Oh dear.
I have neglected my blog and now a test on material that we never formally learned about will decide if I pass or fail history.
I supose this is the price to pay for becoming a bonafied slacker in my final semester of high school.
So I've decided to take this blog and turn it into a relfection of my last year here at School of the Future.
Its a surreal feeling knowing that these are the last times you'll be walking down these halls. You can't help but ponder about how you've changed, wondering what you might take with you as you venture out into the big bad world.
What am I going to remember as I slowly transform from a simple minded teenager to a tax paying member of society?
I can't help but want to slow down time, to hault all these resposibilities forcing its way into my adgenda.
I wish there were an age where you were only expected to stare at pretty things and talk amungst one another in peace (oh wait....). I remember a statement Andy once said mockingly about how work and labor is wasted on the young, when they should be enjoying themselves the most when their young and healthy. We work ourselves into the ground in order to guarentee a good pention so that whn we're old and shriveled up, we'll have a nice retirement home to die in.
Looking back, I can't help but wish I had made time for more things (like writing on this blog) since from here on out everything will be a reflection on who you are as an adult.
We seem to be going through a metamorphasis, one I don't quite feel prepared for. Nothings quite as simple as you thought it was going to be at this age. I have been counting down the days until the one that will be here next friday. I've envisioned in my head what it will be like. I suspect tears, genuine emotion (which is rare on a typical school day) and heartache. But its all an opportunity to leave what may have been supressing us this whole time BEHIND and find a new and better enviornment to grow.
And yet this is also our chance to really make what we want of our lives. We can now cut those parental strings that kept is in tight restrictions. We can now explore all there is to explore without having to ask for permission or wonder if we're deciving our masters trust. We can now persue an identity that doesn't include being underaged.
With all the endless possiblities, how on earth can you choose where to begin?
Before this year in history class, everything was a lot simpler. I knew that I had to fit in nicely to the mold set up for my by society. I would go to college, fit in as best as I could, party, study and try to be the conventional version of happy. Even though I've never quite felt like I fit in well with the "popular" crowd, I always did what I could to convince myself that if I tried hard enough, I could one of them.
This class has helped me realize how absolutely ignorant I was being in thinking that high school expectations was something to remotely care about. I have begun to see and question the things around me more then I have since going through puberty.
I do not accept things that I do not agree with as easily anymore. I feel inspired to speak up and protest.
And I feel that I have you to thank, Andy.
Keep doing what your doing.
:)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Hw 57- How should kids be parented?
Parenting is quite a sensitive topic. Parents can be blamed for a lot of flaws in a child's behavior. A troubled kid can easily just be the result of an unsuitable uprising by unfit parents. But is it really all on mom and pops?
I think the culture and environment of an individual grows up in accounts a lot for the identities they might develop post adolescence, when they are no longer living at home. Then again, it is the responsibility of guardians to teach their kids good values that will make them care less about social trends and peer pressure, and focus more on who they are as an individual.
But where to begin? How can we help potential parents put their offspring on the right path to success and happiness?
It could possibly be linked to the relationship between mother and father. Its nice to think that a baby is the product of two people who are madly in love and want to procreate so that they can bring a person into the world who is a piece of both of them. The main component for any healthy relationship should be love and appreciation, because without it there is no reason to tolerate one another. Like we established during the school unit, when people express that they care for you it inspires you to WANT to do better. When people have faith in you, you want to prove to them that your worthy of that acknowledgment. And if a person decides to raise a child, they should embody qualities in which they are capable of showing affection to another person who would look to you for such comfort.
Individuals who become parents without planning can differ from those who do plan, although not in all cases. But it seems, that once a child becomes a burden to their parents life as an individual, its harder for them to receive the affirmation they need in order to build healthy relationships. Mother and child is the first relationship anyone ever experiences, because it is physical attachment. Sharing the same DNA automatically links those two people together. So that puts an enormous emphasis on the mothers role in the childs life. Not to say the fathers role isn't just as significant. The father is the first male relationship and child will ever know of, and he sets an example either a) for how a boy should act or b) for how a girl should interact with other male figures.
