My generation is one of entitlement and expectations so I think its important to take time to dwell on the things we are thankful for. I am thankful for many things. Although I may bash it a lot, I am thankful to live in a country with some freedom. Some countries around the world do not have the freedom of speech, religion or the press as America does so I am thankful for the Bill of Rights.
I'm also thankful for the free public education in America. Yes, we used to be top of line, and now, America is number 27 on the public education charts, but I am still thankful for it. I am thankful for the many teachers who have made my life what it is today. I am very thankful for my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Criss. I learned more in her class than I have any year since then. I am also thankful for Mrs. Judy, a counselor at Pressley Ridge. She helped me through a hard time and taught me so much about life. Being a teacher isn't just one of those jobs where you just go for the paycheck. You have to genuinely care about the students. The workers at McDonald's cook your food, but they usually don't leave such an impact on your life. I think that teachers are on the same level as doctors and judges as far as impacting the people they work with. Teachers mold children's lives. I spend more time with my teachers than I do with my parents. It has been that way since I began school, because they are always either working or weren't there. Parents are given too much credit for raising children. Teachers also have a huge say in how a child will turn out.
Although my parents haven't always been there, I am thankful for them. I'm also thankful for my foster parents. Most foster kids don't maintain relationships with foster families after returning to their birth parents, but I have always had a strong relationship with my foster family. They still support me and hang out with me when they can. I have always made the mistake of calling people my home instead of places, because ever since I was little, I didn't know where I'd be from one moment to the next. We moved around a lot. I've lived in 9 different houses and we are moving again on December 4. Also, my parents are divorced and have been since I was a baby and there wasn't really ever a schedule of who had me so there was a lot of fighting and sometimes I went back and forth 2 or 3 times a week. At one point, I was homeless so family has always been so important to me and meant more than a building, even though my definition of family has change a lot.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and they aren't lying. I've lived with just about everybody; parents, grandparents, friends, strangers, a foster family, my aunt and uncle, just my younger siblings and I for a while. I think community is such a vital concept in a society. I am thankful for the people in our community and the strong concept of community and unity that we have in this area. I was homeless in Morristown, NJ for a while. Morristown is a city of about 20,000, and the people there are not like the people here in our town of 7,000. They are rude and stuck-up and don't even make eye contact on the streets. People in neighborhoods had "No loitering" signs on their porches that were directed towards the homeless. It made me very thankful for the tight sense of community we have here.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
EQ 13
We can all look around and see that the education system these days is lacking to say the least. The generation of tomorrow will no longer have inventors and famous mathematicians and thinkers. Children aren't being taught anymore. Doctors won't be able to sign prescriptions because children aren't taught to write in cursive. Grocery shopping will take hours because the memorization of multiplication tables was recently taken out of schools. How can we expect the future generations to establish civilizations on distant planets when they don't even know the geography of their own? But not to worry! We are integrating technology into education and technology must mean good.
When I was in the second grade, let me remind you that I'm only now in the twelfth so this is a change over only ten years, a local author came in and I wrote my own book. Sure, it was extremely short and about a rainbow puppy, but I was capable of writing in full, comprehensive sentences by that age. We sang the National Anthem every morning, followed by a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. In third grade, I learned to write in cursive. The morning ritual was shortened to only the Pledge. In fourth grade, we went caving at the Sinks of Gandy and camping at the 4-H camp and collected water samples. By the end of fourth grade, I was required to memorize and recite the multiplication tables. By the end of fifth grade, I knew all of the fifty states, their capitals and their geographic location. That year, we also learned the presidents in order to date. In sixth grade, we learned a song for the fifty-five counties of West Virginia and their county seats. My seventh grade year, the system experienced a change.
My siblings are now in ninth grade, only three years younger than me. In second grade, no one came to write stories with them. In third grade, they learned about butterflies, which is great, but now they can't sign their name for their driver's licenses. In fourth grade, they watched lots of movies and ate vegges at holiday parties. They are unable to do simple algebra because they were never taught they multiplication tables. In fifth grade, they went to Monticello and Washington D.C. That's fun, but neither of them can even name the fifty states, let alone their capitals and locations. I makes me sad when they ask who Thomas Jefferson was or cannot make the connection between Nixon and the word "watergate". In sixth grade, they got new computers and iPads for "learning", yet my siblings haven't even heard of half of the counties nor their county seats.
