Blogging Around

After reading several of my classmates blogs I made the following comments on blogs I felt especially connected to-

Corey wrote a blog about his future and I found it was very real and I could relate to it well. My comment was:

I think it's good to keep your mind open about what you want to do in the future. I too am undecided about where I want to go, my major, and my future career. I have been looking at some colleges online and many of them mention you don't need to rush into a major. That's always comforting to hear! :)

I also really enjoyed Brandon's blog about the length of classes at GBN. Although I love the block schedule, it was unique to see Brandon's valid points.

My comment was:

Although I don't see this is a likely change to our schedule, it sounds like a great idea! It's so frustrating when a class ends before material is clarified. I wish we had more time in history so we wouldn't be as stressed about getting everything squeezed in before the AP test. I also think it would be a good idea to have these 'shortened classes' at the end of the day. I find that when I have an academic class at the end of the day it can be difficult to focus. Especially on a Friday afternoon!

Metacognition: Poetry

A huge amount of thinking has gone into my poetry. My 7th grade English teacher was really into revision. We revised everything multiple times and she really taught us how effective that can be. I think what has been more effective about my thinking process while writing this specific poem is that I've been happy to revise. I'm well aware that writing can always get better. Additionally, I see poetry as an art form and therefore I know that there is a huge realm of possibility for what a masterpiece my poem can become. It is essentially to keep in mind the fact that nothing is perfect on the first try.

Because I have the above beliefs, I've found myself doing a crazy amount of revision. I don't grow too attached to any specific draft of my poem, because I know it will be constantly changing. I think this is both helpful and harmful. This is helpful because I'm able to revise and let go of aspects of my poem, even if I've worked extremely hard on them. This is harmful because, I'm still unhappy with the drafts that I turn in. I see that my poem is changing, but I cannot tell if it's genuinely getting better. I think the trouble I'm having is that when I started my poem, I never envisioned it becoming what it currently is. This isn't necessarily good or bad, and I think I just need to spend more time making sure I'm satisfied the draft I turn in.

Revising poetry is difficult for me. I've never written this many drafts of a single poem in such a short period time. I'm used to revising essays and I find that extremely easy. Poetry, because of the level of beauty it requires, strikes me as more difficult in the revision process. I am, however, proud of myself for not being afraid to change my poem and taking the risk to hopefully make it better.

I've always enjoyed writing poetry but I was surprised by how difficult it was to revise my poem according to some critiques I received. I was able to successfully revise sections I was unhappy with, but I found it difficult to revise sections that I didn't necessarily see the problem with, but Mr. Allen didn't like. I'm actually very glad this happened. I think it's important to be frustrated during the writing process, and the last revised draft I handed in was certainly the most frustrating and time-consuming one I've written.

I don't think my poem isn't quite near done, but I don't expect it to ever be. The drafts I've written, although not perfect, clearly demonstrate the effort and time I put into this process. I've enjoyed writing and revising this poem and it is very rewarding to see the progress I've made both in my thinking and my writing.

Best of Week: Asking for Student Input

This week has been one of the most stressful, overwhelming, and difficult weeks of Academy. My peers and I have collectively felt extremely frustrated and hopeless. However, several moments this week have been fantastic. The best of this week was when Mr. Allen asked us when we wanted to have our English in-class writing assignment. He gave us the option of either Monday or Tuesday and asked the class to decide. I told everyone to raise their hands so we could vote on what day worked best. 28 students voted for Tuesday, and therefore that is when our King Lear in-class writing assignment will take place.

Although this may seem like a small deal, to me it was extremely significant. Aside from being a kind gesture on his part, it was meaningful to me and occurred at the perfect time. I was feeling so aggravated the entire week because of the immense homework load in one of my classes that came completely out of the blue. I was caught off-guard and thus felt extremely irritated by the busy work that I was being given and the crazy amount of quizzes. Myself as well as other students approached the teacher to try to better understand what was going on, but we were ignored. The entire situation was and remains extremely disheartening.

What made this week a little more bearable was being given the option of when to have our English writing assignment. By asking for student input I felt not only relieved of unneeded stress but also important. By being able to express when would be more convenient for me to have this assignment I felt like I mattered. I know teachers often tell students that their input and ideas matter, but sometimes it becomes far too hard to believe. 

This entire week I felt that not only my input didn't matter but that my teacher didn't even care about how ridiculously stressed out the entire class was. Although that specific teacher still makes me feel that they do not care, I know that at least one of my teachers really does. This was very comforting and although I'll still have to do the in-class writing assignment it is great to know that I had a say in when this would take place and that my thoughts and feelings matter.

