In the essay The Homeless and Their Children, by Jonathan Kozol, it tells the story of an illiterate women who is raising her family in the … Hotel in New York. In this story, Jonathan visits The … Hotel, one of the biggest hotels for the homeless in New York. While he is there, he gets introduced to Laura, an illiterate single mom who is raising her four kids in the hotel. Throughout this article, it provokes a sense of sympathy for the thousands of homeless all over the country. It is hard to imagine just the kind of life that these homeless children and adults have gone through. Life is a vicious cycle. Just like when students go to their public schools everyday and do not know what it is like at other schools; children that grow up in The… Hotel only know what life is like to fight starvation and to live in the hotels for the homeless, in order for them to expect something more from life, these kids would have to know what to expect first. This cycle of life is one of the most frustrating as an American citizen. It is sad to think that the place or kind of childhood a person grew up with would be such a main factor in the outcome of their life.
As it is really hard to break the barriers that separate the rich from the poor we as a nation need to make sure that everyone has a chance to succeed. In the article it talk about when Jonathan talks to Laura and finds papers that Laura has stored up, but never had read to her. In the stack of papers that Jonathan found there were multiple urgent letters. One of the letters, from the hospital, informed Laura that her son had a bad case of lead poison. In an attempt to stay alive, kids would eat the sweet tasting paint that chipped off of the walls, much of which contained lead poisoning. This is just one of many papers that were stacked up on Laura’s desk, many of which were very important, but Laura didn’t know what they said because couldn’t read. Why did Laura not know what was going on in her own child’s life?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Give me an A!
In the essay Gimme an A (I Insist!) by Abigail Sullivan Moore it talks about the increase in students receiving good grades in the current systems. Abigail argues that in recent years, compared to in the past, students grades have increased but the SAT scores have stayed the same. Abigail also complains that parents, and the students themselves, are pressuring teachers into giving good grades so that students will be accepted into good universities. Both points, grades improving while SAT scores stay the same and teachers being pressured into giving out good grades, are valid points, but even in our society, where it is normal to be a straight A student, there are plenty of ways to know who the really exceptional students are. If a student is looking for ways to excel in school, there are plenty of opportunities that are open to them today. Students who are exceptionally strong in their studies have exceptional SAT/ACT scores. The fact is that although the increase of grades may seem harmful, really it is just grade inflation and when good grades are given more freely in high schools the colleges need to raise the standard to match the current grades being given. It is not the teachers fault that the students are receiving a good grades in class, teachers have to make learning in high school attainable for every student. The standard of learning in high schools need to be attainable, but that does not mean that the exceptional student can’t go beyond getting good grades and look for additional ways to educate themselves; additional ways include post secondary options, exceptional ACT/SAT scores, and making sure they are well rounded individuals.
Abigail’s points out that grades are increasing but SAT scores are staying constant don’t go together. Just because teachers have been “pressured” into giving good grades, this does not mean that students today are any smarter than students ten years ago. Although it doesn’t make a lot of sense to give out good it grades without the students deserving them, it does give the students a boost to pursue their dreams. As Abigail said “teachers feel a pressure to not shatter students’ self-esteem.” A good teacher knows how to give out accurate grades without shattering the student’s self-esteem. This is a very fine line, but it is important for an experienced teacher, that knows what level to expect from a student, to have standards before a class ever starts. Students do not always enjoy a class with such qualified teachers, but students will be pushed to be the very best that they can be. You may say that the teachers are being generous with grades or maybe you think that they are being pressured giving the good grades, but either way the standards have been lowered. Whatever the reason for the inflation of grades may be students who wish to go above the average must be able to prove themselves exceptional in multiple areas. Colleges are looking for well rounded people who can hand more than one thing at a time. Students who participate in sports and music often times have a higher chance of getting a scholarship than someone who is not as well balanced.
