The Fight For Women's Rights Begins With Awareness part 5

It is a common for many people to believe that this type of act against women doesn't happen often and when it does, the victim must have done something to cause the behavior. It's mythical beliefs like this in our culture that prevent any further change to be made in women's lives.

This way of thinking may be brought about because of the lack of knowledge of the history of women's suffrage. Women in the United States don't realize that the opportunities and freedom they enjoyed today only began 88 years ago. They fail to acknowledge that were it not for feminism, women would not have the same life that they live today. Upon being asked when women were give the right to vote, the college student response was, "Wow, I have no idea, I'm too embarrassed to guess. I think I remember briefly learning about this in elementary school but I don't know... It's just hard for me to imagine that there was time that we weren't able to vote." There are countless rights that many feminist throughout the years have worked hard for and sadly, the majority of women in our society take them for granted and just assume they've always been there. Just to name a few, feminist have earned women the right to vote, to use birth control, to have a career, to participate in sports, to have an abortion, and to receive a higher education. Already, the blindness towards the accomplishments for women's right, contributes to the diminishing number of activist for equality and justice for women. Without people to support a cause, the cause itself will become lost. Women need to be educated about the history of their rights in order to appreciate them. They need be aware that there is still a lot of work to be done and it's not going to be obtained by itself. If we can bring about that awareness and make our society knowledgeable to the truth about feminism and the fact that most of us are feminists, the fight for women's rights just might see it's end.

The Fight For Women's Rights Begins With Awareness part 4

How Misconceptions and Unawareness Effects the Fight for Women's Rights

Unfortunately, these opinions are not uncommon among today's society and it has a tremendous affect on the effort to gain women's rights. Women are afraid of being called a lesbian, a man hater, or a woman who hates motherhood as seen by the responses by the women above. This fear holds women back from expressing their concerns for women's right and prevents them from taking action. When the college student was asked whether or not her opinion of feminism had been changed she said, "I feel naive and, I guess, a little immature about my original opinion. After learning what it stands for, I think it's sad that most people have it all wrong. I don't know one girl that believes she isn't equal to a guy, but I think they'd be surprised that what they believe in actually does make them a feminist." If people were informed about the true beliefs of feminism more and more people would join the cause, thus leading to a better chance of improvement in women's lives.

Awareness about feminism is not the only change in society that should be made in order

for women's rights to prosper. Most women today still face a great deal of prejudice but fail to

see it. In the work force, most women are not taken seriously and fail to become promoted to

high level positions even though they are completely capable. Even the study of health care is

still focused primarily on men, regardless to the fact that women's reaction to medicines differ

because of the their genetic make up. The most common form of intolerance against women is

gender violence. While there are laws against this type of crime, many people are unaware of

the situation, unless they experience themselves.

The Fight For Women's Rights Begins With Awareness part 3

One of the most common absurdities towards feminist is that they are all lesbians, also called lesbian baiting. This type of false information was developed to discourage women from taking part in the fight for women's rights and keeping them in line. As intended, this unfortunate myth makes women afraid to label themselves as a feminist. Proof of this is shown when a 65 year old, conservative grandmother was asked if she would call herself a feminist:

Grandmother: "No, I would not. I don't agree with a lot of the morals that being involved

with feminism represents."

Interviewer: "What's one of the morals you don't agree with?"

Wilson 4

Grandmother: "Well, for one, because of my faith I believe it's a sin for a woman to be in a romantic relationship with another woman. I believe that God intended women to be with men and men to be with women."

Obviously, this woman has been socially constructed into believing that all feminist are homosexual. This opinion is far from true, however, it is important to remember that feminism itself does not believe that being homosexual is wrong. However, while conservative feminist disagree with homosexuality, most feminist support the choice to choose to love someone of the same or opposite sex.

Another preposterous belief about the women who dare to call themselves feminists is that they look down upon other women who choose to raise children and take part in motherhood. Again, it is obvious that this universal misconception turns people away from being associated with feminism. We can see it's affect when the grandmother interviewed above was asked to explain another reason she considered herself to be against feminism:

Interviewer: "What other opinions do you disagree with that feminism supports?"

Grandmother: "Well for one, it's not just what they agree with, it's what they disagree with too."

Interviewer: "And what would that be?"

Grandmother: "Feminist condemn women who choose to live the life of a mother. I raised four children and sacrificed a lot for each and every one of them. They were, and still are, my pride and joy and I will not support a cause that thinks it's a disgrace that I enjoyed being a mother."

In actuality, feminists do not criticize women who choose to have children. In fact, one of their
goals is to make life better for those who want to experience motherhood by improving the
conditions in which they raise their children. (Shaw 16)

The Fight For Women's Rights Begins With Awareness part 2

The Myths of Feminism Unraveled

Regrettably, the negative view of feminism is not uncommon among most of the population in the United States. When a college student from Memphis was asked to describe a feminist her response was, "A butch woman who hates men and bitches about them all the time." Later she was asked a series of questions and was in disbelief upon learning that she was actually a feminist herself:

Interviewer: "Do you believe that women should be below, above, or on the same level as men?"

College Student: "On the same level."

Interviewer: "Do you believe inequality and injustice in women's lives is acceptable?"

College Student: "Of course not."

Interviewer: "So you believe it should be eliminated?"

College Student: "Yes."

Interviewer: "What would your reaction be if I told you that by having this belief, it means you are a feminist?"

College Student: "A little surprised I guess, I don't know. Anytime I've thought of someone being a feminist the picture that always comes to my mind is an angry lesbian. I'd be a little embarrassed to tell someone because everyone I know shares the same reaction that I've had."

Anyone who has a positive view towards women and their achievements and are against

oppression against them is considered a feminist.

There are many types of feminists out there, but only few somewhat fit the common
stereotype. One part of the image problem feminists experience is that they all hate men. While they're may be some out there that do share this hatred, the larger part of the group does not. In fact, it is safe to say that most feminists are in relationships with men and some are even men themselves. "Nonetheless, the man-hating myth works to prevent many women who want to be in relationships with men from claiming feminism." (Shaw 15) When the student was asked what her friends would say if she were to reveal to them that she was a feminist she said, "Hah, well they'd make fun of me and probably suggest that I should go to a bra burning rally, or something." It's very sad that people, like the college student interviewed above, are embarrassed to call themselves a feminist because of ridiculous misconceptions like these. The same affect is seen with the belief that women who claim to be feminists want to be a man. These sexist are nothing but absurd and they only continue to hurt the image of feminism. People who call themselves a feminist encourage women to fight for the same amount of power that men possess and the value the importance of being woman.

The Fight For Women's Rights Begins With Awareness part 1

When the subject of feminism is brought up in a conversation in today's society, the reaction from most people is not so pleasant. "It is declared that feminists hate men or want to be like men and selfishly want to create new systems of power over men; all feminist are said to be lesbians, women who choose romantic relationships with other women; and feminists are said to reject motherhood, consider children a burden, and have rejected all things feminine." (Shaw 14) Most women, and even men, are surprised to learn that they, in fact, are feminist and are oblivious to contributions feminists have made towards women's every day lives. Unfortunately, this has devastating effects towards the effort of demolishing inequality that women are faced with. The majority of men, and even women themselves, don't realize that it was only 88 years ago that women gained the right to vote and that the fight for women's rights is far from over. This lack of education about women's rights today and the almost nonexistence of appreciation towards the rights women that we as women have only had since 1920, makes any type of progress for women to have equal opportunities almost impossible. No problem can ever be solved without someone first being aware that there is one. If we want to succeed in obtaining rights and equality for women, we must enlighten today's society and help them become knowledgeable that the battle is not over.

