Teachers--Bad/ Good?

What makes a teacher a good teacher? There are so many aspects that contribute to determining this...To determine this you also have to realize you must be a good person to even have a possibility of being a good teacher. My personal definition of being a good person is: a kind person who does not think only of themselves. All of my teachers in the past would agree with the statement that I have not made teaching me easy, I would not be at all surprised if worse things have been said. I do not make it easy. However, I also do not believe they have the love or willingness to deal with hundreds of students that walk through their door. So now, I will lay out my qualifications of being a good teacher; the qualifications that some of my teachers have possessed, making them in my eyes, good teachers...

Everyone has a had a class that is an “easy A.” These teaches do nothing in class and expects nothing in return. These are the teachers who want to be more of a friend than an instructor. Yes, these classes are fun but did you really learn anything? To be a good teacher you have to teach, thats not something you ned to contemplate. Grading to easy does not let the student learn anything because they have no motivation to try. I have personally had a few teachers who are the “easy A” type, all I learned was that I needed to be nice for fifty minutes and I would get my desired A. A good teacher is one who has a balance between friendship and teaching. 

There are also the crazy, psychotic, or with lack of better words, mentally disturbed teachers. Now, when I say this, I truly wish it was my misunderstanding of their teaching methods but it really is not. I once had a teacher who growled at her students, wore snuggies to class, and screamed for no reason. Teachers who seem to have mental problems should not be teaching. I do realize this was an obvious example of bad teaching methods. However, when writing this blog this was the absolute first thing that popped in my head. A good teacher is normal.

The other problematic teachers are the mean, bitter teachers. These teachers are the ones who yell, have no patients, and are plain mean. They are the teachers who do not want to be there. I have had to many of these types to count. In high school particularly, teachers are worn out from all of the troublemakers, this results in them  taking it out on the other students. Teachers can say this is not true, however I have heard many teachers admit to being worn out. My question, “why are you teaching then?” A good teacher is someone who desires to be there and teach you.

I have given three negatives about teachers. Most of my teachers are in the previously stated categories, so whats left? The teachers who have been placed in my mind as good teachers are the best of the best. The teachers that have made me want to be there and learn, to hear what they have to say. These teachers are kind and think about how stressful being a teenager really is. These teachers consider your needs. These teachers love to be there. They are not thinking about after school, they are thinking about now. I love to have those types of teachers. These are the teachers I want to give my respect to. This is the qualifications for being a good teacher. Trust me, those teachers know who they are. 

Leaving a Footprint

Until recently, college was not a matter of life or death to me. Of corse I knew I was going to college, however which college I went to did not scare me. I always had an average 3.0 to 3.3 GPA: not fantastic but not terrible. This year, my junior year, things changed. I became more interested in getting away from my now, “small town,” and moving on to bigger places--SO CAL. To do this I needed to push myself. When I entered the world of “over achievers” I certainty got a news flash. 

This year I am taking some challenging classes which qualify me as also a over achiever, and with those classes I met some new people. When I met these kids they reminded me of Rory Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls series. If you have not seen the show, Rory was a obsessive overachiever who dreamed of going to Harvard since she was little. Most of these kids were the same; Like Rory, a 4.0 GPA and above was expected, doing sports, and extra circulars, also, expected. 

GPA is the number one. If your not close to a 4.0, forget it. You have to be one of those, “gifted,” kids in something else (sports), to even be thought about by college admissions. I would say getting 4.0 is easy in the regular classes. However we “smart kids” have to take classes which, unless your going to be in that profession, are completely useless. Classes like HP or none HP Pre-Calculus, AP Chemistry, and AP History are some examples of the useless class’ we are expected to take. These classes give us the weighted GPA to put us above and beyond. I was talking to a friend today, their GPA- 4.6. Are you crazy? 

Sports is another big one. If you are good at sports, you have a good chance in getting a scholarship. Me, who has no hand-eye coordination what so ever, does not find sports as a big possibility. However I do have to add I play badminton for my high school team year around. Im not particularly good, but I think it is pretty cool.