Not all students are exceptionally gifted in academics. Schools are really good about making sure that every student gets an equal opportunity to success. Schools should be commended for trying to be a place where all students can be challenged and still feel good about themselves. The inflation of grades makes students feel better about their success, but an A doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the top of your class. Knowing that an A does not mean that you are an exceptional student is the first step to fixing the grade inflation problem.
Abigail’s points out that grades are increasing but SAT scores are staying constant don’t go together. Just because teachers have been “pressured” into giving good grades, this does not mean that students today are any smarter than students ten years ago. Although it doesn’t make a lot of sense to give out good it grades without the students deserving them, it does give the students a boost to pursue their dreams. As Abigail said “teachers feel a pressure to not shatter students’ self-esteem.” A good teacher knows how to give out accurate grades without shattering the student’s self-esteem. This is a very fine line, but it is important for an experienced teacher, that knows what level to expect from a student, to have standards before a class ever starts. Students do not always enjoy a class with such qualified teachers, but students will be pushed to be the very best that they can be. You may say that the teachers are being generous with grades or maybe you think that they are being pressured giving the good grades, but either way the standards have been lowered. Whatever the reason for the inflation of grades may be students who wish to go above the average must be able to prove themselves exceptional in multiple areas. Colleges are looking for well rounded people who can hand more than one thing at a time. Students who participate in sports and music often times have a higher chance of getting a scholarship than someone who is not as well balanced.
Not all students are exceptionally gifted in academics. Schools are really good about making sure that every student gets an equal opportunity to success. Schools should be commended for trying to be a place where all students can be challenged and still feel good about themselves. The inflation of grades makes students feel better about their success, but an A doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the top of your class. Knowing that an A does not mean that you are an exceptional student is the first step to fixing the grade inflation problem.
Is Hannah Montana a good role model?
In an article discussing whether Hannah Montana/Miley Cirus is a good role model for teens the author, J. M. Rock, claims that she is a good role model for teens today. This article can be found at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/407616/is_hannah_montana_the_right_role_model_pg2.html?cat=25. In the article, Rock commends Hannah for being so moderately dressed, having appropriate lyrics in her music, and for avoiding scandals. Contrary to Rock’s point of view, I would argue that Hannah is not a good role model for kids because of how inappropriate Hannah Montana is when it comes to her lack of modesty in her clothing, her questionable acting, and in appropriate dancing. This is not the kind of role model I want to see setting the trend for young girls to be admiring and copying.
Is Hannah Montana a role model that our younger generations should be admiring? Last christmas at a family gathering as we were flipping through the channels on the TV the Party in the USA music video came on. When my 4 year old cousin saw this she started dancing and singing along! It was adorable watching my cousin dance to the music, but it was disturbing to me that my 4 year old cousin admired Miley Cyrus to that extent. Her parents went on to say that she knows every Miley Cirus song and that she goes around the house singing them constantly! In the article, Rock defends Miley by saying that "Mylie Cyrus seems to be a down to earth girl, who's very kind and loves life. She is a wonderful role model for preteens and teenagers." It seems unclear to me what this information is based upon. It does not take a very long time of watching youtube videos before you can prove this statement wrong. For example, after watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUr2ggLlhI it is clear to me that Miley is not such a wonderful role model for preteens and teenagers. There has been a lot talk about the section of the song when Miley performed a pole dance, but even if we were to ignore that disturbing section of the song, her clothing selection was very inappropriate and not something that I ever want to see my sister dressed in. In the article, Rock states that "even in full blown Hannah Montana mode the character is always fully clothed, meaning there are no flashes of belly buttons from cropped tops and not once is her bottom exposed by wearing pants that are slung just a little too low." There was nothing about the video that I just watched that confirmed this statement truth, and if that wasn’t enough evidence take a look at this!
Even if Miley Cirus used to be modest in clothing choices, this has changed. Now she is encouraging modeling in a towel! As comfirmed by my 4 year old cousin, Miley Cirus's audience starts at a very young age. It saddens me to think that so many young girls admire Miley and want to be just like her. If my 4 year old cousin was to walk around dressed in the same attire that Miley Cyrus clothes herself in, many would be appalled. My cousin, along with thousands of other little girls, follow Miley’s every move. Is this really the best role model that America can come up with for our future generations?
