In class we learned many new things in class, our TA Vicky presented a power point on "Your brain on drugs". I was surprised to see that I knew most of the material being presented because In had previously learned it in my physiology class. That I found very ironic because throughout the year my physiology teacher continuously changed, I had about four different teachers that year. That was when I got excited, maybe I did know just as much as anyone else, even throughout all of the struggles to try to learn in my physiology class, I knew material that was being presented by a college student. I guess it was pretty basic stuff, but it made me confident in my education. After Vicky's presentation a few student group presented their project. Team BAMT presented on Feminine, Masculine, or both? I found that some of the character traits that they labeled as a female trait was not entirely true, and you often see this stereotype everywhere in society. Next was Mercedes' group, the orange oranges, their presentation was on discovering love. They showed us how infants are said to be connected to their mother through compassion and love, instead of food necessities.
I especially liked today's homework because it was explaining how people cheat to get the big money in life, which goes back to my title, Cheating Culture. As I was reading I found that most students going to prestigious schools often cheat their way through, and I felt it was unfair to those students who work hard to get somewhere in life. They also went on to say how because most of those students go to private schools, their parents have the money to get them tutors, and have the power to change hings so that things are more advantageous to their kids. They even go as far as getting medical approval that their child has learning disabilities, so that they could have extra time during the SATs. I feel that these kids have all the luck, they get to go to excellent schools and they don't have as many struggles as kids living in poverty. It is so unfair that we have to work extra hard to try to excel, when they can just cheat their way up. I don't think all of them do, but the statistics in the book were pretty high. I feel that maybe that's why it's so hard for students without these advantages to turn their life around, because they see no point. That is basically what I see around my school, they don't care because they believe that they can never compete with students that get to attend private schools. I really connected to this reading because of these reasons, I am one of those students who have to work extra hard to reach for a higher education, but I don't have my parent's money to get me personal tutors and bribe my way up. I do it all on my own, without cheating because I want to know that I did it sincerely without cutting corners.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Thanks for your openness. Now you are being alerted to the phrase "life is not always fair". Keep this in mind, but let's flip the page, some may say that you getting into the Ivy League Connection is not fair. Why you? So, remember that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and in the end you must focus on your improvement and not worry about what the next guy has.
I learned that wondering and worrying about why someone had something is the quickest way to go crazy. Yes, life should be fair, but it is not. This is why I stress to all of you that you must remain focused, not get caught up in the fun and games and continue to strive to improve yourself.
A much better post Gina, I enjoyed how you tied it back to Richmond High school and the utter frustration that plagues our students on a daily basis. We understand and can appreciate the rage that festers within many in our community. It is not surprising that we have a thirty percent high school drop out rate. Too many of our kids feel that it is useless to get an education, especially when they see that someone has built in advantages.
Thanks for opening up and sharing your personal disgust for the privileged and elite. However get used to it because it is a part of every day life. What we want you to do is continue to tap into your potential and make the best out of your opportunities.
Thanks again.
Charles T. Ramsey, Esq.
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Gina,
In an ideal world the only gauge we would use to determine how well we’re doing is a full length mirror. We would need to look ourselves in the mirror each day and if we were pleased with what we saw as a person, then all would be well with the world.
But we don’t live in that world, do we?
We read the headlines to see about the baseball players who are juiced, the Olympic medalist who are stripped of their accolades because they crossed the line between right and wrong, the junior college students who had their grades changed by a hacker.
We’re surrounded by people who want more but don’t want to work for it. They want it all now even if they’re not entitled to it.
It’s bad enough that these individuals are doing the cheating but then we have the oversight organizations that cover up the offenses. The Baseball Commissioner who covers up the drug tests because the juiced star is good for the sport; the Olympic Committees who cover up the failed drug tests because they want their country to look good; the community college administrators who fail to call the law because it will show the world that they can’t run their own affairs. The list goes on.
How many times have you seen one of your own colleagues cheating—at anything—and failed to do something about it? If we want change, if we want to set things back on the straight and narrow path, then we need to take responsibility at our own level. If your friends know that you’re going to rat them out of they’re cheating, perhaps they’ll refrain from the cheating. And if they’re counting on your silence, they’re bringing you down to their own level so exactly what kind of friends are they?
Post a Comment