Article on Prison

What the article talked about is how prisons have become overcrowded and uses up so much money. The costs of cells run from at least seven thousand up to twenty-six thousand dollars. That is really a great amount of money just to keep a person in prison. Prisons itself are pretty brutal too with people beating and raping each other. I do not think that prisons necessarily are the best solutions to be used for gang members. I think this because I don’t see how prison will necessarily help them. Unless they do some real thinking, most inmates just go back to the same life they lived once they get out of bars. Plus out in the real world, they will struggle while in prison, they get free meals, a free room, and a place to work out. They get all these benefits basically for free since it is the people’s tax dollars that pay for these inmates. One thing I believe that could really help is more reformation sessions and making in mandatory. Make the inmates think more about what they can do to better themselves instead of having so much free time to do what they like within their confines. Instead of making it enjoyable, make it like a school. Make the inmates learn how to better their lives and make better choices. Something interesting I learned from the article was how the idea of people returning from prison has become something humorous. It’s interesting because it couldn’t be any truer. Prison doesn’t soften people, it mainly makes them tougher. Only way people could survive in prison is probably if they toughen up; if you weren’t hard when you entered then when you leave, people are going to be harder and enduring against others. It has become impractical to keep these people and not try to put forth effort to change them. All prisons do is keep them out of the world for this set of time and then they’ll be let out again and just get on with their life how they used to live it. If they truly could see witness their actions affect others and the bad/worse outcomes of them then   change could possibly happen. Until that day comes, these people will go in and out of bars without a second thought of what type of effect their actions truly have on the people around them. 

Compassion

            Compassion is a feeling that we as people feel naturally. Compassion can also be viewed as love which can be seen as a necessity in life. I believe that compassion is important in a person’s life no matter the circumstances they come from. Without compassion, one cannot really be happy. Since compassion can also be viewed as a form of love, one must love themselves in order to really be happy. Those who love themselves never really feel truly happy.  We all need love within our lives, more so interactions with others. An experiment was once done on a baby where it was left in a room and all that was done was being fed and changed, without the emotional interactions the baby didn’t survive too long. Compassion is necessity for living things, whether it is within yourself or by others. We need it to survive in a messed up world like this. 

Low-Achieving School

The article I read was about Vallejo High School in Solano County. The article is talks about many of the safety issues in this school. Teachers often complain about how students reek of the scent of marijuana but end up just having to be sent back to class when their sent away. This in turn also shows another issue with the school; lack of discipline. Some teachers have become very passive about the school and some have stated “I come for my paycheck”. The superintendent even implemented a district-wide disciplinary practice but that didn’t turn out well due to administrators not holding students responsible for their actions. Violence has become uproar at the school with over a hundred calls to the Vallejo Police Department for sixty assaults or thefts; four for weapons incidents, including shots fired near the campus. Seven other calls were for threats by a student to a teacher or administrator; and 36 were for other miscellaneous incidents. The faculty is trying to better the school but due to lack of funds, it proves to be a drawback to them. Though there are benefits such as more than 80% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, it really says something when 80% of the teachers don’t even live in Vallejo.

One similarity from this article and the book we are currently reading in class is the concept of lack of funds for the school. Lack of funds contributes to why a school may not function as well as other schools. Without the proper funding, schools cannot provide what’s necessary for the staff and students of the school. As seen in the book, many schools have become rundown or lack the proper supplies for their school. In Vallejo High School, funds are required to implement the proper precautions for the school such as officers to help enforce the rules and take control of hostile situations. The school also lacks counselors and social workers to help the students. This in turn contributes to students lashing out and basically becoming a juvenile going nowhere fast.

Another concept found is violence. In the school, East Side High found in the book, violence is a big problem for them. Students were so violent and always lashing out that one principal took the liberty of carrying a bullhorn and a bat to help better his school. In Vallejo, the school is constantly calling police to help with all the violence and problems the come up during a school day. The school even used to have police officers on sight for such instances but due to drawbacks in funding, they couldn’t afford to continue with this solution. Violence is rampant in both the article and the book.

Lastly, another concept is the lack of discipline of the school. In many instances in the book, teachers and staff lack the discipline to punish their students when they act out. Students often become violent of rambunctious then eventually dropping out (or going to a juvenile facility) and being given up by education. Without the proper discipline, the students will never be able to better themselves or even better their education.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_23255194/grand-jury-report-raises-concerns-about-vallejo-high

Schools

Due to poorly funded schools, the teachers are less motivated to teach the students properly. Older teachers are more susceptible to this concept. After years and years of being in the same setting, teachers begin to lose hope for the students. Students are always dropping out and seemingly behind on education. The supplies they have are insufficient for learning and the school is practically run down. With all this, the teacher loses the passion to teach and just becomes passive on education. They stop teaching the students what they need to learn and instead they just do nothing for the students and leave them to learn for themselves. With this, the students begin to reflect the teacher and then they in turn begin to lose hope too. A teacher and student mirror each other in an educational setting, if one loses hope then so does the other. Without proper teaching, the students will inevitably drop out and give up on education. 

