Monday, October 17, 2011

Education: Bridging the Two Worlds

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." These moving words were said by George Washington Craver. I believe this quote signifies that 'with education comes freedom.' Education presents us with more choices and decisions, and consequently, more freedom in life. It gives us knowledge to make the right choices, and with that knowledge comes success. This quote indicates that education opens up many more opportunities and freedom for us to strive towards our life ambitions. Without education, one doesn't have much hope for a successful future.


It is difficult to survive properly to get anywhere in life without education. In fact, education today may even be more important than it was back then as nowadays, most privileges are not open to uneducated people. Many chances are taken away from people due to their lack of education. Education is needed to be able to accomplish much in life because now, not only does education incorporate reading and writing, it also consists subtle lesson's for today's constantly changing society. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to get education. Many people around the world in poverty want to attend school and learn but don't have that kind of money to spare or are denied their right to attend school. While some people take education for granted, there are kids on the streets who yearn and wish but can only hope to be educated. It seems completely unfair that while people who can't afford it dream to be educated, there are people being educated who don't recognize the benefit and importance of education and fail to appreciate it. Education is necessary to achieve much in life. I believe education is worth being fought for.


Education is important to fight for because with education comes space for development. Education gives us basic knowledge and lets us understand more of what is going on in the world. It would allow the world to develop because fighting for universal education would also be fighting against poverty. Educating the poverty-stricken means helping and giving them a shot to a better lifestyle by getting a job, thus helping the world develop. Yet many children around the world today are denied their right to attend school and some don't have the money to afford schooling. If everyone was given the chance to get educated, the number of people in poverty and suffering would lessen as education is the foundation to success and provides the chance of getting a well paying job and with that comes money to lead a better life. Education is the key to freedom because when you are in poverty, there is not much you can do. Fortunately, there are campaigns around the world fighting for child education. One such example is the Bolsa Escola (Bolsa Familia), in Brasil. Bolsa Escola is a scholarship program for kids who have to work and it allows kids to go to school some time during the day. This operation makes up for money lost from kids going to school by giving them a monthly cash payment. As well as its educational impact, Bolsa Escola is also credited for its other positive impacts like the stimulation of economic growth, therefore, providing development for the world.


Additionally, education is important to fight for because education helps the world grow. Education allows us to keep moving in a forward direction by educating people to understand the world and the things in it. Education will help us understand the world better, so we can know what needs to change and what improvements to make so the world can grow. Through education, we can also discover and develop new ideas and methods to do things so that there is growth and life can become easier for both the rich and the poor. Furthermore, education also teaches people to value what is morally right. By that, the world would grow and become a better place for us to live, when people know the right way.


Ultimately, education is the key to almost everything in life. Everything else will follow itself once you are educated. Education is worth fighting for because with it comes a better life for everyone and a better world by providing space for growth and development. Education is needed to accomplish or get anywhere in life. Without it, the world would have not much growth nor development. In a way, education is also like a 'bridge' between the two worlds, poverty and wealth. Education is also important for achieving freedom and success. I believe education is worth fighting for.


Painting- 'World and Education' by Romero Britto



Sunday, October 2, 2011

Found Poetry-


In the case the world doesn't care,
I have to somehow make it count.
To sound like it is important,
No questions, just answers.
No doubt lingering in my voice.
Even if inside, I only feel fear.

We walk this earth everyday;
we just take what we say.
We never leave any way,
for the future to simply stay.

Our earth that we own
has deteriorated to ash.
Through my eyes I see trash,
my vision of beauty has been slashed.

No one listens to our world,
they only will in their afterworld.
No one realizes we need to conserve,
we all simply have to observe.

I walk through the trees,
my shadow behind.
I am reminded of the generation,
the one that will see the transformation.

