Last day of classes...

Today is technically the last day of classes. However, my last day of classes was Thursday. It does not feel like the last day at all. I feel like I'm going to wake up tomorrow at eight o'clock, as usual, and go to all my classes. I really can't believe it is over.

Today was my last day of work too. We had a little graduation for all the kids. It was really cute. I was happy because they all seemed to really enjoy it. We gave them each a diploma and an award. Also, since the parents were invited we had donuts, coffee, and juice for everyone. It was a lot of fun.

This semester went by so quick. I learned a lot, and I can't believe I'm already done with my freshman year in college. Time goes by way too fast.

Ipods...

I have had an ipod for about two years, but the last time I used it was about a year ago. So, the other day I decided to charge it, update the songs, and put it to use again. I am so happy I did this. It really makes walking by myself go by so much quicker. It even makes the walk more fun. While I was listening to it on the subway one thing I noticed was that so many people had them. This is because they really are so convenient. It is a little tiny device that can hold up to 1500 songs that you simply download from your computer. Using an ipod is so much easier than a portable CD player. A CD can only hold about eighteen songs. Therefore, when listening to a portable CD player your options are limited. However, with an ipod you have a huge variety or songs to choose from; without even switching a CD. The best part is that it is so simple to use. As a matter of fact, it is pretty self explanatory. I figured the whole thing out in about two minutes without even looking at the directions.

Another great thing about an ipod is that there are also games on it. This can make time go by so much quicker if you are sitting by yourself waiting for something. It is better than playing games on your phone because the battery on an ipod does not die as quick.

As time goes on they are coming up with more things for ipods. For example, they have speakers, ways to hook it up to a car, and many other things. An ipod really is a very useful device. I really enjoy using mine because it is so convenient to carry around since it is so small.

Second Spring Concert

I went to the spring concert last night too. However, this time I did not stay for the whole thing because I had something else I had to do. I stayed until after Ciara performed. The concert did not have as many people as the first night. I think that is because the people that were playing the second night weren't as well known, and because of all the chaos the night before.

I was kind of disappointed with Ciara. She performed really well. It really looked like she put a lot of energy into the show, but she did not sing very well. She barely sang at all the whole time. Her voice was in the background and she would talk the words to the audience. The good thing was her connection with the audience; she really seemed into her fans. I think it is important for a famous person to be like that with her fans because it makes the performance so much better. It gets the crowd really into what the performer is doing.

I heard that the rest of the show went really well. The other bands supposedly did a really good job too. However, I don't think I would have enjoyed it because I do not really listen to the type of music that they play.

Next year I hope the concerts go good too, and that they have good people both nights. And of course, I hope it is as organized as it was the second night this year.

Spring Concert

Last night was the spring concert. It was fun, but the beginning was so hectic. The workers made a mistake and they confused the lines. The people that had tickets were confused with the line that didn't. I was so frustrated because I was waiting online for almost three hours, and the people that did not even have tickets were barely waiting online. They even got into the concert before me, and I had my tickets for almost a week. The thing that really pissed me off the most was that the workers of the concert didn't even have the decency to say sorry to us about the mistake. They were getting mad at us, and told us that we had to calm down. I think they could have been a lot nicer about the situation. It was very cold last night and we waited for almost three hours for no reason because they told us all to move some where else, and the whole line got disorganized. The worst part was that I was pretty much in the front of the line, and I lost my spot. However, that really doesn't matter because I still had good seats at the concert.

The concert was really good. You could really tell the people put a lot of time and effort into it. It turned out to be really good. They said there were over two thousand people there. I just wish that it was a little more organized.

Spring Fling

Today I went to the spring fling on the great lawn. It was a carnival, and a lot of fun. It was perfect weather for something like that too. I went on a couple of the rides they had. The only thing that bothered me was that they ran out of a lot of stuff. I got there at two and they already ran out of all the food vouchers, and it was suppose to end at five. They said they only had one thousand vouchers. I thought that was pretty dumb because there are so many more than one thousand students in the school. Overall, I did have fun. It was very enjoyable to be outside on this really nice day, and the carnival was fun. The lines were really long to each thing, but it was still fun. I just hope that next year they are smarter and get more vouchers this way they can actually last the whole time.

Interview with Teddy Vega

Interview with Teddy Vega (He went to a single sex school.)

If you had to make the decision again to go to a single sex high school; would you make the same decision?
No, because it is more social if you had girls.

What was one way you benefited from going to a single sex school?
I became closer with my friends.

What was one disadvantage of going to a single sex school?
There were no girls

Did going to a single sex school have a negative affect on your social life, and in the way you interacted with members of the opposite sex?
Yes, very much.

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was not with you?
Less stress, I did not feel as if I had to impress anyone.

Six Flags Great Adventure

I just ordered my Six Flags season pass for this year. I get one every year. It is really good because it is only ninety dollars, and every time you go it is free because you have this pass. The best part is it pays for itself in less than two visits because a regular admission ticket is fifty five dollars. So, since I go a lot each year it is definitely worth it.

I'm happy it is opened again. I go there a lot every year with my friends because it is only about an hour away from my house. I find it really fun because I really enjoy going on roller coasters. However, I have been on almost every roller coaster there about (at least) ten times each, but I still have a lot of fun every time I go.

One thing I do not like about Six Flags is waiting on the really long lines; to get on one ride usually takes about three hours. There is no way to go on all the rides in one day. The lines are really frustrating; especially during the summer when it is extremely hot out.

Out of all the rides at Six Flags there are two that I refuse to go on: the ferris wheel and free fall. This is because I am afraid of heights and for these two rides you can clearly see how high up you are. I went on the ferris wheel at other places a couple of times, and I absolutely hated it, but the thing I hated even more was when we were at the very top my friends decided to shake it to scare me.

My favorite rides at Six Flags are: El Torro, Medusa, and Nitro. This is because they are both very smooth, and are not over extremely fast. When I wait in line for these rides it really does seem worth it.

I really like going to Six Flags every year. Even though I go a lot I never get sick of it. However, I still I hope I get to go to other amusement parks too this summer.

Schools almost over...

I really can't believe school is almost over. This semester went by extremely fast; I feel like it just started. Actually, I feel like this year just started. It feels like yesterday that I was nervous about moving into my dorm room. I remember it so clearly. I barely went to sleep the night before. I was so scared to meet my roommates. It's so funny how much has changed since then. Now my roommates are some of my best friends. Plus, now I cannot imagine living home for four months straight. It is going to be so different to be around my parents and sisters constantly; instead of my roommates. It is actually nice being at school and waking up with your friends around you all the time. The bond you form with people you live with is different than a regular friendship. You begin to know everything about each other, and even wear off on each other. I often find myself doing or saying things my roommates would normally say. Honestly, if I could I would stay here for the summer.

Of course, I miss my friends from home. However, I do see them often because I am able to go home a lot since I do not live very far. They can also easily visit me which is nice.

I can't believe I will be going home soon, and that there are only around three classes left for all of my classes. I feel like school just begun, and now it is almost done. In a way I hope my next couple years in school go by this quick, but in a way I don't because I don't want it to be over so soon.

Functional sex differences in the human brain

Since the advent of functional MRI scans in the late 1980's, scientists have been able to study what areas of the brain are active when people engage in particular activities. These studies have shown that women and men process information, listen, read, and experience emotion in very different ways. We'll consider three examples: language, navigation, and emotion.

Language. Neuro-radiologist Joseph Lurito asked female and male volunteers to listen to a John Grisham novel. He mapped what areas of the brain "lit up" in each volunteer while they were listening. His findings, released in November 2001, were striking. Women use both the right and left hemispheres in processing language; men use only the left hemisphere.

Navigation. Psychologists have found that females and males use different strategies when they are navigating. Ask a woman how to get to a friend's house, and she may tell you something like, "Go down Elm Street till you see the McDonald's. Then make a left, go past the hardware store and the Exxon station, then you'll see the elementary school. Make a right just past the elementary school and go about another block till you see a split level house painted lime green, with these unbelievable fuchsia shutters and trim, can you believe it? It looks like a gingerbread house after the mold has gotten to it. That's their house." A man, giving directions to the same house, might say, "Go south on Elm Street about two miles, then turn left so you're heading east on Duke Street. After one mile on Duke Street, turn south again onto Scottsdale Boulevard. Their house is the fourth from the intersection, on the left." See the difference? Women typically navigate using landmarks that can be seen or heard. Men are more likely to use abstract concepts such as north and south, or absolute distance.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-brain.htm

Interview with Kristina Smirnova

Interview with Kristina Smirnova (She went to a coed high school.)

If you had to make the decision again to go to a coed high school; would you make the same decision?
Yes, I would make the same decision.

What was one way you benefited from going to a coed school?
I learned life lessons having to deal with both sexes. I was able to experience real situations with everyone; not just girls.