I don't think anyone can ever know the right way to parent until they start actually parenting. My mom once said that she thought she knew EXACTLY the kind of mother she was gana be. Easy going yet stern, loving yet embodying authority and demanding obedience. Her kids would eat all organic and never once touch MacDonalds. Of course that all changed once my sister and I arrived, and we would cry for french fries and keep playing with our toys when we were told it was nap time. You can't really know until your there.
Then again, this doesn't mean you should just wing it and improvise as you go along. Educating yourself and being as well informed as possible could never hurt. What works for one person may very well work for you, just don't depend on it considering all children are different.
One common misconception is to say that all siblings will act alike. My sister and I came from the same household, were raised by the same parents, and yet we turned out to be totally different people. Then again, she was adopted. And I wasn't. This can be considered an enormous difference and explanation as to why she acted up more and felt compelled to rebelling at an earlier age with shadier people.
I'm not so sure if an adolescence behavior directly reflects parenting tactics their parents used on them, but it does have some influence on who they are once they leave the nest. A parents example sets other examples for a child's relationship with other adults.
"Because I'm free from it all. I'm not gana change, unless I want to."
Diana Baumrind's different parenting styles were broken down into three categories; the permissive parent, the authoritarian parent and finally the authoritative parent.
Authoritative parenting was said to be the most efficient form of parenting due to the persons open-mindedness about realistic expectations for their child to meet. As opposed to authoritarian parents who set boundaries aside from acknowledging if their kid can abide by them, authoritative parents teach them how to be "competent individuals" who can follow direction but also think for themselves. These skills usually pertain to how stable the person is aside from how they are as a parent. Baumrind emphasizes that parents with strong social skills and good emotional stability can handle parenting better then those who are antisocial and self conscious.
Like Bowen was saying in his Theory about Relationships, those who are emotionally mature, or more highly differentiated, person had a greater amount of self with which to negotiate the problems of life, including those of relationships. What I get from this is that the more differentiated you are, the more accepting you can be, especially when it comes to your own family. "At lower levels of emotional maturity, on the other hand, people tend to seek comfort in relationships." People like that feel more pressure to raise the perfect child, and therefor enforce authority and harsh obedience, which could potentially their child against them.
I think the culture and environment of an individual grows up in accounts a lot for the identities they might develop post adolescence, when they are no longer living at home. Then again, it is the responsibility of guardians to teach their kids good values that will make them care less about social trends and peer pressure, and focus more on who they are as an individual.
But where to begin? How can we help potential parents put their offspring on the right path to success and happiness?
It could possibly be linked to the relationship between mother and father. Its nice to think that a baby is the product of two people who are madly in love and want to procreate so that they can bring a person into the world who is a piece of both of them. The main component for any healthy relationship should be love and appreciation, because without it there is no reason to tolerate one another. Like we established during the school unit, when people express that they care for you it inspires you to WANT to do better. When people have faith in you, you want to prove to them that your worthy of that acknowledgment. And if a person decides to raise a child, they should embody qualities in which they are capable of showing affection to another person who would look to you for such comfort.
Individuals who become parents without planning can differ from those who do plan, although not in all cases. But it seems, that once a child becomes a burden to their parents life as an individual, its harder for them to receive the affirmation they need in order to build healthy relationships. Mother and child is the first relationship anyone ever experiences, because it is physical attachment. Sharing the same DNA automatically links those two people together. So that puts an enormous emphasis on the mothers role in the childs life. Not to say the fathers role isn't just as significant. The father is the first male relationship and child will ever know of, and he sets an example either a) for how a boy should act or b) for how a girl should interact with other male figures.
I don't think anyone can ever know the right way to parent until they start actually parenting. My mom once said that she thought she knew EXACTLY the kind of mother she was gana be. Easy going yet stern, loving yet embodying authority and demanding obedience. Her kids would eat all organic and never once touch MacDonalds. Of course that all changed once my sister and I arrived, and we would cry for french fries and keep playing with our toys when we were told it was nap time. You can't really know until your there.
Then again, this doesn't mean you should just wing it and improvise as you go along. Educating yourself and being as well informed as possible could never hurt. What works for one person may very well work for you, just don't depend on it considering all children are different.
