Education Essay.

IDIOCRACY

Every time I watch a documentary about our Educational System in America, it seems my faith

in hope and humanity diminishes just a little bit. If someone asks me what horror movie is the

scariest to me, I snicker in my response and say, “The scariest, most terrifying movie I have ever

seen was the movie Idiocracy.” Most people are confused in my response but to be honest, the

movie hits so close to home… especially when talking about our education system here in

America.  While watching "Waiting for Superman", my fears of America turning into this bestial,

obtuse society are starting to come true. I hear everyday from someone attached to the

education system, whether it be a teacher, student, principal etc, that the "system is broken". It

seems that they're not wrong. Despite countless efforts to change our educational system, I

was shocked at how bad things actually are. I now feel angry at our education system because

we need to change this. It’s petrifying to say the least.

 Just the other day, while I was playing an online, shoot em up video game, a kid said, “You got

died" instead of “you got killed". While my mouth dropped open while disgust played over my

face, I was speechless and almost felt chafed. I was beyond myself in disbelief that this kid, who

sounded around 15, had no better grammar than a four-year old. This had to change. While

researching statistics, I found out why. According to Students First, reading proficiency is

nothing to write home about among our middle school and high school students. “On the 2009

NAEP Reading Test, about 26 percent of eighth graders and 27 percent of twelfth graders

scored below the "basic" level, and only 32 percent of eighth graders and 38 percent of twelfth

graders are at or above grade level.” (StudentsFirst)  Take a moment for that to sink in a bit.

You might need to re-read the statistic again because God knows I did. We are not even near

50% of all eighth and twelfth graders who are at the basic level in reading. It’s no wonder we’re

getting closer to that Idiocracy fear of mine. If we can’t even read at a basic level, it’s going to

take a miracle to teach, train and inform individuals how to do basic everyday functions.

Moving on, the confidence in America is definitely one to be noted. It seems the saying

“America is #1” has been hardwired into our psyche since birth. We hear it all the time. It’s no

surprise to me that when academically tested, we’re over-confident in thinking we are the best.  

“Although America is falling behind in math, our kids are first in confidence.  American students

get terrible math scores compared to their international peers, but they think they’re great in

math—in fact, they have more confidence in their math skills than students from any other

country.” (Education) I might shock a few people in saying this and risk my accountability of

being a patriot, but WAKE UP AMERICA! WE AREN’T #1 ANYMORE! This overconfidence is

costing us million in taxes. We spend so much on education just to see so many of our kids

dropping out of school throwing that money away really. “Over one million children drop out of

school each year, costing the nation over $240 billion in lost earnings, forgone tax revenues,

and expenditures for social services.” (DictionaryProject). We need to stop glamorizing shows

like Jacksass, Nitro Circus, and/or Dumbest Stuff on Wheels because it teaches kids that this

behavior is ok. Before I open that can of worms and risk changing subjects, I’ll move on.

Now, I’m not going to fill your brain up with overwhelming facts of impeding doom. There are

some worthy and notable advocates that are helping our educational system implement

positive change.  Some individuals are starting to get the right thought-pattern and waking up

to the idea we might be doing it all wrong.  White knights like Michelle Rhee, who are strong-

willed, courageous and innovative on how to bring forth some of those changes. She “is a

change agent who had already transformed many urban public school systems through her

work with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) which she founded in 1997, and is now a nationally

recognized leader in understanding and developing innovative solutions to the challenges of

new teacher hiring.” (NCTQ) It takes some strength to stand up to the big bosses of our

government and to ‘the system’. I commend her work and hope others will copy her

courageousness and stand up for what needs to be done.

With hat being said, in the end, my fears matter. Every single human being living and breathing

in this country should be worried about our education system.  We need to get our heads out of

this conceited way of thinking that we’re number one because, clearly we’re not anymore.