Now, I'm not one for government conspiracies and such, but let's take a look at the facts. Why weren't slaves allowed to learn to read? Why did Hitler burn the books as soon as he came to power? Because education is power and if the oppressed people were educated, they could regain control! But not to worry, we are the "Information Age" who can't sign their names or name the states of the country they live in.
When I was in the second grade, let me remind you that I'm only now in the twelfth so this is a change over only ten years, a local author came in and I wrote my own book. Sure, it was extremely short and about a rainbow puppy, but I was capable of writing in full, comprehensive sentences by that age. We sang the National Anthem every morning, followed by a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. In third grade, I learned to write in cursive. The morning ritual was shortened to only the Pledge. In fourth grade, we went caving at the Sinks of Gandy and camping at the 4-H camp and collected water samples. By the end of fourth grade, I was required to memorize and recite the multiplication tables. By the end of fifth grade, I knew all of the fifty states, their capitals and their geographic location. That year, we also learned the presidents in order to date. In sixth grade, we learned a song for the fifty-five counties of West Virginia and their county seats. My seventh grade year, the system experienced a change.
My siblings are now in ninth grade, only three years younger than me. In second grade, no one came to write stories with them. In third grade, they learned about butterflies, which is great, but now they can't sign their name for their driver's licenses. In fourth grade, they watched lots of movies and ate vegges at holiday parties. They are unable to do simple algebra because they were never taught they multiplication tables. In fifth grade, they went to Monticello and Washington D.C. That's fun, but neither of them can even name the fifty states, let alone their capitals and locations. I makes me sad when they ask who Thomas Jefferson was or cannot make the connection between Nixon and the word "watergate". In sixth grade, they got new computers and iPads for "learning", yet my siblings haven't even heard of half of the counties nor their county seats.
Now, I'm not one for government conspiracies and such, but let's take a look at the facts. Why weren't slaves allowed to learn to read? Why did Hitler burn the books as soon as he came to power? Because education is power and if the oppressed people were educated, they could regain control! But not to worry, we are the "Information Age" who can't sign their names or name the states of the country they live in.
Friday, November 7, 2014
EQ 12
Throughout my research, I learned many things. I was looking at two separate buildings to potentially invest in. One was to rent and the other was to buy. I did the calculations and learned that it would take over 23 years of paying rent to equal paying the house off. I decided to go with the house to rent because I didn't want to be obligated to stay in the other house for 23 years.
I also learned that a lot more expenses come with owning a business than I realized. There is insurance, water/sewage, rent/payments, electric, supplies, equipment, loan payments to the bank and payroll for yourself and other employees.
I learned that a lot of dedication is required because most small businesses are in the hole for the first two years of operation. I didn't know that. It was a shocking realization, but it explains why many small businesses close early on.
I learned that the price of quality cameras is outrageous. For only the lens and camera I selected, the combined price is nearly $5,500.00! And that doesn't include the lighting equipment or any accessories for the camera.
Finally, I learned how to use a loan calculator. I found it on a House Hunter's Real Estate website. This website was very useful and informative. I learned that a principal is the total amount you are wanting to borrow and that you have to know the bank's interest rate among other things to use the calculator. I have already learned a lot of necessary skills through this project and I'm not even half way finished!
I also learned that a lot more expenses come with owning a business than I realized. There is insurance, water/sewage, rent/payments, electric, supplies, equipment, loan payments to the bank and payroll for yourself and other employees.
I learned that a lot of dedication is required because most small businesses are in the hole for the first two years of operation. I didn't know that. It was a shocking realization, but it explains why many small businesses close early on.
I learned that the price of quality cameras is outrageous. For only the lens and camera I selected, the combined price is nearly $5,500.00! And that doesn't include the lighting equipment or any accessories for the camera.
Finally, I learned how to use a loan calculator. I found it on a House Hunter's Real Estate website. This website was very useful and informative. I learned that a principal is the total amount you are wanting to borrow and that you have to know the bank's interest rate among other things to use the calculator. I have already learned a lot of necessary skills through this project and I'm not even half way finished!
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