The American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that anyone from any background, race, religion, creed or economic standing can be born in or come to the United States and make it all the way to the top.

Oprah Winfrey started life on a poor farm, and eventually grew to be one of the best known and most respected journalists in the country, as well as being an actress and running her own company.

Bill Gates dropped out of college to write software because he had an idea that one day every home would have a personal computer. Now he is one of the richest and most powerful men on the planet. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest philanthropic organization in the world.

Ask 4 of the following people what their American Dream is and put their answers and your answer in the blog as your post.

One of your Parents:

One of your Grandparents:
Your Aunt or Uncle:
A Neighbor:
One of Your Teachers:
Your Sibling:

Your Best Friend:

http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/pdfs/06-07/MS0704-sg.pdf--information comes from this site

Justice

Our last blog was very involved. So many of you provided good arguments that asked those who believe differently to think outside the box. Thinking outside of the box is always a good skill.

The picture to the right has the Justice League. For those of you who are comic book or cartoon lovers, they are familiar. They provide justice to those who experience no justice. A television show called Leverage does the same thing.

This is an idea that so many of us are familiar with.

Think about what justice looks like.

Is justice ever served?

Does anyone ever really deserve justice for a wrong that has been put on them?

Are there different degrees of wrongs committed and do
they deserve different degrees of justice?

What is the difference between an eye for an eye and
justice?

Jus⋅tice 
–noun
1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3. the moral principle determining just conduct.
4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.
5. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

This is the definition according to Dictionary.com.

Look at the questions in purple. Think about them and try to answer. Feel free to comment on the blogs of others. Please remember that you must be respectful of one another and do not insult each other. Happy blogging and I look forward to watching you think.

Power!

How do we define POWER? Throughout the world, I hear people say they feel powerless, they have no power etc. How do we have power? How do we get it? Why do some people have more than others?

In many political debates it is argued that the Republicans take from the Democrats. Is this about power?

When we are at home, who has the power?

Is there ever a time when power won't exist?

Think about the idea of power. Who do you know who has power? How did they get it? What does it mean be powerless?


Feel free to argue against the thoughts of others. Feel free to comment, intelligently, about what other have to say about power. I give you the power to do this.

Happy November!!!!

Here are two pictures for you to look at. They are abstract art. "A simple, common definition of "abstract art" is "not realistic." Yet many artists who call their work abstract, actually do have a subject in mind when they paint. They take a figure or landscape and simplify it, exaggerate it, or stylize it in some way. They are not trying to imitate nature, but to use nature as a starting off point. Color, line, and form are more important to them than the details of the actual subject matter. They want to give a sense or feel for the subject rather than an exact replication" (modernartimages.com).

Choose one of the pictures. Write a story using the picture as your focus. The story should be fictional--make it up. Use the objects in the pictures, the shapes, the colors as a way to identify which picture you are working from.

Ex. "My blue period--My name is Jaclyn and my life can be broken into three parts: the time of innocence, the time of awareness, and the time of confusion. As a child we are innocent. We see the world through glasses that are rose colored. Everyone is nice and has the best intentions. The world is safe. In the middle, the awareness arrives. The center becomes the eye. I can see the world as it is, no longer roses and daisies, but a place where cynicism resides. A ripple effect of my actions reminds me of the way the world works. No one lives in isolation. Everything spirals down and out. In the end, confusion sets it. Here questioning my existence begins. I no longer see myself clearly. There is less of me and more of the world. The color blue has always been the way I see myself--a sky moving above hidden, sometimes, by the conflicts that exist."

The blue one, which I used as my metaphor, is harder to write about. It was a challenge. If you like a challenge, go for it.

Enjoy!

October crazy days

Good day! I went today to the pumpkin patch to buy pumpkins, apples and cornstalks. The tree were gorgeous--vibrant reds, golds, and oranges. The sun sat brightly in the sky.

I love October. This is when I celebrate my anniversary, visit the pumpkin patches, go on hayrides, and cook homemade chicken potpies. Everything looks beautiful draped in color.

Think about all of the things that you love! Write a list of the school appropriate things, people, moments, foods that you love. Explain what it is that you love about them.

