Daily Blog Post 4

December 8, 2010

Today I helped work the booth during first lunch. Tomorrow I'll probably be doing the same since I think all the presenting is finished.

Daily blog post 3

December 7, 2010


Today we finally finished the poster we had been working on the past couple of days. We also went and presented to a classroom. During lunch i explained to my friends about the project and now they're writing their own letters as well. Tomorrow I will probably present more.

Operation Gratitude Blog Post 2

December 6, 2010


Today again we worked more on the poster and still weren't able to finish it. Tomorrow we will either be presenting to classes, working the booth, or walking around lunch and talking to people to convince them to write a letter.

Operation Gratitude Blog Post 1

December 3, 2010

On Friday we started drawing the poster and started to color it but we didn't finish. To prepare for Monday we are going to bring more ideas for posters.

"We Are Better Than That!"

This video was just insane. Dale Peterson is a Republican and he says the Democrats are a bunch of thiefs who steal the signs of his supporters in the middle of the night. He says Republicans mean "Business" and takes out a gun. He plans to raise employment and get rid of immigrants who are stealing those jobs.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7fhIO7DG0

Citizens Against Government Waste 2010 Commercial

First of all, this video really scared me. The Chinese man is talking how America is losing itself and slowly losing power to the Chinese. When he said "America is working for us" and the whole crowd of Chinese laughed, it gave me goosebumps. Everyone is starting to realize the reality of our situation.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC8jAd84VyQ

Education Political Cartoons

In the political cartoon there are 3 high school students commenting on the drop out rate of high schoolers. They all look like lazy guys with uncaring faces. One of the guys says he can't believe that 30% of high schoolers drop out and the other guy comments that it's about half. And the last guy says he doesn't care because he plans to work for China when they take over. The cartoon pictures American students as not so smart (the guy believes 30% is half) and that China is gaining a lot of power and soon will overtake America. 

I found this cartoon interesting because it reminded me of our project of how schools can become more effective. The mother is upset about her sons grades and the son believes money will solve the problem.

How Many Things Can America "Save"?

This political cartoon shows that the man, America, is trying to save a lot of problems that are going on in the world like: "Save the troops. Save New Orleans. Save Social Security. Save My Job. Save My Pension. Save My Illegal Nanny. Save My SUV." The lady asks him why he doesn't include Darfur and the man replies that he has no more room. It implies that America is trying to juggle too many obstacles, much more than they can handle.

<http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Voicethread>

Teacher Survey

For my teacher interview, I asked my Ceramics teacher, Mrs. Naif, 10 questions about education. 


1. "How should teachers be evaluated?" A: "I think teachers should be evaluated through a variety of ways-observations, student evaluations, etc. Just simply focusing on test scores is not an adequate assessment of long-term learning taking place within a classroom". 


2. "Do you think education at La Sierra High School is good?" A: "I think the education offered at LSHS is strong, but could be improved. If teachers were given more flexibility to teach creatively (rather than feeling forced to "teach to the test"), students would likely make more cognitive connections".


3. "Should school be longer?" A: "I think the school day we currently have in place is fine; however, it would be interesting to see if "block scheduling" would be a success as it is in some other schools".


4. "Should parents be involved more in students' education?" A: "Parents should definitely be more involved in the child's education-this is seriously lacking right now!".


5. "What would you like to see changed in education methods?" A: "I'ld like to hear about more creative control given back to teachers (autonomy) so that variety can be re-introduced to students rather than daily, mundane note-taking or book work".


6. "Should discipline be enforced more?" A: "I think the current display of discipline is more than enough right now-in fact, I'ld like to see more teachers focus more on making connections/building rapport with their students rather than only focusing on "who was late" and "chewing gum", etc. These issues seem frivolous once a teacher attempts to understand some of the issues our troubled students are facing at home, which might explain misbehavior, etc.) As a teacher of at-risk youth, I am continually inspired by this quote: "I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, COMPASSION. These three are your greatest treasures."  - By Lao Tzu".


