The poem, "To an Athlete Dying Young" by Housman was a very powerful poem to me. The poem to me depicts a hero that becomes more than a hero, he becomes a legend.
Verses 9 and 10:
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
These verses to me depict the way he became a legend. He died an early death while still in his prime which allowed him to rise up to legendary status. If he were to die at an old age long after his victory he would probably have been forgotten. But because he died in his prime, people will remember him as a winner and hero, giving him legendary status with the likes of Elvis Presley, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Lou Gehrig...etc. There are probably hundreds of people we could name who died while in the height of their prime bringing them to legendary status, so I feel this poem is right on with its meaning!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Cathedral
Of the four short fiction stories this week I enjoyed the Cathedral the most. I felt the story was easy to read and understand. I was also able to follow along and comprehend each step of the story unlike the first two stories, "A & P" and "A Rose for Emily". I have known people like the narrator of Cathedral who always seem to look negatively at life and constantly look for ways to criticize the people around them. What a horrible and unfulfilled way to live. I also viewed the narrator as a very jealous person by his actions and his belittling of the blind man whenever his wife were to speak about him. The drug and alcohol consumption also forces me to believe that the narrator is rather unhappy with life in general and does these things in order to cope with his unhappiness.
The end of the story was the only part of the story I did not quite understand. Did the end of the story hold the epiphany? If it was, I did not quite understand what the epiphany was. To me it just sounded like the drugs talking.
The end of the story was the only part of the story I did not quite understand. Did the end of the story hold the epiphany? If it was, I did not quite understand what the epiphany was. To me it just sounded like the drugs talking.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Gift of Life
Over the years I have come to realize that life is truly a gift and we are given but a short time here on earth to enjoy that gift. What we do with that gift depends on each individual and how they perceive that gift. I view this gift as a gift from God so my choices in life tend to revolve around biblical teachings which are focused on family, faith, and community.
This past year I felt God gave me a choice to stay on the same career path I was on or go back to school to follow a new career path that would focus more on helping others. By me writing this blog, you are made aware that I chose to resign from my job and go back to school. My schooling will prepare me for a career in Christian Counseling. I feel this career will allow me to utilize the gifts and talents the Lord has given me.
I can also look back on my life, especially the last 8 years, and see that God has chiseled away at my selfish nature. He has given me the gift of insight that family is the most important thing to nurture and care for. There is no greater gift than the Lord allowing us to love our family as he loves us.
I plan to continue to use my gifts and talents within my church, community, and family and in any other areas they may be useful. I want to make the Lord proud and not waste the gifts and talents, as we are all called to use them to further extend his kingdom. By recognizing our gifts and talents and putting them to use, it shows respect to our creator.
This past year I felt God gave me a choice to stay on the same career path I was on or go back to school to follow a new career path that would focus more on helping others. By me writing this blog, you are made aware that I chose to resign from my job and go back to school. My schooling will prepare me for a career in Christian Counseling. I feel this career will allow me to utilize the gifts and talents the Lord has given me.
I can also look back on my life, especially the last 8 years, and see that God has chiseled away at my selfish nature. He has given me the gift of insight that family is the most important thing to nurture and care for. There is no greater gift than the Lord allowing us to love our family as he loves us.
I plan to continue to use my gifts and talents within my church, community, and family and in any other areas they may be useful. I want to make the Lord proud and not waste the gifts and talents, as we are all called to use them to further extend his kingdom. By recognizing our gifts and talents and putting them to use, it shows respect to our creator.
Monday, October 31, 2011
"Emperor's Club Reflections"
1) At first glance none of the phrases make sense as they seem to contradict. But a quick study of the phrases show great truths. During our youth we are naive and immature but as we grow and get older we become wise and mature allowing us to make educated decisions. As we start out in our schooling at an early age we are ignorant of the things around us but as we grow and continue our education we learn and become educated. If, in our early adult years become a drunkard, we can overcome our addiction through help and sobriety but if at any time in our lives we do something that is really really stupid, it will not be forgotten by those who witnessed the stupidity. It will always follow us around.
