Should public schools teach students ethics and personal values?
This is a tricky subject.
On one hand, students spend a good amount of time at school throughout their life, starting since being tiny little munchkins, making school an ideal place to teach things such as ethics. However, ethics and personal values are just that--personal. What one might think is ethical, another may not. What one may take to be a personal value, another may not. Furthermore, this could end up encroaching on religious rights as well because certain personal values and ethics are focused on according to one's religious beliefs.
In a way, certain ethics and personal values are being taught to students already. For example, don't cheat, treat others with respect, hold yourself to certain standards, and thinking ahead for the future can all be considered ethics and personal values, and I think this is enough for public schools to be teaching.
Do I think public schools should specifically educate students on ethics? No. There are already enough things students must be taught throughout the day, and it is not the school's place to educate students on things that do not pertain to academics by taking time out of the day to do so. By awaring students that cheating is not okay, and other lessons such as that, it should suffice.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Blog #13: Action! Cut!
When categorizing movies, I'm sure there are billions of ways one could go about this. My take is simple, but the sub-categories are more in depth. First, I would organize by a simple genre outline: Romance, Horror, Comedy and Action. Sure, there are many more genre categories, but these seem to be the most generic and common of genres.
The Romance Category.
Ah, the infamous "chick flicks." These are the movies that can make you laugh, cry, and want to squeal with happiness, or make your chest explode from the frustration of the outcome. Usually the romance movies follow the same simple formula: there are two main characters (boy and girl), these characters meet (sometimes in a very unusual way), fun and quirky dates happen in between, the two fall in love, something happens where the girl gets upset at the boy and the boy has to do something to show his undying love for her, thus in turn re-wooing the girl and they live happily ever after, or so we assume because the movie ends here.
The formula can stray some, but by following these simple steps: Voila! You have romance!
The Horror Category.
I am not much of a horror/scary movie fan. After months of nightmares from watching one scary movie as a child, it can really traumatize you! However, the horror category gives a lot of leeway for what really constitutes it as, well--a horror movie. Sometimes there is lots of blood and gore. This is the slasher film. There is usually a psychopath wielding a household appliance or tool of some sort, such as a chainsaw or a meat cleaver. In this, one can usually pin-point who will survive as normally only one or two people do, these being the main characters. There are also the ghost scary movies. There is an angry spector who wants their revenge, yada yada, kills all who inhabit its former home or takes revenge on those who had some sort of connection with the ghost. Again, usually one or two people survive in these movies. There are many other types of horror films, but just remember, if you jump from being scared, can't sleep at night from the thought of a masked man taking his revenge on those who teased him, cringed at the sight of the blood gushing out of the poor victim's arteries, then you have just seen a horror film. :)
The Comedy.
The comedy category is extremely simple: if you find yourself laughing at least every five minutes, it's a comedy. If your abs hurt because you were cracking up so hard, it's a comedy. If the idea is just so stupid or absurd that you couldn't help but giggle, it's a comedy. Comedies can also cross over into being romantic-comedies, or even can become dark as a horror-comedy (however, these are hard to execute brilliantly: see Zombieland--great film!)
The Action.
Action movies have the same formula as well. And with this, you know the good guys always win. It doesn't matter, even if you think the bad guy has taken the cake and the movie has only 15 minutes left, the hero will swoop in and win. First, there is the main character and he (or they) have to defeat an evil villain or a regular man with a dark past and a bone to pick with the hero. Sometimes the main characters will be ostracized or put in a bad light, only to come back to clear their name and take down their nemesis. Action films usually consist of at least one good fight scene, mostly executed with hand-to-hand combat. There are usually explosions of some sort, guns, and a creepy bad guy who you just want to punch in the face yourself!
The Romance Category.