History

You may ask what in education is out of date? I believe the history we learn in high school is out of date, the history books need to be updated. Instead of always hearing history from the side of the winner, why not see it from a different perspective? How can we fully grasp history if we are confined to one side of the story, the side that controls what we see in our books. All through most history books, you learn and see all the benefits of America and all it "has done" for other countries. As I see it, these history books are nothing but glorification for a country that doesn't deserve it in the first place. Even in the world history class I took as a sophomore in high school, we barely dipped into the perspective of the people on the other side. Everything is taken from an "American" perspective. How can we be entirely sure that what we're reading is entirely true? It may just be a mask to hide the truth behind it, things that America doesn't want us to hear because America is supposed to be "this oh so great and amazing" country. There are things that are unknown to the common people ,and as these people, we should learn to question what we are being told about America. You never know what "they" could be hiding. The news is just one way "the mask" is being shown because what is news but the history of the future? We will never fully understand history if all we hear is what's in the books. We need different perspectives, different views, on what actually happened in history. It serves no justice to the minorities of this world if we constantly view things from a "white" perspective. Things need to be heard from another side instead of constantly sticking to one story and believing it just because of their privilege and authority.

Social Influence

We are constantly influenced by the world around us. Whether it be family, friends, media, or just people we come across in life. This idea of social influence intersects with the Rule of Three assignment by focusing on the idea of how a teacher may influence the attitude of the class. Like how the world around you kind of shapes the person an individual becomes, a teacher shapes how the class may be portrayed and how successful it may be. Society determines the practices and habits of a student and how much self esteem one may have. Even before starting school, “our interactions with our fellow-beings, our observations about their social behavior and our understanding of social norms prepare us to face life” (Society’s Influence on Education). Like how society takes part in development, so will a teacher. Students would benefit greatly if they entered a classroom where the teacher is enthusiastic about what he’s doing and puts focus on the development of them. With a teacher with passion, it prepares you for life even better than a teacher with no passion for what they’re doing. If a teacher just walks into class, teaches what needs to be done, and just does that then where is the passion to it? A student adds their own style to their work and so should a teacher. A student and teacher are constantly learning and influencing one another in the classroom just like people are influenced by what they come across in life. If one chooses to succeed, one should not assume authority over the other because it leads to conflicts. Equal levels leads to a better output and influence in the student/teacher relationship. Life is the choice process, it’s how we choose to interpret the influences around us and when it comes down to it “as we interact with people, try to understand their thinking styles and behavioral patterns, we soon realize that there is so much to learn from them” (Society’s Influence on Education).  Students cannot benefit greatly if they don’t open up their minds to the ways of the teacher such as the teacher cannot benefit if they keep their mind closed to the opinions of the students. With an open mind comes an open heart; when you open up yourself to the world around you then you will become the change you wish to see in yourself and others around you.
“Society’s Influence on Education.” Examiner. N.P, 30 April, 2013.

First Entry

This blogspace reflects who I am by the idea of a picture is worth a thousand words. I kept looking through the themes on Blogger but none could really capture who I am. The word “capture” came to mind and I thought of a camera. Like how a picture is worth a thousand words, there are many things that define who I am. I am a dancer, a lover of culinary arts, and strive to be a veterinarian. I am someone who aims to succeed but yet has a few things he loves to do as a hobby. What is most important to me is mainly the people in my life that I love. Friends,family,role models; every one of them has made an impact in my life and I would not be where I am without them. As I stated above, the things I am passionate about is dancing, culinary arts, and animals. Additionally, I am very passionate when it comes to being part of my church community. My involvement there has really shaped who I am today. I am in school so I can make something of myself and grow up to fulfill my goal of being a veterinarian. Being a veterinarian has the perks of having a really good pay but that career also has a great opportunity of being happy with what I’m doing in life. I don’t really expect to get too much out of this class; the grade I pursue and whatever else happens will be beneficial to my growth. How I see what I value most will help me with college is just a self-fulfillment. If I do well then I can be proud of myself and make the one’s I love proud. I live because I love and I love because I live.