Be afraid people. Despite the best efforts of amazing teachers and educational advocates, we’re

still declining and moving closer to watering our plants with mountain dew-like substance

instead of water, like the movie.  God help us. 

Journal Entry for "Waiting for Superman"

Every time I watch a documentary in English 1102, it seems my faith in humanity diminishes just a little bit. While watching "Waiting For Superman", my fears have come true. I hear everyday from someone attached to the education system, whether it be a teacher,student, principal etc, that the "system is broken". It seems that they're not wrong. I was shocked at how bad things actually are even though I already knew how they were, if that makes sense. The two things that struck the most punch was the fact that U.S was ranked 23 out of 29 developed countries in regards to math/reading and when asked how we (meaning U.S students) ranked, we thought we were number 1. It just shows exactly how OVER-confident we are as a country. I know I might be messing with patriotism when I say this but WAKE UP AMERICA, WE'RE NOT NUMBER ONE! The actual fear of people shunning me for saying this is prevalent because the belief that America is number one is bred into us from birth lol.
The other thing that stood out from this documentary was the belief that bad neighborhoods do not produce bad kids, it's the other way around. That makes complete sense! I now feel angry at our education system because we need to change this. Just the other day, while I was playing a online video game, a kid said,"you got died" instead of  "you got killed" (keep in mind I was laying a shooting video game). I was indeed speechless as how do I respond to that?? I was beyond myself in disbelief that this kid,who sounded around 15, had no better grammar than a four-year old. This had to change.

I am Woman, Hear me Roar!- Essay

                                                    I am Woman, Hear me Roar!

It shouldn't be a surprise to you that I am amazing. It’s not because I am just a woman, but because I am a woman who knows better. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means awareness…awareness of how women are portrayed in the eye of your fellow male equivalents, the fashion world and even media and knowing that boys will be boys. What can we do about that? Do we adhere to their set of standards or make our own? I mean, we’re all individuals and are independent, right? Now, I’m not going to ramble on [much] about the countless acts of repression that we women have gone through, but I’m simply here to try to enlighten you that we have come a long way and we should be proud of that. We need to become aware of the success of our struggle(s), and instead of playing the part of the “Victim”, we should play the part of the “Achiever”.

I know what you’re thinking…Man, she’s an uber-femi crazy lady!  No, I’m not in the least bit like that. You’re not going to see me burning my bra and bashing men all around me; I’m not a revolutionist. I’m just a lover who was raised to be a compassionate independent woman and do things for myself. I was surrounded by amazing female strength and love by my mother and sisters. Because my father died unexpectedly when I was really young, I grew up watching all the struggles one would see when a man is no longer in the picture.  I became aware early on that it isn’t easy being a female in a “man’s world”. 
 Case in point: My mother was a doctor in the late 80’s until the early 2000’s. At that time, the percentage of physicians that was female ranged from 7%-24% (paraphrased-MedScape). My mother was the only female physician at her office and she knew how to play the game. I remember a day in particular...it was a Superbowl Sunday. I remember questioning her as to why someone who doesn't like football was watching a football game.  She told me that all the men at her office would always gather around and talk sports with each other and never include her because she was unfamiliar with sports. She then said that she’ll be damned if they don’t include her next time. I must have been around ten, but that sure made an impact on me. My mother wasn't going to miss out on possible career-advancing scenarios just because she wasn't in a huddle of conversation with the boys.

