Fix The Shading On The Children's Faces

This poem depicts the sadness of Racism that goes on today. People do not realize that the Race that you were born with is not something that you can just randomly change, or even need to change. The acceptance of others Race and ethnics have been problemized for centuries and centuries. We have gotten to a certain point today where people can live somewhat freely, however, it is really never ending. This is something that will most probably always go on. We just have to hope it will lessen and lessen over time.

We Cannot But Chuse To Hear

G-d created nature. Because nature was created by G-d, it is basically not ours to control. People nowadays, however, believe that they can do what they want with the world today. They believe that they have control over everything. We can see this control through many things that go on in this world- especially with the oil spill. These creatures as you can see on the picture above, are suffering because of this. Hopefully, as time goes on, we can realize what we are doing with these creatures and change what we are actually doing ourselves.

Required Assignment Number 2

Survey 1: Core Beliefs About Mind, Body, Spirit, and Reality Survey

The Title of this Survey contains many principles that are important to be aware of. These principles include the Mind, Body, and Reality of every human. These principles though, are definitely not black or white. Each one is different and contains their own understanding in their own peculiar way.

The Mind is something that I believe is an intangible object. It is something that can only be understood within the actual person. It does not have that physical quality like the brain.

The Body however, does have that physical quality, but the physical quality is specific to that person. Even when there are identical twins that are born, the bodies of both humans are not exactly identical.

Spirit though is the Spiritual quality of the person that goes hand in hand with the mind. It is that innate spark that is in every human that helps them go about their day to day life. It is not something that cannot really be explained though. It is more of that feeling that every person has within them through different experiences and actions that is being done.

The Survey then continues to ask many questions of Reality. Reality, I believe though, cannot really be explained either. For Reality to one person, is different to the Reality of another person. Every person has their own sense of what Reality is due to their experiences, cultures, ideas, and just being them as a person. To me, my Survey will most definitely be completely different than your Survey. This is really valid, because everyone is completely different in their understandings of this concept.

All in all though, I believe that a person needs all these concepts to understand their essence and who they are as a person.

Survey 2: Core Beliefs-What I Learned From My Parents

A child can only be born through their parents. Whether it is a dog, cat, elephant, bird… each creature is created through two beings that come together. These two beings can be separate or together. No matter what they are though, these two beings are THE PARENTS of that particular creature. If it were not for these two beings, then the child would never be born.

There are times though that The Parents do not take care of their child. They can either give the child up for adoption, or not take the time to take care of that particular child to teach it and grow with it. In this case, the survey will most probably vary from one to five.

However, I got really lucky, and in my case my survey does not vary much. I had the privilege to have those peculiar parents that have been together for more than thirty years. Thirty years of growth, knowledge, and love that I will take with me wherever I go.

To me, there are many things that I learned over time from friends and different experiences. However, since I am a very open person, it all came back to my parents to really complete the picture of gaining the knowledge.

I feel even more privileged to have taken this survey, because it just continues to remind me how lucky I am.

Survey 3: Core Beliefs-How I Was Raised

In this Survey, there were many different questions pertaining to my Culture. My particular Culture is of Jewish Orthodoxy. Even though I was born with many different ideas and concepts of Judaism, I do not believe it is something that is just innate, as people say, that I cannot see myself doing without because I grew up with it. To me, I feel like my parents gave me the knowledge of this particular Culture, and over time after experiencing many different aspects of it, I came to actually choosing it for myself and my future family.

So the question then comes to why I actually choose this religion over all others. Well, after doing research I just see this is the Culture that I see myself most in. As I said, not because I grew up with it all my life, but because I love the different concepts and things that take place in this particular Culture than any other. I feel like when I am actually doing something, like keeping the Sabbath every week, I’m doing it because I want to.

There are many times though that I have been asked, how can I dress like that because it is so hot outside! Or, oh it must be so hard growing up with those restrictions. However, I do not view anything that I do as a restriction. For if I did view it as a restriction, then I would most probably not be doing it and having the desire to do it.

All in all, the Culture that a person has is something that helps in making that particular person. It is something that helps the person have that certain sense of belief that may be needed to keep the person going with what they have to be doing in this world.

Survey 4: Beliefs about Men

There are many different types of Men in this world. There are kind men, angry men, happy men, annoying men… the list just goes on and on. Each one has their own specific characteristics and beliefs that make each one who they are specifically. Just like anyone else in this world, these characteristics that create each one consist of those that are good and bad.

There are many women though, that resent the idea of men in general because they view them as ‘pigs’. I am always sticking up for them though. I grew up in the crowd with guys rather than the girls. To me, the guys are the ones that make things fun and exciting. Women get very temperamental and frustrated more than men do. With men, things aren’t read into like the way women read into things. What’s before you is just what it is.

This is my favorite aspect of men. Why you may ask? Because to me this is what makes things real and true. With women, things get all tangled up and the many different concepts are become hard to understand because things are just not what they appear to be. However, with men things just make sense because things are black and white.

If you want, you can find bad in everyone and everything if you wanted to. However, to enjoy life I feel like you have to view the good and disregard most of the bad. This is what I attempt to do when it comes to the concept of men, because too many people don’t take the time to try to understand the good in them as well.

Survey 5: Beliefs about Women

Reading my reflection on the survey about men, you may think that I do not appreciate women because I grew up closer to the guys rather than the girls. This is not so, because even though women are complicating and hard to understand most of the time, this is what really makes the picture complete and more enjoyable. Because when women attempt to delve into concepts more, the meaning is what creates that feeling that keeps things more interesting to then want to continue with many other concepts that go on in this world today.

