Reflection

During this semester, I had trouble finding my topic. I had a relative idea of where I wanted to go, but couldn't find the right way to approach it. I feel that after each paper my approach differed and once I got to my last paper, I found it. It took some writing and structuring such as planning out my body and conclusion. I did an outline and while writing my paper I had to resell it out as I went along. Since the class was about education and its impact, to no surprise my solution was education. Educating people how to vote and deal with litres challenges with media and all that. Many of the presentation had the same approach that education is the answer and it is better. So if education was more in debt and taught about life skills, then people will do better in life.

Final Reflection

Once we got the theme of education I knew exactly what I was going to write about. So once I did the topic selection essay I immediately started researching about same sex education. It was difficult to find information at first, but once I started looking in the right places it became easy. During the exploratory essay I had problems focusing on what I wanted to argue. I called up a friend from high school and he gave me a lot of good claims. Once I had these claims it was actually kind of easy to figure out statistics and research for them. Once I got to the part of the research essay my essay seemed vary vague and it was just a bunch of numbers. So I decided to think of a way of how same sex education can be implemented. I looked online and saw that same sex education was on the rise in the inner city. I decided to put that into my paper and show how same sex education in the inner city could help out the kids. This proved worthy because it added a lot to my paper. Overall this process has helped me out a lot. I was never good at writing papers, but with the three essays I have found a way that will help me construct my future papers. Also, it has taught me a lot about organization in papers. Before this paper all my other one's had been messy and didn't make any sense at all.

Final Reflection

Final Reflection

                In English 101 we were presented with a certain theme for the rest of the course. Our theme was work and education.  I enjoyed this topic because, in my opinion, education and work are the two key components that make a country successful.  I had trouble picking a specific topic for my two papers at first but I knew a general direction for my claim.  I wanted to talk about how education reduces crime and increases work in countries.  To make it more specific I decided to write about different organizations that go to other countries and help reform the education system and make it more “modern” in a way. 

                My claim slowly transformed from how organizations help reform education systems to how the Peace Corps has helped other countries since 1961 and how it needs more awareness.  After I wrote my exploratory essay my thesis became, “If the Peace Corps could help more countries education would increase and workforce development would also increase.”  I learned a lot more than I expected from the research I did.  I learned that education has a direct correlation to workforce development and that crime reduces as a result of increased education.  I had so many options for my argument so I decided to incorporate everything into my final research paper.  My thesis finally became “How the Peace Corps’s involvement in other countries increased the work available, increased education, and also how crime can be decreased by all their help.” This was my final thesis and I elaborated on it.  This also helped me build support for my arguments.  Altogether I believe that this theme for the class was a very challenging yet fun theme. It really made me think on how education and work are interconnected, so this is how my final paper came together.

Final Reflection

When I look back on the semester, I realize my topic has changed a lot.  In the introductory paper, it was more about why music educator's should be paid more.  Now it is about why Music education should not be cut from schools.   My claim took shape in my exploratory essay when I talked about different situations that can happen when music programs are threatened.  This is when I really saw my claim coming together because I had shown examples of both sides of the argument and I feel that it showed my knowledge on my topic.  Researching helped me to expand my knowledge on my topic because what I knew previously was from experience and teachers in the past, and the research was not from people that I knew directly.  Reading scholarly journals and brochures really helped to make my argument even stronger because it helped me get a lot more detailed.   My final project will focus on why music programs should not be a class eldgable to be on the chopping block in all school districts.  I am trying to get people to understand the importance of music in the learning environment.

Final Reflection.

