1.11.2013
20% Project
I was thinking of doing something with my tablet and art programs, since some people still don't know how they work. Things I'll include would be PSE 8, FireAlpaca, SAI, Corel Painter, etc. I'll need my tablet, the laptop that my art stuff's saved to, and internet. I expect to run into some problems like how I'll convince my dad to let me take the laptop to school, and other stuff like connecting it to the overhead projector? Possibly? I don't know yet. I can consult my cousin Quincy, Delilah, and my friend Jessica because they all have tablets.
1.02.2013
The New Year
Looking back on last year, I realized I couldn't have gotten worse. I was antisocial, annoying and bland. My grades were fine, but besides that there isn't much I like about myself. I've improved so much personally that I don't even want to talk about last year.
I'm anti-resolution. Not completely, though. I don't make them myself because, frankly, I assume I'll forget about them. Also, I'll probably get too lazy to resolve said problems. I set goals for myself, like becoming a better artist, getting into region band, etc. but mainly I want to look back on myself next year and be able to say, "Wow, that was a good year." And by doing so ultimately make myself[ a better person and set higher standards for the future. I don't shoot people down when they write resolutions, but in October, will those people really be thinking, "Have I been keeping up with my resolution? What can I do better?" Granted, some might be. But I don't think it's the most logical thing to do.
I'm anti-resolution. Not completely, though. I don't make them myself because, frankly, I assume I'll forget about them. Also, I'll probably get too lazy to resolve said problems. I set goals for myself, like becoming a better artist, getting into region band, etc. but mainly I want to look back on myself next year and be able to say, "Wow, that was a good year." And by doing so ultimately make myself[ a better person and set higher standards for the future. I don't shoot people down when they write resolutions, but in October, will those people really be thinking, "Have I been keeping up with my resolution? What can I do better?" Granted, some might be. But I don't think it's the most logical thing to do.
12.19.2012
The First Amendment Thoughts
To tackle my post effectively, I'm going to reiterate most of what I commented about on Trinity's blog. Even though an overwhelming majority of blog posts I've seen are focused on Commonwealth vs. Twitchell (which I had to fill myself in about since I was absent that day) and religion, I'm going the same direction. I think, to some extent, freedom of religion shouldn't mean, well, a free-for-all. If someone happens to spontaneously make a religion and it actually gains some popularity, who's to say it means anything at all? The founder, the one teaching the beliefs and passing them on to perhaps future generations may not even believe the words he's breathing. What's the point of learning about something entirely made up, in which there's no fabric or reality to anything? (There must even be some guilt for someone starting something like that, indirectly deceiving people.) But I strongly feel that, unless one's been thinking, pondering, wondering about this religion they're about to start, it's worthless to start it. Another issue, as some pointed out, religions can happen to be cults or groups with bad intentions. Obviously there are good and bad parts of this section of the Amendment. It's a great thing if you want to start your own set of beliefs ad make real traditions out of it and you really believe it, but it's just not a valid thing to do if you don't. It's a waste of time, frankly. YOU have the freedom to begin a religion you think will be fairly successful, and YOU have the right to worship anything you want. But the freedom of RELIGION should be purely for half-logical religions, not evil cults of terrorists. I feel there should be some sort of validation before establishing such an operation, no? Anyone agree with anything I just said?
10.12.2012
Thoughts on Grades
What do grades do? They organize or classify students, placing them in advance or special education classes, for evaluating and judging teachers' and students' performances. The current system, in our school at least, is based on a scale of 100 points, numbers, and letters. The letters are A - advanced, B - average, C - below average, D - far below proficient, and F - failing, according to me.
In my opinion, grading systems don't measure intelligence. You can test poorly or not complete your homework, giving you 0s, but you can also be smart. Even in my best subjects I've gotten bad grades on assignments -- not that it means I don't understand the material. If I'm going to be accepted into only certain colleges in the future by my grades, I probably wouldn't be very happy; and that is what's going to happen. I know I'm not going to be accepted at every college I apply for, and it makes me unsatisified with the grading system we have now. Additionally, I've learned a lot more than my major assesments can prove. As for the standards-based grading, I think it's fine, but could be better. I honestly don't like the idea of targets, and you-must-learn-this-today-no-matter-what style. It gives teachers no freedom to express what they want to express, and it makes it worse having to cram exactly one "target" in a 40-minute period. So I guess something in the middle of standards-based grading and the current system would be fine, if it's the closest we can get to something reasonable.
