Sunday, March 27, 2016

Journal 8 by Mohammed Baseer

Living almost all of my life in India I have realized that I cannot be a unique or eccentric to live in a society like that, I have to do something that other people have already done and are successful. People there usually tell small kids you either be a engineer or a doctor, That's It! Well, of course there are some parents who does listen to their kids and let them do anything they want making them visionary leaders. In my opinion, eccentrics and dreamers are the one who rouse and motivates us to do some thing good out of nothing. Old people usually give this example, "He studied under a streetlight", and now everybody dreams about becoming like him. I usually go around asking eccentrics of how they accomplished their goals, what steps they took to achieve something that's this big, so that we can have an idea and mindset to follow the path of dreamers. After coming here I  saw uniqueness in every student, some would do a major in business or arts and then go into a medical school.

My reading in Holding On is going on really good, It's inspiring to read about the dreamers and visionaries who does a lot of hard work but are still unknown in the world, the stories are short and very interesting, It makes a sense to the reader but on the other hand the story related to a person is not in detail, it just tells us about their dreams and leadership. A question I had was from Robert Shields , even though he writes such long diaries about his life and collected 75 huge cartons filled of paper in his room, does he ever get time to open those cartons and look back in the diaries of what he wrote? And then again he will write in his present diary that he was reading an old diary and what he did, Phew! doesn't make any sense.

In Miles Mahan, the key theme is Miles created his own museum and sits down everyday to attract customers . Miles reports in the second paragraph that he "built the museum out of scratch". His experience of working in the carnivals helped him built his own museum without having to spend extra money. As he has spend all the money in buying the land, I think he was not left with any money after that to build his museum.

Journal 8 by Caitlin Williams

I think dreamers and eccentrics are important in our culture and society. If it wasn't for these kinds of people I don't think we would have anything interesting to go see or look at. People take vacations to see some amazing monuments, museums, theme parks and other miscellaneous things. I don't think most of these kinds of places would exist without a dreamers vision of it. The idea of these kinds of places had to come from someone somewhere in this world. I think for the most part, in ordinary people its discouraged in our culture to be different or be a dreamer. I think most people tell people they are weird for the dreams they have and make fun of them. I use to write poems and all my friends thought I was the strangest thing for it but when we read poetry in class out of a book it suddenly wasn't weird to them anymore. It was only weird when I wrote. We have famous people strut around in the most ridiculous looking clothes that if any normal person wore it would be considered very strange. Its a messed up world we live in.

My reading in Holding On is going great. I like that the book changes for every story and we have no idea what kind of people we are going to learn about next is. These are pretty ordinary people we are learning about and the extraordinary things they have done in their lives. My active reading in on point right now. I'm very proud of how much my active reading has improved and I think getting feedback on the other books we read and how my active reading was in those books really helped me grow as an active reader.

My favorite story in the book so far is Moreese Bickhams story. He was a prisoner in Louisiana and Isay and Wang helped get him our of jail. The key themes I noted in this story was injustice, racism, corruption and to just keep on keepin on. I learned that racism has actually improved somewhat and that the justice system is just as corrupt now as it was back them. There are so many passages in this story that really stuck out to me but if I had to pick one it would be on page 37 in the paragraph that talks about how God sent him in angel in jail when he was on death row and he asked God to give him a sign as to whether or not he was going to get out and that night he had a dream about his Grandmother and she told him in the dream, "I been with you ever since that night you got in this trouble." I chose this because of its beauty and faith. It was such a raw moment that you felt in your gut while reading the book.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Groups and dates for Presentations. From Mike Lohre

Monday, April 4

1. Chase and Josh: Kanye West
2. Addison and Andy: Ellen
3. Lucas and Matt: Tiger Woods

Wednesday, April 6
1. Mohammed and Caitlyn: J.K. Rowling
2. Lali and Gabe: Steve Irwin
3. Charles and Chad: Maya Angelou

Josh:Journal 8

Dreamers in our society today are valued very much. They influence us in so many ways and you either love them or you hate them. I think our culture definitely encourages eccentricity and uniqueness. I think everybody can relate to is people like to root for the underdogs. One example that comes to mind is former heavyweight champion, Buster Douglas from Columbus. He was a heavy underdog in his title match against Mike Tyson who was the undefeated champion at the time. Nobody thought that he would beat Tyson but he did and it is perhaps one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
So far my reading is going well. I find all the profiles very fascinating. One strength I like about the book is that the people iconic figures. They are normal hardworking unique people. At this point in my reading I can’t think of any weaknesses. One question I had was how did David Isay and Harvey Wang go about picking these people? How did they hear about them?

The profile that stuck out to me the most would probably be the first one about “Steam Train” Maury Graham. While reading his profile, I learned a lot more about the life of a Hobo. A theme that stuck out to me was unity. I always thought that Hoboes were loners traveling from place to place but I learned that Hoboes share a bond with each other and they even have their own convention. A phrase that stuck out to me was when Maury was talking about the difference between Hoboes and Bums. “You go in those bum camps and you might not come out of there, ‘cause they’ll rob you and they’ll hit you in the head. But if you stay around hoboes, they’ll look out for you and they’ll treat you nice.” This stuck out to me because I feel like I goes a lot with the theme I picked for this profile.  

Journal 8 by Chase

I noticed that integrity was a very adopted value among dreamers and eccentrics. It is also something that a lot of the more successful people have as well. I think throughout our society we say that we encourage individualism and creativity but I think we unknowingly put a limit on what we dictate as creative and worthy or insane and worthless. We say that everybody should be themselves but if we don't fit within the broad parameters then we are considered strange.