There are many women though, that get intimidated of the concept of the idea of a man because they get intimidated when there is a lot more control that the men have. This is where the idea of women’s rights and the idea of women working because being a homemaker is just not something that is so to say as ‘fulfilling’ as going out and working as the men.

To me though, I feel like many women lower the concept of homemaking because they feel like it is not as great as going out and working like the men. The idea of homemaking though, if you think about it, is an unbelievable and amazing privilege to have and be able to do. It is the place where the children are molded in to the human beings that will continue on in the world.

This is a place where men are not really privileged in. Because the women delve into things more and try to understand things on a deeper level, the concept of the home becomes so much more beautiful when they are in control in creating it.

Survey 6: Beliefs about Race

This survey upset me a bit more than others. Because even though I have never experienced trouble and tribulations because of the certain Race that I am, I still feel for those that have experienced things because of the Race that they are born with.

This idea is very upsetting because the person can have so many amazing qualities and accomplishments in life, however, they are being judged by something that is uncontrollable. It is not like that a person can just look into a coloring book and choose the color they want to be. They were put in that particular body, with that particular color. It is just the way it is.

So when people judge and hate because of what they were automatically put in without choice, it gets so frustrating. Because being a different color should not be a negative thing. If everyone were the same, then the world would not be as amazing as it is now. What makes the world so beautiful, is the different people, cultures, and race that partake in it. Each one contributes something different to make the world even more than what it is.

So with understanding the concept of Race, what’s there to understand? It just is what it is. It is something that makes the world more interesting and will continue to make interesting.

Survey 7: Beliefs about Sex and Gender

In order for the world to live on and continue on once people pass away, can only be done through this amazing experience of Sex. Without it, creation would then cease to exist. One can only continue on with what they accomplished in this world, through creating someone to continue the legacy.

This Survey, I believe, brings together the previous surveys of Parents, Men, and Women. The man and woman come together to have this experience to then create a child. To have this child continue on in this world with growth and love, we hope that the man and woman will come together to be stable parents for that particular child.

This idea is nice if things really worked this way. However, there are many parents who seperate and leave the child fending for themself. This is where the child must figure out things on their own. Most children are sent to orphanages so that a family can fill in the place the void of his or her parents.

Even though I do not believe in the idea of homosecuality, there is still going to be this concept in this world today. By the child being put into the orphanage, I believe that the homosexuals can now atleast get some type of experience on having their legacy live on by adopting.

So even though the child may not have those stable parents to guide them and be there for them, there is still other options which will in turn make the homosexuals happy as well.

Survey 8:Your Educational Philosophy

Completing this Survey just made me even more excited to become a teacher in a classroom. For the questions being asked were specific and detailed questions that will G-d willing be incorporated into my future classroom. My answers though, varied a bit.

The answers varied between the curriculum and the actual child that will be in the classroom. I saw myself leaning more to the side of focusing more of my time on the child's environment, growth, and development as a person. I do believe there must be a set curriculum in the classroom to base the teachings on, However, I do not believe the classroom is just there for the text in the book. The classroom is there for the growth of that peculiar child to take place.

If you think about it though, the curriculum and the child's growth comes hand in hand. Because growth is not able to take place without the curriculum. The curriculum must be there as a basis so that the child can learn and understand different things and ideas in order to have that change and growth to actually occur.

In the end, there must be that certain balance in the classroom. The balance is having that basis of curriculum so that the child can have that ability of growth before heading out into the real world.

Survey 9:Your Political Typology

There were a few questions about the Government in this Survey. To me, the Government is not good or bad, it is neautral. Because just like everything else in life, there is nothing completely good or completely bad. There is good and bad. Both. People do not think about this often when speaking about the government.

I believe this is a major problem in society today. It makes people feel better when they can blame something on someone else when something is going wrong. This becomes a huge problem. For people aren't doing what they have to do, but they are just passing the blame so there is nothing required of them.

This turns into an even larger problem because then society will never change for good. How is this so? Because if a person is constantly passing the blame on someone else then no change will ever take place. In order for change to take place, one needs to assess the situation and figure out what they need to do to fix the problem.

So when it speaks about the government, I get upset when people say that the Government is so bad. The Government is there to do somthing about what is going on, like it or not, If the person disagrees with what the Government is doing, then try to do something about it. But just blaming the Government and not attempting to take action, does not help the situation at all.

Community Service Hours 3

Community Service Hours 2

Community Service Hours 1

Most Interesting Of Our American Birds

I think there is a huge problem of people just not being knowledgeable in subjects like this. I mean, I didn't know about the topic of the birds until now.If we were to spread the word and explain what is happening to these poor creatures then I think more would get done. For once you explain the importance in something, then people begin to take it more seriously. I know now that this will be something in my head that I will G-d willing explain to others to see if there is something that can be done for these innocent creatures.

Stormy Weather

I feel like this poem just shows the different Paradigms that come about as time goes on. When the boy was twelve- this woman was the most beautiful human ever created. However, as he grew up his Paradigm shifted from the importance of her beauty to the importance of what she does. And this to me is what it is all about. When we view something at first, we have a judgement of what that person or thing is without even understanding the background to it. But once time goes on, and we understand more of the backgrounds of things then everything becomes more clear and the picture can become better understood.

Awaiting An Appropriate Provocation

"tell me, arizonans, is a god"
Viewing these words, you can understand exactly what is going on in this poem and in Arizona as well. The Arizonians basically are acting as a so called god. What does this mean exactly?They are controlling and making laws that are not supposed to be in their power. Who are these Arizonians to try to control a group of people just because they are different?
Hopefully, protests will be made and this group of people will be able to live peacefully without being disturbed by those who view themselves as god.

