Is standardized testing really the best way to gauge how well qualified someone is to enter college? Maybe in a perfect world. I won't lie, waking up early on Saturday mornings and being forced to remember geometry that I learned two years ago are two things that I don't really find particularly enjoyable. It seems slightly unfair that such a high emphasis is placed on one test score that reflects your test taking efforts on ONE day. I know that many of the subjects that appear on the SAT and ACT are things that college bound students should be able to master. But, as I mentioned it is difficult to recall math subjects that were learned months and even years ago. And I know that my reading coherence at 8 AM Saturday morning is probably not fantastic, same can be said for my essay writing. SAT/ACT prep books and courses are easy enough to obtain and enroll in, but its difficult to devote that much time to standardized test studying when regular school work and activities quickly fill up schedules.
What does the SAT measure?
The SAT is a scam. It has been around for 50 years. It has never measured anything. And it continues to measure nothing. And the whole game is that everybody who does well on it, is so delighted by their good fortune that they don't want to attack it. And they are the people in charge. Because of course, the way you get to be in charge is by having high test scores. So it's this terrific kind of rolling scam that every so often, somebody sort of looks and says--well, you know, does it measure intelligence? No. Does it predict college grades? No. Does it tell you how much you learned in high school? No. Does it predict life happiness or life success in any measure? No. It's measuring nothing. It is a test of very basic math and very basic reading skill. Nothing that a high school kid should be taking.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/interviews/katzman.html
The quote above is from John Katzman, President(at the time of the interview) and founder of the Princeton Review, in a PBS interview. Maybe its just me, but when the president of a company which makes SAT prep material says that the "SAT is a scam", there may be something wrong.
I believe in adventures, both the good and the bad. Adventures are everywhere, both near and far. No matter where you are the adventures are endless, waiting in anticipation to be discovered. Adventures can take you anywhere to far off exotic destinations or occasionally close to home. Those closer to home are the ones I most fondly remember and hold closest to my heart. The times of childhood racing for the zoo on an early summer morning, to beat the crowd and the heat. While the animals were enthralling I believe it may have been the popsicles I enjoyed the most. The mid day escapades to the natural history museum to explore the world of dinosaurs or to be enchanted by the twinkling of the precious gems. The memories I have of childhood are some of my favorites. However, I also enjoy those from high school. These past few days I have been especially nostalgic of my memories from high school making sure I did everything I wanted to do. Looking back on it I have accomplished all I hoped to and I have made some awesome friends in the process. I would not change much from my high school years and I will miss my friends so much. So thanks to everyone for all they have done.
I keep thinking times will never change. Keep on thinking things will always be the same. But when we leave this year we won't be coming back. No more hanging out cause we're on a different track. And if you got something that you need to say. You better say it right now cause you don't have another day. Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down. These memories are playing like a film without sound
Friends Forever
As our annual Spring Dance Concert is approaching I have been thinking a lot about how everything is finally coming to a close. While I have been counting down the seconds until school is over and they days until I no longer have to deal with some teachers I know when the time comes I will be sad. This next week may be the last time I dance on a stage or in a performance and in the weeks to come many others will be playing their last lacrosse game or competing in their last soccer game. We have all been looking forward to the day we say goodbye to Judge but what about saying good bye to our friends. Soon we will be packing up our lives and moving to some strange cramped room that smells funny. I know we will all have the times of our lives it will be hard to say goodbye to many aspects of our current lives. As rascal flats says:
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
Movin On
We have all reached a point in our lives when it's time to move on and say goodbye.
I started my high school year as a freshman and it was great. The first day of summer bridge in East West Of international Studies was this guy named Joe. I became friends and that's it. Met other few people and became friends with. I met this amazing person named Shehrina and later on our friendship ended. After Freshman year finish that's where the fun started. It all began when I got home from school. My mom would ask me if I wanted my sweet 15. I didn't really know what to say. But every sweet 16 girl had her birthday. So I decided to make my sweet 15 which in my country is best known as Quiencaniera. I was happy because every girl has that. And I wanted mine too. Well It was the beginning of September and I had to plan it by that time. We look for a place to make that amazing party. And we find a perfect place, but it surely did cost a lot. But come one for crying out loud, I'm my only dad's daughter. So we ended up making it where it was a fancy place and high class. The place was very pretty and had crystal glass every where. It was charming. I invited a few friends from school and outside. The day for my party it was kind of stressing and I was nervous. I had plan out this dancing sense where I had to dance with my partner. Everything went well. So I got through that. The dance and the food was perfect everyone were dancing and happy. I got a lot of money from everyone as a gift. In total I recieved 7,000 dollars. Which hells yes it was a lot. This amazing party means a lot to us girls because it's that only time where you can actually have fun with your friends and family. In my case my party was to much of a family party with so many people. Like it wasn't like asweet16 where the girl does everything. In my case my mom did everything the only thing I had to do is arrive in the party and have fun. Which I definately did. The next day when I woke up I ended up having this headache and pain. For my parents gift I got a dog. They brought me a dog which was the thing that I wanted since I was a little girl but couldn't have it. They brought me this dog. But I didn't know how to name it. Or in other words what to call it. We all gave ideas like...lets call him Neo like in the move Matrix. My dad said lets call him Niclo. And then I thought about Garfeild the movie. There is this dog named Oddie. It was so much fun. I"ll never forget that moment.
The day when my brother was born. It was a fine day at a Sunday Morning when I woke up. I woke up and my parents were staring at me like if I did something bad. They were very mysterious which it got me nervous. They decided to take to Fun City which is a place where you have fun only for little kids. They gave me pizza and popcorn to eat. Then they told me that mommy was pregnant and that they were very happy. I was going to become a big sister. They said that it was a boy. After I heard that I was very sad and mad. I mean come on I was just little girl who didn't know anything about love towards your siblings. After all, I WAS the only kid. I was so sad. I was not going to be my parents little girl. It was a sad day Sunday morning and afternoon. When Henry was born I was very shy and not myself. That they was my mom was giving labor I was with my Uncle and Aunt shopping. Then they told me that they arrive home with the baby and that I should come back. I came back even though I didn't. I saw this small little rat laying on my BED!!! I was like ahwrrrrr. But when my mom gave me Henry on my arms I felt so happy. I didn't let him go at all. I hold him closely and kissed him so much. He was a beautiful fat little kid. Then I realize that I was a big sister and I had to take care of him. Now that we are all grown up I love him to death. Even tough we sometimes I feel like killing him. But the truth is that I love him.