So far I am enjoying my reading somehow. I noticed that the book shows a lot of people being flexible to adversity and pressure.

Journal 8 by lali

I think dreamers and eccentrics in our culture our looked at as acceptable rather than it was back then. And I think people today look at it as creativity and talent rather back then where they looked at them as crazy and didn't want anything to do with them. An example of a dreamer and eccentric in todays society is bill gates. He wanted to create something that everyone can use and so he created Microsoft.
My reading in Holding On is going okay so far, for me its not that interesting and I think that's probably why my active reading is not that good right now that's one of my weaknesses. My strengths are that i'm enjoying some of the stories in this book and that's where my active reading is at its best. One question for me is any of these people have a good life today?

One of the profiles that struck me the most is steam train. What I learned from this is there is a difference between a hobo and a bum, a hobo wants to work while a bum doesn't. A passage that I really liked was "A hobo never worried about being broke. He knew he could work for his breakfast, and he knew he could work for his dinner." The reason I like this because it really shows what a hobo is.

Journal 8 By: Addison

The dreamers and eccentrics in our culture are the ones who make to there goals no matter how may people says its impossible  I think our culture discourages uniqueness and dreamers because we don't think its possible. We also don't like when someone we know gets more in life then ourselves. I worked at sears and one of my co workers had a dream to be an opera singer and everyone thought he was good but never thought someone from marion ohio could actually become one. He left about 6 months ago for his big break.

I am a little behind in Holding On but I'm getting caught up. so far my active reading is going pretty good. still needs work though.

My favorite is steam train. it made me realize that hoboes are different that bums. bums are the ones sitting on the street just asking for money and food. hoboes actually work for food and that they really don't want handouts.

Journal 8 by Gabrial Alexander Breidenbach

in our culture dreamers and eccentrics are required to create new opportunitys in order for civilization to improve and show that it is possible to thrive in these times. though by no means does our culture now a days really encourage that behavior since now a days it seems like our culture strives for "normalcy" that by no means should exist when speaking business and should not discourage dreamers and eccentrics from trying to achieve what they want in life for what ever the reason but saddly now your just lucky to not get reminded that almost everything now takes a good sum of cash just to do a simple activity sure "money cant buy happiness" but now it takes so much just to have a home and when key factors like that cost so much it is incredibly discouraging to strive for anything because theirs always a price tag waiting around the corner.

 My readings in holding on are at most ok. Truthfully i find it interesting but the material that i am reading at times is hard to remember due to the book not giving my mind much in the way of imagery and or vivid references as to the time in which these interviews took place. Even though i struggle to remember parts of the book, Holding-On still is fun to read due to the personality's of the people that they have chosen to put in the book for centuries to come such as the muesiem in which i remember laughing when the interviewer looking at the children area said something along the lines of "its just a tree stump" showing how a normal person would perveive the attraction without really thinking about what it could be. Another great example is the shoe shiner/ Hat blocker shop and how the owner is ok with being called bob because after they talked to him on a personal level he knew they would address him by his name rather than the stores title.


The profile that struck me was Father Louis H. Greving. Primarily his obsession with the grotto legitimately creeps me out and the fact that from what i understand that may be one of the few things he ever talks about just flat out makes it unsettling I understand having pride in what you made but truthfully there is a line. near the end though is a quote that is great and when they quoted Father Dobberstein "I only met one man tha is as determined as I am,"he said,"and thats you!"

Monday, March 21, 2016

Journal 8 - Response to "Holding On" by Andy

(Part 1)  
    I believe the dreamers and eccentrics are mostly looked at as "crazy" in today's society, but it is less "crazy" than it was in the past.  I personally feel like it is a person's person opinion, as well as their morals, on whether they encourage your idea or they are against it.  Without the dreamers and eccentrics, we would not be anywhere near as technologically advanced as we are at the present time.  One of the easiest current examples to use is Facebook.  Facebook started out as a small idea, slowly caught on, grew some more, and has now become a global staple for communication.  Another past example would be the "space race" to become the first country to "command" outer space.  If neither the United States nor Soviet Union pushed themselves to reach this possibility, who knows when space would have been explored.

    As far as personal experiences, a boring cliche one would be working out.  I've had so many doubters over the years until they see me later on.  Consistency is key and as long as you are happy and seeing the results you desire, that is what matters most.  Other personal ideas in the work place for me unfortunately fall on deaf ears and I have already discussed my ideas with the highest authority that I am allowed to contact.  It's obviously frustrating when you have an idea, others agree with you, yet you cannot convey that idea to who would have the most power and final say in the matter.


(Part 2)
    I am enjoying Holding On so far.  The strengths of the book so far for me includes the short interviews/stories and how they were recorded then written.  Each short story gives you a brief look into someone's life and they are descriptive enough for me in which once again, I can place myself in their shoes and visualize their experiences as well as reflect on them.  I also enjoy the dialect and characteristics for each person since it is raw and unscripted. (On the last page of my book it does unfortunately say "In most cases, the oral histories in Holding On are heavily edited transcripts of interviews which ranged in length from one to four hours." page 216)  The weakness for me would be if I am interested in the person, I have no more information on them at the present time of reading.

    My one big question is: how are these people doing today? I sadly assume some, if not most are unfortunately deceased.

