Spreading Promises

Question:

"Why was communication essential to understanding among the children of Promises?"

Promises is a documentary that features the interviewing of seven children within a short distance of Jerusalem, with some of them living in Israel as Jews, while others lived in Palestine as Muslims. Both religions argue over the dominance of the sacred city, occasionally warring against each other. The Jewish children hated Muslims, while the Muslims despised the Jews. The Jews occasionally revolted against the Muslims, suppressing the Islamic forces that went against them. The Muslims of Palestine, however, had to defend themselves against the Jews with the little resources they had. They were kept from revolting against Israel because of the checkpoints that surrounded Jewish territory and blocked them. They only granted access to Jewish military and international tourists, preventing any sort of contact between them.

A map of the region:

The interviewed children did not desire any form of contact with the opposite religion at first. The Jewish children believed in defending their land, which was theirs according to religion, while the Palestinian Muslims desired to keep the city for themselves, which was originally theirs until the Jews banished them and destroyed their former homes to clear evidence. However, after meeting with children of the other religion (with the exception of Shlomo, who refused to negotiate with Muslims about the situation), most had changed behavior, especially seen in the epilogue, filmed a couple years later.

Yarko and Daniel – Jew, brothers. Entered the army to support their country, glad to talk to Muslims and negotiate since the group meeting in 2001, but they are considered enemies when they are ordered to be killed.

Moishe – Jew, believed in deporting Muslims to protect both sides from further harm, yet the Jews would be the overall owner of the city. He still believes in removing the Jews, since he believes that Israel belongs to the Jews.

Rahel – Jew, Moishe´s sister, also known as the “chair girl”. Thinks opposite to Moishe, rejecting deportation. Believes in erasing the past and moving on, no matter the cost.

Shlomo – Jew, orthodox, rejecting any form of communication whatsoever. The Jews were destined to keep the land, so any intruders must be stopped. He did not want to negotiate.

Mahmud – Muslim, originally afraid of Jews, expressing hatred towards them, and not really willing to converse, but then became more outgoing. Argues that the Jews are just like the Muslims. Still believed that the land belonged to Palestine, but is willing to perhaps work something out. “Peace between hearts that see wars every day is impossible. It´s impossible to forgive or forget”.

Sanabel – Muslim, father imprisoned by Jews. Freed later, but then her brother is imprisoned. Believes in spreading ideas through speech, not war. No matter the cost, she decided to persuade her ideas until others are more compassionate. Loves peace, but sees a dark future ahead.

Faraj – Muslim, moved to the U.S. in 2001. Lived with a Jewish family while his true family was being killed in a conflict. “If we can share the same plate, why can´t we share the same planet?”

As seen above, children such as Sanabel, Faraj, and Rahel would relate with each other the best, while Yarko, Daniel and Mahmud would present minor hesitations against others. Moishe and Shlomo would be completely against opposing opinions and defend their own, deciding that peace is not an option.

As a student who practices neither Jewish nor Islamic beliefs, I relate the most to both Faraj and Rahel, who both share visions of peace. I also believe in simply erasing the past conflicts and living in peace and harmony, because the only real enemies I see are the ones who believe in generating constant war to solve problems. In the United States, I can relate more to Rahel´s situation, since the only conflicts that happen are started by other countries, such as the Afghanistan War. When it comes to personal challenges and issues, however, I relate much more with Faraj, since I simply desire to make a living and not cause conflict, while at the same time, pity the soldiers who fight the opposing forces. I also strive to generate peace between America and African/Central Asian forces, as we can (according to Faraj) “meet in the middle and eat fish”. The only people I am not willing to tolerate are the ones who refuse to try and cooperate and reach an agreement. Communication is not needed to start a war, but without this communication between others, peace cannot exist between two opposing forces.

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Moving out of Racism: What does it take?

Question: "What does it take for someone to move from a position of hate and racism to a position of tolerance and respect like the transformation that occurred in Derek in the movie "American History X"?" 

As I explain Derek´s situation, keep in mind that he was following the pyramid of hate:


Derek had started his racist ways when his father remarked the coincidence in which the black race are being given more attention, with examples such as Black History Month.

Here is the full video, which is the possible origin of his hatred:

After the death of his father, Derek continues on to discriminate black people, as well as hispanics and Asians, later forming a group and spreading his hatred. With the spread of hatred, he commits vandalism and murder, sending him to jail, but not before he influenced his brother to become a part of this Neo-Nazi group of men and women. This sends the group closer and closer to a hatred that would result in genocide.


