I was frustrated with the debate that we did in class. It was difficult to prepare for the debate because not everyone brought in information on our workday Friday. We ended up deciding who was going to be working on which part and then discussing in general different points that we could make. When it came time to debate yesterday, everything kind of fell apart. We probably did not split up the jobs as well as we could have, but the way we had it, everyone was supposed to have a chance to speak. Heidi, Sarah, and I were going to give the background information during the first 15 minutes, Andrew, Max, and Kingsley were going to do the 5 minute rebuttal, Sammi and Sonachi had the 2 minute rebuttal, Zach and Ryan had the question/answer session, and Jawanza was going to give the summary. Everyone came with information to fill their time slot. When Heidi was not able to come, things got thrown off track. We had extra time in the first 15 minutes that someone needed to cover. Max talked through the entire 5 minute rebuttal, giving Andrew and Kingsley no time to speak. Sonachi did not have time to speak as well. She did not want to butt in while Sammi was talking. In order to compensate, Andrew helped answer some of the questions during the question/answer session, as did Sonachi. Max answered and asked questions there too. Jawanza was nice enough to split up his one minute of speaking time between himself, Ryan, and Sonachi so that everyone got to say something. Ryan did not get to speak during the question/answer because everyone else was butting in.
I suppose that my classmates could have spoken up if they had something they wanted to say, its just that I feel like our side of the debate was a bit scattered and random because we were trying to fill in holes the entire time. In hindsight, we should have assigned more people to talk during the 15 minutes and fewer later on in the debate. I think we wanted to make sure that there were enough minds working on those parts though to ensure we would have intelligent points to make. Everyone came into class prepared to say something though. Unfortunately the way the debate played out, not everyone got to say all they wanted. That is what frustrated me the most. The fact that my team members put the time and effort into preparing something and then did not get to say it.
Needless to say, I am glad that the debate is over. While it was a good experience, I also found it to be stressful and frustrating. I had never done a debate before, and now that I have, I realize that I would do some things differently for next time.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
To believe or not to believe...
... that is the question.
I think that a lot of our time is spent trying to figure out if we can believe what we are being told. As a child we believe everything we hear. We somehow convince ourselves that a fat man can fly around the world all in one night in a sleigh that is being pulled by reindeer, of all creatures, so that he can deliver toys to all the children by stuffing himself through a chimney. We believe that our teeth are taken away by a magical fairy who repays us with money. We believe that a bunny brings eggs and baskets at Easter time. As we get older and realize that these are simply stories, we become a little more cautious in what we believe. We do not have such blind faith anymore. Yet, in some instances, we are still asked to maintain that same child-like faith. Religion constantly asks this of us. We are asked to believe in something that happened long ago and to trust books that have been re-written and translated so many times that they could have lost some of the original meaning.
Even outside of religion we are constantly determining whether we can believe a source or not. In research projects, part of the assignment is to assess how well the article or website can be trusted. So often a source looks like it is believable, but then we discover it is not. My favorite example of this is http://dhmo.org. This site looks very scientific, but after consulting a different site, it is discovered that this "dangerous chemical" called Dihydrogen Monoxide is more commonly known as water. It isn't just sites like these that we have to watch out for. We have to determine whether or not we can believe politicians, commercials, salespeople, movies, books, even research. We are talking about global warming in class right now. It is hard to know who to believe, Al Gore and his strong belief in the human causes of global warming, or Michael Crichton and the picture he paints of global warming being more of a publicity stunt rather than a huge issue. We are daily confronted with situations like these that cause us to question others and the information we are receiving.
This leads me to wonder, what would happen if we did not have to question the motives of others. What if everything that we said and did was true? What if no one lied or twisted the truth? What if we were able to spend our time building each other up rather than wondering if the other person is going to tear us down?
What if we were all genuinely good people?
I think one thing is for certain. The world would be a much different place.
I think that a lot of our time is spent trying to figure out if we can believe what we are being told. As a child we believe everything we hear. We somehow convince ourselves that a fat man can fly around the world all in one night in a sleigh that is being pulled by reindeer, of all creatures, so that he can deliver toys to all the children by stuffing himself through a chimney. We believe that our teeth are taken away by a magical fairy who repays us with money. We believe that a bunny brings eggs and baskets at Easter time. As we get older and realize that these are simply stories, we become a little more cautious in what we believe. We do not have such blind faith anymore. Yet, in some instances, we are still asked to maintain that same child-like faith. Religion constantly asks this of us. We are asked to believe in something that happened long ago and to trust books that have been re-written and translated so many times that they could have lost some of the original meaning.