If you thought that sports and grades did not take up enough time, your sadly mistaken. After studies and practices you are also expected to join clubs and do volunteer work. Almost every day at lunch you should be at a club. On weekends when you are basically dead from the previous week you should be volunteering. This is expected. This is a necessity to be in the “overachiever crew.” My view-- I want to hang out with friends. I want to go to work and make money. Come’n, teenage girl obviously means shopping. My view is what I seriously need to work on. Though I have gotten better this year, I am apart of the science club, the ski and snowboard club, COR club (environmental preservation club), and just joined another volunteering club. So I am getting better. I just need to do stuff on the weekends, which sounds like death if you ask me. I think the extra circulars are drilled into our heads as such an important factor because truly you need nothing to be apart of it. With getting a GPA, you generally have to be smart, which you do not just get handed to you. And with sports, you need to have that factor of being athletic. With clubs and volunteer work all you need to do is show up, you have to take the time out of your high school life, and go. 

The other day in my AP English class we read, The Chem 20 Factor by Ellen Goodman. The article was about a class that aspiring doctors took called Chem 20. This class made the students so completive and in all narcissistic because their hard work. These young adults gave up there twenties for the “Big Payoff.” In the article Goodman said, “who go through college competing for medical school and go through medical school competing for a good internship and go through internship competing for a good residency.” Just like when I wrote about what was expected to get into a good college, the same goes on college to get a good job. 

What is the Motivation for this craziness?  In AP English we are encouraged to have group discussions in the middle of class. What I have taken from those discussions is money is foremost the motivation. Money provides everything, I do not need to go in depth on that. My view-- Im going to be honest, I had to just debate what is the most truthful response. As much as I would love to say money is not the biggest motivation, I can not. However, other than money I have a few more. For one, when I receive my report card or my parents see on school loop(online grading) that I have good grades, I do feel extremely satisfied. Career wise, I want to be a marine biologist, I want to help the ocean, and with hard work, I can get into a college and pursue my career aspirations. In all, I am not all that different from the other “overachievers.”

GPA, sports, and extra circulars mean your going to be successful. They are the most obvious way to make money. Money is success. Success is Power. Power is something everyone wants. Everyone wants to leave a footprint in this world. Getting into a good college is the way to start on that path. I am on the way to being apart of the “overachiever crew.” I have the grades, now I need to get the mind set required to be in the crew. For now, what I do know is, I want to leave my footprint too. 


--faith

Marilyn Monroe & Audrey Hepburn

I know tons of girls who say all the time that they “love” Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. Whenever they say that I always wonder, “do they really love them or do they love the idea of them?” Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are the flawless icons of the 1950’s. Everyone wanted to be them then, and it is still true today. 

It is like a tradition. All girls must love Monroe and Hepburn. Ever since I was little there has always been posters of them or their quotes on, the old social network, myspace. Finally I motivated myself to do a little research. Now, I am fully educated. I have seen most of the movies and understand their lives. This is why I can successfully write a compare and contrast summary on their lives. 

Childhood

Both women did not have simple or easy lives. Fame and money was not given to either women on a sliver plater. Monroe was born June 1926 in Los Angles, CA. However then she was known by Norma Jene Mortenson. Monroe never knew her father and her mother was clinically psychotic and was unable to take care of Monroe. Her childhood was spent in foster care and orphanages. She married young so that she would be able to leave the system before the legal age. 

Hepburn also had a tough childhood. Born May 1929 in Belgium, she also was not given any special treatment. Her childhood was during the middle of World War II. During the war the Nazis invaded her town and Hepburn and her family struggled to survive. 

Roads to Success

If Monroe had aspirations they were certainly unclear during her childhood. After she married her husband, Jimmy Doughnerty, left to fight in the war. During her visit to him, Monroe was discovered. A photographer thought she was stunning, which starting her modeling career. 