(Part 3)
    One of the profiles that has made a larger impact than others for me would be Harold C. Cotton - Hat Blocker - Greensboro, North Carolina (page 55).  The theme for me is staying true to yourself, which I always do. The reason I use that phrase is due to Harold putting in the necessary work to first achieve a job followed by putting in his time and loyalty, which earned him ownership of "Bob's Hat Shop".  The quality and respect he had for his work kept business steady.
    The most important part of his story, in my personal opinion, is when during the civil rights movement he was asked by a "black Marine" "Can I get a shine?" and Cotton replied, "Have a seat.".  This was the first time an African-American had his shoes shined up front and not in the back of the store.  Afterwards, Cotton stated "From now on, anybody that come in here can get up on the stand.  I don't care whether they close us up or not."  This goes back to the theme of staying true to yourself.  He was put in a position in which he believed it was fair to provide service to all in the same area and get rid of the segregation that was "normal" to keep his business operating smoothly.

Journal 8 by Lucas

Dreamers and eccentrics broaden our culture. If it were not for dreamers and eccentrics then everybody would be the same way in a certain sense and there would be no uniqueness. I believe that our culture discourages uniqueness and eccentricity nowadays because if somebody is different from what society deems as "normal", then often times that person is bullied and tormented for being themselves or what society considers different. In my own experiences I have often been teased for playing golf in high school by some of my friends instead of playing football because a lot of people think golf is a boring and lame sport.

So far my reading in Holding On  has been going pretty well. I believe that one of the strengths of this book is that it is very straight forward and gets to the point instead of adding in a bunch of other pointless information. I like the short chapters in this book compared to A House On Mango Street because I can actually understand what is happening in these chapters. I think one of the weaknesses of this book is that it is so many people with so much information jammed into each chapter that it is hard to retain a lot of the details of each story. One question I have of this book is what made these men want to go around and hear stories from all of these people to make a book?

The one story that struck me the most was Moreese Bickham, the prisoner. I learned that even though Moreese was innocent he had no chance of avoiding prison or death just because he was a black man and the Klan had that much power. Even all those years later the community was trying anything they could do to keep him in prison. The theme I notice in this chapter is hostility. The passage that means the most to me is when the town and the police chief are trying to keep him in prison. "Each time Bickham appeared before the pardon  board, his appeal was strongly protested by the Mandeville Police Department. We will do anything we can to keep him in prison." (Isay 37-38). This means the most to me because it shocks me they are doing anything to keep an innocent man in prison after all these years just because he is a black man,

Journal 8 by Matt Stock

1   I think that dreamers and eccentrics have a major part in our culture. People that are dreamers think of the world in a different way. They don't take no for an answer and keep pushing until they solve our worlds problems. Everything we have that plays a major role on our life was an idea of a dreamer. A dreamer sat down and said wouldn't it be cool if we had lights that just turned on by a switch. Now look at how much we use the light bulb. High five Mr. Einstein. The bad thing is people in our culture today are scared to be different. Different makes this world great and everyone pushes dreamers down and call them weird. Some dreamers will never stand out because our culture wont let them show their amazing passions. In school kids were judged for being different. During middle school there was a super smart kid that everyone made fun of because he would walk around singing gospel music in the halls at school. But at the end of high school he was the one going to college with a ton of scholarships and leading our class. Kind of makes me feel bad for watching the way the kids treated him in middle school. He never deserved to be treated like that for being a dreamer. He didn't let people get to him and he was successful in his own way.
2    I am up to date on Holding On. I feel like the reading is going very well and is an eye opening experience. I am still doing active reading and even started using nut shelling even more after each story. It is helping me more than the other books we have read because I have practiced it. The book is great in showing dreamers that the world doesn't know about. I have learned a lot about peoples lives way before our time. The people that the stories are about really pull me in and makes me want to know more. I think the only down fall I have is that the stories are all different and once I am pulled in the author doesn't write anything else. I would love to ask Robert Shields how in the world did he have a life while writing down everything that happened?
3     The story that stands out to me that most from Holding On would be "Steam Train". It is the very first story in the book but hands down my favorite. When Steam Train explains how Hoboes work for food and don't bum off of people really hit me. It showed me that Hoboes are hardworking, pride, and don't just take hand outs. I learned there is a difference in hobos and bums are way different. Stream train explained that hoboes traveling around would look out for other hoboes. Steam Train points out that hoboes wont ask you for money or food. They will ask if you had work for food. I find that very moving that the culture was so great that they don't belly ache over the littlest things they find a salutation. I have a NCO SGT Knotts that always tell us " don't come to me with a problem but come to me with a problem that has a salutation."  On the routes that would travel hoboes would find pans to cook in. Hoboes would wash them so the next group passing by would have something clean to eat out of. David Isay writes "And when they get through using those pans, they wash 'em and clean 'em. They don't throw them on the ground and leave them dirty- bums do that. Hoboes wash and shine those pits and get them perfectly clean and hang them." I feel like this is important because it shows even though hoboes don't have much they still care about their fellow man. Like that is very important when you don't have much is to lean on others. Its a different kind of teamwork but it just shows man is great.
    

Monday, March 7, 2016

Journal 7: Josh

Rafe Esquith takes teaching to a whole other level. It made me think of how everyone's perspective about inner city schools are negative. It seems like most kids that grow up in inner city or project neighborhoods drop out, don't get to reach their full potential, and get mixed up into the wrong crowd. It makes me feel a bit discouraged because I feel are government is not doing enough for these kids. We know this is an issue that floats around from time to time and it seems like we aren't doing anything about it. We need to be encouraging them and teach them that hard work can pay off in the long run.