Character Sketch of Myself

Part of a psychology journal I had to do this week was to write a character sketch about myself. With input from close friends and the person who knows me best (me!), this is what I came up with.

Macon "reacts to a different brain frequency than the rest of human population." If you do not understand the previous statement then you will not understand Macon, mainly because these are her own words. Macon strives to always analyze, rationalize, and imagine new ideas throughout her life. She's very creative but always has some type of logic holding her ideas together. In public she will keep to herself and will rarely do anything to attract your attention. But behind the cute seemingly harmless face is a constantly alert, calculating super-computer brain. She is fascinated with the human mind and so she observes but does not speak. Thoughts fly by in her stock ticker like cerebellum. She weighs all opportunities and possibilities carefully and vigilantly. Often she makes great decisions and fascinating educated theories because of this. Macon is very curious and often she has many questions. Unfortunately, upon asking one question she will have so many thoughts flooding her brain that she will be reminded of other questions and ask three more all at once, which inevitably leads to forgetting her initial question. Macon is very trust worthy and well informed. She checks the weather station religiously and has found a healthy interest in recent events. Macon must always be aware of her surroundings. She does not like to be in unfamiliar places, only those places that are inhabited or visited with the friends and family that she loves. When in strange places she can become irritated and when accompanied by new faces she may become hostile. While with those who she is most familiar she is down right wacky and impulsive. She bursts out in what could only be called chants, repeating popular catch phrases from popular culture and ads she has seen on television when you least expect it. Because of her hectic schedule her favorite thing to do is sit, relax, read, and let her over productive mind carry her off to imaginative world that is locked away in her noggin.

Paper part 2

Claudia Taylor, a teacher at Harlem Village Academy located in New York, says "I’m tired of making decisions about whether or not I can afford to go to a movie on a Friday night when I work literally 55 hours a week. It’s very frustrating. I’m feeling like I either have to leave New York City or leave teaching, because I don’t want to have a roommate at 30 years old." (3) This injustice towards the careers in the field of education is felt all around the United States and is one of the biggest factors that contributes to failing schools. Without a salary that equally matches the importance of the job, qualified teachers will continue to become scarce and teachers already employed will eventually loose their motivation and passion due to the harsh realities of life.

In order to improve Memphis City Schools, and schools across the nation, a big change will be needed in the teaching force. We need to attract and encourage more people with high teaching potential to become part of the meaningful and important field of education. Effective teachers currently employed must some how be convinced to not seek different careers and these teachers must be persuaded to lend their expertise in areas with disadvantaged kids. The methods teachers use most include consistent use of practices that are likely to increase student achievement. Such practices must move beyond basic skills such as, reading, writing, listening, and speaking because they are no longer enough to succeed in a academic career. Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, responsibility, sociability, and self-management are all skills and qualities that need to be integrated in the teaching system to boost students achievement and prepare them for life after school. If we were to increase the salaries of teachers in Memphis, and everywhere in the U.S, motivation and passion would be restored in the education system. This would provide the encouragement we need to entice qualified teachers back into the profession while adding ambition into the class rooms that is needed to improve student accomplishment.

A new charter school in Washington Heights, set to open in 2009, is putting into practice the theory that teacher quality is the crucial ingredient for success. (3) The school is planning to pay teachers $125,000 a year, almost two and a half times the national average teacher salary. The school plans to allow 120 students to attend, mostly from low income families, with as many as seven teachers. This school will be one of the most anticipated educational experiments in the country. If it succeeds, the pressure for cities and teachers' unions to make substantial changes to the way in which teachers are paid in traditional public schools will be great. “'This is an approach that has not been tried in this way in American education, and it opens up a slew of fascinating opportunities,' said Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. 'That $125,000 figure could have a catalytic effect.'” (3)

Paper part 1

At least 24,470 schools in the United States are failing to meet the federal requirements set by President Bush's No Child Left Behind law. Contributing to this unacceptable number of deficient schools are many struggling educational institutions in the city of Memphis. There are a vast amount of factors that assist to the serious problem of failing schools including poverty and the lack of parenteral involvement. However, no matter what the underlying problem is, there's one thing that everyone agrees is vital to prosperous schools, great teaching. "It's not only intuition that tells us that teachers matter; research shows that teachers have a greater impact on student achievement than any other educational factor." (1) The children in America are our future leaders of the world and teachers are crucial to their success. If the children are our the future, it only seems logical that their mentors should be fully qualified for the job and are paid justly. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Memphis or in other areas of the country. For example, nationwide figures from 2006 show that middle school teachers make an average $49,470 a year compared to an Orthodontists who make an average of $176,900. Surely the ones that are responsible for building the future leaders of the world their foundation of knowledge should be provided with a better income than the ones that put metal on teeth for superficial purposes. Given the choice between crooked teeth or being illiterate, I don't think it's hard to figure out which is more important.

It’s no secret that people aspire for high paying jobs. When forced to choose between a career involving your passion with a low salary or a high paying job that you’ll hate the rest of your life, sadly most practical people choose the later. “Due to low salaries, little professional support, and poor working conditions, impoverished schools and school districts are likely to employ the most inexperienced teachers as well as suffer from the highest teacher-attrition rates.”(2) Why would someone choose to work at a demanding ball-buster career, such as teaching, that requires an extreme amount of dedication when the pay is lower than a librarian's yearly salary (3)? Some of those who choose the profession of teaching, despite the ridiculous low pay, find themselves struggling to make ends meet.

I get a little crazy while watching games like these...

Even though we didn't win tonight I could not be more proud of my Tigers! We could have won the game, but I still think in the end we were outstanding. Just to going to the championships was so exciting, especially when everyone said we wouldn't make it past the sweet sixteen! But man! That game was just too intense for me! I'm unfortunately a naturally uptight person and this game had me worrying for my poor little heart because I felt so stressed out just watching the game! I made a complete fool out of myself whenever we'd be on a roll and I'd act even more stupid whenever Kansas was doing well. I think I did a little damage to some pillows when we first lost the lead in the first half and then I somehow ended up in a weird yoga/Indian style position convincing myself that my mind could will the Tigers to win (and we made one point while I was doing that! Although I stopped after we missed the next three shots haha). I followed up with a a lot of loud inappropriate cursing that was accompanied by shocked looks and worries that I was going to have a nervous breakdown before the game even ended! haha At one point when we had regained the lead I jumped off the couch and yelled "I LOVE LIFE!!!!" and then my heart was crushed when we went into overtime. So yeah... games this close with the Tigers bring out the very weird in me with probably more stress than the players themselves experience. I've been a huge Tigers fan all my life but I don't think I've ever been so pumped up for a game! Hours before it even started I was sitting out in my car switching the stations until I found someone playing the Eye of the Tiger hahaha (deffinetly not a song I choose to listen to normally) Even though we didn't win and I still have to go to some classes, I'm still so proud of my Tigers!

