Today was like any typical day, class started as usual. We started off by talking about weed and how it effect this teenage boy from Beverly Hills High. It's strange to see how he changed after he started using drugs, it sort of reminds me of other people I know who have done drugs. They slowly get more and more isolated. But the effect on him when he heard recordings of his conversations with his drug buddies is what made him turn around. I think everyone has to the ability to stop if they really see how it is affecting them.
The highlight of the day was when we got to go to a pizza/dinner event planned by Dean Rose. We just gave our insight into the programs, and how things can be improved. I felt very special that they came to us to figure out what they need help on. There was a lot to be said, but my experience at Brown has been terrific, even though I got a little homesick. I'm really glad that they gave us a chance to speak, because it shows that our opinions count and we can help better the summer program. After that we went to a concert performed by Branice Mckenzie (singer) and Richard Cummings (pianist). They were wonderful! The songs had history and a lot of emotions tied to it. We are so lucky to be able to watch the show! Thank you everyone for making it possible, and for letting me come to experience life at Brown.
Monday, July 6, 2009
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3 comments:
Gina,
I am glad that you shared with us what happened in class, but what is the impact and how does it affect you when you return to Richmond High School? Yes, we want to understand what you saw in class, but go deeper in your analysis, show us that you are not just hearing what is said in class, but that you are using the information to form your own opinion.
You have to initiate ideas that flow from the facts. Why do young people experiment with drugs? What do they hope to accomplish by taking drugs? Do students in high school feel the pressure to take drugs or to smoke illegal substances? Hell it does not just start in high school, every college campus has a drug culture? Even at Brown University, yes this famous and great academic institution is no different than the other 3,000 universities across the country.
What is it about the Psychology of young people that perpetuates a need to have this social behavior? Your answer to these questions are what I am looking for when I read your post.
Gina, high school will quickly be over and it will be time to head to college or to work. Now is the time to see yourself becoming more independent and using this opportunity to get everything possible out of the Ivy League Connection. I get the sense that you are still finding yourself and hoping to find more answers as the time to graduate comes to a close.
Hope all else is well, but please try to go deeper with your thoughts and share your opinion.
Thanks again for the post.
Charles T. Ramsey, Esq.
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Gina,
I'm happy to hear you had another good day. You had good insight to understand how special Dean Rose is to seek feedback from all her program students to make her program better. Dean Rose knows that she needs to continuously "tweak" her program by "listening" to her students' unique experiences.
So, Gina, you have helped Brown with your insights just like you're helping all the readers of this blog with your insights here.
Sounds like the concert was wonderful and I'm delighted you got to enjoy it.
Gina,
Being able to turn things around and having the desire to actually do it are two horses of a different color and there lies the rub. SO many druggies don’t WANT to change. They don’t see that what they’re doing is a problem or they’re willing to live with that problem.
What do we do with those people?
Just as Mr. Ramsey touched on in his comments, we’re much less interested in a synopsis of what you learned in class as we are in learning of your thoughts on the matter. This is something that we’re rarely getting in any of the blogs. As much as anything, what we’re getting is just a rehashing of the facts. We could get that by reading the course syllabus and save ourselves a bundle of bucks.
We desperately want to know what you’re thinking, Gina. This is your second year in the program so we’re hoping that maybe you can take a position of leadership and give us what we’ve been asking for these past two years. What we’re asking of you this year is the exact same thing we asked of you last year.
Sounds like the pizza and the concert were a great way to cap your day.
Just as you had a chance to voice your opinions about the program at Brown, you’ll have a chance to voice you opinions about the ILC and this whole experience. I hope that you’ll take full advantage of this opportunity so we can learn and adjust the program to better serve the needs of our participants.
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