What Are Your Thoughts on the Common Core Standards? (SSR)



Michael Appleton for The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/education/common-core-testing-spurs-outrage-and-protest-among-parents.html?_r=0

The standards for testing are raising up and the expectations are getting bigger. A tough new test is being created and it was first implemented in Kentucky of last year; scores for the common core standards fell significantly. About 45 states has establish the common core standards test in their schools. This tough test consist of independent thinking, with an emphasis on relating material to real-world issues. New York officials assume that if they implement the common core standards into all of their school then they will see the same significant decline that they saw in Kentucky. However; New York officials said that leaving the old standards intact would be worse because thousands of students will be put into remedial programs in college. The test was distributed in some schools in New York such as Earth School, Public School 152, Hostos-Lincoln Academy, and Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering. Moreover; the students response to this common core standards have led to complaints, protests, and tears within students as well as parents. David Coleman, president of the College Board is all in favor for this test. Teachers had warned their students of this test and experimented with the common core standards by testing their students. Many students began to cry and some were outrage that they left for duration of the test.


I was shock about what I read and this new tough test that was created/administered in some schools can add a lot of anxieties. Not only would we have the SAT over our shoulder, but we might also have the common core standards. I don't know if I should feel mad or worry about this test because many of the students who have taken this test especially the people from Kentucky experience a drastic decline in their test scores. We all are afraid about this new test because we don't want one test to determine our lives. In order for us to implement this tough test, we must prepare the students by getting teachers who would guide/ familiarize/ drill in all of these students in all schools to passing the common core standardized test. If we prepare kids ahead of time then we might not see such a drastic decline in test scores; moreover, New York officials won't have to withstand the tears as well as outrage of students. This topic has open my eyes in realizing the changes that is going on in education for this year.

Music (PB)

Music seems to be one of the many things that we all have in common because we all listen to music all the time. The sound of music allows each of us to dance and forget about all of our problems. Many of us use music as a technique to do homework or assignments on time. I have two cultures which are the  American Culture and my subculture (Hispanic). Being composed of two different cultures gives me the chance to enjoy both types of genre in the music world. Because I know two different languages, music has more of an impact in my life due to the fact that I hear each types of genre of music equally. We all have special ways when it comes to interacting with music which causes us to get more closer to other people. Dancing or singing along expands the way we link to new people that share our same passion of music. Moreover, music creates a sense of an open mind and it sends out a message to each individual. I guess you can think of music as way of communicating with all of us who hears a specific music genre. Not only does music gives us the motivation to dance and sing along as a group, it has also been used as a technique to soothe our way to sleep. Whenever an individual listen to music, the song that they are listening to sometimes creates a solitude place. This place that we create is because we all want that desire to have a moment of being alone. In most cases music is used as entertainment to start a party. Music can be characterize as a friend that can be used as company whenever were in the train or outside. The solitude place that we create whenever we hear music is way of thinking about our problems; it's our way of starting out a pleasant day with the songs we love the most. Music is a part of how we identify ourselves and it creates different personality that we not aware of. The introduction of music has had a huge impact in our lives and will continue to have that same impact because music is about  us. I love music and it's a part of my culture because I hear music all the time due to the fact that gives me a sense of happiness/tranquility.

Tech Teens Social issue (FC)

As the days goes by, teen’s lives in school or outside of school is impinged by social issues around them. There are myriad of social issues that teens go through in which they must face alone. These issues are inevitable and they need a helping hand so that they can surpass these dilemmas.  They are influence by these social issues in which they get tied down to them. Teens are vulnerable and need someone to guide them. One issue that is popular amongst teens is bullying that abate their self esteem level as well as security. However; there are ways of helping which are Public service announcements that give out information for every single issue as well as where they get help. Bullying might be an obstacles but it can be fix if we collaborate together to help end it.

For every issue there is a background story that is called the cause or root of the dilemma. Social issues like bullying are passed down to many people who have parents who encourage them to act as bullies. In most cases parents might be the cause for why their teens are vicious towards other who can’t defend themselves. According to the Government of Alberta, there are some parents who constantly abuse their children and with that abuse it causes a child to have a lot of animosity towards others. Some time the aggressors have no emotion which makes them believe that it is ok to disrespect other without noticing that it will drastically impinge their victims. The third cause that makes a bully is the feeling of power over an individual. Once they become superior it is hard to stop them because they love the fact how they can deteriorate a person. According to John Cloud, who believe dominance is a trait that bullies want to keep for the simple fact that they are recognize for it.

    The effect of bullying is a symbol of a scar for teens in which they are tormented by the impact of their social issues. Bullying is causing many victims to have physical and mental issue that live through them every day because they haven’t gotten over the abuse. All of these victims sooner or later have fear that grows stronger within them in which they no longer trust people or can’t go on in life. According to Robert Gebbia, fear can also lead to another effect which is retaliation that causes a victim to get their revenge from their bullies and they soon become the new aggressor. This is why bullying is bad.

Salvador Dali Painting response (FC)

                                                         Buried but then reborn

I see someone coming into this world but the person is forcing themselves to come out because as you can see the person legs is pushing out. This reminds me of a fetus coming out from his mother womb because the egg symbolizes something hatching. I also see yellow probably representing light but then I see a dark background with no one around probably symbolizing evil or depression. Maybe this person is struggling from living the same rote and it’s express through what looks like blood to me. The huge blood drop is facing towards the person so that when he comes out he can see his reflection. As for the person on the right I think symbolize death because it is an old skeleton woman with a child who have similar feature as the woman. To me the woman look like she is burying the person a live because the yellow on the egg that I interpret as glue is what she is creating because the yellow is more on her sides as if she is taking revenge on the person who made her starve to death. I say this because the woman looks as if she never eaten anything in her entire life because she is very emaciated and the child is trying to tell her to stop speaking cruel of the person or to stop burying him because her pointing with no happiness tells me that she is telling the child bad things about the guy. The thing on the top to me represents something that is also assisting the woman in burying him because it can be something that would cover the egg. I say this because the thing on the top is the same size as the egg. The meaning that can be drawn by this image is a man who got tired of living the same life and probably caused some damages in the world that he left behind so he took a nap inside of this egg and realize that he needs to repair certain things. So he emerges from the egg to correct his mistake of leaving the world by returning in which some people opposes because he already afflicted pain but he is willing to struggle so that he can get out and show that he is a new man.                                                                                                         (FC)