Picture our land,
ash, a great grey band.
We all have to understand,
together, we must take a stand.
To save mature nature,
before it’s too late.
---


A sustainable future is worth fighting for. Through my found poem, it shows the need of saving Mother Nature. Nowadays, we take whatever we want from nature and don’t give back anything in return accept our trash. Although we may not see or feel it now, not much later, our world will be gone, destroyed by our heedless acts. My poem fights for saving Mother Nature. Only when it’s too late, will we realize just what has to be changed. And we might not be the ones to see the change, the next generation will. We are leaving no way for the future to stay. Everyday, the Earth is deteriorating, because of us. We are destroying our world. If we don’t take a stand soon to save Mother Nature, everything will be gone. We need to start sustaining the planet to maintain all life and ecological systems so the world and thrive on in the future. We need to start conserving before it is too late to save the world.


My Noise ~ A Visual Representation


The image above shows a visual representation of my noise.

In the night, after a long day, I shut off the lights and lie on my bed. Everything outside is quiet yet my noise is loud inside my head. This image, above, shows a visual representation of my noise. As you can probably guess, I like colours and my noise is very colourful. I think with a lot of colours. All over the page, there are small picture/sketches, symbolizing I like to doodle and doodle a lot. I also think about my mom, dad, and sisters as shown at the top of the page. The words are larger than those around them since I think about my family a lot. There are words showing my values and things that I think are important all around the page. Also, there are words and phrases that my parents always tell me and what I try to achieve. From the cross and the word God, you can tell I’m christian, I believe in God. God is written quite big because I think about God all the time. In addition, music is part of my noise, seen with the music notes and the word flute. Music is important in my life because it has taught me to never give up even when its hard. On top of that, there are questions marks written or drawn all over my noise. This represents my hidden thoughts. In conclusion, my noise is extremely colourful and shows what I think about.  



Sunday, September 18, 2011

Rosa Parks: The Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement




Rosa Parks (1913 - 2005)


"Each person must live their life as a model for others."These inspirational words were said by Rosa Parks, an African-American civil rights activist and seamstress. I think this quote implies that every individual should live their life following their moral codes and stand up for what they believe in. It also suggests we live our lives as an example for other's so they can follow our footsteps one day.

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa Parks' childhood was greatly influenced by the Jim Crow laws of the south that segregated white people from black people in almost every part of their lives. This included riding public transportation, where blacks were only allowed to sit in the back few rows of the bus, as long as no whites were left standing, yet they all had to pay the same amount of fare. Rosa Parks is most well known for her stand against racial segregation on a public bus in Montgomery. Her fight began the day she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, when ordered to do so.

On Thursday, December 1st 1995, Rosa Parks boarded a public bus in downtown Montgomery, after a day at work. She sat in an empty seat in the first row of back seats, set aside for blacks, behind several rows reserved for white passengers, but not before she paid her fare. The bus travelled along its regular route picking up increasingly more passengers. Eventually, all the seats reserved for whites were taken. Rosa Parks along with several other blacks were then ordered to move further back by the bus driver. However, something inside of Rosa Parks said NO. When ordered the second time, she still refused to and remained seated. Parks was arrested and sent to jail by the police. 24 hours after her arrest, she was bailed out of jail and her trail lasted for half an hour.

When people around the area heard about Rosa Parks' civil disobedience, they decided to take a stand as well. A boycott was formed and the people agreed not to take buses on Monday, December 5th, four days after the arrest. The black (coloured) community managed to disrupt the bus transit company's finances causing it losing a lot of money. Due to the boycott, the law requiring segregation on public buses was removed 381 after the move.

Rosa Parks' act of resistance turned into an important image of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Parks didn't give up her seat because she was tired, she stated, "the only tired I (she) was, was tired of giving in." Rosa Parks took a stand and stood firm for what she believed was right. She made it clear she was not going to go on being treated in that manner, like a second-class citizen, anymore. Parks had not planed to get arrested, but just the same, did not hesitate to do so as she 'felt that we (blacks) had endured that (treatment) too long.' Rosa Parks had to make that decision, one that has brought positive change to society. Parks believed 'the more we (blacks) gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.' Rosa Parks went against society to fight for what she believed was worth fighting for. Rosa Parks lived her life as a model for us all.