River City Writers Interview

I went to the follow up interview this morning that included Stacey Sullivan, Joshua Prager, and Christine Kenneally. It was really interesting to hear how passionate each of them were about their research. I guess it was hard for me to understand why they loved it so much, but then I realized that if I were writing a paper on a topic that I loved then I would love the research as well. For the longest time I've been wanted to write a piece about how gender is actually socially constructed and how our society has created a beauty ideal for both men and women to follow. After this morning I'm even more motivated than ever to finally get started. I'm not going to go into this to get published, I just want to find out as much as possible and inform as many people as I can about the subject. It was very entertaining to hear Josh Prager speak about his experiences with sources and other writers, he was very charming and entertaining! I'm absolutely fascinated with Christine Kenneally. She seems like a very interesting and intellectual woman who is very passionate about her work and that's very inspiring. I can't imagine what it must be like to be Stacey Sullivan! To do the things she's done and be where she's gone during those dangerous times is beyond incredible. She's obviously a very strong woman and I admire that greatly. This whole experience of the reading and interview was very special to me. I feel like my mind in open to new things and I can't wait to get out into the world actually learn!

Part 3

The innovation of the World Wide Web, the lifestyle of communication altered by email, it's no secret that times are changing. We are quickly changing out of the slow moving Industrial Revolution into a fast pace Information Age. This constantly growing and amazing modernization has opened up many new career opportunities, as well as a change in skills and knowledge needed for success. Correspondingly, a change in the way our schools are run locally, as well as nationally, need to be altered in order to accommodate these new developments. . If we expect the children of the future to prosper and lead successful fulfilling lives, we must first make it change where it all begins, education. School assessment has been the centerpiece of the educational strategy for decades, just as the industrial age dominated our previous way of life. By moving forward into a new age that includes new intelligence that is needed to succeed in the world today, we must move our educational methods in a new direction. Before we can consider which direction our educational reform should go, we must first look at how school assessment is used today. By identifying the negative and positive affects we can see what works and avoid past mistakes.

In Memphis Tennessee, it's no secret that students in the city's school system are struggling. Just be looking at the State of Tennessee Memphis Report Card for 2006 you can clearly see that system is a complete disaster. The student academic achievement shows subjects
such as math, reading/languages, and social in grades K-8 were given terrible scores between 42 and 45, which amounts to a D. Even more distressing was the score of 41, otherwise an F, for the subject of science. If you compare these results with the records from the previous year, you'll find that Memphis City Schools are just barely improving. Clearly, the city's technique must be improved and in order to do that we must locate the underlining problem.

A major problem with the method of school assessment is the way in which teachers choose to use the system. It is often said, “What you test is what you get.” In other words, what the assessment tests focuses on determines then content of education and the methods in which educators teach. Lorrie Shepard from the University of Colorado has done extensive research on this issue and has found that "teachers taught the precise content of the tests rather than underlying concepts; and skills were taught in the same format as the test rather than as they would be used in the real world. For example, teachers reported giving up essay tests because they are inefficient in preparing students for multiple-choice tests." (3) Teaching students in this manner focuses on drill and practice on only basic skills and knowledge that is tested. "A study of eighth grade teachers from every state revealed that the majority of teachers make instructional changes as a result of mandated tests, and the nature of those changes is at odds with the recommendations of the curriculum and evaluation standards. For example, in response to the use of such tests teachers increase their emphasis on basic skills and pencil-and-paper computation and decrease their emphasis on project work, the use of technology, and cooperative effort.(4)” This type of education denies students of skills such as critical thinking, reasoning, and communicating are not only crucial to the learning process, but also living in the real world. It has been proven that perpetual drill does not increase tests scores, but has the
opposite affect. In fact, students who have been taught based on the method of understanding and critical thinking do better on tests compared to those who are taught through endless drill and practice (3). "Of course, students, particularly new learners, need some direct practice in skills, but low-achieving students suffer the most from this approach, because if their initial test scores are low, they often are given dull and repetitive skills instruction that does not enable them to grasp underlying concepts (1)."

I think it's very important to look at the teacher's choice of educational methods. Are they choosing to focus on basic skills because they're pressured by the city, or are they even qualified for the job? With scores as low and gruesome as Memphis City Schools I can easily see the stress and strain educators are under to make an improvement. But if studies have shown that their method of teaching is inadequate to increasing test scores, why are they not rethinking their education plans? One answer could be a lack of motivation. Public school teachers in Memphis only make about $38,693 a year. The is far from a justified salary for the people responsible for the education of our future leaders. Surely every teacher in Memphis is qualified for the job and deserves more recognition for their contribution, right? Surprisingly, if we look at the State of Tennessee Memphis Report Card you will find that over 1,721 core course are not taught by qualified teachers. However, the No Child Left Behind program require these courses to be taught by qualified educators, yet the school systems are reporting that there are almost 2000 courses taught by incompetent teachers. This could very well be contributing to the failing school system. If we want to expect the students of Memphis is improve in their learning, it is more than clear that a big change must be made.

Last Nights Reading

I'm going to be perfectly honest, except for the fact that I was going to be hanging out with Nina, I was really dreading going to this River City Writers reading last night. But I fell in love with the entire event. I don't know about you guys but I'm a HUGE book nerd. People make fun of me at my work because I spend my breaks reading in the food court instead of eating. To hear each author read from their book was so surreal for me. When I read a book, I'm so focused on the story that I completely forget someone actually sat down and spent maybe years writing it. To hear each writer read from their very own works in the way it was originally intended to be read, was one of the neatest experiences in my life. By the end of the whole thing I was ready to go to Barnes and Noble and buy all three books. After the night was over I realized that I never give nonfiction a chance. I love fiction, it's mind boggling for me to read a book like Harry Potter (don't laugh! I love Harry Potter!) and to think about how in depth the author's imagination must be to come up with all these different lives and world so vividly. But after last night I realized that nonfiction wasn't boring at all, it just depends what type of subject you want to read about. Each author's book sounded absolutely fascinating to me. I honestly can not stand baseball, but I can't wait to read Joshua Prager's book because it captivated me. Stacey Sullivan's book sounds absolutely fascinating! I just can't believe that one roofer in the United States made such a huge cultural impact that lead to Kosovo declaring it's independence. And probably the first book I will read is Christine Kenneally's. The question of where language started is something that I've wondered for a long time and I'm very excited to read the research that she's done on the topic. And Nina and I had so much fun! She's one of the most down to earth, sweetest girl I've ever met!

Todays HW (boring!)

Sullivan

• Milosevech - past president of Yugoslavia and Serbia and is compared to being as evil as Hitler. Bad man!

