Scholarships...Think outside the box!

Scholarships are a great way to get money off of your tuition, but they also can do much more. Firstly, scholarships can make a person stay debt free later on in life! Debt keeps a person's hands tied, and with no loans to pay off, students can graduate with actual money and start off well. Another thing that scholarships can do is make a resume look good. When a student gets leadership, academic, etc. scholarships, this can be seen on a resume for a later job. When a student gets scholarships, the effect is not just now. They can help the students life in the long run with financial and employment needs.

Reflection 101

To get a full experience of college in a positive look, I still have to do a few things. I have made a list to help out my efficiency:

• Turn in applications for early admission
• Finish my senior year out strong
• Get my recommendation letters
• Finish my college essays
• Make a college visit to the schools I am looking into

I will have to make a list of these tasks in order for me to accomplish them one at a time or simultaneously. Using this checklist I can make sure I have completed EVERYTHING I need to get into the college and get the maximum amount of scholarships I can.

I believe that in academics I can still raise my GPA and try to push for the top 5% in my class of 2016. If I can do this, I believe that I am almost as prepared as I can be for the college road ahead.

I believe that I can expand my search for colleges, but for now, as a Junior in high school I can try to specify on a few so I can visit them to see what I like and dislike about each.

Canada v. U.S.A. Schooling.

Out of 10, my rating of the U.S. school systems would be about an 8 compared to the school systems in Canada, which are a 9 or 10 out of 10. There are a few reasons for my opinion about this. Firstly, the U.S. has many school systems that do not require high level education for teachers just starting. Teachers in Canada have more training than American teachers do. Another thing that is better about Canadian schooling has to do with the teachers and their perks. In America, teachers get health insurance and life insurance provided by the government, but in Canada, they get much better insurance. This can help teachers keep most of their revenue instead of having to pay more for the bills of health that insurance does not cover all of. Finally, on top of all of these things, Canada gives their teachers more income for their economy than the average teacher in America gets. All of these things can make a teacher have more to work for, giving the students a better opportunity to learn.

Having a Degree

In my own opinion, getting a college degree is worth the time, even if it is not worth the money most of the time. Having a degree when you finish school allows you to have economic success in your future. You are able to get a job and provide for you and your family. Without a degree you could get a very low paying job and have very difficult times providing for your family. Having a degree is not only beneficial in today's economy, but it also can benefit you in the social aspect of society. When you get a degree from college, you are sometimes thought more highly of. If you do not finish out your schooling career and drop-out early, you can be thought of as a quitter. I, personally, think that the social aspect is more over the criticism of society on you. With a degree you seem to live up to society's standards.

Spring Break

Spring Break was a time that I spent with my family. I went to Orlando and stayed in a resort. It was a ton of fun, and I got very sunburned. I probably should have put on sunscreen since I was in the sun for 10 hours a day. I also went to a few NBA games over the break and that was cool too. It is always fun to spend time with the family and travel to other parts of the country. Spring Break was a lot of fun, and I hope I can go back to Florida and spend time with my family soon.

Thoroughly Responded to Questions Part 2!!

1. The most influential person in my life would have to be Jesus/God. They have influenced my life majorly, in how I treat others, and how I try to be in my personal life. God is who I live for, and I try to give all of the honor to him when he blesses me. He shows me how to live a good life by the laws he gives me, and these are a very big influence on my life.
2.I think that Keating is trying to get his boys to believe that poetry is a way of life, and involves true passion, whereas other jobs are simply "noble pursuits". I do agree that SOME poetry can be very meaningful and passionate, but that is not the case with all poetry. I believe that we read poetry as a way of interpretation. It is not as much passion as it is a type of hieroglyphics in my opinion now a days.
3.I do agree with this quote from Keating. He is trying to get the boys to see that there are all kinds of views on a work. Not everyone has the same opinion about the same piece. When the boys realize this, it will let them be able to be their own person. I most likely have a personal story about this topic, but I have been sitting here for 30 minutes and still cannot think of any.
4. I hope that my 'verse', even if not very big, will still contribute to making this school, or world better. I know that I may not be very likely to have a major impact on the world, but I can still have a lasting impression on it, making it a slightly better place. I hope that people can see why I am here, and what I have come here to do. I would like to be a light leading others to Jesus, and it would be nice to know that I have accomplished this on a large, or small scale in life.