She once claimed- "Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others." Sure enough, her sacrifices and achievements throughout her life will be remembered clearly and told through generations. Her act of boldness started a revolution that has changed the lives of generation to follow. She stood up for what she believed was right and went on bringing positive change in history. She fought for what was just and gave hope to others. Without her heroic acts, the society would not be the way it was today. Rosa Parks advanced positive change in a time when social inequality was commonplace. By the means of her actions, she has taught us to fight for was is morally right. I believe Civil Rights are worth fighting for.

Graphic Citation: http://www.bapwd.com/Rosa_Parks.jpg


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Perfect Utopia





"The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them." - Paul Hawken

If I could create a new world, I would want it to be based on sustainability. Nowadays, the human population is rising at a rate that causes sustaining resources almost impossible. As the consumption and population grows, the world's natural resources are lessening. If we keep consuming at this increasing rate, there will be nothing left for us to consume in the future. In my ideal world, natural resources will be valued and fewer resources will be consumed than created.

Sustainability is an important characteristic because it allows growth and development by securing a reliable future for new civilizations and future generations to thrive. Furthermore, our future depends upon our actions now. We, as humankind, are dependent on the environment and its natural resources to survive. If the environment was destroyed or natural resources depleted, we would not be able to nourish ourselves to live much longer. Therefore, we need to start sustaining the planet to maintain all life and ecological systems.

In my ideal world, everyone will work towards sustaining the environment and its natural resources. People will seek to reduce their ecological footprint as well as their negative impact on the environment to maintain balance in the environment. In this society, no one will disregard sustainability. The environment will be protected and depletion of natural resources avoided and valued. People will repay whatever they take from the planet and there will be more resources produced than used. Around the world, many societies have endeavored to achieve this ideal, yet haven't reached it. Nonetheless, it is still worth striving for.

Graphic Citation:
http://urbanmining.org/wp-content/themes/urbanmining/files/sustainability.jpg

Friday, February 25, 2011

Luttrell Psalter


1. What is the Lutterral Psalter? What does it portray?

The Psalter a volume of 150 ancient songs, grouped together to form one of the Old Testament books of the Bible. They formed a fundamental part of Christian and Jewish worship in the Middle Ages and down to the present day. They were often written out separately from the rest of the Bible and preceded by a calendar of the Church's feat-days and followed by various types of prayers. It is a medieval manuscript.

2. What type of source is the Lutterral Psalter?

The Lutterral Psalter is a primary source.

3. Why is the Lutterral Psalter an unique document?

The Lutterral Psalter is an unique document because it is painted in rich colours embellished with gold and silver with vitality and sometimes bizzarre inventiveness of decoration. It has fascinating details and its lively images provide a virtual documentary of work and is as well unlike virtually any other Psalter.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

DomiKnow Learning Profile


Gestalt Dominant (Right Brain)

Profile LL



After reading about my profile, I learnt that I my function is movement and I learn best through movement. Because of this, I would want to sit at the back of the classroom so I can move easily without disturbing others around me. When I am under stress, I can't use any of my Visual, Auditory or Communication skills to take in information. This means that I am at great disadvantage under stress as I cannot access my dominant hemisphere and therefore, totally shut off. However, there are a few activities that can help me deal with stress. Some of the activities include the Lazy 8s, Thinking Caps, Cross Crawl Sit-Ups from Brain Gym, as well as drawing with the non-dominant hand. Some examples of things that make me stress are: When I don't understand something, when there is a big test, or when I have a lot of homework. The Gestalt coping strategy tells me that when stress like that happens I could do the following: Attend to details, prioritize, force myself to finish what I started. I would like my teachers to know I learn best by seeing the big/whole picture.