Class Ideas

Idea One

Personally so far im fine with the class and like the set up. however i think there are a few things that might be beneficial. One thing that I've heard from people taking the class is that they can't relate to the topics picked. Jen however mentioned that we need to keep the structure. i think a good comprise would be giving the option that for one post a week if one of the assigned topics just isn't doing it for you you can find your own topic and blog it. I think this would be a useful option and add to the over all dialog of the class. I'd much rather read about something original and off the assigned topic than a few bland paragraphs on the actual assignment. since jen wants us reading the book i guess it would make since to not let the option be applied to the reading and response posts. So basically in case thats a little long winded and hard to follow here is the changes i would make to the postings:

• Every week we should be allowed to replace one of the research and linking or OC postings with a topic of our liking.
• Or if we are particularly into one post and ended up writing a Long post we could have it count for two.

I think having the choice to use one of these options each week could bring more variety and flexibility to the class. It would also keep the class on the same track while adding some flavor because this option couldn't be applied to every single post.

Idea Two

alright i know Jen really wants us reading but what if we replaced the reading at least for a few weeks with some sorta of blogging topic. for a few weeks instead of reading a book we could all pick a topic we are interested in and write posts on it with our opinion. i think it would be pretty interesting to read up and follow developments on a certain topic and blog about them. there are so many topics that we could blog about ( technology, politics, whatever) and i think we could learn a lot reading peoples opinions on something they took the time to research and actually are interested in.

Idea Three

I think it might facilitate discussions if every once in awhile for variety we could be assigned to post a response on our blog to something someone else has written in the class. of course it would have to be done in a respectful and well thought out manner. It could a post adding on to what some one else said or debating it. i think this would be a good thing to assign because sometimes i read things other people have written and it gives me a jumping off point to go on a tangent. these tangents cant always just be a comment because sometimes they snowball and develop into something else entirely that deserve there own post. I think this can be really interesting and could add some spice to things. I think this would work really well in conjunction with my first idea. I think it could potentially start a dialog on things that we may have otherwise not even thought to blog about!

SO WHAT YA THINK?

Confusing Crisis

in the last few years ive become more aware of the Palestinian israili conflict. i have no idea what side I'm on and it doesn't really matter. In America i think we hear alot more about the israli side of things since they are one of our few allies in the middle east. What you may not have heard is that right now the Gaza strip is being barricaded by Isreali troops. The Palestinians are running out of Food, Fuel and medical supplies. Recently isreali forces shot and killed a mentally disabled man. France is urging israil to let aide through but, as of yet it has not happened. I haven't heard any of these stories on American news and they sound like something people should know about.

If you'd like to learn more read this article.

to educate the whole human

When researching alternative schools i found a alternative boarding school of sixty students outside of London called Brockwood park school. The school follows the the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti. Who was also the founder of the Brockwood school. his vision for the alternative learning establishment was:

• To educate the whole human being
  
• To explore what freedom and responsibility are in relationship with others and in modern society
  
• To see the possibility of being free from self-centered action and inner conflict
  
• To discover one's own talent and what right
  livelihood means
  
• To encourage excellence in academic studies
  
• To learn the proper care, use and exercise of the body
  
• To appreciate the natural world, seeing our place in it and responsibility for it
  
• To find the clarity that may come from having
  a sense of order and valuing silence.

What what i found intriguing about the school was this chunk of their philosophy:

" The young are inheriting a complex world. It is a world in which rapid technological progress goes hand-in-hand with environmental, social, economic, and political crises.Must the young take the world as it is, accepting an education that enables them to 'fit in' to society, or can they learn to question deeply what they see and respond creatively out of a sense of personal integrity that enables them to meet whatever life may bring?"

the value they place in questioning things is amazing i think its great that they foster that sort of enviorment. Also the school is set on an old English country side manner. there are about 60 students age 14 and over. the teachers go by their first name and they emphasizes that they are a learning family. they also feed their students an organic vegetarian diet. The student body is diverse and multi cultural so there is no typical student. The school emphasizes a strong relationship between the community and student.

I like that this school focuses on the ability to question things and the deep personal lesson that come with it.

Okay so i was reading about a different alternative school and one of the things they said was that you couldn't tell the difference between a student-student realtionship and a teacher-student relationship. HOW IS THAT A GOOD THING?

the war on shake.

