Reflection

            I found this course beneficial; I learned to analysis information presented to me better and fully develop my reflection of it. This was my first blog and I am proud of the posts I did. I think the blog was a good idea and should be used in future classes. The blog serves as a nice personal accomplishment to look back at.

reflection

Thinking back over the topics discussed in this class I found that they were significant to my life. The education topic had me thinking of the education I received through my life and the future direction of education that will directly affect my child. This encouraged me to question what is going on in my son’s public elementary school and ensure he is offered opportunities for advancement throughout his education.

Learning about Sapelo Island broadened my knowledge of the issues that are occurring in our country. I would have never known about the Geechee community and their struggle for land rights. These people reminded me to think about where I come from and my family’s roots. I wish I could name one location that my people originated from, like Sapelo Island defines the Geechee people.

The documentary Miss Representation offered a very relatable topic. That film forced me to question how I judge other women, and why I do it? My research got me thinking of limiting my son’s exposure to the media because of the gender stereotypes that are repeatedly presented. I learned that I have the power to guide how he is influenced and it my job to teach him women are equal to men.

 

I definitely do think all the topics were appropriate and relatable, the films and the book were good material that should be used again in future classes. I enjoyed the class as a whole and the discussions that were initiated from the subjects. Everyone shared their opinions openly and I felt comfortable with our group. Good luck to all and thanks for making this an interesting writing 101 class!

 

Miss Representation

As a child I was infatuated with Barbie. I also idolized the princesses in movies such as the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. So as a young child I thought the concerns of a woman were solely to obtain physical beauty, dress in sexy clothes, and to find prince charming. But as I grew up I realized the images created by Barbie and Disney princesses were not realistic and that women are capable of so much more.

Today I feel inner empowerment as a woman when I see an intelligent female with strong determination running for office or in any leadership position. Sometimes I do catch myself focusing on a woman’s look or on her outfit because that is what society has trained me to do. But I manage to refocus and find encouragement in seeing a fellow female in an authoritative position. My personal career goal is to hold a position of power within a company after achieving my accounting degree. Most of the women that I look to as examples that support my career goals are not in movies or on TV.  

I do agree with the idea that having no role models in the media leads to a lack of women leaders. I don’t watch much TV right now in my life but in the past I really enjoyed reality shows. I would look forward to episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the Jersey Shore. These shows fixated on superficial beauty and displayed the party scene as glamorous. I wanted to look like Kim Kardashian and I wanted to party like Snooki. Thankfully I got over that quick but many young girls do not.

 

 

 

 

 

Group prezi of God, Dr. Buzzard, and The Bolito Man chapters 21-30

Group Presentation on Prezi

Sapelo Island, Georgia

HOME

Home to me is Erie, Pennsylvania. That is where I was born and where I grew up, Erie is my land. I have lived in Allentown for about 7 years now but I still consider Erie home. Erie holds all of my coming of age memories, my memories of my ancestors, and our Italian American background. I always love to go back and visit.

I still have some relatives in Erie however like me many have moved away. My family’s roots are in Erie but there was never any ancestral land passed down through the generations. As our old would die their house and property would be sold to buyers outside of the family.

           My relatives have scattered all over the country. We no longer have a strong family identity. There is nothing of physical substance that ties us together. We are all isolated in our individual lives, my family does feel whole.

After reading about the Geechee people on Sapelo Island I’m envious of their unity and their strong ties to their homeland. In the article “Saving Sapelo” Linda Lange states “Sapelo’s inhabitants guard their island with determination. They want to preserve the pristine natural environment ant their agricultural heritage” (page 2). These people highly value their land, it is part of their identity.

They survived for generations respecting the soil of Sapelo Island. This soil produced their crops and they believed it had healing powers, it was their life source. This land also holds the remains of their deceased. They are part of the land and the land is part of them. In the book “God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man” Cornelia illustrates how the Geechee people regard the land they live on as part of them in explaining the burial of a woman’s afterbirth. “This was the first part of you that went back to the earth. The rest of you would follow later, when you died, but the afterbirth went first, and that connected you to the earth then and to Sapelo. Wherever else you might go, Sapelo would be your true home” (page 77).

Sapelo Island also contains the spirits of the Geechee people’s African descants and the distinct belief system passed down by them. These diverse beliefs help characterize the Geechee people. This is a uniqueness that would not distinguish them if they didn’t live on Sapelo Island.

