad that people barely had money for food, so they couldn’t buy “luxury items”. Since there was no money coming in they were unable to pay the bank for their home which caused the house to be foreclosed.

Because of the dust bowl everyone was struggling to keep afloat. There was talk about better opportunities in San Diego so many families began to migrate
In the book we are shown a pattern of reality and exaggerated reality, it starts off with the reality of the 1930’s with a description of the scenery. “In the roads where the teams moved, where the wheels milled the ground and the hooves of the horses beat the ground, the dirt crust broke and the dust formed. Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air: a walking man lifted a thin layer as high as his waist, and a wagon lifted the dust as high as the fence tops, and an automobile boiled a cloud behind it. The dust was long in settling back again. The next chapter zooms into the Joad family where we get a first hand view of a migrant family’s experience. “In the little houses the tenant people sifted their belongings and the belongings of their fathers and of their grandfathers, Picked over their possessions for the journey to the west. The men were ruthless because the past had been spoiled, but the women knew how the past would cry to them in the coming days. The men went into the barns and the sheds.

The way that this book was set up gives the reader both sides of the story. In the reality chapters of the book we get a first hand view of just how bad everything was during the 1930’s. In the zoomed out chapters we can make a connection between our life and how it could have been affected during that time period. I feel it was important for Steinbeck to write the book with this specific pattern because its easy for you to understand the theme of the book and also connect to the characters in order to understand the book as a whole. Having the reality, exaggerated reality pattern also kept the book interesting. There was always some kind of thinking happening between chapters as we learned background descriptive information about the reality of the great depressions, we also see some of what could have be reality of the great depression.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Amperstand Final Draft

Jasmine Jackson
I absorbed many different skills from completing a whole year of kinder garden, probably some of the most important do’s and don’ts of my high school year reflects back to it. As much as I like to say I learned during my kinder garden year has no comparison to what I learned during my three week internship experience as a kinder garden teacher assistant. I am proud to say I learned the key to a successful life, home, and job is patience.

Patience seems to be the only skill one would need in order to endure the stress that comes while dealing with kids, teens or people in general. Listen closely as I take you through a few of my memories to explore the many annoyances one may experience when working with kinder gardeners. From the constant shoe tying, tattling, line cutting, arguing, fighting and the worst of them all, the finger in the nose while confused on something just said. Yes, yes the booger finger. If you can survive two days of working in a kinder garden class, I feel confident that you are prepared to endure the stress of the “real world”.

“Miss Jasmine, Miss Jasmine” “yes Kevin S” I reply. “Uhm my shoe came untied again “Well let’s see, I carefully pull up the two strings loop then cross them over and under big bow, then little bow. I glance up to check if he watched the whole process. Not a chance seems that the ant next to his hand had more importance than learning a lifetime skill. I dust the dirt off of my denim jeans, take a sip from my coffee and continue with my set task. They say one of the easiest ways to deal with constant shoe tying is to teach them the skill so they can do it themselves. This can become extremely hard if your student has a 2-3 second attention span. But wait, the headache doesn’t began at the constant shoe tying , the throbbing begins at the consistent bickering between classmates.

“Miss Jasmine Miss Jasmine” yes I mumble never looking up from my scissors and worksheets. “She cut in front of me at recess today” yelled one of my students angrily. “Nun Huh” yelled the defendant “I was there first” she stated defensively. “No I was there first then you cut me.” The plaintiff clarified. “Girls Girls” my mentor thankfully interrupted. “Please have a seat on the rug it is time for phonics.” I sip my coffee and exhale a deep breath. They say the best way to deal with tattling and fighting between students is to try and understand each point before making a decision. This is something that can also be a hard task when one is not use to being a judge. Just when your headache begins to progress the breaking point of your day will take its toll experiencing the horror of the booger finger.

Tap Tap Tap, “Teacher” one of my students confusingly says. “Which one do I color . . .” I look up from the apple laptop and over my left shoulder. Oh no please not the finger in the nose. My face went blank as I tried to focus on the question he asked. I looked at him with confusion. He slowly takes his finger out of his nose and places it on the table then taps me again once he notice I wasn’t paying attention.“Would this triangle be red or blue”? I shake the vision of the slimy green finger touching my shoulder and answer his question. “This triangle would be blue”. I sip my coffee, and exhale a deep breath.

Even the worst situations of them all can be contained with patience. This is where the headache is fully blown and unstoppable. Your day is over and there is no way to turn back the hands on the clock. However there is tomorrow, you’ll come in ready to deal with the constant shoe tying, tattling, line cutting, arguing, fighting and the worst of them all, the finger in the nose while confused on something just said. Then the next day and the day after that will all come together like clockwork. This is when the patience develops. Once you are able to deal with constant shoe tying, tattling, line cutting, arguing, fighting and booger picking. You are successfully read to deal with late co workers, needy bosses, bickering patients or whatever the “real life” sweeps your way, you will be prepared.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Semester TWO ; Honor's Novel One

The novel was about a troubled African American girl Jada who goes from “crack addict ,prostitute then a somewhat “survivor” The book has many twist ,it starts up as a love story, then transfers to a little bit tragic , still full of surprises and unseen truths. The novel sort of celebrates a urban tradition while exposing the hardships that urban America goes through, how caught up in the drug world one can be, and what happens when they try to get out of it.