It helps to just stop and look at the trail of destruction that has been left from racism. Derek had killed two black people and vandalized some stores that belong to different races. If something similar had happened and I was the cause of it, I would look back and contemplate on what I have done, out of pure hatred.

In jail, Derek works with a black man to do laundry. This is one of eight ways of transitioning from hatred to respect, since he is starting to learn that his race is not much different from the African race, since we are all human beings, just like how poodles and pitbulls are both dogs, but with different appearances. Some may think that such thoughts of discrimination can leave as if one were to quit smoking, but one must see that race does not matter in order to admit that racism is truly wrong.

Looking back at the destruction caused by the invoked hatred is a wake-up call of sorts, while bonding with other races will raise one of the most unanswered questions of all time: "Why can´t we all just get along?"


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Boycott on MAP

Recently, I read an article that consisted of the boycott in Seattle, California, where teachers have disallowed MAP testing. Not only have all the teachers gone against this testing, but so have students, parents, and the PTSA of that region, with many more followers joining in.
It even made it to CNN:

I have never really been a fan of the MAP test, a standardized test that tests the knowledge of students and adapts its difficulty to measure progress on each subject, but I would personally be okay with the removal of the MAP testing, for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, one does not get a grade for any good progress, but it is only a guideline for teachers and parents to know the progress of students. According to my other classmates, they see the test as a free class, despite taking the test. I try my best on these tests, but I also see no reason to do so with the format of said test, leading to my next point.
The test features random questions for each student. This is good for variety, but not all of the content has been previously taught to students. A student may have studied geometry and algebra, but the test may display a question regarding lessons that have not yet been taught to the student. Another example regards the English language. I have been asked many times to show the meaning of a Latin root. I have rarely been taught such roots, but I still manage to answer a select number of these questions.
I do not have a problem with the general style of the MAP, since I see the need to measure the progress of each student, but I also agree with Hagopian with his opinion on an MAP substitute:
“Many others, myself included, believe that portfolios, which collect student work and demonstrate yearlong student growth, would be a good replacement for the MAP. Such assessments would be directly tied to our curriculum and would demonstrate improvement over time rather than a random snapshot of a student on one particular day.”
Therefore, I would be happy with one of two of these options, the first being the described portfolio, and the second being a modified MAP test, with content relating to what is taught in class.

The image, video and quotes have been found from:


Tolley, William J. "Under Pressure." Process of Living. Word Press, 27 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://processofliving.com/2013/01/27/under-pressure/>.

Academic Leadership: Four More Years

What does the re-election of President Barack Obama mean for me and the world?

I personally think that the re-election of Barack Obama means mainly two things to me and perhaps to the world as well. The first of which is that the United States of America will continue to seek the democratic goals made ever since early 2009 instead of replacing them with other goals that republicans such as Mitt Romney made to perhaps weaken the country more than Obama would. Obama could have been considered lucky for any reason for being elected instead of McCain, but the next victory could not have been luck. In my opinion, the iconic phrase “Yes we can” opens many doors for the betterment of the country, unlike Romney´s campaign, which opposed such things as gay marriage. I may not know much about politics, but if Obama really did have bad goals, the population would vote for Romney instead.

Obama Campaign Poster and Winning Speech:

The other aspect that stands out more than the political one is the fact that blacks have the same advantages as whites, perhaps affecting thoughts of racism. The black population has the same potential as the white population, so the 2012 election really shouldn´t and didn´t have any such advantages, except for intellectual ones. Blacks and whites are both the same species, but why criticize one little difference in order to choose who to vote? This obviously leaves the United States of America open to corruption. If we don´t change our mental ways, these stereotypes may lead to the downfall of this very country.

Academic Leadership: Time Management

Before the due date, write a blog post in which you reflect on the time management goals you set on 19/20 Sept. In your paragraph, include whether or not you met your goals, any problems you had, any successes you had, and anything you learned. Also include an updated version of your goals based on your experience.

My original goal was to focus in my work for a longer time span, as I tend to daze off into deep space out of boredom. Sometimes, I want to pay attention, but my focus fails on me and I turn my attention to the slightest change of thought instead. This is the only problem that may keep me from becoming a better learner. I set a goal based on the tip given to me:

"If you drift off, try visualizing a red stop light. Hold that image for a few seconds, then switch to a green light and go back to work." 

