I predict that the service project we will complete will be cleaning up the forest preserve/ removing invasive species from the forest. For me, this project is the carrying forward of an older one. In 5th grade, the classes from Winkelman took two trips to the same forest preserve, once in the fall and then once in the spring. The program was called Mighty Acorns and we learned how to remove invasive species such as mustard seed as well has have a good time, even though it was raining.
Because of my past experience, I am very excited to see whether or not this service project actually happens. I feel that I could be more efficient this year and I really hope to carry forward what I have learned from doing this before in order to have a more productive and enjoyable experience. When doing a project like this you need to keep a positive attitude throughout your hard work because you may feel that you are not making a big difference, since a forest is a pretty big place; I’ve learned that every little bit helps. Also, a positive attitude is great in unpleasant situations. I remember it was cold and rainy one when we went in the fall during 5th grade, it was more fun than in the nice weather.
I hope that this service project gets chosen so I can continue my work and have a fun yet helpful time outside. I know that Academy will be very useful no matter where we choose to work.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Best of Week: Same Paragraph Different Interpretation
When Mr. Allen brought up the fact that we need to become more deeply rooted in the texts we read, I realized how difficult that can be. First of all, when I was looking at the segments in class, I couldn’t initially come up with any insightful ideas; so, I was immediately worried about the test. I found that once someone read the section in question out loud I could think about more complex ideas. Maybe that is because you get another perspective once you hear someone else’s tone or inflections.
Next, I realized that grading a test like the one tomorrow must be very difficult because not everyone has the same ideas or insights. For instance, I’ll examine the paragraph at the bottom of 157 (we talked about this in class). Daniel spoke about how even the people in power (winners) are losers in the war. I personally didn’t see that at all when I analyzed that paragraph. I didn’t even catch the absurdity of a racetrack becoming a hospital. What I picked up on was the idea of waiting and how a hospital can be like a jail because Michael K said he had, “given himself up as a prisoner to this war.”I though Coetzee was trying to get the reader to focus on how a hospital, which should be helpful place of recovery and healing, has become a camp or jail as well, a place of suppression. That to me is absurd.
The next thing I want to talk about is how you can feel like a leech when you write about other people’s ideas. Stephanie and I were chatting and we both think it is difficult to complete tests like the one tomorrow because you don’t want to write about what we talked about in class. I think everyone in class feels the pressure to come up with their own amazing ideas. In class, Ali was discussing how, on page 184 of Life and Times of Michael K, K. had reached a point of self actualization where he could help others prosper and survive while he can LIVE a fulfilling life. I completely agree with the statements made in class, but I didn’t want to say anything for fear of repetition. In my head I tried to reject that idea and come up with one of my own, no matter how stupid. I was tried to pick up on the fact that ONE can live. Although K has reached a point of self actualization and helping others, I think he was trying to show someone else that they can make it on their own, as seen through Michael’s own troubles. He’s trying to teach a man to fish, so that other person can find his/her own meaning or way of thriving. Michael K might be trying to get across the fact that, “Hey, I made it on my own and this is my destiny. Here’s a way to get started. I’ll help you survive, but find you own life/meaning.” At this point, I have no clue is this is even a good thought!
Now that this post is nearing an end I’m starting to worry more about the test tomorrow. I’m sure it has crossed everyone’s mind that you can come up with different interpretations of the same text, but I wanted to reiterate it.
Next, I realized that grading a test like the one tomorrow must be very difficult because not everyone has the same ideas or insights. For instance, I’ll examine the paragraph at the bottom of 157 (we talked about this in class). Daniel spoke about how even the people in power (winners) are losers in the war. I personally didn’t see that at all when I analyzed that paragraph. I didn’t even catch the absurdity of a racetrack becoming a hospital. What I picked up on was the idea of waiting and how a hospital can be like a jail because Michael K said he had, “given himself up as a prisoner to this war.”I though Coetzee was trying to get the reader to focus on how a hospital, which should be helpful place of recovery and healing, has become a camp or jail as well, a place of suppression. That to me is absurd.