Writing

We write more than ever.

Writing is defined as: 1 : the act or process of one who writes: as a : the act or art of forming visible letters or characters; specifically : handwriting 1 b : the act or practice of literary or musical composition 2 : something written: as a : letters or characters that serve as visible signs of ideas, words, or symbols b : a letter, note, or notice used to communicate or record c : a written composition d : inscription 3 : a style or form of composition 4 : the occupation of a writer; especially : the profession of authorship.

Think of all of the ways you write throughout the day. What genres or styles do you use? When do you know to change the style. List five ways that you write everyday.

I do a lot of writing. I text my friends and family. I hand write my grocery lists. I type my status on Facebook or Twitter. I Journal daily. I write comments on my students' essays, on recipes, and in my daughter's agenda.

A Break

Good day!
This week we will take a small break from the blog. Instead, I would like for you to take the time to do something kind for someone else. However many minutes it would take you to blog, that is the amount of time I want you to give to someone else.

Take out the trash for a neighbor, rake leaves, do laundry, etc. Do something for someone else!
Give back! Pay attention to how your kindness impacts others.

Have a good week. Enjoy the ARK.

Vocabulary

Happy first Monday in October.

The trees are steeped in color. The acorns fall indiscriminately and pumpkin patches are replete with pumpkins ready to be given a face. My children cannot wait to consume their cider donuts. I know they will do it voraciously. Parents will begin the drudgery of raking up the many leaves that abound while imploring their teenage children to help. To perceive this as a chore is to only deny the inner child who wishes to jump and frolic in the many piles of red, yellow and green.


This weeks blog asks you to post using at least 8 of your vocab words. The post should make sense, be about one topic, and contain at least 8 of your words.

Happy posting! Remember to post by 7:00 p.m. Friday evening.

Social Changes

We were introduced to the idea of Social change by Giovanni in the Life Changes piece we read last week. Social Change could be the Civil Rights movement, or other ways that change has come through while watching society grow and evolve. I want you to think about a time in your history that has impacted you.

For me, the explosion of the Spaceship Challenger, Desert Storm, and Oklahoma Bombings have all impacted the way I see the world. Now, there have been many more events that have impacted me, but these happened when I was in school or just outside of high school. My mother has said on many occasions that she will never forget where she was when she heard that JFK was shot.

Desert Storm was a tumultuous time for my family. My father was endanger of being activated and sent to fight. I was a senior in high school and the world was supposed to be a place filled with possibility, not war. My dad made T-shirts in the basement that said, "These colors don't run" underneath an American Flag. My school choir sang "Proud To Be an American" at the Spring concert and on April 12th, 1991 I joined The Army National Guard. Patriotism flowed through my family and school.

Think about a moment in your history that has impacted you. Where were you? Who were you with? How were you impacted? What changed in you at the moment?

Lessons Learned

Our book, The Glass Castle, is about family, survival, identity, and lessons.

Think about all of the lessons you have been taught by your family. These lessons may have come deliberately by your parents or family telling you directly, through your observation of family behaviors, or through movies, media, books, your family reads together.

My family has taught me many lessons. My Grandma Stella was a frugal woman. She was raised in a world where people didn't have much. She grew up in a holler--at the base of a mountain in West Virginia. She raised her children and her grandchildren to be spiritual. Religion was woven into the fabric of our family by her quoting of scriptures, running a Bible camp, and through her daily prayer.

My mother also taught us many lesson. One lesson that she taught her daughters had to do with fashion. She always would tell us when we went shopping to buy clothes because they looked good on us, not because they just looked good. Clothes should accent the parts of your shape that you like and hide the stuff you don't want people to see.

My Grandma Murphy taught me through her actions that it is our job in the world to be nice. Everyone deserves to be spoken to with respect, given the right to have kindness put upon them, and that silence in the presence of meanness doesn't make you weak, but wise. I never saw her speak harshly to another person. She was always gentle and kind to everyone.


These are three lessons that have been taught to me by the three woman who have most impacted my life. My daughters and my mother-in-law have also taught me many lessons.

For this post, list three lessons that have been taught to you by three different members of your family. Give a little background about the lesson and the person who taught it to you. How did you learn the lesson? Was it told directly to you, implied by their actions, a family tradition?

