hw 45

sizer and hirsch beleive different things about schools. Sizer thinks that school is based on using the habits of mind as the main way to approach something and solve it thoughtfully. sizer thinks that this is a very effective method into turning the youth into more intelligent people, and by incorporating this habit of mind method, he thinks that students will grow as insightful thinkers.

Hirsch thinks differently from sizer in which hirsch thinks that school should be about teaching kids how to read and by doing this proficiently, he thinks that it will prepare us for college rading, andf beyond. This along with test taking, is beneficial for gaining knowledge. This is what hirsch beleives. something that i found interesting was in the wikipedia article that said, "Students at the University of Virginia were able to understand a passage on Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, while students at a community college struggled with it, apparently lacking basic understanding of the American Civil War." This was very interesting, I think he has a good point that we have to understand things like this and that what we learn can always be relavent later on in oour lives.

I would have to agree on both sizer and hirsch's views on education. Sizers views are stronger to me becuase they apply to me. I have been taught how to use the habits of mind to approach anything i do. I feel that it is very intimidating for some kids who are new to SOF. Most newcomers have not been taught how to use the habits of mind in their old schools and for them it is new. This is a critical way in getting kids to i think pay more attention and deepen their understanding of something. hirsch has a good opinion too because he thinks that basic knowledge is good to have. he makes a goodd point becuase i think that by college, knowing about the civil war should at least be half way in your mind rather than not in your mind at all. I judt dont agree with test taking as a way of gaining basic knowledge. Think that sizer's view would have to win though because his habits of mind method can be applied to everything we learn rather than hirsch's ideas, which seem mainly for reading.

hw 40

These are some interviews.

My brother Steven:
Question: what do you hate most about school? I hate how in my school, they have the dumbest rules, like if you skip class for more than 20 minutes, you get an in school suspension, and it goes on your transcript. like how does that look man, a freakin suspension on your record for being late. Its sad. I hate how i dont have gym either. They treat us like babies yo.


Question: Does school help you in what you want to do when you get older? Haha, i don't even know what i wanna do yet, i think that school distracts you from thnking in for the future, and keeping you in the present, which is why i think people are lost when they get older and really end up doing things that they dont love.


My mom: What was school like for you when you were my age? I loved school, but it was so dangerous . My friend got shot in the auditorim and he's paralyzed now. My other one died in a stabbing. I lost so many good people, and i think that was because there was no guidance. We didnt have what you guys have now. If i had computers and cellphones, and all this high tech stuff, I think that would have motivated me to do better. This is why i get mad when i see you guys come home with report cards with bad grades on it, you guys should be doing great, you don't need to carry around all the books that i had to. Everything is online. But school was good. I always loved school, but i was raised to work and i had nobody positive to follow. I guess that's why i didn't end up going to collge, rather than a couple college classes at st john's, that's all i had. If i did go to college, i would have wanted to become a social worker or practice in the medical field, but now im stuck at a place I hate. If you had a choice to go back to school would you go? Yes i would, just the process of going to work, coming home and everything in between, it is becoming impossible to go back. Maybe when you guys are all older and get jobs, i may consider it, but now, it would be impossible to manage.

Friend: So what time do you think school should start at? "Im fine with my time because i get out early anyways. I wouldnt mind if it was a bit later though. I would be more awake if it was. I hate doing work early. So do you think that what you learned in school is important in your life? " i guess some of it has to be. i mean what we do now determines where we may be in our future. There has to be some importance in what we are doing.

Brother: so why do you hate school so much? " i think school has officially become an obstacle for me. Yea it was fun for the 12 years i was in school, but now i think its time to experience the real world, and get out of this box that i have been in for so long. " Do you think that what you learn now can help you in the future? "i dont really think i need anymore math in my life. What i wanna do doesn't really invole school smarts, but more of street smarts.

