Journal 8

Overall I enjoyed the class I am not a big fan of English and I think it would have been torture taking the class with any other professor because it would have just been all research papers.  I think using blogs is an awesome idea that should be kept.  I know before this class I didn’t know how to use a blog and it was more entertaining than doing everything on Black Board.  Some of the movies I enjoyed very much and then others I found it hard to write about them and they didn’t hold my interest.  My favorite film was definitely “Waiting for Superman”, it actually brought tears to my eyes, I think if you teach ENC1102 again this movie is a must see.  Having had you for ENC1101, I knew how peer critiques worked but wasn’t too excited about it.  One thing that I found difficult was keeping up with blog comments and who I already commented on or how many comments I need to make.  Also, one thing I can say coming out of this class is I now know how to write a paper in MLA format, I definitely didn’t know before the class started. 

Superman

Public Schools Need a Change

This film has by far been the most interesting in my opinion. Waiting for Superman opened my eyes up to how much children are being let down by the school systems.  Also, it made me realize how difficult it can be to get into a better school system.  The statistics on graduation and drop out rates in the video and online truly astonished me leaving me worried. But Michelle Rhee really intrigued me, everything she has been doing for the school systems and the fact she isn’t afraid of anyone or anything, she takes charge. 

            To begin, until I saw this film I did not even know the name Michelle Rhee, it is not a household name, at least not in Florida.  Maybe it could be because my field of study is education and I want to be a teacher, but after viewing Waiting for Superman I wanted to learn more on Michelle.  In my opinion she is exactly what every school system needs; I admire everything she has done. After reading and listening to her story, she went straight to work. “She closed twenty-three underused schools.  She fired principals whose students did poorly on standardized tests. She cut through roadblocks that were keeping supplies from getting into classrooms. And she negotiated an agreement with teachers, making it possible to remove people who were unqualified or ineffective.”(The Mark of a Leader), she made all of this possible within three years after starting. So many parents do not realize that their children are not getting the great education that they deserve. For example, when a parent asks, “What did you do at school?” from experience most kids reply with, “I don’t know.” or “I don’t remember.” Most parents don’t even question it, but what if they really haven’t done anything and don’t want to say it. I think Michelle Rhee’s response to parents complaining about the schools closing, that they went to and grew up in said it all, “. . . Parents were not seeing that the schools they were getting so emotional about had been failing their children for decades, ensuring that 90% of them would never go on to higher education.”. Why would you want that for your child? She took on so much when filling this position in D.C., more than 47,000 students in 123 public schools. (Students First) Finishing up, “A mere two years later, academic achievement on standardized tests had improved significantly. Elementary school students’ proficiency in math had gone up 20%. DC was the country’s fastest-improving state for fourth-grade reading.”(The Mark of a Leader) The Duval County school system could use someone like Michelle Rhee to take over in my opinion.

            The lottery was brought to my attention and while I knew what it was before watching the film, I never understood the frustration that came along with it. Tears were brought to my eyes as we watched most of the children’s number not be called. When you want something so bad and it is in the hands of a computer system that randomizes names and numbers or on tiny bingo balls, it is scary and nerve-racking. Another fact I learned was the difference in applicants and spaces available in the schools is enormous, it isn’t just ten children have applied and there’s six spots available, it is a much larger number of applicants trying to get in the six spots. I researched the numbers from the video; the fifth grader in D.C. was one of sixty-one children trying to get in one of the twenty-four spots, the first grader in Bronx was one of the 792 applying for one of the forty spots, and the other fifth grader who is a girl was one of 135 trying for one of the ten spots available. (The Myth of Charter Schools) What really hit me was that for most of the students applying, for the better schools it wasn’t because the parents wanted them to go to these schools, the kids wanted it for themselves. Students and parents want schools that don’t have teachers who don’t put forth the effort students deserve, such as teachers in Charter schools; I believe that is why there are so many people that get in the lottery. 

            Graduation should be something that every student looks forward to and works towards, not dropping out. Dropouts are defined as individuals ages 16-24 who are not enrolled in school and have not completed or obtained a GED. (High School Dropout Rates) According to the article I read, from 1967 to 2010 the percentage of dropouts declined from 17% to 7%. That is a large decrease but the percentage in 2010 was still too high in my opinion. (High School Dropout Rates) In 2011 it was at 3.43% and dropped to 3.01% in 2012. Students dropped out most frequently in the tenth grade, then 9^th, followed by 11^th, and 12^th.  This year my neighbor entered 11^th grade and there were weeks when she would come home and someone she knew in 10^th or 11^th grade didn’t like Oakleaf, the school she attends, so they dropped out.  I personally know a large amount of students that were scheduled to graduate this May that will not be, because they don’t want to go to Oakleaf and can’t go to another school so they have dropped out.  I think this has to do more with the teachers and administration at Oakleaf, I say this because I know students at other Clay County schools and they aren’t having these problems, there aren’t a large amount of students dropping out.