• Yugoslavia - describes three of the political entities that existed under the Balkan Peninsula.
  * Bosnia and Herzegovina - a country off the Balkan Peninsula of Southern Europe.
  * Albania/Kosovo/Serbia - a country in Southern Europe, northeast of Kosovo/A Muslim region that recently declared it's independence from Serbia/Christian terriorty that killed thousands of Muslims from Kosova as a means of "ethnic cleansing"
  *ethnic cleansing - a term used to describe the previous events in Yugoslavia, refers to genocide to remove an ethnic group.
  * Hague - located in the Netherlands, it is the home for the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

• George Soros - is originally born from Hungry and is an American financial speculator, stock investor, and political activist.

• Detente 2004 - a French term meaning relaxing or easing

• Abu Graihb - a prison west of Baghdad, a site where Saddam originally tortured executed dissidents and later where the USA's military tortured Iraqi detainees

1. Were you ever tempted to quit your research and journalism because of the dangers you were faced with?

2. What was your motivation to find out the true events in Kosovo?

3. How would you compare citizens in that region compared to Americans here at home?

Josh Prager

• "The Giants win the pennant" - a well known American culture phrase that became popular after Bobby Thompson played a part in the Giants win over Brooklyn.

• "The shot heard around the world" - a baseball term referring to the Bobby Thompson's walk-off homerun that ended up winning the Giants the National League Pennant.

• Bobby Thompson/Ralph Branca - Branca entered the game in the ninth inning and surrendered a walk off home run to Bobby Thompson, allowing the Giants to win.

1. Has baseball always been a point of interest for you?

2. How did you come to idea of writing a book about this event about baseball?

3. Do you think the Giants would have won without the spy signaling the pitches before they were thrown?

Christine Kenneally

• "I" - teachers discourage the use of "I" in most writing, especially nonfiction. It is not promote a professional tone and instead makes the writing personal.

• creative writing vs. journalism - Creative writing is what the name implies, creative. You can make up a story and the facts whereas journalism is stricter and focuses of displaing actual facts

1. Why did you feel the need to write about Lily and her condition?

2. Do you still keep in contact with Lilly's parents?

3. Have you heard whether or not Lilly has improved or not?

Why Do You Hate Hillary Clinton?

For the longest time I could not stand Hillary Clinton and I was a big Barack Obama fan. But then I stopped and asked myself where these opinions were coming from. I came to realize I had no reason at all for disliking her but was in fact taking biased opinions and making them my own. Almost every time I watch a discussion on the democratic primaries or read about the nominees, I'm fed with this complete anti-Hillary garble. Almost every newspaper article with her picture shows her in mid sentence with her mouth wide opened and eyes half closed (cleary to give a demented image). While the other candidates are pictures are normal and obviously more appealing. It seems very clear to me that the media is trying to persuade the less informed voters that she's this terrible being that spits out nothing but nonsense. From eveything that I hear, Hillary Clinton is made out to be one of the most hated politicians in our country, but if that's true then why is she neck and neck with Barack Obama? She must be something right even though the media portrays her unfairly.

I also came to realize that even though I'm of aged and able to form my own opinions, I was instead making my parents thoughts my own. Even when I asked them why they hated Hillary they could not give me a concrete answer because they themselves didn't know a thing about her history or where she stands on the issues. And now that I've taken time to research and make my opinion, I'm proud the say I support Hillary Clinton. I think she's completely qualified for the job; she has worked to empower women throughout the world; she's ready to end the war in Iraq, she has a plan to help our environment; she's been a passionate advocate for providing greater educational opportunities to all children; and she's been fighting for universal health care since she was first lady.

If you're a supporter for Barack Obama, more power to ya! But if you're going to hate Hillary Clinton, then have the decency to research and find out the facts. If you do that and still dislike her, then that's cool with me, everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I will never disrespect that. You should do the same!

So There's This Boy

About nine years ago I met this boy named Jacob and I instantly developed a little girly crush on him (I was ten at the time). As the years went by and I got older my interest in him never faded. He intrigued me more than anyone else I had ever met. He was an artist, he could draw anything and everything with accuracy. And what was even more amazing was that he taught himself how to do it all. He was intellectual but very imaginative, so it was impossible for him to bore me. He was quirky and awkward, two traits I somehow find appealing. He was bluntly honest, always a sweetheart, and whether he pretended to be unafraid of society's opinions or not, he convinced me. He wasn't mister popular (he was too real for that sort of thing) but everyone knew him and everyone loved him.

Unfortunately for myself, he had no interest in me as a girlfriend so I took the next best thing. We became best friends, I was like a sister to him but I didn't want to look at him like a brother of course. For years I watched him get his heart broken by girls that did not deserve him. I dated throughout high school and made some bad alternative picks, but my interest in him never went away. And then junior year it finally happened.

We started dating and we've been together since. The best anecdotes I have are about the crazy things we've done. I share a connection with Jacob that I can't find anywhere else (I took some time to make sure). Our relationship goes deeper than just going out. We both have crazy imaginations and could entertain each other for hours just by talking. And then on the other hand, we can go for hours without talking at all and still enjoy each other's presence. We make jokes together about things that no one else can understand. We don't have to try and impress each other, we just have to be ourselves.

Last semester, Jacob came to campus really early one morning (he's not a student there yet) and posted a ton of posters around campus for me to find. He wrote the letters PBN and drew a beluga whale and underneath it said "it's all for you," which is meaningless to everyone else but is a personal thing between us. But it's not just the surprises that he leaves for me that make me proud to be his, it's the little things. Jacob's always there for me, even when I'm not being entirely rational, he's never given up on me. He lets me hog the bed, lets us eat at taco bell a million times in a row even though he doesn't prefer it, runs his fingers through me hair when I'm falling asleep on the couch, draws me little comics featuring ourselves, will watch Gilmore Girls with me occasionally, and shows me just how much he loves me everyday.

So basically, I love this kid, more than he'll ever know.

Yep.

I'm proud of myself.
This is the first week I finished all of my blogs BEFORE Friday.
Go me.

Chapter 1 Part 2 of A Story That Will Probably Never Be Finished

It all started on July 11, 2005, I remembered the date because it was my sixteenth birthday. I remember waking up that day and not quite feeling like myself. I decided it was nothing but my overwhelming excitement. After all it was a big day for me; I was going to get my license. I would finally be free to go where I wanted. It was before I knew in Manhattan it’s much faster if you walk. My father told me before I left that I had to be home before 5 today, if I wanted to get my license.

It was a hot sunny day, there were no clouds in the sky, and everything was perfect. I met up with Eric at the corner buy the corner shop with the neon sign. It’s where we met everyday before school. We would walk and talk about how we were going to skip class and hide out in “Jimbo’s Fun and Games Arcade”. It never happened though. We were both to afraid to not do whatever we were told.
“You look nice today”, I said, “Did daddy get a raise?”

He was wearing new clothes: so new I had never seen them on anyone, or at any store for that matter. Also, his complexion was better and his hair was done almost to perfection. They look as if every little strand whispered “style” as he stopped in front of you. He just smiled and started walking.

“Today will be different!” He finally said on about the third block away from the store. I had been rambling on about the high prices of pizza at the arcade.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’m going to talk to her today, and she is going to like it” he replied quickly, almost before I finished my question.

“Asking for a little much?” I hesitated, “Just because you got some new threads doesn’t mean your prince charming, ya know?”