My topic hasn’t really changed much over the course of this class. I have always really focused on the importance of good influences on students in school. However, I did change my final paper to focus just on good influences and other factors that affect incoming college students. My claim didn’t really change after the exploratory essay I just went more in detail with it. It is very important for students to have motivation, positive influences, and more information on how college will be. I saw my claim really coming together right before the exploratory essay, that’s when I decided to focus on older students. The process of research really helped me shape my ideas, just because there were a lot of articles on the importance of college and how the dropout rates were rising because of students being under prepared. My final project will focus on incoming college students instead on students of all ages or just younger students. I felt the need to narrow down my topic that way there wasn’t too much confusion on which grades specifically I was focusing on. Now I only focus on high school level students, mostly grades 11 and 12. However, my topic hasn’t greatly differed from my exploratory essay at all. I enjoyed doing the research for this project just because it gave me insight on why college students have such a rough freshman year while transitioning. It has everything to do with the preparation that these students have before entering a 4 year university. At first I thought that it was just the students learning abilities and the social life aspect. After I researched further I found that most students don’t do well because they don’t know what to expect in college. They think it will be like high school and they are sadly mistaken.

Final Reflection

My topic throughout the semester had definitely changed. At first I can honestly say I was pretty against homeschooling your child. The more I researched the more I changed my mind and thought that the only thing needing change is the regulations for the parents. Some parents are already doing a great job because little did I know, most homeschool children are pretty smart. Another myth that I thought to be true was the social aspect of it. I thought that if you were in a homeschool that you were socially slow. Most studies show that it was not true. The parents have found other ways to get their kids involved socially. So after all of the research going into the exploratory essay, I decided that it was not necessarily a bad thing to homeschool your child as long as the parent was dedicated and good at teaching. I found that not every parent really knew what they were doing. I then found that it was because parents did not need anything to homeschool their child. There is absolutely no prerequisite or training needed to do it. They do not even need to graduate high school. You can not honestly expect a parent to teach their kid through high school if they did not even graduate themselves. It is absurd. So I proposed as my final solution that parents did need to have an Associate’s degree and some kind of certification of training to teach their children. This solution should be a federal law so that every state must abide. From there I think it would be helpful for there to be communities that help each other out. So from the beginning, I went from hating the idea of homeschool to wanting to help them out. I am not proposing full control of it, just regulations to help guide it. No child should fall behind as a result of homeschool. 

Final Reflection

        My topic from the beginning was that athletes in high school and college receive privileges from teachers and administrators when they do not need or deserve it because it is unfair to the other students.  I also stated that categorizing of students is unfair to them because that does not give the student a chance.  My topic now is that athletes receiving privileges sets them up to fail down the road.
        After my exploratory essay I decided that categorizing of students was not the way I wanted to go and focused on the privileges of athletes in college and how much athletics are worshiped at a school.  I talked about in my paper how valuable an athlete is to a school and how if they aren't passed then the teacher could be in trouble for the team losing out.  I also talked about how athletes are not as responsible for their grades as they should be.  My last point is that letting athletes slide by and not making them work for their grades can lead to problems in the long run.  I state in my paper that an example of someone having problems after college would be Antwon Walker who is now broke because he couldn't spend his money wisely.  He lost over a 100 million dollars because he didn't know how to handle business decisions because he probably didn't have to make any in college because of his basketball ability.
        I have enjoyed writing this paper as much as anyone could and I have found out new things that I didn't know before researching this topic.

End of the Beginning (Final Reflection)

It is the end of the first year of college.  I was going to say “finally the end”, but compared to high school (at least for me) I’m getting out weeks earlier than usual.  Combined with only coming to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays made it feel like I had a spring break every weekend.  As we come to finals week however the easy times are over, it’s time to study for finals.  One of these final assignments was our final essay in English 102.  Mine started as a vague “Increasing Emphasis on college prep” as it was the only thing I could think of that wouldn’t already be taken.  As I did the research, having to work around issues of little material being written on the topic made me narrow down my topic.  Now it’s more along the lines on how extracurricular activities can help students in the educational system be more successful and thereby repair our economy.  When my topic really seemed to come together most was when I was writing the first draft of the research essay, that was when I could see how to link each source to one another.  When I began my research I just thought activities like these would just have a few benefits like getting scholarships or helping with a job resume.  But as I read through my sources I could see there were far spreading benefits of activities like these such as social development, making connections, learning skills that interest you, and many other things.  This project has allowed me to expand my knowledge and raised my critical thinking skills.  I hope this project also helped the rest of you in the same way.  I wish you all a happy summer break, or good luck if you are doing a summer term.