            Like me most people lose some of their family’s culture when they leave their homeland. I commend and support the effort of the people of Sapelo trying to keep what remains of their culture alive. It is a fight worth fighting and it is their right to maintain land ownership of their Island.
 

 LAND FOR SALE IN HOG HAMMOCK

Waiting for Superman

Teachers Unions

If I was a teacher I would like to have the job security provided by the teacher's union. The protection it offers appears to be ideal from the teacher's standpoint. They are part of a unified body that can negotiate their demands. The educators enjoy the benefits of tenure, rubber rooms, and only under extreme instances do they get fired.

Regardless of whether you are considered a bad teacher or a good teacher you receive the same pay rate. The bad teacher faces no consequences because he/she is protected by the union. For this reason I support the motion of having a teacher's performance measured by his/her students standardized test scores. But I also feel the teacher's salary should not be the factor motivating how well that teacher decides to educate his/her students.

After watching the movie and reading the article I think the teacher's union is ridiculous. I can see why the people in Chicago are so upset about the recent strike. How can the teachers justify keeping kids out of school because they decided to strike? I understand fighting for improvements but at the expense of the students is unacceptable.

Instead of being a support platform for its members the union has become a menace to education. The focus has shifted from what’s best for the students to what’s best for the teachers. The students deserve all the attention; they are the key to improving our nation.

 

My education

ME AND EDUCATION

 

 

 

 

I went to school in Erie, PA. The name of my high school was Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy. NPCA is a public charter high school that students have to apply to and meet the requirements to in order to get in. When I was accepted NPCA had only been open for 3 years, it was still fairly new.

 I did like my school for the most part; it was unique compared to the other high schools in Erie. It focused solely on academics and preparing its students for college. If you chose to participate in any sports you had to join one of the surrounding high school’s teams.

 According to Jean Anyon’s study I guess my high school would fall between Affluent Professional and Executive Elite. NPCA prides itself on having a 100% 4 year college acceptance rate for its students. It ranks among the top high schools in the country.

NPCA is a public school so the students came from a mixture of social classes. When I went there the majority of the students came from middle class families. But there were some students from upper class families and lower class families too. What I do remember is that it seemed that the students tended to be friends with other students that were from similar financial standings. For example the kids from this one area of town which was considered a rich neighborhood all hung out together at school.

NPCA did provide me with some necessary tools for college. It encouraged independent and creative thinking. However I do feel there was a lot of emphasis on memorization and significant focus on getting the right answer. I remember memorizing the material presented to me not necessarily learning it. I would memorize it to pass the tests and forget it afterwards. This technique has made it harder for me now as I am attending college.

My Interview of PATTY LEE

                                      A Walk in Patty’s Shoes

                                                                  By Melissa Freitas

Patty Lee was born on June 6^th 1970 in Landisburg Pa. She is now 42 years old and resides in the Lehigh Valley. Patty works for the company ADP-Automated Data Processing. Patty has 2 children and is currently separated. This is Patty’s first year at Cedar Crest College and her major is in Business Administration.

Patty starts her day very early. She is a dedicated employee of ADP working Monday through Thursday 7:30am to 6pm. Patty works in sales at ADP. More specifically she educates existing PR clients about how the company can partner with them in other areas of their business and then sell the solution to them that helps in those areas. Patty has been doing this for 5 years and she enjoys it.

           After completing her work day Patty returns to her home and family. She has a 15 year old daughter Abby, who just started high school. And an 11 year old son named Andrew. He just started middle school. Patty’s family is not complete without Fred and Beckem. Fred and Beckem are Patty’s 2 yorkies.

           

             An ideal evening for Patty would include spending quality time with her children. At the dinner table they would enjoy a meal of steak and potatoes. She would watch an Eagle’s game or a Phillies game with her special someone. That is if Andrew isn’t playing lacrosse that night. Patty lives to support her children’s interest. Lastly she may catch a late night episode of Criminal Minds.

            There are many things Patty is set on accomplishing. Some are household goals like painting the bathroom and getting the tub area tiled. Another goal is to maintain a healthy and happy household for herself and her children. This is an important example Patty is setting for her children. Her objective is to instill this in them so they will be able to achieve it for their selves when they are older.

            Patty also aspires to buy a house, graduate from college, start her own business and retire early. Patty’s business interests are in real estate and helping women and children.  From having talked with Patty I believe she will achieve all of her goals. Patty is a well-rounded intelligent individual. She has the drive to succeed and she is definitely capable.