Even outside of religion we are constantly determining whether we can believe a source or not. In research projects, part of the assignment is to assess how well the article or website can be trusted. So often a source looks like it is believable, but then we discover it is not. My favorite example of this is http://dhmo.org. This site looks very scientific, but after consulting a different site, it is discovered that this "dangerous chemical" called Dihydrogen Monoxide is more commonly known as water. It isn't just sites like these that we have to watch out for. We have to determine whether or not we can believe politicians, commercials, salespeople, movies, books, even research. We are talking about global warming in class right now. It is hard to know who to believe, Al Gore and his strong belief in the human causes of global warming, or Michael Crichton and the picture he paints of global warming being more of a publicity stunt rather than a huge issue. We are daily confronted with situations like these that cause us to question others and the information we are receiving.
This leads me to wonder, what would happen if we did not have to question the motives of others. What if everything that we said and did was true? What if no one lied or twisted the truth? What if we were able to spend our time building each other up rather than wondering if the other person is going to tear us down?
What if we were all genuinely good people?
I think one thing is for certain. The world would be a much different place.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
For Good
Alright. I'm going to do a song lyric analysis for this blog. This song is so overdone, but I really like the lyrics and feel like they relate to me and my life. The song is "For Good" from the musical Wicked. I was first introduced to this song in choir. Many years later I saw the actual musical. It is a great musical if you have never seen it. I would highly recommend it! The lyrics that have always struck me are the ones that follow:
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are lead
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you....
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I've learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...
I really like these lyrics a lot, especially after graduation last spring. A lot of the people that I knew from high school I may never see again. Even though I may no longer talk to them, I have been changed simply because I knew them. I am a believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason, so therefore everyone I come in contact with during my life I meet for a reason, and because I got to know them I am forever changed. I really think that I have met all of my friends for a reason. From them I have learned how to be a good friend, how to listen, how to be accepting, how to be kind, patient, understanding, and just a good person in general. Most often I learn because my friends are good examples. Other times I am able to learn from their mistakes, so that I do not make the same mistake they did. Even the people that I do not care for I am able to learn from. I learned how to stand up for people I care about when a mean individual was picking on one of my friends. I have learned how to pick good friends as well.
Everyone that I have come into contact with throughout my life has had some sort of impact on me, whether they intended to or not. I am sure I have had an impact on others as well. It just goes to show that it is important to remember who you are and to be the best person you can be so that the impact you have on others is a positive one.
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are lead
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you....
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I've learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...
I really like these lyrics a lot, especially after graduation last spring. A lot of the people that I knew from high school I may never see again. Even though I may no longer talk to them, I have been changed simply because I knew them. I am a believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason, so therefore everyone I come in contact with during my life I meet for a reason, and because I got to know them I am forever changed. I really think that I have met all of my friends for a reason. From them I have learned how to be a good friend, how to listen, how to be accepting, how to be kind, patient, understanding, and just a good person in general. Most often I learn because my friends are good examples. Other times I am able to learn from their mistakes, so that I do not make the same mistake they did. Even the people that I do not care for I am able to learn from. I learned how to stand up for people I care about when a mean individual was picking on one of my friends. I have learned how to pick good friends as well.
Everyone that I have come into contact with throughout my life has had some sort of impact on me, whether they intended to or not. I am sure I have had an impact on others as well. It just goes to show that it is important to remember who you are and to be the best person you can be so that the impact you have on others is a positive one.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
State of Fear
I am really enjoying reading State of Fear. When I began reading this novel I was a believer in global warming. I thought that the evidence for it was undeniable and I bought into the idea that the extremely cold weather we have been getting in the winters and the excessive amounts of precipitation were all linked to the climate change. When I started reading State of Fear I realized that I really had not seen any scientific proof that global warming existed. I believed in global warming because the media told me it was happening. I may have seen some graphs, but these graphs could have been doctored to make the situation appear worse than in actuality. Now that I am nearly finished with the book I am on the fence as to whether global warming is as big of a deal as everyone says it is. I need to go looking for scientific evidence so that I can make educated decisions.
Even if global warming is not happening or is not as severe as it is made out to be, I still think that all of the "green" campaigns are beneficial to the environment. I think that it is still a good idea to try and find an alternative to fossil-fuels. I think that recycling should be continued. A majority of the "green" programs help maintain a clean earth. It encourages responsible use of our natural resources. I think that people, Americans in particular, have a hard time looking outside of their own needs. I am just as at fault as anyone else. It will be difficult to get out of the rut that we are in, but I think that we need to be good stewards of the land. Loyd from Animal Dreams had the same point. The earth is ours to use, but eventually it all goes back to earth. It is not ours to keep or destroy.