Moving on, unless you’re living under a rock, I’m pretty sure that you’re aware of the problem with fashion and moreover, the media and how they portray women in an unhealthy way. Looking through magazines, watching the news or seeing movies, you see women portrayed in an unrealistic sort of manner and always beautiful. The consumer is made to believe that this is how you, a woman, is supposed to look. For someone that works in the fashion industry, I believe I might be a bit more aware of what really goes on (makeup, Photoshop or what-not) but there are many positive attributes happening as well. There are a few women who are aware of the expectations and are doing something about it. For example, Katie Willcox, a plus-size model, founded the movement and platform called “Healthy is the New Skinny (HNS)”.  She was aware of the standard of beauty the industry displays and knew that you can’t change the fact that consumers are attracted to pretty things. You can't change that simple fact. She started the HNS movement “for women to get information and support that leads to the evolution of each individuals mind, body, and spirit.  The media defines women and beauty in a very narrow way, which has contributed to women hating their bodies and themselves.  You are the most beautiful when you are happy and healthy” (HNS Web). This movement is astonishing because it encourages love, healthiness and happiness. Katie has founded Natural Model Management (http://naturalmodelsla.com/) which includes models who are not your stereo-typical size 0 models. There are models of all sizes that are used in countless ads across the world. Hopefully, in her efforts, a little girl won’t starve herself in order to achieve size 0 status.

On the contrary, there are plenty of women who set back the advances of what women,like Katie, have done. They are either unaware of their actions or simply don’t care. Money and fame are big contributors as to why a woman would subject herself to a reality show about “bad girls” or catty, back-stabbing housewives. And the horror of it is, a lot of our younger females are watching these shows and getting the impression that this behavior is acceptable in society. “Girls today are bombarded with media – reality TV and otherwise – that more frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in support or collaboration. This perpetuates a ‘mean-girl’ stereotype and normalizes this behavior among girls.” (Womenology). I hardly believe that these ‘bad girls’ are proud of themselves and think that they are doing well in aspect of positive female image in our society. They definitely don’t set a good example for others.

What’s wonderful is despite the setbacks of some of these women, we can achieve so much when we’re given so little.  We’re aware of the issues at hand and some of us are here to do something about it. YOU are amazing. Every woman is amazing. Beauty is perceptual and really cannot be defined specifically.  We just need to become aware and focus on our choices. Women are strength and love and have the ability to change and impact so many. We can achieve magnificent things.  You may say it’s a man’s world but to a lot of women, we believe it’s really OUR world. Here us roar!

Just like with all the other controversial documentaries and videos that we watch in this class, I still have major trouble trying to differentiate between the multitude of emotions I feel when watching them. I never know where to begin and after watching MissRepresentaion, I'm left with so many ideas running through my head. What matters most to me? What's easiest to write about? How do I truly feel about the topic? What will be my compare and contrast be? Probably the most shocking to learn about was the amount of media that allows bashing and slander of women in their broadcasts (i.e talking about Hilary Clinton and pms'ing in the White House). I can't believe people watch this garbage but, who am I kidding, humanity is depressing these days anyways;I really shouldn't be shocked. Everything else, I believe women know or should know about.You're a woman in the 21st century, things are completely different than the way they used to be. It just takes an observing eye to see these things and become aware and it's your choice to act or not act upon it.

Welcome to a New Age

                                 Welcome to a New Age

Do you remember hearing the saying, “Waste not, Want not”? What ever happened to that saying and that way of thinking? It seems inevitable...the inhabitants of this earth seem to be going in a self-destructing direction. In most parts of the world, we are over-consuming to where it actually endangers every living being on this planet. We are under the impression that we “NEED” this or we “NEED” that when what we do have, is way more than enough. This over-consumption results in a monumental amount of waste. Even though our world is a magnificent beauty and there are many people striving to better our communities, if we continue this downward spiral, our way of life will be substantially affected.

FACTS

You think I’m kidding when I say we produce an abundant amount of waste.  I wish I were over-exaggerating but let’s take a look at the facts, shall we. FACT: “Every year, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of "trash"--about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills” (Learner). It’s astonishing that just ONE person can produce that much waste per day! Why do we produce that much? Moreover, why are we throwing it out instead of recycling the waste? FACT: “Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.” (DoSomething) The leftover 45% of recyclable waste that is not being recycled could easily make it to many recycling factories. FACT: “There are more than 74,000 recycling centers in the United States.” (Green). So, knowing that there is an ample source of recycling plants, why are we not recycling more? Is it because of the higher costs to cities and taxpayers to recycle? If that were the case, than why are we not trying to emphasize the importance of the “reduce and reuse” system? It could possibly be that people simply do not care.