Quiz Number 10

Reflection Paper Number 16

Every human is either born Male or Female. However, as time goes on, there have been many different psychologists and doctors that attempt to understand the differentiation between the actual physicality differences between these two different Sexes. As studies and tests were being done, the idea of Intersexuality and Transextuality came into play.
Intersexuality is understood as the concept of understanding the differentiation of the Male and Female. The differentiation is explained by saying that there is not a main difference between the two. Meaning that a Male and Female is very similar so it becomes difficult to understand the difference between them.
Transexuality is understood as the Male or Female being born as the Male or Female, yet they believe that they are of the opposite sex. They usually show this belief by acting and dressing as the opposing sex that they were born with.
Reading the articles to understand these two concepts was very useful for me. Because by understanding these two concepts, it just pushed me towards my beliefs even more. To explain my belief I’m going to go back to the basics of the Chromosomes of a Male & Female.
When a Man & Woman come together they each have their own peculiar Chromosome. The X Chromosome is the Female, and the Y Chromosome is the Male. Each one contributes his or her own Chromosome to then create a human being. The human being is then determined by which Chromosome that becomes more dominate.
To me, this negates the idea of Intersexuality right off the bat. Because the differentiation of the Chromosomes is basic material for all scientists and psychologists. They base their material on this basic differentiation of the Chromosomes. So the idea of Intersexuality and not understanding exactly whether the human is Male or Female is basically not applying because the Chromosomes already negate this factor.
The idea of Transexuality is also negated. For the Male or Female may not like the sexuality that they were born with, but they will always be that sex no matter what. The male is the male, and the female is the female. This is just the way it is.
So the concepts are useful because they attempt to show me where people are coming from when they dress or act in a certain way. However, the concepts to me are not valid to my understanding of the differentiation of the Male and Female.

Reflection Paper Number 15

There are many theories on the concept of Homosexuality. However, there are two main ones that have been discussed by many psychologists over time that should be addressed.
The first theory states that a person is Born Gay. Meaning, it was something that was already in their genes at birth. In this theory, the person is unable to do anything about their Homosexuality because it was instilled in them at birth.
In the second theory, the idea of Homosexuality comes over time. So the person is able to control the feelings that are being taken place. In this case, the person was surrounded by different factors in their lives that caused him to become a Homosexual. It was not something that was born in him by default.
Being an Orthodox Jew, I am going to explain my point of view through a passage in the Bible. The Bible states, that G-d created Adam, and eventually created Eve to be his partner. Viewing this idea, one can see that Homosexuality does not seem to fit into this scenario. G-d created Adam and Eve; He did not create Adam and Joshua or Adam and Isaiah. There must be a reason why the whole entire Bible begins with the concept of Adam and Eve.
I believe that only by the unification of Adam and Eve, or Man and Woman, can there then be this beautiful concept of consummating a child. Two men are not able to experience this amazing experience that is experienced between a Man and Woman.
I am not trying to say that there should not be any Homosexuals in this world. Nowadays, people feel what they feel and go with their gut. I personally do not agree with this idea of Homosexuality, only because I do not believe G-d wanted humans to be that way. However, even though I may disagree, I will not go and force my opinions on others. If this is something that I believe, then it is something that I will do for myself and my family. I will not attempt to change the way people do things.
In conclusion, do I believe that there is Homosexuality in this world today? Yes. However, I do believe that it is not something that is just innate in the human. It is something that can definitely be controlled if one desired to control it.

Reflection Paper Number 14

In the article, The Tale of Two Islands, Miami is described as an area that is good for immigration. It explains how there were many immigrants from Cuba and Haiti that migrated down to this area of Miami to live in a free way.
This concept is really something remarkable to understand. The Cubans and Haitians were suffering in their own land. Once they experienced their own distinct Revolution, the Americans then came into the picture. The concept then becomes self-explanatory. The Americans would have to make room for these immigrants that were coming into their land.
This idea becomes problematic for the Cubans and Haitians. For not only are they leaving their homeland that they are accustomed to, but they are coming into a land where the Americans are not only different but financially stable as well. Coming into this new environment definitely was not easy for them to cope with. They had to change their personal lifestyles in order to fit into this distinct land.
By understanding this idea, I believe that Institutional Racism is able to take place.
Institutional Racism, unlike Individualized Racism, happens when Racism occurs to a group of people. In this case, the groups are the Haitians and Cubans. Meaning, even though the Americans were so to say letting the Haitians and Cubans in, there is still that sense of them not being the typical American. With this in mind, there will always be that concept of these groups never actually fitting in. This is done because every human will always have prejudgments for anything that is different than what they are used to. These prejudgments are sitting in their unconscious mind without the American even realizing it. This is understandable, because no one is perfect. They can try to accept others whole-heartedly, but there will always be something inside that will cause this Institutional Racism to eventually take place.
All in all, I think the migration of the Haitians and Cubans was a definite step up towards lessening the Racism that occurs in society today. However, I believe that no matter how hard we try, there will still always be that iffy feeling of the group of people being different than what the Americans are used to.