2) He is so shaken because he has never had to face a student being defiant before. I believe he also saw a little bit of himself and his upbringing in Sedgewick because they both had fathers that were very influencial in the community but paid little attention to them as kids. Mr Hundert was altered from this experience by the fact that he starts to bend the rules slightly to benefit Sedgewick. By bending these rules he ends up hurting one of his students, Blyth.
3) Many of the boys are influenced by Sedgewick because they have never come in contact with such defiant behavior and thus become curious in his actions. As they see Sedwick getting the girls and becoming popular everyone seems to want to be like him and they themselves start to become somewhat defiant. Mr Hundert describes Sedgewich as "hypnotic" because he is very charming and knows what to say to get what he wants from people. He draws them in by enticing them with charming words or by manipulating the situation.
4) Mr Hundert reviews and grades each boys essay and gave them what he felt they deserved. After he tallies the grades of each of his students he sees that Blyth has earned the third spot in the Julius Caesar Contest and Sedgewick just missed the contest by getting the fourth best grade. The dilemma Mr Hundert faces is whether or not he should increase Sedgewick's grade to allow him to move to the third spot. Mr Hundert chose to change Sedgewick's grade to an A+ which put Sedgewick in the Julius Caesar Contest, but removed Blyth from the contest. It was very evident throughout the movie that Blyth's main goal for the school year was to make it to the Julius Caesar Contest so he had the opportunity to live up to his fathers legacy. His father was a previous Julius Caesar Contest winner.
5) Mr Hundert was faced with another dilemma during the contest when he realizes Sedgewick was cheating. He told the Dean but he told Mr Hundert to ignore the cheating. Mr Hundert ends up not exposing Sedgewick but gives him a question that was not on his cue cards so Sedgewich ended up loosing the contest. When Mr Hundert confronts Sedgewick after the contest, Sedgewick became defiant and he started to belittle Mr Hundert and put him down. Sedgewick also acted as though he did not care and kept grinning.
6) I believe that Mr Hundert's conscience bothered him over the previous 25 years knowing he had taken the opportunity of the Julius Caesar Contest from Blyth when he changed the grades. He may have felt by hosting the contest again, Sedgewich had the opportunity to win the contest which would prove to Mr Hundert that the grade change some how transformed Sedgewick to be a better person which would help with his own conscience. Mr Hundert's hopes are squashed when he realizes that Sedgewick was once again cheating and he tells Sedgewick that he failed him as a teacher. Mr Hundert later gets renewed when his other students give him a plaque and tell him how great of a teacher he was and how he helped them all to grow. He realized that even though he failed with one student, he succeeded with countless others.
7) There was a huge tension at the end of the film between Mr Hundert and Sedgewick. Mr Hundert felt everyone needs to live a life filled with virtue and principles but Sedgewick exclaimed that he would lie and cheat to accomplish his goals. He would do whatever it took to be successful. After saying this Sedgewick's son walked out of the bathroom stall and staired at his father as he walked out the door. His son realized what type of man his father was and was very disappointed.
8) Mr Hundert returns to teaching because he realizes that his greatest contribution was his teaching ability. His students loved and respected him greatly. As he was teaching his new class on the first day, a student walked in late to class, the new student was the son of Blyth. This showed to Mr Hundert that Blyth had forgiven him for the grade change that kept him out of the contest. It also showed that Blyth trusted him to make the right decisions with his son.
9) Mr Hundert practiced problem posing education by allowing kids to think for themselves. He often times had them write essays revealing there own thoughts. He would also turn many of the negative actions inside and outside the classroom into possitive learning experiences for the students.
10) Mr Hundert showed his students how to live with integrity and morals by countless men of history. The men he taught about were individuals who, even after their death, are still being studied and thought of with great respect. Other men he taught were men who may have done well during there lifetime, but history has forgotten about, because they were barbarians and only cared about themselves and did not contribute to the well being of others. By showing these two different types of men they were able to choose if they wanted to live a life that would benefit and help others or a life that would only benefit themselves. At the end of the movie it appears all the students chose the wise men of this world while Sedgewick chose to live like the barbarian which only helped himself.