Final reflection

          My topic has developed greatly since the topic selection assignment. At the beginning, my topic was very narrow in scope only dealing with food safety with respect to the government. My thesis started out as “The government is responsible for keeping the food safe, but is grossly failing to do so.” As it was developed throughout the semester it was significantly broadened for the exploratory essay. My question was “Why is food awareness and safety poor in the United States.” I delved into the numerous causes ranging from a cultural issue, the growth of a fast food nation, and the government not doing its duty. Then, for the final essay I picked my strongest argument to support my claim; that it was a cultural issue. My thesis for the final essay was “Americans really need to acknowledge that food safety and awareness is a growing issue in the United States because the American culture calls and allows for a very unhealthy lifestyle.”
           My research greatly shaped my ideas and more specifically my claim. As I researched, I saw a trend that Americans as whole allow themselves to remain clueless on a dangerous issue. I saw that obesity rates were climbing in every state, the number of fast food restaurants growing exponentially and parents still unable to pass basic health literacy tests. What good is a nutritional label if one cannot comprehend what is even on it? More and more awareness is being brought to this issue of unhealthy living but no one still seemed to care about it. That is when I decided that it was indeed a cultural issue. A society that prides itself on multi-tasking and doing every at a fast pace creates a place absent of traditions such as a family dinner with a nice home-cooked meal. All in all, I enjoyed writing this paper and look forward to learning more about the subject while refining the ideas in my paper.

A random thought

I could not think of a subject which has not been discussed yet on this blog. So, I decided to sit down and watch Amelia starring Hilary  Swank and Richard Gere. The men in the video are loving, amiable, and charming. They all kissed her hand and the look alone in their eyes showed how much respect they had for her. She was not the most attractive person but she was courageous and loving. She died July 2, 1937 in the Pacific Ocean. That was 75 years ago, many things have changed especially gas prices, minimum wage, interest rates, etc... Other things have changed as well even though they are minor topics for discussion: music, clothes (even though they are coming back now), technology, language, etc... Men and women have changed as well. Woman are more able to make their own decisions, work, and in ways have become inappropriate. I know that in the pizza place i work i have seen many teenage girls come in who look like they could be working the corners at night. To me, men are the more disappointing aspect that has changed. Men were sweet and polite back in the day. They would open doors and pull out chairs. WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT?? HAS CHIVALRY DIED?? Where have the gentlemen gone?

I appreciate and love my boyfriend because he acts like a gentlemen. I find him attractive for this reason, among others, and i find him to be the exception to the men and boys i see today in society. They do not act polite or even publicly acceptable sometimes.

But do movies portray the past times too polished, and men really were not actually as chivalrous as i imagine? 

Personal Appearance and Finding Jobs

We all know that in today's world finding a job is really hard. People will go years constantly filling out applications and sending in resumes. We have to change so much about ourselves too just to find a good job. I saw a picture last night (http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg8flpAftJ1qh1whgo1_500.jpg) and it really got me thinking. Is it fair for a company to judge you on how you dress or how many tattoos you have. I have big holes in my ears (stupid idea), and I know that it's going to affect how people look at me if I still have them when I go get a job. I've also been dying to get a tattoo, but that will just lower my chances. There are a lot of people out there that get thrown under the bus because of personal experiences they make, and to me that's not fair at all. I would have never have though that the guy in the picture was a doctor, and that is sad that I too judged him off of his appearance. I think that so many qualified people are being tossed out the window which is disappointing. Companies and employers need to start realizing that they are in for a big wake up. Our generation is expressing itself physically more than any other generation in the past. Tattoos, guys with piercings, and anything else that is considered unprofessional are becoming more common now. What do you think? Should we clean ourselves up to get a job? Or should we be able to do whatever we want with how we look?  

What do you spend your money on ?