In my opinion, grading systems don't measure intelligence. You can test poorly or not complete your homework, giving you 0s, but you can also be smart. Even in my best subjects I've gotten bad grades on assignments -- not that it means I don't understand the material. If I'm going to be accepted into only certain colleges in the future by my grades, I probably wouldn't be very happy; and that is what's going to happen. I know I'm not going to be accepted at every college I apply for, and it makes me unsatisified with the grading system we have now. Additionally, I've learned a lot more than my major assesments can prove. As for the standards-based grading, I think it's fine, but could be better. I honestly don't like the idea of targets, and you-must-learn-this-today-no-matter-what style. It gives teachers no freedom to express what they want to express, and it makes it worse having to cram exactly one "target" in a 40-minute period. So I guess something in the middle of standards-based grading and the current system would be fine, if it's the closest we can get to something reasonable.
10.04.2012
The Creativity Crisis
Last week in ROGATE, we watched a TED talk (technical education and design) by Sir Ken Robinson. If you don't know what that is, they let one person go on stage, who's usually smart or's discovered something and lets them talk about whatever they want for 20 minutes or so. Robinson is a British oratorical fellow who knows a lot and has some interesting views. It was really interesting; you can watch it here. I agreed with most of it, and I guess I have for a while, subconciously at least.
The TED talk was based around the theme "Are Schools Killing Creativity?" (The answer is yes.)
Robinson's theory is that all kids are born creative, but over the years we're being educated out of our creativity. Most kids or toddlers start out scribbling, laughing, doodling, if you've noticed. When students progress in their lives and get to high school and middle school, options for creative classes -- not just art, but also things like debate -- are very limited. Also, we're forced to be quiet, do our work, and not express ourselves in any way other than what we're told. It's a very true thought process.
One interesting thought Ms. Mystrena tied into it all was that sometimes, when there's a project or other in school, teachers will give the option of making a poster, and they think that passes as a creative choice; they check that off their list. I've had that happen, and posters for geography or science aren't fun. A life without creative kids is dark and threatening. What if all kids walked around calmly, gray clothes, no stains or crayons? Luckily, some students rebel in their own minor way and end up with excelling creativity later in life. The unique thinkers are the ones who end up with TED talks sessioned. They invent, create, and innnovate; without them, where would we be?
The TED talk was based around the theme "Are Schools Killing Creativity?" (The answer is yes.)
Robinson's theory is that all kids are born creative, but over the years we're being educated out of our creativity. Most kids or toddlers start out scribbling, laughing, doodling, if you've noticed. When students progress in their lives and get to high school and middle school, options for creative classes -- not just art, but also things like debate -- are very limited. Also, we're forced to be quiet, do our work, and not express ourselves in any way other than what we're told. It's a very true thought process.
One interesting thought Ms. Mystrena tied into it all was that sometimes, when there's a project or other in school, teachers will give the option of making a poster, and they think that passes as a creative choice; they check that off their list. I've had that happen, and posters for geography or science aren't fun. A life without creative kids is dark and threatening. What if all kids walked around calmly, gray clothes, no stains or crayons? Luckily, some students rebel in their own minor way and end up with excelling creativity later in life. The unique thinkers are the ones who end up with TED talks sessioned. They invent, create, and innnovate; without them, where would we be?
9.23.2012
My Learning Styles
The other day in Rogate Ms. Mystrena introduced to us two new tests created by foreign psychologists, sparking a memory I've been thinking about. My brother's 21 years old and a senior in college, and he's been through a lot of thinking about a job for the future. Originally he was set on becoming a lawyer, then a doctor -- he even went to an introduction to medical school for a few days -- and then for two or three of his years in college he wanted to study psychology. Interestingly enough, he's changed his mind again recently. It could've been him developing these tests later in life. Nothing too significant about it, but I thought I'd share that.
