Journal 8

I have honestly enjoyed this class. Having had Professor Warren for my ENC1101 class made this class a little easier since I knew what to expect with her teaching style. I actually enjoyed the films we watched, as they really opened my eyes to things I wouldn’t have normally paid attention to. I would have to say the films Dive, Waiting for Superman, and Forgiving Dr. Mengele really touched my heart. I think being able to pick a topic from the films we watched also helped in my writings. For me, it is easier to write from my perspective rather than being given a topic and writing from that.

            The only thing a little challenging about the class was keeping up with the blogs. I didn’t mind posting and it was great to read other peoples perspectives, but keeping track of who and what essays I commented on was a little challenging. I’m still not sure I’m caught up on the comments! Overall I think the class went well. I believe if there were an easier way to track the comments, the class would have been perfect.

Teacher's Matter

I can recall every single one of my elementary school teachers. These particular teachers had such a huge impact on my learning experience. My favorite teacher was Mrs. K. Davis; she taught my second grade class. Mrs. Davis was very tall with long blonde hair and always dressed to impress! She was creative, a ton of fun, and most importantly, she truly cared about her students. She went out of her way to make every student feel accepted and to make sure everyone was on the same educational page. Mrs. Davis was an exceptional teacher. I can remember going back to visit her every year until my family moved across town. The teachers of today do not carry the same qualities as Mrs. Davis did, and sadly it reflects within the students. I am a firm believer that teachers make lasting impressions on their students. An exceptional teacher will make for an exceptional student.   

            Education is the most valuable tool a person can own. The higher the education, the further one will excel in life. America is not receiving the education it deserves. There are many factors that play into why the education system is failing Americans. First, I believe it starts at home with the parents. The parents have to do their job in helping to ensure their child is studying, doing their homework, understanding the work, and getting the help needed if their child doesn’t understand the work. The parents have to be involved in their children’s academics in order for their child to succeed. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to be actively involved in your child’s academic life. It’s easy to get too busy in life and expect your child to take it upon themselves to get their homework or their studying done on their own. The reality of it is, without the push from their parents, chances are the child will only dedicate half the time needed, if at all to their schoolwork. If the parents aren’t involved, the kids assume their parents don’t care and that’s where the downward spiral begins.

            I also believe teachers play a huge part in how successful a student can become. There are plenty of exceptional teachers out there such as Mrs. Davis, but there are just as many mediocre teachers. I can recall a teacher in middle school telling the class that she will get paid whether we pass the class or not. I now know this is true compliments of teacher tenure. “Teacher tenure is the increasingly controversial form of job protection that public school teachers in all states receive after 1-7 years on the job. As of 2008, 2.3 million teachers have tenure. Proponents of tenure argue that it protects teachers from being fired for personal or political reasons, and prevents the firing of experienced teachers to hire less expensive new teachers. They contend that since school administrators grant tenure, neither teachers nor teacher unions should be unfairly blamed for problems with the tenure system.” (Procon.org) While I certainly understand why teacher tenure was started in the 1800’s, I also know this is a different day and age and if teachers aren’t preforming then neither are the students they teach. Teachers of today have to be creative in their teachings if they want to make a difference and see their students excel. With our schools filled with a variety of students, we need quality teachers. Teachers, that truly care and not just there for a paycheck.

            “It is estimated that 7,000 students drop out of school every year, teachers account for about 60% of a student’s ability to succeed and students with higher performing teachers progressed three times as fast as those with low performing teachers (Oprah.com).” Given those statistics, it seems as though something needs to be done to fix our system. What I find even more shocking is that in 1971 it cost $4,300 per student and in 2010 the average cost per student has risen to $9,000 and yet there has been no improvement in reading and math scores since 1971!

            Now, I may not be a genius when it comes to fixing our educational system, but as a parent with two children in public schools, I do know that having an exceptional teacher matters. I also believe that the elementary and middle school teachers are the most important and influential teachers in our students lives. It is during this time our students are growing up and if the teachers can get them interested in learning and keep their attention, they have a more successful chance in excelling in their education. Teachers make more of an impact in our children’s lives than we realize. I know I had several teachers throughout my life that really inspired me to learn and I also had many teachers who didn’t. The one thing I do know is that teachers truly matter.

Journal 7

Wake up America

            Education is the key to a successful future. America needs to wake up and realize the future of the United States lies in the hands of our youth. It really saddens me that little can be done in our educational system to ensure our children’s future. America seems to think we are invincible and still the greatest nation, but if we are behind in our education, how can that be so? Education is the heart of our success.