Okay this memory will always be in my heart. The beginning of high school year. It was my first year as a freshman. I was so excited about this whole new life change. High school was something big and something important. It was a beginning of a new life and meeting new friends. New friends was kinda scary. I wasn't sure about making new friends and everything it was wired. I became friends with two girls that were pretty good. One of them was sweet and acted like a baby. Which thought it was adorable, and she still acts like one. I I love that girl so much. The other girl well lets just say that it was a good friendship. To be honest I have no comment on that girl. Well we ended up breaking up. That girl would start saying things about me and mad ethe other girl think things about me. And cause of that I lost the other girl. I was very sad. Then I meet other two funny and cool girls. Which was amazing. I made friends with them and had a good time. The fashion girl is a great person. The other girl was cool too. But our friendship broke up. With the fashion girl we became friends again, and we are STILL friends. Very good friends. I love my fashion girl so much. We had this small argument that was very dump. The other girl was so complicated. She was a totally different person. I was wrong about her. I haven't talked to her cause I don't want to. But my parents told me that it was from the past and I need to let that thing go. But the true is that I just can't. Sometimes I want to forgive her for what she did. But it hurts a lot. But my baby friend forgive me for what I did to her. So I think I should forgive that girl. But the truth is that it hurt that much that I can't. I don't know. I really don't care. so whatever. Anyway the fact is that now I have really good friends and I don't want to lose them NEVER!!! They know who they are!
All About Evoke
A few weeks ago, I became an agent http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/HannahKohn in a global network of social innovators. Urgent EVOKE: A Crash Course in Saving the World opened on March 3, 2010. It’s a game, a learning experience, a social network, and a way to get involved all in one. It was designed and is directed by Jane McGonigal for the World Bank Institute.
EVOKE has been open four weeks and already has more than 13,000 members. The game will last 10 weeks, concluding in May, with a new quest and a new mission unlocked each week. In the first mission agents were asked to do three missions and one quest. Learn one was about finding a secret code of innovation. Act one was about choosing a hero to shadow or follow. Imagine one was about when Alchemy calls for you in 2020 where will you be.
The first thing I looked at was this 90-second trailer: EVOKE trailer from Alchemy on Vimeo. I thought the trailer was very interesting and creative. It made me want to play the game.
I like the way the story is presented, because I myself like reading graphic novels so this appealed to me. I am currently enjoying reading a new part of the story each week.
Each week, agents are asked to complete 3 missions and 1 quest. My favorite quest so far was the second one. This quest was interesting, because it was relating to gardening and the environment which is a topic I am currently involved in and am studying.
Each week's mission has three parts: IMAGINE,LEARN,ACT, and so far I'm enjoying the IMAGINE ones the most because it lets you show your creative side.
The "learn" part of this mission was to find the biggest food security issue in your neighborhood. I talked about helping out in soup kitchens.
The “act” part was to increase the food security of someone you know. I talked about having a vegetable garden and giving some of the things I grow to my neighbors.
For “imagine” we were asked to tell people what we are having for dinner in 2020. I liked this mission since I got to be really creative with my writing.
When I first started playing Evoke, I thought it was really interesting. Now, I'm wondering how I can get even more involved. The most interesting part of the game is being able to talk to other agents who share the same ideas as you.
Some have even wondered if Evoke is a game. I think its more of a social network and blogging site then a game. We watched a TED video in which Jane McGonigal spoke about how gaming may be able to change the world,http://www.ted.com/talk/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html
I am looking forward to the next episodes of Evoke, because I think it will open my mind to more problems people throughout the world are facing and make me wonder what I can do to help.
It was when I really young. I was when my English was not as it was now. The way I talked was so thick with an accent that kids in my neighborhood never really understood what I was saying. The day was hot and I remember being covered in sweat especially my hand which was tightly gripping on my grandmother's. I remember laughter, I don't remember if it was from me or my grandmother.
People whizzed by us and even though some parts were blurry, I remember entering a pet store. I was happy to go into the pet store especially when I saw Fred (A bunny I named) who was still there that day I went. My grandmother must have been amused when I was engaging in a conversation with Fred. I remember feeling an empty feeling next to me when my grandmother left my side to somewhere towards the back of the store. The days before, I never went anywhere since I was told not to wander around for the fear of me getting lost, but that day I was very curious and quietly walked away from Fred towards the back.
I saw my grandmother arguing with the manager who was unfortunately bald, but looked so much younger then my grandmother. I didn't understand what they were talking about, but the manager looked frustrated. He quickly snatched a small red bag out of my grandmother's hand. The contents inside of the bag was a total mystery to me. The man grumbled as he walked past me and I ran back to Fred before I was spotted by my grandmother. I didn't want to get in trouble for wandering.
My grandmother appeared ten minutes after with the same bag in her hand. She smiled at me before dragging me out of the pet store. The next two weeks, I wondered what was in the bag. I told my younger brother and we both wondered about what was in that bag.
The day came on another hot day when my grandmother was in the bathroom. My brother and I saw the red bag on our kitchen table and we quickly jumped to the chance to see what was inside. I was the one who opened the bag and I was shocked. It was a fish, not any old fish though. It was Goku (a fish I named after Dragonball z) who was flapping around inside the bag. His eyes enlarged and mouth open wide from the lack of water inside the bag. Then I screamed and ran away, my brother close behind me. I bumped into my grandmother who was confused as to why we screamed and spotted the bag thrown carelessly on the floor. She sighed before picking it up and gestured us towards our shoes near the door way.