Anyway, according to my Gardner Multiple Intelligences Test, I'm both a musical and spatial learner, describing me surprisingly well. I think via rhythms, melodies, and images. My needs include LEGOs, movies, imagination games, trips to art museums, musical instruments, and trips to concerts. (I'll be the first to admit that I still love LEGOs, by the way.) Matching reality I love singing, designing, whistling, humming, and drawing. I'm stunned at how accurate this was.
On the flip side, I took the Gregorc Learning/Teaching Styles test as well, supposedly telling me WHO I AM and HOW I LEARN. To my pleasure I scored most for Abstract Random, which comes as no huge shock; though I did think I had a possibility for Abstract Sequential. I am indeed personal, sensitive, colorful, and imaginative. I learn by use of fantasy and imagination, themes, art, humor, and media & music.
By learning these things about myself I'll have to remember that I need to balance out my artistic self by focusing on schoolwork and not solely drawing. I do learn from the perfect length lecture, I realized, not too long, but long enough.
Three people I admire are my mom, Chase Utley, second baseman of the Phillies, and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. My mom must be an concrete random learner, since she's creative with practical ideas. Last, I'm guessing Rowling is a concrete random learner since she's obviously very experimental with few restrictions and creative. Last, Utley is probably a concrete sequential type, weighing on account of most of his moves being planned and coached pre-baseball game.
I commented on Vaishu's blog and Trinity's blog.
Anyway, according to my Gardner Multiple Intelligences Test, I'm both a musical and spatial learner, describing me surprisingly well. I think via rhythms, melodies, and images. My needs include LEGOs, movies, imagination games, trips to art museums, musical instruments, and trips to concerts. (I'll be the first to admit that I still love LEGOs, by the way.) Matching reality I love singing, designing, whistling, humming, and drawing. I'm stunned at how accurate this was.
On the flip side, I took the Gregorc Learning/Teaching Styles test as well, supposedly telling me WHO I AM and HOW I LEARN. To my pleasure I scored most for Abstract Random, which comes as no huge shock; though I did think I had a possibility for Abstract Sequential. I am indeed personal, sensitive, colorful, and imaginative. I learn by use of fantasy and imagination, themes, art, humor, and media & music.
By learning these things about myself I'll have to remember that I need to balance out my artistic self by focusing on schoolwork and not solely drawing. I do learn from the perfect length lecture, I realized, not too long, but long enough.
Three people I admire are my mom, Chase Utley, second baseman of the Phillies, and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. My mom must be an concrete random learner, since she's creative with practical ideas. Last, I'm guessing Rowling is a concrete random learner since she's obviously very experimental with few restrictions and creative. Last, Utley is probably a concrete sequential type, weighing on account of most of his moves being planned and coached pre-baseball game.
I commented on Vaishu's blog and Trinity's blog.
Being Gifted
Being gifted by definition usually means something along the lines of "having exceptional talent or natural ability" but what it doesn't include is the downsides; not that there aren't upsides, either. There are countless misconceptions and misunderstood areas about the subject.
Cons of being gifted:
Asynchronous development is the uneven maturity of a child -- social, intellectual, emotional, and physical traits develop asynchronously, obviously, but what does that mean? It means that at the age of 13 a child can be exceptionally short or tall while they might be in an advanced class. It means any combination of the maturities settling at different times. It's not exactly a bad thing, but it can require attention and empathy at some points, and unfortunately not everyone has that to offer.
By being placed in an advanced class, there's a lot of pressure to be the best you possibly can; which, being in a different class than most of your peers, can draw out high expectations from others. This can be a lot to deal with, especially with other worries like grades and after-school activities.
One is also listed or labeled: know-it-all, try-hard, dork, nerd, or a number of other things, and I'd say that's pretty stressful. Being teased isn't a good experience to say the least.
Ups of being gifted:
There are good things of being gifted, and I won't pretend I'm denying that. It's pretty cool to be above the average in a certain subject or two; I consider myself fairly musically inclined and pretty good at writing. Obviously I can loosen up a bit when I write, but I'm still trying to get that down! Back on subject, those who are gifted, like myself, are most likely to go someplace with their jobs and lives, motivating others and innovating the world.