Reflection Paper Number 13

There are people who enjoy looking at a picture that is completely white. They want nothing else but white on that picture. They analyze it and view it like it is this amazing piece of work. But it is really just white. One day, a color comes into the picture. It can either be black, purple, blue… whatever it is, it is something different than that white. Once these people view this occurrence, they believe that the picture is now tainted; that there is something wrong to have color there. They view it, and it bothers them, so they want to remove it. They then attempt to remove it without thinking of the actual color in the picture. Why are they able to do this? Because the picture is mostly white.
This to me is exactly what Racism is.
Usually, what happens is, there are many different groups of people that are of many different colors. The problem occurs; when there are situations where there is more of one color than the other. Because of this, the majority then decides to take control. Now if you try to analyze how this group does this, it becomes very simple. When you have more people that look like you, it becomes very simple to exclude those that do not look like you.
This to me is very problematic. The group that is taking control only have one thing in mind, themselves and their color. So anyone who comes in to taint that needs to be removed or degraded out of the picture.
If you look into history, whites were very dominant. Not because they were greater or smarter, but because there was just more of them. They believed that they were greater than any other color. But what’s funny is, they were only able to do that because there were more of them. The control was basically handed to them because they won by majority as default.
It becomes saddening to then think of the many different colors that they affected. They ruined human beings lives because they wanted their picture to be a certain way. It becomes mind boggling to see what these people did.
I must say that the story of Emmett Till nails this idea. He was such a young happy little black boy. All he did was whistle at a white woman, and it was all downhill from there. The poor boy was killed in such a treacherous way.
It is so nice to see how now whites are not able to get as much as they did with the story of Emmett. Now because of boys and girls like Emmett, things have changed, and the picture is not only white anymore. It became multicolored so people can live in peace.

Quiz Number 9

si m mouri, ou pral mouri!

This poem is very important to understand because it describes what is being done to Haiti. There are so many people that are making themselves the main priority that they don't think of others. Not only do they not think of others, but they don't even come to the realization of how the land is being treated.
The land is trying to say it is dying, yet ofcourse the people just do not want to listen. Because of this, the people don't realize that they are digging up their own graves. They are not understanding that what they are doing to the land will eventually affect them as a whole. And this is the sad part about it. That people think they are taking care of themselves, however, they're really not, they are destroying themselves as much as they are destroying the land.

hb2281

"tell me & i will forget, teach me & i might remember; involve me & i will learn."

If you attempt to try to understand what this phrase means, you will see that it is a very important concept. If someone randomly tells you something, you are not focusing as much as you would if someone were to teach you something. When it is being taught to you, you have a certain mindset of trying to absorb that information for future use. However, if someone were to tell you something, your mindset would probably be understanding the concept just for that moment, to then forgetting what went on. The most important one to remember though is when one gets involved then the concept will actually be learnt.
The people in Arizona, had their own culture and ethics that was learnt from when they were born until now. However, now a group is deciding to take all this knowledge and customs away for what was learnt and for what they were used to.
If you think about it, people spend lifetimes not learning or not becoming someone or something. So to actually have someone that learned something and became something; it becomes depressing to think of them becoming extinct just because someone decided they wanted to have them removed.

Quiz Number 8

Required Assignment Number 1

Maria Gonzales is one of those teachers that a student goes to school for. Her all around type of personality fit so well in the first grade classroom in North Beach Elementary. Here are the many things that I learned from this particular teacher.
Maria had around twenty five students in her classroom. Each one of them had a different background. One was Spanish, the other Asian, the other African American etc. Although, they were all different, she treated each one in their own particular way. She had this sense of fairness to each and every student even though each one was different in their own way.
Maria herself is Spanish, so she already knew what it was like being here without fitting in to this society right away. This experience just helped her even more with her students. She recognized whenever a student had trouble communicating and addressed it with having other students pay attention to see the diverse aspects of the classroom.
Most of her learning styles were hands on material. This to me made sense, because first graders are still young, and having that hands on learning helped them grasp more of the concepts so that it stuck.
The classroom was set up with groups of desks bunched together. This made it easier for her, because the students would have that particular group that she was able to monitor and see what was going on. By having the grouping like this, she was able to have those students that tend to act out more than others separate into a group with those more studious. This just helped her as well have that control in the classroom that was needed.
The atmosphere in the classroom was definitely a warm place where anyone would feel comfortable attending.
The material in the classroom alternated from English, Math, Science, Literature and then a topic that was taught about different things that was going on in the world today.
There was one student in the classroom that had Type A Diabetes. She was only able to snack on healthy food. One day, she forgot her snacks at home, and being such a young girl she was hungry. Maria had stated the case in the classroom and all of a sudden different students started offering some of their healthy snacks. This just shows how when one student needed something the provisions were made to help that particular student.
She encouraged all her students to understand the diversity between each one of them. If a situation came up where a student was being inappropriate towards another student’s background or language, Maria would address it. She would then make it clear how what was done was not appropriate and how everyone in the classroom is equal.



To reflect on the classroom in general, I must say that it was the perfect class for me to do my Service Learning in for this semester; because there was really a diverse group of students. Having this, I was able to see how multicultural awareness really takes place. I understand now that actually being multiculturally aware is something that is learnt over an amount of time. I am never going to know everything about every different culture before I begin to teach in a classroom. I feel like now I know it is a more learn as you go experience. That if I do get faced in a classroom with something that I am unaware of, I will then have to go home and try to look up what it is I do not know. Once I understand the new knowledge I will then be prepared in the future if it ever comes up again.
I also became aware of the many different paradigms that take place in one particular classroom. There is the teacher, the student, and in this particular case me as the observer. The teacher views the classroom as her domain where it is her job to control the students and give off the knowledge that she has gained to them. The student’s paradigm is completely different. They are not in control, so they view the classroom in a totally different way. They are viewing more on how to make more friends, or how they can fit in. With me though, I’m viewing both paradigms to try to understand as much as I can for my particular profession. There is so much that I took notes on that I hope will stick with me for when I will be able to have that control in a particular classroom.
All in all, I feel like this class is something that really must be taken seriously. There are so many concepts that are so important to know before even thinking of stepping into a classroom to teach. Going in, I was definitely viewing this class as another class that I have to get over with. However, as the concepts and different ideas were coming up, I definitely saw that this was not just another class that I was attending.
I hope that after this field experience and the knowledge I gained from EDF 2085 I can be one step closer to my true goal in becoming a teacher.