My brother and I was confused and scared, but we trusted our grandmother and obediently put on ours shoes. Our grandmother acted like nothing had happened as we were dragged outside. We were all silent until we got to the pet store. I refused to go inside, so my grandmother left me outside as she walked into the pet store with my brother. I was confused about what they were doing to do to Goku and wild possibilities flashed in my head. Were they Dissect him for his bones or something? Were they going to kill him and feed us his corpse? I remember not being able to eat fish for 2 years because I thought I was eating my watery friend. I never got an answer when my grandmother came out of the store.
I really don't remember how I figured out that my grandmother just exchanged the fish for a new one when they become fat or she felt like she wanted a new one. I just recently was haunted by the images of dilated eyeballs as I was looking at a scholarship about animal cruelty. I wonder if my grandmother still does something like that? I hope she doesn't cause in my eyes that is just cruel. It's like taking away oxygen and watching us squirm around. I hope she doesn't do that. Even though it might not be animal cruelty to her, I think it is. It's just wrong to do that and of course if she still does it, I plan to stop it.
As I watch outside I see that darkness and greyness of the clouds that makes the day seem like a lot of people have perished in one blast. It makes me feel like I am the only one in the world that is feeling like the day and is making me feel like there is nothing better to do then just stare up into the sky, and look and wonder when the light will come back again. It is almost spring and there should be the warm southern air coming in from the south coming into the cold and dark and white north. I feel more comfortable when the sun is out when there is light and almost nothing is hiding in shadow, no shadow time no place to be left in the darkness. Now in the sky I see a dark sky and the heaviness of rain, or snow or sleet or hail coming down.
Things that are in the way of my writing today is the weather, my sleepiness from not sleeping enough hours last night and just having thoughts in my head the buzzed all night and did not let me go to sleep. Another thing that wont let me write a lot would be the teacher talking sometimes it distracts me but he is a guide that is helping me think more of what I truly want to write.
What am I thinking about, I am thinking about how much snow is there going to be tomorrow, and if the city decides to close the schools, I would get to sleep in late and recover from my bad night, and I would be more refreshed from a lot of bad nights I could not sleep that way I can get to think more about what I must do and what I must have done by the end of each day. I think about other stuff too, if I am going to see my boyfriend today or not, or if I am going to decide to just go home and take a nap to recover from not sleeping.
Something that is grabbing my attention is the sky, I am not certain to what it will lead and what I will continue on to talk about, All I know is that when I start to talk about something that I am not that certain of it can go to many other topics, its hard for me to stay on one topic. Well I am thinking about the sky because I have not seen the sun so far in like 3 days and I am starting to miss the warmth and the brightness of the sun that it lights up my face, and it makes the air fresh it makes it easier to see outside, you see people going on with their day and there is no problem with anyone, well not everyone will be happy, but not everyone would want to be in when its sunny outside everyone wants to go out and play and have fun and buy something or walk around which is why I love Spring, because the temperature is perfect and there is no reason for people not to go out, and everyone wants to walk around get some fresh air. During the winter I feel like people are hibernating because everyone mostly spends inside in the brittle cold, and the snow and sometimes the rain and the bare naked trees that would just make everything seem dead, although the best celebrations happen during the winter time its still a sad time of my year.
Why did this catch my attention why did this make me want to write about it more, and want to elaborate about my feeling about what I see what I hear what I feel. I feel very gloomy, I feel like there is nothing to do today like its supposed to be a day of just reflecting of just thinking and seeing what part of life you have reached and what you have to go on for. I think that there is more to then just thinking but actions. The thoughts in my head during this rainy day is just the reality of what I have done. Of what I will do, and of what I am doing. I ask myself why this makes me think, why these silent, gray, and rainy or snowy day makes me think. I miss the sun and all I know is that when the sun comes out I will be free to do everything I left when I first notices the sun being covered by white and gray clouds.
Tomorrow might be a great day to go out and play and see other people and just have fun, the brightness of the snow reminds me of the brightness of the sun. The people outside all go out and have some fun, it reminds me of the warm spring days that I love of people and joy and fun and going out and playing sports and watching other people play sports, and eating a hot dog, or a Empanada, or anything that would sustain my stomach for the rest of the day. It reminds me of the fresh warm air, of life that spreads through the city, through the state through the country, and it reminds me of the beautiful and best times I spend with my family, Maybe that's why I like anything that reminds me of spring it does not necessarily have to be warm for it to remind me of spring but things like brightness of day or amount of people in the park, or the smell of the air, or the feeling of the day would remind me of this. My point of all this writing that really had no organization at all it was more like a free write about what I feel today and why I feel like this. It was more a reflection of myself through a day, and through the eyes of the sky.
The sad sky can also tell many stories, and inspire many thoughts and feelings, all i know is this Grey sky can bring my moods as dull as its color.
Today the sky instead shows a color of blue, and the brightness of the sun brighten up that blue more and more, I don't think that it can get any more bluer than it already is. I love it when the sky brights up like that, it gives me more encouragement to wake up and go make breakfast, and walk outside and go to school, although sometimes school keeps me from staying outside but I like the trip that I take from my home to school, so its kind of worth it. Then after school I would go with my friends out and play or when I have to do work, like homework and school stuff like I have to do now, I would finish them up really quickly and then go outside, without a problem at all and no one ever says anything to me. Noe one tells me I should not do it like that, or I should not pay attention as much, or I should skip Homework, or skip going outside to play. I feel free to do whatever I want without any restrictions of weather of being uncomfortable and stuff, although I can say sometimes I cant stay outside for very long and I have to be home at certain times sometimes.
Work, and school, and stuff to do, sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time, and then when I go out and play I feel like I have the time of the world.
I realized I am not very good at organizing my things to do during the day. I feel that sometimes I do stuff that should not take long and stuff that are supposed to take long, I don't give it enough tome. So maybe I need to figure out things more clearly in my head of what I want to do what I have to do, and what I am actually going to do. I also realized that at the end when it comes down to stuff that I have to do I leave it until the very end because of my laziness. People say its because I am procrastinating and I don't want to do all the work and I am play now, work later, but maybe they are right, but at the end when I make up the work it does not seem really hard to do. Although I don't get enough points on it because of the time I bring it in. I just am worried that if I ever do the work, and I am glad when I actually do it, that way I don't have to be sad or mad at myself and feeling guilty that I never did it before.