Thorough Responses to Questions

1. I do not think that Neil would have committed suicide, but I do think that he would have been unhappy and uncomfortable for his entire life. He never liked what his father had planned for him to do in life. He wanted to take up acting and his father was not impressed, he only wanted his son to become a doctor and provide for a family. Mr. Keating only took part in Neil's life when he told Neil to be his own person and pursue his dreams. This may have caused his suicide, but overall, Neil was never happy.
2. I believe that Todd is the most brave of the Keating boys. He is very shy throughout the movie and barely ever talks, but in the end he stands up for what he believes. He believes that Keating is a good teacher and teaches the boys good ways to get through life. On the other hand, Cameron was the coward in the film. He never feels like it is safe to go with the boys to the cave for the Dead Poet's meetings. In the end of the movie, Cameron is the one that turns in all of the boys that attended the meetings and they were all told to sign for the resignation of Mr. Keating. If Cameron would not have been so scared of everything, Mr. Keating most likely would still have his group of boys that followed him.
3. I believe that Keating did place the poetry book in Neil's room. He knew that Neil was the one ready for the challenge, and he did not want to be the one to stop him from chasing after what he wanted. Even though Keating knew that it was not the best idea, due to the administrations issues with reckless behavior, Keating believed that the boys needed to find their true potential.

Being Different in Dead Poet's Society

Difference is a major theme that I saw used throughout the Dead Poet's Society movie. Mr. Keating always wanted the boys to be different from the society around them and not to conform into it. He tried to teach them to stand up for what they believed and not pass up on a dream of theirs, just because it is not what is normal in society. The theme of being different pops up numerous times in the film, and is one of the most central themes in the movie. When Keating first came into the classroom to teach, the boys knew that he was not the everyday teacher that taught at Welton. He made them tear out pages in their books that he was not fond of, and later on showed many more teaching differences. He took the students on a field trip outside and made them all do their own thing. He was not only teaching poetry, but he was teaching them how to be one of a kind and not just go with the flow. He wanted the boys to stray from conformity, but there were consequences that followed. Throughout the movie, Neil, Charlie and others were being taught by Keating to be their own person, and they tested out his theory. Neil did not obey his parents since he did not want to grow up and be a doctor, so he pursued an acting career behind their backs. Charlie believed that he could change the face of the school, so he tried to get girls into Welton. Although they were 'seizing the day' as Keating would have put it, they ran into some major consequences. Charlie was punished by the headmaster of the school, and Neil went as far as suicide. Difference in life was the main goal that Keating wanted his students to see. By getting his students to see this, he felt accomplished, but he was also very distraught when he found out about what was happening to them when they tried to live a life of their own.

Post-Viewing Activities; Dead Poet's Society

1. In my opinion Todd Anderson transformed the most throughout the movie. He started as a shy boy, but by the and stood up for his beliefs and for his teacher. He never wanted to get in front of the class, but he soon stood in front of them and, although nervous, gave a good performance.
2. I do not think that Nwanda/Charlie changes at all in the film, he always wanted to be his own person and never wanted to conform and be like the society.
3. Mr. Keating is an understanding character who wants the students he teaches to be original. I believe that he sees that his thoughts for the boys to be original are crippled by the system that he works in. He sees that his teaching to not conform in society can have consequences on him and his students. He is changed by his experiences in the classroom with the boys, and could change some of his ways of teaching by how he was treated at the school.
4. Todd Anderson was a shy, and quiet character who liked to stay to himself. He was an introvert, and was afraid of having to speak or do something in public.
Neil Perry was an extrovert who liked to get to know people and had a passion for acting. He had a fear of talking to his parents and telling them the truth. When he finally told them the truth they were not accepting and it led to some consequences.
Knox Overstreet was a caring person who had feelings for a girl that he saw. He was afraid of her boyfriend and telling her his feelings, and in the end was able to stand up and tell her how he felt.
Charlie Dalton was an outgoing person who liked to live on the wild side. He never wanted to listen to rules, and had a fear of conforming with society. He always wanted to be different than who he was around, no matter the situation. This led to him being punished many times throughout the film.

