Semester Reflection Part 2

What is the greatest challenge facing your generation? What will be necessary to address it?

My generation has seen some of the worst environmental disasters, and above all the current recession. Many have few knowledge of its direct affect towards us and that is the greatest challenge, lack of knowledge. For some reason, my generation is more interested in playing video games rather than following issues that will affect their future. They also rely on broadcast media to learn about situations and they have no control over what they want to learn.

I’m glad that many of my teammates are not like that. The main reason is the type of school they are in and their teachers. In our class we are expected to learn about issues in our community and use media to solve the issue, like Media Save the Beach project. We also had Ampersand, where we can represent our potential as students especially when older generations doubt our skills.

What needs to happen to solve the issue is if more students become aware of their environment. They need to be more involved in their community to know the dangers facing us and have more control over their future. I have been involved in my community for about 4 years and I have seen that student’s succeed more in life when they take control of their education at a young age. Government authorities need to prioritize education, students after all, are the future and if our generation lacks knowledge. What will happen to humanity? 

Describe your vision for yourself in pursuing higher education.

I’ve been ambitious most of my life, the good type of ambition anyway. I had my mind set on Harvard or Brown because I wanted to be on top. But with time, I wasn’t interested in them anymore because my perspective of power changed. I thought I would become an Architectural engineer and build schools or bridges in developing countries. Almost everyone once in there lifetime says this, “I want to make the world a better place.” It is a cliché, but I actually commit to it. Now I want to teach students in developing countries because many of them don’t ever finish elementary.

I see myself studying in UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, one of the top universities in Mexico, where the greatest activist and revolutionaries teach. When I say revolutionaries, I include anyone that has changed Mexico’s culture and beliefs. My parents are from Oaxaca, a cultural state in Mexico, I’ve visited many villages that in the 21^st. century have schools. My parents sacrificed almost everything to give me an education. I want to repay their sacrifice by helping students achieve higher education in many states that offer no opportunities for low income families. Frankly, I made this decision after being influenced by Randy. Randy has been the greatest teacher I’ve had, he gives so much knowledge to his students in hopes that they will succeed and create a world of possibilities. In his class, I realized, I had more potential than I though and I can do greater things with my life. I have set high standards for myself but I am confident that I will guide myself in the right direction. 

Semester Reflection Part 1

What have you learned about the way you learn, work, and/or collaborate?

When you are young, you think the whole world revolves around you and that you can accomplish anything and everything by yourself. I always thought I was better of as an independent worker because I had full control of my projects. This year however that changed. When a project approached and we weren’t assigned partners, I would still seek help or feedback from my teammates. This is a clear sign of maturity. I was responsible.

When working with partners I would make an early connection with them because I was going to work with them for the next couple of days. The trust between us was a strong bond that allowed me to advice the person on his work. Not dictate him or her, but share my thoughts on the project. He or she would also do the same and our relation seemed more as a two colleagues rather than high school students trying to get along. 

What project was most valuable to you, and what have you gained from it?

The project I was waiting for since the beginning of the year was Ampersand. I had heard about the many multiple times and I hoped that I could be a part of it one day. When our class finally started working on it, I was confused because I hadn’t nailed my idea. It was unfortunate that during the writing segment of Ampersand, teachers around the county began to loose their jobs and colleges raised tuition. I have many friends that were affected by it and I thought it would be a great story to tell. In 5 years from now, someone will look at the article and understand how life was back then. I thought I was fortunate to have an interesting story to tell, something I could share with the world.

Once it was published, I was set. There is an article out there with my name on it, misspelled but it’s under my name. Just as my teammates articles are published waiting for someone to learn from them. After this project I became more aware of how powerful media is. We base our opinions on the facts and opinions of others. We have broadcasting companies that are own by people who decide the things we view. If there is enough information about issues from varying sources, then Americans will start creating their opinions using common sense. I need to be one of those sources, someone that can share ideas that may never be view.   

Describe one valuable mistake you made this year.

The biggest mistake I made this year was not trying hard enough. The first semester of math I worked to earn good grades, beside the fact that our teachers had advice us to enjoy the work and great grades would follow. I found Math challenging and confusing, I would ask help from tutors rather than my own teacher and I would stress when my grades wouldn’t go up. The problem was, I wasn’t trying hard enough. First semester not once did I stay afterschool to seek for help; instead I thought I would catch up in class. When Finals came around, I studied with my teammates, I passed the first final, but the second one, in which I got a C, dropped my down three points. I finished the semester with a C. When I looked at my grade I regretted everything that led to that point. Every single moment wasted.

I had some nice vacations to regret my poor decisions and to reflect upon them. I was motivated to start fresh with a new perspective. My teacher came in with a new start as well, and there was a new atmosphere in the classroom. I joined Math help for X-block besides having three other favorites, but I knew it had to be done. I understood Math better than last semester and my grades were impressive. Ending Math with a B+ or A- never seems so sweet.   