            When it comes to education I am somewhat passionate. I wasn’t always as passionate since I am a statistic. I dropped out of school when I was only sixteen years old. My nana was sick, my sister lived in Tallahassee, and my mom was trying to work full time and take care of my nana. So I thought it best I quit school and do my part to help out. Now, here I am at the ripe age of 34, trying to finish my education.

            The school system has certainly changed since I was in school. I have two children in public schools and I’m very fortunate that one is in a magnet school and the other had the option to attend a somewhat passing school across town. Before my kids were sent to other schools, both were in failing schools. I can honestly say that the teachers my kids had weren’t that fabulous. Most were first or second year teachers who just didn’t have the patience to deal with the students. It takes a special kind of teacher to get through to the students of today. A teacher needs to be inspiring, caring, compassionate, patient and most importantly, have the passion to really want to teach and make a difference in a child’s life. With that said, having just learned about tenure, well, that really upsets me. Something needs to be done to rid the schools of the teachers who don’t care, the teachers that are just there for a paycheck. Because at the end of the day, our children are our future and if they aren’t properly educated, America will fall.  

Portrayal of Women

         The media, in its many forms, is a great way to stay up to date on current events around the world. However, the media is also responsible for its influence in the way women are portrayed. Society is easily influenced and the media is the greatest influencer. Women are told through the media that in order to be accepted socially, one must maintain their appearance. Women are under constant scrutiny to always look beautiful and to be thin; and if you aren’t thin enough, you aren’t attractive.  The portrayal of women in media is quite discrediting. Women have fought long and hard to have a voice, to be respected and to be considered as equals; and yet in the eyes of the media, we are no more than our physical appearance. What’s even more disheartening is that when a woman is considered “beautiful” and “intelligent,” her intelligence is overlooked because of her beauty.

            As a woman myself, and a not so little woman I might add, I do feel a constant pressure to look younger and be thinner. Most commercials are aimed at women with the next new thing in beauty products, or the next new diet fad. These same commercials feature mostly younger, thinner women and sometimes even celebrities selling the product as a way to make you want to try their products. The media has shaped the way we are supposed to look and completely overlook our brains.

            I remember my mom saying “you can only get by on your looks for so long, but your brain my dear will take you further than you ever expected.” Women have fought fiercely since the early 19^th century to be accepted as equals. Women have fought to prove that we are not just the pretty little housewives of the kitchen, but that we have brains that can be used to contribute to make our country more successful. However, the media doesn’t see women for their brains, only their beauty. Let’s take Sarah Palin for instance. She is a beautiful, intelligent woman who started her political career in 1992 earning a seat on the Wasilla City Council. From there she went on to become Mayor and eventually Governor of Alaska. Sarah was picked to be the Vice President running mate on the John McCain ticket in 2008. I think it’s safe to say, the media picked her apart with every mistake that may have been made and concentrated on her appearance. One day Sarah would be made fun of  in the media because of the way she spoke, criticized for her clothing the next day, and objectified as a sex object another day. It didn’t matter what she did, she was constantly under the eye of the media. Most of the media was negative, never concentrating on the good, positive, intelligent decision making that she had done as Governor. There are many more examples of this happening, this is just the most recent I can think of.

            The media shows you what it wants you to see. I understand that is their job. It is their job to promote all kinds of products, but being that they are highly influential they should also promote positive images for the young people of today. There should be some kind of balance. If the media insist on portraying women based on their physical appearance, they should also portray women based on their intelligence. Women are not the only ones the media targets. They portray men as the strong, masculine type, the money-makers of the family. If men don’t display this type of image then they are considered not manly enough.

            The media isn’t all bad they’re just out of balance. There are so many beautiful, intelligent women in our world, but they are short changed over their appearance. Condoleezza Rice, Hilary Clinton, and Brownie Wise are just a few that are very successful but often don’t receive the credit that’s due. Women may have fought long and hard to become accepted in a man’s world and sadly it seems we still have a ways to go.

Journal 6

Portrayal of Women

            After watching the movie Miss Representation, I had a lot of mixed emotions.  First, women have fought long and hard to have a voice, gain respect and be considered as equals, and yet the media continues to portray women as they see fit. It’s really quite concerning. As a woman, it’s hard enough living in these times of hardships, but then you have the media constantly reminding us that we have to look a certain way or act a certain way. It’s almost degrading.