7. "Is state testing necessary?" A: "I believe state testing is necessary-up to a point. It should not be the "end-all, be-all" in education. There are other ways to assess student achievement". 


8. "Do you agree with graduation requirements?" A: "Yes, I think the current graduation requirements in place at LSHS are adequate".


9. "Should failing students receive more help or concern?" A: "Of course students who are failing be more of a concern. I would like to see them get the help they need during the 2nd period "tutorial time"; however, it is currently too difficult to monitor/track the success of this program as there are way too many obstacles".


10. "If you were to list in order of importance: Student, Teacher, and Parent, how would you do it and why?" A: "1. Student: the essence of education. 2. Teacher: the facilitator of a quality education. 3. Parent: the supporter of a child's education".

Bullying

The talk about bullying that we had today was very interesting and it reminded me of a story my grandma told me over the summer. I tried looking for the article but since it happened a few months ago I couldn't find it anywhere. My grandma said she watched on the Mexican news channel that a teenage boy was killed in front of his home by his classmates. He was always constantly bullied because he had recently came from Mexico and was a bit overweight. In his Texas school, they finally realized that the bullying was severe and would let him be excused early from class to avoid the bullies. He would even leave his home early for his own safety. Then, one morning the bullies went to his house and shot and killed him in front of his own home as he was going to school. I found that shocking that people would go as far to kill other classmates because of race and weight. 

Protest Sweep Across Europe

Casert, Raf. "Anti-Austerity Protests Sweep Across Europe". YahooNews.com. 29 September 2010. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_europe_austerity_protests;_ylt=AhplddzK4AIjdEfvC0Ea6mms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNzM2xlZ3NoBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwOTI5L2V1X2V1cm9wZV9hdXN0ZXJpdHlfcHJvdGVzdHMEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwMyBHBvcwM3BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNhbnRpLWF1c3Rlcmk->

I know this article isn't about the United States, but I found it interesting because it talked about how people all over Europe are protesting because there aren't enough jobs. The U.S. is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world with a strong economy. Considering the recession-- or the after-effects-- the U.S. is not in a good standing and it has probably even affected other countries, like Europe. If one of the highest powers is having problems, how bad must the other countries be? And will it get worse, before it can get better?

Reflection on Class Discussion #2

In the class discussion about Immigration, we had a very heated and intense argument. We talked about the fairness of the benefits illegal immigrants versus citizens who rightfully pay for those benefits. There was a lot of arguments whether they should have the rights for healthcare for free while other people actually pay for that. I think they should have as much right as anyone to come to the U.S. and become a citizen. 


I've heard plenty of horrible stories of what's going on in Mexico right now, and i know that if i lived there I would try to come to the U.S. also, even if it meant coming illegally.  A friend told me about how her cousins have a hard time sleeping at night in Mexico because all they can hear is gunshots coming from an elementary school down the street from their house. Even when I visited Mexico last year during Winter Break I noticed a big change in the usual customs of the town. Kids the age of 5 and possibly younger would walk around freely from place to place with no supervision and now not even adults will walk alone. At night there would be a lot of vendors selling all kinds of food, but this time i realized everyone closed their shops early and went in their houses instead of being out on their porches watching people walk by and socializing. Over the summer a friend of mine visited the same town I go to and she told me that even during the day there is no one outside. My dad even told me that the drug cartel, The Zetas, has already taken control of his hometown. They have already threatened my aunt because she refused to give up her vacation home to them, and they have also threatened many more people with their homes. Those that refuse get their house broken into and the Zetas claims it as their own.


Mexico is a very horrible place to be right now. No one deserves to live in a place like that. Calling illegal immigrants "criminals" because they came here illegally is a harsh judgement. What's so criminal about wanting to go somewhere safe for yourself AND your family? The only criminals I see are the people pushing them out of the country and back into Mexico and the Drug Cartels that are making them want to leave it.