You only have until Friday at 7:00 p.m. to post. Anything after that time will not be counted!!!!

Parenting Memories

All of us have memories of our parents that will forever be stuck in our minds. These memories can be good, bad, sensory, emotional etc... Never the less, these memories help us to define our parents and who they are in our lives. Our parents influences through their actions, words, and beliefs.

One of my favorite memories of my dad comes from when I was five years old. A blizzard had taken Ohio by storm and many people were stranded. My father, a member of the Ohio National Guard, was called to duty--activated. This meant that he had to leave our house and help everyone else. We lived on a 33 acre farm and the roads were covered. My mom could not drive anywhere and food was getting slim. She called my dad to tell him we needed milk, eggs, bread, butter and the like. He promised to see what he could do. Later that day, I sat on the floor in the living room of our old farmhouse. I was watching television. I heard the propellers--whoosh, whoosh, whoosh--before I saw them. In the back of the house the snow swirled around in the air. An Army green helicopter landed in our back yard. In the middle of the swirling snow and propeller noise, my dad climbed out of the helicopter carrying bags of groceries. He walked through the white snow in his Army uniform--the hero to his family.

I'll never forget that moment. I think it was this image that motivated me to go into the military. I wanted to be more. I wanted to fill those big boots. I do know that not everyone will have a helicopter and the military in their stories. But think about a memory of a parent.

Describe the memory. Use vivid descriptive words. Explain why the memory is important to you. I want lots of details!!!!!!!! You may need to think about this and then come back to the writing. I also know that there are some memories that are not good. By the negative nature of the event, we are impacted. Share memories you do not feel uncomfortable having others read and respond to.

You only have until Friday at 7:00 p.m. to post. Anything after that time will not be counted!!!!

Sentence Scavenger Hunt

We are going on a scavenger hunt. Your mission, since you have no choice in accepting it, is to look through your favorite books--and not so favorite books, to find sentences that are interesting.

What does interesting mean? It means the structure of the sentences is interesting. Your sentences could be very long and complicated or they could be shorter but filled with solid strong vocabulary.

An example from The Glass Castle:
"I loved The Grapes of Wrath, Lord of the flies, and especially A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I thought Francie Nolan and I were practically identical, except that she had lived fifty years earlier in Brooklyn and her mother always kept the house clean. Francie Nolan's father sure reminded me of Dad. If Francie saw the good in her father, even though most people considered him a shiftless drunk, maybe I wasn't a complete fool for believing in mine."

These sentences are interesting because of the lists and the way the author interrupts her own writing with her thoughts.

This is what I want you to do. Find a small passage from a book that you have read, look at the sentences, determine what makes them interesting, and then tell us, the blog audience, why?

It's a very special time of year. Just as the summer reaches its optimum temperature, it is time to climb out of bed, put on jeans and funnel into the building with all of the others who have abandoned sleep.

I love to sleep in. Coming back to school takes 4 hours of sleep away from me. I cannot drink my pot of coffee each morning. I cannot sit and read for hours. I cannot just lay around. Now, I have two daughters, so the sitting around and doing nothing is not normal. Running the girls around and watching them engage in many new opportunities keeps me busy.

School is also about so many wonderful opportunities. Think about what you sacrifice as a result of school starting, but also think about what opportunities you gain. I gain new conversations, new friends, a new appreciation for learning and my passion is ignited. To everything, there is a pro and a con. What are the pros and cons of coming to school and educating yourself. What are you sure that education can and will do for you?

Be sure to speak to pros and cons!

Helping each other out!!!!

Use this opportunity to help answer each other's questions about the multi-genre essay. Do not give each other answers:(

Feel free to ask for revision help.
Feel free to ask about a specific genre.
Feel free to ask for opinions on word choice.

Do not ask for answers or for someone to write for you.
Do not ask for someone to think for you.

Enjoy working and helping each other.

Truth

It is interesting to me how we "spin the truth." We add details, leave them out, embellish. How do we know "the truth?"