Ah, the infamous "chick flicks." These are the movies that can make you laugh, cry, and want to squeal with happiness, or make your chest explode from the frustration of the outcome. Usually the romance movies follow the same simple formula: there are two main characters (boy and girl), these characters meet (sometimes in a very unusual way), fun and quirky dates happen in between, the two fall in love, something happens where the girl gets upset at the boy and the boy has to do something to show his undying love for her, thus in turn re-wooing the girl and they live happily ever after, or so we assume because the movie ends here.
The formula can stray some, but by following these simple steps: Voila! You have romance!
The Horror Category.
I am not much of a horror/scary movie fan. After months of nightmares from watching one scary movie as a child, it can really traumatize you! However, the horror category gives a lot of leeway for what really constitutes it as, well--a horror movie. Sometimes there is lots of blood and gore. This is the slasher film. There is usually a psychopath wielding a household appliance or tool of some sort, such as a chainsaw or a meat cleaver. In this, one can usually pin-point who will survive as normally only one or two people do, these being the main characters. There are also the ghost scary movies. There is an angry spector who wants their revenge, yada yada, kills all who inhabit its former home or takes revenge on those who had some sort of connection with the ghost. Again, usually one or two people survive in these movies. There are many other types of horror films, but just remember, if you jump from being scared, can't sleep at night from the thought of a masked man taking his revenge on those who teased him, cringed at the sight of the blood gushing out of the poor victim's arteries, then you have just seen a horror film. :)
The Comedy.
The comedy category is extremely simple: if you find yourself laughing at least every five minutes, it's a comedy. If your abs hurt because you were cracking up so hard, it's a comedy. If the idea is just so stupid or absurd that you couldn't help but giggle, it's a comedy. Comedies can also cross over into being romantic-comedies, or even can become dark as a horror-comedy (however, these are hard to execute brilliantly: see Zombieland--great film!)
The Action.
Action movies have the same formula as well. And with this, you know the good guys always win. It doesn't matter, even if you think the bad guy has taken the cake and the movie has only 15 minutes left, the hero will swoop in and win. First, there is the main character and he (or they) have to defeat an evil villain or a regular man with a dark past and a bone to pick with the hero. Sometimes the main characters will be ostracized or put in a bad light, only to come back to clear their name and take down their nemesis. Action films usually consist of at least one good fight scene, mostly executed with hand-to-hand combat. There are usually explosions of some sort, guns, and a creepy bad guy who you just want to punch in the face yourself!
Blog #12: Debrief and Reflect
Self-Check:
1. Yes, I have answered the prompt, and explained how the pink flamingo helped to influence American culture.
2. Yes, I have a clear thesis statement.
3. I think my essay is focused, but I think I could've made my essay flow a little bit better.
4. Yes, I used 1-2 ideas, but it may not have been pieced together as well as it could have been.
5. My essay used a variety of quotes and textual details to help convey my main point.
Reflection:
1. I used many direct quotes to help explain and get my main point across. I also tried to calm down with this timed write and allow myself to write freely.
2. What didn't go as well as I wanted was my conclusion. I felt very rushed at the end and I didn't have a lot of time to edit and finish my conclusion.
3. If given more time, I would make sure I took time to read over my essay and edit it correctly.
4. Overall, I think the structure of my essay turned out how I had planned, however I probably could have connected it a little better in terms of flow.
5. As I was writing, I learned a little bit more about the pink flamingo and its role in American society. It became clear that the lawn ornament is not just a cheap motif for the front yard, but it represents the way Americans were becoming more bold and the way they wanted to live.
6. For future timed-writes, I just need to remember to work through my nerves and just let myself write. However, I also need to pace myself better so that I can edit my essay at the end and give it one last look.
1. Yes, I have answered the prompt, and explained how the pink flamingo helped to influence American culture.
2. Yes, I have a clear thesis statement.
3. I think my essay is focused, but I think I could've made my essay flow a little bit better.
4. Yes, I used 1-2 ideas, but it may not have been pieced together as well as it could have been.
5. My essay used a variety of quotes and textual details to help convey my main point.
Reflection:
1. I used many direct quotes to help explain and get my main point across. I also tried to calm down with this timed write and allow myself to write freely.