Is Hannah Montana a role model that our younger generations should be admiring? Last christmas at a family gathering as we were flipping through the channels on the TV the Party in the USA music video came on. When my 4 year old cousin saw this she started dancing and singing along! It was adorable watching my cousin dance to the music, but it was disturbing to me that my 4 year old cousin admired Miley Cyrus to that extent. Her parents went on to say that she knows every Miley Cirus song and that she goes around the house singing them constantly! In the article, Rock defends Miley by saying that "Mylie Cyrus seems to be a down to earth girl, who's very kind and loves life. She is a wonderful role model for preteens and teenagers." It seems unclear to me what this information is based upon. It does not take a very long time of watching youtube videos before you can prove this statement wrong. For example, after watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUr2ggLlhI it is clear to me that Miley is not such a wonderful role model for preteens and teenagers. There has been a lot talk about the section of the song when Miley performed a pole dance, but even if we were to ignore that disturbing section of the song, her clothing selection was very inappropriate and not something that I ever want to see my sister dressed in. In the article, Rock states that "even in full blown Hannah Montana mode the character is always fully clothed, meaning there are no flashes of belly buttons from cropped tops and not once is her bottom exposed by wearing pants that are slung just a little too low." There was nothing about the video that I just watched that confirmed this statement truth, and if that wasn’t enough evidence take a look at this!
Even if Miley Cirus used to be modest in clothing choices, this has changed. Now she is encouraging modeling in a towel! As comfirmed by my 4 year old cousin, Miley Cirus's audience starts at a very young age. It saddens me to think that so many young girls admire Miley and want to be just like her. If my 4 year old cousin was to walk around dressed in the same attire that Miley Cyrus clothes herself in, many would be appalled. My cousin, along with thousands of other little girls, follow Miley’s every move. Is this really the best role model that America can come up with for our future generations?
Is Dance a Sport?
“Is Dance a Sport” is an article written by The Quimdecim that is found at http://media.www.thequindecim.com/media/storage/paper618/news/2003/03/05/SportsAndWellness/Is.Dance.A.Sport-385715.shtml. This article faces the question of whether dance is a sport or an art. In the article dance students at Goucher College discuss whether they think dance is a sport or not. Because dance fits so well in both categories, art and sport, it is seems that dance can be considered as both an art and a sport. Dancing is often times done in a competitive manor, as shown in dance studios where they compete in dance competitions, this aspect of dancing is very easily argued as a sport. Though on the other hand, dancing is not just about perfecting, it is also about performing and entertaining the audience, this aspect of dancing is all about the arts.
In the heat of this discussion, between the dance students at Goucher College, the dictionary definition of a sport was brought up. The dictionary says that a sport is "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." If it is to be argued that dancing is merely a sport, because it is physical and has rules, are there not plenty of other activities that should quality as a sport? Professional ball players get paid for being exceptionally skilled at memorizing plays, learning rules, and executing all the things they have learned. Art, when defined, is “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, or what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Although dance is a physical art, it fits into this definition of art just as much as is does the definition of a sport, if not more. When watching a dance performance it is really boring to watch the dancer perform his/her routine technically perfect with no expression, instead generally the audience likes to see an expressive, beautiful performance, such as the definition of art.
As it was said earlier if it is to be argued that dancing is merely a sport, because it is physical and has rules, are there not plenty of other activities that should quality as a sport? No one ever questions’ whether playing an instrument is a sport. After all there is a lot of competition involved between musicians, and for most instruments it is very physical. While playing the oboe, for example, it is very easy to run out of breath, especially while playing for an extended period of time. As far as rules are concerned, there are certain guild lines that musicians have to follow as well. This being said though, if someone would say that music is a sport there would probably be a heated argument! The same goes for dancing, although dancing is a physical activity it is nearly impossible to argue that dancing is not an art.