OVERALL APATHY

It seems that people today are more concerned with when they are going to get the newest and advanced  iPhone or complaining about how high gas prices have gone up because they have  to fuel their huge, gas-guzzling SUV’s.  Many people do not think about how much they’re consuming because they are more focused on what they want, or shall I say “NEED”. They’re not focusing on the needs of others and furthermore, they’re not focusing on our Earth’s needs. Yes, I’m saying they’re selfish, by the way.  Today in our society, we have so many outlets and ways of consuming, that it’s difficult to not get caught up in the hype of having the newest and coolest gadgets or gizmos. Peer pressure is, indeed, a bitch. But all considering, there are people that just don’t want to care or don’t need to care.

For example, the other day, my husband was mentioning his work and how he was down in Ponte Vedra, a wealthier beach neighborhood close to where I live. It must have been trash day because he came across a house that had a bunch of garbage at the end of their driveway. He saw tons of good items in this garbage, especially what seemed to be a brand new vacuum cleaner. Upon viewing the vacuum cleaner, the owner of the house came out and said she only used it once. Since the bag was full, she decided to throw out the (once) used vacuum cleaner and get a new one. This story just blew my mind. I mean, really lady?? I bet you she is a major contributor to our waste problem here in the States.

The Few Out There

But alas, few and far between, there is a small amount of involved civilians that take the time to teach, preach and practice the importance of minimizing our waste problem. They’re activists and/or everyday do-gooders that go above and beyond to inform and educate others. There are documentaries like “Dive” that are enlightening and are overwhelming effective at making someone like me aware of the waste problem.  In “Dive”, you follow the world of dumpster divers who live off of grocery store(s) waste. I mean, I’ll never look at a strawberry in a grocery store the same way again. I encourage you to watch the film if you haven’t already. It’s eye opening to say the least. If we had more people that make films like “Dive”, the waste problem would become less of a global issue.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s sad to think that we are a world that is starting to over-consume to the point where it harms us. We live in a selfish world and the average person doesn’t even think about the issue at hand. It’s all about awareness and the little things we can do to help better our world.  The next time you go to the kitchen to get a paper towel to use as your napkin, put it down and save it for when it is needed. There’s no need to waste a disposable paper towel when you have a perfectly good cloth towel that you can use instead. We really need to start enforcing and encouraging a new age of “Waste not, Want not” way of life. I welcome it and won’t waste it. 

**Please listen to http://youtu.be/ktvTqknDobU

   while reading this blog post :)

waste journal

After viewing the dumpster-diving documentary "Dive", I was kind of numb in my response. These type of films are aimed to encourage and 'wake up' the viewer but I just felt emotionless. You see,I already am aware of the major waste problem we have in America. I wasn't aware of the facts per se, but I knew it was an issue. With all the problems we face today,especially in america when it comes to consumption,hearing how much we waste just pushed me into the "I have no idea what to do" stage.  I believe society would have to change as a whole to even make a dent in this problem. The amount of people who simply don't care outweighs the people that do. And that is just overwhelmingly exhausting to the people that do care. For example,the other day, my husband was mentioning his work and how he was down in Ponte Vedra,a wealthier beach neighborhood. It must have been trash day because he came across a house that had a bunch of garbage at the end of their driveway. He saw tons of good items in this garbage, especially what seemed to be a brand new vacuum cleaner. Upon viewing the vacuum cleaner, the owner of the house came out and said she only used it once. Since the bag was full, she decided to throw out the (once) used vacuum cleaner and get a new one.
This story just blew my mind. I mean, really?? A perfect example of how wasteful one can be and how lazy, unconcerned, unaware that this woman is. She should donate it! grrrr!