What was one disadvantage of going to a coed school?
There was a lot of romantic drama between the two sexes that people got caught up in. This had a negative affect on their schoolwork.

Did going to a coed school make you feel as if you had to impress the opposite sex in the way you looked, or in your performance in school?
In a way yes because when you go to a coed school there is a lot of attention and pressure from both sexes; not just one.

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was constantly with you?
It did not make a difference to me. The opposite sex had no affect on my school work.

Interview with Andrew Velez

Interview with Andrew Velez (He went to a single sex school.)

If you had to make the decision again to go to a single sex high school; would you make the same decision?
I would probably decide to go to a coed one because there I could make more female friends, not saying I don’t have a lot already, but during my years in high school I was around guys a lot, and a little more female exposure would have been better

What was one way you benefited from going to a single sex school?
Well I believe that if I went to a coed school, I wouldn’t have focused on my work as much as I did in my high school, I also developed a strong friendship wit my other classmates, something I don’t think would have happened with girls in the picture.

What was one disadvantage of going to a single sex school?
Too many guys, even though I made friends with them, it was a bit annoying going to school everyday and seeing nothing except males.

Did going to a single sex school have a negative affect on your social life, and in the way you interacted with members of the opposite sex?
No I don’t think it had a negative effect on my social life, and it affected me, because I was a little more pressed to talk to girls, when I wasn't in school.

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was not with you?
Less stressed; because if there were girls there, you wouldn’t want to appear stupid to them, so I think I would try a little harder.

Interview with Amina Brown

Interview with Amina Brown (She went to a single sex high school.)

If you had to make the decision again to go to a single sex high school; would you make the same decision?
Now that I went to a single sex school I would have definitely made the same decision, but beforehand I saw it differently because I wanted to be around boys.

What was one way you benefited from going to a single sex school?
It was definitely a learning experience. It taught me to be around girls and deal with all types of attitude. It also helped me to stay focused because if boys were there I know I would have been distracted. Another advantage is that I did not have to do my hair all the time. I did not have to worry about what I looked like at all. I looked like a bum all the time.

What was one disadvantage of going to a single sex school?
One disadvantage was being around girls all the time. I had to deal with their attitudes.

Did going to a single sex school have a negative affect on your social life, and in the way you interacted with members of the opposite sex?
No, not at all. I still talked to boys. Actually, there was a boy school right down the block from me that we interacted with all the time.

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was not with you?
I felt less stress, but if they were there they would have been a distraction in the classroom because they always made me laugh and not pay attention.

The news...

Today I heard about the shooting in Virginia Tech. When I first heard it I really did not believe what I was hearing. I could not believe that about thirty people were killed and a little less than thirty were in critical condition. I can not even imagine that happening. This is considered to be the worst shooting in history.

I just really don't understand how someone is capable of doing that. How can someone plan on killing people like that? This whole situation really had an impact on me. I guess it is because I realize that it is something that can happen. The people it happened to were people exactly like me; they were college students. The students were doing their daily routines just like I would do. It's so shocking. It is something that will never be forgotten. It is all over the news, and the main conversation going on. Everyone is shocked by this horrible incident. I could not believe something this tragic can happen. I hope nothing like this gets repeated. It seems like something that would only be seen in a movie. I'm still in shock over it and I heard about it so many times in one day. It really is so upsetting. No one deserves to die or become injured over that. It is not right at all.

Final Draft of Proposal

When choosing a high school, one decision that has to be made is whether to go to a coed or single sex school. There are many discrepancies on whether a single sex school is more beneficial for students or not. I went to a coed elementary school; however, for high school I decided to go to a single sex school. I do not regret going to either of these schools. I truly enjoyed them, but I do not know if this really is the best choice for teenage boys and girls; there are many controversies about it. During my research project I will try and discover whether a coed or same sex school is favorable for teenage boys and girls. Is going to a single sex school beneficial for boys, but not girls? Or is it the other way around? Should young adults really be in an environment without people from the opposite sex? Is it okay for boys or girls to only be interacting with members of the same gender during most of the day? The next problem is that sometimes it can be difficult to socialize and interact with people of the opposite sex if they are not around you constantly. Therefore, does going to a single sex school have a negative affect on a person’s social behavior? There are many questions that need to be answered before a person makes a decision on whether or not they would like to go to a single sex school.

By doing this paper I would like to find out all the answers to these questions. I would like to discover which gender is more affected by going to a single sex school. Also, I would like to learn how a single sex school affects the personalities of each sex. In order to show the class my results I will write a research paper. The paper will discuss some results that psychologists obtained from this study. It will also demonstrate how going to a single sex school can have an impact on a person’s personality, and on how the students may act during class. One thing that I found very shocking is that going to a single sex school can even change a person’s performance in school.

In order to make my research project possible I will have to acquire a lot of information about single sex schools, and the affect it has on the students that go to them. Since there were many research projects done on this topic, I will study those projects. Then, I will discover what the results were. Next I will record, discuss, and compare the different conclusions that were found. Finally, I will interview a couple different people that went to coed schools, and a couple people that went to single sex schools. This will help me clarify what I found from the research other people have done. I will keep all the information I find in my commonplace book on my blog. This will help me stay organized because all of my information will be in one place. In order to make this research paper possible I will need to spend most of my time on the computer and interviewing people to obtain the information I need. Also, if I find any articles in a newspaper or magazine I will cut them out and place them in my plastic folder that I have for this class. This folder and my commonplace book on my blog will help me organize my information for this research project. It will also help me have easy access to all my information at any time since it will all be in one place.

Final Draft of Reflection Paper

During elementary and high school, writing was never my favorite thing. I always preferred answering Math questions or doing work that had a definite answer. However, this class let me see writing a little differently. It showed me that the more you write, the better you can get. Also that it does not matter what you write about, as long as you write. It even showed me that I didn’t have to go digging for information in a library in order to find research for a report. The first report I wrote in this class was about tanning. Doing this report really taught me about my writing. It showed me what I needed help with, and what I should try and focus on while writing.

The first thing I learned I needed help with was the flow of my report. I have to focus more on how to get all my thoughts and information to go together. For example, I need to get the paragraph before to go with the one after. In order to do this I should add transitions from paragraph to paragraph. Another way to improve the flow of the paper would be by combining more sentences in order to get the writing to go together better. For instance, I should add conjunctions to make two sentences into one. This will help me with my writing, which will make the report easier for the reader to understand, and will help the reader become more interested in what the writer is discussing in the paper.

Another thing I learned from writing the paper on tanning is that I should provide as many examples as possible when writing. This gives the reader a better idea of what is going on in the paper. It will provide the reader with more vivid explanations about what they are reading.

From writing that one paper on tanning I learned about the strengths and weaknesses I possess as a writer. Now I know what I should focus on for my next paper. I am very happy we were able to revise the paper. Moreover, that we were able to acquire input from classmates and from the professor on how we can improve it. I never had the opportunity to do this before in a writing class, and I definitely benefited from it.

A study done showed...

June 2005:
In June 2005, researchers at Cambridge University released results of a four-year study of gender differences in education. The researchers investigated hundreds of different schools, representing a wide variety of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, seeking to identify strategies which improved performance of both girls and boys while narrowing the gender gap between girls and boys. What makes this study really unique is that the researchers did not merely observe and document what they found; they then intervened, and attempted to graft those strategies onto other, less successful schools. A total of 50 schools were involved either as "originator schools" (schools which had successfully improved student performance while narrowing the gender gap) or "partner schools" (less successful schools onto which the "originator" strategies were grafted). One of those strategies was single-sex education. These researchers found that the single-sex classroom format was remarkably effective at boosting boys' performance particularly in English and foreign languages, as well as improving girls' performance in math and science. Here is how Dr. Sax (director of NASSPE) summarized the report in his newsletter to NASSPE e-subscribers (if you would like to be on our e-mailing list, please send us an e-mail):

The full report contains many fascinating insights from students and teachers. Consider this comment from one of the boys in the single-gender class: "We don't just do war poems and Macbeth, we do Wordsworth too. It's a challenge, in a way, which Mr J sets us to show the girls we're capable of doing it, but I couldn't talk about these things if there were girls there!" (p. 85)

"Interviews with [these] 'non-macho' boys suggest that these boys did not feel exposed in single-sex classes. . . .Such boys told us - without exception - that they felt at ease and comfortable, that they did not experience bullying or aggressive behaviour from other boys, and that they were not intimidated by the atmosphere in all-boys' classes." (p. 86)

Returning to grades and test scores: There are three categories of evidence:
1. Major nationwide studies, involving tens or hundreds of thousands of students, in countries such as Australia or the United Kingdom where single-sex public education is widely available;
2. "Before and after" studies, examining a particular school or schools before and after the introduction of single-sex classrooms. Because these studies usually involve no change in resources -- the facilities and student-teacher ratios are the same before and after the switch -- the school serves as its own control;
3. Academic studies, in which investigators study coed and single-sex schools while attempting to control for extraneous variables

http://privateschool.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=privateschool&cdn=education&tm=11&gps=234_1048_796_430&f=00&su=p532.8.150.ip_p554.2.150.ip_p284.5.420.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.singlesexschools.org/

Three Reasons for Choosing a Single Sex School

Three Reasons for Choosing a Single Sex School

Your child's happiness is one of the most important factors in selecting a school. Here are three reasons why a single sex school might prove to be the best choice for your son or daughter.

