BIgger Thoughts on School

Both having different approaches when it comes to school...

Hirsh believes that students need to have a basic knowledge in order to really know that topic on a deeper level. he thinks the purpose of school is primary to teach the facts of history, science, math and such. once we are given the information we have more knowledge and are better able to think for ourselves. "Students should be able to read and know basic number facts by the end of the first grade," Hirsch said.

Sizer focusing on have students learn material on a deep level of thinking as opposed to memorizing facts and dates. unlike most schools the particular school we are in right now does just that. so that way students can be able to think for themselves rather than be brainwashed by the words in a textbook. "Students should leave school as well-informed skeptics, able to ask good questions as a matter of habit," said Sizer. he believes that a schools need to widen their horizon and not only be teaching based off a strict curriculum. the more i read about Sizer policy the more connected sof becomes.

more or less i agree with both ideas. they both make sense.

(A pretty rough draft)

Obama News

A school is an institution. It is a system designed to conform individuals to be in tune to society. A place that a person can discover they are good at. School allows for talents and skills to be uncovered. Which provides a person with insight to your future and the role they fit into in society. It acts as an escape ladder to success, or a coping technique for other challenges. Either way it is a battlefield, one that is not easily avoided, or beat.

The main purpose of the speech was to motivate students to do their very best in school. Obama is all about his phrases like “YES, we can” or “no child left behind” or the one on the sign that was hanging in back of him, “ My education, My future.” I do agree with most of what he was saying, but not all. He spoke to students all across America. It was inspiring. While he gave his speech No one dared to speak. The ocean of students seems to be captivated by his presence.

In this speech Obama tries really hard to relate to students all across America. He brought the ideas down to our level and gave us something to relate too. Obama verbalized the feeling most everyone gets on the first days of school. He talked about the joy that comes with being a senior. It makes everything a little more personal when he brings up his past experiences. In my mind he is saying that we all have the tools we need in order to be as successful as he is. By taking education seriously we will be lead to success. “You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it” Being success is hard. but if you work and work and work hard enough anyone can be successful. Schools provide the right materials in order for every kid to be successful. I agree that everyone has responsibly that they are held accountable for. An education does rely on the student. You can not make someone want to learn. "But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life…That’s no excuse for not trying." Everyone person in America has the opportunity to an education and it is their responsibly to take hold of it.

“The future of America depends on us” that’s a whole great big deal to deal with. Lets not screw this up. The faith of America is now a burden on our shoulders.

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“The future of America depends on us” that’s a whole great big deal to deal with. Lets not screw this up. The faith of America is now a burden on our shoulders.

Obama, Barack. "Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back to School Event." whitehouse. N.p., 8/9/2009. Web. 11 Mar 2010. .

Herbert, Bob. "Where the Bar Ought to Be." New York Times(2010): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar 2

First write, in 1-3 sentences, as sharply as you can, the question/accusation/insight that forms the heart of your exploration. Then write 2-4 paragraphs about the significance of your topic/interest/question. Please consider one or more of the following questions and also any other significance that you can address:

The life of a student. what types of things we as student are forced to face on a daily basis.

School takes up a good amount of our time. We spend year after year in school. We all come out differently then when we started. School has an effect on people no matter what. it might be a stretch to say that school helps make us who we are, but i believe that. Everyone has difference experiences. That we chose to handle different ways. for some school is hell, full of bullies, drugs, mean teachers, bullshit, drama, embarrassing moments. we have all been through that at one point or another. On the other hand for some school can be fun, a place to socialize, learn, love.

and so im curious as to the things that make school worth going to. i want to know more about the experiences people have. Im interesting in the routines of an average day.

Sources

I. http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fso=57

On this site you can look you information on any school. Along with facts and a calculated percent numbers this website is very informational. It comes with a review that deals with different aspects of the school. While including quotes of mothers and students that have been involved with the school.

Relating to my topic this website helps me get a feel for a school. It allows me to get different qualities of different schools. i have to say it is all pretty accurate, i thought after i looked up our school. i plan to include my personal experiences at Sof with the information i have found here.

II. http://lebanon.or.schoolwebpages.com/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=26&PHPSESSID=baeeee6e55149447ddd520788c080519

This website describes a typical student life. it details what it is like to be a student. This article is very one sided and does not go much into depth. It talks about typical qualities students develop while in school and who they become after. It describes how students might adapt to different situations and how they interact with other students. It discusses the social system of diversity and status.

All of situations brought up in this article are practical. they are typical issues that i think most people can relate too.it is interesting hearing things from the people you don't know. i was able to pull out some good quotes to use in my paper :)

Sadker, David Miller, and Karen R. Zittleman. "High School's Adolescent Society." (2006): n. pag. Web. 24 Feb 2010. .

This website has some book suggestions that look like the y would be very helpful. A website created by two author that do a good job summing up the books. they take excerpt from the book and included some great sources. one resource said, "high school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of." This is a helpful website for people who are interested in the social part of school.

I really like this site. it is really long and includes different books that all relate to my topic. in this article there are detailed descriptions of the books including information, quotes etc. i think there are definatly some good stuff here that i can use for my project.