Reflection Paper Number 12

G-d put a person in this world. This person has his or her own characteristics, color, cultures etc. The person is unable to change their physical characteristics for someone else even though others want them to. Because of this, this person must experience hardships and suffering for just being themselves. This suffering and hardships occur to individuals, and many ethnic groups as well. This is exactly what the people in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Dafur had to go through. They were basically ethnically cleansed and Genocided for whom they were. When a group gets ethnically cleansed or Genocided, it means that the group is getting eliminated for who they are as a group in general. What happens is, the people they are surrounded by do not agree with who they are as a group, so they want to obliterate them completely. This was done to these few groups of people in a similar way but a different one as well. In Darfur, the government decided to do these mass killings in Western Sudan. This mutilation was against the Non Arabs. Because these Non Arabs did not fit in; they were then destroyed. In Rwanda, the killings took place in 1994. The Tutsi population was destroyed because who they were as a group. In Bosnia, the Serb military did not agree with who the Muslims were. Each group is different in their own sense because they do have their own culture and ethnic background, which was why they were destroyed. However, they have that similarity again, because they were all destroyed for their ethnicity and who they were. One really must give these many different groups props for what they did. Because they decided not to change who they were as an ethnicity, and by doing this they basically wrote a payable check to these murderers to take their lives. Every person in every single one of these groups signed off this check, for they were all killed together as a group for staying strong in who they were as a people. I feel like there is so much to learn from these people. Everyone really must understand who they are and accept it like these groups did even though they were destroyed because of it.

Quiz Number 7

Emmett Till

Until today, I never knew of Emmett Till. After reading this information and seeing the documentary in class, I am baffled and upset how I really was not knowledgeable about this young boy. The idea of racism was bigger than I can ever imagine. It amazes me how people make themselves superior over others just because they feel like they are. It is definitely depressing to see what happened to this young boy. He had no time to live his life. While the people who destroyed him went about their day like nothing ever happened. The picture of Emmett Till will most probably stay in my head for awhile. It's something that will remind me constantly when I see people coming into power. I hope one day, people can see his story and realize that this stupidity of power is not worth losing a boy's life.

Reflection Paper Number 11

Imagine waking up one morning and not having the ability to get yourself dressed. Imagine waking up and not being able to use the bathroom. Imagine having control over everything in your life one day and then waking up and losing all that control that was once there. The millions of people who experienced the Holocaust randomly lost this control that they once had in one point of time.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to attempt to picture yourself not having control of your own life. We wake up and go about our daily routine. If you want to shower, you shower. If you want to jog, you jog. If you want to pray, you pray. Now imagine waking up one morning and not having the ability to do any of those things. It is very difficult to do. This is very difficult to even imagine because we are so used to this control that we have over our own lives. To randomly lose this control, would definitely be tragic. This loss is basically losing the chance to live our own lives.
With this in mind, it is very difficult to understand how people nowadays may not believe in the Holocaust. I think that these people do not want to believe in this major tragedy because they are intimidated to even picture themselves in that situation that millions of people were in. The sad part is, this loss of control wasn’t their choice. They were forced. So those who are choosing not to believe, is disregarding the lives of millions and millions of people. This to me is very depressing. I don’t feel that we have to actually try to experience what these people went through, because we will never be able to actually understand exactly what they experienced; but I do feel that we have to believe in what happened to these people. For these people did not get to live their lives. Their lives were controlled by a complete stranger that wanted to remove any type of identity that that specific person had.
Trying to understand this, hopefully we can be the future that believes in what happened to attempt to have some part of their lives become reality in this day and time. Hopefully, we can make that difference to have their legacy live on without them being here. Hopefully, we can believe.

Reflection Paper Number 10

Growing up parents instill different ways of doing things in his or her child. These concepts that you grew up with becomes something innate that you cannot see yourself living without doing. As you begin going to school, you try to get what you need to get done with these concepts that you grew up with. One day, you are doing your own thing and all of a sudden someone begins to tease you for doing something a certain way. The teasing begins with one person and then continues on to a group of students. By the end of the month you turn into an outcast for doing something that you grew up with. You then think that there is something wrong with you for doing something in a certain way. What happens next is, because this feeling gets created, you then search for those that do things similar to the way you do things. When these people are found, you then find this sense of security with this group that you have become apart of.
This is basically the concept of being Prejudice, and the outcome of being affected by someone that is Prejudice. Prejudice is translated as a type of attitude or unfavorable opinion that is formed without having enough knowledge on what is going on.
The problem with the concept of Prejudice is that there are times where it can happen without you even having the knowledge of yourself doing it. What happens is, when a person is going about their day, they are not being aware of what they are doing or saying. They see something that is different from what they are used to and all they have to do is look at the person in a certain way. This concept is basically termed as being Unintentionally Prejudice. You don’t say much to make the person feel uncomfortable, however, you view them in a certain way that will cause them to feel a certain way without anything being said.
This idea of Prejudice basically has to be in everyone’s head constantly. Who are we to think that what we grew up with is the only way to go? There are so many different cultures and groups where people are just trying to get by and do what they have to do. Who are we to even attempt to make these people feel uncomfortable?
One must understand that the idea of Prejudice is really apart of our world today in an Intentional and an Unintentional way. The way a person can get by is by doing what the student did above. Find that sense of security with a group of people so that the confidence is there. Once the person has the sense of confidence on what they are doing is okay, then the perceptions of those around them will never matter.