2. What didn't go as well as I wanted was my conclusion. I felt very rushed at the end and I didn't have a lot of time to edit and finish my conclusion.
3. If given more time, I would make sure I took time to read over my essay and edit it correctly.
4. Overall, I think the structure of my essay turned out how I had planned, however I probably could have connected it a little better in terms of flow.
5. As I was writing, I learned a little bit more about the pink flamingo and its role in American society. It became clear that the lawn ornament is not just a cheap motif for the front yard, but it represents the way Americans were becoming more bold and the way they wanted to live.
6. For future timed-writes, I just need to remember to work through my nerves and just let myself write. However, I also need to pace myself better so that I can edit my essay at the end and give it one last look.
Blog #11: Metacognition
Culminating Writers Profile
1. Discuss how your expectations about your writing style and needs have both changed and remained the same since this class has started.
I don't believe my expectations about my writing style since beginning this class has changed too much. However, I am very excited to be given more freedom to break out from the structured style we have always been taught, and to take risks with my wrtiting.
2. What do you see as your strengths as a writer and how have you reinforced them?
My strengths in my writing are that I am very detailed and I have an expansive vocabulary that I am sure to include when it is appropriate. I am sure to address what is needed and I am very meticulous. I have reinforced my writing style with practice and critique.
3. What do you still see as your writing weaknesses and what have you done to strengthen those areas?
A writing weakness of mine sometimes includes using the appropriate punctuation: i.e. distinguishing when I should use a semi-colon versus a period. I think I could strengthen this by re-reading and also having others read my paper so that I can gradually learn with critique what I need to change.
Evaluating Your Writing Process
1. If you had the time to write one more draft of this essay, how would you improve it?
If I had time to write one more draft of this essay, I probably would honestly change my whole topic. I thought it was well-written, but I don't feel like I connected with my topic in a way that the reader could connect to as well. Perhaps if I had picked a topic that I could connect more emotionally to my paper, my readers could too.
2. As you received peer feedback and revised your essay, what did you find the easiest element to improve in your essay?
The easiest element to revise in my essay was adding more detail about chivalry from a woman's point of view rather than just the man's point of view.
3. In contrast, discuss the biggest problem you had in writing and revising this essay.
The hardest thing to change in my essay were all the "to be" verbs because I had already written the whole essay so it was hard to change certain parts without rewriting whole sections.
Evaluating Your Successes
1. Discuss your most successful large-scale revision in this essay.
My most large-scale revision in this essay would probably be adding in full sections of detail that I had not included before, such as more detail on what I believed to be the woman's role in chivalry.
2. Discuss your success in combining descriptive, narrative, and illustrative elements into this Definition Essay.
I think I was successful in combining descriptive, narrative, and illustrative elements into tis definition essay. I included a lot of imagery throughout my essay and I used a few personal anecdotes to help tie in my idea.
3. Discuss your best success when considering your audience.
I think in terms of my audience, I was successful in using sophisticated language that ties in directly with my topic of chivalry, and my personal stories help the reader to understand my topic with a relatable example.
Being Honest with Self
1. What most intimidated you about this writing process and how did you combat this intimidation?
I wasn't really "intimidated" in writing this essay because writing comes naturally to me, and it wasn't a huge task. However, it was difficult to narrow down a topic with a prompt that was so vague, but I used brainstorming techniques and just tried to stay focused.
2. What ideas or methods from texts we studied influenced you to try a new strategy within your writing process?
I don't know if I specifically used something from the texts we studied in my writing, however that is not to say I didn't subconsciously use them. I tried using the different rhetorical devices, and even incorporated personal stories, allusions, and imagery.
3. What ideas or methods did you pick up on from reading student essay examples that you tried in your own writing process?
I think I more used the student essay examples as a model for my own, and to determine if I was writing the essay "correctly" considering how vague the prompt was in the first place.