One author that I adore, makes reference to the idea that truth is a matter of perspective. No matter where you are standing, your perspective determines what you see, feel, know. I saw a car accident once. I was getting ready to pull into the intersection and a car ran the red light. I was lucky. I was distracted and did not pull into the intersection as quickly as normal. The car across the way, however, got nailed.

My sister-in-law and I pulled over to call the police. We were both in the front seats and yet, both of us saw something different. Does her account of the story make mine wrong?

How do we know when the truth stares us in the face? Is the truth a logic based ideal or is it rooted in the heart and we know the truth by how guilt free our heart feels?
Does the truth ever evolve?

Books, books and more books!!!!

To begin with, hello to Ashley in Wooster. Feel free to continue to blog with us. I hope all is well. To those who like to criticize Mrs. Perrin on the blog, please find a new hobby.

My daughter made fun of me this past summer because I constantly had a book in my hand. She called me an addict. I am addicted to reading. Everywhere I go, I have something to read. The summer is the time when I read all of the books I have been waiting for during the school year. I try to pick a book that is considered by the academy as academically sound and then I fill the rest of the reading time with what I want.

How do you pick what to read? Do you only read what the teachers dictate? Do you pick because your friends recommend a book to you? Or do you read the backs of books to find what would interest you?

My favorite book is Atlas Shrugged and I love it because it makes me think about my place in the world and the role of "the mind" in the way society flourishes or fails.

Synopsis--from Barnes and Noble

"Who is John Galt?" is the immortal question posed at the beginning of Ayn Rand's masterpiece. The answer is the astonishing story of a man who said he would stop the motor of the world—and did. As passionate as it is profound, Atlas Shrugged is one of the most influential novels of our time. In it, Rand dramatizes the main tenets of Objectivism, her philosophy of rational selfishness. She explores the ramifications of her radical thinking in a world that penalizes human intelligence and integrity. Part mystery, part thriller, part philosophical inquiry, part volatile love affair, Atlas Shrugged is the book that confirmed Ayn Rand as one of the most popular novelist and most respected thinkers of the 20th century.

Write about your favorite book and why? What does it make you think about, dream about, or what action does it make you want to take?

Education

I have always lived by the belief that "education is the way to reach dreams and make them come true." As a little girl, I can remember my mom saying every time my father left for his three weeks military training, or any other military training that he did out of duty, "What will happen to us if he doesn't come home or his plane crashes and we are left alone. We have no money, and I have no skills that would provide for five kids." I knew at a young age that the song she sang when my dad left was a song I never wanted to learn. I wanted to grow up and be educated well enough to not have the fear of not being able to support myself. As a child, all I saw was that those who had an education were the ones who had more and could do more. This motivated me to push myself to acquire an education.

For as long as I can remember, a debate has begun in our country about the best type of education: public, private without religious ties, or a parochial school. I always wanted, as a kid, to attend CVCA--Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. My parents could not afford it. Instead I attended Akron East High School, a public city school. Oh, the stories I could tell. I do not think I got the short end of the stick. I learned so much from the many different cultures I was involved with and I was able to see life from some very different goggles, not the rose colored kind.

Think about all of the opportunities that you have been privy to by attending a public school, living in a world that is so unpredictable, and meeting the many people who walk in and out of your life. In Sheepskin, by Fisher, a battle of what it means to be educated arises. Where do you feel your education comes from and where will that education take you? How do you see your idea of education changing over the next several years? What would be your school appropriate mantra about education?

Fate

Fate--a life planned without an individuals consent. (I would hate to be so lame as to use the dictionary definition again.)

Romeo says to his friends, "He that has the steerage of my course, direct my sails. On lusty gentlemen." (Rough citation) This begs the question, "How much choice do we have in the way our lives turn out?" Do we direct our sails or is it the wind that pushes our vessel out to sea or to the nearest shore and we are simply the riders waiting out the ride?

I have always believed that everything happens for a reason. President Obama became President to silence the others, you got the luck of the draw of having Mrs. P as your teacher, bell bottoms went out of style and oh so many other events. What does fate have to say? Does fate exist? Are we pawns? Or, is fate a scapegoat for our fear of taking responsibility?

Write out your thoughts on fate.