Once upon a time, there lived a girl in a glass house. The shards of glass sparkled in the sunlight creating rainbow images in certain rooms of the house. These were considered the special rooms. Only very few people could go into them and when they did something happened. The princess of the land did not know what it was that happened but she was a curious young girl. The only thing she was sure of was that when the people left those rooms they acted strangely. There eyes would be dilated, their shoulders stiff and their knees weak. The young princess did not know whether what was occurring with these people was a good thing or a bad thing.
One day on the eve of the princesses 18th birthday she asked her mother if she could go into one of the rooms. The mother said yes but only at night. The girl pleaded to be let into the room at noon when the sun was at its highest because she knew then that the rainbow lights would shine their brightest. But the mother refused saying that only special people could go into that room...only they could experience the magic. Now the princess, of course feeling rebellious, hatched her plan to enter into these rooms. She decided that tomorrow would be best seeing as how everyone would be focused on her birthday, not necessarily her. She packed the things she could possibly need in a small quilted bag her mother had sewed her and tucked it under her large bed made of black glass. In the morning she would sneak out while everyone was asleep and enter into the room.
She would see what everyone was trying to hide from her...
The princess lay awake all night fearing that she would oversleep past the time everyone else woke up. When she was sure everyone was lost in slumber, she made her way to the small opening of her room, tip-toeing past the elder that watched her room, and then very cautiously past the sleeping beast that guarded the royal sector of the castle.
She pulled out the makeshift map she had created the night before of the grounds and used the light of the moon as her guide to finding her way through the castle. A good thing about all this glass was the light bounced off of each shard creating slivers of light making the search for the room quite fast.
At first the princess just stood there. And stood there. And stood there. Visions of her mothers concerned face flashed through her mind and made her paralyzed to opening the door. Her hand just lay there, on the heavy doorknob, motionless.
The commotion that sprawled from down the hall seemed to have jump started her body. The princess sprang to life. She brushed off the screams of "where is the princess", "find the princess" that sprang from both sides of her. In one swift movement she pushed open the door, slid through and shut it right as the beast that guarded the royal wing slammed into its knob, letting out a loud YELP!
The princess, trembling, locked the door behind her. She saw her mothers face through the glass door screaming for her to get out. Blinded by curiosity she turned her back on the door and walked up to the silver machine that sat in the middle of the room. It looked similar to the machines that the peasants used to mold the glass down in the lowest point of the castle.
Feeling confused and a tad disappointed she span around to the door but was shocked to see a new door. Instead a door made of wood lay in its place. She hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door in a fury to see what was behind.
The girl should have listened to her mother. She was not yet old enough to go behind this wooden door, for this was where they made everyone. Small parts and screws lay all over the floor to this room. Pieces of robot hands not yet covered with false flesh littered a corner of the room. Everyone that she knew and loved was just a mechanism, a play thing to keep the princess feeling loved and happy. Her life was a lie.
The princess on the verge of a breakdown touched knocked on her scalp, felt the flesh on her knees, poked at her tongue all to see if she was one of them. Lifting a small shard of metal she slit a line from elbow to hand on the inlay of her arm.
As the long line of crimson oozed from her arm she could only utter two words as she bled to death all over the littered floor...
"I'm real."
I never saw myself finishing school and college was just a dream of mine. I want a good life and a job that I love and with that I need to have an education. I did not always feel that way.
In the past, I did not enjoy going to school for the fact that I was the only Mennonite in school and the kids there made fun of me. Being the shy kid that I was and since my dad always told me to leave it alone, I did not really stand up for myself. I was not able to go to college since I was not a resident at the time, so college was just a dream of mine that I believed that I would never be able reach. I wanted to give up because I believed that I would never be able to go to college and I did not enjoy school. I have always seen education as important though, since I come from a Mennonite background where most Mennonite parents did not believe in sending their kids to school. From seeing the struggles of my parents’ lives, where my dad cannot read and they both do not have high paying jobs, I decided to get a better education.
Now that I am able to go to college and apply for a job I have notice how extremely important it is to have an education. I do not want to end up trying to make it pay check to pay check. School is going to be a commitment for me so that I can become a successful Registered Nurse and as of right now, school will fit perfectly in to my daily life.
For the future, I believe education will be helpful and important. Education will help me strive above and beyond my dreams and be able to be a successful person. I will probably look back and wish I would have done some things a little differently and put more effort and time in to my school work. School will influence me to learn more and become better at what I want to do.
As my husband always says, “One thing a person can never take away from you is your education.”
We all arent alone in this world. We mostly tend to surround ourselves with people who are just like us. Who believe in the same values, or want the same goals. Sometimes personalitties clash, and sometimes they make you stronger and a force to be wreckoned with. However, can you realy tell who are your real friends or not? Or tell what their in it for? Some friends are loyal, but others just really suck.
I have about 100 aquaintences but only like 6 true friends. I can trust them with anything and im sure they can hold me down whenever. Their so close to me that I even call them my family. Each of my friends bring something different to the table. Some are the ones with the good advice, others are the ones constantly seeking advice, then there are the ones whos house you can come over to anytime of the week unannounced.
You know people are your true freidns or "family" when you can go to their house and call their parents mom and dad and not feel a certain way about it. I do that all the time. Most of my close friends family accept me. Infact one of my dear freinds, her family is always inviting me to family functions and would even like me to attend some weddings. It makes me feel good. As for some of my other friends, I actually havnt met their parents, but im sure if I meet them they would like me just the same. Im agood person, well driven and have my own set of rules to follow. Even though I live life to the fullest, I do it in the most legal way possible.
I actually recently dropped one girl that I use to call my sister from actually being my sister. She use to be really loyal, but now that shes getting this big ego its starting to tick me off. Shes starting to do things that a real friend should never do. Shes changed since junior high. Changed for the worst. Ive actually been by her side on many occasions and tried to talk her through her dumb mistakes. Some how it still doesnt get through to her, because to this day she is still doing the BS that she has been doing. I havent told her i dropped her yet because im trying to see if maybe shel come around. However, it looks like she wont be changing any time soon. Kinda sad.