4. What idea for improving your essay did you learn from a peer?
During the peer-edit, someone helped me discover how many "to-be" verbs I used, and I must admit, it was difficult to go through and change all of them without changing entire paragraphs in my essay.
5. Where do you see yourself as a writer now, in both strengths and weaknesses, after completing this writing assignment?
I think as a writer, I have established my own writing style over the past few years, and after this essay I would really like to take a leap and start taking more risks with my writing, such as breaking away from structure and the norm in terms of school essays.
1. Discuss how your expectations about your writing style and needs have both changed and remained the same since this class has started.
I don't believe my expectations about my writing style since beginning this class has changed too much. However, I am very excited to be given more freedom to break out from the structured style we have always been taught, and to take risks with my wrtiting.
2. What do you see as your strengths as a writer and how have you reinforced them?
My strengths in my writing are that I am very detailed and I have an expansive vocabulary that I am sure to include when it is appropriate. I am sure to address what is needed and I am very meticulous. I have reinforced my writing style with practice and critique.
3. What do you still see as your writing weaknesses and what have you done to strengthen those areas?
A writing weakness of mine sometimes includes using the appropriate punctuation: i.e. distinguishing when I should use a semi-colon versus a period. I think I could strengthen this by re-reading and also having others read my paper so that I can gradually learn with critique what I need to change.
Evaluating Your Writing Process
1. If you had the time to write one more draft of this essay, how would you improve it?
If I had time to write one more draft of this essay, I probably would honestly change my whole topic. I thought it was well-written, but I don't feel like I connected with my topic in a way that the reader could connect to as well. Perhaps if I had picked a topic that I could connect more emotionally to my paper, my readers could too.
2. As you received peer feedback and revised your essay, what did you find the easiest element to improve in your essay?
The easiest element to revise in my essay was adding more detail about chivalry from a woman's point of view rather than just the man's point of view.
3. In contrast, discuss the biggest problem you had in writing and revising this essay.
The hardest thing to change in my essay were all the "to be" verbs because I had already written the whole essay so it was hard to change certain parts without rewriting whole sections.
Evaluating Your Successes
1. Discuss your most successful large-scale revision in this essay.
My most large-scale revision in this essay would probably be adding in full sections of detail that I had not included before, such as more detail on what I believed to be the woman's role in chivalry.
2. Discuss your success in combining descriptive, narrative, and illustrative elements into this Definition Essay.
I think I was successful in combining descriptive, narrative, and illustrative elements into tis definition essay. I included a lot of imagery throughout my essay and I used a few personal anecdotes to help tie in my idea.
3. Discuss your best success when considering your audience.
I think in terms of my audience, I was successful in using sophisticated language that ties in directly with my topic of chivalry, and my personal stories help the reader to understand my topic with a relatable example.
Being Honest with Self
1. What most intimidated you about this writing process and how did you combat this intimidation?
I wasn't really "intimidated" in writing this essay because writing comes naturally to me, and it wasn't a huge task. However, it was difficult to narrow down a topic with a prompt that was so vague, but I used brainstorming techniques and just tried to stay focused.
2. What ideas or methods from texts we studied influenced you to try a new strategy within your writing process?
I don't know if I specifically used something from the texts we studied in my writing, however that is not to say I didn't subconsciously use them. I tried using the different rhetorical devices, and even incorporated personal stories, allusions, and imagery.
3. What ideas or methods did you pick up on from reading student essay examples that you tried in your own writing process?
I think I more used the student essay examples as a model for my own, and to determine if I was writing the essay "correctly" considering how vague the prompt was in the first place.
4. What idea for improving your essay did you learn from a peer?
During the peer-edit, someone helped me discover how many "to-be" verbs I used, and I must admit, it was difficult to go through and change all of them without changing entire paragraphs in my essay.
5. Where do you see yourself as a writer now, in both strengths and weaknesses, after completing this writing assignment?