Quiz Number 6

Reflection Paper Number 9

The personality of a person is a very difficult concept to grasp. Freud though, worked very hard to understand and come up with a Theory of The Personality. The theory states that every human was born with an ID. The ID is basically translated as selfishness. The child wants something and they want it now. The next stage is the EGO. In this stage, reality begins to set in for the child. They realize that they cannot get what they want right away. The gratification must wait. They are able to get what the ID wants, but it must be in a realistic way. The final stage is the SUPEREGO. In this stage, morality comes in. This is where the person wants what he or she wants but they begin to think if it is moral or not to get what they want in that moment in time.
I definitely agree with this process that Freud came up with. It is something very important for people to understand so that they can understand why certain people are the way they are. To apply this to my future though, I would like to take his theory a step further.
When a person does something in life, they can either do it just to do it, or they can create what they are doing to have a certain type of meaning to them specifically. This meaning that is being created through the person is not just something that goes away just like that. This meaning actually gives that feeling to the person to want to do the right thing. This feeling can cause each and every person to change things inside of themselves, to then apply that change in their future actions, which will hopefully change things in this world today.
When I am teaching, I want to understand exactly where these students are in regards to their personality. To do this, I will definitely be using Freud's theory. However, it cannot stop there. I want to be able to instill that meaning into these students. This will then give them the ability to want to do more and be more. It will give them a certain self esteem that they would not be able to get anywhere else. It will give me that certain meaning that I need as well. G-d willing this meaning will be created within myself, and my students as well.

Reflection Paper Number 8

In the article, Beliefs Values and Attitudes, there was a particular sentence that stood out to me. The sentence states, when there are two or more different cultures that come in contact, a relationship is then created and established by the two. This particular relationship is only created through the work and effort that these two cultures bring into the equation.
One can understand this through an analogy. When one creates a plant, there is a certain process that comes with this creation. The process is as follows; the seed in its peculiar shape is taken to then be planted into the ground. The ground consists of dirt that in its own entity is different than this seed. Once the seed is planted, one then takes water in its specific form to nourish the seed to grow to become this beautiful plant. The plant is the creation that comes from the seed, dirt, and water. This creation is special in its own right; because this creation was created by three different entities that are in three completely different forms. Through the union of these three entities comes one creation of the plant.
The seed is one of the cultures and the dirt is the other. The water is the work and effort that each culture gives to create this relationship which is viewed as the plant.
If one were to really try to understand this concept, they would notice that it is really not as simple as it looks. Every human is accustomed to their own beliefs, values, and traditions. These ideas were put into this being at a very young age and created them to be who they are today. When another entity comes into the picture, with different beliefs and values, the humans must figure out a way to give and take to create something very special between the two.
This can really only be done through changing oneself. Because if one were to go about their life not changing and understanding the different cultures around them, they would never learn and grow to achieve different goals in life. Only through the concept of change can one actually accomplish something in this world.
One can then ask where change comes into the analogy. The concept of change comes in only through the process from when the seed is transforming out of its peculiar form to then becoming this amazing plant. Once the change and the combination of the entities is done, the plant can then accomplish what it’s supposed to be accomplishing in this world.

Quiz Number 5

Arizona Goddam

This man who is speaking through the poem must have experecienced racism. He then I guess states that really the Arizonians can't understand the affect that it is having on them because they are actually not in it as he is or was.
I guess the poem is trying to say that you really cannot understand what a person or people are going through or have gone through without being in their shoes.

Reflection Paper Number 7

Before a painter begins his masterpiece, he has a vision in his head of what he wants it to look like. Once the vision is there, the painter then faces a blank landscape where he begins to create this masterpiece that he envisions. As the painter paints, he controls exactly what he wants to use with the many different color schemes that are placed before him. It is his job to use every color in their own particular way to create this wonderful masterpiece. If the painter missteps or confuses two of the colors, it is his responsibility to work with each color so that each color has its own essence in the masterpiece. The only way that the painter can reach this particular piece, will only be through the inclusion of every aspect and color that will eventually create this piece.
The painter is synonymous with a teacher running a classroom. The masterpiece is every teachers view and goal of what they envision their classroom to be. The landscape is the room that the teacher has to work with in order to create that goal, and the different color schemes are the many different students that are integrated into that one room.
When a teacher is put into a classroom setting, that particular setting is their landscape that they can do anything they want with it. This landscape should include the importance of including every single individual that is in that particular environment.
The teacher must do this through many different aspects of the classroom. As the teacher begins he should attempt to understand each individual from the beginning, because each student is coming into this new environment that they are not accustomed to. It is the teacher’s duty to create a certain atmosphere for each student to feel that comfortability.
The way the teacher can attempt to do this, should be through the understanding exactly what stereotyping is. The knowledge of understanding that each child is their own entity without any strings attached is crucial to the teacher especially in the classroom, and this will eventually be the type of atmosphere that each student will have towards each other. The classroom though, should definitely never have this idea of stereotyping because there is no good that comes from it.
In order to have this idea of stereotyping out of the picture, the teacher must attempt to create a feeling of acceptance to each particular student in the classroom. This idea of acceptance only comes through the inclusion of each student in every aspect of the classroom. This feeling that the teacher will hopefully create will affect the environment of how the material is learned and the ability to have that type of control that is required to have in the classroom. This idea of setting up rules and regulations and not having this idea of stereotyping is crucial for each and every student so that the idea of acceptance is there. Once the student has this feeling of acceptance, then the student will not feel limited to accomplish their goal in life. This just stresses the importance of a good teacher. Just as the painter needs to have the understanding and knowledge to be able to create an unbelievable masterpiece that people can benefit from in the future, so too the teacher needs to be able to have this same type of concept to send out students into the world to accomplish what they are supposed to be accomplishing.