1. Competition

Boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more collaborative in a single sex setting. They can just be 'boys' and not worry about what the 'girls' might think.

Girls drop their shyness and begin to take risks in a single sex setting. They become more competitive. They embrace sports like field hockey and soccer with gusto without worrying about appearing like tom boys.

2. Academics

Girls relax enough to feel comfortable exploring non-traditional subjects such as mathematics, advanced sciences, computers and technology, wood-working and so on. Boys participate in choirs and orchestras and learn Latin in single sex settings. These are just a few examples of how children will break out of their stereotypical roles and behavior when they are left to their own devices. Single sex education has a delightful way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic - in short, to just be themselves.

3. Socialization

Boys have always felt a need to impress girls in the classroom. Girls usually feel as though the boys are always teasing them. Surely there is enough time in college and in later life to deal with social and other kinds of intercourse? I feel very strongly that children are subjected to an avalanche of pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Let them be children for a few more years. Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social outlets is just the ticket for many children. Maybe it's right for your child.

http://privateschool.about.com/cs/choosingaschool/a/singlesex.htm

Survey for People that Went to a Coed School

If you had to make the decision again to go to a coed high school; would you make the same decision?

What was one way you benefited from going to a coed school?

What was one disadvantage of going to a coed school?

Did going to a coed school make you feel as if you had to impress the opposite sex in the way you looked, or in your performance in school?

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was constantly with you?

Survey for People that Went to a Single Sex School

If you had to make the decision again to go to a single sex high school; would you make the same decision?

What was one way you benefited from going to a single sex school?

What was one disadvantage of going to a single sex school?

Did going to a single sex school have a negative affect on your social life, and in the way you interacted with members of the opposite sex?

Did you feel more or less stress on doing well in your schoolwork knowing that the opposite sex was not with you?

Class Cancelled

It is raining outside, and since I hate the rain I didn't even want to walk outside and go to class. However, I still did. I walked all the way to class in the pouring rain and became soaked. Then as soon as I got there I noticed the class only had around seven other people in it, and for this class this is weird. Yet, I still managed to think positive; that I did not walk all the way there for no reason. I thought that people were just late because of the rain, but after waiting about fifteen more minutes noone else was showing up. My class was cancelled. Normally I would be happy by this, but since I walked all the way there and became completely wet and cold I really wanted to have class. I did not want to do all that for no reason. Unfortuanately, I did. I walked all the way there to be disappointed because almost noone else was there.

The thing that makes this situation even worse is that I have a class right after the one that just got cancelled, and since it is still raining I do not want to walk back and forth. So, I have nothing to do for about an hour and a half. I really wish the teacher e-mailed all his students ahead of time saying that class was cancelled. This would have beneffited everyone; esspecially the commuters that traveled all the way here from very far away.

The only good thing that came out of my class being cancelled is that I was able to get the notes that I missed from the day before while I was waiting for the teacher. However, this was not worth waking up early and walking in the pouring rain because I know I could have got the notes at another time.

Easter...

Today is Easter Sunday, and I am doing the same thing that I do every year. My parents woke up really early so they could start cooking the HUGE meal they make. Then many people from my family come over and we have dinner together. We usually start eating at three. I really enjoy it because I get to see some of my family members that live about five hours away, and we get to spend time together. I do not get to see them often because it is hard to find times that are convenient for everyone with work and school to travel all the way there and back, so when I do see them I am very happy. Also when we are together we all have a lot of fun together and really enjoy ourselves. We all laugh and talk at the table.

This year my mom made salad, raviolis, ham, stuffed mushrooms, and a bunch of other stuff. The meal ends up being around five courses and lasts forever. Then we have dessert which my family brings a bunch of different things to have. Plus, my mom made cheesecake and has a couple other things. After having Easter at our house we usually have enough food for another two weeks.

I really like spending the time with my family, and I am happy to be home for this little break.

Project Autobiography

My research project is on single sex schools. I would like to gain knowledge on the positive and negative effects of same sex schools on males and females. I do not believe that the results will be identical for both genders. Maybe same sex schools will be beneficial for girls, but not for boys. Another thing I would like to discover is whether or not a single sex school has a negative affect on an individual’s social behaviors. There are a couple of different reasons why I chose this topic, and why I would like to acquire this information.

The first reason I chose this topic of single sex schools is because I went to a single sex high school. It was my decision to go to this school, but for some of my friends it was their parents or guardians compelling them to go. They believed it was the best thing for their children because they thought it would give their child the best opportunity for them to work to their full capability. However, I would like to know if the parents were really making the best decision for their children.

I enjoyed going to my high school, and the fact that it was a single sex school. Since there were no boys I was able to go to school everyday without worrying about what I looked like. Most of the time the girls in my school did not wear make up or do their hair, while girls that I saw at coed schools got completely ready every morning. Besides the benefit of not worrying about my appearance I was also able to form great friendships with the girls in my class. Without boys around us all the time we were able to talk more about ourselves and things we all may have in common. For example, we were able to have conversations about our boyfriends or about personal issues without worrying about a boy over hearing. Of course there were times I wished I went to a coed school where I would be able to have things like homecoming, boy sports teams, and even boys in the classroom to make jokes, but when I think of all the good times I had with my class I definitely would not change my decision.

There is one time that stands out in my mind that made me notice a huge difference in going to a coed and going to a single sex school. This was my Junior year of high school when my boyfriend and I broke up. We were together for a long period of time; therefore, I was very upset. I did not even want to go to school the next day, but I had to. When I got to school that morning I thought I was going to get asked many questions on what happened and why we broke up, but this did not happen at all. My whole class baked brownies, cake, and cookies to make me feel better, and to help me get my mind off of it. They did not ask me questions because all they were worried about was making me happy. The only things they would say are “boys are stupid” and “don’t worry about it.” They did not expect me to explain anything to them until I was ready. This really gave me the opportunity to fully appreciate my decision of going to a single sex school because I know this would not have been able to occur in a coed school.

The next reason why I chose this topic is because my little sister is trying to choose what high school she would like to go to. Even though I believe going to a single sex school benefited me and helped me mature, I would like to know if this would be the best option for her. Therefore, I will try and obtain as much information as possible to facilitate her decision.

When I tell a person that I went to a single sex school it usually results in them having a shocking facial expression. Then, it commonly leads to a controversy on whether a single sex school is beneficial, and they soon ask why I wanted to be in a single sex environment. Hopefully, by doing this project I will learn more about single sex schools, and how they affect males and females. This will help me explain to others why I wanted to be in this type of environment for high school. It will even help me assist others while they make their decision on what type high school to go to; a coed or single sex school.

Proposal

When sending your child to school one decision that has to be made is whether to send them to a coed or single sex school. There are many discrepancies on which one of these is more beneficial for students. I went to a coed elementary school; however, for high school I decided to go to a single sex school. I do not regret going to either of these schools. I truly enjoyed them, but I do not know if this really is the best choice for teenage boys and girls. There are many controversies about it. During my research project I will try and find out what really is favorable for teenage boys and girls. Is going to a single sex school beneficial for boys, but not girls? Or is it the other way around? Should young adults really be in an environment without people from the opposite sex? Is it okay for boys or girls to only by interacting with members of the same gender during most of the day? The next problem is that sometimes it is hard to meet and become friends with people of the opposite sex if they are not around you constantly. Therefore, does going to a single sex school have a negative affect on a person’s social behaviors? There are many questions that need to be answered before a person makes a decision on whether or not they want to go to a single sex school.

I would like to find out which gender is more affected by going to a single sex school. Also I would like to discover how a single sex school affects the personalities of each gender. In order to show the class my results I will write out a research paper. In addition, I will show a short video based on the results that psychologists obtained from this study. In the video I will make a script and show a single sex classroom with girls and then boys. Next, I will show a coed classroom. This will show how being around the opposite gender has an impact on a person’s personality. The viewer will be able to see what it is like in a single sex classroom and a coed classroom, and how it can change the way males and females may act. It can even change a person’s performance in school. I will be making a video because I think it will be clearer to the viewers since they are seeing it instead of just reading it. If someone sees something first hand I think it gives them a better understanding of what it is like to experience it than just reading a paper about it. Another reason why I am making the video is because I think it will make the topic more interesting to the audience.