Drugs were Tracy Brown’s main idea for the book most of his ideas were based on or around drugs.He uses Jada the main character’s personal experiences like different literary devices as a symbol/metaphor to show how black American is ruled by two similar things drugs and money.Tracy Brown is using drugs in connection to something that each person chase after that falls under the same umbrella as “materialism” that each person can personally relate to. For an example in the book drugs gave people power, respect, and control .Tracy brown makes the connection between money and drugs using it as a symbol “We all chase after something rather it is drugs, happiness, love or money”. Having a lot of money can lead to power, respect, and control. Same as to drugs you can be on the “pro” side of the drug world will lead you to power respect and control.


In the novel we see Jada be on both sides of the pro and cons list of the drug world. She starts off struggling desperately as she is addicted to some of the most hardcore drugs out at the time she did humane things in order to feed her habit. She believed that while on drugs she could have a better grip on her life. The drugs gave her a sense of control, while on drugs she could control when she was happy and when she dealt with the problems of her world. Without the drugs she was a normal person who was controlled by destiny. This links back to Tracy browns metaphor between money and drugs. When one has money they have a sense of control. You can buy what you would like, go where you would like, pay off anyone you would like. Having money gives a person a lot of power and respect. Without money it is easy for one to get depressed, looked down on or trampled over. The way that our economy is, the richer the person the higher standard they are seen as. The same thing goes for the “drug king and queens”in my novel.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Semester TWO : Blog 10

Do you believe that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the plight of Dust Bowl farmers? Why or why not?


I think that it did a pretty good attempt at making me feel pretty sympathetic for the farmers. The way that that Steinbeck explains how everything is going on seems like it is slightly overly told, and its hard for me to connect with the farmers grief because the way its wrote makes it desperate for me to feel sympatic. Its like when you see homeless people on the streets and there begging for your sympathy and they have signs and things that are trying grasp your attention and somewhat hit you soft spot. I feel that is what Steinbeck was doing and it somewhat hit my soft spot but didn't make me wanna give up my money to help sorta thing.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

SM2 : Honors History Writing : 1

Dear President Obama,
I am writing you to discuss some of the current troubles we are facing economically today. Our troubles have many similarities with some of the troubles that were faced during the 1930’s in the great depression. There are a few a main points I would like to talk about, what lead up to “the great depression”, what lead up to what some call “the great Recession”, FDR’s way of fixing the depression, and some ideas as to how we can fix our current recession
There were 5 major causes for the great depression, one of the top being the crash of the stock market October 29, 1929. The stock market crash occurred on Black Tuesday, October 29. Two months after the crash stockholders lost more than $40 billion dollars. The market began to regain some of the 40 billion dollars but it was not enough leaving American in what we call the great depression.
Another huge one was the Bank failures throughout the time period over 9,000 banks failed. Bank deposits were uninsured and people began to lose their money the Surviving banks, however stopped creating new loans.
As they fell deeper into the crisis businesses began to fail drastically. People started to cut back on spending their money on pointless items .This charged a high tax for imports leading to less trade between America and other foreign countries.
When people lost their jobs, they were unable to keep up with paying for things previously bought and many of their items were repossessed. A lot of inventory started to accumulate. This raised the unemployment rate above 25% which lead to even, less spending which worsen the economic situation.
A lot of the same things are reoccurring in today’s recession. In usually, the rate of jobless people remains steady every month. But lately there has been a constant, steep rise in that number with over 10 percent of people unemployed
Before the recession hit the economy was booming there were new inventions and lots of money being spent helping our economy grow rapidly Since the economy was booming mortgage brokers enticed big commissions, and talked buyers with poor credit into leasing houses with mortgages with little or no down payment, they also didn’t have proper tax documentation and credit checks This all back fired when people when the interstate went up 2 percent people didn’t have enough money to pay back loans which lead to a lot of foreclosed houses .
The New Deal was basically a series of economic programs that FDR got passed by Congress during his first term. The new deal included the works in progress administration, the national Recovery act administration, and the social security act
The main problem that seems to show up is the unemployment rate; if people don’t have jobs then they do not have money, there for they cannot buy things such as foreign trades, new technology and other items that would benefit the flow of our economy. If people are not buying products such as computers or vacuums etc then the companies that are selling the computers and vacuums must cut back on their staff making fewer jobs then there already has been
If we create more jobs that can benefit the government, our economy and the earth would be a way to help us out of the recession, example cleaning trash from high ways, streets, and drains this is something that benefits the government and our earth but still helps give jobs to bring our economy back up to float.

I hope you will get ideas and inspiration from my ideas above, it is important to use history as a tool to move forward.