One common misconception is to say that all siblings will act alike. My sister and I came from the same household, were raised by the same parents, and yet we turned out to be totally different people. Then again, she was adopted. And I wasn't. This can be considered an enormous difference and explanation as to why she acted up more and felt compelled to rebelling at an earlier age with shadier people.
I'm not so sure if an adolescence behavior directly reflects parenting tactics their parents used on them, but it does have some influence on who they are once they leave the nest. A parents example sets other examples for a child's relationship with other adults.
"Because I'm free from it all. I'm not gana change, unless I want to."
Diana Baumrind's different parenting styles were broken down into three categories; the permissive parent, the authoritarian parent and finally the authoritative parent.
Authoritative parenting was said to be the most efficient form of parenting due to the persons open-mindedness about realistic expectations for their child to meet. As opposed to authoritarian parents who set boundaries aside from acknowledging if their kid can abide by them, authoritative parents teach them how to be "competent individuals" who can follow direction but also think for themselves. These skills usually pertain to how stable the person is aside from how they are as a parent. Baumrind emphasizes that parents with strong social skills and good emotional stability can handle parenting better then those who are antisocial and self conscious.
Like Bowen was saying in his Theory about Relationships, those who are emotionally mature, or more highly differentiated, person had a greater amount of self with which to negotiate the problems of life, including those of relationships. What I get from this is that the more differentiated you are, the more accepting you can be, especially when it comes to your own family. "At lower levels of emotional maturity, on the other hand, people tend to seek comfort in relationships." People like that feel more pressure to raise the perfect child, and therefor enforce authority and harsh obedience, which could potentially their child against them.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hw 55: Independent Reaserch Topic
The relationship domain I have settled on would be intimate day to day relationships of a lover or person whom you would desire to live with.
Question: Is it true that an individual needs to accept themselves for who they are as a person before they are ready to have another person try to fall in love with them?
Triangle Partner Feedback:
Evan-
Hey Evan,
Thanks for the great feedback on my blog, it really helped think of my topic in a new perspective.
Sorry I'm so late with this comment.
Anyways, I think your questions are strong, and you have a good subject to work with. Our parents are one of the largest influences in our lives because its the first human relationship we encounter daily for 18 years.
I have a suggestion for a possible source, called Reviving Ophelia. I used it for my last research paper, but it mainly focuses on the female's perspective, which you may not be interested in.
Anyways, back to your questions. I still think they may be a little too broad. Perhaps you could say how the children carry the parental example through out their lives. Like "how might a stay at home mother affect a child's judgment on gender roles and how it may pertain to themselves." I'm not sure if that's exactly the direction you want to go in, but I think your on the right path so far.
Keep up the good work :)
Julie A.-
Wassup Julie?
I like the aspect or your question, its odd to think how much affirmation we seek from other people and the lack of personal acceptance we have for ourselves.
Perhaps your can dig deeper by saying "what is the source of all this need for acceptance that people feel they need from others? What may have happened in their lives that prevent them from just feeling content with themselves with out the affirmation of others?"
Regardless of if you use my suggestion or not, I think your off to a great start :D
- Alicia
Revised Question:
Do people really need to be content with themselves and their lives as an individual before they can have a healthy functioning relationship with another? If so, how do we know when we have truly accepted ourselves, and should we expect the same type of contentment from the person whom we desire to be in a relationship with?
Question: Is it true that an individual needs to accept themselves for who they are as a person before they are ready to have another person try to fall in love with them?
Triangle Partner Feedback:
Evan-
Hey Evan,
Thanks for the great feedback on my blog, it really helped think of my topic in a new perspective.
Sorry I'm so late with this comment.
Anyways, I think your questions are strong, and you have a good subject to work with. Our parents are one of the largest influences in our lives because its the first human relationship we encounter daily for 18 years.
I have a suggestion for a possible source, called Reviving Ophelia. I used it for my last research paper, but it mainly focuses on the female's perspective, which you may not be interested in.
Anyways, back to your questions. I still think they may be a little too broad. Perhaps you could say how the children carry the parental example through out their lives. Like "how might a stay at home mother affect a child's judgment on gender roles and how it may pertain to themselves." I'm not sure if that's exactly the direction you want to go in, but I think your on the right path so far.