Picture Prompts to Ponder

Look at the photos and respond!









How often do we look at the world and never take time to learn the story behind what we see? We make quick judgements that are often unfounded. We have been practicing supporting our thinking with research and literature. Now practice supporting your thinking using the items in the picture.


Create a brief 75 word story, using the images found within this site. You have three to choose from. Feel free to use your vocabulary words.

Tips for analysis: Make a list of everything you see. Create a motivation behind why each item is in the picture. Determine how the items fit into the storyline you are creating. Start writing.

It should make sense and not be too outrageous. The story should be supported by the items in the photo. Have fun:)

Love?

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. ~Zora Neale Hurston

Oh, the yucky LOVE stuff is upon us. Roses are red, violets are blue the world sees love in Valentines Day. How about you?

I have and probably will always be a sappy, hopeless romantic for the rest of my life. Everywhere we look, newspaper ads, magazine articles, billboards, song lyrics, plays, stories, and yes, poetry, tell us how to define love.
According to dictionary.com, love has many possible definitions. Here is the first of soooo many:
love 
–noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

The strong words in the definition are interesting. Such profound language speaks to the weight of such a feeling/emotion. "Profound and passionate," both denote a sense of strength and purpose not to be questioned. Yet, most people question LOVE. It is a word that is over used, yes, I know. But, how does one establish it exists? Shakespeare uses Romeo and Juliet to address this idea of true love through his beautiful iambs and couplets. We see it in Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid, Taylor Swift sings about it in her song, "Romeo and Juliet," Moulin Rouge revisits the idea through a medley of songs that stretch across rock and roll history and the list could continue.

How do you see LOVE speaking to the romantic expectations of those who pursue it? Does romantic love exist? How does it differ from all of the ways portrayed in the books, plays, poetry we read? You have read Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Kettle Bottom, and soon will embark on a journey through Romeo and Juliet. Is there hope in the real world for LOVE or is it fit only for the books? DO these expectations that have raised the bar so very high make it all worth it? Does it exist? Is there more than one kind?

(How can we not blog about Valentines Day the week of?)

Listening:

I do not know whether it has to do with me being a teacher or if it is just human to want others to listen. When others speak to me, I try to turn and face them, so I can hear everything they are saying. I watch body language, listen to voice inflection, listen to and make meaning based on the words (vocabulary) used and I try to really hear what is being said or asked.

It is my belief that most people do not listen. Most people do not allow their own bias, life, needs be set aside so others can be heard. I know that I have been guilty of this. That is why I face the person and allow myself the opportunity to face them. My eyes allow me to focus.

Do people not listen because their own narcissistic needs absorb them entirely too much forcing others' needs to become secondary and irrelevant? Is it because we do not practice living in the moment but live only in our plans? Perhaps, it has to do with constant distractions thus driving us into small idle chatter where speaking and listening become space fillers, not meaning makers.

I am not sure. Think about a time when you truly engaged in a conversation with another person. How did it feel to be heard? How did the connection feel? How does this differ from when others, including ourselves, disengage and no longer hear, but nod their heads in a fake conversation?

Forgiveness

Forgiveness--

I am kind of like an elephant. Not in size--ha ha, but in memory. Every article I read about being happy and searching for change speaks to the idea of forgiveness. It is not healthy to hold grudges. The only person who is hurt from holding grudges is the grudge holder.

I can say that I forgive. I have grown since my teenage years and do not hold grudges. However, I have a very long memory. I remember the pain of the hurt, the sting of cruel words, the slam of negativity, and the faces of those who have wronged me. I do not wish them ill will. I do not hate. But I feel and remember.

I guess my questions arise out of trying to decide if my long memory usurps my forgiveness or if remembering is what allows me to forgive each time.

Think about all of the times you have had to forgive. Did it come easily or was it hard. In the movie Eragon, one of the main characters says, "It is better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission." (rough citation)

Is this the same type of forgiveness? Is there ever a time when forgiveness is a gift not worth offering? Should George be forgiven for what he did to Lennie? Should the minors in Kettle Bottom forgive the mine companies when they throw them out of their homes, endanger the lives of the minors or kill the "Dago boy?"

What does it mean to forgive?