The modeling career for Monroe changed her life. Monroe divorced her husband, changed her name to something more exciting, and dyed her hair blonde. She was a new person. Her first movie was “The Asphalt Jungle” in 1950. After that her acting career grew flourished, like Hepburn she just needed the door to be opened.

After the war, Hepburn took ballet so she could pursue her dream of being in the theater. Her stage debut was a musical in London in 1948. For Hepburn, this musical would be the door opener to numerous jobs. 

Hepburn grew in the theater industry all the way to New York City, where she starred in a Broadway Musical. The tabloids raved about her, “how she was headi’n straight to Hollywood.” They were right, in 1953 she starred in her first movie, “Roman Holiday.” Her performance won her an Academy Award for best actress.

Careers 

Monroe was different, she was not seen as a serious actress. Her blonde hair, short dress’, and hour glass figure won her numerous “dumb blonde” roles. Although she was not taken serious, the world loved her. During this time she married her second husband, the famous baseball star, Joe Dimaggio. This marriage lasted only nine months due to her being “inappropriate.” 

Monroe became sick of the “dumb blonde” films and finally resorted to acting lessons to try and be received as a more professional actress. While all the changes went on in her life, Monroe married again, this time to a screen writer names Arthur Miller in 1956. Rumor was she was cheating on him the full six years they were married with either JFK or his brother.

Hepburn continued with her acting career. She married her co worker, Mel Ferrer, in 1954. During this time her career was flourishing. She was nominated for four academy awards and the business offers continued. It was not until 1960 when she had her first child that her movie production slowed. 

The End

Monroe gave a huge attempt to be taken serious. “The Bus Stop” which was her one and only movie she was not acting like her persona, I personally believed was a huge success. However, the fact was, Monroe was only going to be successful by acting “like a dumb blonde.”

Monroe completed two more movies after “The Bus Stop.” In August of 1962 she took her own life. She died of a drug overdose. 

Hepburn continued with acting however her new goal was becoming a philanthropist. She dedicated her life to helping children in need. She traveled the world, helping children across the country. 

Hepburn died in 1993 due to Collin cancer. She did not live to see it, but that year Hepburn was going to receive an academy award for her humanization work. 

Their similarities? They both started from nothing and worked their way to the top. Both women struggled. Both women conquered their dreams. Both women grew to be icons. Marilyn Monroe will forever be known as a sex icon and Audrey Hepburn will forever be known as a style icon. 

Their differences? Well, there is the obvious one, Monroe took her own life while Hepburn did everything she could for herself as well as everyone around her until the day she died. I believe the reason they both went such opposite directions after their similar childhoods was their personalty differences. Monroe was willing to change herself to please others; she changed her name; she changed her look, she did this to be something she was not; she never seemed to please herself. Hepburn on the other hand, did everything to better herself; she dedicated herself to learning ballet to pursue theater; she stopped work to take care of her family; she became a philanthropist to better the world. 

Marilyn Monroe was a tragedy. Audrey Hepburn was a inspiration. They were so different at the end, yet started out the same. They will both always be icons. Their beauty and talents will forever be remembered. 

Music and Polotics

     I remember hearing, "Not Ready to Make Nice," by the  Dixie Chicks when I was younger and asking my Mom what they were singing about. She explained to me how the Dixie Chicks sang a few years before about how they disliked how President Bush was running the country and that their listeners should not elect him again. She then explained how when they sang about Bush, many people sent them hate mail and it started a lot of problems. "Not Ready to Make Nice" was their response to the people who did not agree with their song choices. At twelve years old this made no sense to me. I did not have any interests about politics, actually I can not positively say I even knew what the word meant.  Now, four years later, It all makes more sense.