Myths about gifted children:
The biggest myth is most likely that we're good at everything and we get good grades. For example, I'm not great at math or history, and I usually get poor grades in science class and just barely pull through by the end of the marking period. My strongest areas are music (playing the trumpet) and writing (more like grammar and spelling). Some students may end up with low grades because of mainly two scenarios: the first, the work is too boring for them and they fly through it and don't feel the need to do their homework, and the second, they're placed in overly-advanced classes and can't keep up with the work they need to do. I'll admit, in some classes my work is painstakingly easy. Which probably explains why my dividers are covered in drawings.
We're not geniuses, we don't know everything, and not all of us are nerds. I am, but some aren't. Think: where would we be without advanced learners absorbing and inventing? We'd be primitive. While you may think we're geeks now, later in life we'll be creating something you'll spend all your money on, like an iPad or computer. That sounds cliche, but it's true.
Another false assumption is that gifted kids don't need any help, that we can do fine on our own. We have to be taught, too, we don't just magically know everything we need.
Truths about gifted children:
We're different from the average student. We require special classes and can develop asynchronously, as previously stated. And we're definitely, truly not good at everything. But we are creative and bright kids. Also, our test scores may or may not show our true intellectual potentials. We get nervous and can do badly on a big assessment, but that doesn't mean we're any less gifted. Furthermore, tests often don't give a lot of room to impress, especially ScanTron style.
Hopefully with some new knowledge to be enlightened with there'll be a decrease in the misconceptions about gifted children.
Cons of being gifted:
Asynchronous development is the uneven maturity of a child -- social, intellectual, emotional, and physical traits develop asynchronously, obviously, but what does that mean? It means that at the age of 13 a child can be exceptionally short or tall while they might be in an advanced class. It means any combination of the maturities settling at different times. It's not exactly a bad thing, but it can require attention and empathy at some points, and unfortunately not everyone has that to offer.
By being placed in an advanced class, there's a lot of pressure to be the best you possibly can; which, being in a different class than most of your peers, can draw out high expectations from others. This can be a lot to deal with, especially with other worries like grades and after-school activities.
One is also listed or labeled: know-it-all, try-hard, dork, nerd, or a number of other things, and I'd say that's pretty stressful. Being teased isn't a good experience to say the least.
Ups of being gifted:
There are good things of being gifted, and I won't pretend I'm denying that. It's pretty cool to be above the average in a certain subject or two; I consider myself fairly musically inclined and pretty good at writing. Obviously I can loosen up a bit when I write, but I'm still trying to get that down! Back on subject, those who are gifted, like myself, are most likely to go someplace with their jobs and lives, motivating others and innovating the world.
Myths about gifted children:
The biggest myth is most likely that we're good at everything and we get good grades. For example, I'm not great at math or history, and I usually get poor grades in science class and just barely pull through by the end of the marking period. My strongest areas are music (playing the trumpet) and writing (more like grammar and spelling). Some students may end up with low grades because of mainly two scenarios: the first, the work is too boring for them and they fly through it and don't feel the need to do their homework, and the second, they're placed in overly-advanced classes and can't keep up with the work they need to do. I'll admit, in some classes my work is painstakingly easy. Which probably explains why my dividers are covered in drawings.
We're not geniuses, we don't know everything, and not all of us are nerds. I am, but some aren't. Think: where would we be without advanced learners absorbing and inventing? We'd be primitive. While you may think we're geeks now, later in life we'll be creating something you'll spend all your money on, like an iPad or computer. That sounds cliche, but it's true.
Another false assumption is that gifted kids don't need any help, that we can do fine on our own. We have to be taught, too, we don't just magically know everything we need.
Truths about gifted children:
We're different from the average student. We require special classes and can develop asynchronously, as previously stated. And we're definitely, truly not good at everything. But we are creative and bright kids. Also, our test scores may or may not show our true intellectual potentials. We get nervous and can do badly on a big assessment, but that doesn't mean we're any less gifted. Furthermore, tests often don't give a lot of room to impress, especially ScanTron style.