When I go to college I want to see how loyal people realy are, because those are the people who will make or break you. Im ready for the experience. I want to see how loyal people will really be. Like my dorm mates even. I dont want any of them stealing anything from me. I want to be able to make a connection with them and a bond that will enable us to trust each other. I am going to go there with an open mind and positivity, however, if a person shows one sign of misloyalty thats it. Im never trusting them again.
You can give a "friend" second chances after second chances, in the end, if they dont change its about damn time you dropped them. You shouldnt surround your self with people who will bring you down or even stop your goals from coming true. They should be on your level of dreams. They should want as much success as you and as much positivity as you. If not, your only setting yourself up to go backwards. BAckwards enough to actually stop what your doing to baby sit them in their lives decisions. Im not saying you cant help them, however, im saying dont let them run your life.
As the acceptances are coming in the mail by the day there is a growing anticipation for the year to end. We are all anxious to figure out what will come next in our lives and wondering where we will end up. While it is still hard for some to say, having to wait out the next few long months to hear from their top schools, others are practically packing their bags and sending in their checks. Preparing their t-shirts and sweats in their college of choice's colors. Right now its hard to figure out where the best fit is and some of us are lucky knowing precisely where we want to go, while others continue on their search for the right place. However, one thing is for certain, we all have college on our minds. Homework is becoming sloppier and sloppier and performance on tests is growing worse by the day. We are all in a waiting period figuring out where to go next. And in this time there is no extra energy to be used. What will come next its hard to say, but for now we will just keep working.
Senioritis- noun. A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as graduation.
Something that I have been interested in learning more about has been Indian Religions. I remember a friend of mine talking about it when I was in 8th grade, but she did not practice the religion devoutly so she did not know a lot of information about it. Lately, the issue has caught my eye again. I know that many people feel that Indian religion is the most peaceful. From what I have heard, there are many forms and sub forms of Indian religion. There isnt just one set form for Indian religion just as if you were to say American religion, that could mean Christianity, Buddhism, atheism or the Jewish religion as well as others. For example, I heard that the Indian faith entails Hinduism but different forms of Hinduism. Now that's just what I've heard, it may or may not be true.
One thing that I know for sure about Indian Religion is that the faith contains a lot of ideas entailing do onto others as you would want done to you. Now I've studied my share of Global Studies, and I know that the Indian religious system is also based of of gods such as Shiva and Vishnu. Personally, it's funny to me how we have adapted a lot of the Indian religious concepts and used them as are own. Like the concept of Karma.
Indian religion was important in the past because I had a lot of Indian friends. I wanted to find out more about their religion, and why they fasted and celebrated the holidays they did. From a friend in 8th grade I know that there are many gods that are worshiped. There is a god for almost everything which is very similar to Greek religion as well. The god Vishnu is the the preserver and protector of the world and the god Shiva is the destructive god. In theory it is very similar to Confucius's teachings of Yin and Yang. The whole idea that there cannot be good without the evil.
Being that I didn't have a lot of background information on Indian Religion, I chose to do some research on the topic. As I searched for blogs and news articles on Google, I came across this one article: "Indian Religion", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_religions This article provided a lot of information on Indian Religion. For example, "Indian religions are the related religious traditions that originated in the Indian Subcontinet, namely Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism, and Sikhism, inclusive of their sub-schools and various related traditions. They form a subgroup of the larger classes of "Eastern Religions" and also Indo-European Religions . Indian religions have similarities in core beliefs, modes of worship, and associated practices, mainly due to their common history of origin and mutual influence."This statement reallly surprised me. I knew about the practice of Buddhism and Hinduism but had no clue about Jainism and Sikhism. Its also quite surprising that there are so many different yet similar religions in one region. If they are so similar why not combine them?
In a blog I found a lot of view points on the issue of Indian Religion, "Indian Buddhists Protest Hindu Control over Temple" http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2010/01/indian-buddhists-protest-hindu-control.html utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=ping.fm&utm_campaign=GOOGLE+BLOG+SEARCH+TERM+india+2+INDIANS.SHOUTEM, there was this one statement that made me shake my head in disagreement with the people written about. It was: " The committee has 4 Buddhist and 4 Hindu members, and the chairman must be the local district magistrate who must be Hindu. Buddhists argue that this gives Hindus control over a Buddhist holy site." This is puzzling to me becuase how can an equal number of people on a board each of Indian religion reign over the other religions. I think that there should be no argument over religion in Indian seeing as how their religions are so undeniably similar. I think that if the two religions collaborated more then there wouldnt be an issue.
All of this makes me think that through religion can bring conflict, which is why I am glad the US has such strict rules on religion in schools. I think that Indian religion and their belief system is founded of this base of peace and acceptance yet some of the Indian people of slightly different religous beliefs cannot accept each other.
Image"Wheel of Time" http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/?terms=indian+religion&edit=yes&page=1
I chose this image because I feel it is a great example of Indian Religion in reference to my previous writing. It shows three different gods or they could be religions, who knows there wasnt a lot of info on the image location site. What attracted me to this image was all of the vibrant color, as I love the fashion of India because of its vibrant colors. I also liked the picture because different environments are portrayed in the background. For example the snow topped mountains, the small temple bathed in light in the background between the wheel and the god in the middle as when as the rocky terrain in the foreground of the image. Its all a lot to take in while looking at the image but it makes for an interesting sight.
What makes for a really good post on youth voices?
All posts are good posts on any and every web sight. It just depends on your Interest is at the time, and your format of research. Depending on the type of person judges if there is too much writing or not enough. Images also help the reader visualize and understand what the writer is talking about. Where as quotations and pod casts give the points of views of other people that also have interest in the given topic.
What did you do this week since your last post on youth voices?
With youth voices i have found it an excellent place for information also find opinions on a topic.