“We’ll see, we’ll see.” He said and smiled that almost evil grin. He was talking about Rachel Milcox, a girl he was practically stalking, and believe me she had no interest in him. She only dated older, much cooler guys, guys with cars, but he was the hopeful type. She was a blonde-dyed, tan -for lack of a better word- Bitch.

When we got to school, everyone looked at us like we were Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt. He walked straight up to Rachel and started talking. I couldn’t hear them but Rachel was being a bitch like usual! Surprising Huh? - This isn’t sarcasm; I really couldn’t believe she was talking to him!

I guess I was a little jealous, and I had every right to be, I knew him first. He only looked at me as if I was his little sister though. No matter how much he pretended to not notice, I would never stop thinking that way. It was my feeling, mine alone, and no one could change that and that included myself.

Something was horribly wrong about today, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, and Eric was the person to ask. So I jumped on the occasion to tear him away from her. I ran and grabbed his attention buy giving him a little shove.

Chapter 1 Part1 of A Story That Will Probably Never Be Finished

Today I read in my horoscope that I would be reunited with someone from the past, and sure enough it was true. This usually sounds good to someone who has a lot of friends from the past, like me, but horoscopes are never very profound. They make them so they could relate to anyone, in any situation. In fact it scared me that this one was so assuring, and something even scarier was it never said friend. I saw him, right after I left home for work, in the old neighborhood we grew up in. I could never find the courage to leave home. I couldn’t abandon those memories that I worked so hard to create.

The neighborhood was just like it was when we were growing up. The same corner shop where we bought ice in the summer, it still had the neon green sign that said cold beer. It had lost its liquor license before I was old enough to buy any, but the shop keep kept the sign, he said it attracted customers. The sidewalks still had the same cracks in them, and every now and then I could have sworn I saw old Miss Jinni’s black cat, Binky. Though it was impossible we had played with it since I was still learning to walk straight up – a little bit after learning to stand up and not fall down, of course.

The place never changed in one little bit, and when I saw him it seemed neither did he. He still looked exactly like he did eleven years ago. I wasn’t surprised. He still had the same posture. His back was arched and his chin up, as if the whole world was lucky to have him here, unfortunately this was kind of true. His black hair was still in his eyes. It was so dark I was amazed he could see through it, and he still had that grin on his face, like a villain in a comic book.

Once I saw him a chill ran down my back. I raised my hand for a cab and hid my face. I thought about how stupid I was to think that would work. How do you hide from something like him? He called me by the nick name the kids at school would hound me with after classes. “Twinkles” He screamed and before I could turn around I could feel him breathing down my neck. I turned and saw a face and as usual I felt the face and all those other memories that came with it enter my eyes, rush back into my mind and settle.

“Did you need a Taxi?” he politely asked and motioned with his hand for me to turn around. I looked back to see a taxi waiting and impatiently revving its engine.

“No, Eric, I was just waving at the nice police man across the street.” I said nonchalantly. Eric smiled and opened the door for me.

“Well,” he replied, “this way is a much easier way to get to work, for you at least. Besides you know what the boss says, Time is money.”

My boss did always say that, and it was no coincidence that he knew that. I’m sure he knew his name and his social security number too. I got in the car there was no use in resisting him. He got in after me and started reminiscing about old times. He and I grew up together, and until that moment I had forgotten what happened between us.

A Little Snippet of My Paper

The controversy over the way schools are using assessments as a basis for their teaching methods began when our society started to shift from an industrial age. Before these changes in our society, people could get by with basic skills such as reading and arithmetic. Now our future has moved into a new direction, the informative age, also known as the digital age. Because of this major change in our society, people can no longer succeed in the world with basic knowledge skills. Schools need to rethink assessment and begin a new educational reform to adapt to the turnaround in our ever changing culture.

The industrial age has dominated our civilization for almost 300 years since it broke in the 1780s (2). During this period, vast changes in agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing had major effects of our way of life. These developments morphed our society from a pre-industrial culture into a automated civilization. Because of these innovations, peopled needed only basic knowledge to succeed in life.

Our society has now moved into a new direction, the information age. “In this new era, the global economy has shifted it's focus away from the production of physical goods and toward the manipulation of information. New technological advances in this field have changed lifestyles around the world and spawned new industries (1).” Now that our cultural values and way of life has begun to change, the way in which we choose to teach the youth of our country

needs to adjust as well in order for them to prosper.

School assessments today still focus on testing students on basic knowledge. These skills are still important when it comes to the goals of education, but schools today tend to overemphasize them in order to to raise standardized tests scores (3). Many educators believe that what gets assessed is what gets taught. This means that the majority of teachers are focusing their practices solely on the content of the assessment tests and the subject matter that educators are focusing on is taught only in the same format as it is presented on the test, instead of how it's presented in everyday life (4). This way of education may have worked well during the industrial age, but times have changed and new skills must be taught. With this new age that we are living in, our youth needs to learn how to access, investigate, define, resolve, and use information for making decisions (4)

I Promise To Ease Up On The Depressing Blogs

I want to apologize for missing so much class lately. I'm going through a tough time in my life and I'm doing my best to keep up with my responsibilities, but man it's hard! I've never slacked off as bad as I have this semester and it makes me sick to think about it. I thought maybe spring break would rejuvenate me and I could get everything back on track but I was wrong... The whole entire break I was stuck taking care of my mother's responsibilities, taking care of my sister, dealing with more uncontrolled drama amongst my family, and work work work. It's so hard when you have no one to help you and no one to tell you that every thing's going to work out. But I know I'm strong, even though there are times I just want to give up. I have to keep reminding myself that I've been through a lot more worse and traumatic things in my childhood. I've made it through all of them and have even come to appreciate them because they've made me stronger and more mature. I can't wait until the day I can sit there and say the same thing about all this.

One more thing before I go. Yesterday, my dad called to tell me that my brother went in for an MRI to try and find evidence of a bipolar disorder (apparently they can do that now). Well they were looking over the results they found something that shouldn't be there (unrelated to the bipolar disorder) and are now going to have to do more tests to find out what it is. They're afraid it's a tumor, but I'm hoping with all my heart that it's nothing. Please keep my brother in your prayers!

Propaganda Analysis

Hey Everyone! Was anyone able to actually write a 1000 words for their analysis? I tried so hard but I could only come up with 500ish! If you have some time please read mine and let me know what you think!

The piece of propaganda I've chosen to analyze was presented by Memphis City Schools on their website. It's an ad for the district's community awareness campaign, “Every Child. Every Day. College Bound.” Memphis is full of minorities and lower class families that don't have many advantages. The Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners voted on this campaign to help communities understand that becoming college bound is not limited to your race, social class, or ethnicity. The purpose of “Every Child. Every Day. College Bound.” is to persuade the citizens of Memphis that the School Board is providing the city's children with quality education while preparing all students for college.

The ad shows a small picture of three, smiling students of different races wearing graduation caps and gowns. The pictures is next to a background filled with clouds against a blue sky with the campaign's phrase in big bold black letters on top. The picture of the three kids graduating is used to promote the campaign's positive vision of students, regardless of their race and social class, succeeding in our city's schools. The words of the phrase are printed big and bold to catch and command the viewers attention while the choice of sky background is to influence a feeling of hope that our city's youth will be able to achieve their dreams.