Writing Reflection

Please answer both of the following with substantial, thorough, thoughtful, well-revised, multi-paragraph pieces of writing that feature direct evidence, specific examples, and a high degree of honest self-reflection.

* Explain one or more specific aspects of your writing that have improved this year. In this explanation, you must directly refer to at least two specific pieces of writing that you produced for this class. You may use any assignment, project, writing sample, draft, blog entry, etc. You should discuss the writing tips & strategies we studied, the processes & methods we used, the critiques & drafts we employed and the products we created (feel free to use these specific key terms to keep your reflection focused).

In my final reflection last year I wrote to Lori Fisher, my former Humanities teacher, that my main goal for junior year was to improve my writing in Randy’s class. Every Friday, in advisory I would see the type of work Randy’s students were doing. I knew that if I had Randy as my Humanities teacher, I would improve as a learner. My writing isn't perfect; I know that for a fact. It has improved through my years at HTHMA. The drastic improvement has happened this year. I compare my writing and I realize that I have accomplished that goal.

In the beginning of the year, Media Saves the Beach was the first main project centered on writing. I thought my writing piece was going to be a decent one because it was much like a research paper and that is my forte. It turned it be a disappointing article. I didn’t direct my point to the audience, it didn’t convey the feeling I was hoping for, awareness. Then I came around, focusing on writing tips, the podcast we would listen to during class. In any new assignment, blog or essay I would incorporate new writing tips. This was a small progress that happened almost every week. Finally the biggest project arrived, Ampersand. I was unprepared, I had been focus on my teammate’s writings and I hadn’t worked on mine. Randy came with a clear goal and I was confused as to why my writing was not turning out the way I planned.

In the beginning of the year, Randy told us that in the real writing world, “professional writers write for an audience, amateur writers write for themselves.” I couldn’t believe how important this line was, it engraved in my mind. So when I picked up my notebook to brainstorm on topics for the Ampersand article, I made sure all my ideas had a specific audience.

They Say Cut Back. We Say Fight Back!, a phrase chanted by students on the March 4^th rally, became the title because it concluded the article’s point. I tied the rally with military recruitment in public schools because it was highly important for my audience to have the complete picture of U.S education system. I couldn’t deliver my point without including struggles between students and school officials, it’s impossible to acknowledge a problem without evidence, especially when the issue of this importance is occurring in your town. It is not the brightest article, I worked only three drafts, but I am satisfied. I was able to convey the importance and an upright.

 
* Describe one specific goal for your future writing. Your explanation of your goal(s) must include some or all of the following: writing samples from this year, writing strategies you have used in the past, writing strategies or techniques you would like to develop, examples from authors you respect, etc.

Historical Reflections

There is only one person I would like to see in my college campus. That is Kurt Vonnegut. If he isn't a genius, I don't know what is. He knows a lot about life, he has lived a plentiful life with experiences such as the Firebombing of Dresden.I would be a far better person if Kurt Vonnegut would be my mentor, a guardian in my life. 

Kurt Vonnegut is very ironic, especially in his writing. In Slaughterhouse Five he presents the reader with many perspectives of life. You don't know what he is trying to tell you exactly. He does his best to get the reader to acknowledge the moments that make life wonderful by ending the book in an abrupt overturn. His input in the last chapter, "If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still--if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I'm grateful that so many of those moments are nice.” This line stayed with me throughout the book and even now, it is the quote I most remember. I evidently had an epiphany afterwards; I became more interested in living the moment rather than structuring time. Because it is with the memories that we preserve ourselves and if by the end of your life, you have nothing good to remember. That is a life wasted.

Literary Reflections...

If you could bring one character from any one book that we have read this year with you when you go to college, who would bring? Why?

If I were to take a character from the books we have read, I would take Jay Gatsby. It would look somewhat like this.

Gatsby has been lonely all his life. After Daisy left him for Tom, Gatsby became even more confused. Taking into consideration that the day George came to look for Myrtle's murderer, I would have taken Gatsby out for lunch and then I would have convinced him to go to college with me. I would use his contacts like Mr. Wolfshiem to get myself into a great college. I would perhaps attend Brown, Tufts or Yale. I would convince him that college would get his mind of Daisy and he would met new girls. Then every weekend he would throw parties in our dorm, I of course would be just as popular as him because I would be his best friend.

In the novel The Great Gatsby, almost everyone takes advantage or uses another person for their own benefit. Myrtle and Tom used each other, Daisy used Gatsby and Gatsby used his money. To continue with F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, I would use Gatsby to have my way around college. I would be the nerdy girl in class, but I would also be the life of the party.

Jay Gatsby is very shy and he is socially inadequate. He is never enjoying his party, therefor I would be the host of his amazing party. I know that this sounds very selfish, but it's college, also known as hell, and i have to find a way to survive for four years.

Thinking about this, it doesn't sound so bad. He can pay my four years of college, we can have so much fun on the weekends. If it is necessary he can pay a professor to help me pass my classes or finals. Gatsby life might not improve because he would still be in love with Daisy but he will make me happy, he is a crowd pleaser and he will always try to make me happy.