The next thing I want to talk about is how you can feel like a leech when you write about other people’s ideas. Stephanie and I were chatting and we both think it is difficult to complete tests like the one tomorrow because you don’t want to write about what we talked about in class. I think everyone in class feels the pressure to come up with their own amazing ideas. In class, Ali was discussing how, on page 184 of Life and Times of Michael K, K. had reached a point of self actualization where he could help others prosper and survive while he can LIVE a fulfilling life. I completely agree with the statements made in class, but I didn’t want to say anything for fear of repetition. In my head I tried to reject that idea and come up with one of my own, no matter how stupid. I was tried to pick up on the fact that ONE can live. Although K has reached a point of self actualization and helping others, I think he was trying to show someone else that they can make it on their own, as seen through Michael’s own troubles. He’s trying to teach a man to fish, so that other person can find his/her own meaning or way of thriving. Michael K might be trying to get across the fact that, “Hey, I made it on my own and this is my destiny. Here’s a way to get started. I’ll help you survive, but find you own life/meaning.” At this point, I have no clue is this is even a good thought!
Now that this post is nearing an end I’m starting to worry more about the test tomorrow. I’m sure it has crossed everyone’s mind that you can come up with different interpretations of the same text, but I wanted to reiterate it.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Metacognition: Short Story
To tell all yall the truth, I went into this editing phase with a hatred towards my short story. I put it off to the very last moment because I had been surpressing the fact that it needed to be done. I didn't want to think about my story because I had no idea what the ending would be, I needed to change who the narrator was, and I didn't want to spend the time finding/writing a more substantial plotline.
The first task I decided to tackle was that of the narrator. Originally I had someone talking about the life of the main character and also interacting with that main character; however, that extra person was not bringing anything to the story. So I chose to make the main character the narrator and she would tell the story from her own perspective.
To change around the plot, I took the original situation and wrote about how the main character felt right before it occured. It turns out that the main character never even makes it to the event, after much contemplation. My short story is about her car trip to the event, but the main focus is her reflection about her past life experiences on the way to the party. The fact that she ends up not going to the party solved my issue of finding an actual ending for the story. I feel I should improve the ending because it is too forces. I would like to find a way to leave a more ambiguous last moment.
I'm still not in love with my story, but now it is bearable to work on. I think in the next step of the revising/editing process, I need to develope the characters more andaborate on the life instances that the main character remembers.
The first task I decided to tackle was that of the narrator. Originally I had someone talking about the life of the main character and also interacting with that main character; however, that extra person was not bringing anything to the story. So I chose to make the main character the narrator and she would tell the story from her own perspective.
To change around the plot, I took the original situation and wrote about how the main character felt right before it occured. It turns out that the main character never even makes it to the event, after much contemplation. My short story is about her car trip to the event, but the main focus is her reflection about her past life experiences on the way to the party. The fact that she ends up not going to the party solved my issue of finding an actual ending for the story. I feel I should improve the ending because it is too forces. I would like to find a way to leave a more ambiguous last moment.
I'm still not in love with my story, but now it is bearable to work on. I think in the next step of the revising/editing process, I need to develope the characters more andaborate on the life instances that the main character remembers.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Metacognition: Jane Eyre Transcript
While working on the Jane Eyre transcript the most difficult part was chosing ideas that weren't repetative, confusing, nor contradictory. Crystal, Leanne and I took an approach where we would discuss the topic of love in the context of Jane Eyre and then we would sift through our thoughts to find "break-throughs." This method proved to be troublesome. Often we would over discuss topics and talk ourselves into thinking the idea was bad, unexplainable, or too confusing. Sometimes we even forgot what we were talking about since we would change topics so frequently.
On the other hand, the easiest part of the assignment was writing transitions because we would follow the natural flow of our own conversation and use connections to different pieces of literature in between the Jane Eyre focussed topics.
I'm really glad I was able to work with Crystal and Leanne because it was an ideal balance of fun and work. We each has agenda and other things to do; therefore we were motivated to get the work done. Orginally it was only Leanne and I in a group together; however, after receiving work time in class, we realized the project would be impossible without a third mind. We would get caught up in questions that we came up with but couldn't answer ourselves. So having another person to bounce ideas off of was very necessary.
I feel that, although the class discussed love a lot, it was a difficult topic to talk about because the members of my group haven't fallen in love yet and we didn't want to repeat anything we said in class. However, I think that love was a broad enough topic where we could incorperate the other choices into the discussion, such as feminism, society, and religion/God.