As for it being anything i am interested in that is a no. I don't have any interest in youth voices and finding out what people have to say. I know what people think about a topic by just reading a news paper or even the news. As for searching for information I would look at an official sight with proven information. I see youth voices as a newer version of winkipidea; winkipidiea is a web sight where you can look up information. But the information may be altered by anyone in the world. So there is a high possibility that there may be false information on the topic you are researching. Same thing with youth voices anyone can change and edit your work at anytime
My whole life I have had someone there to hold my hand, and now I'm suppose to go off on my own and face the world and I'm scared that I wont be able to make it. The world is very cruel and I'm not sure if I can make it on my own. I have no idea how it will be to truly be by myself.
Ever since I was little Ive never seen the world like anyone else. I have never thought of things like anyone else. Never been as trusting of the world as others. Never expressed my pain,joy,sorrow...love like other people, because I did not understood the world and the world did not understand me.Now I'm going to be living in a completely different state from my family, my friends...myself and my comfort zone;and I cant help but feel utterly alone. Is this what living on my own will be like? Me the outsider looking in wishing I knew what to say, what to do, that conversation and small talk came with a manual or that i at least had a script.
I have no idea what the world holds for me and if I'm even strong enough to face it on my own. In my life I have lived in my protective bubble. The outer layer has tears and hole, smudges, and bruises, but in it I've stayed convinced that if I left it I would become a statistic. A statistic of people who flew the coop and had to fly right back. Yet I decided to step out of that bubble and now I'm afraid to breath.
I'm a coward and a hypocrite. I preach to others on how they should "Suck it up and just do it " When i know that when the time comes it'll take all my strength to will myself out the door. Want to know what my problem really is? The answer might shock you. My problem is the fact that I don't know. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if I'll make it. Whether or not I picked the right major, the right school, the right place to be at the right time. I don't know anything i feel...Uncertain like I was holding the only candle in a dark tunnel, and all I want most is to feel the reassuring warmth of light ahead. To know there is light ahead. With out lights touch I'm like hands in the dark.
This picture Entitled "Feeling alone" Kind of reminds me of Myself. Just like the child in the photo I feel like I'm standing alone waiting for the answer to my questions to come to me with the faint glimpse of the world in my view.
My favorite poem by Edgar Allen Poe is titled "Alone."
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent , or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
Being alone is about being an outsider. The poem tells how the writer feels that they don't see, feel, think, hope, wish, love and hurt like other people in the world do or should. He tells the reader that although things were beautiful, and simple all he saw were the demons.He knew that the rest of the world could see the good things the "red-cliff of the mountain from the from the sun that round me rolled in autumn tint of gold" and all he saw were the bad things, the things that bound him in a way.
My favorite line in Alone is "(When the rest of heaven were blue) of a demon in my view." Which to me means that like i said before even though heaven were blue, even though there was nothing wrong he couldn't see it. He couldn't see the blue only the demon ...the things that haunted, him that tormented him, that made him different. I can really relate to this line in the poem because to me the world is the demon in my view. I can look around and see the "blue" and the trees. Feel the sun caress my face, and the breeze that hugs my body; but when I open my eyes all i see is the faint shadow of the world. Always letting me know that it's presence is with me.
More then anything that image scares me because i want to be able to see that blue in the sky, but i cant help but be very afraid of what's to come . Honestly I'm just worried i have no clue what the future holds for me and the fact that I'm not going to at least have the comfort of being in my home... in my city is what really shakes me up. Because at least when i was alone here i knew where to go to not feel that way.Places like the beauty of the botanical gardens, the hustle and bustle of times square, the familiarity of Harlem,and the safety of L.E.S. NY was my jungle gym.. i guess now i feel like a child who was taken from the park to early and i still want to play.To run though the streets, stop traffic ...dance in the rain. This is my home and I'm a little reluctant to leave it. So when i read that line in Edgar Allen Poe's poem it just made me close my eyes take it in and realize that it was exactly what i wanted to say but didn't know how.
Joseph Conrad made me feel that way too,when he said: Who knows what true loneliness is -- not the conventional word, but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion. Now and then a fatal conjunction of events may lift the veil for an instant. For an instant only. No human being could bear a steady view of moral solitude without going madhttp://search.creativecommons.org/ When i read that quote all I could think was that is exactly how I'm going to feel when i get to where ever it is I'm going. I can understand what Joseph Conrad is trying to say, which to me is that loneliness isn't just a word we say or something that we think were feeling but something that keeps us up at night like that noise in the house you cant figure out where it's coming from. He's saying that the people in the world who are lonely where a mask which to me means a smile like nothings wrong like they're not afraid of being lonely
Why are colleges now making the class sizes small?
When I was watching a movie once, I saw the main character's sister who happened to be a college student going into her classroom. I was surprised to find out that so many people were in the same class as her. I was really scared after watching her sit down in the huge room and take notes while the professor lectured on. He was so far away from her and I was scared that college would like that for me. I wanted to go to college since I was young, but the thought of a huge class size made me scared and very nervous. What if I didn't get important information just because I was so far away from the professor? Will I even be friends with anyone in there? What if I have to present something in front of that huge class?
When I went on the college trips with my fellow classmates, I was surprised that so many schools are now switching to small classes. Many tour guides mentioned it many times and listed some of the benefits of a small class. Many said intimacy, teachers get to know you well, teachers can help you one on one in the classes when you have questions, and other things. However it made me think why did they change class sizes all of a sudden?
I was actually fully prepared to work in a huge classroom, now that I think about it. The one good thing about huge class sizes is that shy people like me can be unnoticed and just write down notes. Now that the class sizes are going to be small, they have a higher chance of standing out more. They would probably be more likely to be called on by the teacher and if they don't know the answer, can look stupid in front of strangers and peers. I really don't want that. Now that I think about the setting it would probably feel like high school classes again...except students might be more mature....well some of them anyway.
Well it's something hard and sad to talk about. It's a question that will be coming up when I start College soon. I feel that I will be missing all my friends. But the ones that I"ll be missing the most are Diane, Shehrina, Allesia and Edgar. Due to the fact that they are the most amazing people on earth. They are always there for me and always will be. We are very different from each other and that's what I love about them. Sometimes we get into fight but that's sometimes. And when we do fight, at the end we become friends again. It's terrible to think that those people that you became friends with for a long time will end up going in different ways. Now I think about college and the new people I will be meeting and becoming friends with. It's scary to know that your best friends will not be there for you no. And when I say that I mean next to you. Sitting with you in class. Meeting new folks that might not be like your old friends it's kind of scary because you don't know them.