I used this tip, since I am confident that I have already followed the other ones on a regular basis. With this technique, I formed a simple goal: I will focus on my work by avoiding drifting off, at least 8 out of 10 times.” 

This help was hard to follow, as I forget new routine easily. I applied this to the incorrect subjects, such as Geometry and Band, two classes I am most interested in. I learned to not apply rules to where they are not needed, giving improvement to other classes that I lose focus in more easily, such as History, Brazilian Culture, Portuguese, and ironically, Academic Leadership. It isn´t mainly my fault that I do not focus in these classes, but sometimes these subjects are hard to understand, hard to pay attention to, or just simply uninteresting (no offense to the teachers of these classes).

I have only tweaked my goal to focus seven out of ten times, instead of eight. I also apply this goal to History, Brazilian Culture, Academic Leadership and Portuguese, since I can give a push-start to the classes I need to pay attention the most in, based on my experience. I sincerely hope that this updated goal helps me in my education, allowing me to be a more focused learner.

Academic Leadership Journal: Guns, Germs and Steel

"In our first two weeks, you have read two articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?" 

The concept of the class, Academic Leadership, possibly teaches students how to make good conversations and make good projects, such as Jared Diamond's book Guns Germs and Steel, based on nearly thirty years of research on why certain communities are poor when they have such innovation, like in New Guinea. The subjects I have an understanding in that could construct excellent major projects are computer sciences and logic, studies that are recommended for university students and gifted high-school students by the Institute for Mathematics And Computer Sciences (IMACS), courses I have done ever since 7th grade, second semester. 

The author of Guns Germs and Steel: Jared Diamond

The abuse of projects to manipulate others can be made by summarizing years of research into simpler terms and use in favor of the manipulator, similar to what Mitt Romney had done to Guns Germs and Steel to boost his political career. If someone used my work to manipulate others, I would feel that I wasted my research on the wrong reason. I would also feel less famous than the manipulator, who would possibly win admiration from more people than I could. 

Academically sophisticated leaders can prevent others from taking advantage of writers by proving that the writing is more than what they say it is, for whatever subject they wrote about earlier. This allows people to have an equal say on subjects and create a more democratic society. This society can have more equality in terms of speech, so why take advantage of someone else´s research to benefit your own if you can simply research the subject yourself?

Guns Germs and Steel Official Documentary:

Academic Leadership: College

Question: You briefly met with a college recruiter last week, and you reviewed a number of questions to ask about colleges. This must have gotten you thinking about your future, so tell us about it: Without any strict requirements, write about your expectations, goals, fears, concerns, questions that you have concerning your future in college. Additionally, now that you know that recruiters want to hear about you and your intellectual interests and pursuits, how do you think being an aware Academic Leader will give you an advantage when applying to the college of your choice? 

I expect my future in college to be about as fun as high school, with the addition of a more difficult set of subjects. I want to have fun with friends, while studying for a good job to sustain my future family. I also expect a high level of education and support for the subjects I struggle with, such as World History. Some of the goals I would set for my years in college are to make good relationships with friends over the time I stay, to advance as much as possible in my major and acquire a reasonable degree, as well as study another language, in my free time. I only really need to worry about my education, language fluency and my relationships with others, the three things my father taught me to focus on to become a prosperous person in life.

I only fear the overwhelming of my schedule during my years in college. While I was young, I studied English, Portuguese and German at the same time. I spoke a seperate language that combined all three languages, which could confuse any billingual or monolingual person. I was going nowhere, so I had to focus on English until I was 9 years old, when I moved to Brazil. When I was 13, I took piano and trumpet lessons, played tennis and studied logic, all in addition to the homework I crammed into my backpack. I was also going nowhere. I dropped tennis and piano class, leaving room for music, logic and my homework, which is enough work for me. What does this have to do with college? I am afraid that this exact thing will happen and harm my career.

This is basically how I felt in both the language issue and the cramming of after school activities:


In a tight schedule? Need things done? This Howcast video might help.

In a conversation with the college recruiter, being an Academic Leader will probably give me the skills to speak to the recruiter and present my intellect with skill, hopefully allowing them to see me as a special, exceptional student, making me a step closer to a prosperous life.