Sincerely ,
Jasmine Jackson

Semester TWO: Blog 9

I think that one way I have used the freedom of ampersand to perform is by expanding my writing ideas and also my planning time. One thing that is important for me to do when writing is to get out all of my ideas place them in a structure format then expand on each individually. I also like to have a lot of things going on in my writing at once that somewhat come together at the end. Randy likes more of the same consistent topic showing up again through out the whole writing, and Ampersand gives me a way to use the writing style that I like and make it personal. Although I have had freedom in the kind of style I like to write in it is also a good thing that it is some one structure. It seems like there is a basic outline of what is expected and then you fill in the blanks with what you would like as long as you stay in the lines.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Semester TWO :Blog 8

The main similarities I see in President Obama and Franklin D Roosevelt seem to be the powerful speeches that they both can give.
Back in the 1930's when things were pretty bad, most people had given up hope. there were few to no jobs left, people were being evicted from there homes and farms and food was at short supply. When FDR came along and he began to talk to the people and offer words of hope. "let me assert my firm belief that only thing we have to fear itself -nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
his words made it seem like there was hope after all, that the people as a whole must not give up.
In today's time Obama is a lot like FDR we hit a recession that was devastating for a lot of people. Everyone has been and seems to still be affected one way or another. Houses had been foreclosed, same as in the 1930's when farms and property's were taking away. Obama came along with a great slogan that gave us all sort of a white light through a dark tunnel "Change we can believe in " he had this whole campaign and idea of Change that got Americans excited and ready to face the depression head on. This is similar to FDR his speech "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. " seems to be saying don't be scared of the depression we can get through this. I also think there beliefs on having divided parties was also the same. FDR suggested that the parties work together rather than against each other. President Obama said something alike ' he wanted the state of the Union and the two parties to work together to fix our economy.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Semster TWO: Blog 7

Predict how companies or industries similar to the one that you worked at during internship would have fared during the Great Depression. Would your company have thrived or sunk? Why?


I worked at a school for my internship, and I think that my school would have sunk, but I'm not sure as to the severity of it ? School /education is something that is a demand something that everyone will need. and without education there really cant be jobs and doctors and nurses and dentist. . etc. But I think that the classroom would have been ran a lot different. There wouldn't be as many teachers there so there would be more kids per one teacher. There would also probably cut out some of the more "pointless" Classes such as choir and drama and art because there wouldn't be enough money and funding to keep them up float.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Semester TWO: Blog 6

Tom Joad: Tom seems to be something like his mom and dad's (Ma Joad, Pa Joad) favorite son, he just got out of jail for killing a man, he was there for 4 years.
He seems like he is a good guy despite what people may think and say about him. Even though he killed a man he seems sweet and sincere. He also seems to be kind of a con man or a good like sales man / fast talker.

"Sure i seen it but sometimes a guy'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker. "
"like to know anything I else , ill tell you you ain't got to guess"

Semester TWO: Blog 5

Post three examples of other students' work from this semester that stands out as particularly high quality. Look through mentor interviews, photo essays, DP's and blogs. Post links to the three examples (preferably from three different students) and write a brief explanation for each in which you describe what makes this work stand out to you.

Madison Photo Essay :
click here for link( http://mmhuman.blogspot.com/ )



Audrey's Mentor Interview:(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3ARdt9eXYO1NHFKL25kFzL4uBAKzZEYYedZToXt9vjV5_Zh6CFihvlDALctw-D1STB5UlI5qVluNNu9ehpkYosCWZLVUcLsXnzmZGuamY6jaGMFM2E-7YdZR-gz-pbZaFne-cQatTG8/s1600-h/Interview.jpg)

David's Internship Dp page :
(https://sites.google.com/a/hightechhigh.org/davidkraus-s-dp/internship)

Semester TWO: Blog 4

Ampersand is coming, Ampersand is coming, Ampersand is coming!!!
Post your personal goals, hopes and ambitions for your class' production & publication of this book.


I hope to create a piece that is entertaining, enlightening and also informative in a creative and interesting way. I have took a look at some of the previous writing pieces from ampersand last year and they all seem to have a lot of work that has been put into them , (well revised highly thought out . . etc) I hope that I will get to that point myself and create a piece I would be more than happy to share with millions of people.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Photo Essay: Internship

Will internship change her views on a future teaching profession?
by Jasmine Jackson

“I think you should be a teacher, I was telling Charley you are a natural, and you seem more advanced than some of the other teachers I’ve worked with” quoted my mentor. While I process her thoughts I began to wonder is teaching something that I would enjoy waking up to or is it something that I would like to use as a jump start for a career of a lifetime? Growing up I always wanted to work with kids. My top three choices were pediatrician, dentist or Nurse. I choose this group because I was able to work with kids that seemed to be interesting, but I would also be able to live a comfortable lifestyle with the money that these careers offer. Teaching seemed like something I would also enjoy but the pay ‘was much too little to live happily off of and the work load seems to be slightly over baring.


“I knew in the beginning I was not going to make a lot of money, but my life is full of amazing experiences. As a kindergarten teacher, I am surrounded by smiley 5 and 6 year olds, excited about learning. It doesn't get much better than that!"My mentor freely stated when asked what was some of the perks of being a teacher during her interview. Her statement made me change my thoughts on my future profession. Maybe teaching is something that I do want to have as a longtime profession despised the money issue. But who could resist helping, teaching, and preparing kids with such wonderful personalities. Reflecting back on my 3weeks made me realize how memorable my experience truly had been. My first day in room 7 was a adventure within its own I look around the color room and notice the wall covered of photos many of the kids were smiling, laughing or tarrying back at me a nervous grin. Above each photo was the name of the kids.
I began reading left to right “Zaid, Daniel, Kevin S., Marcos, Ashley, Karen” I read out loud in a soft whisper.
I figured if I knew enough of their names I would be able to make a stronger bond with them.



