Op Gratitude: The Deadline

Well I have to say I'm proud of allot of my classmatesfor getting involved in this project even though we didnt reach our goal. Even though we didnt get to a 1,000 letters we got people thinking and that's enough to ask for. If we had more time to really plan promote this cause I have no doubt that that if we had gotten the idea earlier we could've reached our goal but just because the semesters over doesn't mean Op Gratitude is over for me though. I plan to stay involved with the program while in other classes so hopefully Mr. Palo keeps me informed. Thanks Palo for the oppurtunity to help people I'm gonna miss first period a whole lot.  

Operation Gratitude Day 2

Today I volunteered to help run the booth at lunch. Our jobs were to further promote our cause and collect letters as well as give out the information people needed to write their own. I do remember I got a few people interested and allot of promises for future letters I think we are really going to make a difference here. Maybe tomorrow will be a little more successful with the music, people seem to respond well to that.
I'm really excited about the way this is turning out and glad we're doing it, it makes me feel like I have.....purpose.

Operation Gratitude: My Master Plan

Inspired by our involvement in Operation gratitude today I  finished my latest poem that is to be performed in spoken word at this Friday's Mr. La Sierra pageant. Seeing as it's an extremely popular event at our school I thought there was no better way for me to contribute than to use what I love to help. So the poem although not pleasant is meant to encourage people to write letters to our troops. I personally have a couple friends presently in Afghanistan and I know that what keeps them going is the support they get from us from overseas.
OPERATION GRATITUDE IS IN FULL BLAST.

A Slim Chance

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/25/how-the-democrats-can-prevail.html
The lingering predictions for midterms have the republicans taking over Congress and they say it is because the same voters that surged in 2008 will not be willing to do it again. But the democrats only need to keep a slim majority to stay in control and it is believable that they can do so. The fact is Obama has been stirring u allot of excitement recently on his campaign and if he keeps it up we could get those wins we need. And yes i say yes because if I am going to take sides I am going to take the democrats. Contests in the west like our Barbara Boxer should raise even more drive for democratic voters in that the declining number of women in the senate will pump those followers up. There are plenty of scenarios brought up in this article that give me hope I just pray it isn't the false kind.

Self-inflicting wounds

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/14/pelosi-hurt-the-democrats-in-midterms/?iref=allsearch
This article on the CNN website covers a huge issue in the upcoming mid-term elections, the democrat's chances. But it seems like a decision the democrats made a long time ago is coming back to ruin their chances of keeping control of the house. In picking Nancy Pelosi as house speaker the democrats are looking back on the decisio in regret now seeing how republicans can use it as firepower. Billboards and ads everywhere use Pelosi's face as the reasoning that democrats should not be in control. With her many contraversial mistakes, speeches and decisions the democrats could be looking at their achilles heel, and it's a cut from the inside.

Spreading fear of Islam?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucla-islamic-20101025,0,6924912.story
First the community center and now this, the nation is getting ridiculous and paranoid these days. UCLA's administration has held a suspension on Islamic Studies for 3 years now and there have been no signs of letting up. The college administration argues that it is because of a lack in finances and teachers that they have postponed it's return but no one really knows. So students mostly of the Muslim community attending UCLA are petitioning for the school to release it's hold on the classes claiming a fear of the nation of Islam. With the other contraversial events occuring recently wth this issue, it's hard to say you don't believe them.

And the pick goes to.....

All of this talk about education has sparked a few ideas in my head about what can change education for the better. We all know that the teacher plays a huge part in the learning experience and even life of a student, but how do we make sure the kids have the right ones? While watching the interview from my previous post I had a pretty outlandish idea but hey it might just work.
What if districts and school boards were to hold annual teacher drafts? I don't mean like any regular person off the street I mean a draft resembling the huge media attention stealers like the NFL, NBA & MLB holds every year for their players. If you ask me teachers make more of an impact on our world than athletes and if the media loves it so will the people. The reason why athletes, coaches, and managers of these teams make so much money is because the media shows them attention, people know about them. I admit it sounds a little unlikely but the craziest things sometimes turn out to be the best for us, it's proven by history. We did kind of take on the strongest world empire of the time to fight for our independence, and even a man that influenced a revolution like Thomas Paine was once considered a radical. But I'm not saying I'm a radical that's going to change the world, but I do have some street sense and anybody with sense knows that the media does have some control over America.