Friend: SO do you think that we should get graded and labeled as a number in school? "I think that grades sucks They can't determine what i know, buy putting a number next to my name. That grade is something that is meant to scare you, but im not really intimidated by it." Are you thinking about your future and will school be beneficial in your future? " I think school is imprtant, all the good jobs look at your education and we basically survive based on how well we are educated. It's stressfull, but if you work hard, there has to be some reward at the end.

hw 39

list of questions and ideas:

why do we have certain hours that we need to be at school for?
why do we get grades determining what we know?
why is a school year so long?
tests are threats that keep us in check and force us to do good


i really like this idea of how we are given tests throughout our learning years. How some tests have more power over others. I thought about how in elementary school i had math tests on about 320 questions that we had to solve. i was always the last kid to finish. I felt like i could never finish all these questions especially in 3 minutes. These tests scared me and sort of made me seem dumber. I felt like since i couldnt finish in the time that was give, i was below everyone else. soon enough i finished the test and felt great about myself. This test scared me, i felt like i had to learn this stuff even if it took me forever to learn. These weekely tests were ways for teachers to moniter the pace of your learning and how you work under pressure.

I Think that these quizzes are meant to intimidte kids and foce them to learn. Tests are ways for teachers to specifically see what you know. It is a way that we learn. its tough for some people because they get nervous and sometimes forget a lot of things that they studied. Now it;s even tougher and more stressful because now we have to take SAT's and a bunch of tests that can determine the next steps in our lives. In psycology class though, we spoke about how these tests such as the SAT can be major flaws in the ways that we learn. It is sort of impossible to study for the SAT, becuase all you know is that there is math and english, we know nothing specifically like what equations to use.This is a test that tests your cleverness and the ways that you can work around something. This is the only ways you are able to actually study, this is maybe one reason why im not stressing the SAT so much, because maybe studying wouldn't help me. So by taking 300 dollar SAT courses when i can buy a 20 dollar SAT book, and scoring about the same or below average, can show me that those 300 dollars maybe wasn't a good investment. This idea of tests intimidating kids, is no longer intimidating to me, i know that im smart in my own categories, and a bookelt with a score on it is sort of labeling to me, so even if i fail 30 tests this year, its all good, because i personally dont like taking test. So this idea of tests as threats to learn and intimdate kids, doesn't really bother me too much

hw 38 cool link

Abraham's blog should have the video up

http://personalpoliticalblog.blogspot.com/

artist's statement: the project was intended to show how the coolest kids sometimes have a weakness and how that weakness is never shown to people who the are around the most, but people who they do not know on a deeper level, sort of like someone to say hi to, but not to start a complete conversation with.

i think i may have a career as an actor. I contributed my standing there looking cool with my kidrobot hoodie and gucci glasses. i thought i looked way cooler than jace (no offense) but the point of it was that anyone can be cool, it just doesn't have to be what people view on the outside, but the person that you portray yourself as.

i actually think hat doing art is cool, i like seeing how creative people get, and how they can get their thoughts out into a picture or a video for people to see. Art is cool because it is another way to show how you feel instead of just saying it, you can put a twist on your thoughts and back it up with your own original work

hw 37 cool paper

cool has been and idea that many try to immitate. the ideas of cool can be anything that a person ggrew up around or something that a person admires. It is almost impossible to reach the highest levels of cool though, because society doesn't let you. People always find new ways to make cool escalate into a competition in a way. In a way this idea of cool runs our society, especially in America, and mainly New York, where cool can be perceived as anything. cool is like a chain reaction, and our society runs on the idea of cool, mainly on an economic scale, and also a social acception scale.