Rafe doesn't just teaches the bare minimum. He teaches them how to be an American by playing baseball and having a big Halloween celebration. He also has the students perform in a Shakespeare play at the end of the year. They read all sorts of Shakespeare to help with vocabulary and reading. Another thing that amazed me was all of the trips they had all over. He knows that most of his students are at a disadvantage living in the inner city with so many negative distractions so he knows it is very important to make a positive impact on them.

The money system reminded me of my fourth grade class where we also had a money system. In our class we had checks and we would get a certain amount of money every month. If we misbehaved, we had to write the teacher a check. At the end of the month we the teacher would lay out a variety of candy, toys, and such. Whatever money we had left we could spend it on those things. We also had to write down all are transactions. I thought it was really neat and effective. It taught us how to write checks and behave in class.


A personal goal for myself is to apply for the Athletic Training Program at main campus in the fall and continue my degree. A sacrifice I’ll have to make is blocking out any distractions I might come across that could interfere with my goal.    

Meetings for Wednesday


Journal 7 by Mohammed

After watching the documentary Hobart Shakespeareans I can say that what Rafe did for those kids is something special and extraordinary, He is giving a new lease of life to them by teaching them in a special way (pedagogy) which had freedom, discipline and fun in the class. Rafe’s teaching technique is very unique, I can hardly see someone teach like that like he does. What I can understand is a teacher also has his/her family to look and take care of but Rafe is so dedicated and compassionate towards the kids improving their lives and helping them.  He is always motivating the kids as he said to the class on the last day of school, “This is not over, this is the beginning, It’s what teachers do,” and “We all have problems, I have them too, solve them,” I have seen many teachers back in India who gave up hope once the student is not performing but Rafe is that one teacher who backs a student as he known's their full potential and how to teach them. A huge part of Rafe’s teaching is teaching what it means to be American and that we are Americans.
                The kids never looked sad in the movie to go to school, they always enjoyed in the class whether it is math or reading a book or music or sports. His way of teaching such as using money system in class to buy, rent or auction something eventually helps kids to understand the value of money and how to spend it wisely. Another event that struck me the most was his trips to Washington and Houston with kids, I wonder whether the kids had cried or not missing their parents. But it looked as though they have enjoyed and learned a lot. The whole class united to perform the Shakespeare play at the end of the school year was the main theme of this play, Shakespeare vocabulary is pretty difficult and these kids have memorized it with such an ease, they learned teamwork, patience and sacrifice and responsibility.
                Well I cannot remember any teacher from my elementary school, but I do remember a teacher from my high school. He is a biology professor and I have never seen any teacher having a Pedagogy as him. His mixed his teaching with humor in classroom, he eventually asks a student his notebook and tears (the outer cover) apart explaining the dehiscence of anthers in a plant. In the end there was no student in the class with a grade less than B. I must say just by his presence in the class he had a huge impact on us.

                A specific goal for me next year is to stay focused on my studies which eventually requires me to learn time management, the time I should spend at work, the time I spend towards my studies, time I should spend with my family has to be sorted out. Also my goal for this year and the next is to become fit and healthy, hope I might be able to do this one.

Journal 7 By: Addison

This film is amazing. It shows that just because your not riches doesn't mean you cant learn but it also shows you need an amazing teacher to show you that's true. It really made me think what type of teacher I will be. I want my students to believe in them selves just like he made his students believe they could understand Shakespeare.
My favorite thing he said multiple times was "be nice, work hard." you will not get anywhere in life if you do not put the work in and you need to be nice to one another.
In elementary school I never even read Shakespeare and in middle school we started to but I still never understood it like they do.
my goals for next year is to continue to go to school even though it is very hard with an infant. But I just have to remember that he is the reason why I'm going in the first place so I can give him a good life. I plan to also to continue working 2 jobs to support my family until I graduate. In general to have a good life with little boy.

journal 7 by lali

The film Hobart and the Shakespearians really surprised me in a good way, it was very cool seeing these kids learning and reading these difficult Shakespeare books and discussing it like adults. It was really cool seeing the teacher Rafe Esquith and how he interacted with these kids and how much freedom he let them have. What really shocked me the most is when they were reading out loud one of Shakespeare's book some of the kids started crying while reading out loud, this was I thought pretty cool because these kids really got into these books and they really appreciated the writing of Shakespeare. "All children must get a equal opportunity" this was said by Rafe Esquith and I totally agree with him because some kids don't a equal opportunities as others. What really was different about my elementary is that we didn't have that much freedom as these kids for example he let his students sit on top of their desks and in my elementary that would not be aloud. But some of the same stuff that we did is we read out loud a lot of books but never a Shakespeare book. A goal for me in the next year is to save up enough money to move out of my house to either get my own place or get a place with my friends.    