In order to make my research project possible I will have to acquire a lot of information about single sex schools and the affect it has on the students that go to them. First, I will research what tests have been done by other people, and what their results were. Then I will interview a couple different people that went to coed schools, and a couple people that went to single sex schools. I will keep all the information I find in my commonplace book on my blog. This will help me stay organized because all of my information will be in one place. I will need to spend most of my time at home on the computer to find the information, or just by talking to people. Also, if I find any articles in a newspaper or magazine I will cut it out and place it in my plastic folder that I have for this class. This folder and my commonplace book on my blog will help me organize my information for this research project. It will also help me have easy access to all my information at any time since it will all be in one place.

Wireless Internet...

I'm finally home for Easter break which I am pretty happy about. However, the one thing that is annoying is that my family just got some new type of internet, and now I do not have wireless when I come home. This bothers me because I can't be in my room on my computer anymore. I have to be right next to my sister's computer. Therefore, when we are both on the computer we have to be right next to eachother on the same desk, which is very aggravating because my sister and I are very different. We get along, but she is the complete opposite of me. For example, we both like very different types of music, and we both do different things for fun. So, if we both want to listen to music when we are on the computer it sometimes results in an argument. I can't wait until we get the wireless internet fixed for my laptop. It will make things so much easier.

The next problem with that is that I already have three computers in my house that are all connected by wire, and one other laptop that the wireless works on. So, if I add my computer to that I am nervous that the connection will be slow if all the computers are online at the same time. I hope the amount of computers does not affect how quick the internet is.

My main concern right now is that all of this is fixed by the time I come home for summer break. This is because I think that this will get very annoying by the second week of summer if it is not taken care of.

Reign Over Me

This weekend I saw the movie Reign Over Me. I really liked it a lot. It was based on someone who lost his whole family on 9/11. He lost his three daughters and his wife on a plane. The man lost himself when he lost his family. He did not want to remember loosing his family, so he would act like it did not happen. Then one day he ran into his old college roommate. This changed him. His college roommate gave him the opportunity to open up. He even tried to get him to get help to make him feel a little better about the whole thing.

I think this movie was more appropriate than the movies Flight 93 and World Trade Center. This is because I think those movies came out too early, and were too graphic. This movie was more about the hard time the man had to go through when he lost everything on 9/11; not about the actual incident. Another reason why I liked it is because more people can relate to it. It does not have to strictly be about 9/11.

Pupils at Single-Sex Schools Excel, Research Shows

Coed can be no ed

Children who attend single-sex schools score higher on tests, stay out of trouble and are more willing to study a wider range of subjects than pupils in coeducational schools, researchers report.

"I will admit that separating students by sex is not an ideal way to prepare boys and girls for personal and public lives," Rosemary C. Salomone, a St. John's University law professor and researcher, told the Washington Times' Ellen Sorokin.

Research shows that girls in single-sex schools have more confidence and are afforded more leadership opportunities than they would have in coed schools, the Times and Fox News Channel reported Thursday. And boys studying in an all-male setting are more apt to be encouraged to participate in the arts and do volunteer work in their communities.

Before World War II, in recognition of the obvious fact that mixing teenage boys with teenage girls in a secondary setting created unnecessary distractions not conducive to a studious environment, few secondary parochial schools were coed.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/2/155112.shtml

Single Sex Schools

In proposed changes to Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in
education, the Bush administration wants to encourage creation of single-sex public schools and classes.Our studies of sexism in America's education system have praised private single-sex schools becausethey offer the promise that education can transform the future of girls. Girls who attend these schools speak more freely in class, are more likely to major in math and science, and perhaps most encouraging,are more likely to attend college and graduate school.

There were anecdotal reports that the girls enjoyed being in an environment free of sexual harassment and classroom interruptions, while the boys' schools degenerated into a disciplinary disaster, becoming little more than
magnets for troubled youth.

http://www.sadker.org/SingleSexSchools.pdf

Going home...

Today I am going home for one night. I live in Staten Island, which is not too far, so it is easy for me to go back and forth between home and school. However, it is kind of frustrating because it takes a while to travel on public transportation. When I get picked up it only takes me around forty minutes to get home, but when I take public transportation it takes me about two and a half to three hours. This is because first I need to take a bus to a subway. Then I have to go to another subway. Next I have to go on the ferry, and finally I need to go on a train. Everything really adds up, but it isn't that bad to do.

I just wish there was one bus that went straight there all the time and not only during the week. The bus I am talking about is not the buses with the MTA bus system. It is a shuttle bus that is provided to St. John's students that goes from the campus in Queens to the one in Staten Island. This shuttle makes traveling home so much easier. The shuttle bus ride is about an hour and then I have someone pick me up at the campus in Staten Island. I just wish they had this on Saturday and Sunday because sometimes I can't go home on Friday.

The only thing St. John's has on Saturday is a shuttle bus that goes to Forty Second Street in the city. This shuttle is very convenient too. It takes you right to the movie theaters and then it can even take you back to school for free. My friends and I use this shuttle all the time.

I really use the shuttle system here, but I just wish they ran everyday and more frequently.

Titanic

This may seem kind of weird, but for the first time two days ago I saw the movie Titanic. Whenever I say that everyone is usually shocked. They usually say, "Where have you been your whole life... Do you live under a rock?" But I finally saw it, and now that I actually saw it I understand why everyone really liked it.

I thought the movie was really good. However, it was really sad. No one even thought that the ship would sink, so when it happened everyone was so unprepared. There wasn't even enough life boats for half of the boat. However, this is because people that were not first class were considered unimportant. This is so unfair and I am happy things are not completely like that anymore.

Another thing about the movie I really liked was that it seemed so realistic. They even used cold water during the making of the film to make the actors and actresses look cold. The camera shots were done really well and as a viewer I got really into the movie.

Pictures...

I really enjoy taking pictures. I think that looking at a picture is the best way to remember something. I always used to carry around a camera and take random pictures with my friends. Then, once I got the pictures developed I would organize them in order of what they were taken in a photo album and put the date of when the pictures were taken.

Whenever me and my friends look back on these pictures we always laugh because we remember the story behind each picture. It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. We can really go on for hours about one picture of us. We talk about the day and what we remember happening around the time of the picture. It really ends up being a lot of fun.

Another thing we do with these pictures is compare how we look now to when the picture was taken. Some of my friends really changed a lot, but I didn't. I pretty much look the same since like seventh grade. However, some of my friends look completely different.

I love looking at pictures and remembering things that happened in the past. It's fun to talk about old times with friends. The best thing to do to remind you about the past and all those good times is to look at pictures that you have. Therefore, I always try to take as many pictures as possible.

Sick...

I am so happy it is supposed to be 73 degrees out tomorrow. It is like spring is finally here. I love spring; it is my favorite season. However, now I am sick so I am upset. I have a bad headache, sour throat, and I just feel really tired. I also have a book report due in a class Thursday that I do not want to do because I feel so tired. Being sick really is not good. It makes you so lazy and you definitely do not work as well if you are sick.

I can't wait until this week is over, and until I feel better. This week is going by very slow and it is only Monday. I just can't wait for the weekend and I hope that it is nice over the weekend too.

Work Canceled

I was home this whole weekend and I came back really early today because I was supposed to have work at five. If I didn't come back really early I would not be able to get a ride back in time for work. So, I am really annoyed because now they just canceled the meeting we were supposed to have for work twenty minutes before it was supposed to start which means I came back for no reason. Plus, what I really was supposed to be doing today is going to visit my uncle and a couple other people from my family that I have not been able to see for a while because they live kind of far from me.

I do not think that it was right that my boss waited twenty minutes before work to tell us that it was canceled. I was all ready to leave and as I was about to leave I got a phone call saying that it was canceled. I thought this was very unprofessional and inconsiderate of everyone else that changed their plans in order to make time to go.

NCLB

No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, signed into law by President Bush on Jan. 8, 2002, is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the central federal law in pre-collegiate education. The ESEA, first enacted in 1965 and last reauthorized in 1994, encompasses Title I, the federal government's flagship aid program for disadvantaged students.
Coming at a time of wide public concern about the state of education, the legislation sets in place requirements that reach into virtually every public school in America.

As the newest incarnation of the ESEA, the No Child Left Behind Act has expanded the federal role in education and become a focal point of education policy. Coming at a time of wide public concern about the state of education, the legislation sets in place requirements that reach into virtually every public school in America. It takes particular aim at improving the educational lot of disadvantaged students.

At the core of the No Child Left Behind Act are a number of measures designed to drive broad gains in student achievement and to hold states and schools more accountable for student progress. They represent significant changes to the education landscape (U.S. Department of Education, 2001).