            One of our classmates pointed out that women who enter the media field, whether it be film, modeling, or journalism, knew what they were getting into and therefore can’t be upset for the way they are portrayed. I can see why this classmate would think that, but most women don’t sign up to become sexually objectified, they sign up because they want to become rich and famous and some even hope to change the world by using their celebrity status. So what about the women in politics? The media objectifies them just as they do the women in film and modeling. My thought is this; women, no matter what profession they enter will always be scrutinized. Women have come such a long way since the early 1900’s, but still have a much longer way to go before we can truly be accepted for our brains, not just our beauty.

A Wasteful America

A Wasteful America

            Growing up, my parents and grandparents would always remind us to be grateful for the food provided and to always eat everything on the plate. Luckily, food portions were smaller in those days. I didn’t  know it then, but they were trying to teach us not to be wasteful of food. They understood the value of food, the value of leftovers. And boy did they love leftovers! I can remember my grandparents telling us that if we dare go back for a second helping, we had sure better eat every last piece on that plate since there were starving people all over the world and it would be wrong to waste food just because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We also were not allowed to leave the table until they examined the plate, the floor, the napkin, the dog’s food bowl or any other hiding place we may have found because our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs! Times have certainly changed and it seems as though America doesn’t value food as we once did.

            Did you know that millions of pounds of perfectly good food are being thrown away right now and I can’t help but wonder, why? Statistics show that the U.S is one of the world’s most wasteful societies, wasting 10 times the amount of food than Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia in a year’s time (Unwire). I can’t seem to wrap my head around what a wasteful nation we have become. What’s even more astonishing is that as we waste this perfectly good food, millions of people are going hungry. With the amount of food that is being thrown out, we shouldn’t have one hungry person in the world. The numbers are astronomical; 34 million tons of food waste was generated in 2010, nationwide food waste totaled $43 billion a year, over half of all food produced goes to waste, and the average American household throws away about 470 pounds of food a year (Pierce). When did it become acceptable to become so wasteful? As an American, I say it’s time to make changes; changes that will not only help feed the hungry but changes that will also help save our environment. There are some people out there trying to make a change, but it will take all of us to really make it effective.

            Dumpster divers, also known as freegans, are people trying to make a political statement by saving perfectly good food from reaching the landfill, which in return will help save the environment. Now I’m sure dumpster diving doesn’t sound very appetizing and of course it isn’t for everyone, but if you can get past the mental part of diving, there is plenty of good food to be saved. Let me give you another mental picture that might make dumpster diving more appealing. With everyday life happening, we often don’t think twice about where our trash ends up. Sure we know it goes to the landfill but what we aren’t thinking about is how much food waste is actually going there and ultimately damaging our environment. The EPA reported in 2010 that 33 million tons of food waste was sent to the landfill (Unwire). Did you know that as we waste food and send it to the landfill we are helping to increase global warming. Rotting food is quite toxic. It releases Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has 20 times the warming potential as carbon dioxide (Unwire).

Now having this information, I also feel it necessary to tell you that while garbage is garbage, hitting the right dumpster on the right night makes it a little less of the gross factor when dumpster diving. If you chose to become part of the political stance, there are a few rules that divers follow. Through social networking, divers notify each other of full dumpsters and the best times to go diving (McElroy). When one dives, they take only what they need and always clean up behind themselves, sometimes leaving the dumpster cleaner than what it was before they arrived (McElroy). You should also be careful of the no trespassing signs and always avoid locked dumpsters (McElroy). As you can see, there is certain etiquette to follow.

I understand that dumpster diving isn’t for everyone, but I firmly believe that everyone should do their part in trying to save perfectly good food. Americans has never been as wasteful as we are today. If we all followed the advice of our parents and grandparents by eating what we put on the plate and saving the rest for left overs, then in a small way we are helping. I think taking small steps start at home and will eventually spread. Just imagine the difference we could make if everyone in the world started this small step. We have the opportunity to make a difference and become the America that values food again. Let’s not take it for granted.

Journal 5

Dumpster diving has a whole new meaning to me after watching the film “Dive.” Mentally, when I hear the words dumpster diving, I automatically envision an old, dirty dumpster filled with smelly old garbage waiting to be rummaged through by homeless people and wild animals. I never would have envisioned an everyday person diving to save good food from going bad.

 I have never given any thought as to what happens to food in grocery stores when it hasn’t been sold by the “best by” or “sell by” date. I also never gave any thought as to what grocery stores do with damaged goods. Apparently, they just toss it in the trash. All of a sudden, dumpster diving has a new meaning. The film really opened my eyes as to how wasteful Americans are with food. What really caught my attention was when they stated in the film that America wastes 96 billion pounds of food a year and that waste could feed Haiti for 5 years. That to me is absolutely astonishing. It seems as though we all need to do our part in making sure good food isn’t getting wasted.