In the heat of this discussion, between the dance students at Goucher College, the dictionary definition of a sport was brought up. The dictionary says that a sport is "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." If it is to be argued that dancing is merely a sport, because it is physical and has rules, are there not plenty of other activities that should quality as a sport? Professional ball players get paid for being exceptionally skilled at memorizing plays, learning rules, and executing all the things they have learned. Art, when defined, is “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, or what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Although dance is a physical art, it fits into this definition of art just as much as is does the definition of a sport, if not more. When watching a dance performance it is really boring to watch the dancer perform his/her routine technically perfect with no expression, instead generally the audience likes to see an expressive, beautiful performance, such as the definition of art.
As it was said earlier if it is to be argued that dancing is merely a sport, because it is physical and has rules, are there not plenty of other activities that should quality as a sport? No one ever questions’ whether playing an instrument is a sport. After all there is a lot of competition involved between musicians, and for most instruments it is very physical. While playing the oboe, for example, it is very easy to run out of breath, especially while playing for an extended period of time. As far as rules are concerned, there are certain guild lines that musicians have to follow as well. This being said though, if someone would say that music is a sport there would probably be a heated argument! The same goes for dancing, although dancing is a physical activity it is nearly impossible to argue that dancing is not an art.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Reflection on My Friend Michelle, an Alcoholic
In the story My Friend Michelle, and Alcoholic, Bridgid Stone talks about her college roommate, Michelle, who was a problem drinker throughout college. As Bridgid describes Michelle’s drinking addition, she also explains her reasoning behind the effects of drinking. Bridgid also describes the ongoing problem of statistics showing the increasing number of college students who give in to alcohol. This increase in drinking during school has become a problem not only for the grades that students are receiving but also for dedication that students put into their studies. Drinking in colleges have become a “must do” in the social atmosphere in college, but this social habit can become addicting creating problems in the academic part of college as well as when creating a professional appearance needed for finding a job after college. Drinking in college is can be harmful when making decisions about our future.
Drinking is a real problem in colleges today. According to Fraternities and Sororities on Contemporary College Campuses, “73 percent of fraternity advisers believe that alcohol is a problem in fraternities.” As if that is not evidence enough that there is a ongoing alcohol problem in colleges, it is reported in Alcohol and Youth that “more that 80 percent of all college students surveyed had been drinking in the previous month.” As large as this number is, it did not come as a big surprise to me. It amazes me that students spend such a large amount of money going to college, but then waste their money by skipping classes due to carelessness’ such as getting drunk. I would also like to point out that students go to colleges to learn about a specific work field so that they can go and be professionals in their workplaces. Would you be comforted going into a surgery knowing that the doctor that is going to do your surgery spent his years of schooling going to parties and skipping classes? I would hope not!
In the story Michelle tells Bridgid that she only drinks “to loosen up; she is much more fun if she has been drinking.” Based on this explanation of why Michelle drinks it seems to me she drinks because it is the “right” thing to do socially. Also due to Michelle’s drinking addiction, she makes poor decisions such as choosing not to attend her morning classes. These poor decisions compound leading into much larger consequences. Drinking is just one example of how one things leads to one thing right after another. Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I love this verse because it reminds us that we need to be smart about our everyday decisions and that decisions that we make today will effect who we will become in the future.
Drinking is a real problem in colleges today. According to Fraternities and Sororities on Contemporary College Campuses, “73 percent of fraternity advisers believe that alcohol is a problem in fraternities.” As if that is not evidence enough that there is a ongoing alcohol problem in colleges, it is reported in Alcohol and Youth that “more that 80 percent of all college students surveyed had been drinking in the previous month.” As large as this number is, it did not come as a big surprise to me. It amazes me that students spend such a large amount of money going to college, but then waste their money by skipping classes due to carelessness’ such as getting drunk. I would also like to point out that students go to colleges to learn about a specific work field so that they can go and be professionals in their workplaces. Would you be comforted going into a surgery knowing that the doctor that is going to do your surgery spent his years of schooling going to parties and skipping classes? I would hope not!