American Dream? Essy

                                                   It’s All Relative

When you hear the phrase “money can’t buy you happiness”, do you smirk, while rolling your

eyes and think”BS” like myself? If you do, some might call you a bitter pessimist, but I would

just call you a realist. I have been knee-deep in bills, overwhelmed with the worry of how I’m

going to be fed that night, with the impending doom that if I don’t get paid soon, I might lose

the house over my head. That’s just real-life, you know? Let’s face it, not too many people can

live happily on a low income in this day in age. Everything has a price tag; you don’t get

something for nothing. On the contrary, what defines one’s happiness? Like, what makes YOU

happy? For some people, money plays no part of their happiness at all. These people I do not

understand because in my life and others like me, it plays a significant role in my ‘happiness’.

What Makes Me Happy?:

You probably have the belief that I am a miserable, salty person who isn’t happy about

anything. This is so far from the truth and completely wrong. I’m an extremely passionate

 person and these passions I have are what makes me happy. Family, friends, pets, a rainy day,

MY JOB, laughter, health, security, iced coffee; this list can go on and on, but what ruins these

passion(s) of mine and what makes me frown, is when you taint any of them with money.

Let’s take a look at my job. It is a perfect example of this situation. I realized around my mid-

twenties, my goal in life was to be a licensed massage therapist. It was something I was born to

do…to help people with their pain. I am a huge advocate for massage therapy and I thoroughly

believe in the benefits of massage and wellness. Early in my career, I was completely satisfied

with my decision in becoming a LMT. I got paid well, I enjoyed my colleagues and I had the time

to enjoy other passions in life. According to the occupational outlook handbook, I was making

around $34,900 per year(Handbook)₁, which is scrap change for some but to me, it was just

enough. I thought I really didn’t need money to make me happy. It wasn’t until the past year or

 two when financial frustrations arose. It seems money did, in fact, play a key role in my

happiness.

I moved back home to Jacksonville, Florida three years ago to be closer to one of my other

passions in life, my family. I thought I could still be a successful therapist. The economy changed

as well as my surroundings and I was starting to become spent. I was getting paid way less and

working tons more. You see, in order to be happy as a massage therapist, you need to have a

perfect equilibrium of massages you do and money. I am on the path to burning out which is a

death sentence to any LMT”S career.  It’s almost to the point to where I don’t want to massage

anymore. And that is just a scary thought. I am no longer a happy camper.  When I heard guest

speaker, Mo Garcia (Speaker) ₂, say, “When your career is your passion, the money will follow”,

I thought to myself in disbelief. My job IS my passion and I’m not seeing any money, ok honey.

What Makes Others Happy?:

In contrast, there seems to be quite a few people who do not need money to be happy. They

have achieved happiness through appreciating the smaller things in life. The phrase ‘more

money, more problems” comes to mind. For example, “What they found was that those with

higher incomes had more chores and less fun. They devoted more time to working, commuting,

childcare, and shopping and were under more stress and tension than those in lower income

brackets.”(Livescience)₃. You cannot deny that more stress would come from having more

money.  The people that do not need money in order to be happy are ones who appreciate

what they do have.  Happiness comes from their inner being. They seemed to have a better

filter on how their mind works. Maybe one day I can make this achievable.  

In Conclusion:

It appears that everything in life is all relative and this includes happiness. From your job and

your passions to appreciating the smaller things in life, it’s all up to you and how happy you

want to be. But, in my opinion and from my own experience, don’t ruin your passion [i.e. Job]

with money.  It will just taint it and make it meaningless. Save it for bringing enjoyment and

love into your life; not for bringing in stress and burden. Money doesn't always buy you

happiness, but it will buy you iced coffee and that makes me happy! 

                                                    WORKS CITED PAGE:

1)      http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Massage-therapists.htm;  Occupational Handbook, (web)

2)       Mo Garcia; motivational speaker

3)      http://www.livescience.com/874-study-money-buy-happiness.html; Livescience;(web)