During my entire internship I was looked at as someone who was making a difference and achieving things that were at a level adults in the ages of 25 and older were. My mentor had two classes of 24 kids that rotated throughout the day. A class in the morning and a class in the evening, Wednesday’s she would have each kinder garden class for heath. She taught me the quickest way to remember names. When you pass out papers or ask for volunteer s always say there name out loud it would help with matching names with faces. This helped somewhat until I began to mix the two classes together. Out of the total 48 kids there were two Kevin’s, two Marks, two José’s, and two Francisco’s. On top of regular names I had to remember the last names as well, what a challenge.


As the day progressed I was more observant than helpful. My mentor was lost in the beginning she didn’t know how much experience I had with kids so the task she gave me were more of a assistant working in a office rather than a teachers aid. One of my daily tasks was cutting papers making copies and or organizing book shelf’s file cabinets etc. After my first week I began to interact more with my kids. Doing activates, playing games, going over calendar and helping certain struggling students with work they didn’t understand.


After my first week I began to interact more with my kids. Doing activates, playing games, going over calendar and helping certain struggling students with work they didn’t understand. My project for internship was called level changes the point of the project was for me to explore the different levels of learning with kids in my classroom. One of my learning Objective was to find a way to communicate and also separate the teaching levels of each individual student.
Besides the nose picking, crying, fighting, and overly tying shoes, I have learned that teaching is something that I would enjoy being a everlasting profession.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

A 101 Chat with Ms. Schierman


 

Sherman Elementary School's very own Maria Schierman takes us behind the scenes of the teaching world.


By JASMINE JACKSON


 

As I wait for 3:35 to hit the clock I take a glance around room 7. Bright colors, Large numbers, Letters and a variety of words cover each wall from top to bottom. The Room is slightly chaotic, as the kids scramble around to grab their back packs, reading folders, and art work. Unique collages of student portraits are hung along the wall with their name above in bold print. In most of the portraits the students are smiling, some with goofy grins, a few with missing teeth. Below the wall of students is the backpack area, across from that is a wooden shelf where the students place there writing boxes.
"Miss Schierman!" one of her students calls out. "Tomorrow is my birthday" Maria turns and makes a surprised, yet excited gesture.
"Well looks like we're going to have to make you a birthday hat, huh?"
Her student smiles seeming pleased with her reaction and continues to get ready to go home.
Maria gets up from her desk and begins to prepare for the rush of incoming parents coming to pick up there kids. Her long black boots "click clack" around the classroom making it hard to not notice the rest of her stylish
outfit.
A perfectly fit black sweater hangs on her slightly broad shoulders and a pair of fine denim jeans flows from her hips covering her black boots. She wears her hair cut to fall just below her ears with her bangs naturally swept over to the side. A pair of dark framed, and rectangular shaped glasses are worn on her face making her beautiful blue eyes pop out even more. The bell rings and the door flings open welcoming a swarm of parents.
As they line up to get there young ones, Maria stands there greeting them. Most by name, all with a warm smile.
The crowd begins to gradually decrease, leaving only a few kids
behind. When the last student leaves she turns to me with a nervous grin and says "You ready?"



Maria Schierman: How did you decide you wanted to be a teacher?
Jasmine Jackson: "When I was in elementary school, I found writing to be very difficult for me. My 5th grade teacher yelled at me when I asked a question to clarify something I was struggling with. It was from that day on that I became too afraid to speak up and ask questions. It was shortly after that point that I realized that I wanted to be a teacher. I never wanted a child to feel the way that I did."

JJ: What are some perks of being a teacher?
MS:"One perk about being a teacher is that I love my job! I knew in the beginning I was not going to make a lot of money, but my life is full of amazing experiences. As a kindergarten teacher, I am surrounded by smiley 5 and 6 year old, excited about learning. It doesn't get much better than that!"

JJ: What are some of the downfalls of being a teacher?
MS:"I would have to say that I struggle the most with the politics surrounding education. It is sad to see the lack of funding for our children. Every year, more and more funding is cut, yet the demands continue to increase. It is heartbreaking to see what is being taken away from our students."

JJ: Do you think that you have to be dedicated in order to be a teacher?
MS:"I definitely believe that dedication has been key to being an effective teacher."

JJ: Did you enjoy teaching first grade more than kinder garden?

MS:"My true love is having the opportunity to teach beginning readers and writers. I don't know if I have a preference between both grade levels. I do have more experience teaching first grade, but I have really enjoyed my time in kindergarten."