Even if global warming is not happening or is not as severe as it is made out to be, I still think that all of the "green" campaigns are beneficial to the environment. I think that it is still a good idea to try and find an alternative to fossil-fuels. I think that recycling should be continued. A majority of the "green" programs help maintain a clean earth. It encourages responsible use of our natural resources. I think that people, Americans in particular, have a hard time looking outside of their own needs. I am just as at fault as anyone else. It will be difficult to get out of the rut that we are in, but I think that we need to be good stewards of the land. Loyd from Animal Dreams had the same point. The earth is ours to use, but eventually it all goes back to earth. It is not ours to keep or destroy.
This Weekend
This weekend was great fun, but super busy. On Friday night we had a band concert. I thought it went pretty well. I had to play a couple solos. I messed up in one of them so I was not totally content with my performance, but overall the band did a good job. After the band concert I watched the last part of Rent with my roommate. I had never seen Rent before and I really enjoyed it. I liked the message of accepting everyone for who they are. We then went and hung out with some friends. We watched part of How to Train Your Dragon and then sat around and talked for a while. I really like being able to just hang out with my friends!
Saturday I slept in since I was up late the night before. I had quintet practice with the brass quintet that I am in. There are two trumpets, a trombone, a tuba, and a horn. Its an interesting experience being in a brass quintet. I had only ever been in woodwind quintets prior to this year. Brass quintets have a different style of playing than woodwind quintets do. I feel like I am never playing loud enough in the brass quintet. I stuck out if I played too loud in the woodwind quintet, so this is new! My family came after that and took me out to dinner. We ate at Applebees. Then we came back to Wartburg and my parents went to the band concert. For me, the Saturday night concert went better than the Friday night one. I nailed all of my solos, which made me happy. It will be interesting now in band since my band does not participate in Christmas with Wartburg. We will be learning some new music, but we won't be playing it in a concert until after Christmas break. After the concert there was a Halloween party. I went as a basket of laundry. It was a good time. There was a scavenger hunt that had everyone running all over the FAC. I discovered that running with a laundry basket around your waist is rather difficult!
Today my quintet played in the church service here on campus. I think it went pretty well. We had not practiced the pieces very much, but I was not too nervous about it. The pieces were not very difficult and we have some excellent musicians in our group. I went to Laura Mackey and Kyle Fleming's junior recital today. Laura plays the trombone and Kyle sings. I really enjoyed the last piece they performed. It was the only one they did together and they acted it out really well. It was really funny! I had a follow up session with my Psych of the Exceptional Child class today as well. We talked about how our field experience went and turned in our final papers.
This weekend was a lot of fun, but now I have to finish up my homework. I really enjoy weekends and wish that they didn't end so quickly!
Saturday I slept in since I was up late the night before. I had quintet practice with the brass quintet that I am in. There are two trumpets, a trombone, a tuba, and a horn. Its an interesting experience being in a brass quintet. I had only ever been in woodwind quintets prior to this year. Brass quintets have a different style of playing than woodwind quintets do. I feel like I am never playing loud enough in the brass quintet. I stuck out if I played too loud in the woodwind quintet, so this is new! My family came after that and took me out to dinner. We ate at Applebees. Then we came back to Wartburg and my parents went to the band concert. For me, the Saturday night concert went better than the Friday night one. I nailed all of my solos, which made me happy. It will be interesting now in band since my band does not participate in Christmas with Wartburg. We will be learning some new music, but we won't be playing it in a concert until after Christmas break. After the concert there was a Halloween party. I went as a basket of laundry. It was a good time. There was a scavenger hunt that had everyone running all over the FAC. I discovered that running with a laundry basket around your waist is rather difficult!
Today my quintet played in the church service here on campus. I think it went pretty well. We had not practiced the pieces very much, but I was not too nervous about it. The pieces were not very difficult and we have some excellent musicians in our group. I went to Laura Mackey and Kyle Fleming's junior recital today. Laura plays the trombone and Kyle sings. I really enjoyed the last piece they performed. It was the only one they did together and they acted it out really well. It was really funny! I had a follow up session with my Psych of the Exceptional Child class today as well. We talked about how our field experience went and turned in our final papers.
This weekend was a lot of fun, but now I have to finish up my homework. I really enjoy weekends and wish that they didn't end so quickly!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Fall Break
It is really nice to be home. I really like being able to see my family. I was able to see my aunt yesterday because she works at the school I did my field experience at. I have seen my grandma every day I have been back so far (she lives down the street, so I will see her out walking and that sort of thing). Last night my aunt, uncle, and one of my cousins who live in Dubuque came down to spend the night. They are going to the Iowa State game today. I had not seen them in forever and it was really nice to be able to talk with them. Now today is trick or treat night in Ankeny. My family usually comes over to our house to trick or treat. My aunt and uncle live on a farm, so it is difficult for my cousins to do much trick or treating out there. That's why they come here. My grandma and grandpa who live down the street come over too. We eat pizza around 5:00 and then trick or treating starts at 6 and goes until 8. Sometimes I will go out and walk with my cousins and brother, but this year I might stay home and help answer the door. I babysat a lot of the kids in our neighborhood, so it is nice to be able to see them, even though I don't always recognize them in their costumes!