Keep up the good work :)
Julie A.-
Wassup Julie?
I like the aspect or your question, its odd to think how much affirmation we seek from other people and the lack of personal acceptance we have for ourselves.
Perhaps your can dig deeper by saying "what is the source of all this need for acceptance that people feel they need from others? What may have happened in their lives that prevent them from just feeling content with themselves with out the affirmation of others?"
Regardless of if you use my suggestion or not, I think your off to a great start :D
- Alicia
Revised Question:
Do people really need to be content with themselves and their lives as an individual before they can have a healthy functioning relationship with another? If so, how do we know when we have truly accepted ourselves, and should we expect the same type of contentment from the person whom we desire to be in a relationship with?
Hw 54: Personality Tests
ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population. |
Extroverted (E) 52.63% Introverted (I) 47.37%
Intuitive (N) 68.97% Sensing (S) 31.03%
Feeling (F) 71.88% Thinking (T) 28.13%
Perceiving (P) 63.89% Judging (J) 36.11%
I was extremely surprised at how many people got "Journalist" as the results for their personality tests. For me, I thought it was very accurate, considering I actually do want to go into Journalism and seem to enjoy documenting the stories of others experiences as opposed to my own. One of my closest friends, who I can definitely identify with on many levels, had this same outcome too. Even so, I was hoping I'd differ from my peers, especially from the ones I don't happen to get along with or feel similar to. When I looked at another close friends results, I knew it was right on point to identify her more flattering qualities. So now I am concerned and confused. Am I more like these people I feel so different from, since this test doesn't seem too bogus.
As for the percentages, I agree that I live my life mainly on my emotions, so it came to no surprise that my feeling had the highest of all the other qualities. I suppose it was appropriate that I'm about 53% extroverted, considering a lot of my friends way I'm a good listener.
As for the specifics to my results, I thought it was pretty accurate. I am an extraverted person who prefers being outgoing and interacting with others as opposed to keeping to myself. But then again, my moods vary, which is who I wasn't surpised to see the percentages were both pretty close to 50%. I've had moments where i've felt more energetic after talking to someone, which is an exraverted quality. But I also don't mind quiet to absorb the moment and relect on things to myself in my head, away from other people.
I would agree that I'm more of an intuitive kind of person then I am at being observant. I daydream a lot and can become lost in the beauty of simple things like nature and art work, what some may say is like having their head in the clouds. I also do tend to feel more then think, and act on impulse rather then come to logical decisions. People have said I fall my heart, and when I have an instinct about something I tend to go with it more then following the facts. Lastly, I without a doubt percieve and improvise more then I judge and follow the rules. I not usually one who likes to do things exactly according to the book, I think their always ways to mix things up and try something differently, which irks those who likes to keep order.
Intuitive (N) 68.97% Sensing (S) 31.03%
Feeling (F) 71.88% Thinking (T) 28.13%
Perceiving (P) 63.89% Judging (J) 36.11%
I was extremely surprised at how many people got "Journalist" as the results for their personality tests. For me, I thought it was very accurate, considering I actually do want to go into Journalism and seem to enjoy documenting the stories of others experiences as opposed to my own. One of my closest friends, who I can definitely identify with on many levels, had this same outcome too. Even so, I was hoping I'd differ from my peers, especially from the ones I don't happen to get along with or feel similar to. When I looked at another close friends results, I knew it was right on point to identify her more flattering qualities. So now I am concerned and confused. Am I more like these people I feel so different from, since this test doesn't seem too bogus.
As for the percentages, I agree that I live my life mainly on my emotions, so it came to no surprise that my feeling had the highest of all the other qualities. I suppose it was appropriate that I'm about 53% extroverted, considering a lot of my friends way I'm a good listener.
As for the specifics to my results, I thought it was pretty accurate. I am an extraverted person who prefers being outgoing and interacting with others as opposed to keeping to myself. But then again, my moods vary, which is who I wasn't surpised to see the percentages were both pretty close to 50%. I've had moments where i've felt more energetic after talking to someone, which is an exraverted quality. But I also don't mind quiet to absorb the moment and relect on things to myself in my head, away from other people.