2) He is so shaken because he has never had to face a student being defiant before. I believe he also saw a little bit of himself and his upbringing in Sedgewick because they both had fathers that were very influencial in the community but paid little attention to them as kids. Mr Hundert was altered from this experience by the fact that he starts to bend the rules slightly to benefit Sedgewick. By bending these rules he ends up hurting one of his students, Blyth.
3) Many of the boys are influenced by Sedgewick because they have never come in contact with such defiant behavior and thus become curious in his actions. As they see Sedwick getting the girls and becoming popular everyone seems to want to be like him and they themselves start to become somewhat defiant. Mr Hundert describes Sedgewich as "hypnotic" because he is very charming and knows what to say to get what he wants from people. He draws them in by enticing them with charming words or by manipulating the situation.
4) Mr Hundert reviews and grades each boys essay and gave them what he felt they deserved. After he tallies the grades of each of his students he sees that Blyth has earned the third spot in the Julius Caesar Contest and Sedgewick just missed the contest by getting the fourth best grade. The dilemma Mr Hundert faces is whether or not he should increase Sedgewick's grade to allow him to move to the third spot. Mr Hundert chose to change Sedgewick's grade to an A+ which put Sedgewick in the Julius Caesar Contest, but removed Blyth from the contest. It was very evident throughout the movie that Blyth's main goal for the school year was to make it to the Julius Caesar Contest so he had the opportunity to live up to his fathers legacy. His father was a previous Julius Caesar Contest winner.
5) Mr Hundert was faced with another dilemma during the contest when he realizes Sedgewick was cheating. He told the Dean but he told Mr Hundert to ignore the cheating. Mr Hundert ends up not exposing Sedgewick but gives him a question that was not on his cue cards so Sedgewich ended up loosing the contest. When Mr Hundert confronts Sedgewick after the contest, Sedgewick became defiant and he started to belittle Mr Hundert and put him down. Sedgewick also acted as though he did not care and kept grinning.
6) I believe that Mr Hundert's conscience bothered him over the previous 25 years knowing he had taken the opportunity of the Julius Caesar Contest from Blyth when he changed the grades. He may have felt by hosting the contest again, Sedgewich had the opportunity to win the contest which would prove to Mr Hundert that the grade change some how transformed Sedgewick to be a better person which would help with his own conscience. Mr Hundert's hopes are squashed when he realizes that Sedgewick was once again cheating and he tells Sedgewick that he failed him as a teacher. Mr Hundert later gets renewed when his other students give him a plaque and tell him how great of a teacher he was and how he helped them all to grow. He realized that even though he failed with one student, he succeeded with countless others.
7) There was a huge tension at the end of the film between Mr Hundert and Sedgewick. Mr Hundert felt everyone needs to live a life filled with virtue and principles but Sedgewick exclaimed that he would lie and cheat to accomplish his goals. He would do whatever it took to be successful. After saying this Sedgewick's son walked out of the bathroom stall and staired at his father as he walked out the door. His son realized what type of man his father was and was very disappointed.
8) Mr Hundert returns to teaching because he realizes that his greatest contribution was his teaching ability. His students loved and respected him greatly. As he was teaching his new class on the first day, a student walked in late to class, the new student was the son of Blyth. This showed to Mr Hundert that Blyth had forgiven him for the grade change that kept him out of the contest. It also showed that Blyth trusted him to make the right decisions with his son.
9) Mr Hundert practiced problem posing education by allowing kids to think for themselves. He often times had them write essays revealing there own thoughts. He would also turn many of the negative actions inside and outside the classroom into possitive learning experiences for the students.