Connection: King Lear and Motivation

We've been reading The Tragedy of King Lear in English for a little while now, and to be honest, I've been struggling. I'm a fan of Shakespeare and I've read several of his works, but this play has been the most challenging read yet. Last year my English class read Romeo and Juliet which was much easier for me to understand and therefore enjoy. I spoke with some of my peers and many of them have felt similarly about the difficulty of King Lear in contrast with Romeo and Juliet. Although countless variables affect this change in view of Shakespeare, what is most important is that currently, many of us are struggling. We are all honors students who, for perhaps the first time, are struggling with basic comprehension. I've kept up with the reading and annotating, but there are simple things that just seem to be going over my head. Although my English grade may suffer because of this, I feel that something even more valuable is going on. There are very few classes I've ever had a hard time in, and I think it's important to struggle. Life isn't easy, and if school is supposed to prepare us for life, school cannot be easy either.

I've made a connection between King Lear and motivation. To me, this play is a struggle. It's difficult to understand and appreciate. I'm generally a very motivated, ambitious student and person; but when I'm this frustrated with something I find it very difficult. I must admit that, in the past, I've looked down upon unmotivated, "lazy" students. This experience has shown me how difficult it is to persevere when something is unexpectedly challenging. When I feel like I really understand a class I'm a confident student who participates in class. When I'm a bit lost with the material I find myself giving up and missing out on something that could potentially be extremely valuable. 

Making this connection is extremely important to me. I've been able to realize that I need to work on this specific play and my understanding of it. On a broader spectrum I need to motivate myself more to improve and overcome things that are initially difficult for me. What do I have to lose? I think that my struggle with this will be extremely beneficial in not only improving with King Lear but also staying on track with challenges. Upon reflecting on this play, I see how advantageous it is for me. I now also understand how difficult it is for students who struggle, regardless of the subject matter. I regret that I was so quick to judge them before but it surely will not happen again.

TED Presentations

Ah, what to say about our TED presentations. TED has consumed a little too much of my life for the past month or so and I'm elated it's over. TED was pretty stressful but I'm happy with my performance and contributions. I'm still improving on my collaborative skills and there were countless problems I ran into during this process. For example, I'm the editor of the project. As editor I wanted to make the page as good as it could possibly be, but in this specific case that was difficult. This was because one group member contributed, in my opinion, a plethora of useless, irrelevant information and I think even she herself admitted to ruining what the rest of our group members had already done. This was frustrating to me but I decided to leave a majority of her work because she deserves credit for her effort, although I think our group will suffer for it.

The problem above is one of many obstacles this TED project presented. To be honest I think what everyone will take away from the TED project is not what was the initial goal. What TED taught me was how to deal with working with people you cannot depend on and those who, at times, you find incompetent and really get on your nerves. This is very similar to most group projects, but this was unique because I had never met most of my group members. This made it a tad bit more frustrating.

Unfortunately, this isn't what I was looking forward to getting out of this project. I think the idea of this is very "Academy" and it has huge potential, but it is still in it's developmental stages. I really appreciate how much input we had in the design of this project and how helpful our teachers were when we vented our troubles. I look forward to seeing how this project will evolve year after year, if the Academy continues to do it.

I have several ideas for the future of TED. I really liked what Leanne and several others brought up in our discussion today. Couldn't we spend the time we used to make this project on actually helping people? Could we not? I think, being the passionate group of people that we are, we could actually make an impact if we all tried.

I also think that the videos are perhaps the most valuable part of this project. I think it would be cool to watch one every Thursday night and discuss it on Fridays for half an hour or something. That way we could watch every video in its entirety. Academy is heavily discussion-based, and these videos have a lot to discuss. I don't see why we should make something on the internet where we just research certain aspects of our video and present them, when everyone could get that type of information on their own as well as learn and expand their understanding more through a discussion.

Overall, I'm just happy that TED is over and I can relax. I think the best part of this project was that we communicated with our teachers so well. It was really comforting to know and see that they all have our best interests at heart and want us to succeed. I was also proud of our entire Sophomore Academy class. I think, in general, we led all of our groups well and contributed heavily. Although some people may have dropped the ball, I think we all did well. :)

Captured Thought: Future

Like many people, I've spent my entire life thinking and worrying about my future. As I've gotten older I've begun to think more and more about college and a career path that will be both fulfilling and bring in a decent income. I've stressed over balancing school, activities, and a social life. An equation that doesn't include sleep. 