I think the school administration is ridiculous. i have issues with people being detained against their will while their cars are searched for drugs. this is the kind of thing that the constitution was meant to be protect against. i don't care that we leave our rights at the school house door or that most high school students are under the magic number of eighteen. We should still have rights. we are still human.
I think that its ridiculous that all a drug dog needs to hit on is a half gram of marijuana, now i know not everyone realizes how small that is but its TINY. It could be sprinkled around the floor of the car and you'd have NO idea. Now lets contrast this to coke and heroin you need to have around 2 gs for a drug dog to hit on... thats around a hundred dollars worth of coke. depending on the purity you could have over that amount w/o getting hit on. now why is the administration not addressing the drugs that lead to huge dependence and kill people. FYI most addicts don't keep their shit in their car or locker that stuff is gonna be in their pocket or in their system. why worry about a roach and some stems instead of heroin, painkillers, speed and cocaine? that is a huge problem but not on a criminal level its a health issue. that makes me lose all hope for twhs, as if i ever had any. it causes me to lose faith in society when i see how people who are treating their mental health issues with drugs end up in criminal court. isn't there some saying about be judged on how you treat the least of those around you. well guess what we are failing at treating the health issue of addiction that permeates EVERY level of our society. I think the issue of drug abuse needs to be approached with compassion.
Now why bust some kids for a little bit of weed and let other students waste away addicted. Thats not compassion. Its happening because the administration wanted fast results. Its easy to bust some kids w/ a few nugs but its hard to identify, gain the trust of and help those who need it. the research is out on pot its harmless and used by TONS of Americans. Heroin that has sent five of my friends to rehab in the last oh six months (two went to the hospital). if i think a little more and count those addicted to cocaine that checked into rehab the number is around seven. now if i tell you how many times collectively they have checked in it would be quite large. These are just the ones who made it to the point were they were given some help. Instead TWHS is going to suspend people for marijuana. when some one lights up a joint its not cause for alarm but when i see track marks on a friend my heart sinks because i know they hurt emotionally and i know they may die. To help these people takes dedication and its not easy. if these administrators had any idea what it feels like to hold someones head in your lap to make sure they don't choke on their own vomit maybe they wouldn't be worried about making it look like they are trying to get to the problem by busting some kids for paraphernalia and an 1/8th of mids. To help that kid whose life is at risk daily is way harder and doesn't make any headlines.

sure Thomas maybe you conned some parents into believing your right on that drug issue but you aren't. Worthington well always have users it hasn't changed since my parents graduated in '82. very few well be helped by what you did and I'll be surprised if anyone stops because of it. They will just adapt to the new threat of dogs and learn from their mistake.There will be another kid to die from an overdose because of how we treat metal illness and drug use in our society. we need to stop pushing these things farther and farther underground if we ever want to reduce them. some people will use no matter what and its not your choice to stop them but, please show them some compassion and treat them like a human.

I wonder what would have happened if they had an assembly with Ex-addicts telling their story then handing out information on where to get help if you want it. Instead of talking down to kids and suspending them maybe giving kids a few resources and options would actually help somebody. instead of ruling by compassion care and understanding they well rule by fear and punishment. It does little to actually stop anyone.

not up to yu.

I recently read this story from Curvature.com which is a leftist-feminist (surprise) blog focusing on politics. Its a story about a school district in Maryland that has adopted a policy of informing pregnant teens parents, whether or not the teens ask them to. my comment on that situation is simply that its ridiculous! My doctor could not inform my parents for me of any of my medical history against my choice, its on the law books that even minors have that right to privacy! so why should my teacher be able to or forced to do any different? every teen has a different family situation, a pregnancy is not something you can hide forever. unless of course the teen has the means to quietly get an abortion without notifying her parents or needing their help. If that is what the teen decides than so be it if they can pull it off good for them. in most other circumstances the parent well find out, probably through telling the parents themselves. honestly if a teen confides in a teacher about a pregnancy its not the teachers business to run and tell their parents. if the pregnancy is the product of rape then by all means the teacher has the legal obligation to report it to the proper authorities but i think that in the situation of a flat out teenage pregnancy the young women can suffice without intervention from a nosy faculty member. It has nasty repercussion and few benefits. there are teens w/ abusive parents and faculty could be reprimanded for not complying to the policy. Also if i was a teen w/ abusive parents who had the school inform them that i was knocked up. i think I'd know exactly who i wanted to sue first. I think anyone in that situation may have a sturdy case because "Maryland’s minor consent law, which applies to those younger than 18, says teenagers do not have to inform parents to receive health services, including pregnancy testing, contraceptives and treatment for sexually transmitted infections."

So clearly this policy is on some very shaky legal footing and unneeded.

without grades.

