Why I Am

Trying to get the flash player working on my "fixed" laptop, and needed to watch some Youtube videos to make sure I did it right.

Proctoring then grading the U.S. History Regents exam today. I almost feel like a real teacher.

First morning I have woken up this week feeling like I actually slept.

Student Teaching

Half a week into sort of student teaching, I would have some observations, if I had done more than plan and hang out to this point.

Monday will be a completely different story as I pick of the reins and run with two sections of U.S. History.

As Sid the Sloth says, this is either going to be really good, or really bad.

Just watched the State of the Union Address with D, and I come away feeling both positive and negative about it.

I liked the tone at the end. We will see where this all goes.

Looking forward to the Super Bowl. K.C. was very fun, and the wedding was beautiful.

Drew-Bon 3

Last part of the wedding. I'll have more thoughts later.

Drew-Bon 2

Second part

I was at : 401-499 E 38 St, Kansas City, MO 64109,

Drew-Bon's wedding 1

Quick post

I was at : 401-499 E 38 St, Kansas City, MO 64109,

Flight to K.C.

I have only flown a few times, and I wasn't ever sure how I would feel about it, bring one who is not crazy about heights.

It is safe to say that I love the idea of being up in the air.

The view on our flight from Chicago to K.C. was amazing. We got above the cloud level, and the clouds from above looked like the ocean floor where the waves have left ripples in the sand.

So far, loving K.C. and the neighborhood the hotel is in.

I was at : 560 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111,

Obama Loves Me

For my final project in Education and Society, which I took with Tom Giblin, and loved, was to write a letter to a decision maker or law maker concerning issues in Education.

I choose to write to President Obama, highlighting some issues in Urban Education and ways that they could be addressed. (see below)

So this was back in May of last year and I had rarely if ever even thought about the letter since then.

That was until Friday when I went out to the mailbox after work and found a letter from the White House addressed to me.

Now I realize that it is not a personal letter from the President, but considering the sheer number of mailings the White House receives in a days time, I cannot believe someone took the time to read mine (the content of the reply says that someone at least glanced at what I wrote).

This was a very cool thing and something that will be making its way into my Professional Portfolio, definitely will make for a conversation starter in an interview.

Here is what I wrote to the President:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Allow me please to congratulate you on your historic rise to the Presidency and your first one hundred days in office which has presented you with obstacles as large as any we have faced as a nation in our history. You have handled these challenges with the same cool, collected and controlled grace that you displayed during your unprecedented run for office and continue to make those of us who count ourselves as your supporters proud of our votes.

Among the many daunting challenges that we face, none in my opinion are more pressing than the crisis in education. As a future social studies teacher in the state of New York, I fear for the future of the system that I will devote my professional life to improving. Whether it is rural or suburban, urban or somewhere in between, the education system in this country is at a breaking point. We as a nation have pushed school districts and local governments to reach goals that are all but unobtainable, while holding a school’s continued existence as a carrot meant to motivate districts to improve while at the same time removing the resources necessary for that success to take place.

The purpose of this letter is not to decry No Child Left Behind. There are smart people in Washington in both Congress and your administration who are working to correct the wrongs of the past. A major overhaul of the education system in the country is needed and I trust that the right people are on the job. What is needed at this time is creativity and an open mind. There are a number of avenues that parents and educator can take to help mold young people into effective and productive citizens of the future. Charter schools, private schools, home schooling, public schools and virtual education all have a place in today’s educational landscape. The ultimate goal continues to be preparing our young people for lives after high school.

Creativity and outside of the box thinking have led to some exciting and effective ways to motivate young people, particularly in urban schools. In your home city, Chicago Public Schools has recently instituted a program called “The Paper Project” which is a green for grades program designed to motivate young people to achieve academically by providing financial incentives. I work in a similar incentive program in Rochester, New York. I am a Youth Advocate in the Hillside Work Scholarship Connection Program. In this program we use employment and college scholarships as external motivation for academic success.

Our program is designed to assist urban youth in their ultimate goal of graduating. In this endeavor we provide our students with 360° of support. There are many theories about why some students struggle while others succeed. Some of these theories have merit while others have displayed less efficacy. The fact is that urban youth, particularly in but not limited to Rochester are failing high school and dropping out at rates that cannot be sustained. By targeting youth who meet specific risk factors and supporting them socially, academically and in the realm of life and social skills we work to reverse the cycle of failure that is crippling our students. It has been proven that continued academic involvement is one of the most effective deterrents to the continued cycle of failure that many urban youth find themselves ensnared in.