In America people love the idea of altering themselves to be more interesting or socially accepted. However they try to be noticed, most of the times, it works. Plastic surgery is one of the biggest things that people love getting, they alter their look, therefore seeming more interesting and becoming noticed, which gives them the cool persona that we all desire. With plastic surgery though, it becomes permanent, just like tattoos do. Plastic surgery also racked in millions of dollars last year and is always generating millions of dollars. "In the past, plastic surgery generated over 8 billion dollars for surgical procedures.(ezinearticles.com)" This shows how people alter themselves to seem cooler. Now in this day and age there are so many ways that people can sort of transform themselves. When people do this, they can also influence others to follow in their footsteps, depending on how that person wants to live. Plastic surgery is one way that our country runs. doctors are getting padi millions of dollars everywhere to perform surgery. They end up spending more money on more supplies to keep up with the demands of people. Then those people with surgery consume more things such as accessories to complete their beauty and coolness. So it is never eending, also ffeeding in to our economic situation.

In America, mainly speaking about New York city, fashion is a big money maker. There are signs everywhere telling us to buy this and that, but these billboards that we see always seem to be missing the prices of the items. This is interesting to me. We are intriged with the advertisements until we actually go to the store. We look around and finally see the item, It can be one of the most expensive things in the store, We will buy either this item or an item like it, so that we can walk out with a bag from that store signifying that we have money to spend on these things and also signifying that we are cool. When we walk into a store, we buy things too signify our coolness and our belonging to a group of people. These trends are very visible with the more luxurious brands, such as gucci and louis vuitton. We see these ads, that signify nothing at all, yet we love going to shop at these places because it signifies our financial status and that we are cool. Even though that person just spent 600 dollars on a pair of gucci shoes, they don't care because they know that if people notice, they automatically become a symbol. I read an article explaining why these high end ddesigners price so much and the article states that, " louis vuitton is made of high quality boa, camel and crocodile skin that will be guaranteed to last you many years. (zimbio.com)" Maybe this also explains why people buy into these items, because by buying these rare materials gathered up in one bag worth almost all of an average ameircan's paycheck, you are considered exotic and cool for purchasing something that people only dream of having. These consumptions of clothing and accesories also drives our economic system. It is like a circle. We consume to feel satisfied, the companies make money and put out better items, and we consume them again. It never ends, until we go broke and these corporations are bathing in out money, and it was all because we wanted to feel cool.

In new york city, it is especially common to follow the crowd. Mainly for kids in high schools, is where this is seen. Throughout the years, there has been an evolution of what seems cool and what doesn't. There use to be the dressing in funky colors, which was very popular. It was the old school look that came back in style, then it became a sneaker phase in which the kids with the oldest pair of air jordans was cool, if they were nice and fresh looking. I am still in this sneaker trend which to me seems to be dying out, but i personally don't think i will leave this phase. Now i notice the trend is to dress classy. Now everyone shops in the mainly caucasion stores, such as macys, bloomingdales and a bunch of shops on 5th avenue. This trend of buying polo has taken over. kids now are following the trends that hundreds of other kids follow and continue to promote. It has now become the cool thing to wear, because by wearing polo, you are following the crowd and you are seen as being in a cool state of mind. No matter how many people wear it, there is always one person who wants to follow the crowd, becuase it will boost up their statues in school. When i see kids doing this, i think about the meaning of a 90 dollar shirt, but i would sort of be a hippocrite because i am just like that kid. I wear 50 dollar shirts and 200 dollar shoes, so i can't judge them.

This idea of cool is impossible to get away from. It is what we revlove around. In america, this consumtion of goods, especially during holiday seasons, is what makes these companies able to continue to promote to use and no matter what we do, 99 percent of people cannot resist and this idea of wanting to be cool comes with thousands of superficial items to fufil that want.

hw 36 triangle partner help

stephs main idea: "Depending on your social map and the way your raised you cool is different from someone raised with a different sense of cool"

something that you can add to this main idea of yours is that we have expectations that have to or need to be met. On any level, kids are usually following paths that other people have paved for them. You should read the article that says somethings about how black kids like to buy prada shoes instead of saving for college. Also explore more about how you see it in your life, like how kids now are all into polo clothes and how maybe someone with more polo is cooler than another person. If you check out my blog post number 34 in the last paragrah i talk about an article that would maybe benifit you and give you evidence for your paper. Also i think you should check your spelling. Once you do that, i think your paper will be great.