“Every Child. Every Day. College Bound.” is trying to appeal to the common man by choosing ordinary language and blunt words to identify with the average citizen. The campaign has chosen a slogan that affects the emotional appeal of the audience. The motto inspires the campaign's intended attitude of optimism and hope towards equal education for every single student in Memphis in order to win the support and confidence of the community.

The campaign's motto, “Every Child. Every Day. College Bound.” is promoting the idea that every child deserves a quality education and a chance to go to college, no matter where they live or what race they are. I think this piece of propaganda paints a picture of a large part of American culture. For centuries, part of the American dream is to earn a high school diploma and go to college in order to get a good paying job. From the time we enter elementary school, the idea of doing well in school and becoming college bond is promoted to us by our families, society, and school systems. This shows education is a very important cultural value not only in our city, but also in our country. Education is important because without we are vastly limited in what we can accomplish. Graduating from high school and receiving a college education has become a cultural value all over the country because it leads to better jobs that will make our future more enjoyable. With a well paying job we gain comfort, respect and wealth that ends up making our lives easier.

Religion and Schools

I was listening to the radio today and one station started talking about a topic that I felt strongly about. Apparently in Wisconsin a school board has put creationism into their curriculum and it's caused a big uproar. However, the schools aren't telling children that God made the Earth and all that's in it. They are simply only including the theory of creationism along with evolution. So the debate during the radio show was whether or not schools should include this theory. I heard a whole bunch of people call in and say that it was wrong for various reasons. I, however, couldn't see any reason in what they had to say. I don't understand how teaching more than one theory on how the Earth was created is so offensive. If the teachers themselves aren't saying creationism is fact and are including the big bang theory it shouldn't be wrong. In fact, how can they justify not including creationism? How is it not offensive to the people who believe in creationism when our schools teach their children that Darwinism is fact?

It really bothers me that we must shield our eyes to the things going on in this world. We're forced to pretend that everything is wonderful because if we teach things that are important we'll end up offending someone. I think schools should include the teachings of different religions, teach not practice. I remember when I was in elementary school during the winter and we'd learn about Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. I loved it and I'm happy I learned about those traditions because otherwise I'd be ignorant to them now. I think it's important to talk about all types of religion because it's a huge part of culture. Look at mythology for example! The Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans all believed in pagan gods and their religion shaped their culture, which in turn shaped the world today! Do we only teach this type of religion because no one practices it anymore?

Not only are religions important to learn because of history, but also because it provides us with knowledge and a better understanding of people we meet that believe in something completely different. I think it would lessen the prejudice feelings we have towards people who are different because we won't be ignorant to their faith and background. Teaching religion also shows students humankind's sense of morality throughout the ages and this could lead to less violence amongst kids. Isn't that more important than simply pretending we live in a peaceful world?

On A Side Note, I Just Want To Say Thank You!

I'm not including this as one of my blogs for this week, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who gave me words of encouragement on the things I've been going through. It helped me more than you'll ever know and things seem to be getting better!

An Amazing Woman Part 2

During Anne Hutchinson's time, women were considered inferior with lessor minds and would therefore need to be ruled over by men. For women, freedom to think was the freedom to sin, but Anne couldn't keep quiet for long. Because she was well-educated and very outspoken, she began to invite women to her home for informal bible studies and discussion groups to reflect on sermons and pray. This also became a convenient way for her to express her beliefs and opinions. Anne explored the the Bible much like a minister and offered her own interpretations that sometimes differed widely from the Puritan's teachings.

As her reputation grew, her gathering had spread to both men and women, who would come in great numbers to hear what she had to say. She claimed things such as good conduct was a sign of salvation and was proof that the “Holy Spirit in the hearts of true believers relieved them of responsibility to obey the laws of God.” Anne also condemned the other ministers in New England for misguiding their congregations into the false idea that good deeds would get them into heaven. She voiced her notions about the equality and rights of women and maintained that it was a not a curse to be a woman, but a blessing. With her personal concern for the lack of women's rights, she applied her personal interpretation of the principles of the Bible to support her cause.

The aggressive Anne Hutchinson soon became a religious leader to many, but she had gained many critics that opposed her beliefs, especially because she was a woman. One main enemy of Anne's was John Winthrop, the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop saw her as a threat to the authority of the men in power and the idea of a woman voicing her views and opinions made him fear for the integrity and principle ideals of the Puritan's way of life in his colony. He condemned her her gatherings, saying that they were “a thing not tolerable nor comely in the sight of God, nor fitting for your sex.” He also critisized her by saying she had , “a very voluble tongue, more bold than a man.” By 1637, Anne was labeled as a “modern Jezebel,” infecting other women with repulsive ideas regarding their rights and dignity and was brought to civil trail presided over by Winthrop, on the charge of Antinomianism. By this time Anne was 46 and was in the later stages of her fifteenth pregnancy and yet was forced to stand and defend herself in front male questioners for several days. They tried as hard as they could to get Anne to admit her secret blasphemies but she defended herself brilliantly until it was clear she could not escape the court's predetermined judgment. As she was conered, Anne addressed the court with her own judgment by stating, “You have no power over my body, neither can you do me anyharm. I fear none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I do verily believe that he will deliver me out of your hands.” This statement brought forth angry sneers as they called her a heretic and an instrument of the devil. One minister even said, “You have stepped out of your place, you have rather been a husband than a wife, a preacher than a hearer, and a magistrate than a subject.”

In August 1637, Anne was condemned by the court and put under house arrest to await her religious trial. In March 1638, her second trail took place and she was convicted and sentenced to be banished from the community. Following her conviction, Anne and her family moved to Rhode Island, along with a good amount of devoted followers. “She is considered one of the founders of that colony, the first to establish complete separation of church and state and freedom of religion in what would become the United States.” After her husband's death in 1642, Anne and her children moved to Long Island, New York, where tragically she and all her children, except for one, died in an Indian raid. Anne Hutchinson was one of the earliest pioneers for women's rights and key figure in the study of the development of religious freedom in England's American colonies and the history of women in ministry.

An Amazing Woman

I recently did a paper for my women's study class on an amazing woman named Anne Hutchinson. She's an amazing woman and I really encourage you to read about her! My paper was about four pages long so I'll split it into two parts to hopefully hold your attention!

Anne Hutchinson was born July 20th, 1591 in Alford, Lincolnshire, England. She was the daughter of Bridget Dryden and Francis Marbury, a deacon at Christ Church Cambridge. Anne's father strongly believed that the majority of ministers in the Church of England were incompetent because they had not acquired their positions through proper training, but were appointed by bishops for political reasons. He so strongly believed in clergy's lack of qualifications that he openly condemned them which led to his arrest. Because of Anne's father's strong beliefs and academic competence, she grew an interest in religion and theology at a very young age. Anne was home schooled and spent a lot of her time reading from her father's library where she developed many new questions about faith than there seemed to be answers. As she grew up, Anne began to admire her father's ideals and assertiveness and wasn't afraid to questions the principles of faith and the authority of the Church of England.