I would agree that I'm more of an intuitive kind of person then I am at being observant. I daydream a lot and can become lost in the beauty of simple things like nature and art work, what some may say is like having their head in the clouds. I also do tend to feel more then think, and act on impulse rather then come to logical decisions. People have said I fall my heart, and when I have an instinct about something I tend to go with it more then following the facts. Lastly, I without a doubt percieve and improvise more then I judge and follow the rules. I not usually one who likes to do things exactly according to the book, I think their always ways to mix things up and try something differently, which irks those who likes to keep order.
Hw 53: Human Relationship Survey Analysis
The surveys, as we discussed in class, may now have been completely accurate due to some of the confounding factors like people's concern with what others would think, self ignorance and selection bias.
Being that this effects conclusion you could draw from the data collected, I'm not so sure how valuable it would be to analyze in such great depth the meaning of these results. It frustraits me to think that someone wouldn't answer a question honestly out of fear of what a peer or "friend" would think. How can we afford NOT to always act genuinely. We are given such limited time at this age, in this moment in time that it becomes astonishing to me to think that there a people who don't speak from the heart in every moment in time. The best relationships are the ones that develop from pure genuine expression and emotion. If a person were not being completely themselves, how would anyone manage to think that their connection was real. Its not worth trying to be something your not, life is too short.
Sometimes I wonder what if we didn't have any other responsibilities? What if we were able to JUST focus on our relationships with other people. It seems like thats the main concern on a majority of people's minds anyway. How might people's behavior change if you were told to just focus on finding a life partner? Would it be harder to do so without other components making you the person you are? Or would be feel more at ease since we wouldn't be burdened with any other tasks other then to make love and spark chemistry with another being. What if everyone could live in harmony and only have to worry about maintaining the peace? Would it only exist with the help of drugs like the hippies during the Vietnam war?
Being that this effects conclusion you could draw from the data collected, I'm not so sure how valuable it would be to analyze in such great depth the meaning of these results. It frustraits me to think that someone wouldn't answer a question honestly out of fear of what a peer or "friend" would think. How can we afford NOT to always act genuinely. We are given such limited time at this age, in this moment in time that it becomes astonishing to me to think that there a people who don't speak from the heart in every moment in time. The best relationships are the ones that develop from pure genuine expression and emotion. If a person were not being completely themselves, how would anyone manage to think that their connection was real. Its not worth trying to be something your not, life is too short.
Sometimes I wonder what if we didn't have any other responsibilities? What if we were able to JUST focus on our relationships with other people. It seems like thats the main concern on a majority of people's minds anyway. How might people's behavior change if you were told to just focus on finding a life partner? Would it be harder to do so without other components making you the person you are? Or would be feel more at ease since we wouldn't be burdened with any other tasks other then to make love and spark chemistry with another being. What if everyone could live in harmony and only have to worry about maintaining the peace? Would it only exist with the help of drugs like the hippies during the Vietnam war?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Hw 52: My initial Theory of Human Relationships
A line I've been pretty obsessed with and have brought up to many people during the past month is one from the play No exit, where one of the three characters states "hell is other people."
I think the reason that line has stuck with me so long is because its true; a bad expereince with another person can make life feel like hell. But I think that the only reason hell could be other people is becuse we need other people so much. At one point I said heaven could be other people too, but I beleive that less then the original statement. Other people have a great impact on us because without them we would become so lonely it would probably lead to depression. But I also think that its easier to make youself happy due to your own accomplishments rather then relying on another for happiness.
But then again, sometimes certain individuals just need to escape from other people. Like Christopher Johnson McCandless, the college graduate who hitchhiked to Alaska after abandoning his materialistic life for one "In the Wild". He was eventually found dead, but not before fulfulling his dream of living solely by his own will and free nature. He is considered to have the aspirations of a Transcendentalist, a topic we're covering in english class. Its covenient that a lot of our units coincide nicely with one another.