* Annual testing. By the 2005-06 school year, states must begin testing students in grades 3-8 annually in reading and mathematics. By 2007-08, they must tests students in science at least once in elementary, middle, and high school. The tests must be aligned with state academic standards. A sample of 4th and 8th graders in each state must also participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing program in reading and math every other year to provide a point of comparison for state test results.

* Academic progress. States must bring all students up to the "proficient" level on state tests by the 2013-14 school year. Individual schools must meet state "adequate yearly progress" targets toward this goal (based on a formula spelled out in the law) for both their student populations as a whole and for certain demographic subgroups. If a school receiving federal Title I funding fails to meet the target two years in a row, it must be provided technical assistance and its students must be offered a choice of other public schools to attend. Students in schools that fail to make adequate progress three years in a row must also be offered supplemental educational services, including private tutoring. For continued failures, a school would be subject to outside corrective measures, including possible governance changes.

* Report cards. Starting with the 2002-03 school year, states must furnish annual report cards showing a range of information, including student-achievement data broken down by subgroup and information on the performance of school districts. Districts must provide similar report cards showing school-by-school data.

* Teacher qualifications. By the end of the 2005-06 school year, every teacher in core content areas working in a public school must be "highly qualified" in each subject he or she teaches. Under the law, "highly qualified" generally means that a teacher is certified and demonstrably proficient in his or her subject matter. Beginning with the 2002-03 school year, all new teachers hired with federal Title I money must be "highly qualified." By the end 2005-06 school year, all school paraprofessionals hired with Title I money must have completed at least two years of college, obtained an associate's degree or higher, or passed an evaluation to demonstrate knowledge and teaching ability. That requirement is already in effect for newly hired paraprofessionals.

* Reading First. The act creates a new competitive-grant program called Reading First, funded at $1.02 billion in 2004, to help states and districts set up "scientific, research-based" reading programs for children in grades K-3 (with priority given to high-poverty areas). A smaller early-reading program seeks to help states better prepare 3- to 5-year-olds in disadvantaged areas to read.

* Funding changes. Through an alteration in the Title I funding formula, the No Child Left Behind Act is expected to better target resources to school districts with high concentrations of poor children. The law also includes provisions intended to give states and districts greater flexibility in how they spend a portion of their federal allotments.

Given its scope and detail, the No Child Left Behind Act has been the source of considerable controversy and debate in the education community. As the law’s effects begin to be felt—particularly with 11,008 schools identified as needing improvement in 2004-2005—some educators and policymakers have questioned the feasibility and fairness of its goals and time frames.

An opinion poll released in December 2003 found that nearly half of school principals and superintendents view the federal legislation as either politically motivated or aimed at undermining public schools. Likewise, a recent study Policy Analysis for California suggests that, because of its requirement to evaluate school progress on the basis of demographic subgroups, the law may disproportionately penalize schools with diverse student populations (Public Agenda, 2003; Policy Analysis for California Education, 2003).

Other education leaders, however, have expressed support for the law’s stringent accountability mandates, characterizing them as vital levers of change, inclusiveness, and transparency of results. The laws’ ultimate effectiveness, some observers have argued, may depend on how closely states and schools stick to its principles of "tough accountability" (Education Trust, 2003; West & Peterson, 2003).

A related controversy has swirled around funding for the far-reaching legislation. Some commentators have argued that federal support for the law is not commensurate with its demands and that compliance may place undue financial burdens on states and schools (Center on Education Policy, 2003; Mathis, 2003). Opponents have frequently characterized the law as an "unfunded mandate."

In response, federal officials have pointed to increases in Title I spending and new money to pay for testing as evidence of the government’s financial commitment to the law. They have also charged that the states have not taken full advantage of the federal funds available to them (Department of Education, 2003). Others have added that the accountability measures prescribed by No Child Left Behind Act may themselves help ensure that education resources are used more efficiently (West & Peterson, 2003).

Behind the policy debates, the states have been trudging forward in their efforts to comply with varied requirements the No Child Left Behind Act. In a survey of the states conducted for Quality Counts 2004, Education Week found that, while some are struggling to mesh their existing accountability systems with the federal law, all of the states now rate schools based on whether they are making "adequate yearly progress" under the act. In addition, 43 states are publishing report cards showing test results for each of the student categories required under the law.

One concern highlighted by the survey is whether states will have the capacity to help all the schools identified as missing adequate yearly progress targets. For the 2003-04 school year, 36 states planned to provide assistance to such schools, according to the survey. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia had consequences in place for consistently low-performing schools for 2003-04.

States were also struggling to meet the law’s testing requirements. According to Quality Counts 2004, only 20 states are testing in English and math in the required grades for 2003-04, inching up from 19 in 2002-03.

On the teacher quality front, many states have been trying to develop workable standards for the "highly qualified" teacher requirement. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia now required prospective high school teachers to demonstrate subject-matter expertise by passing a test in the subject they plan to teach, up from 29 in 2000 (Olson, 2003; Quality Counts 2004).

http://www2.edweek.org/rc/issues/no-child-left-behind/

No child left behind

THERE IS NO QUESTION that American students need to be among the most skilled and academically competitive students in the world. Yet there continues to be dispute about how educational excellence is best achieved within American traditions and values. After almost two decades of explorations, policy pronouncements, convocations, presidential councils, congressionally supported studies, and state and national legislation, there is broad agreement on a number of points, many of which were considered precedent-shaking at the time of their resolution:

* States, rather than local school districts or the federal government, should have the responsibility for identifying the standards — content and skills — students should attain;
* States should take the lead in creating or acquiring the tests to measure student progress;
* Standards and assessments should be challenging rather than minimal;
* Progress toward proficiency is to be made by each identifiable subgroup (for example, those whose first language is not English or those at socioeconomic disadvantage) in a school;
* Incentives should be available to increase the focus and efficiency of
the system;
* All parts of the system should work together to achieve the specified targets.

Easier said than done. The enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is an attempt to clarify and strengthen the incentives for progress for all children. It requires the specification of targets for achievement growth and raises the number of grade levels that are tested annually. So far, the ramifications of the law are in dispute, with many districts reporting success based on test-score improvement while others complain of burdensome and intrusive regulations and high costs.

QUICK REVIEW OF RECENT POLICY may clarify why there is concern about the provisions of NCLB, which appear to focus attention on the learning of each and every child. Federal requirements related to state policies have, in general, been limited to concerns about civil rights, support for disadvantaged and handicapped students, dissemination of models for improvement, and research and statistics. The generation of national, not federal, standards and curriculum goals — what should be taught — began in the late 1980s in mathematics, and later in the sciences, arts, civics, history and language. Following a statement of National Educational Goals by the nation's governors, states for the most part voluntarily adopted or adapted subsets of standards to guide their teaching and assessment policy.

Many of the standards communicate on a general level what is to be learned but do not provide sufficient guidance for some teachers to select appropriate instructional methods, sample texts or analytical methods. Take, for example, this from California's History-Social Science Standard 6.1: "Students describe what is known through archaeological studies of the early physical and cultural development of humankind from the Paleolithic era to the agricultural revolution."

This standard is so broad in its coverage that it is difficult to know what to teach and what will be measured. Consider attempts at specificity — for example, these from Grade 6 History-Social Science Standards 6.1.2 and 6.1.3: "Identify the locations of human communities that populated the major regions of the world and describe how humans adapted to a variety of environments" . . . "Discuss climate changes and human modifications of the physical environment."

From these examples, it is clear that in planning instruction, a diligent teacher might miss by a mile the test designers' interpretation of the standards. This teacher will have inadvertently reduced the fairness of education for his or her students. Other standards are very clear about expectations and benchmarks. The key logic underpinning NCLB and other results-focused innovations is a clear relationship among standards, instruction, tests and learning. The idea is that, based on results of regularly administered measures, progress can be gauged, and if students have difficulty, educators will be able to fix their problems.

Factors including cost, tradition and technical reasons have led many states to use achievement tests that are relatively short and that necessarily represent only a few of the types of knowledge, skills and situations described in standards. For the most part, they consist of short, easily scored items.

What happens, then, when test developers and teachers have very different interpretations of a set of standards or there are too many standards to be tested by the state? As tests are kept secret, and details of test design and content are usually not readily available, it is possible for teachers to miss important areas that will be tested. In reality, the interpretation of standards by the test developer is given most weight. Because results on tests are used to distribute sanctions (for instance, classifying a school as needing improvement or restructuring), the test itself, not the standards, becomes the major blueprint that guides teaching and learning.

There is nothing wrong with the idea under certain circumstances; I am happy, for example, to have a Boeing 777 flight simulator used as the way to certify the competence of pilots in emergencies, bad weather and other difficult situations. However, flying a 777, demanding as it is, has a complex but agreed-upon set of procedures at its core. What about mathematics? Science? English language? These are open to wide and legitimate ranges of interpretation.