As I stated above, the purpose of this letter is not to place blame for where we find ourselves as a nation where it pertains to academics. Similarly, I do not write this to purport that Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection is the answer for all of the obstacles that impede the progress of America’s youth academically. I write you to say simply that although there are many major issues that face this country, and none of those problems have simple solutions, creativity and a desire to do good are at the foundation of any answer to these problems. There are people working on these solutions today and we need your support and leadership to guide this ship out of the stormy waters we find ourselves in.

As a future teacher I have a vested interest in the success of the system we have to educate young people. At this time I am both hopeful and fearful for the future viability of our system. What we do know is that a top down approach will not work. We need a “student first” solution to the crisis we face. We are doing the nation a great disservice if we do not act now. There can be no more important task than improving the educational experience of America’s youth.

I greatly appreciate your time

Sincerely,

Avi yesterday.

God she looks so big.

I was going through some old pics and videos on my external hard drive (long story about what I did to break my laptop), and I can't believe how much she has grown in a year.

I always told myself that I wouldn't get misty about how fast she is growing, instead, just enjoy each phase.

But when I look back at the older pics and videos, wow.

I was at : 167 South Ave, Hilton, NY 14468,

Avi

This is a first try for this. Video taken right from my phone and uploaded straight to The Head.

Wish me luck here.

I was at : Rochester, NY 14616,




Adding...

Firstly, it worked, which is very cool. The weird thing is that when I attempted to upload videos from my phone directly to YouTube previously, my phone said that the video was too big. But when I went through the Blogger App on my phone and posted this, there was no problem, and it loaded the video first through YouTube, then to my Blog, all on its own. I didn't have to do a thing. I still don't know how to upload videos to YouTube from the phone, but it doesn't matter.

Secondly, this is a really cool feature and one that I will be using a lot more in the future.

Avatar

My thoughts on James Cameron's Avatar are fairly complicated. I typcially love going to movies. I love the experience, I love the popcorn. I love walking out talking about what we saw, what we thought, what we liked, what we loved, hated etc...

I don't even complain about the prices. I go to be entertained. Luckily for us (Danielle and myself) we were able to go see Avatar and eat popcorn and drink soda for free (thank you for your Christmas gifts).

So we went to see Avatar with an open mind and a full wallet.

I have taken enough film classes, thank you Dr. Daly, to know what I am watching and to look at film with a critical eye. I take the same approach to books and TV, and tend to annoy people who watch with me because I see beyond the story and ask too many questions for my own good.

I suspended my critical mind while enjoying Avatar. And that is exactly what I did. I enjoyed it. We did not see it in 3D, and there was a group of teenagers who talked through most of the film (which got us another set of free passes, that we promptly used to see Sherlock Holmes for free, and loved.)

I have read a lot of reviews that come down on both sides of the "What did you think of Avatar" argument. And I can see the truth in much of what is being said both in support, and against the film.

Did the story lack originality? Absolutely.

Did Cameron rip off most, if not all of what was in the film? No doubt about it

Did I still enjoy it and its message? Yes

That being said, I just read This... which states pretty clearly all of the films short-comings.

For more on the Roger Dean rip offs check out This...

And if you have seen the film, I think it is safe to say that you will be stunned by how much was lifted from other people's work.

Was it a Fern Gully Rip off? Yes

I watched some James Cameron's Aliens last night and was reminded that it is one of my favorite SyFy films, regardless of how much he lifted from other peoples work. The same can be said for Resident Evil which lifted so much from Aliens that it is borderline criminal. Take some time to check out Michelle Rodriguez' character and compare her to the character of Vazquez in Aliens. Actually I bet if you set the two films up on TVs next to each other and start them simulaneously, they even match up time-wise.

My point is, there is very little originality out there.

I can't find it now, but there is an old episode from Star Trek, where Kirk finds himself trapped in a world where he realizes that he can control his environment with his mind just in time to defeat his enemies, and the gun appears in his hand. (Once again, thank you Dr. Daly)

Watching it, I realized, even something that upon first look seems so original, such as The Matrix ripped off its most basic premise.

What is the point of all of this? I guess my point is that although I know Avatar was ripped off from so man places I cannot even begin to name them, I still enjoyed it.

I don't look for every movie I watch, or book I read to change the way that I view the world around me. I think I have a pretty good view of the world as is. I read books (Currently Mistborn which is one of my favorites and needs to be checked out, and may be coming to a theater near you, or so says Drew)or watch movies, I read them, or watch them, to be entertained. I read them or watch them to have my imagination ignited. Avatar did this.