Until I took Honors Biology last year, I wanted to be a psychiatrist. When I realized that I'd have to take plenty more biology courses, the profession seemed an impossible task. I also wanted to do something with educational technology, something in the area of Web 2.0 tools. This too seems so out of reach because web 2.0 tools are just getting started and by the time I enter the real world I have no idea how hard the competition will be or what to expect. I also want to be an English and drama teacher. But then again, I don't know if I can spend my entire life in school! hah. 

The list of professions I've thought about by the age of 15 is pretty long, and I know there is no rush to choose right now, but I just can't help myself. This weekend I watched an episode of Oprah that featured Mary Kate and Ashely Olsen and truly changed my outlook.

They've been famous since before they could walk and have had plenty of ups and downs but they shared some great insight. Oprah had many successful young people on her show and they all said the same thing do what you're passionate about. This was comforting to me because I have so many passions that are continually growing and deepening. Even if I don't get into my dream school or take the 'ideal' path to my career, I can still be successful and live a fulfilling life. 

This 'captured thought' was extremely important to me. I really do want to live in the moment and enjoy my childhood before it's gone. I have the rest of my life to work, I don't want to look back at my high school experience thinking I stressed over the small stuff too much. This Oprah espisode really helped me understand that regardless of what occupation I have as long as I love what I'm doing everything will be okay. I still can't, and am in no rush to, choose what job I want when I grow up. I do know that I want to live a happy, fulfilling life doing things I enjoy with people I love. And whether that be overly optimistic or not, I have plenty of faith that I will reach that goal.

360 Degrees: Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day 2008, and consequently I've chosen to view this extremely pertinent issue from 360 Degrees. Poverty is such a colossal problem that it is impossible for me to even wrap my mind around the issue. With the recent economic crisis being felt all around the world, the issue of poverty is becoming increasingly frightening. What I believe is most controversial about the issue of poverty is how to fix it.

Every country has far too many people living in poverty, and there is no one right answer as to how to fix this. Terrible circumstances have made countless people homeless, while others have made poor decisions which have ruined their lives. How can this be fixed? Who is responsible for fixing this? Is it the government's job to aid the poor? Is it the individuals responsibility to donate their time and money to those who are less fortunate then them? Can a problem this massive and widespread really be fixed? 

I'd like to think that it can be fixed, but I fear that that idea is overwhelmingly idealistic. I believe that both the government as well as the individual have a responsibility to help out people around them. Of course, this is far easier said than done. There are an endless amount of ways to implement relief, and some come with high risks. It's difficult to refuse a poor man on the street when he asks for money. It breaks my heart to hear cynics say He probably just spends the cash on some beer. He isn't even trying to fix his life. Although that's a plausible idea, what if he isn't? Who am I to judge that man and deny him money that is likely more valuable to him than it is to me?

Poverty is still a major problem. No single government, no single person can fix this catastrophe. What is needed is a global effort to change the path of our modern times. Only by uniting to fight this battle can any significant, positive impact be made. Although sharing our views via blog is a great step in the right direction, we need to take action. Hopefully today will illuminate the problem and get more people involved in fighting poverty.

I'd like to conclude with a great quote that I've seen written across a picture of a beggar on the street. Keep your coins, I want change. This phrase is chillingly real and honest. Money won't fix the problem; new ideas and measures need to be taken to end poverty throughout the globe. 

Blogging Around

Jenna posted a blog about music/songs and viewed it from 360 degrees. She highlighted how one song can be so many different things to different people and also talked about different aspects of the music industry. My comment read: 

Jenna this is a great post! I really agree with what you're saying here. I think the beauty of music is that it can, and always is, viewed from 360 degrees. Artists write music hoping people will receive it well, but I personally think that any response, any emotion, is what they are looking for. To evoke emotions in someone without being face-to-face is something very powerful.

Emily posted a blog about the different views on the Academy. I think this blog conveyed her frustration with people views on our program. My comment read:

Emily this is a great point you've brought up!  I find it very frustrating being judged because of Academy. I find students outside of Academy expect more from me by way of project contribution and organization. Some people even ask me to do the entire thing because they think I'm smarter than them. Similarly, I've encountered many teachers who dislike Academy kids and call them 'elitists'. This infuriates me. Although clearly misconceptions about Academy originated from somewhere, everyone really needs to reconsider their views and interpretations.

I think the point you've hit on transfers into all aspects of life, outside of just the Glenbrook Academy. Everyone needs to keep in mind that when they judge something, especially negatively, they are often ill-informed and unaware. I think this in one advantage we get. because we have been judged based on our class placement, we understand what it's like. Hopefully people turn this into a positive and remember to avoid making this kind of mistake in their lives and in their interactions with other people.