"Yahoo answers." High school experiences?. Web. 1 Mar 2010.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090415171859AAQlkQc

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080904200111AAxwrcQ

Here people ask a question and anyone can respond to it. it is interesting the way everyone adds on their first hand experiences. Some people have more to say than other but they are all really helpful and kind of work out each other. i like how they are true personal stories.

This might not be a site that is legit as some of the others but it has good information that i am going to include in my research. most of the things written here i can relate too as well.

Peavy, Shannon . "My High School Experience Is a Total Hell: A teen tells about battling anti-gay prejudice in rural Georgia ." (2001): n. pag. Web. 1 Mar 2010.

Zolten, Kristen, and Nicholas Long. "DEALING WITH PEER PRESSURE AND BAD COMPANIONS." Center for effective Parenting. 1997. Web. 1 Mar 2010.

i was a little surprised when i came across this site. i do not exactly know why but it includes research and lists and a bunch of different subtitles. Focusing on peer pressure, friends, and parents this article is concerned with things to avoid in school. it talks about how people handle themselves in certain situations.

Although it does not include any person material, this website would be very easy to relate information too. so i am defiantly going to revisit it. and maybe anyone else looking for the above things i recommend this site.

Interviews about schooling

A.

I. I thought of a certain friend when we were assigned this work. She usually has strong opinions and alot of interesting things to say. It is to bad she does not live close enough to ask her myself, but I decided to shoot her an email. She thinks of school as an opportunity to discover strengths, weaknesses, interests, hobbies and sees it as a "Perfect example of a smaller microcosm of the real world." I asked a couple questions having to do with why its so important for people to fit in, have a good social status and be cool, "The fundamental need of every human being to be understood and accepted. That's why it is very important to have friends and find out what your interests are, then you can collaborate with people and share ideas."

II. One person I asked was my sister. This is her first year of high school and so far she is not enjoying it. Unlike most, her middle school years were her favorite. "Its like The work, my friends, grades everything is just all so much harder."During this chit chat we had i notciced her rolling her eyes alot, getting frustracted just thinking and talking abut school. Often times she would start talking so fast and furiously I could not understand what she was trying to say. We talked about social status and how important it is to fit in, "Everyone wants to feel good about themselves, and having people like you does just that and thats why everyone tries so hard"

III. A guy with glasses and serious jelled hair

This guy looked like he would be categorized in any group, which is the reason i thought he might be an interesting person to talk to. As a senior in high school he is just trying to take school one day at a tie and get through it. The main motivations for going to school are to see friends and go to college. he stopped me and continued to that a pro to school is getting connections and getting to know people. Although he said a con to school is "Having to see the same annoying people everyday, it just becomes harder to ignore them." I did not feel right to say what school he was going to, just because he did not mention it. Concerning his educated he replied, "Im not getting the best education I could be... but Im satisfied."

B. I interviewed alot of people. At first I found none of anything anyone said helpful in the less bit. So i thought and i changed some of my questions. I asked some of the original people and some new people too, after that I got much better results. but i am working on getting more answers too. From all the people i have talked to i wonder what it is like for people who do not go to school, or who are home schooled, what is her experience like? Do we take school for granted sometimes? and why are we in school for 8 hours day 5 days a week? these are just some questions that were on my mind after my interveiws, questions i intend to answer some how.

Skool

A.

I. Why is it so important for people to belong to a group?
II. some rules are meant to be broken?
III. why do teachers consider what they do such a good deed? a hero?

I. The more $$ a person is linked to their level of knowledge. more $$=better education :/
II. having an education classifies us as civilized people

III. its what you need into to be successful

I. teasing about "dirty" blond hair
II. losing voice while speaking to the whole class

III. hitting the ball in gym and having it come back and hit you

B: School can be all great, awful, funny, strange. This experience itself happens to be one of the more negative stories you will hear. it was a confident crusher. It started when i was in a private school back in the 2nd grade. Surprisly i was a kid who kept to herself, rarely spoke at all. I became friends with this girl in my class (who will remain nameless for my sake). She was loud, and funny she lead and I followed what she did. It came to the point where what she said, went. If my shoes were ugly, then they were, if my drawing sucked then it did. At this point in my life i was in no way ready to rebel. I unconiously went along with her little mind games.

I remember sitting in a group of people with her during free time. After spending some time with my other friend I slipped into this group. I was invisible and completely unacknowledged, before... She put me on the spot. asking me which friends phone number i know by heart, and witch one i could say faster. I was no good at dealing with the pressure that was suddenly thrown on me. I must have said it a million time before she was convinced she was my better friend. However this does not seem like a very friendly thing to do. I do not remember why I was her friend. my guess would be that i felt needed by her. I was wanted. Putting myself through all the little games, make me more like her. Being told something enough times you start to believe it.

Watch be "it" in Educational & How-To | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

1. my piece is based off an average everyday example of this idea of cool. including different performances people choice to play, like the bad boy, the nerd, the fashionista, etc. i would like to think anyone watching this video would be able to relate in some way.

2. i do not normal make video and so i decided to try this time. although i did not want to be in the movie, that's where the idea of using puppets was formed.
3. Any type of art is going to be considered cool to someone, its like when people say "its all in the eye of the beholder." i think that pretty much sums it up here.