"How Am I Gonna Fill Those Shoes??"

In This Political Cartoon they are showing how Obama has big dreams--or shoes-- and can't fit in George Bush's small ones. He took a big responsibility by being president after Bush.


Kurtzman, Daniel. "Filling Bush's Shoes". About.com. <http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Filling-Bush-s-Shoes.-j2I.htm>

U.S.-Mexican Border Crime a Myth

Rood, Lee. "More U.S.-Mexico Border Crime a Myth, Officials Say". DesMoinesRegister.com. 12 September 2010. <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100912/NEWS/9120339/1001/news/More-U.S.-Mexico-border-crime-a-myth-officials-say>


The article says that the government is blowing out the perception of violence near the border being out of control to pass the Senate Bill and the funding for the border patrol. More than half of the people living near the border say they don't even feel threatened in any kind of way. Officers say they haven't even had any murders in five to eight years. 

Obama Commemorates 9/11

Werner, Erica. "Obama Commemorates 9/11 With Appeal For Tolerance." Yahoonews.com. 11 September 2010. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100911/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_sept11> 

Obama gave a speech to honor the 9/11 victims and spoke of tolerance for religion. He said,"We will not  let the acts of some small band of murderers who slaughter the innocent and cower in caves distort who we are." He never spoke directly about the proposed Islamic Center or the burning of the Quran, but his words managed to deliver that message that as America, we should be the bigger person and deal with it. 

Reflection on Class Discussion

In our class discussion during 4th period today we talked about the Mosque being built near Ground Zero and the controversy against it. The majority of the class agreed that the Mosque should be able to be built and that there was a lot of misunderstandings about how unfair some people were being by going against the Mosque. The main argument was about the money issue and who it would be affecting. Some believed the money should be used for something more useful, like school funding instead of building a Mosque that many people disagree with. 


What interested me the most was the ideas people brought up and it changed my view on the topic a little bit. At first, I thought they shouldn't build it to prevent problems in the future, but then I realized it truly was unfair. No one can always please everyone. There will always be misunderstandings and arguments no matter what. So, I do think they should build the Mosque simply because it can bring change to the surrounding area, whether it's for the better or worse, no one knows, but as America we have to take that chance. We need to set an example to other countries and hopefully it can bring a bigger peace of race and religion so we can move on to focusing on bigger and more important issues that truly do matter. 

Iran Calls French First Lady a "Prostitute"

Kennedy, Dana. "Iran Calls French First Lady a 'Prostitute' Over Stoning Issue". Aolnews.com. <http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/iran-state-media-call-french-first-lady-carla-bruni-sarkozy-a-prostitute/19613627>

Sciutto, Jim. "Death by Stoning: Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani Faces Brutal Death, Sparking International Outrage". Abcnews.com. <http://abcnews.go.com/WN/sakineh-mohammadi-ashtiani-faces-brutal-death-stoning-iran/story?id=11129429>

Iran Called the French First Lady a "prostitute" when she defended Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who was  charged with adultery and was sentenced to death by stoning. So far, they have been able to postpone her proposed death date, but her defenders aren't sure whether Ashtiani's life will be spared. In London, a group of protesters mocked the stoning penalty with a performance to show the severity of its conditions that not only Ashtiani could be faced with, but ten other men and women as well. What shocked me the most was the "rules" Iran had for stoning: "Men must be buried up to their waist with stones and Women up to their chests. The stones thrown can't be too large that will instantly kill or too small to be called a stone".

Obama Supports Islamic Center Near Ground Zero

Klein, Kent. "Obama Supports Building Mosque Near Scene Of 9/11 Attack". Worthy News.com. August 15 2010. <http://www.worthynews.com/8733-obama-supports-building-mosque-near-scene-of-911-attack>


President Obama accepts the idea of building the Mosque so near Ground Zero. He believes America should stay with the idea of religious freedom and that the Mosque shouldn't be viewed any differently than if it was another religious building.