360 Degrees: The Last Lecture

For my journalism class we have to bring a silent reading book. The book I am currently reading is called The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. There are so many brilliant ideas and issues brought up in this memoir of sorts that it's difficult to pick which one to use for this blog post. What I think is most controversial is Randy's outlook on life.

If you haven't read or heard this lecture, I highly recommend you do. It is touching and extremely valuable whether you read or watch it. It is about Randy's life and the lessons he wishes to offer to the world before he dies. He has only a few months to live and he is leaving this lecture as a message to the world.

What I find extremely interesting about this book is Randy's optimism. This man is dying and what he chooses to focus on for the remainder of his life is helping others. I think this is truly impeccable. Randy remains positive and courageous. His words are so inspiring, and believe it or not, they aren't incredibly dismal either. 

I would love to believe that if I were ever in Randy's position that I would behave in a similar fashion, but I honestly don't think I could. Although I would try to be positive, I see that as a nearly impossible task. Even though Randy doesn't have false hopes, he is still enjoying life and making the most of not only his life, but the lives of those around him.

How does Randy stay so positive? How does he even bring himself to spending so much of the end of his life writing this book? I think Randy is perhaps one of the most brilliant and wisest human beings on earth. His book is filled with insight, humor, beauty, and strength. He is relatively selfless and someone who everyone can look up to. To be honest, I can't wrap my mind around how he is who he is. I believe part of his ability to stay positive comes from his family as well as his colleagues and students. Even with all of these components, I don't know many people who would deal with Randy's situation like he has dealt with it.

How is Randy so genuine? His book is so honest and raw. His voice is so clear that although I know this book was written for his children, I still feel as though he is talking to me and wants me personally to learn these lessons. I believe that part of what makes Randy so inspiring is his honesty. He is true to who he is as a person. He acknowledges the mistakes he's made and is able to critique himself. I'd like to think that this idea of authenticity is something that people will cherish after reading his book. Although the point may be to live life to the fullest, Randy has so many other valuable lessons to teach; one of which is most certainly the power of having integrity and authenticity.

Randy's book offers the reader so much to take away from it. I suppose someone could see this as too hard to believe. That someone who is terminally ill could be this happy, this positive. I too had trouble accepting this at first, but Randy has really made me believe in the beauty of humanity. Although I encourage everyone who reads or hears The Last Lecture to take whatever they want or need to away from it, I think the message that the general public will receive is pretty much the same. 

Everyone needs to slow down and appreciate the world around them. It's never too late to improve yourself and realize how wonderful everyone around you truly is. This world has so many opportunities, and everyone owes it to themselves to follow their dreams.

Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

This is the first time in my life where I've had a teacher assign homework that instructs me to "think." I've heard: brainstorm, prepare ideas, outline, create a rough draft, etc.; but I've never been told to just think. Believe it or not, these simple instructions really got me thinking. At first I was elated, I thought to myself, Wow Allen is really going easy on us, all we need to do is think and read this week. Then, as the week progressed, I saw the value in this assignment. To write something well takes time, thought, and effort. Even this blog post will be revised several times, not to mention the rumination that always takes please before my fingers hit the keyboard. 

I believe the success and insight I gain from my Kite Runner essay will be directly proportionate to the amount of high-quality thinking that was put into the fundamental ideas of my essay. A wonderfully corny metaphor fits writing perfectly. The ideas, which serve as the seeds, can sprout into a magnificent tree with deep routes and thriving leaves. This growing, blooming process occurs through writing. However, if the seeds (ideas) are not properly planted, nothing significant will occur. 

Specific to this very essay I went through a series of thoughts. After reading the Essay Questions/Prompts I decided that I had a significant amount to say about Hosseini's mix of memoir and fiction. To be honest, my thoughts frightened me a bit. We spent much of class talking about the purpose of mixing memoir and fiction and how that makes the novel successful. However, the thesis I wanted to use directly opposed the views expressed by the majority of my peers during our discussions. The original thesis I thought of was this:

 Hosseini's technique of mixing memoir and fiction lessons the overall impact of the story.

Although it may sound simple, this was in fact a rather controversial thought. But being who I am, I couldn't dump an idea because I was scared. I let this idea settle for a bit, pushing it to the back of my mind and taking advantage of the several days provided for thinking. 