10) Mr Hundert showed his students how to live with integrity and morals by countless men of history. The men he taught about were individuals who, even after their death, are still being studied and thought of with great respect. Other men he taught were men who may have done well during there lifetime, but history has forgotten about, because they were barbarians and only cared about themselves and did not contribute to the well being of others. By showing these two different types of men they were able to choose if they wanted to live a life that would benefit and help others or a life that would only benefit themselves. At the end of the movie it appears all the students chose the wise men of this world while Sedgewick chose to live like the barbarian which only helped himself.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
My Greatest Teacher
I was once a man who was walking aimlessly through the darkness of life but am now a man that has found the light to guide my paths through life's journeys. I contribute this change to the greatest influence in my education of life to none other than the God of the Holy Bible. God has been teaching me through the fellowship of other Christians, scripture, and prayer.
His influence has radically changed my life by giving me a new heart and eyes to see what is truly important in this life. A new life that now has meaning and a sense of purpose. A life that now looks on individuals through God's eyes, which include goodness, equality, love, and compassion. My life views family, friends, and spirituality as the most important fundamentals for this life's journey.
As I look back at my previous way of life, I see that it was filled with self absorption, pain, anger, frustration, uncertainty, darkness, and loneliness. Now that God has allowed me to see, understand, and incorporate his teachings in my life, it has brought many different feelings to the realm of my life. It has brought clear paths, a yearning for life, a desire to help others in need, and a desire to show all people I come in contact with God's love, compassion, and kindness.
I owe God a great deal of gratitude for leading me down a path that has brought my family and I a great deal of happiness and joy.
His influence has radically changed my life by giving me a new heart and eyes to see what is truly important in this life. A new life that now has meaning and a sense of purpose. A life that now looks on individuals through God's eyes, which include goodness, equality, love, and compassion. My life views family, friends, and spirituality as the most important fundamentals for this life's journey.
As I look back at my previous way of life, I see that it was filled with self absorption, pain, anger, frustration, uncertainty, darkness, and loneliness. Now that God has allowed me to see, understand, and incorporate his teachings in my life, it has brought many different feelings to the realm of my life. It has brought clear paths, a yearning for life, a desire to help others in need, and a desire to show all people I come in contact with God's love, compassion, and kindness.
I owe God a great deal of gratitude for leading me down a path that has brought my family and I a great deal of happiness and joy.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Banking Concepts of Education
1) According to Paulo Freire, "narration sickness" is when a teacher stands in front of their class and talks to his or her students about the facts they want their students to know. The students receive the information from the teacher, memorize it, and then repeat it back to the teacher through quizzes or tests. The student becomes a "container" or "receptacle" that gets "filled" by the teacher.
2) Narration sickness us very prevalent today and can be found in the "No Child Left Behind Act" standardize testing. The teachers within our country must feed their students a curriculum that has already been chosen by the government that all students must know and learn, regardless of the students ethnic background, class in society, or region within the United States. If the students do not do well on the tests regarding the curriculum, then the school is looked upon as a failure and could be reprimanded by being put on probation. This style of teaching and testing does not truly teach students about his or hers surroundings, it just teaches them how to memorize and do well on tests.
3) This past summer I was enrolled in a class at USF called "Modern European History." After reading all the practices associated with the Banking Concept of Education, I see that the Professor for this class epitomized the Banking Concept. I could relate all 10 of the practices to his teaching style.
With this being said, however, I really enjoyed the Professors class and I must say, I learned a lot from him that semester. He filled our receptacles full with knowledge and his tests were rather difficult so we were forced to memorize and really know the facts that were presented. It was a class I had to study hard for and because of all the many hours of hard work memorizing information for tests, I feel the information will stick with me for a long time.
4) A teacher that stands out in my mind as an excellent teacher also comes from USF. This Professor taught "Introduction to the Bible." He was very compassionate about his teaching and for his students as well. He showed his compassion for his students by listening to their views and then conversing with the student about what the Bible had to say about the situation being discussed. He never belittled or dehumanized anyone for having a different outlook on any given subject.
The Professor taught using the Banking Concept on rare occasions and typically used the problem solving method by asking specific questions about Bible passages and then holding a dialogue with the student to find out the meaning. He would also have us break up into small groups and discuss a specific topic amongst ourselves to find out what the passage meant to us instead of him giving us the meaning. The Professor, in my eyes, helped me learn more about the Bible than any other person I have come in contact with.