So one fundamental area of disagreement is whether current tests narrow or focus the curriculum and whether they result in consequences that are good or bad for learning. One option is to focus tests on a core of common skills while also offering other subjects and skills that broaden the curriculum but are not necessarily the subject of evaluation. But short of practicing the test items, or those similar to them, there is little reason to focus on standards rather than on the test. I believe this fact is contrary to the desire of the public for improved educational quality.

A second, related concern is how the targets that are set for performance improvement (adequate yearly progress, or AYP) interact with learning. AYP is the amount of improvement schools need to make, starting from their present point, to attain 100-percent proficiency within 12 years. Some policymakers thought this requirement would mean equal progress annually — that is, 1/12th of the distance would be achieved in Year 1 and, cumulatively, 12/12ths would be achieved at the end of the 12th year. If a school started at 20-percent proficiency, then it would have to increase the percentage of proficient students by a little less than 7 percent annually for all students to meet the standard. However, a reality is that students in schools do not often remain in place, and the formula must account for differences in expertise in entering and leaving students. Because sanctions are imposed far earlier than the 12th year, however, states have reacted in a variety of ways: While all are required to make sufficient progress early on, some states have chosen to defer major progress until the last few years.

Ironically, the AYP provisions created tension during the legislative process, even though states may choose their own standards and their own tests, determine their own levels of proficiency and develop a fully rigorous system or one that uses attainable standards and tests so that early progress is shown. Different states have interpreted the law in a wide variety of ways, and some states' well-defined procedures for measuring progress have been disallowed by the federal government. Added to the mix is the contention that NCLB carries great costs that are not now, nor likely to be, reimbursed by the federal government. There are numerous technical criticisms of the artifacts caused by requiring multiple subgroups to meet the targets, with raging battles about the accuracy, fairness and utility of the published results.

http://www.magazine.ucla.edu/year2004/spring04_07_04.html

Switched Majors...

I'm very happy I finally switched my major. I was majoring in Speech Pathology, but now I am majoring in Education. At first I was unsure if I wanted to switch or not, but I soon realized that I really wanted to teach. The only thing stopping me was my parents. However, I knew I had to do what would make me happy.

I have been working with children for many years. I worked at a camp for five years, and I will be working there next summer too. For my first two years at the summer camp I was a volunteer. I did not get any pay for what I did, but I loved it so much I was determined to go everyday. Also my current job involves children too. I currently work at Jumpstart which is a program that involves one CM, which is a person like me, and one partner child. My child is four years old. I enjoy helping him in his classroom and one on one while we have sessions together. I always enjoyed working with children and helping them. This is why I have been doing it for so long.

In the future I cannot see myself doing a job that does not involve children, but besides that I wanted my own classroom. By being a speech pathologist I would have been able to work with children, but not in the way I wanted to. I want my own third grade classroom that I will be able to teach myself. So, I am happy I decided to switch my major.

Also, after I graduate, when I am receiving my masters I would like to become a literacy specialist. This will make me more qualified as a teacher because it will help me with "tricks" on how to help children read and write. Also I would be able to be a literary specialist after school hours. As a literacy specialist I will be helping children learn to read or write that are struggling, or I would be helping children with problems such as dyslexia.

I really hope this all works out. Since I am determined enough, and since this is something I decided and want I think I will be able to accomplish my goal and enjoy it in the future.

Handbooks

I really like the idea of the group project we need to do. I think it is a great way to learn and meet other people in the class. In most classes I don't even know other student's names, but now I am actually working with them. I also think that students learn better when they are not just listening to lectures. Lectures get boring which leaves students uninterested, and sometimes even fall asleep.

Another thing good about this project is that it teaches us teamwork. It shows us how to work together. This is a quality we will need in the future when we are working our real jobs. For example, we are going to have co-workers that we will constantly be interacting and working with. We need to learn a couple things about working in groups. For example, we learn to not slack off or become too bossy. Also we learn how to trust other people and that we can't do everything ourselves.

I believe that doing work yourself, like this project, is a better way of learning. This is because we are able to learn for ourselves. We aren't having a teacher that is explaining it to us; we are actually seeing what is going on. This is very beneficial to me.

Another good thing about this project is that it helps us with our public speaking skills. I always hated public speaking. I took the class last semester and dreaded it every day because I am not good at talking in front of a big group of people. However, since we are doing it with a group it should not be that bad. Maybe it will even be a way of making me more comfortable in front of people.

I think this project is a great learning experience. There is more that we will get out of it than just the explanations of rules from the handbooks.

Arguments For Capital Punishment

Common reasons in support of capital punishment
bullet The Bible The Bible requires the death penalty for a wide variety of crimes, including sex before marriage, adultery, homosexual behavior, doing work on Saturday and murder. It even calls for some criminals (e.g. prostitutes who are the daughters of priests) to be tortured to death by being burned alive. Most Christians, with the exception of those in the Reconstructionist movement, feel that many of these grounds for the death penalty no longer apply to Christian societies. U.S. However, Bible passages are still used to promote the retention of capital punishment for murderers; some advocate that homosexuals also be executed.
bullet Justice/Vengeance Many people feel that killing convicted murderers will satisfy their need for justice and/or vengeance. They feel that certain crimes are so heinous that executing the criminal is the only reasonable response.
bullet Deterrence Many people feel that the death penalty will deter criminals from killing. This does not seem to be confirmed by an analysis of the available data. However, it feels intuitively correct for many people. 1 to 6
bullet Value of human life: "It is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life that we affirm the highest value of human life." (Edward Koch).
bullet Cost: Once a convicted murder is executed and buried, there are no further maintenance costs to the state. This appears to be invalid; the cost to the state paying for multiple appeals is greater than the cost of imprisoning an inmate.
bullet Public safety: Once a convicted murderer is executed, there is no chance that he will break out of jail and kill or injure someone.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/executb.htm

Arguments Against Capital Punishment

Common reasons against capital punishment
bullet The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament): Some Christians feel that they are no longer bound by the legal codes of the Hebrew Scriptures, and that the death penalty is no longer required. Since the Bible was written, as society became more tolerant, we eliminated the death penalty for pre-marital sex, practicing a different religion, engaging in prostitution, homosexual behavior, blasphemy, rebellion by teenagers, etc. We should eliminate it for murder as well.
bullet The Christian Scriptures (New Testament): Abolitionists often quote Jesus' treatment of the adulteress in the Gospel of John as support for their position. (That passage, John 8:7, was probably not written by the author(s) of John). She had been sentenced to death by stoning, but Jesus used a cleaver ploy to gain her freedom. On many occasions, Jesus taught about forgiving people who have wronged you. However, may theologians believe that this story is not a
bullet The beliefs of the early Christian church: Some theologians believe that the early church was closer to Jesus' teachings than are the present-day churches. They were unalterably opposed to the death penalty.
bullet Playing God: Executing a person kills him before the time of their natural death. Some Christians believe that God places people on Earth for a purpose. If we kill them prematurely, then we may be thwarting God's will.
bullet Effect on society: Some feel that permitting premeditated murder is totally unacceptable, even if done by the state. Capital punishment lowers the value of human life as seen by the general population and brutalizes society. It is based on a need for revenge. It "violates our belief in the human capacity for change....[It] powerfully reinforces the idea that killing can be a proper way of responding to those who have wronged us. We do not believe that reinforcement of that idea can lead to healthier and safer communities." 7
bullet Lack of Deterrence: The death penalty has not been shown to be effective in the reduction of the homicide rate. There are some indications that executions actually increase the murder rate. 1 to 6
bullet Cost: The costs to the state of funding appeals by convicted murderers would more than pay for their permanent incarceration.
bullet Value of human life: Human life has intrinsic value, even if a person has murdered another individual. The death penalty denies the sacredness of human life. Live is so precious that nobody should ever be killed, even by the state.
bullet Unfairness: The mentally ill, poor, males, and racial minorities are over-represented among those executed. One pilot study of over 2 dozen convicted criminals on death row found that all had been so seriously abused during childhood that they probably all suffered from brain damage. Women convicted of murder are almost never executed; that is a penalty that is almost entirely reserved for men. A 1986 study in Georgia showed that persons who killed "whites were four times more likely to be sentenced to death than convicted killers of non-whites." 8,9,10 The Texas Civil Rights Project issued a report in 2000-SEP which was critical of the justice system in Texas. They made the following criticisms which could probably apply to most of the states in the U.S. which still execute prisoners:
bullet The defense lawyers are often incompetent. Judges sometimes appoint friends or political associates. Other times, no competent lawyer is willing to accept the case because of the poor compensation paid.
bullet District attorney are given "unrestricted discretion" in deciding whether to seek the death penalty. Poor people, and members of minority groups are more likely to be targeted because of prejudice and bigotry.
bullet Jurors who may support the death penalty, but have reservation about its use, are eliminated from jury duty.
bullet Jurors are often not given the option of a life-without-parole sentence in murder cases.
bullet The appeal process has "burdensome, if not impossible, procedures." The process seems designed to speed cases along rather than grant justice.
bullet The rules appear to be in flux: the highest appeals court in the state reversed about one out of every three capital sentences prior to 1995. Since 1995, this has reduced to less than 3%.
bullet The operation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles in Texas is severely flawed. They do not meet as a group to study evidence and discuss a case. Individual members are sent stacks of documents, and make their decisions via telephone or fax. 11
bullet Chance of Error: Many convicted murderers are later found innocent, and have been pardoned. It is impossible to pardon a corpse. In 1987, a study was published by the Stanford Law Review. They found some evidence that suggested that at least 350 people between 1900 and 1985 in America might have been innocent of the crime for which they were convicted, and could have been sentenced to death. 139 "were sentenced to death and as many as 23 were executed."
bullet Horror: Some consider capital punishment to be cruel and unusual punishment.
bullet Sending a person to Hell: Some Christians believe that an individual who dies without being "saved" will go to Hell for eternal punishment. By killing the person before the time when they would have naturally died, we are eliminating any chance that they might have for salvation.
bullet The family of the prisoner is victimized and punished by having their loved one murdered by the state. Yet the family is usually innocent of any crime.
bullet Lack of jury convictions: Some jury members are reluctant to convict in murder trials because of the possibility of executing an innocent person. Thus, many killers go free and are never punished.
bullet Uselessness: Killing a murderer does not bring his victim back to life. It achieves nothing but the death of still another person.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/executb.htm