Filmmakers making a movement

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/10/15/ac.perrys.principles.superman.cnn?iref=allsearch
This video covers an interview on CNN's AC360 with the filmmakers of the new film "Waiting For Superman" by popular southern principal Steve Perry. They direrctors explain what motivated them to make the film and the things they discovered that they had never expected from it. Also covers the question of whether parents in poverty-stricken areas care. They believe the whole country should look at what we've dpne to these chldren in restricting their right to free choice of schools. Perry presents an interesting topic that gets me inventing in my mind about if principals/administration were allowed to choose the teachers that taught at their school. In short these people showed the world what nobody else was bold enough to show, which is what WE were doing wrong.

Mr. Hopkins On Schools

1) What do you feel your impact is on the student body?
Hopkins: "I instill a strong work ethic along with the desire for campus beautification and deep thinking."
2)Do you think the school spends it's money wisely?
H: "Does our school have money? If they do it's not being spent on my class."
3) Do you think there is any way the school can be improved and why?
H: "We need to hire some better looking teachers." He really believes that better looking teacher woud help the students focus and wat to show up to class more. Also it would improve teacher comraderie.
4) Do you think the school should be stricter with grad requirements?
H: "Grad requirements are strict enough but the qualifications for valedicotorian are a joke. Thinks students should be required to take classes that classify as someind kind of job training t prepare them for the real world.
5) Do you think seniority is a good criteria for cutting teachers?
H: "You have to start somewhere and that is the right place to or else older teachers would be fired so that they could afford to hire more young teachers because teachers with more tenure do make more."
6) How do you feel about "No Child Left Behind"?
H: "Political bullshit. It works fine for states lie Idaho where you don't have students of various cultures with so many different languages but in states like California and Florida where the cultures are are coming in by the crayon box it is horrible. You can't expect teachers to be able to teach these students all the same things at the same ace because half of them haven't learned and lived wth the language yet. The coastal states just cannot hang.
7) How should a teacher be evaluated?
H: "Well you can't evaluate them based on student performance because there are too many variables. Maybe based on their participation on campus and interaction with the students. But i think the jumping through the hoop, dog and pony show we have now is fine."
8) Do you think money is the answer to improving schools?
H: "Money is a start because when it comes to funds for materials and course offerings we need it. They need to bring back tracking."
9) Do you think the amount of students in the classroom positively/negatively affects the students learning ability?
H: "Without question, the fewer students there are in a classroom, the greater amount of attention the kids will get. The student-teacher ratio is a big deal."
10) Do you think that standardized testing reflects on you as a teacher?
H: "I believe teachers CAN have an effect on CST scores if the students are given a reason to care about them. If there is no buy-in for the students you won't get their full effort. If the students now this test has nothing to do with their college, future or grade or that they are getting no reward then they won't do ther best on standardized tests.

None of these answers are changed or exaggerated, it was a pleasure for me to interview Mr. Hopkins.

Kids taught nutrition early

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/10/14/hm.teens.sleep.cnn?iref=allsearch
The topic of childhood obesity is approached by this school district by teaching them early on the nutrition facts and healthy foods they should eat. Hoping they will carry the habits they are taught home and presented to their parents, the teachers find creative ways to relate games to healthy food. Even though certain specialists dont believe this will change anything because they believe we dont care about childhood obesity it's proven in some personal children's cases that this programs is motivating them to lose weight like the little boy near the end of this report.

LATER START=MORE SLEEP=ALERT???

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/10/14/hm.teens.sleep.cnn?iref=allsearch
A Brown University professor suggests that starting schools later in the day will improve the students alertness in class. Claiming teenagers naturally go to sleep later she justifies the issue of why so many students are sleeping in class. After conducting an experiment at a St. George's High School the principal says that just opening the school a half hour later made a significant difference in alertness and improvement. Should we be prepared for 9 o'clock school days, I know I am.

One more case of bullying gone too far

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/07/hope.witsells.story/index.html
even though this doesnt have that much to do with education reform it's important for people to know what goes on inside our schools. This girl who was singled out for sending a nude photo to her boyfriend was bullied to the point where friends had to protect her as she walked through school. Student seven made a webpage insulting her and getting hundreds to add the page as if they agreed with the image that was projected of her. Thirteen year old Hope hung herself and showed the world one more of teenagers misusing technology again. With stories like this, do you think advancements in technology will be good for the world in the long run or will it come back to destroy us as it already has plenty of young lives?