Quiz Number 4

Reflection Paper Number 6

There are many different ways that one can become educated. Each person and culture has their own specific way that they take and use for future generations. In every culture though, there is this idea of Rites of Passages. Rites of Passages are a sort of ritual event that marks a person’s status or progression over time. This idea becomes very important in different cultures and religions because they have many different ceremonies for each progression. For instance, there is the idea of puberty, marriage, etc.
In the article Sitting Quietly, you see how the boys in that particular culture were brought up to get that stature of becoming men. They did this by fighting off this Forest Thing. I guess the idea was they trained when they were younger by their father to then be thrown in the forest to see if what they learned would actually apply to their task. In the end though, the task was completed and they had their own Rite of Passage by having their names changed and becoming known as men.
In the book Facing Mt. Kenya, Jomo Keyatta spends his time trying to establish the history and tradition of the Gikuyu society. The book continued to explain how oral tradition was very important for the children in this society. This tradition gave the children a hand on experience to learn exactly what they would have to be doing in the future.
By the article of The Sambia, the culture in New Guinea was basically these farmers that move around a lot. Their main focus was to train young boys the importance of becoming men to then have sex with women to produce children. This would then start the cycle again. They would do this by teaching the boys the ritual secret to success in this area. This was done by focusing on the men’s private parts, by putting it in their mouths to grasp exactly what they were supposed to understand, and threatening the children to keep it a secret; this was all done to gain the knowledge of importance it was to have those relations with the women.
These four concepts are very different than formal education. When one is formally educated they are taught different types of skills and tasks in a formal atmosphere. It is more of a black and white picture. But in these cultures, the formality is basically not found because each one has their own way of teaching and supplying the knowledge of that particular culture to those particular children.
In a classroom though, I hope to have that sense of formal education, but my personal Rites of Passage as well.

Quiz Number 3

Reflection Paper Number 5

When someone is alone they are isolated from the world around them. They are usually not involved with the surroundings that they are put in. They are basically stuck in their own world while everyone around them is going about their day to day schedule. When someone is alone they are excluded from what is surrounding them. This may be the outcome of a person that is alone; however, every human has the choice if they want to be alone or not. There are times though, where people are forced to be alone. In this case, these people who are alone get ridiculed and tortured for who they are. They get bullied and pushed around because of a category that someone else put them in.
In the case of the Little Rock Nine, these students were excluded and alone, but at the same time were ridiculed, tortured, and abused by the people they were surrounded by. These students were forced to be in the category of being alone. They had no choice in the matter.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to even attempt to put myself in the shoes of one of the students of the Little Rock Nine. I grew up without having restrictions; so to try to understand exactly what they went through, how they felt, and how I would act is very difficult to do. However, I will attempt to try through a parable.
Imagine getting up in the morning and having someone standing over you. Then picture yourself using the bathroom or taking a shower and having that same person watch your every move. You begin to feel like your space is being invaded. You begin to understand that you will never be able to just be. You begin to understand that you can never have that sense of comfortability that you desire for. You then look at the person lying next to you in bed. You see them get up, use the bathroom, take a shower etc. You see them doing this without having someone watching their every move. They can act and be and do things freely without the restriction of having someone watching over them.
After you get ready you then begin your day by attending school. You are walking to the building with that same person that invaded your privacy in the morning. On the way you are surrounded with people that begin to shout at you and to throw things at you like you are there, but not there at the same time. You hear the name calling and the shouting, but what can you do? This is how it is; Day in and day out. This is who you are and this is what you have to expect on a daily basis. You just continue the same process from beginning to end until something eventually changes and you can be free to be you.
As you can see, if I were ever put into the Little Rock Nine’s shoes, I would basically not do anything. Because really, there is nothing for me to do. I can try to rally and fight back, but in the end I do not have the power to gain that freedom that I desire for. If a situation came up where change was able to be taken place, and I would be able to gain that freedom that I wanted, then I would have nothing to lose. But until that day comes, I believe I would probably be going through that daily schedule until I get that sense of hope that change can occur. And when that day comes, I will definitely do what I have to do to gain the freedom that I desire for.

Reflection Paper Number 4

If someone were to analyze a human being, they would notice that that one human being is very difficult to understand. There can be thousands of tests and scientific experiments on that particular person, but to completely understand that human is impossible to do. The reason why it is impossible to understand that particular person no matter what you do, is because one can only understand someone in a particular situation by being in their shoes and experiencing exactly what they are experiencing. The tests can give us an idea of what that person is feeling, but it will never give us the complete picture. This concept shows how there will never be two people in this world that are exactly the same. They may be similar, but they will never be exactly the same.
In this world today, there are many different people with many different cultures. The word ‘culture’ is a very difficult word to understand; because culture means something different to every single human being. As described above, there is not one human being that is exactly the same. There may be a group of people that have a similar background, but no matter how similar they are, there is not one of them that are the same. For instance, let us say there is a group of Jews standing around. Typically, if these Jews were religious, they would all look similar to a person standing outside of the group. However, each Jew in that group is completely different from one another. Even though they have the same ‘culture’ as people would say, there is still something different with each one of them.
The person standing outside the group may view the situation by stereotyping the group. However, this is not valid. For when one stereotypes, they are only going by a few characteristics of a person. They are not viewing and understanding the entire person, and it is almost impossible to understand the person because we are not and will never be in their shoes.
Now since the understanding of culture being specific to each person is there, you can now understand how difficult it is to actually attempt to be an intercultural competent person. To be an intercultural person you have to have the ability to actually live in a certain area where the culture is different than your own. This is not as easy at it seems anymore. Because not only are you in an area that is completely different than you are used to; but each person in that area is different even though they grew up in the same environment and have a similar religion etc.
These ideas are actually very new to me to a certain extent. I went away for a year in Israel and everyone looked the same and spoke the same and had similar ideas. This then made me categorize them in a certain way. However, after reading these articles I feel awful for how I viewed these people. Each person that I put in that specific group I was basically stereotyping because I thought they were the same because of their ‘culture’ and background. Now I know if I ever go away to a place that is different than what I’m used to- I can actually attempt to understand to the best of my ability who these people are and where they specifically come from, and G-d willing I can eventually become a intercultural person.