Leveraging early work experience

Should employers care about these trends? Why not continue to bypass teens in favor of immigrants, older workers or even workers in other countries?

"The private sector cannot just stand aside while Rome burns and say, 'That's too bad,'" states Anderson. "They live in Rome." He and other experts agree that teens gain critical skills from early work experiences; without widespread teen employment opportunity, the future workforce will be compromised, they say.

"Working as a team, completing tasks and taking responsibility. Kids learn these skills through employment," says Ivan Charner, director of the Academy of Educational Development/National Institute for Work and Learning, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit concerned with workplace development. "Can you learn those skills by playing a sport or volunteering at church? Yes, but if you are a volunteer, you don't necessarily have to show up. A lot of kids don't or can't play sports. Employment provides an important opportunity for kids to learn from adults other than their teachers or parents."

While getting a foothold in the labor market is especially important for teens who enter the workforce directly after high school, it is also true for those who attend four-year colleges.

Barbara Hewitt, senior associate director of Wharton's Career Services, says college graduates often leverage early work experience to win later employment. "I hear employers looking at a résumé say things like, 'He roofed houses in high school, he must have a good work ethic.' Employers understand the value of even manual labor," she says. During a mock interview for an auditing job, Hewitt recalls, one Wharton undergraduate explained how dealing with irate customers in his summer retail job prepared him for handling contentious clients. "That job may have seemed very irrelevant to him at the time, but it turned out to be valuable," she says.

Experts agree with Hewitt. "Employment is what we call 'path dependent,'" says Sum of Northeastern. "The more you work now, the more you will work later."

Rubrecht, of the newspaper association, recalls how teen carriers he managed at the Trenton (N.J.) Times in the 1980s sometimes rose to become district managers. Delivering newspapers -- and ensuring that customers paid for them -- gave carriers "a glimpse into the newspaper business," says Rubrecht, pointing out that the Washington Post's former circulation director, Tony Mineart, who died last year, began his career sweeping a newspaper office floor at age 10. "Young people think about becoming teachers because they attend school. They know about sports because they play them. Working is a great way to experience a profession."

A January 2007 story in the Wall Street Journal offers a host of similar anecdotes about America's corporate leaders. In reporter Carol Hymowitz's article, Pitney Bowes CEO Michael Critelli recalls how working as a dishwasher in a bakery as a teen -- and being yelled at by his boss for not reusing a piece of wax paper -- taught him the value of small cost savings; Critelli says he used that lesson to realize savings in Pitney Bowes' financial services.

Adequate Rather Than Excellent

Given the data, teens appear to be caught in the Catch-22 of employment: You can't land a job when you don't have experience, and you can't get experience unless you have had a job.

"We often ask, 'What's wrong with this generation? They don't have any work ethic?' but a deeper analysis shows they haven't had the same employment opportunities their parents and older siblings once had," says Neil Sullivan, executive director of the Boston Private Industry Council, a business-led intermediary organization that seeks to strengthen Boston's workforce. As a result, employers are finding that entry-level employees are lacking in what Sullivan calls "the habits of paid work."

In an October 2006 study, "Are They Really Ready to Work?" more than 400 U.S. executives and human resource professions reported that entry-level employees, including graduates of four-year colleges, lack critical skills.

A vast majority of high school graduates are deficient in written communications, professionalism and problem-solving, among other areas, according to employers surveyed in the study, which was published collaboratively by the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Two-year college and technical school graduates were rated "excellent" in only one category -- information technology application -- and even that by only a quarter of employers. Four-year college graduates fared better, rating as excellent in IT application, diversity and problem-solving, yet a quarter of employers still found these graduates deficient in written communications and leadership skills.

"How can the United States continue to compete in a global economy if the entering workforce is made up of high school graduates who lack the skills they need, and of college graduates who are mostly 'adequate' rather than 'excellent'?" write the presidents of the study's four collaborating organizations. Demographic pressures make the study's findings all the more urgent, say its authors, because of the coming retirement of the baby boomer generation and the subsequent scramble for qualified employees.

The report calls on business leaders to take a leading role in creating employment opportunities for young people to master necessary skills, whether that means partnering with schools and non-profits, providing internships and summer jobs, or "using expertise in innovation and management to help identify new and creative solutions."

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1681

Why teens aren't finding jobs.

What do Warren Buffett, Walt Disney and Ross Perot all have in common? Besides being iconic American businessmen, all three have "newspaper carrier" on their boyhood résumés. But don't bother looking for leaders of tomorrow's corporate America to be walking down your block at dawn: Your newspaper carrier today is most likely an adult in a car.

As recently as 1990, nearly 70% of newspaper carriers in the U.S. were teens. But that number dropped to 18% in 2004, and more declines are likely, according to Robert Rubrecht, director of circulation and marketing at the Newspaper Association of America."It's an evolutionary process," he says.

Although reasons for teens being edged out of this formerly youth-dominated profession are specific to the newspaper industry -- papers are delivered earlier now, and usually require driving -- the end of the boyhood (or girlhood) paper route reflects a dramatic but little-noticed trend: Teen unemployment has hit historic highs in the last three years. Experts in the field say employers who want to ensure a quality workforce down the line should sit up and take notice.

"It's a baffling problem. The economy is humming along, and employers are almost desperate for people they can hire and train. Contrast that with the lowest teen market penetration in 50 years. Somewhere the connection point is not being made," says Ken Smith, president and CEO of Jobs for America's Graduates, an Alexandria, Va.-based non-profit thathelps more than 40,000 youth each year transition from school to work.

According to data gathered for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 37% of teens nationwide worked in the summer of 2006 -- nearly 11% fewer than were working in 1989, the peak of a nation-wide economic boom.

Are teens working less because they are too busy with their MySpace pages, disdainful of teen job opportunities or just plain lazy? Adults are quick with anecdotal evidence to support such theories, but according to Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, there is no data to back them up. "When you ask teens if they want to work, a large number of kids say they simply can't find a job," says Sum, who is also a professor of labor economics. For the summer of 2006, according to the labor bureau statistics, teens had an unemployment rate of 16.5% -- four times higher than that of adults during the same period. "If adult employment fell by the same rate teen employment has in the last 10 years, that would be greatest job loss in American history since the Depression."

Like adults, teens were hurt by the mini-recession of 2001, but while the adult economy has regained its footing, teen employment has continued to fall, says Sum. "Employers are hiring immigrants instead of kids, especially in the last six years," he notes. Hiring one immigrant often leads to hiring more, because hiring usually happens through social networks. Another group replacing teens are workers 55 and older seeking to supplement their incomes. "If you walk into a mall or a grocery store, you'll see large numbers of older people working at jobs teens used to have," says Sum.

The shift of the U.S. economy from manufacturing to services has hurt boys in particular, says Bernard Anderson, practice professor of management at Wharton.

"Jobs in health, retail and other services pay lower wages and require fewer skills than jobs in manufacturing, transportation and utilities. Those jobs are more attractive to women than to men," says Anderson. Faring worst of all, he says, are disadvantaged, minority youth. White teens were almost twice as likely as black teens to work last summer, just as the poorest teens were least likely to work. "Many minority youth have just given up and stopped looking for jobs," says Anderson, a trend that artificially lowers unemployment figures for those groups. ("Unemployed" is used to define a person who is looking for work but fails to find it.)