    Earlier today I typed on Google, "Politics and Music," and a huge list of sites came up.  I had never really thought about how much music affected us.  Artists sing all the time about dancing on tables, crying about a boyfriend, about how hard or amazing life is, but now that Im writing this blog essay I am realizing they also often sing about more serious topics, such as Politics. This is a passage from one of the first sites I clicked on, "Springsteen, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, and others have teamed up with anti-Bush group MoveOn.org for the "Vote for Change" tour. The profits from the tour will benefit Americans Coming Together (ACT), a voter-registration effort dedicated to defeating President Bush in November and helping to elect progressive candidates to federal, state, and local government positions." If you haven't noticed already, this is how I made the connection to "Not Ready to Make Nice.” These artist sang about how they felt to get the message across and I have to say there smart. Music is life. We listen to it while were getting ready in the mornings, while were sitting around the house, and every where we drive to we LISTEN TO MUSIC. It is a universal thing we all have in common. 

     Any adult voting around President Bush’s election would probably already know about the country stars singing about their political opinions. What many don’t know is the idea of “Politics and Music” has been around for thousands of years. Another site a looked at listed these examples, “Beethoven was deeply influenced by Napoleon's victories, Shostakovich voiced the courage and defiance of his fellow Russians starving in the besieged city of Leningrad...Rostropovich used his cello as a beacon of freedom, playing beside the Berlin Wall. And who can forget the emotional triumph of Bernstein conducting Beethoven's Ode to Joy amid the wreckage of the Wall?” Im going to be completely honest, I could search every one of these things listed and give you more depth on what and why they sang about there political positions, but I am sure anyone reading this will know who these artists are and know how important and OLD they are. These artists have gone down in history for their master pieces and many of their pieces have to do with there political stand point.

    In conclusion I have to say music IS politics. Like I said earlier about how we hear songs about dancing on tables, boyfriends, and feelings, these songs are what is socially expectable. One of the definitions of politics is, “the complex or aggregate of relationships of people in society, esp those relationships involving authority or power” This may be a little far fetch but my point is that politics have to do with life and society and songs are written to talk about those same topics. Concluding with once again, music IS politics. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Music and Polotics." Times. (2008): n. page. Web. 18 Sep. 2011. <www.timesonline.com>.

de Sola, David. "The Politics of Music." CNN. (2004): n. page. Web. 18 Sep. 2011. <articles.com/2004-08-29/Politics/gop.music>.

   

Why is reading important?

       Im going to be honest; I am not a huge reader. The main reason’s I read novels is because a teacher makes me. The books I do read on my spare time are not what many would call “educational,” but are very entertaining. My favorite type of reading is fiction. Anything with magic or mystical worlds, I’m in love with instantly. My latest series was the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis. Many have seen or heard about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but have you ever wondered about how the wardrobe or the light post came to be apart of Narnia? The books keep you on your toes for what will happen next and thats why I came to love the series. Currently I’m also reading the first book in the series, Gossip Girl. The books are about trashy, rich girls and there lives. I’m not suggesting that there good reading material, its definitely not educational, but it is very interesting. Gossip Girl is one of those books where you like to imagine your in them, there the “guilty pleasure” books. Thinking through my previous reading materials, the only others that stand out are my magazines. You could ask me anything about the latest 17 magazine, Allure, Teen Vogue, or Glamor and I could tell you anything. I can confidently say that on a regular basis I will have read something, because I always read the current magazines. Occasionally I find books that make me stay in my seat till the end, but thats on a very rare occasion. I will only read  a non-assigned book till the end if I absolutely adore the book.

Many people see reading as a hobby. I would love it if I was one of those people.  I do think reading is an important factor in success. With reading comes comprehension of words and different styles of reading. It also can help one’s writing skills to improve tremendously.  For these reasons I’ve committed to reading the books assigned in class.

I look at my mom, who is a book fanatic, and think she's crazy for reading that much. However, people are all different. She’s always wanted me more like her in that sense, and I really don’t see that happening. Maybe with age, the time will come that books are the greatest thing to do with my spare time, but for now that times not any where close. I like where I am at my skill level and we will see where it takes me...