In the story Michelle tells Bridgid that she only drinks “to loosen up; she is much more fun if she has been drinking.” Based on this explanation of why Michelle drinks it seems to me she drinks because it is the “right” thing to do socially. Also due to Michelle’s drinking addiction, she makes poor decisions such as choosing not to attend her morning classes. These poor decisions compound leading into much larger consequences. Drinking is just one example of how one things leads to one thing right after another. Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I love this verse because it reminds us that we need to be smart about our everyday decisions and that decisions that we make today will effect who we will become in the future.
The "scary and frightening" Lion King
Anyone who is going to read my blog today is a bored computer nerd.. oh there I go again stereotyping again. Well at least I am in good company. Both Disney, makers of the Lion King, and Margaret Lazarus, the author of All’s Not Well in Land of “The Lion King” make broad stereotypes about the characters in Disney film The Lion King. The Lion King, a story of a young lion prince who is deceived and threatened by his jealous uncle, the second in line for the throne, is an exciting story that has become a favorite movie that many kids remember loving. This story, though it has much some action, is not a threat to kids. In Margaret Lazarus’ evaluation of the movie, she claims that there is racism hinted at within the characters. I would like to argue that unless you are searching for something to be wrong with the movie this “racism” is not easily detected. For example, in a class discussion of Margaret Lazarus’ essay, where both black and white students where represented, the whole class agreed that Margaret was making a big deal out of nothing. While trying to get her point across about the different people represented by the character’s voices in the film The Lion King, Margaret is creates harsh stereotypes that make me wonder her ability to evaluate the movie fairly from an unbiased perspective.
Margaret Lazarus’ All’s Not Well in Land of “The Lion King” critiques The Lion King harshly. She accuses Disney of associating the characters in the film to people groups. “The hyenas are dark – mostly back – and they are nasty…one of their voices is done by Whoopie Goldberg, in a clearly inner-city dialect.” She goes on later to say similar bold statements about Scar, the bad lion who is trying to take over the thrown. “Scar has a black mane, and speaks in an effeminate, limp-pawed, British style.” Scar throughout the whole movie is trying to take away the kingdom from the lion price. Disney needed a distinctive voice that would represent “the bad guy” to the audience and Disney needed someone to do it. Although I disagree with her statement that Scar spoke in an effeminate and limp-pawed form, this proves the fact that Margaret is using very broad racist stereotypes. In an effort to try to get her readers to think about implied racial tension behind the movie, Margaret Lazarus simply makes many critical stereotypes that are racist herself.
While creating kids movies such as The Lion King, was it really Disney’s intension to have an inner city ghetto feel about them? Who are we to claim that Disney had racial discrepancy hidden within their movies? I think it is really important that we take into account the age of the directed audience that this film was originally created for. When a little kid is watching The Lion King -- a movie about a lion king and his cub, who is being threatened by a bad hyena -- I doubt that this prescribed kid is thinking about the racial meaning behind the voices. Let’s be wild and say that we come across a little kid who is thinking about the voices, what little kid is going to connect Scar’s British accent with being gay? Margaret Lazarus, though she has a right to be concerned that her son might be “scared and frightened”, has gone over the top in her critique of The Lion King by making the movie about racial discrepancy, when she has no proof that the movie was originally intended for that purpose. It can just as easily be argued that the voices that Disney used in The Lion King simply portray a vivid distinction between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”.
Margaret Lazarus’ All’s Not Well in Land of “The Lion King” critiques The Lion King harshly. She accuses Disney of associating the characters in the film to people groups. “The hyenas are dark – mostly back – and they are nasty…one of their voices is done by Whoopie Goldberg, in a clearly inner-city dialect.” She goes on later to say similar bold statements about Scar, the bad lion who is trying to take over the thrown. “Scar has a black mane, and speaks in an effeminate, limp-pawed, British style.” Scar throughout the whole movie is trying to take away the kingdom from the lion price. Disney needed a distinctive voice that would represent “the bad guy” to the audience and Disney needed someone to do it. Although I disagree with her statement that Scar spoke in an effeminate and limp-pawed form, this proves the fact that Margaret is using very broad racist stereotypes. In an effort to try to get her readers to think about implied racial tension behind the movie, Margaret Lazarus simply makes many critical stereotypes that are racist herself.