            Michelle Rhee really left an impression on me and I admire her. She showed everyone that with hard work and determination, no matter how hard something is, you can make a huge difference. The dropout rates need to decrease, and students need to be excited about learning.  Also, we need the same enthusiasm from the teachers in Charter Schools in every school.  If these things change, the success rates in public school systems can greatly change for the better. 

Journal- Superman

                I really enjoyed watching this video, Waiting for Superman, probably my favorite video we watched his semester.  It opened my eyes to how lucky I was to go to a school in Clay County, obviously the schools in Clay County aren’t the absolute best schools but they are better than most and definitely beat Duval County schools.  I knew about lotteries in the schools but until I saw the emotions on the children’s and parent’s faces it really never meant anything to me.  It brought tears to my eyes watching those little girls not get into the schools they wanted to go to.  Already studying to be a teacher, after watching this makes me want to become one even more; I want to make a difference.  I want to be the one teacher in the school that parents and students know I am there for them and that I am there to educate.  I’m not a parent but I do have sister’s that are primary school age and it worries me that my sisters come home and say that they watch videos (in Duval) or all they did was workbook pages and the teacher didn’t do much with them (in Clay).  I do not think that teachers are strict enough these days, if a class complains enough about what they are supposed to be doing the teacher will put off the work or make the assignment easier for the kids, I mainly am talking about high school with this comment.  Now that I am even more aware of everything in the school systems I know whenever I have children and they are school age I will consider my options very carefully. 

Miss Representation

Unrealistic Visions

“Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves.” (Serdar) In the media, being thin is what is considered to be attractive and beautiful.  The perception that you have to be model thin to get attention from guys leads to eating disorders. According to the video Miss Representation, sixty five percent of women have eating disorders. Not only is keeping a thin body important but so are other aspects of the body; nose, lips, cheek bones, breasts, and many other feature. People spend a lot of money because they are fixated on the “perfect” look and I just see no reason for it.

            On commercials, movies, shows, and magazines girls are presented half naked and sexually.  Girls strive to be what they see even when that leads to hurting themselves. This goal isn’t an impossible goal for everyone but for a good majority of women it is impossible and when women don’t see improvement and are having a hard time that’s when eating disorders occur. Not every girl that claims she’s overweight is which leads to women being underweight. A study showed that “ 75% of women consider themselves overweight when, in reality, only 25% were.”(Rader Programs)  Other problems can go hand in hand with the eating disorders or even cause the eating disorders.  It’s never good to have negative thoughts about yourself, but it’s even worse to have multiple negative thoughts a day. Unfortunately, negative thoughts are the norm these days, and “women experience an average of 13 negative thoughts about their body each day, while 97% of women admit to having at least one, “I hate my body” moment each day.” (Rader Programs) Women shouldn’t have these thoughts every day or any day for that matter, but because of what the media puts out there women are often put down.

            Being thin is only one part of fulfilling the look of the media.  You have to have the nose, and the eyebrows, cheek bones, and so much more. Cosmetic surgery can change a person’s whole appearance and most women are using this to reach the ideal look. A lot of money is spent by women as well, “Americans spent 10.4 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2011.” (Ron Dicker) It amazes me that so much money was spent on cosmetic surgery when we are in a recession and almost every American is in debt. Also, there are risks that come with cosmetic surgeries. Some of these are; nerve damage which cause numbness or tingling, scarring, fluid buildup under the skin, infections, and many other things.  It’s not just about having the look, it also has to be about feeling good and keeping safe. 

            On the other hand, women choose to put themselves through all of this, they have a decision and no one is making them do anything.  More individuals need to learn how to lead their own path in life and be who they are meant to be.  But, it is easy to follow along with others when peer pressure and media get into your head and under your skin. No one is perfect and no body is perfect, everyone has flaws and sadly other people influence our decisions on how we will look and feel. Everyone needs to start taking the negatives people throw our way and turn them into positives, by constructing healthy diets or exercising properly, not damaging our bodies.

            Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. –Oliver Platt The media, in this case is the beholder, voicing their opinion into other people’s minds.  Not all media is negative, there isn’t enough positive though to outset the negative. Unfortunately the opinions lead to eating disorders and tons of money wasted on cosmetic surgeries.  Just think about is, how different the world would be if we didn’t worry about others and were happy within ourselves? Also, think about all the bills that could be paid towards or family vacations you could plan instead of paying for plastic surgeries. Why are we allowing the media and the news to determine how we live our lives and what we think about ourselves?