5) Based on Neil Postman's "My Graduation Speech", I feel the Athenians would have embraced the problem solving education and the Visigoths would have rejected it. The Athenians were thinkers and actively searched for ways to improve themselves and their neighbors. The Visigoths did not care about education or their neighbors, they only wanted to conquer and take for themselves.
I feel all my classes at USF have included both the Banking Concept and Problem Solving Method, with the exception of my "Modern European History" class mentioned earlier which entailed the Banking Concept only. In my mind, you must use both these concepts to succeed because a teacher needs to fill their students with some kind of information before they can start the dialogue about it.
2) Narration sickness us very prevalent today and can be found in the "No Child Left Behind Act" standardize testing. The teachers within our country must feed their students a curriculum that has already been chosen by the government that all students must know and learn, regardless of the students ethnic background, class in society, or region within the United States. If the students do not do well on the tests regarding the curriculum, then the school is looked upon as a failure and could be reprimanded by being put on probation. This style of teaching and testing does not truly teach students about his or hers surroundings, it just teaches them how to memorize and do well on tests.
3) This past summer I was enrolled in a class at USF called "Modern European History." After reading all the practices associated with the Banking Concept of Education, I see that the Professor for this class epitomized the Banking Concept. I could relate all 10 of the practices to his teaching style.
With this being said, however, I really enjoyed the Professors class and I must say, I learned a lot from him that semester. He filled our receptacles full with knowledge and his tests were rather difficult so we were forced to memorize and really know the facts that were presented. It was a class I had to study hard for and because of all the many hours of hard work memorizing information for tests, I feel the information will stick with me for a long time.
4) A teacher that stands out in my mind as an excellent teacher also comes from USF. This Professor taught "Introduction to the Bible." He was very compassionate about his teaching and for his students as well. He showed his compassion for his students by listening to their views and then conversing with the student about what the Bible had to say about the situation being discussed. He never belittled or dehumanized anyone for having a different outlook on any given subject.
The Professor taught using the Banking Concept on rare occasions and typically used the problem solving method by asking specific questions about Bible passages and then holding a dialogue with the student to find out the meaning. He would also have us break up into small groups and discuss a specific topic amongst ourselves to find out what the passage meant to us instead of him giving us the meaning. The Professor, in my eyes, helped me learn more about the Bible than any other person I have come in contact with.
5) Based on Neil Postman's "My Graduation Speech", I feel the Athenians would have embraced the problem solving education and the Visigoths would have rejected it. The Athenians were thinkers and actively searched for ways to improve themselves and their neighbors. The Visigoths did not care about education or their neighbors, they only wanted to conquer and take for themselves.
I feel all my classes at USF have included both the Banking Concept and Problem Solving Method, with the exception of my "Modern European History" class mentioned earlier which entailed the Banking Concept only. In my mind, you must use both these concepts to succeed because a teacher needs to fill their students with some kind of information before they can start the dialogue about it.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Discrimination
Discrimination
1) Passive Resistance - opposition to a government or to specific governmental laws by the use of noncooperation and other nonviolent methods, as economic boycotts and protest marches.
2) This photo, taken by Charles Moore, shows 3 African American individuals being pushed over with a fire hose. These 3 individuals were marching in a non violent demonstration with Martin Luther King in 1963. This demonstration took place in Birmingham, Alabama where most of the Civil Rights movements occurred. When I first came upon this picture it left me hurting inside to see how we as humans can treat another human so inhumanely. The individuals in the picture seem to be well dressed telling me that they were trying to show respect for their cause along with the individuals they would encounter.
This second photo below was taken by John Jorgensen and shows Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. This picture was taken in 1947 when Jacking Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before this time period only white players were allowed to play professional baseball and if an African American wanted to play baseball he had to play in the Negro League. Even though Jacking Robinson went through many agonizing and painful days in his life he allowed the way for other minorities to play sports in the United States. When I first looked at this picture the word "courageous" came to mind. I respect Jackie for all he did and put up with over the years and it must have taken great courage on his part to stand up for his beliefs and goals.