Hopefully with some new knowledge to be enlightened with there'll be a decrease in the misconceptions about gifted children.
9.20.2012
"Life's not always a bowl of cherries for those golden, "gifted," young teens."
Well stated; many people don't realize that being gifted has downsides as well as upsides. Further insight can be found at one of many helpful websites. The explanations are surprisingly accurate, but not everything applies to everyone gifted.
9.12.2012
Oh, hey. I'm Daisy.
Well, it seems I've exceeded my use of the word "hey" at least for another week or so. Let's get down to business. Let's see. I'm in eighth grade, and I'm not looking forward to being a freshman. I'm sarcastic and pessimistic, but not necessarily in a horrible way. I'm scared ridiculously easily, but let's not talk about that. Another thing we never talk about is my bowling scores. Also, I'm scared of roller coasters. But I digress. I guess in a nutshell you could say I'm a wacky kid who enjoys playing the trumpet and doodling.
Last year I tried out and ever so fortunately made it in the SJBODA -- region band -- and I plan to try out again this year. I've also been a part of band class, wind ensemble this year, for roughly four years. As well as that, I'm joining after school jazz band, and I'm already a part of the NBC Marching Unit as a rookie.
I love the Phillies. Well, most of the time. Other times I get angry over losses and managerial faults, shall we say. I wear pink on Wednesdays, and I don't wear sweatpants on Mondays. I like eating and cats, but not eating cats. I enjoy watching the first three seasons of Spongebob, Adventure Time, and movies like Elf, Napoleon Dynamite, classic Disney movies of course, and Mean Girls. My favorite books include the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. (Along with some other ones I'm either too lazy to type or forget. Most likely the former.) My favorite school subject is band by far. I love it, and, well, Pinto teaches it. I'm still deciding on what I want to be when I grow up. I dunno. Probably something with graphic design, art, and/or creative writing. My favorite musicians/singers/bands are Regina Spektor, Fun, Steam-Powered Giraffe, and occasionally Kate Nash. I love learning about psychology and why people think the way they do, watching people write and how their pencils move across the paper, and looking at others' drawing styles. On the other hand, learning about the infinity of space and alternate universes completely freaks me out, and I can't stand watching people touch their eyes, put in contacts, or just think of eye damage/being blind. I cringed even typing that.
Anyway, a lot of things make me happy, like driving through dark forests with ponds and streams and rocks and rough bridges, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream at a Phillies game, and waking up as early as possible when the sun hasn't risen yet to read a book in the dim light.
I've probably bored you, so...seeya!! uvu
Last year I tried out and ever so fortunately made it in the SJBODA -- region band -- and I plan to try out again this year. I've also been a part of band class, wind ensemble this year, for roughly four years. As well as that, I'm joining after school jazz band, and I'm already a part of the NBC Marching Unit as a rookie.
I love the Phillies. Well, most of the time. Other times I get angry over losses and managerial faults, shall we say. I wear pink on Wednesdays, and I don't wear sweatpants on Mondays. I like eating and cats, but not eating cats. I enjoy watching the first three seasons of Spongebob, Adventure Time, and movies like Elf, Napoleon Dynamite, classic Disney movies of course, and Mean Girls. My favorite books include the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. (Along with some other ones I'm either too lazy to type or forget. Most likely the former.) My favorite school subject is band by far. I love it, and, well, Pinto teaches it. I'm still deciding on what I want to be when I grow up. I dunno. Probably something with graphic design, art, and/or creative writing. My favorite musicians/singers/bands are Regina Spektor, Fun, Steam-Powered Giraffe, and occasionally Kate Nash. I love learning about psychology and why people think the way they do, watching people write and how their pencils move across the paper, and looking at others' drawing styles. On the other hand, learning about the infinity of space and alternate universes completely freaks me out, and I can't stand watching people touch their eyes, put in contacts, or just think of eye damage/being blind. I cringed even typing that.
Anyway, a lot of things make me happy, like driving through dark forests with ponds and streams and rocks and rough bridges, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream at a Phillies game, and waking up as early as possible when the sun hasn't risen yet to read a book in the dim light.
I've probably bored you, so...seeya!! uvu
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