Journal 7 by Chad Devore

     In a weird way, I guess the documentary made me think about how education and success can come in more than one way. I say that because it was explicitly stated at the beginning that the looseness in the class helped developed a sense of comfort on top of actually achieving what the teacher wanted to do.
     In all honesty, I personally don't agree with some of the things that went on in that classroom. For one, I feel as if the teacher somewhat milked the fact that he liked Shakespeare, and made them basically study it for days on end. However, if there's one thing that I do agree with, it's the fact that the lessons should be taught as a passion, which is what happened in the case with the teacher (Rafe) and Shakespeare.
     When I was in elementary school, that place was borderline "think this way and do it that way". It was obvious when many of the students were told to do things a certain way. Basically, the main lesson and such that I got from the film was to have a proper and more "fun" way of learning and such, all while trying to reach the goal you have. My elementary school, in all honesty, was nothing like this.
     I guess I can take some of what was in the documentary and live off of it. For example, the kids said that they'd have to sacrifice their free and fun time just to basically sand their own goals and make it as well-rounded as possible. When I begin the classes for my major next year, I'll have to do this as well. I'll have to focus more on trying to succeed through the classes rather than what I usually do. That is, surf the internet and such.

Journal 7: Response to The Hobart Shakespearians - by Andy

     Rafe Esquith's approach to teaching his fifth grade students definitely goes above and beyond the average learning curriculum.  "My passion is passed on to my students" was a quote by Esquith that is shown multiple times throughout this documentary film.  He truly means it and keeps his word.  Esquith wants to connect with his students and provide learning methods in which he teaches multiple lessons.  A great example is Esquith's currency system in the classroom.  Esquith states desks located in the front of the classroom cost the most while the farther back the desks go, the less expensive, and you must pay rent for your seat regardless of location.  This is a great start in teaching how to balance your money via what you can afford and learning how to budget accordingly.
     I personally also thought Esquith's selection of reading material such as Of Mice and Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and especially The Autobiography of Malcolm X were a bit intense to be reading at that age. However, if the students are able to absorb the material and understand the situations occurring, I see them as great learning tools for life.

     As far as my own personal experiences in elementary school, I honestly cannot recall specific methods from teachers that helped me out, as terrible as that sounds.  One situation that was motivating for myself as well as others was, I believe in fifth grade, I had a math teacher who rewarded us through a math "game".  It was quite simple, she would write the math problem on the chalkboard and we would have to solve it as quickly as possible with the correct answer.  Whoever answered first received a point.  At the end of the game, you could receive different brands of candy and if you had the most points, you were awarded a can of Coca-Cola. Oh delicious sugary non-sense!  I had quite a bit of success at the time, but now I unfortunately struggle to completely understand math and put it all together as well as back in my high school days.

     My personal goals for next year include continuing doing my best in school and passing all of my classes with good grades.  My biggest frustration and road block is lack of self-confidence when I do poorly on an assignment and it is all downhill from there.  It's hard to keep a positive attitude, especially in math, when you are having a hard time.  Obviously practice makes perfect, but that is easier said than done for me.  Trying to achieve a balance in life is also easier said than done.  I'd like to get back into the gym on a more regular basis since I am still down a good chunk of weight/muscle from where I was before starting at The Ohio State University primarily due to stress/anxiety, which I have a hard time controlling, and I hardly eat as much as I used to due to the stress.  It's frustrating when you see people you have not bumped into in quite a while and they ask you "What happened?" or "Why are you looking so thin?" since I used to practically live in the gym.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Journal 7 by Matt Stock

     The Hobart Shakespearians I think is an amazing story. Rafe Esquith has figured it all out and does amazing with these kids. The great thing is he does it year after year and keeps up with his past students after they leave for years. I think if we teach the way Rafe does all over the country then we would have better outcomes in education ratings for our country. I think the whole country would thrive as a whole. At first I though Rafe was crazy. I would be upset to see my child undergo some of his methods. My mind changed by the end of the film because it works! My girlfriend is majoring in education here at OSU and I would love for her to take away some of the methods. Teaching real life exprences in school should be monitory. Rafe starts at a very young age and builds a foundation. He used that word foundation a ton. The story makes me think of the freedom writers.
     In the film Rafe has many views and methods. I agree with many of them. Rafe said "all children must be given an equal opportunity". Fact is kids don't. Based on where they live and race. Kids don't always get what kids would get in a better school system and I feel like that's very true. I went to a Columbus public school when I was in elementary school. Compared to other schools they taught a lot different. The teachers would teach what I had learned two year before. I would have loved to have a teacher like Rafe. In school my teacher did the money method in school its my favorite method Rafe uses. A method that stood out was that Rafe teaches guitar lessons during class. He said that is helps the students grasp English and math better.
     My goal for the next year is to do at least a 3.5 GPA. I will have to study hard and be alert in class. Think about my future every time I sit at my desk in class. Rather than going out with my buddies I will be hitting the books hard.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Journal 7 from Lucas

In this film I thought there were a lot of great things Rafe was doing as a teacher. He really tried to make each and every student feel like he cared about them and wanted to help them succeed. He had a great impact on a lot of the students and it really showed by them going to school on weekends and during breaks too. It seemed like he really made learning fun for them and cared for them. One time he said "an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure" which he says because he is trying to keep them on the right path before it's too late. I personally liked the part when he talked to the 3 students about how they were sharing answers. He made sure he didn't embarrass them in front of the whole class like many teachers would've done.

One thing that was different in this film from my personal experience with teachers is that Rafe didn't automatically judge Allan and treat him any differently than the other students. I have had teachers in the past that were hard on some of my friends from the first day, just based on what the teachers before had told them. One thing that was similar was that he would go over something as many times as somebody needed him to so that they would understand it because I've had a few teachers like that.

A goal I want to achieve in the next year is to raise my GPA as high as possible since I did not do well in the first semester.