3) I do believe discrimination is still prevalent in our country today. This discrimination has many faces and can affect all people in our country. A women can be discriminated by sexual harassment and/or lower pay in the work force. African Americans along with Mexican Americans can be discriminated against by racial profiling with law enforcement or the lack of job opportunities to name a few. Aging individuals may be discriminated against by health insurance companies because of their age. Gay couples may not be able to receive the same marriage benefits a heterosexual couple receives. White males may find themselves within reverse discrimination because many companies need to hire per minority laws which would leave the white male off the hiring list because he is not a minority. No matter where you turn in the United States, you can find discrimination crouching at the door. I feel our country is moving in the right direction by helping minority groups but the only way to eliminate discrimination is by educating our young people on being loving, caring individuals to all people, no matter their race, gender, age or religion.
4) My next topic on the Major Paper 2 will be on the discrimination of Homosexuality. I will be able to support my claim with 3 different reasons. The first being gay couples are not allowed to adopt with some adoption agencies. My second reason will be that homosexuals are not allowed to be leaders within the Boyscout community and my last reason will pertain to a gay couples inability to receive the same benefits a heterosexual couple would receive. To incorporate ethos and logos in my paper I can use the following:
A) Ethos
1) A current or past presidents statements
2) A highly reputable persons response
3) claims or responses by professionals helping the gay communities
B) Logos
1) We are all created equal
2) We are all human
3) Love can come from any individual who is willing to show it
1) Passive Resistance - opposition to a government or to specific governmental laws by the use of noncooperation and other nonviolent methods, as economic boycotts and protest marches.
2) This photo, taken by Charles Moore, shows 3 African American individuals being pushed over with a fire hose. These 3 individuals were marching in a non violent demonstration with Martin Luther King in 1963. This demonstration took place in Birmingham, Alabama where most of the Civil Rights movements occurred. When I first came upon this picture it left me hurting inside to see how we as humans can treat another human so inhumanely. The individuals in the picture seem to be well dressed telling me that they were trying to show respect for their cause along with the individuals they would encounter.
This second photo below was taken by John Jorgensen and shows Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. This picture was taken in 1947 when Jacking Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before this time period only white players were allowed to play professional baseball and if an African American wanted to play baseball he had to play in the Negro League. Even though Jacking Robinson went through many agonizing and painful days in his life he allowed the way for other minorities to play sports in the United States. When I first looked at this picture the word "courageous" came to mind. I respect Jackie for all he did and put up with over the years and it must have taken great courage on his part to stand up for his beliefs and goals.
3) I do believe discrimination is still prevalent in our country today. This discrimination has many faces and can affect all people in our country. A women can be discriminated by sexual harassment and/or lower pay in the work force. African Americans along with Mexican Americans can be discriminated against by racial profiling with law enforcement or the lack of job opportunities to name a few. Aging individuals may be discriminated against by health insurance companies because of their age. Gay couples may not be able to receive the same marriage benefits a heterosexual couple receives. White males may find themselves within reverse discrimination because many companies need to hire per minority laws which would leave the white male off the hiring list because he is not a minority. No matter where you turn in the United States, you can find discrimination crouching at the door. I feel our country is moving in the right direction by helping minority groups but the only way to eliminate discrimination is by educating our young people on being loving, caring individuals to all people, no matter their race, gender, age or religion.
4) My next topic on the Major Paper 2 will be on the discrimination of Homosexuality. I will be able to support my claim with 3 different reasons. The first being gay couples are not allowed to adopt with some adoption agencies. My second reason will be that homosexuals are not allowed to be leaders within the Boyscout community and my last reason will pertain to a gay couples inability to receive the same benefits a heterosexual couple would receive. To incorporate ethos and logos in my paper I can use the following:
A) Ethos
1) A current or past presidents statements
2) A highly reputable persons response
3) claims or responses by professionals helping the gay communities
B) Logos
1) We are all created equal
2) We are all human
3) Love can come from any individual who is willing to show it
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