This weekend is going by way to quickly. I am really enjoying hanging out with my brothers. I played basketball with one of them for a long time yesterday! I wish that I did not have homework to worry about while I am here. That's the worst- being home, but having to seclude myself so that I can do work. As much fun as I am having here, I am also excited to head back to Wartburg. I really like the freedom that I have there as opposed to here where I have to borrow my parents' car and let them know where I am going and when I will be back. Its not horrible, but now that I am used to making my own decisions, it is difficult to come back to this.
This afternoon I am going shopping for a laundry basket. I am going to use the one I have at school currently for a Halloween costume. The band is having a Halloween party and I am going to go as a basket of laundry. My current laundry basket was given to me as a gift and appears to be a really cheap one. It bends if I try to carry too much stuff in it. So I am going to purchase a better one and cut the bottom out of my current one so I can wear it. Should be fun! I think that's about all for now. Until next time!
This weekend is going by way to quickly. I am really enjoying hanging out with my brothers. I played basketball with one of them for a long time yesterday! I wish that I did not have homework to worry about while I am here. That's the worst- being home, but having to seclude myself so that I can do work. As much fun as I am having here, I am also excited to head back to Wartburg. I really like the freedom that I have there as opposed to here where I have to borrow my parents' car and let them know where I am going and when I will be back. Its not horrible, but now that I am used to making my own decisions, it is difficult to come back to this.
This afternoon I am going shopping for a laundry basket. I am going to use the one I have at school currently for a Halloween costume. The band is having a Halloween party and I am going to go as a basket of laundry. My current laundry basket was given to me as a gift and appears to be a really cheap one. It bends if I try to carry too much stuff in it. So I am going to purchase a better one and cut the bottom out of my current one so I can wear it. Should be fun! I think that's about all for now. Until next time!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Field Experience
So I am home for the weekend and am doing field experience as a part of Psychology of the Exceptional Child. I am observing a special education classroom in a high school. Yesterday I went in for two hours and saw two study hall periods and a science class. The students that I observed were at a higher level of thinking. Most of them just had learning disabilities, so they struggled with reading, writing, and math. There was one student with autism in the classroom.
I was surprised by the small number of students in the room at a time. The most I saw in there during one period was four. The science class only had two students! I learned a lot from this experience though. I found the science class particularly interesting. They were studying for a test that is going to be over atoms. Because the special education teacher was not qualified to teach science at the high school level, a science teacher from the building came in and taught the students while the special education teacher helped make sure the students understood. I noticed the general education science teacher becoming frustrated when he could not get his points across to the students. The special education teacher was much more patient and worked better with the students to help them understand. I think that it was good for the general education teacher to be in the special education classroom teaching though, because I am sure there are some strategies that he could learn and bring back to his normal classroom to help the students who are struggling in there.
Today I am going back in to observe for another two hours. I was supposed to go back to the same classroom, however the teacher is sick, so I may end up in a different special education classroom. I am anxious to see what is in store for me today and see what other information I can glean from this experience. I find it useful to see what I have learned and read about being put into practice. It helps make the class more real. I think that if it were possible, every class should do something like this. Knowing that the information applies and is not just something to learn really helps make the learning worthwhile. I think this is something I will run across more in college than I did in high school, especially at a smaller school like Wartburg. Yet another reason why I am glad this is the school I chose!
I was surprised by the small number of students in the room at a time. The most I saw in there during one period was four. The science class only had two students! I learned a lot from this experience though. I found the science class particularly interesting. They were studying for a test that is going to be over atoms. Because the special education teacher was not qualified to teach science at the high school level, a science teacher from the building came in and taught the students while the special education teacher helped make sure the students understood. I noticed the general education science teacher becoming frustrated when he could not get his points across to the students. The special education teacher was much more patient and worked better with the students to help them understand. I think that it was good for the general education teacher to be in the special education classroom teaching though, because I am sure there are some strategies that he could learn and bring back to his normal classroom to help the students who are struggling in there.
Today I am going back in to observe for another two hours. I was supposed to go back to the same classroom, however the teacher is sick, so I may end up in a different special education classroom. I am anxious to see what is in store for me today and see what other information I can glean from this experience. I find it useful to see what I have learned and read about being put into practice. It helps make the class more real. I think that if it were possible, every class should do something like this. Knowing that the information applies and is not just something to learn really helps make the learning worthwhile. I think this is something I will run across more in college than I did in high school, especially at a smaller school like Wartburg. Yet another reason why I am glad this is the school I chose!
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