Journal 7, Caitlin Williams

     In the documentary, The Hobart Shakespearians, I thought that it so amazing and raw to watch a teacher really go above and beyond his requirements. Rave, the teacher, did not just teach to make a paycheck. He taught because "these young kids are the future" as he stated in this film. He wanted to take this young kids with hard lives that live in a low class neighborhood and show them that they can be something other than being a person similar from the place they come from. He was inspiring, at certain parts of the film I would get chills just because of how amazing this guy was. I found myself with an enormous smile on my face while watching most parts. It makes me feel like we as human beings are capable of so much more than we think even at such young ages.

     I remember one teacher in elementary school that I really felt like he cared about us. He was my 5th grade teacher and the year before he became my teacher he was the principle but stepped down to teaching because he missed being able to teach kids. He was very kind and he let us do more than a normal teacher would. He used hands on working and let us work with our friends a lot. He gave us freedom. I think it helped us see that learning wasn't such horrible thing and that it could be fun. He also used the money system that Rave used with his but it wasn't exactly the same. We would get our money for good grades and we would have auctions to buy candy or school supplies at the end of the month. My other teachers we truly just there for the paychecks or to torture us. I had 3 means teachers out of the only 5 I had in elementary school.

     In the  next year my goal is to become more independent. I am moving out of the house I have lived in since I was 6 months old and getting my own place. I want to improve my credit and get my own bills in my name and be able to afford them and pay them on time and still be able to have extra money to be able to go out and have a good time. I want to keep the credit cards I do have open low and not have to rely on a credit card to get me through life. I also want to move positions at my work and be happier about my job than I am. I would like to continue going to school and be able to push myself harder and further than I currently am without giving up.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Journal 7: Charles White

      This documentary really brought the imagine to my head that most teachers try their best to do anything to get their point across to their students. I have had many teachers who copied the style that Rafe  had of using  monetary system in his classroom. I personally thought this was the best tactic he used in his classrooms.
     One quote that I thought meant a lot too me in the documentary was " You have to be the person you want your kids to be." I thought this was an inspiring quote because it proves he wants to be a good person and by that he wants to prove to his students that it is easy to be a nice person and do nice things for people in return nice things will happen to you. When the students realize that Rafe was telling them the truth and actually cares about them, they buy into what he is saying and teaching. For most of the kids Rafe is the only father figure they can relate too. This can be monumental for the young kids, especially the young pre-teen boys who need someone too look up too.
    When I think about previous teachers that I had I can clearly tell some of them cared about the students, and others just wanted a pay check and have other people think that they are doing something good for the community. One teacher that I will never forget was my kindergarten teacher Mrs.Rosebury. She was the nicest and most kind teacher I ever had. Some things she used were the money system which Rafe also uses. Other teachers I have had didn't really teach me anything. Most of those were my middle school teachers, they just showed up everyday and gave us worksheets and wouldn't help anyone with anything. That I still believe is the reason I do not like some areas in education.
     A goal I want to achieve in the next year is to transfer to MTC and enroll in their power-linesmen course and get a job with Ohio Edison and be a professional linesmen.

Snapshot 4: Josh

Music is an important part of my life. I listen to music a lot of  music whether I’m in the car, working out, or studying. While competing in any sport as a kid I always made sure to bring a pair of headphones to get pumped up during the pregame. I became so hooked in my pregame music that if I was unable to listen or I forgot to I would be off my game. I like a verity of genres but I probably like rap the most. I got into rap at a young age which of course my parents didn’t like so much. I know some people think that rap is too explicit and derogatory. Although some of the things they say are, there are also a lot of emotions and stories of hard times in the rapper’s life.  

This is Kendrick Lamar performing at the Grammys from a few years ago. 
 My favorite rap artist would probably have to be Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) in my opinion. I like Kendrick because his songs consist of two moods. The first mood I get when listening to some of his songs is pumped up. Most of the songs in my workout playlist are by Kendrick. He is featured in one of SchoolBoy Q’s song “Blessed.” There is one line in particular that gets to me and it goes like, “Living in a premature place…wait. Never grow to see the pearly gates… break. Every time a bullet detonates…dates…of obituary carry crates.”  Even though I can’t relate to growing up in the projects like Kendrick did, the tone of his voice gets me motivated in my workout or pregame. He also has songs that have a mellow vibe to it. Whenever I am having a stressful day I’ll plug in some Kendrick to help me relax.  

Snapshot 4 Chase Wedding

Now I’m Truly Lost

                Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb. That is all you would have to say for me to understand it. Howeverrrrrr, this is for you guys. Comfortably numb has one of the most unique sounds I have ever heard in my entire life. The extremely mellow tones and the intense guitar solo makes me feel as if I were in space. Maybe that’s why they named their album the dark side of the moon. Either way, the first time I listened to the song I fell in love I was absolutely shocked with the fluidity of the guitar but the sounds that also cut like knives. If you haven’t heard the outro guitar solo from Comfortably Numb, you haven’t lived. The song makes me want to be able to play the guitar so bad again. Not only does the music speak to me but the lyrics themselves do too. The statement “comfortably numb” reminds me of sitting in the chair ready for the next tattoo. The pain is numbing but in a sense blissful as well. Call me crazy if you want, but it is quite a nice feeling. Almost euphoric if I must say. Ironically enough I have a tattoo that resembles the Dark Side of the Moon album cover. That is the album comfortably numb is from. In my mind that’s fate. Not really but its kind of cool. I still play the air guitar like a god whenever I hear this song. Don’t judge me.
Dark Side of the Moon 
:cover artwork