JJ: Do you use your personal money for supplies for your classroom?
MS:"Yes, Unfortunately I have to. I believe it is important that my students have certain materials. Due to severe budget cuts, many necessary supplies are no longer purchased by our schools. I end up spending hundreds of dollars each year. But, the kids are worth every cent"


 


 


 


JJ: What is something that you would like to have different about your profession?
MS:"I wish that more people were aware of what is going on with our education system. I would like teachers to have more of a say as to how our district spends their money. It becomes frustrating to hear about different Acts that are mandated by our government, yet not funded. I wish kids these days were given the opportunities that I had. We need to bring back the arts, athletics, and lower class sizes to ensure that all students feel successful. This I believe would be a start to decreasing the current rise in our dropout rate."

JJ: How many years of college did you go to?

MS:"I went to the University of Portland for 4 years, where I received my bachelor's degree in education. Although I was fully credentialed, I attended a 2 year program at Portland State University, where I received a Master in Special Education. This past summer, I completed my Math Specialist Certificate from San Diego State. Overall, I have received 8 years of college education."

JJ: How does teaching affect your personal life?
MS:"Currently, I have been very stressed with the demands of my job. Although I don't take my paperwork home with me, I often find my mind racing about different ways I can improve my students learning. This year, I have 48 students on my caseload. I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of work and lack of time. Seeing some of my students struggle and not having them for a full day has been very difficult. My boyfriend, friends and family have been very supportive in lending an ear as I constantly attempt to reorganize my schedule to better meet the needs of my classes. I think that the hours I spend at school have also been difficult. I am generally at school an hour before and an hour to two hours after the day has concluded."

 
A 101 Chat with Maria Schierman

Sherman Elementary School English teacher takes us behind the scenes of the teaching world.



By JASMINE JACKSON



As I wait for 3:35 to hit the clock I take a glance around room 7. Bright colors,

Large numbers, Letters and a variety of words cover
each wall from top to bottom. The Room is slightly chaotic,as the
kids scramble around to grab their back packs, reading folders, and
art work. A unique collage of student portraits are hung along the wall with there name above in bold print. In most of the portraits the students are smiling, some with goofy grins, a few with missing teeth. Below the wall of students is the backpack area, across from that is a wooden shelf where the students place there writing boxes.


"Miss Schierman!" one of her students calls out. "Tomorrow is my
birthday" Maria turns and makes a surprised, yet excited gesture.
"Well looks like we're going to have to make you a birthday hat, huh?"
Her student smiles seeming pleased with her reaction and
continues to get ready to go home.
Maria gets up from her desk and begins to prepare for the rush of
incoming parents coming to pick up there kids. Her long black boots "click clack" around the
classroom making it hard to not notice the rest of her stylish
outfit.
A perfectly fit black sweater hangs on her slightly broad shoulders and
a pair of fine denim jeans flows from her hips covering her black
boots. She wears her hair cut to fall just below her ears with her
bangs naturally swept over to the side. A pair of dark framed, and
rectangular shaped glasses are worn on her face making her beautiful
blue eyes pop out even more.


The bell rings and the door flings open welcoming a swarm of parents.
As they line up to get there young ones, Maria stands there greeting
them. Most by name, all with a warm smile.
The crowd begins to gradually decrease, leaving only a few kids
behind. When the last student leaves she turns to me with a nervous grin and says “You ready?"

Maria Schierman: How did you decide you wanted to be a teacher?

Jasmine Jackson: "When I was in elementary school, I found writing to be very difficult for me. My 5th grade teacher yelled at me when I asked a question to clarify something I was struggling with. It was from that day on that I became too afraid to speak up and ask questions. It was shortly after that point that I realized that I wanted to be a teacher. I never wanted a child to feel the way that I did."



JJ: What are some perks of being a teacher?

MS:"One perk about being a teacher is that I love my job! I knew in the beginning I was not going to make a lot of money, but my life is full of amazing experiences. As a kindergarten teacher, I am surrounded by smiley 5 and 6 year old, excited about learning. It doesn't get much better than that!"



JJ:What are some of the downfalls of being a teacher?

MS:"I would have to say that I struggle the most with the politics surrounding education. It is sad to see the lack of funding for our children. Every year, more and more funding is cut, yet the demands continue to increase. It is heartbreaking to see what is being taken away from our students."




JJ:Do you think that you have to be dedicated in order to be a teacher?

MS:"I definitely believe that dedication has been key to being an effective teacher."



JJ:Did you enjoy teaching first grade more than kinder garden?

MS:"My true love is having the opportunity to teach beginning readers and writers. I don't know if I have a preference between both grade levels. I do have more experience teaching first grade, but I have really enjoyed my time in kindergarten."




JJ:Do you use your personal money for supplies for your classroom?

MS:"Yes, Unfortunately I have to. I believe it is important that my students have certain materials. Due to severe budget cuts, many necessary supplies are no longer purchased by our schools. I end up spending hundreds of dollars each year. But, the kids are worth every cent"




JJ:What is something that you would like to have different about your profession?

MS:"I wish that more people were aware of what is going on with our education system. I would like teachers to have more of a say as to how our district spends their money. It becomes frustrating to hear about different Acts that are mandated by our government, yet not funded. I wish kids these days were given the opportunities that I had. We need to bring back the arts, athletics, and lower class sizes to ensure that all students feel successful. This I believe, would be a start to decreasing the current rise in our dropout rate."