Before this year, I never thought so much about what I spend my money on.  I am not the greatest saver, I constantly shop.  Being in college has really been a wake up call for me! Money doesn't grow on trees, and now that I have a checkbook to balance and bills to pay, I am paying attention more and more to what I am spending my money on.  After looking at my bills this last month, I realized I spend way to much on clothes, shoes, etc.  Does anyone else here have this problem!? Guys, maybe for you its other things like sporting events and video games or even detailing your car.  I just need to find ways to stop spending my money so easily ! If any of you are great at saving your money, how do you do it? When do you think its okay to spend? I work in a clothing store so it may be harder for me to save than most people, but I am sure some of you do too.  I would appreciate advice/ comments so I know that I am not alone :) !

Summer Break =)

I’m wondering how everybody feels about this year coming to an end. Some of my friends are so excited to go home and others wish there was more than a few weeks left. Are you ready to go home and enjoy summer or are some of you going to miss the college life? I know a lot of students were excited to come to college and be on their own, others were homesick for months. How did adjust after the move? (for those of you who live on campus lol) As for myself in August of 2011 I was so ready to be on my own and move 4 hours away from home, now I can’t wait to be back in Chicago! Don’t get me wrong, I love college and I’ll miss some of the friends but I am so ready for this break. I can’t wait to be at home and not have to worry about when my next paper is due or when I have to turn in my homework. That for me had to be the most stressful part of college. Now I have a few months to get away from the pressure and not to mention I will be able to relax and have more days to sleep in. So, how do you feel about the upcoming summer break? Do you wish we had a little bit more time here or are you just as happy as I am to go back home and spend time with your friends and family? It is right around the corner are you ready for it?

Final Course Reflection

Since the topic selection essay my topic has stayed the same.  The topic had to be relevant to me and education or the work force.  I chose Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as my topic because I am infected with MRSA got infected at school.  Many people do not know about the severity of the issue and how easy it is to spread the infection.  As I developed my thoughts into the exploratory essay I realized that I did not have much of an argument.  I talked with Mr. Eagan and found that I did have an argument it was just more of an informative argument.  My claim started off as awareness and prevention of MRSA in schools but later turned into the school’s budget and redirecting money to hold assemblies taught about MRSA and bacterial infections/diseases.  I really saw my claim coming together in the second draft of my exploratory essay when I started getting a head start on the research essay.  As I was researching I decided to ask my former principal how much money our high school got and where that money went.  After he told me I realized that there was a problem in the system because none of the money was going towards health assemblies and I believe that it should.   When I looked further into how assemblies were beneficial in other schools I realized that that was going to be my main focus of prevention style.  Other programs in other states were successful (even if they were not health-related) so I thought that they could work and open students eyes to see how bad MRSA really is.  My main points in my final essay focused on awareness, prevention, and how programs work.  I went into depth in each of these categories and backed up my thoughts with facts and statistics.  Overall I think that my final paper has a lot of good points that school board members should consider and realize that some of the money needs be redirected to bring awareness of MRSA (and other health-related issues) to students in order to stop the spread.

Final Course Reflection

My topic has drastically changed throughout this process. I was able to use portions of my older papers and add them to the final project but having to drastically change the point of view. I feel like I began to really understand what I was trying to say and express through the final paper. I feel that my claim became stronger and I was able to really understand what I wanted to focus on talking about throughout the rest of my paper. I saw my claim coming together when I edited my paper the first time. I was able to identify it more clearly. I feel like I found very reliable resources that actually began pushing me more in depth throughout my paper. I actually found about five books through the love joy library on campus and ended up barely utilizing the resources. The ones that I chose to primarily use were in my own house. I was struggling on trying to find an opposing view point for my paper and I tried to look outside of the box to find a solution for it and I am actually very happy with how it turned out.  My final project will focus on the element of trying to motivate one to reach and find it within them to obtain their own American Dream. I feel that a lot of people become comfortable with where they are at in their lives and they being to stop pushing themselves to really fulfill their dreams. Yes, my focal points throughout all of my papers have drastically changed especially because of the type of papers that we had to write. This paper overall has probably been my most proud piece to turn in because I have been able to view this topic from all views and stand points. Thank you for assigning this project, even though it involved a lot of insight and hard work, I feel that the way you presented this information to us was very useful and enlightening.