When Anne was 21, she married the merchant, Will Hutchinson, and settled down and had fifteen children in Alford, England. There, she took the role of a housewife and mother while maintaining her interest in theology and the Church. The Hutchinson family followed the sermons of a Protestant minister named John Cotton whose teaching resembled Anne's father's ideals. In 1634, John Cotton was relocated to the Puritan colony Massachusetts Bay in New England. Craving for greater freedom to practice her religious beliefs, Anne persuaded her husband to let their family follow their beloved minister. Sadly, during the crossing to New England, Anne lost three of fifteen children and another when they reached their new homeland.

Anne had high hopes for being able to pursue her religious freedom, but soon learned that the rigid union between the church and state was more stifling than liberating. There was hardly any religious freedom in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, especially for an English woman such as herself. Before Anne and her family had made the crossing to New England, she had expected that once in America, she would be able to discuss freely her faith and would have no reason to hide her personal beliefs. By telling others that God had given her the power of clairvoyance and that she had known the exact day of their arrival it was a mistake, John Cotton began to question the admittance of Anne and her family to his congregation. In order to get into good graces with the rest of Cotton's followers, Anne had to confess to “being guilty of wrong thinking” to be accepted, even though she thought otherwise. By experiencing these troubles of freely speaking about her faith, Anne began to realize that the oppressed and now become the oppressors, having forgotten the injustice and hardships they received from the Catholics and Protestants. The Puritan's interpretation of “religious freedom,” was basically that people now had the right to worship, but not the right to think.

I'm not to big on complaning... but I feel so trapped

I hate to have appear like a whiny little girl, but I could really use a way to vent my problem and maybe someone can sit through it and give me some advice.

I can't take living with my mom anymore. Ever since I was a little girl and my parents split up, I've always lived with her. Back then, I wouldn't have had it any other way because my mom and I had a great relationship. It wasn't until four to five years ago that I started to develop a great relationship with my dad. I think him and I starting bonding when my mom changed into a completely different person after she chose one of her psycho husbands over me and my older sister (but that is another sad and disturbing story) that led to her kicking us out even though he had some MAJOR disgusting problems.

Ever since we were forced to move back in with her, she has slowly lost her role as my mom. The caring, understanding, sacrificing, loving mother that I used to be able to tell anything to has turned into a selfish, mean, argumentative person. I've lost count of how many time we've gotten into blow outs and of all the times I've been thrown out but forced to come back for one reason or another. It is impossible to sit down and have a calm conversation of things that bother me because she explodes to yelling in my face even though I FORCE myself to be respectful.

I work so damn hard because I don't have any other choice. I pay by myself to go to school full time. I study and do my best to make the best possible grades to keep my schoralship. I pay for my gas, clothes, and even my own food most of the time. I take and pick my little sister up the majority of the week. And I try to work as much as possible to pay for all the things I get absolutely no help with. But it's not enough, I may be able to live in this house for free but I nothing I do is appreciated and I will never get any recognition or help from her.

Well I'm tired of it and I want to leave. I'd give up so many things to be able to pay for my own place and still be able to go to shool, but even if work full time I don't think I could make enough money for rent, MLG&W, gas, school, and a phone. I could live with my dad but that would mean I'd have to give my dog away and he's like a child to me and I can't live without him. Everywhere I turn, I'm trapped. Even through everything I've been through that I haven't mentioned, I'm normally a really happy person and kills me to sit here and write a blog about this, but right now I can't escape this feeling of helplessness. I can't live like this any longer but I can't find a way to escape it...

Why Do We Dream?

Today in my Personality Psych class we had a Jungian analyst come in and speak to our class. One of the things she specializes in is the interpretation of dreams. Now I've always thought that our dreams sometimes symbolize things and then other times I thought dreams were just thoughts brought about from the experiences from the day. But today I learned that dreams are much more important than insignificant thoughts. In fact every dream that we have is actually our unconscious mind trying to tell us something important that we are unaware of. Sometimes our unconscious is trying to help us see an answer to a problem we're faced with. Other times it can be trying to warn or prepare us of things that are to come.

As I was listening to our guest speaker talk about the importance of dreams I began to recall a dream that I had just last night. I dreamed that I was being shown a house by a relator and I remember feeling excited because the house was so amazing. Next I was on the phone with my dad and he told me that the house was mine and I joked around with him saying "What, are you dead and you're leaving the house to me?" and he said yes. (Very important to remember that there are two of my dad in this dream) I didn't believe him and I left to go to my mom's house. Once I got there my mom told me that my older sister, Madison, had something to tell me. She told me that our dad had died and I burst into tears feeling the worst emotional pain as I tried to grasp the concept that I would never be able to see my dad and tell him how much he meant to me. And then I woke up.

So as I sat in my psychology class, I began to fear that maybe my dad was about to die but as I listened to the speaker she began to explain that our dreams are usually supposed to be interpreted subjectively and only on rare occasions are they supposed to be looked at objectively. As she started to explain what some things we may dream about symbolize (this blog would be way too long for me to name all of them), I think I worked out what my unconscious mind was trying to show me.

The new house that ended up being mine I think symbolizes my new independence as I'm getting older. One important symbol the speaker told us about was having someone or something doubled in your dream and that death doesn't necessarily mean someone is going to die but that something is going to change in your life and "die" off. So for me, my dad symbolizes someone who has always taken care of me as a little girl and having one of him die in my dream means that my childhood is ending and I'm growing into an adult. Of course, I'm not a dream expert though!

The TRUTH About Marijuana

I support the legalization of marijuana 100% and in case you don't see eye to eye with me on the subject, lets make sure you have all the TRUE facts.

First of all, there are many people out there that claim that smoking pot causes brain damage. Studies have shown zero evidence that this is true. Another myth about marijuana is that the use of it will cause human brainwaves to flatten. "In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly INCREASING alpha wave activity. Alpha waves are associated with meditative and relaxed states which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity."

Another misleading claim on marijuana is that it will permanently impair your short term memory. This is true only when under the influence of smoking weed. Once you're sober, the impairment on your memory disappears.

One of the most popular myths about pot is that it is a "gateway drug." This is completely false, in fact, marijuana actually tends to substitute for much more dangerous substances (alcohol, cocaine, heroine, etc). A perfect example is the affects on the drug abuse in Holland when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 1970s. "Since then, hard drug use, heroin and cocaine, have DECLINED substantially. If marijuana really were a gateway drug, one would have expected use of hard drugs to have gone up, not down." Alcohol is far more harmful than marijuana. It is a poison, is physically addictive, and dulls your motor skills.

And did you know that one of the big motivations behind making marijuana illegal was actually because of hemp's potential for producing paper posed a threat to the timber and oil industries!

Here's a video you might get a giggle from ;)

Wedding Disasters!

I've been working as a photographer's assistant for Angela Ammons Photography for almost three years now. (American Eagle is for extra cash and a badass discount.) I'm so blessed to have a job where I can practice one of my main passions. We do family pictures, senior pictures, engagements, but mostly we do weddings. I've lost count of how many weddings I've been to by now, but I can almost recite a traditional ceremony perfectly. Because I've been to countless weddings, I've seen A LOT of disasters that might be a little amusing to you!