JJ:How many years of college did you go to?

MS:"I went to the University of Portland for 4 years, where I received my bachelors degree in education. Although I was fully credentialed, I attended a 2 year program at Portland State University, where I received a Master in Special Education. This past summer, I completed my Math Specialist Certificate from San Diego State. Overall, I have received 8 years of college education."


JJ:How does teaching affect your personal life?

MS:"Currently, I have been very stressed with the demands of my job. Although I don't take my paperwork home with me, I often find my mind racing about different ways I can improve my students learning. This year, I have 48 students on my caseload. I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of work and lack of time. Seeing some of my students struggle and not having them for a full day has been very difficult. My boyfriend, friends and family have been very supportive in lending an ear as I constantly attempt to reorganize my schedule to better meet the needs of my classes. I think that the hours I spend at school have also been difficult. I am generally at school an hour before and an hour to two hours after the day has concluded."

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Mentor Interview Beginning Article:

Jasmine Jackson
As I wait for 335 to hit the clock I take a glance around room 7. Bright colors, Letters, larger numbers, and a variety of words cover each wall from top to bottom. The Room is slightly chaotic, as the kids scramble around to grab their back packs, reading folders, and art work.

“Miss Schierman” one of her students called out. “Tomorrow is my birthday” Maria turned and made a surprised but yet excited gesture. “Well looks like we’re going to have to make you a birthday hat. . huh?”. Her student smiles seeming pleased with her reaction and continues to get ready to go home.
Maria gets up from her desk and begins to prepare for the rush of incoming parents. Her long black boots “click clack” around the classroom making it hard to not notice the rest of her stylish combination.

A perfectly fit gray sweater hangs on her slightly broad shoulders and a pair of fine denim jeans flows from her hips covering over her black boots. She wears her hair cut to fall just below her ears with a small piece hanging down her forehead, naturally falling to the side. A pair of dark frame and rectangular shaped glasses is worn on her face making her beautiful blue eyes stick out even more.

The bell rings and the door flings open creating a swarm of parents. As they line up to get there young ones, Maria stands there greeting them. Most by name all with a warm smile,


Helpful Feedback Questions:

What to put next?
How well does it flow?
What can be improved?
What is missing?

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Semster Two : Blog One

Post links to at least two high-quality interviews.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939600/steve_jobs_the_rolling_stone_interview
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/25940442


What I noticed in the Rolling Stones Interviews was they always started off with a story that seemed to give the reader back ground information about the person that the interview was based on. For a example in the beginning of the Steve Jobs interview they describe what he looks like walking up to meet the guy constructing the interview. "When Steve Jobs cruises into the airy reception area on the Apple Computer campus in Cupertino, California, on a recent morning, nobody pays much attention to him, even though he's the company's CEO. He's wearing shorts, a black T-shirt and running shoes. Tall and a little gawky, Jobs has a fast, loping walk, like a wolf in a hurry. " This was the first couple of sentences that you read in the article and once you read this description about him you began to get curious as to what exactly he had to day in his actual interview. Something I think that made the interview professional was the depth of detail the author went in in order to explain and get to what he wanted the reader to understand about Steve Jobs. Something I can take from this article and use in my own work is how they began with a story about there person, Then lead you directly into the interview. That's sort of the direction that I would like to lead my written mentor interview in .

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Internship #8—Tuesday 1/19

Welcome to the second week of internship!

Choice B: What new appreciations (for who? of what?) have you gained through internship that you did not have before? How did you develop these appreciations?

Something that I have begin to appreciate at my internship is learning as a whole. The kids that I work with are very excited and focused when it comes to learning. The passion that they put into there work day is something that seems to get lost along as the kids get older. I overheard a 3rd grader say in front of my Kinders" Man I hate school, learning is no fun" and later on that day one of my kids repeated it " I hate school, learning is boring" when he use to be the most enthustastic one in class. I think that as we get older and we loose the importance of school we begin to teach the younger kids to grow up thinking the way that we do . I have definitely began to appreciate my education and cant wait to farther pursue it, hopefully encourage others to enjoy school, and appreciate there education also.

Internship #7:

Internship #7: Friday 1/15

Project description


Internship site: Sherman Elementary

Department: Kinder garden Teacher Assistant

Project Title:Level Changes


General Description: I will be Exploring the different levels of kids in my learning community.


Learning Objectives: To find a way to communicate and also separate the teaching levels of each individual student.


Organization/Company Objectives & Benefits:?


Schedule:
Mondays, Fridays :
9:30 am -9:50 I work with my lower students, playing games and going through worksheets.
1:20-1:50 pm I work with my higher students going over word list, playing games, almost the same as my low group just more advanced.
Tuesdays, Thursdays:
11:30 am -11:50 I do guided reading with my High students,
1:20- 1:50 I do guided reading with my low group.
Wednesdays
I work with my high group for 20 Min's then my low group for 20 Min's
most of the day is spent with the morning class because they have a short day.


Academic Skills: Presenting skills, teaching skills, patience and team building skills.


Technical Skills: I will be putting all of my worksheets and lessons and data together in a book, or something that I found niftty that my mentor uses when she has to present at teacher meetings and other events similar she will also be helping me put it altogether.