Leah's main idea: " I feel like we push ourselves to be this "cool" person, but what happens when its over? there nothing more than pure emptiness.

Leah:Yo have a very interesting idea going. I think you should add some evidence. Also add something like, viktor frankl and how he explained meaninglessness as a vaccum and we need to always put things in it to get a sense of a temporary happiness.. If you check out my blog post number 30 in the last paragrah, first couple sentences i quote him. you should read it and maybe add it to your paper. Also check your grammer for any little mistakes. Overall good job.

Ean: "everyone tries to be cool in their own way. sometimes changing themselves completely, but the end result will always be the same having some type of loneliness."

I think your main idea is good. i think you should make it sharper. Maybe you can say something, like, as we pursue this idea of cool, we forget what we value and no longer live our own way, but in a way that was paved throughout the years. This gives us a sense of satisfaction, but also makes us lonely in our lives.

one thing i suggest is to check your grammer, and add evidence to make your points sharp and true. overall, good start.

hw 34 the cool pose

In new york city, it is very easy to be considered cool and most of us are. We are surrounded by things that we want because we think it will give us that notification from others that allows us to be known as cool. the kid that buys prada shoes is cool because now he falls into this category of a kid that "gets paper". We are obsessed wht being stereotyped and stereotyping. meanwhile this kid as fresh as he looks may have many other problems in his life. What i noticed is that almost every year, there is a new thing. Like this year, it is all about polo. whoever has polo is "fresh" because since polo makes nice clothes and is expensive, you buying it makes you seem like you have money to spend on 80 dollar shirts. The kid who has polo isn't cool anymore though, once you wear it, you already establish yourself as cool. It has now become a competition, who can wear the most polo in one day. My friend the other day showed me a picture of his friend who had only polo clothing on. from the dress shirt to the hat, scarf, and shoes. He the says to me, "this kid is madd cool. look at how fresh he is." In the back of my mind i was like he probably doesnt even like the things he wears, he wears those thing to get notice and be accepted, after all he is asian going to a school in harlem with almost 5,000 kids, so if you don't stand out, you will spend your years in high school being unnoticed. Also having marmot jackets is considered cool now. It also highly symbolizes some trouble for some kids. I have seen kids and so has my friend. he tells me that if more than 4 kids with marmot jackets walks up to you, you better start running because they are planning to rob you. He has seen this very frequently. It seems like if you are with a group of kids that dress alike, that is your coolness. You are stereotyped as troublemakers, yet you never get caught and always get girls, and get fresh. You have nothing to lose which makes you cool because you are a badass.



I think that gender and race has a lot to do with being considered cool. If you are chinese, the chances of you being cool is very slim unless you drastically change your appearence with clothing or something to make you stand out. If you are black, it seems that you already have a head start, all you need now is some gucci shoes and some cargo pants, oh and the marmot jacket, then you are cool. You get respect. This is mainly something that men do. For women it can be the smae thing, but mainly for women it is how they look physically and how they interact with others, and sometimes some fresh clothes help.



In the article that i read called " a poverty of the mind", the author talks about how typically black males are flunking out of school and hanging out. This is a problem when people care more about what the look like and what they do in the present, rather than think about the future. Usually by them dropping out and hanging out with your crew everyday seems cooler than learning and being an intellectual and, as Andy said," having tons of money and buying all the prada shoes you want." Instead black kids in society wait for an oppritunity instead of pursuing something. They decide to take the easy way out, and become rappers and make it big. this isn't a problem if you do make it big. But majority who dont have to resort to other ways to make money, such as stealing and selling drugs. It is becoming sort of an epidemic that african americans can only do so much, and mainly follow their culture maps. Sort of like they evolved to follow the norms.