I"ll be missing most my friends from East West. Well honestly, some of them. Now that is Senior Year I see that everyone is getting alone very well. And it's funny cause back then, some didn't get alone. Even though East West School of International Studies school isn't exactly a what we thought it was going to be, I have to admit that I did have fun in East West School. Remember all the imentor events we use to have. Our first party we had in our school during the month of December. All the drama people had in that school. The fights when Allesia slapped Kyle in the face. The laughter, jokes from our principle that weren't funny at all, secrets around the school, relationship stuff and etc.
The funny ones in class. I remember how Skylar Matthew and Alex Hernandez were the most funniest ones in class. Then throughout the time Jay Jay Johnson and Dylan Rodriquez became the new jokers.I'm going to miss them. I"ll be missing the smart people in school. Luis Ng, Jeannie, Alexis, Jessica, Kyle, Marine, Devon, Masaki, Jose and etc. But that's how life is friends come and go. That's what High School is all about. People leave and some come back, but what I do know is that my best friends will always be there and aren't going any where. Cause I'm not ready to let them go yet.
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In the past, education has a lot of mixed feelings for me. I had experienced both good and bad memories. When I was growing, I was raised by my mother as a single parent. At that time, people has discriminations against family who has divorced or separated parents. They made me feel like I do not belong only because my parents are separated. They thought that because my parents were separated that I am going to have the same kind of family when I get married.
I also grew up in a country where every parents' goal is to be able to send their children to college for them to have a college degree. My mother did her best to be able to send me to college and I love and thank her so much for that
Grade school were ok. It was something that we were expected to do, to go to school. High school were great and not so great. It was in high school were I fell in love and got hurt. It was in high school were brand named and expensive things are very important to have. It was in high school were some kids were so mean to some kids. But, it was also in high school where I had a great time with my friends, where we had great memories.
Education for me is very important in my life now. It is not something that I am expected to do anymore, but rather something that I wanted to do for my personal and professional development. I am going back to school for my family, to be able to afford a great life for them. I wish I could turn the clock back and do great in school so that I did not have to go back to school again. It is very hard to go back to school at this time being married, having a child, having a lot of pets to take care of, and a house to manage. Over all, I still feel fulfilled knowing that I am trying to pursue my dream of finishing my degree.
Education for me in the future will be a major accomplishment in my life personally and professionally. When I finished my degree, I will definitely can say that I have accomplished something that I wanted to do very much for me and my family.
Something that I have been interested in learning more about has been why religion is so important. I remember my mother talking about it when I was smaller but when I think of her explanations for why religion is so neccessary, now it barely makes sense.Lately, the issue has caught my eye again. I know that there is a broad view on how people regard religion. Some would kill over it because that's how strongly they believe and some would spit on a bible and not even fear going to "hell". From what I have heard, religion is a very tense subject. I personally do not believe in God or anything higher than man. I mean in my point of view, religion is very politically based, corrupt and fabricated. For example, there have been a number of corrupt popes in our time. As well as lower level priests that have been convicted of raping little boys. My very mothers own priest when she was a child was convicted of raping 5 little boys. Another example having to do with the fabrication is when the indigenous people of some foreign country first saw airplanes. They described the sight as two steel birds. Now couldn't the people of 70 A.D., when the bible was written, have portrayed what they saw in a way that was unintelligible. Seeing that the peoples brains were less developed than those we have now then who is to say that a man walking on water or turning water to wine was not simply a trick of the eye. Just imagine when things are seen that are "amazing" for the first time. People of course fabricate and exaggerate the occurance to make it more than it is for the sake of following and trust. If you think this man can turn water to wine then of course you will fear what else he can do.
One thing that I know for sure about religion is that some people will do anything to protect and defend it. Now I've studied my share of U.S. History and I've seen what people would do to protect their religious views. Whether past, present or future people will do what they will for this one sole belief in a god.
For example the Crusaders went on a campaign in the "name of god" and killed many french. Most of the people that went on this crusade in fact did not do it for religious reasons at all, although they stated that they did. In this quote it states "Others believed they would gain more land and holdings, a title, and even salvation. Merchants believed the crusades would allow for greater trade opportunities in the Muslim Lands. It was simply a war to rid Europe of young nobles who insisted upon fighting each other". This exemplifies what the true reasons were behind fighting this war "for god". Another quote based on the Crusades also says that "The pope promised knights remission of sins allowing for the knights, who died in battle against the pagans, to be absolved from sin through the power of God which the pope had been invested."This also shows how corrupt the church was during this time and still to this day in some cases.
The pope which I talked about before was being very corrupt in allowing only the sins of the knights to be forgiven for taking the lives of many. Why did he take it upon himself to decide who should and shouldnt be forgiven for countless sins, some of which Im sure where not as drastic as killing a person. Wasnt that supposed to be "God's" job? The article where I found the quotes is here: Ancient Digger: Monday Ground Up: Saint Demitrios and the Crusades.
Another way that religion is being used is in the overcoming of something. Being that I didn't have a lot of background information on religion and overcoming tribulations. I chose to do some research on the topic. As I searched for blogs and news articles on Google, I came across this one article:ScienceDirect - Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment : Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery : : Determining the mental health benefits. This article provided a lot of information and opinions on religion and tribulations in life. Some people felt that religion in this case had directly impacted the drug users of this story. There was an actual study done that stated that the people who believed in religion and had a faith in fact recovered faster than the people who did not have a faith. I think that the fact that religion can get people out of such enourmous and pivical depths such as drug abuse is quite amazing. Im not entirely sold on the religious aspect of things. I mean I think if someone has succeded in getting over drug use then maybe its something inside themselves that has gotten them to over come it. I also feel that Its like when you tell yourself you can do it repeatedly then ultimately you are going to think you can. Some people call that crazy if you keep saying you think you can fly and then try to do it. I think its quite amazing that someone can have that much faith in themselves to go to such great heights. Its the same as religion, there believing in a book, thats really all it is, a book, to tell them what to do in life. Crazy or an Astonishing feat of man?.
