Final

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http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27507268/ferguson-officer-who-shot-michael-brown-resigns

^This is actually the article.. starts off by saying "The white police officer"

Ferguson, MO

This whole week I've seen debates on social media about the events in Ferguson and I so badly wanted to post my opinions, but I'm not one for Facebook drama- and its not worth the headache. With that said, isn't the whole point of the trial to prevent crime and enforce law? Regardless of assuming race is a factor, the bottom line is if you commit a crime, you're supposed to enforce the law and take action. With that being said though, 6 shots fired after shooting him in the head is excessive in my opinion. I do think that maybe that should've been taken into more consideration with the prosecution. The reason why there is so much controversy over this whole thing is because there isn't enough information to base an argument off of something. I think the media has a huge impact on whats being said and not said, and media propaganda is a huge issue. Who's to say the kid wasn't trying to grab his weapon, and who's to say the police officer is lying? Unfortunately the tragic death of the kid results in him being unable to speak for himself, so all you have to base an argument of off is what the police officer said. Because, going off of  the trial witnesses - they had zero clue on what was happening, and everyone saw something completely different.  One thing that really aggravates me is when I'm reading an updated news article (my fox Boston was the one I heard this from), and they said "the white police officer and the black teenager". Why does it have to be categorized that way? If they're telling people race isn't the issue, why is the news categorizing them both into their skin colors. It makes zero sense, and its super annoying to read.

Adam and Megan's Story

This article was definitely my favorite that we had to read all semester. It completely drew me in and left me wanting more, and completely empathizing with the whole family. Within the first few paragraphs I had learned so much about the family and their strength. For me, it was powerful to read the daughter telling her Dad everything would be okay. The children's courage and innocence is what made the whole piece heart wrenching. I hated reading when their peers would make mean comments about their faces or wounds, even though its reality. Anything involving kids really pulls on heartstrings, and the whole feature was amazing.

Midterm Portfolio

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Book Club Meeting 3

In one of the chapters Mike Rose makes some interesting points on his thoughts regarding school: 

-We spend much of our young lives in school, and a much longer stretch of our adult lives at work. And the two are intimately connected in that a primary justification for schooling is to secure a place in the economy.

-Ours is an economy built on information and high technology and requires a new kind of worker: creative, problem solving, skilled in collaboration and communication.

He goes on to further is argument on how we develop as people, using certain values. He questions the measures of IQ tests and if they truly solidify ones intelligence. Or, instead of what we learn through testing is least important then what we are actually taught through school- values. I couldn't agree more with this argument. I believe that the things we learn in school are definitely taught to us, but mostly not through academics. Friendship, time management, responsibility, respect, are all values that we learn from each other and experiences while being in school, and they make us who we are. 

Book Club Meeting 2

One of the things I found interesting was his thoughts on standardized testing. I totally agree with his ideas that they are completely bias. For example, one child could be really strong at writing and analyzing essays, and another one could be good at multiple choice. Standardized testing doesn't fully measure your academic ability and I've always thought this, mainly because I am a terrible test-taker, but somehow good with reading and comprehension.

I also thought his ideas on grants for bettering schools were interesting. Grants are granted to schools who reach a certain level of academic achievement, and they are given opportunities to better their schools. But, if a school is in a poor district with a bad school system, how are they supposed to receive grants and better their educations if they never have the abilities to qualify for grants?

'Why School?'

   "Why School?" By Mike Rose proposes many thought provoking thoughts while reading.. He brings up interesting statistics and thoughts that you're aware of, but don't put too much thought into. Maybe because you're naive to whats happening around you, or you're simply uneducated. 

- Among the poorest Americans, the threats to sustenance, shelter, and health are continuous, brutal, and increasing. 
-  From 2000 to 2008, at least five million more Americans fell into poverty. By 2010, a shocking 22 percent of children under eighteen were poor.

  And he also reveals the importance of teaching- which personally, was encouraging for me since my ultimate goal is to be an Elementary Education teacher helping young children reach their full potential 

- Teaching is such remarkable work, revealing the sublimity of development, of learning, of the continual human effort toward mastery and the inevitable disappointment that is part and parcel of the process of attaining competence. Through teaching you learn so much about intelligence, will, desire, frustration, foible, anger, resistance—the human drama. Teaching also grounds you, bringing you closer to the daily consequences of policy decisions, organizational norms, broad-scale social ideologies.

- We seem trapped in a language of schooling that stresses economics, accountability, and compliance.

TTS Readings

One of the things that really stuck out in the reading was- "How could I bring this important moment to life?'
Then I read a series of points to you do bring an important moment to life:
   1. Accuracy- details have to be completely accurate
   2. Atmosphere- use sound, smells; recreate the experience
   3. Dialogue- effective dialogues important
   4. Emotion- tap into what people are feeling about the events.
I thought all of these points were important, even though its described through recreating a movie, or play. I guess it depends on how you plan on using your profile, and bringing it to life in your own way.

Mrs. Kelly's Monster

What a complete difference reading this text after Zepp's Last Stand. I'm glad I had saved this reading second, because it was so engaging and interesting. By the time the story had ended, I didn't even realize I had read that much. I loved the way the aneurism was referred as a "monster". Personally, I've never had someone close to me have an aneurism, but I have had a few aunts' diagnosed with various cancers, along with my sister being a drug addict. Hearing the term "monster" brought me back to those circumstances, especially referring to my sister. The whole time reading I felt like I was watching a Grey's Anatomy episode, with McDreamy operating while Meredith Grey was his scrub nurse. I think thats why I enjoyed reading it so much, Grey's Anatomy is one of my favorite shows.

Zepp's Last Stand

Not gonna lie, trying to get through this reading in the beginning was pretty difficult. It was boring, and at times hard to follow. I knew someone was interviewing him to some extent, but trying to figure out Zepp's journey was tough. It wasn't until about page 6, that I started to become interested in finding out the final verdict. Needless to say, I'm glad I treked through, and found out that the little old man got his final wish. It reminded me of my grandparents, always trying to get the last word (usually they're completely right). I couldn't help but laugh while reading the determination he had, because it reminded me so much of them. My inner-self cheered a little when he was documented as Honorable Discharge. I believe everyone who serves in the war should receive more recognition then they are given, after all, they have fought/are fighting for our freedom.

3 people that I would consider profiling are: 

1. My sister Robyn-

She had childhood cancer growing up 

2. My friend Charlie- 

We went to high school together, and were great friends. He worked hard at his dream and became a professional hockey player in the NHL 

3. I'm still debating on the 3rd option but, I considered my high school soccer coach