Last year, I worked at wedding with the sweetest bride I've ever met. But unfortunately for her, she gained a little weight after her fitting for her wedding gown. Her bridesmaids struggled to zip her up until one of them accidentally broke the zipper off completely! (I got the whole things on camera haha) The bride was in tears and they all began to freak out. So the mother did the only thing that there was left to do, she sewed her up in the dress. Bet that sucked for the groom when the whole thing was over! ;)

I worked at another wedding that was unfortunately during the time we have a lot of storms and tornadoes. This couple decided to have their wedding outside in front of their huge ranch and they decided not to prepare for bad weather. As fate would have it, it stormed the entire day. Not just a little sprinkle either, it was pouring! Luckily one of the storms ended a few minutes after the ceremony was supposed to start and we had about thirty minutes until the next one was about to hit. People ran our trying to dry off chairs and they poured sand in the middle of the aisle to try and get rid of all that mud. Sadly, the sand didn't help and the bride's dress was completely ruined before the whole thing was over. The wind was blowing so hard that they couldn't even light to unity candle!

My Own Experience With School Assessment

I've chosen to explore the issue of school assessment because of my own experience. When I was in elementary school, my teachers were more concerned about prepping us for assessment tests than teaching us more valuable subjects. For two years I struggled with things as simple as handwriting because my teachers didn't take the time to notice I was writing the wrong way. In the middle of my third grade year, my mother pulled me out of the city school to be home schooled. She saw that i was writing wrong and noticed other gaps in my education. During the four years I was home schooled I learned one on one with my mom mathematics, health, science, history, geography, spelling, reading, and even photography. By the time I went back to school in the eighth grade I was already way ahead of the other students. On my placement test, my reading score was higher than that of a high school senior. I was placed in the highest math and science classes that there was but even then I was ahead. I was shocked to find out that students didn't know how to do things as simple as add and subtract fractions and they didn't know how to solve any problems without a calculator. And my history teacher didn't know one thing about American history because he was the football coach! I went to a public school until my junior year of high school and then I chose to be home schooled me last two years. I couldn't take it anymore, most of my teachers didn't care which made me unmotivated. This time I taught myself and got into college without the help of anyone. I'm curious to see what I learn about this problem and if I can find a feasible soltion.

Retail Rant Part 2

I've noticed when I work as a cashier that customers tend to be more rude checking out than they are browsing for clothes. For instance, when you come and pick my cash register you'll find that I'm always smiling and friendly. But somehow, I seem to attract those of you who love to piss me off by having an attitude for absolutely no reason! I once had a lady who was exchanging a pair of jeans for a pair of shoes. Each item cost the same amount, so obviously the woman wasn't supposed to get any change back. The whole entire time I was completing the purchase, this lady was nothing by rude to me. I smiled at her when she came up and asked if she found everything okay and all she did was roll her eyes at me. This immediately changed my mood, so I chose to go about my business and ignore her when I could. The exchange was complete and the lady went on her way. Unfortunately for me, she decided to come back only five minutes later yelling in my face that I didn't give her any change. After about ten times of me trying to explain over her angry moose-like antics, she finally looked at the receipt and said, “oh.” Are you kidding me??? I first had to sit there and deal with this lady's complete and utter rudeness and then endure her yelling in my face for absolutely no reason and all I get is “oh.” So the next time someone is ringing your purchase up for you, be friendly. You'll make someone's day so much happier without spreading you're negative energy.

Keep In Mind The Next Time You Visit A Retail Store...

I've been employed at American Eagle for a couple of months now. The people I work with are awesome, it's the customers that come in to shop that I can't stand. As soon as someone walks through that door they are transformed to little children set out to wreck everything in sight. For example, when you're looking through a stack of shirts trying to find your size and it's not close to the top, please for the love of God let someone who works there get it for you. And you're probably thinking, “Well golly gee Macon, that seems silly to bother an employee just to get my shirt.” First of all, it's our job to work with clothes, we don't have some secret ulterior assignment. If we're working on the floor, it's our job to serve you and if we're charming, convince you to buy a whole bunch of crap you really don't need. Secondly, chances are more likely that if someone hasn't already asked to help you, they're watching you just waiting for you to destroy the table they just made perfect. Also, keep in mind when we come and ask you for help with anything it is our job to do so! Don't be rude, we're just doing our job and trying to help you find everything you want and need. If we don't ask everyone in our designated area of the store, we'll more than likely get chewed out by a manager in the little walkies we wear!

My Manifesto

My life manifesto is first comprised of graduating from college with a degree in psychology. After I obtain my bachelor's degree I plan on going to graduate school to further my education and receive a doctrine in my current major. With my doctrine I'd like to become a psychology professor at a university while researching new theories that will end up helping others. I want to make discoveries about the mind and unlock the answers to psychological problems that are still a mystery.

It's extremely important to me to become my own success. I don't want to be dependent on any one, especially when I get married. I've watched my parents have financial problems that eventually contributed to a divorce and I learned how important it is to be able to support yourself before making that sort of commitment with another. So after I'm financially independent I'd love to consider marriage, hopefully to my boyfriend of almost three years, Jacob. If I'm lucky enough to find someone crazy enough to marry me, I'd like to travel to Europe with my significant other. However, even if I don't get married that won't stop me from experiencing the world for myself! I was always bored when it came to American history, but European history has always fascinated me. Before I die I want to see for myself where all those historical events took place. Just to name a few, I want to see the England, France, Greece, Egypt, and Italy.

One cause I have always been passionate about is the fight for women's rights. Even though there are a lot of people who view being a feminist as something negative, I've seen the importance of it. Without any sort of feminist movement women would hardly have any rights that we take for granted of today. Even though we have come a long way already, there still remains a great deal of sexist degradation against women. I'd like to get a minor in women's studies to use that education to do something great for women's rights.

All throughout my life the one person who has always been there for me is my dad. To this day, even though he doesn't have a lot, he always helps me with so much. When I'm making my own living I want to give back to my dad all that he's done for me. I want to help him be able to retire and enjoy the rest of his life comfortably. No matter how much my salary ends up being, I will be there to take care of my father.

After I accomplish all of my goals and traveling the world, only then do I want to to start a family and have children. At that point, I will be ready to settle down and experience the joy of having kids. When I become a mother, I still want to be able to work but it's still very important to me to be an active parent. My mother never once put me after school care when I was growing up and I want to do the same for mine. When my significant other and I become parents it's also crucial to me to be able to overcome any problems together that we may face. I will never let my children experience the heartache of a divorce unless I have no other choice. I want to always keep it a priority to maintain a close relationship to my kids, like the one I had with my parents. I want them to always feel like they can come talk to me about anything and know that I will do everything possible to take care of them. While they're getting older, I want to give them something I never had. I want to continually set aside money towards their college education because I know personally how hard it is to pay for school without any help.

Once I reach retirement, I hope to have enough money in my retirement fund to buy a nice little home and some land in the country with my husband. I'd like to see other places of the world I didn't get to see before and maybe visit some of my favorite places I've already seen. I want to spoil my children and later my children's children. But most of all I want to spend the rest of my days enjoying the company of my future husband and doing the simple things in life together.