Mona Lisa will Smile

3. Betty seemed to be a very obnoxious person throughout "Mona Lisa Smile". Betty was the first girl in the class that Miss Watson had that was married. She believed in women's roles in the 1950's. When she heard that Joan wanted to go and study at Yale, she was horrified. She did not believe that Joan was thinking of a family and of her boyfriend's best interests. I would probably have had a similar reaction if I were in Betty's situation, but I would not be as rude about it.

5. Betty marrying her boyfriend seemed like the best thing to do when she first got married. After a few days, he had to start going on business trips, and she soon got lonely and jealous of other girls at her school. I do not think that she was very happy once she saw that he was always gone. Her mother refused to let her stay at her house, because she believed that she had her own house to live in. Her mother believed in women being the housewives,while the men worked for the family. Even when Betty saw that her husband was cheating on her, her mother did not accept her back into the house. She did not care what the circumstances were, once her daughter was married, she believed that her daughter had to stay loyal to her man.

Katherine Watson-MLS

Facts are very useful for knowledge later in life. With facts people know a ton more than they could only from a teacher with no facts. One problem with facts is that they do not go into detail, and cannot bring out the creative side in someone. Katherine Watson is a great example of someone who is not just a teacher of the facts at a school that goes strictly by factual evidence. With a teacher like her, someone can be able to show what their full potential is with all of their creativity. This style of teaching is a great way to help students go through life with a creative mind.

Mona Lisa Smile

Women's roles played a major part in "Mona Lisa Smile". With the time period being in the mid-1950s, women were supposed to be a housewife. No job or post college degree. When Wellesley College gave a job to an art history teacher who thought that she needed to change the way women thought, they were concerned with her roles in her students' lives. She believed that women were not just meant to stay at the house and succumb to any need of their husband, but to achieve what they wanted to do in life. With all of her help, many of her students, and herself, found what the true meaning of living a happy life, even if it did not abide by the status quo.

Mona Lisa

An art education teacher is very confused when she thinks she is teaching at a normal school. "Mona Lisa Smile" is a movie that can have potential if it is made the right way. I believe that the movie will start off with a woman applying for a job as a professor in the 1940s-50s. I think that she will find it hard to teach a class of all girls when they are prepared to begin their lives. It seems like the movie will be about her students getting into the real world through marriage, and her having to find a way to deal with it. She will have to use her education in art to teach the girls a lesson in life.

Exam Levels

There are different types of exams depending on which level you are at. Firstly, there are elementary exams, which are not very hard as long as you listen in class. These are over the most basic material in a subject. Junior High and High School exams are the next level. They are more difficult than the elementary level exams and go over more material. Instead of just scratching the surface of the material, the exams in High School go more in-depth. Finally, College exams are the toughest exams in my opinion. They are the most in-depth of all levels and there is a much higher stake for each exam. In High School, there are usually around 10 exams a semester, where as in College the professor only gives a few, sometimes as little as two. With only a few exams a semester, the exams will reflect your final grade more. In High School, it is easier to study for an exam, and can take much less preparation. In College, there is a need to study much more since the grades effect on a final grade in much higher. In my opinion, High School exams are tough, but overall College exams are more difficult and are worth more to study for.