Collaboration—Skills and Opportunities: I will be working closely with my mentor daily , she also gives me worksheets and planning books that she uses that I use so any questions I have I go straight to her. I also do shared reading and calendar every day so I take over the entire class so I can get a better feel as too control and teach a entire class.


Exhibition Plans:


Schedule & Time lines:
Friday I would have done two weeks of groups with my high kids and also my low kids, by Wednesday I will have most of my presentation complete and ready to exhibit.



Next, provide a summary of your week:


Internship week one has been a amazing experience, I absolutely love my internship work place and also my mentor has been very helpful, understanding and fun to be around. The only problem that I have had is forgetting to complete my blogs. I get so wrapped up helping and teaching the kids that my day goes by so fast, By the time I get home I am exhausted and covered with glue, crayons and paper that I fall asleep quickly. But so far my experience has been memorable, my daily coffee is greatly needed to go through my day patiently and successfully. Things between me and my mentor has been great, Friday morning when I arrived I found a card on my desk with a small note and a Starbucks card inside. I would call this moment the highlight of my week by far . This also completed my week and made me thrilled to continue on. Something that I had a challenge with was the copy machine. My mentor asked me to make 50 copies of the weekly homework but I didn't understand how to work it so, I asked some people who worked in the office closes to the work room, after going through about 3 people we finally figured out the machine didn't have staples and we got the machine fixed and going. This was something that went wrong but was also beneficial to my internship experience,I got a chance to interact with people around my work place.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Internship #6:

Internship #6: Thursday 1/14

Taking a break from projects for a moment...

Next week, you will need to interview your mentor or a particularly important coworker. In this mentor interview, you are intending to one or all of the following:


1. Learn about this person's life through their stories, experiences and the decisions they made along the way.


2. Begin to understand the path(s) that can lead to personal and professional "success."


3. Establish and deepen a professional and intellectual relationship.


Hopefully, from this experience, you might begin to have better, more or different ideas about your own life beyond high school.


In this blog post, write about what you would like to learn when you interview your mentor. Post the big ideas and main topics you want to discuss and why they are important to you.


Also, discuss when this could take place. Schedule a time and place with your mentor (or coworker) and post that info in your blog, if possible (you will need to know this by early next week). Locate and reserve a computer or other recording device to document this interview.

Goals:
Somethings that I would like to learn about my mentor is just maybe some personal background info where did she go to college, what steps did she take before she realized that she was going to be a teacher, what things did she have to give up in order to be in the position that she is in. I would also want to know what are the perks of being a teacher and maybe what are the faults of being a teacher? Another thing that I would maybe like to bring up is how the rescission and cut backs have effected her life and maybe other teachers that shes is close too and maybe get some questions about that.

Schedule:
My mentor has prep on Thursday mornings for two hours so I plan on completing my interview during that time. I plan on recording our interview on a apple computer in garage band.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Internship Day 5

Project title: Level Changes.

Project description: I have a group of 3-4 students that are at a much lower level than the rest of the class, and  I have a group of 5-6 students that are at a much higher level than the rest of the class. I work with a morning class and a afternoon class so in total I have around 20 students that I work with per day.  My job is to make sure that my lower level students get something like a double dose of reading and comprehension and everything that we do in regular class Becca's they need extra help. My job with the higher students is to make sure they have work that is going to get there brains rolling so they can continue to reach a higher level. Sometimes they cant focus or there craving more attention than the rest of the students. 

Project schedule: Please post a schedule that is as detailed as you can make it, from today through the exhibition of your internship project.
Mondays, Fridays :
9:30 am -9:50 I work with my lower students, playing games and going through worksheets. 
1:20-1:50 pm  I work with my higher students going over word list, playing games, almost the same as my low group just more advanced.
Tuesdays, Thursdays: 
11:30 am -11:50 I do guided reading with my High students,
1:20- 1:50 I do guided reading with my low group. 
Wednesdays 
I work with my high group for 20 Min's then my low group for 20 Min's
most of the day is spent with the morning class because they have a short day.


Materials & Equipment needed:
*Books
*Worksheets
*Games
*flash cards
*White boards
*Camera
*Computer
*Journal

Project documentation: How will you keep track of your work? How will others know about it? What will you have to show when internship is over? Please note that some internship projects cannot be fully documented for legal reasons or because of organizational regulations (i.e., if you are working on an ongoing case at a law firm or working on a project that will receive a patent, etc.).

I have a Journal, a folder with all of the work that I do with the kids. I am also taking pictures so you can have something visual to look at.

Internship Day 4

Answer the following questions to help develop your project:

1. What academic skills could you use on the job?
My reading, math, and writing skills are defiantly something that I can use on the job. My internship is working with kids that are much younger than me, Which puts me at a academic advantage.

2. What forms of collaboration could you use in a project?
I don't exactly understand this question. So I'm confused on how to answer it.

3. What technical skills can you use at your internship?
There aren't a lot of technical skills that I can use. I can use more academic skills because of the type of internship I am interning at. 