Schools spending too much on junk food?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/05/oliver.school.lunches/index.html
This article has to do with the needed menu change for your kids public schools. He provides examples that prove eliminating junk food from menus would save the parents and schools money, therefore, allowing them to spend money on their education. But that of course comes to the question, can money solve our problem? Even though i dont believe healther menus will do the job, i do think it might help a little, and lets not forget childhood obesity is huge issue in our country right now as well.

Quite A Discussion

Wednesday's class discussion was the release of allot of various viewpoints and emotions built up after our 2 weeks of research about it. We covered things like if the SB 1070 bill is even constituional at all. The biggest question that seemed to come up was whether or not we could deport these immigrants that flock from Mexico without first attempting to help them clean up their country. The discussion opened my eyes to the lifestyles and tragedies of those who remained in Mexico and made me realize that any one erson would leave if they had the means to, its common sense. But other points appealed to me as well like the fact that if the law required these immigrants to only deported if they were to commit any crime, it would seem allot more fair. Anyone truly listening and considering everyone's opinions would have been sideways at one point in the conversation and might still be right now.
So after listening to this discussion I've reached my verdict on which side i support and how the issue should handled. It's almost unamerican to ask these people to pack up and go somewhere where their lives are in danger on a a daily basis. At this rate in Mexico if the drug cartel won't get to you the hunger and poverty will. Although it's obvious the intentions of the bill are not out of line but the way they are going about it is all wrong. I suggest a new bill that states immigrants that show an effort to achieve their citizenship when they come over should be protected under all the same laws and allowed free will in the country. Those immigrants that refuse to adjust to our lifestyle will be deported because obviously they aren't too worried about their lives. If they want to live here they have to meet us halfway and make their sta official. Although the governement might want to look into making the citizenship process less difficult but still not easy. Like our president promised, change will come.

ARIZONA'S IMMIGRATION BILL RECEIVES HELP FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE

Joe Arpaio's campaign manager Chad Willem says "Politics is always local, and it will always comes down to locval issues". But what happens when half of the country is dealing with the same issues? We're starting to see the answer in Arizona's new immigration issue. Time magazine shows us that other states like California, Texas, Florida Colorado and New York support to the bill surpasses Arizona's 2-to-1. In this article Time magazine promotes the question, why does it seem like this law is just as big a deal or bigger in other states?

AZ SB 1070 affects school district population

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39084621/ns/local_news-phoenix_az/38934146
In past years the population of the Mesa School district in Arzona has been declning due to ther majorty of it's population beng immigrants. The more familes that cannot rovide for their kids the more of these kds are not going to school. Recently since the sgning of the SB 1070 multiple mmgrants familes have been scared out of the state causng the districts to suffer a very sharp declne n school population. Being that the distrct gets money from every enrolled student the loss of over 9,000  of them has caused some schools to be shut down and cut back on supples critically. The longer the release of ths bill stays n question, the more negative results we find as it affects our country's economy.

Shakira becomes involved with immigration issue

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/30/arizona.shakira.immigration/index.html?iref=obnetwork
After staying in Arizona and meeting with the mayor and chief of police Shakira shows her concern about the hispanic families that will be affected by the passing of this law. The fact that she did not even bring her papers with her to Arizona scares her because she knows in the condition the law is passed she could be arrested and sent away. She speaks the concerns of hispanic women she's spoken to about what dangers they face if indeed the bill is approved. In that situation they become subject to violence knowing they can't call on the law enforcement of Arizona in fear it might risk their living situation in the United States.

AZ SB 1070

http://ericlightborn.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/arizona_sam.jpg
Even though the intention of this bill is completely justified there are too many ways to abuse it morally and by the law of our constitution it is just unacceptable. And from what i've read it seems like senator Russell Pearce believes he can push his immoral immigration proposal back into action by claiming it asissts the taxpayers. My prediction for this issue: this bill doesn't come close to passing. When you go against one of the most important principles of the Declaration of Indepence, the chances of you winning are slim to none.