Snapshot 4 by Mohammed Baseer


                In simple terms music is a treatment for depression, it is a means of enjoyment, it is a great companion when you are alone, it brings back your smile when you are sad, it helps you to reminisce the lost and forgotten moments of life, it keeps me awake and fresh while I am driving, it lets me enjoy my morning shower, it keeps me motivated, it saddens me and bring tears to my eyes, it gives me a boost of energy when I am in the gym, it takes me back in time like a time machine, it brings us closer to our friends and families, and last but not the least, it helps us improve our listening skills.
                The feeling of listening to music is like the cold water that comes out of the water springs: pure and soothing. I listen to Indian songs and I have a playlist of my favorite songs that has been repeated over and over for more than thousand times, it is highly unmanageable for me to write down the lyrics of my favorite song, but when I hear it touches my heart and create a long lasting effect. There is this specific song that I hear every day, it looks as though it is a reflection of my life. It actually took no time for me to memorize this, It was on my mind after hearing it for the first time.
Music for me is like watching a sunset at a beach. Its like relaxing our mind  from the daily hustle of life.

snapshot 4 by lali

Back when I was around ten years old I hated country music, I thought it didn't have any meaning to it. I would hang out with my dad almost everyday at the golf course and every time he would have the radio on the country station he will always tell me if you listen you might learn something. Then one day I started listening to the lyrics and the artist said "Dad, this could be the best day of my life I've been dreamin day and night bout the fun we'll have it's just me and you doin' what I've always wanted to I'm the luckiest boy alive this is the best day of my life" this  is by George Strait and he became one of my favorite country singers because in that lyric he showed my how important my dad is and the time you spend with him is precious. Ever since that I have been listening to country music and all of George Straits music because they really tell you messages in their music and they also tell you the honest truth about life or anything you are going through as a person. Every time now I go golfing with my dad, he turns on the country station and I'm the one that always turns it up.


Image result for george strait
George Strait one of my favorite country singers
My favorite song from him is "I got a car"

Snapshot 4 Muscial effect. gabe breidenbach

This is the same image that was on the video after i checked my YouTube history

Music to me means a verbal or an audio representation of a story that can influence those who listens and in some situations inspire the masses to create a good foundation of a person or make the light shine bright upon anything commonly hidden in the shadows because the devils in the details and some songs just are able to cheer people up. My life music wise has been becoming more and more broad but in the end the type of music that means the most to me is metal/ hard rock because ive grown to find power when i hear shouting since even for me it just lights a fire in my soul and makes almost anything possible and often times makes me feel empowered and without a doubt more exited than a cat with a overdose of cat nip. Hilariously i discovered about Ivan Moody and his Five Finger Death Punch through an accidental video click on YouTube where i listened to the song "way of the fist" right before i went to fight at Tommy house resulting in a surprising efficiency when we practiced knife fighting where rather than the normal fear or over thinking causing me to lose horribly it became a game of cat and mouse as i always aimed for his plastic knife (always) knocking it out of his hand and before he could move i would within seconds already be picking it up or catching it mid flight and making the once powerful Tommy give up time and time again  enough times that it almost seemed like life had kept hitting reset .Often the music works in a way to improve my ability to do certain activities such as if I'm cold turn on a song filled to the brim with anger and aggression and suddenly my body heat rises making the cold bearable, or how if im sad i will turn on a semi motivational song to try to heal and eventually get in the drivers seat and make my depression choke on the dust as i slam my foot on the gas shooting into the future to reach for my goal to better my life and my families. the last example for this trifecta of information is when sparring in karate I often turn on songs that the tones are either dark, fast paced or gets my blood pumping such resulting in an effect that even my friend Tommy can vouch is rather bizarre that is hard to describe other than adaptable fast paced and commonly called "crazy" or "insane".

Snapshot 4 - Music and Moods - by Andy

     I always find a song to listen to depending on my mood and it makes my overall mood that much better, regardless of the situation.  I honestly cannot remember one day in which I did not listen to at least a single song.  I always have music playing in my car and when I'm working out.  Other times are usually at night before bed and sometimes during assignments, such as now!  I keep my iPod fully loaded and as much music as I can on my phone.
   
     I cannot select one genre of music.  I listen to a wide variety of styles once again depending on my mood.  I can narrow it down to one group that for whatever unknown reason truly amplifies my senses and that group would be The Black Dahlia Murder.  Now before you ask "Andy, where are you going with this?" it's simple; I enjoy the lyrics of their vocalist Trever Strnad as well as the music the rest of the band composes.  The majority of the time I'm listening to The Black Dahlia Murder would be in the gym when I always set off to crush my personal best records like a wrecking ball.  The lyrics are very visual and descriptive, which if you all have yet to notice, I thoroughly enjoy!

     A sample of Strnad's lyrics from the beginning of "I Will Return" which is about death, preservation of the body for the future and reanimation of the deceased body to continue living:

"When death so swiftly has coveted the client from this plane; a journey forged in ice has just begun.

A crystalline entombment preservation now awaits. Proceedings executed hastily; deceased to be encased.  Encapsulated, ensured, the precious cargo safe. A pending resurrection - rebirth.