What I prefer is when people treat each other like equals. Without mutual respect, a disagreement is bound to break out. If individuals saw their peers more as their equals rather then superiors or inferior, then they would be less concerned with how they SHOULD interact with a person, and act more like their natural selves. But thinkgs like age, ethnicity and social background effects how a relationship can unfold. If someone is diffrent from ourselves, its harder to warm up to them because you have less in common. But then again, just because an outter appearance may look different doesn't mean the qualities in side the person would be the same.
Its awkward and at times tense to meet new people. One never knows how well they'll interact, and even if the first impression is good it may just be a front of acting on our best behavior. Relationships with other humans don't seem to really develop until a lot of time is spent with that same person.
I myself am prone to forming close and personal relationships with my friends, that intale late night phone calls, weekend hang outs and lots and lots of facebook albums together. But looking back, I sometimes think this may have been a mistake. For even though I am labled as a sincere and trustworthy, I sometimes resent the people who put so much emphasis on out friendship. Its hard to be there for another person when your trying to thin about yourself. Its different with a parent, because they choose to devote their lives to the child they are raising. But what exactly do friendships entail? How close is too close, and when is one friend asking for too much?
Although when it comes to lovers, the rules are different. When two people become intamite with each other, they begin to unravel themsevles and put down walls they may have had with the rest of the world. And yet when you break up witha boyfriend or girlfriend, it usually means no longer being in contact. Why must the two parties cease communication post breakup? Why is it harder for ex lovers to stay together when they were so close for so long? Isn't it possible to just merge into friendships, or is it too emotionally painful?
Relationships with strangers never seem to matter as much, even though the people who make up our surroundiungs may impact our lives more then we give them credit. Like the mail man, or the dry cleaner or the cleaning lady or the coffee
I think the reason that line has stuck with me so long is because its true; a bad expereince with another person can make life feel like hell. But I think that the only reason hell could be other people is becuse we need other people so much. At one point I said heaven could be other people too, but I beleive that less then the original statement. Other people have a great impact on us because without them we would become so lonely it would probably lead to depression. But I also think that its easier to make youself happy due to your own accomplishments rather then relying on another for happiness.
But then again, sometimes certain individuals just need to escape from other people. Like Christopher Johnson McCandless, the college graduate who hitchhiked to Alaska after abandoning his materialistic life for one "In the Wild". He was eventually found dead, but not before fulfulling his dream of living solely by his own will and free nature. He is considered to have the aspirations of a Transcendentalist, a topic we're covering in english class. Its covenient that a lot of our units coincide nicely with one another.
What I prefer is when people treat each other like equals. Without mutual respect, a disagreement is bound to break out. If individuals saw their peers more as their equals rather then superiors or inferior, then they would be less concerned with how they SHOULD interact with a person, and act more like their natural selves. But thinkgs like age, ethnicity and social background effects how a relationship can unfold. If someone is diffrent from ourselves, its harder to warm up to them because you have less in common. But then again, just because an outter appearance may look different doesn't mean the qualities in side the person would be the same.
Its awkward and at times tense to meet new people. One never knows how well they'll interact, and even if the first impression is good it may just be a front of acting on our best behavior. Relationships with other humans don't seem to really develop until a lot of time is spent with that same person.
I myself am prone to forming close and personal relationships with my friends, that intale late night phone calls, weekend hang outs and lots and lots of facebook albums together. But looking back, I sometimes think this may have been a mistake. For even though I am labled as a sincere and trustworthy, I sometimes resent the people who put so much emphasis on out friendship. Its hard to be there for another person when your trying to thin about yourself. Its different with a parent, because they choose to devote their lives to the child they are raising. But what exactly do friendships entail? How close is too close, and when is one friend asking for too much?
Although when it comes to lovers, the rules are different. When two people become intamite with each other, they begin to unravel themsevles and put down walls they may have had with the rest of the world. And yet when you break up witha boyfriend or girlfriend, it usually means no longer being in contact. Why must the two parties cease communication post breakup? Why is it harder for ex lovers to stay together when they were so close for so long? Isn't it possible to just merge into friendships, or is it too emotionally painful?
Relationships with strangers never seem to matter as much, even though the people who make up our surroundiungs may impact our lives more then we give them credit. Like the mail man, or the dry cleaner or the cleaning lady or the coffee
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