In general, I had a fun time working on this project. I think that was mainly because it was the first time I was writing a script for something that wasn't necessarily going to be acted out. It was especially important for me to get my thoughts down on paper because I am not a very talkative person; so writing down what I would want to say in a discussion was very helpful.
On the other hand, the easiest part of the assignment was writing transitions because we would follow the natural flow of our own conversation and use connections to different pieces of literature in between the Jane Eyre focussed topics.
I'm really glad I was able to work with Crystal and Leanne because it was an ideal balance of fun and work. We each has agenda and other things to do; therefore we were motivated to get the work done. Orginally it was only Leanne and I in a group together; however, after receiving work time in class, we realized the project would be impossible without a third mind. We would get caught up in questions that we came up with but couldn't answer ourselves. So having another person to bounce ideas off of was very necessary.
I feel that, although the class discussed love a lot, it was a difficult topic to talk about because the members of my group haven't fallen in love yet and we didn't want to repeat anything we said in class. However, I think that love was a broad enough topic where we could incorperate the other choices into the discussion, such as feminism, society, and religion/God.
In general, I had a fun time working on this project. I think that was mainly because it was the first time I was writing a script for something that wasn't necessarily going to be acted out. It was especially important for me to get my thoughts down on paper because I am not a very talkative person; so writing down what I would want to say in a discussion was very helpful.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Best of Week: Womyn
I don’t consider myself a active feminist, though I do support equality. For instance, I wouldn’t have been bothered by the titles Man and Woman in the Venn diagram on the board. When Alyssa suggested that we change woman to womyn, I was intrigued. It constantly occurs to me that the word woman is just an addition to the word man, and this is the first innovative spelling solution I have seen. By replacing the A or E with Y, you eliminate the connection to man or a male root. Next, I loved our battle towards finding the plural of womyn. I thought it was ingenious of Albert to say that it is already plural such as words like fish or deer. Lastly, I think it is very important to continue the use of this spelling in order to influence others to change their frame of mind, similar to Jane’s defying of the Victorian social view of women, oops I mean womyn. By using this spelling in our pieces of writing, I think the Academy can start a very large trend, without over advertising the cause. This fits my views because, as I said earlier, I am not a very active feminist. Therefore, by putting the new word into use (taking action) we have a longer lasting effect than if we just told people to change their minds (talking about it). It would be very interesting to see how far we could take this, maybe even worldwide, especially since so much technology is available. I can only foresee two extremes. Either our campaigning will have a huge effect or very few people will be influenced, which would be disappointing. Well, those are just my thoughts sparked from the excitement during class. This is pretty much all a reflection of form is content!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Dialectic: Social Status vs. Happiness
Towards the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane is faced with the question of living a life of love or a wealthy life of hatred (either with the Reeds or with her poor relatives). I find it odd, yet refreshingly honest that she would prefer a higher status to a poor yet happy life. I wish that I could realize how difficult a life without material luxury would be. I agree with Jane but probably would never admit it especially in her situation. Everyone around her that was trying to help thought that she would value love and acceptance over wealth, but she proved them wrong. I guess once you become acclimated to a higher class lifestyle you can’t and don’t want to give it up, even more so in Victorian times. Also, because Jane is looking back on her life, it must’ve been even more difficult to admit to the reader this decision.
There are clear benefits to both lifestyles one being physical and the other being more mental/emotional. However, for Jane admitting to needing the wealth kind of disappoints the reader because I feel that most people would expect and want her to be a perfect heroine by defying the rules of society. Actually, I think that by falling victim to the Victorian times, Jane has more room to grow and Charlotte Brönte gives credibility and honesty to Jane. Lastly, without Jane’s desire for a better life, in society, she probably wouldn’t have met Mr. Rochester who might be able to give her both lives, one of wealth and one of happiness.