I love the idea of alternative learning environments and the benefits they can bring but clear water is not a shining example. one thing i think that needs to be measured in letter grades is the students drive to reach their potential. However many times the staff at a school cant form the relationship necessary to make this happen. None the less I dont think casting out grades completely is solution. What this article reminded me of was the year and a half i spent home schooled. The times i picked up a text book in those years could probably be counted on one hand. however my mom was never alarmed because i never got much out of the public school system and had always preferred learning on my own. i did go to the library weekly and would check out books. i usually finished one a day, I loved historical fiction particularly American history. i also was drawn to books on world cultures. I taught my self various things including sign language although i never got very proficient. Ultimately even though i was learning about a lot of things through my reading i wasn't developing. i was staying entirely in my comfort zones and even when i returned to public schools for a long time i always elected to not even try rather than put effort forth and not succeed. i wouldn't have ever taken a math class had it not been required. I wouldn't have pushed my self if i didn't have the carrot of Linworth dangling in front of me. Staying at Linworth meant performing to my potential. even though you can argue that you don't need grades to learn or need advanced math to get a job, you do need to learn to challenge yourself. For most including my self you need the fear of not getting a high school diploma is enough to force yourself to do things your not gifted in.
Also I dont think the Clearwater experience can prepare you for the real world.To function in society you need to learn to bullshit your way through a few elements. Thats just how things are. how would you ever learn the subtle ways of appeasement that are often necessary without grades or what it feels like to go beyond that level and be acknowledged for what you've put forth. these Little, intricate, stupid, strategies, social skills and rules are taught and reinforced through grades. that in its self to me justifies the practice of letter grades.
I love Linworth and i have this fear of what would have happened to me if i lived in any other community besides Worthington. if i had no other options in my education other than the main campuses it would have been a nightmare. I think our school reaches a balance that the Clearwater school does not. To really be a knowledgeable person it is necessary to learn things from other people and not sitting at home reading. I wonder how the kids of Clearwater learn to be critical of themselves and others if they don't have people around to bounce off of. It seems too isolated to me but, i am a very extroverted person and learn a lot through discussions and questioning the validity of a situation. I also think not having other around in the learning process is an easy way to learn to overlook the many facets of a topic. i think it could cause people to be overly black and white about things if they have been total self taught.
Us Linworth kids follow our passions, can balance our time and they are more than proficient in the art of bullshit. We also know what it's like to work for ourselves and succeed. Just think of all the amazing walkabouts we send our seniors on. I would be scared to send a Clearwater kid into a situation as challenging as walkabout. At Linwoth we have ample opportunity to learn from the entire community. Linworth kids have a chance to really hear and consider their peers opinions. In the classes that our teachers (sometimes students) hold there are so many different opinions and much knowledge to be absorbed. It would be a waste to learn only on your own and not have access to those types of group learning situations.
Maybe the clear water school could be a viable option if that was how things ran in the real world or college. How ever unfortunate you may think it is our society is no where near that. There are quotas and sales figures to meet and problems that need to be fixed in a time frame. I'd gladly pick letter grades, Linworth and Larry any day because I know that the teachers and environment have given me all the tools i need and given me an opportunity to explore what cannot be taught within the walls of Linworth.

SHE ASKED FOR IT

Alright without starting a big fuss:

1. She's fully clothed.
2. She's in winter clothes .
   
3. She's OBVIOUSLY MAKING A SNOW ANGEL.

Now lets say it once OMIGAWD HER VAGINA! Breath, is it out of your system? If you stop focusing on the fact that under those layers of clothing she's wearing there are some naughty bits the image isn't troublesome. now in the context of it being a image that is derogatory to women, I'd like to say NEXT time you see a female try and remember there's more to her than her vagina. That's what will truly end the derogatory nature in which women are treated. So stop looking at that picture in a misogynistic and ovary phobic manner and see it for what it is a lame target ad. this target ad compared to most other ads is disney stamped. want to get riled up over an offensive ad look at this one that Dolce & Gabbana ran in the beginning of 2007 in Spain and France.Then you can be genuinely offended and we can talk about the obscene way women are portrayed as sex objects by the media and the culture of rape.

to some it up the ad you saw from target wasn't what caused you to construe it as offensive. Our patriarchal society was the looking glass thru which it became offensive and I'd rather be rid of misogynistic outlooks than the ad. Yeah so this is a pet peeve and a passion of mine I'm not just my body. The day the world looks at that billboard and sees a forgettable ad for a department store will be a happy day for me.