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1681

job search

Preparing for Your Job Search
Finding a job doesn't just happen: You have to make it happen. Implementing a successful job search requires you to:

-gain insights into what your career possibilities are.
-make intelligent choices concerning your direction based on your interests and personal circumstances.
-match your interests and circumstances with available employment opportunities.

http://www.asha.org/students/job/search/

Getting a job...

I feel like it was so much easier in the past to actually get a job. My dad always tells me how he was working since he was thirteen and now that is seriously impossible. If you don't have experience noone wants to hire you. Also last year I read a newspaper article on how adults are taking over jobs that used to be considered teenage jobs. For example, adults are waitressing, working at supermarkets, and are even working at summer camps which all used to be jobs teenagers were expected to work for. So, since adults are taking over those jobs it is harder for teenagers to find jobs which hurts them in the future because they are unable to find experience.

It really is very difficult to get a job. First you need to find a place that is hiring. Then you usually need to go for an interview and provide them with a resume. However, sometimes this stuff doesn't even matter. I think that getting a job is more about who you know than how qualified you are. If you know someone that has a high position some where it is not as difficult to get a job because you allready have someone to hire you.

I think the job process should become a little easier for teenagers that are looking to make a little pocket money by having a part time job. It isn't fair that every job requires experience. It also is not fair that the age for most jobs that used to be a minimum of 16 yrs old is now 18 and it keeps going up.

Getting a job is a very long process and it can even be very difficult. Many people do not want to hire teenagers because they can simply hire an adult. By hiring adults they don't need to worry about the job conflicting with school or anything like that. Also adults are considered more reliable, but this is unfair because teenagers should be given a chance to work too. Adults should not be taking over jobs that teenagers should be having because without experience teenagers will have a hard time getting jobs when they are older too.

Speech Pathologists

Nature of the Work

Speech-language pathologists, sometimes called speech therapists, assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, fluency, and other related disorders.

Speech-language pathologists work with people who cannot produce speech sounds, or cannot produce them clearly; those with speech rhythm and fluency problems, such as stuttering; people with voice disorders, such as inappropriate pitch or harsh voice; those with problems understanding and producing language; those who wish to improve their communication skills by modifying an accent; and those with cognitive communication impairments, such as attention, memory, and problem solving disorders. They also work with people who have swallowing difficulties.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos099.htm#nature

Literacy Specialists

The Literacy Specialist's Role:

-Assist with implementing the reading/language arts program
-Diagnose and implement the dyslexia program
-Model lessons in reading/writing and conference with teachers about effective strategies for classroom instruction
-Facilitate implementation of new materials, philosophies, and innovations
-Provide small group or one-on-one instruction to students identified with literacy needs
-Conduct formal and informal professional development programs for the reading/writing program
-Maintain and promote use of the Literacy Library
-Attend CARE meetings to assist in diagnosing reading difficulties and developing a literacy plan for qualifying students.

http://k-12.pisd.edu/schools/hightower/LitSpec.htm

The Perfect Man

Last night I saw the movie The Perfect Man with a couple of my friends. The movie was really cute, but it was pretty predictable. However, there was a little twist at the end.

The Perfect Man was about a girl, her mother, and her little sister who moved around a lot because her mother married so many different people that weren't right for her. Once the marriage ended they would be forced to move, and most of the time the marriages would not last for very long. Then one day they moved to Brooklyn. The girl was very sick of moving around all the time so she tried to come up with ways to get her mother to stay there. Therefore she created "the perfect man." This man sent her mother flowers and nice letters. He always said the right things at the right times. Eventually, she ended up falling in love with him. One day the girl had to tell her mother that this man didn't exist because it was beginning to be taken too far. However, she knew if she did this her mother would end up settling down with someone that was not good for her and they would end up moving again. So, she decided to try and introduce her mother to her friends uncle who she was getting all the ideas about the perfect man from.

The movie was really cute. Even though the viewer can probably tel what is going to happen at the end from the beginning there are little twists that make the movie worth watching.

St. Patrick's Day...

Today's St. Patty's Day. I'm Irish so normally I celebrate it a little. My mom always makes corn beef and cabbage and we have a big family dinner. Since I'm not home and can't do that this year it seems a little weird. It doesn't even seem like St. Patrick's Day.

The parade in the city is supposed to be really good and many people go each year. I've never been there and wanted to go, but with the snow it seemed like too much of a hastle. I'm hoping to go next year so hopefully my St. Patrick's Day can be more fun.

Text Messages...

I always found text messaging some one so much better and easier. Instead of calling someone up and asking them a question you can simply text them the question and wait for the reply. This helps avoid all the awkward silences and any other conversations the phone call may lead to that you don't have time for or don't want to talk about.

However, there is one bad thing about text messaging which is that you don't hear the person's tone of voice so you might take something they say the wrong way, but this same problem also occurs with instant messaging. Things that people say in a nice way may come off mean in a text. This is why you should not have any serious or important conversations through instant messaging or text messages.

Overall, I definately prefer to text people. Calling someone can get annoying because you run out of things to say and may feel weird just hanging up. Texting gets to the point and that's it. It avoids long conversations and doesn't even take much time.

Cell Phones...

I was on my cell phone the other day in the middle of a very iportant conversation and all of a sudden I lost service. I have cingular and honestly I never usually loose service in the middle of a call, but when it happens it seems to happen at the worst times possible. Every cell phone service says they have "the least dropped calls" and "the number one wireless network in the country" but they all have their own good and bad qualities. However, I don't think any of them have drastic differences on how good or bad their services are. The only thing that I see as a advantage or disadvantage is the plans that they provide their customers with. Some have really good family plans while others have better plans for individuals. So, basically it depends on what you are looking for.

It is just so annoying that you can go one place and have perfect service and go some place else and have none. I just wish we simply couldn't loose service. It would make everything so much easier because then if you were in the niddle of a conversation you wouldn't have to worry about going some place else just in case you might loose service.

What does "intelligent self-direction" mean to you?

I think that "intelligent self-direction" means that everyone has knowledge that allows them to guide themselves in a certain direction that is beneficial to them. An example of "intelligent self-direction" would be that even if the "normal" rules that are usually found in a classroom were removed a person should have enough "intelligent self-direction" to behave well because they know that behaving well will help them get a good grade in the future. I think that people are not directly talk "intelligent self-direction" it is just learned by seeing other people around them and having good examples or role models.

Response to Quote by Maya Angelou

"If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." -Maya Angelou

When Professor Marsh gave us this quote I like it. It basically means that if a person doens't like something they should not just sit there complaining about it. They should actually try and change it. Many people will sit and tlak about many things they don't like or want to change, but never do anything about it. I personally hate that. I feel that if you are not going to do anything to change it you have no right complaining about it.

However, another thing the quote is saying is that in life there are things that you simply can't change for whatever reasons. These things that are unable to be changed you must just accept. Since the things cannot be changed complaining about them is useless. Therefore, you should change your attitude about them. For example, maybe you should try and be more positive and find something good out of the one thing you hate that you can't change.

Basically, if you don't like something complaining will not do you any good. You should try and change it. However, if this is impossible you should try and accept it.

The Convenant

Yesterday I saw the movie The Convenant. It was okay. I wouldn't say it was the best movie I ever saw, but it wasn't bad. It was about these five kids who were like witches. They were given power when they turned thirteen, but they ascend when they turn eighteen. When they ascended they were given powers that were really great, but the problem was everytime they used their power it would age them because their body couldn't handle it. This is why they had to be very careful with how often they used their powers. Also they had to be careful that noone saw them using their powers because noone could know that they had them. The movie was interesting and the graphics were done very well. For example, the fights in the movie that took place seemed real and the effects really made the movie.

I usually don't like movies about witches because they seem so unrealistic to me. However, this one wasn't that bad. The story line made the movie interesting. Plus there was always something going on so I was not bored at anytime during the movie.

Dorming...

I think that dorming gives you a very different experience than commuting. I feel that dorming gives college students a chance to grow up and mature. It "forces" them to make their own decisions and live on their own. On the other hand, commuters still have that guidance given to them by their parents or guardians. Of course, this is not a bad thing, but it gives people less of a chance to grow up. For example, I know if I still lived at home I would have no idea how to do laundry. Also I would not be going to stores to get things like shampoo, conditioner, or detergent because I would rely on my parents to get them. Dorming gives me an oppurtunity to become more independent. It also gave me a chance to meet more people and not only have my group of friends from home. I definately like dorming a lot. I feel as if it gave me the whole college experience, and if I ended up staying home I would feel as if I was still in high school.