The evening before my thesis was supposed to be more-or-less final, I sat down for a book talk with my mom. She read The Kite Runner and I decided I would try to explain to her why I felt mixing memoir and fiction didn't turn out too well. Sure enough, by the end of our conversation I was more confident than ever. Although my mother and I both agreed there were countless things to admire about the novel, the mix of memoir and fiction wasn't necessarily one of them. 

What I learned from this entire thinking process was primarily that it cannot be rushed. I greatly appreciate that I was given several days to think about what I wanted my essay to convey. Because I was given so much time I was able to develop an idea I could work with well, and something I was proud of. I enjoyed that my thinking was opinionated; something that would evoke emotion from whoever came across it. 

I would still love to improve so much about my thinking process. I'm still trying to learn about the delicate balance between too simplistic, which I feel was the problem this time around, and over-analysis. On some occasions I tend to underestimate my abilities and settle for something that isn't challenging enough, while other times I can get extremely deep into something so miniscule that I fear I won't grasp the big picture. 

Luckily, I'm confident about the seeds I have planted for this essay. A combination of time to think, meeting with Mr. Allen, and talking to readers of the novel has helped me form a claim and look for evidence that supports it. Hopefully the rest of the writing process will be as rewarding as the thinking that began it.

Best of Week: Artful Sentences

This week's highlight was certainly our observations of Artful Sentences. The biggest bore in an English class can often be learning grammar, but this is not the case when using Artful Sentences. This book takes a unique, intelligent approach to writing. No matter how much I thought I knew about writing, I have already learned so much from Artful Sentences. This week we discussed sentence structure, particularly sentence length and variation. To be honest, this isn't typically something I think about in my writing. Until now. (See? I used sentence length variation there!) 

The examples in Artful Sentences were passages from wonderfully written works. The book provided several ways to use the tools/suggestions given. Rather then giving simplistic, elementary examples like other grammar workbooks Artful Sentences provides real literary examples which I believe are more effective. Comparing the examples to my own writing is unavoidable. What I believe the beauty of learning about different writing styles is that my own will inevitably develop. The value of improving my writing is immense.

As previously discussed in class, writing can be or do just about anything. Writing can serve as a way of expression, record-keeping, release, learning, educating others, and growing as both a reader, writer, and individual. I always knew that expressing myself eloquently through writing was beneficial, but I know not to over-do it. I think a wonderful way to avoid stressing the reader or coming across as 'fake' is by varying sentence length.

Even the page itself then looks more interesting.

I see myself using what I've learned in Artful Sentences on many occasions. Whether it be colleges essays, creative writing, or research papers, there are countless opportunities for me to improve my writing. Beginning with my sentences. Although I'm certainly an amateur at this point, I look forward to more lessons and deepening my skill level and understanding.

Artful Sentences serves as Best of Week because it's only the beginning.

Carry it Forward: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner has countless important themes and lessons that can be applied to daily life. One theme which I find extremely important is that of honesty. Amir suffers from endless regret due to the fact that when he was a child he wasn't honest about what had happened to Hassan. If Amir had been honest so many of his problems would have been avoided. I believe this book exhibits how difficult it can be to tell the truth. It also shows how horrible it is to keep a secret; to live life pretending. The Kite Runner shows the reader that no matter how frightening or unfortunate the truth may be, it must be told. I believe this is an extremely important idea to carry forward throughout the rest of my life. I try to be as honest as I can, and thus I expect the truth from those around me. Life can be complicated at times, and people surely don't need countless lies to complicate a situation any further.

My Journalism teacher has a poster that says something like If you don't lie you'll never have to remember anything. This basically strikes the point that lies are never helpful and the more of them you tell the worse the situation gets. As I was reading and analyzing The Kite Runner I couldn't help but compare Amir to the people I see on the show The Moment of Truth. For those of you who haven't seen it, the premise is that someone is put through a lie detector test as their friends and family watch. I find this show extremely depressing because some people have such horribly tragic secrets that those closest to them don't know. Like Amir, the contestants on the show have developed strong relationships with people who don't know about significant experiences in their past. It's so upsetting to see adults on a "reality show" confessing all their lies and sins while simultaneously ruining their relationships. On the bright side, it definitely motivates me to live a life where I could pass the lie detector test with flying colors. That is one of my biggest goals in life. Not necessarily to live with no regrets, but to be proud of my decisions and the honest way in which I dealt with adversity. 

The Kite Runner, along with other experiences, has taught me the value of honesty. Lying is never the best option and in the long-run will only cause problems. I see the value in truth and hope that in the future I won't loose sight of its importance.