While creating kids movies such as The Lion King, was it really Disney’s intension to have an inner city ghetto feel about them? Who are we to claim that Disney had racial discrepancy hidden within their movies? I think it is really important that we take into account the age of the directed audience that this film was originally created for. When a little kid is watching The Lion King -- a movie about a lion king and his cub, who is being threatened by a bad hyena -- I doubt that this prescribed kid is thinking about the racial meaning behind the voices. Let’s be wild and say that we come across a little kid who is thinking about the voices, what little kid is going to connect Scar’s British accent with being gay? Margaret Lazarus, though she has a right to be concerned that her son might be “scared and frightened”, has gone over the top in her critique of The Lion King by making the movie about racial discrepancy, when she has no proof that the movie was originally intended for that purpose. It can just as easily be argued that the voices that Disney used in The Lion King simply portray a vivid distinction between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”.
Showing God's Love to People in Need
In the journal entry Raid Leaves Families Fractured, by Bruce Finley, it talks about the damaging results that occur after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement conduct a raid. This particular story tells how the raids affected Isabel Ramirez and her family. The ICE detained Isabel Ramirez’s husband, Juan, leaving her with their eighteen-month-old daughter, Brenda, their three-year-old son Juanito, and their seven-year-old daughter, Laura. “He was the only one working. He paid for everything, the bills, rent.” Along with the financial crises, which the broken families now have to deal with, there is also a lot of shame involved. The Ramirez family was not the only family affected in that area, though. As if this financial crisis is not enough to process, “the raids left more than one hundred children with no parents present” according to the church officials and community organizers. The financial crisis, shame, and orphaned children are all effects of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, whose goal is to find and deport illegal immigrants living in America. This leaves the families and communities broken and unable to support themselves.
In Matthew 25, it tells us that we are to take care of those in need. This past year in my Spanish class, we went on a field trip about immigration. We spent a great deal of time in a church that has set up an outreach to help illegal immigrants get American citizenship and to help those who do have citizenship get and keep jobs. After talking to a family who came over illegally, I acquired a great deal of sympathy for Mexicans here in America. The “hoops” that the U.S. government makes Mexicans go through in order to become American citizens is outrageous. Although I do not think that it is right to go against the law generally, there are times that it is necessary to do so. God’s law trumps man’s law. In the Bible God requires us to fulfill his law by meeting the needs of those less fortunate. Mexicans who manage to come to America are humans just like all those who were fortunate enough to be born in the States. We need to be careful to treat everyone just as we would want to be treated. I feel it is my duty to love and do what I can for those around me.
The effects of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, to find illegal immigrants in America, leave the families and communities devastated. What a perfect opportunity to help people in need. We need to be ready to let Christ live through our actions.
In Matthew 25, it tells us that we are to take care of those in need. This past year in my Spanish class, we went on a field trip about immigration. We spent a great deal of time in a church that has set up an outreach to help illegal immigrants get American citizenship and to help those who do have citizenship get and keep jobs. After talking to a family who came over illegally, I acquired a great deal of sympathy for Mexicans here in America. The “hoops” that the U.S. government makes Mexicans go through in order to become American citizens is outrageous. Although I do not think that it is right to go against the law generally, there are times that it is necessary to do so. God’s law trumps man’s law. In the Bible God requires us to fulfill his law by meeting the needs of those less fortunate. Mexicans who manage to come to America are humans just like all those who were fortunate enough to be born in the States. We need to be careful to treat everyone just as we would want to be treated. I feel it is my duty to love and do what I can for those around me.
The effects of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, to find illegal immigrants in America, leave the families and communities devastated. What a perfect opportunity to help people in need. We need to be ready to let Christ live through our actions.
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