4. What new things can you learn while working at your site?
I am starting to pick up on small Spanish words, That I can say when the kids and parents don't understand. Ex. book and back pack homework and teacher.  I am also learning how to contain students who have certain learning disabilities and also some who are too advanced to control them selves in a lower level working enviorment

5. How can you exhibit, showcase or otherwise share your work?
I have been keeping a folder, with all of the different books, worksheets, and activities that I work with the kids with. I have also been snapping pictures and my mentor has agreed to take some photos of me. Which would give me two different forms of evidence and visual examples for when I am talking. 

6. How can your work or your skills & abilities help your company or organization?
I think that my work skills will help my program maybe run a little smoother than it is normally ran. Since the budget cut backs there has been 2 kinder garden teachers laid off which adds more kids to the other classes than there normally use to handling. With me helping the kids can get a better advantage at getting there proper dose of knowledge  and it also helps my mentor get a better chance at working with the lower students that need the extra help. 

Monday, January 11, 2010

Internship Day 3.

Projects should be coherent collections of work samples and/or work experiences that are relevant and meaningful to both you and your company.
Answer these questions to get started:

1. What skills would you like to develop at your site?
Teaching skills, patience and able to take control of any situation.

2. What interests do you have regarding the work done at your site?
I think that teaching and working with kinder garden students would be a good way to practiced all of the skills that I have listed above. If you can control and keep the interest of 4-6 5year old students than you can pretty much control and focus a full group of adults. I am also working with different learning leveled kids which would help me learn skills for when I have to deal with people in a work enviorment who aren't necessarily at the same speed as me.

3. What needs can you address (needs your mentor has, your company has, etc.) based on your skills and interests?

I am pretty good at doing a list of task in under the time I am giving, I am known to work pretty efficiently and well with taking charge and lending a helping hand.I can also help things run a little smoother in the class room. There are 25 kids in the class at one time and I noticed that sometimes my mentor gets overwhelm with questions and comments the students through at her. When I am there I am another person that they can talk to and use for comments etc.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Internship: Day two

I woke up later than normal, My mom showed me a alternate way to get to my internship. I arrived a few minutes early which gave me time to talk to my mentor about today's plan. Today is going to be a little different from my first day because it is a regular day. However it seems to e a fun exciting day filled with many fun activities. For lunch I have bought some leftovers from home, a bag of chips a soda and some fruit. Just as I aspected the day went well, I am enjoying my internship, the kids and also my mentor.
What have you actively done to start off on the right note?
I think that just being on time, I have even arrived some days earlier than my expected time that way we could prepare for the day ahead.

What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?
I have opened up for conversations, when I am in a place that is somewhat out of my comfort zone I tend to stick to myself. In order to get the full effect of the work place and a better feel for my mentor I had to open myself up.

What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?
I have met different staff members and I have been interacting with more than just my mentor while I am at my internship.

What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?
I think being more always on test by myself than wait for her to tell me what she would like for me to do. I am always on task but I tend to finish my work early so I am left waiting for a new one.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Blog 1: Internship first day.

Overall my first day of internship went well, I woke up later than usual which was lovely. The hardest part of my day was pretty much finding out what to wear, I didn't wanna be to much over dressed but i didn't wanna be under dressed either. I ate Jack and the Box for breakfast and was nice and full. Charley was there to make sure that everything went smoothly. I went to my mentors class room and we had a mini meeting about how the whole day was pretty much going to go. It was a minimum schedule so we had more kids than we would normally have in one day. each class was nice my favorite was the morning class. My job was to assist Maria and to help some of the students in class that didn't pick up things as well as some of the other students. I ate lunch in the teachers lounge, I didn't know what to expect so I brought my own lunch. Lunch is normally about 40Min's and I think I will spend it in the teachers lounge more often because it was extremely relaxing. School for them was over at 1:05 and once the kids left , Maria had prep so I helped her fix her book library organize label and fix the books. after that we chatted got to know each other a little better and we figured out a project that I could do for my presentation.
I am very happy with how my day went, but I was more than ready to leave when 3:00pm came.

Internship Day One:



My workspace is basically anywhere in the classroom, when I'm working with the kids I'm normally walking around, and when I'm doing separate work then i set back at Maria's desk and do my work there.








The photo to the left is a picture of the playground where the kids line up at in the morning. Alot of time is spent on the playground. they have a 15min recess and they have a 40 min lunch while and they get to play on the playground. something that struck me was that I got a chance to bong with the kids during playtime one girl actually took my hand to come and play hop scotch with you so it was something that was shocking to me.







Something that was interesting to me is the technology that the classroom had. My mentor had a projector, a portable mic that hung around her neck and sound systems through out the class room. They also had a set of 8 apple laptops that the kids would use four at a time.
It was interesting because they were so young but are learning how to use modern technology.







My job at my internship is to help the kids with any questions and concerns that they have.
I would walk around when they had work sheet time, I helped them fix any mistakes that they had. I also had a list of students that needed help with sounding out the letters in certain words so I went through a book
with them and made sure they new all of the words in the book.







The person to the left is my mentor, her name is Maria. Shes wearing the normal attire for teachers at my internship. She dresses a step up from the other staff from what I have seen but everything is pretty much casual.