I found this quote below on an image and I thought that was an interesting message to send to all ot the people who will read this.
"God has no religion”
(Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948)
Anyways I chose this picture because I wanted a picture of an institution of faith. I wonder why people need one of these sometimes. Like what does a nice church have to do with "worshipping god". All for show to get more money in the collection pot in my opinion. I do however like this picture because it reminds me of a very traditional church. None of those new steel and metal churches that look more like office buildings. I like old buildings in general though so I might be a little biased.
All of this makes me think that religion in its essence is not a bad thing. Its what people choose to do with religion that turns it into a corrupt business. Its like when did religion and military get inserted into the same sentence when it came to the crusades and even the war we have going on now in Iraq. And then when you read the article about how substance abuse was actually cured because of peoples faith in the lord, it makes you think that possibly there is hope out there that people will use religion in the proper ways. Religion is, supposed to give you hope to go on to the next day and its supposed to bring people together under one common god.
Image: "Religion", Rickydavid, August 23rd, 2007. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuppini/1214842248/
Lately I have been feeling horrible. I am very overwhelmed to the point that I just wanted to give up everything. Nothing good has happened to me for a long time. It feels like my world did a hundred in the fast lane and crashed. I'm glad this feeling came to me on my last year of high school because if it was the middle, I think I would have dropped out. I thought my senior year in High School was supposed to be the easiest and the funnest year of your education. Nope..not mines. mines became a terror,a nightmare, a headache. My trigonometry class is the most boring class, Japanese class is the hardest, and zero period is pointless. That's not all, my school friends all broken up, my weekends is occupied by SAT prep, my Xbox 360 is broke, do I have keep going. you should understand. Like I always say, education is everything, but for some reason it feels like that mentality is fading. I still believe that education is everything. I still feel education is the greatest element of success.
I am super scared to go to college. Every time I think about college. I think about huge books and a million pages that have to be read by the next day. I also think about pound of essays I have to write. I think patients is the key to get through college. when I think about going to college I don't think about fun like most people do, it seems like they forget the amount of work they have to put in. All I think about is the work. I just pray to god that I can keep patients and complete all my assignments. I know college is going to be the hardest years of my life.
I ask myself a million questions a day about college. I always wonder is business the perfect major to do. I hate to read. i mean hate to read, and people always tell me if I major in business, I better get ready to read a whole lot. I'm not ready for that. I know I sound dumb saying that because reading is what college is all about, and every job, good job that is, requires a lot of reading. Right now I'm kind of undecided, I really don't what to do. Hopefully when I get to college I will make up my mind. A lot people tell me I should go to school for art because they enjoy my work, but to be honest I don't want to major art because I think I'm not going to get anything out of it and I have low confidence in my work. I was actually thinking about going to school for engineering, since I love math and technology. Who knows how my future is going to be. Hopefully it's something great.
Life can be a surprise to those who believe that they are lost. This occurs in the novel, The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. A young woman named Andrea Sachs, who freshly graduated from Brown University and had majored in journalism, had to face many obstacles throughout her career and life. She never thought that her life career was going to turn out wrong. The Devil Wears Prada had a very strong impact on my life. It shows that in life you need to trust, believe, and have faith in yourself. Always do things that you enjoy doing, and never change your personality to something else that is fake because that is what's going to damage your life the most.
Andrea's lifestyle was perfectly fine, until she changed her career life to be an assistant. Andrea, also known as Andy left her career in journalism to do something that she didn't enjoy working on. Becoming Miranda Priestly's assistant was something that any NYC girl would die for. Miranda Priestly is a fabulously successful editor of "Runway" magazine. Andy knew that this fashion life was not for her, but trying something new was not going to hurt. Even though, she had no experience working as a fashion assistant, Andy was a very clever and responsible young lady. But Andy had no style at all.
After getting accepted as Miranda Priestly's assistant, conflicts start to overcome her. Miranda was a very strict person and very demanding. Miranda treated her assistants in a cruel way. After months of torture, Andy starts to change her personality. It was a new Andy now. The old, shy, no-style, girl was no longer alive. Andy thought that changing her personality and becoming someone else would help her self-esteem increase. Miranda started to like her, and Andy's working partners liked her too.
Before, everyone hated Andy because she had no style. Even though she was a new person now, she ends up losing her friends and family. Her friends didn't like this new Andy who pretended to be something that was not her. Andy realizes at last, that she wasn't happy working with Miranda Priestly. Surely, she did face problems, and everything turns out to be right .After all, she was treated badly and was made fun of before. Andy had to face obstacles throughout her life career that she thought were impossible to face. She felt bad that everyone would make fun of her, especially her boss. But later on, She was respected by Miranda Priestly and by everyone. She had everything now. Except the people she loved the most. That's when she realizes that changing her personality was only causing separation between those whom she loves the most.
Andy's choice of becoming herself again and changing jobs was a smart thing to do. What I have learned from this is that you don't need to pretend to be something you are not. Pretending to be something you are not makes the people you most love end up leaving you. The Devil Wears Prada changeed my way of thinking. Always be positive about what you want to do. Now I am always positive on what I want to do and enjoy doing. Weisberger the author of the book inspired me in a way to love myself and trust myself no matter what. Andy in the middle of her life believes that she is lost and has no way of turning back. But life gives her a second chance to believe in herself and learn how to love herself for what she is.
This book has taught me the truth about being yourself. For example, a life experience that I had that came from reading this novel was when I was in hgh school. I became friends with two girls who were a bad influence on my life. I changed my personality, just so they would like me and to become part of their group. But I started to lose my other friends. That's when I remembered reading The Devil Wears Prada and I remembered what happened to Andy. And I realizeed that, what happened to Andy would end up happening to me. I didn't want that though, so I pulled myself away from the two girls. Now I sit down and think about it. If I had never read that book, I might have lost my friends forever and I would have been with those grils. I thank Weisberger for writing this amaizing book that opened my mind and made me see clearly what being yourself truely is.