In the distant future, when advancements shall allow, a being to be made again anew.
The brain to be implanted, fused within a growth of cells; this vessel but a vehicle to traverse this mortal realm"

and two lines near the very end:

"To live again, to stand above your brood.
To live again, the phoenix raised un-bruised"

     I was actually fortunate enough to meet Trevor Strnad after a show in 2006.  The performance was intense and the stage was about four feet off the ground.  Where was I? Jammed up against the stage with Trevor yelling in my face, with me yelling lyrics with him of course, at some points as the intensity of each song increased.  After the show was just as crazy because he knew my name when I went to shake his hand!  He recognized me from when I had my profile on "MySpace" and I commented on the band's page that I was coming up for their stop
in Toledo.  I was easily recognizable at the time due to having a mohawk hairstyle. Yes, I had a mohawk and not just once.

Trevor Strnad, lyricist of The Black Dahlia Murder.  During his performances, he is very animated and rampant all over the stage displaying his passion for his creativity along with his band mates.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Snapshot 4:Charles White

     The song that means the most to me when I am tired, or not wanting to work anymore is Jason Aldean The Only Way I Know. This song means a lot too me because whenever the world seems like it just wants to keep pushing and pushing until I break, I put on this song and it instantly relaxes me. Mainly because it reminds me of my grandpa, who would work on anything anyone asked him too until it was completed, no matter if it was raining.
      One of my favorite memories is when I was working on what was my new truck at the time, it was around 9:30-10:00 at night and I still needed to change the oil and put the passenger side door on it. I had at least another 5-6 hours by myself, but grandpa said he would stay up and help. This cut my 6 hour project down to 3 hours. After we were done and cleaning up the Jason Aldean song came on, and grandpa had the biggest smile I have ever seen and he said well I guess this is the song they put on the radio when your up until midnight.
     Literally my life is surrounded around that song. The only way I know how to live and function is I constantly having to fix something, work on something, or be thinking of how to make something better. Ever since I was little I have been taught how to have a good work ethic. I was told to always try your best, even if it does not make it up to par, as long as it works fine and will make it until you can fix it correct, it will be good enough.



 

Snapshot 4 by Matt Stock

     I choose to do my snapshot about Kenny Chesney a country star. Kenny Chesney was a big part of my life. He became big when I first really started liking country music. My mother and father we're big time fans of his. So growing up that was a go to artist in the car to listen to. Kenny had a great story that makes me admire him. He started country music in college and was not very successful. He had a slow start singing in bars trying to make a name for himself. He finished his degree in marketing then moved to Nashville to start his music career. He recorded his first hit in 1996.
     The song that means a lot to me is "There goes my life" recorded in 2004. The song is about a man having a child in high school. He had plan to run off and enjoy his life as a young man. Then he find out he is going to be a father and thinks it's all over. Through out the song he loves the little girl more and more. Even becomes very proud to be a dad. At the end of the song The man worked hard to be a good dad and he is getting ready to watch his daughter leave.
     The song hit me so hard when I found out I was going to be a dad in high school. I was so overwhelmed. I wasn't ready to be a dad and neither was the man in the song. He made the best of it and everything worked out great. Same happened in my life and now I couldn't be a happier father that song gave me hope. Made me feel like I could fight a lion head on and win!
     "A couple years of up all night and
     Few thousand diapers later
     That mistake he thought he made
     Covers up the refrigerator
     Oh yea, he loves that little girl
     And he cried
     "There goes my life
     There goes my future, my everything
     I love you, Baby, goodbye"
Kenny Chesney sings a lot of songs about cherishing life and moment.
I listen to his music when life gets tough because it can't be that bad.
Such as "Don't Blink" another top song.
   
    

Snapshot 4 by Lucas

To me music doesn't mean much and I don't listen to a lot of music, it's not really my thing. However I will listen to just about any type of music, I don't have a favorite. One song I do like is "You're Gonna Miss This", by Trace Adkins. This song makes you really just want to slow down and enjoy things more. Things like childhood and school and things that you will never be able to go back and do over. The lyrics I like from this song are "You're gonna miss this,You're gonna want this back,  You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast, These are some good times, So take a good look around, You may not know it now, But you're gonna miss this". This song makes you want to enjoy things like you would enjoy a hot fudge sundae on a warm summer day.
This image sums up what the song "You're Gonna Miss This" is saying

Snapshot 4 by caitlin williams

       
A Twist in My Story has some of my favorite songs of all time on it. 
This album helped shape part of my personality. 


       The meaning of music to me is like putting your feelings out there and not being judged for it like you would if you just said your emotions out loud. Music to me is expressing yourself through the words, the tone, and the rhythm of the song. It is a way to show people how you feel on the inside.             I personally like music with the piano as the main instrument and where you can clearly hear the vocals. I like slow music with people singing mainly about love and their relationships. I am not sure why, I think I might be a hopeless romantic deep down.             Secondhand Serenade was everything to me when I was like 14 to age 17, but I still love all the songs I use to. The beat and rhythm makes me feel a certain type of way and I can’t really explain it but its like a calm feeling. I really relate my life and feelings to a lot of their songs, specifically from their album A Twist In My Story and Awake.  I use to be secretively sensitive and I found realness in their music. I can remember their lyrics off the top my head, some lyrics from my favorite song are, "I lose myself in all these fights; I lose my sense of wrong and right. I cry, I cry. I'm shaking from the pain that's in my head. I just 
want to crawl into my bed and throw away the life I'd led. But I won't let it die. " It's like they have every reason to give up but they don't and thats admirable. 


            I would sit up in this tree I had in my backyard and listen to their songs over and over again and just reflect on my life. I wasn’t emotionally involved with anyone at this time either so I really don’t know why I was so bent on their music like a spoon when you try to use it to scoop out frozen solid ice cream but I was.