There are clear benefits to both lifestyles one being physical and the other being more mental/emotional. However, for Jane admitting to needing the wealth kind of disappoints the reader because I feel that most people would expect and want her to be a perfect heroine by defying the rules of society. Actually, I think that by falling victim to the Victorian times, Jane has more room to grow and Charlotte Brönte gives credibility and honesty to Jane. Lastly, without Jane’s desire for a better life, in society, she probably wouldn’t have met Mr. Rochester who might be able to give her both lives, one of wealth and one of happiness.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blogging Around 3
I first commented on Dylan's post about his ideal discussion/class environment, which would include teachers asking students to share whatever is on their mind, whether or not it pertains to the pieces of discussion. I know that homework and school would always be on my mind. Anyway, here is my response to Dylan's What If post:
Dylan, I completely agree with Margot that this would be a great idea, especially for a group with a class environment similar to the Academy. However, I don't think this type of discussion would be suitable in the current school system. Moving forward, I think that Mr. Allen already tries to apply this frame of mind to his lessons. When he realizes that someone hasn't participated in a while, he calls on then. Trying to keep the pressure to a minimum, he asks him or her to share anything about the text or whatever is being discussed. I think of myself as a planner; therefore, I think or write everything out before I say it. However, when Mr. Allen goes on a random selection streak, I get very nervous, probably because I am one of the usual victims. All that previous thinking goes out of my brain and I go into panic. Overall, I think you introduced a very interesting style of teaching that would benefit students in the long run, but at the start, it would only interest for the students that really like to speak up in class. This was a really great writing piece and I think it connects well to English class.
After I wrote this review, I realized that you were probably talking of just a more open discussion with less direction or focus on a specific topic or text. I think Margot and I were getting at how Mr. Allen would lead the discussion. Sorry!
Lauren
Next, I commented on Kyle's post about our analyzation of Cathedral. He wrote about the varying length of sentences and how his thoughts were different from those of the class. Kyle brought up some very important questions such as, "But it raises the question how much of this is intentional by the author? Is he writing the prose, or in someways is the writing working through him. " Here was my reaction:
Kyle, I thought this blog post was really insightful. Your original idea makes just as much sense as the ideas from class. Although the beginning of your Best of Week was awesome in class, I appreciated the questions at the end of your blog the most. Sometimes after class discussions I wonder if the author of each piece of text we read actually thought of all the ideas we came up with, especially since some of them are very disconnected from the original literature. I know that when I write, I have an idea and I run with it. I don't always wonder what the reader is going to take away from the craft. Because of this, I sometimes have disbelief that English class is completely truthful. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the great discussions that come from English, but sometimes I think we unnecessarily beat pieces to death. Your blog was the perfect balance for me of desired writing (the beginning of the post) and reality (questions at the end). You have some wonderful insights there and this post was well written.
Lauren
Everyone's blogs this semester have been great!
Dylan, I completely agree with Margot that this would be a great idea, especially for a group with a class environment similar to the Academy. However, I don't think this type of discussion would be suitable in the current school system. Moving forward, I think that Mr. Allen already tries to apply this frame of mind to his lessons. When he realizes that someone hasn't participated in a while, he calls on then. Trying to keep the pressure to a minimum, he asks him or her to share anything about the text or whatever is being discussed. I think of myself as a planner; therefore, I think or write everything out before I say it. However, when Mr. Allen goes on a random selection streak, I get very nervous, probably because I am one of the usual victims. All that previous thinking goes out of my brain and I go into panic. Overall, I think you introduced a very interesting style of teaching that would benefit students in the long run, but at the start, it would only interest for the students that really like to speak up in class. This was a really great writing piece and I think it connects well to English class.
After I wrote this review, I realized that you were probably talking of just a more open discussion with less direction or focus on a specific topic or text. I think Margot and I were getting at how Mr. Allen would lead the discussion. Sorry!
Lauren
Next, I commented on Kyle's post about our analyzation of Cathedral. He wrote about the varying length of sentences and how his thoughts were different from those of the class. Kyle brought up some very important questions such as, "But it raises the question how much of this is intentional by the author? Is he writing the prose, or in someways is the writing working through him. " Here was my reaction:
Kyle, I thought this blog post was really insightful. Your original idea makes just as much sense as the ideas from class. Although the beginning of your Best of Week was awesome in class, I appreciated the questions at the end of your blog the most. Sometimes after class discussions I wonder if the author of each piece of text we read actually thought of all the ideas we came up with, especially since some of them are very disconnected from the original literature. I know that when I write, I have an idea and I run with it. I don't always wonder what the reader is going to take away from the craft. Because of this, I sometimes have disbelief that English class is completely truthful. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the great discussions that come from English, but sometimes I think we unnecessarily beat pieces to death. Your blog was the perfect balance for me of desired writing (the beginning of the post) and reality (questions at the end). You have some wonderful insights there and this post was well written.
Lauren
Everyone's blogs this semester have been great!
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