I think as a writer, I have established my own writing style over the past few years, and after this essay I would really like to take a leap and start taking more risks with my writing, such as breaking away from structure and the norm in terms of school essays.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blog #10: Everybody, Anybody, Nobody?
The halls, the community, the city, the country, the world; it seems as if there are more chances of being a "nobody" compared to being an "anybody." In high school, being a nobody is the greater population than the anybodies, as in any circumstance as well. By juvenile definition, the nobodies seem to be narrowed down to those not "famous" to the general population--i.e. those not participating in clubs, playing on sports teams, or hanging up posters for student council. However, these nobodies are not just nobodies to everybody, for every nobody can find somebody who has something in common, someone to be a friend.
Perhaps the so-called nobodies are really just the extroverts, timid and shy, or not found causing disruptions in class as the class-clown. The nobodies generally do not carry a negative or positive connotation, but instead drift along as the everyday crowd, not causing a wave, or at least not in the spotlight.
Nobodies do not always come without substance, and more often than not have as much in common with the next person to come along. A "nobody" isn't usually a nobody because everybody means something to somebody else. :)
" We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." -The Breakfast Club
Perhaps the so-called nobodies are really just the extroverts, timid and shy, or not found causing disruptions in class as the class-clown. The nobodies generally do not carry a negative or positive connotation, but instead drift along as the everyday crowd, not causing a wave, or at least not in the spotlight.
Nobodies do not always come without substance, and more often than not have as much in common with the next person to come along. A "nobody" isn't usually a nobody because everybody means something to somebody else. :)
" We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." -The Breakfast Club
Blog #9: You Teach Me, I'll Teach You
Tuesdays With Morrie was eye-opening. It was an outlook changer. It was a motivation. I really enjoyed this book. Not only did it make me cry, it made me happy, angry, frustrated, hopeful, motivated. I must admit, at the beginning I was not Mitch Albom's biggest fan due to his youthful arrogance and neglect to those around him. I couldn't stand him for the way he didn't keep in touch with Morrie for sixteen years. However, as I read on, I learned with Albom, and I felt I took away some very important lessons. First off, I immediately wanted to run to the senior center and volunteer my time, to help (...and maybe find a Morrie of my own!) and to learn. I also felt really connected to the idea that everyone needs a teacher. To an extent, it is important to be self-sufficient and able to learn on your own; however, I really think, like Albom, with a certain "guidance teacher," one can really understand the world with new perspective, emotional connection, and hopefully come away with a deeper meaning to life. Tuesdays With Morrie was definitely a teacher in and of itself.
Blog #8: Potato, Po-tot-o
I look around to my teammates. We're shaking, we're sweating, we're on the brink of mental and physical exhaustion. I feel the lurch in my stomach, urging me to give up, my body that just came back in off of an injury begging. I look to my mind, and it's telling me I'm not going to make it. But when I look to my gut, my instinct, my drive, I stick in and push myself to the end of our conditioning session. I hear my coach say, "Good job tonight, way to push it out and stay with it. I'm proud of you."
I'm proud of myself too.
Pride.
For a word so small, it comes with so much meaning.
For most, pride is not always a good thing. Pride is feeling superior, being arrogant, and being a show-off.
To me, pride is a noun to describe being proud. Pride is the feeling I get when I accomplish something, particularly something that does not come easily.
So maybe pride can be surrounded with negativity, but if used in a certain way, pride is nothing to be ashamed of; pride is being comfortable and happy with who you are and what you can do.
I'm proud of myself too.
Pride.
For a word so small, it comes with so much meaning.
For most, pride is not always a good thing. Pride is feeling superior, being arrogant, and being a show-off.
To me, pride is a noun to describe being proud. Pride is the feeling I get when I accomplish something, particularly something that does not come easily.
So maybe pride can be surrounded with negativity, but if used in a certain way, pride is nothing to be ashamed of; pride is being comfortable and happy with who you are and what you can do.
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