Reflection Paper Number 4

If someone were to analyze a human being, they would notice that that one human being is very difficult to understand. There can be thousands of tests and scientific experiments on that particular person, but to completely understand that human is impossible to do. The reason why it is impossible to understand that particular person no matter what you do, is because one can only understand someone in a particular situation by being in their shoes and experiencing exactly what they are experiencing. The tests can give us an idea of what that person is feeling, but it will never give us the complete picture. This concept shows how there will never be two people in this world that are exactly the same. They may be similar, but they will never be exactly the same.
In this world today, there are many different people with many different cultures. The word ‘culture’ is a very difficult word to understand; because culture means something different to every single human being. As described above, there is not one human being that is exactly the same. There may be a group of people that have a similar background, but no matter how similar they are, there is not one of them that are the same. For instance, let us say there is a group of Jews standing around. Typically, if these Jews were religious, they would all look similar to a person standing outside of the group. However, each Jew in that group is completely different from one another. Even though they have the same ‘culture’ as people would say, there is still something different with each one of them.
The person standing outside the group may view the situation by stereotyping the group. However, this is not valid. For when one stereotypes, they are only going by a few characteristics of a person. They are not viewing and understanding the entire person, and it is almost impossible to understand the person because we are not and will never be in their shoes.
Now since the understanding of culture being specific to each person is there, you can now understand how difficult it is to actually attempt to be an intercultural competent person. To be an intercultural person you have to have the ability to actually live in a certain area where the culture is different than your own. This is not as easy at it seems anymore. Because not only are you in an area that is completely different than you are used to; but each person in that area is different even though they grew up in the same environment and have a similar religion etc.
These ideas are actually very new to me to a certain extent. I went away for a year in Israel and everyone looked the same and spoke the same and had similar ideas. This then made me categorize them in a certain way. However, after reading these articles I feel awful for how I viewed these people. Each person that I put in that specific group I was basically stereotyping because I thought they were the same because of their ‘culture’ and background. Now I know if I ever go away to a place that is different than what I’m used to- I can actually attempt to understand to the best of my ability who these people are and where they specifically come from, and G-d willing I can eventually become a intercultural person.

Quiz Number 2

Reflection Paper Number 3

When a child is born, there is a sense of innocence and purity that comes with that specific child. As time goes on, the child grows and starts viewing and understanding the world around them. In the beginning, the world is viewed in a certain way; but as time passes, that view changes as the child begins to grow. When the child first starts viewing the world in his or her own perspective, this view is translated as a paradigm. Once the child begins to understand more about life then that paradigm begins to shift as his or her perspective begins to change. This shift is exactly what life is all about. The child is not a robot that works mechanically, the child is a human being with feelings and emotions that change often which is why this shift is significant to the child’s growth.
This process that the child goes through is exactly what I go through daily. Growing up I had this innocence that has lasted until now, and will most probably continue to last in the future. However, even though I still have this innocence, it does not mean that it hasn’t changed or will not change overtime. When I was younger, this innocence was so pure. It was not tainted with the disgusting things that go on in this world today. I was in my little world trying to do exactly what I needed to do. However, time went by, and I had to go through different experiences daily. The experiences included dealing with people who were not trustworthy, or viewing those who acted dishonestly etc. After experiencing and viewing different people and understanding things in a more realistic way, my innocence began to change a bit more. For instance, viewing everyone as good did not apply as much as it did before.
As I continue to grow and learn I definitely understand why my specific paradigm had to shift. If I stayed in my little world, I probably would have never been able to continue to learn and grow with the surroundings that I was in. without this shift that occurred and will continue to occur; I probably would not have been able to view myself as an actual teacher who must deal with these paradigms and shifts daily.
A teacher runs a classroom with many students that have many different paradigms. As the teacher continues to teach, the student’s paradigms shift according to the lessons and understandings that the teacher is giving off. It’s the teacher’s duty to guide these students who have that sense of purity and innocence on the right track to accomplish exactly what they are supposed to be accomplishing. This is exactly where I have to come in. If I had viewed everything exactly the way I had when I was younger then I would never be able to take on this profession and guide these kids where they’re supposed to be going.
This is exactly what I learnt from the article. That paradigm’s are specific to each and every person because there is no one that is the same. However, these paradigms must shift over time, and I hope as mine shifts I will be able to help others during their shift as well.

Reflection Paper Number 2

Transformation is not just a word. Transformation is a process. When someone transforms, they are attempting to do something out of their comfort zone. They are trying to do something differently than what they are used to. They are trying to actualize the idea of growth.
If someone were to go about their life day in and day out without applying this idea of transformation; then they are basically going about life like a vegetable. What exactly does it mean to go about this world as a vegetable? Well, let us analyze what a vegetable is. A vegetable is something that just sits there waiting for someone to come pick it up to do something with it. Even when someone finally picks it up, the vegetable does not go on its own, but it continues to wait around until that human comes and continues to do something with it. You can actually label the vegetable by saying that it is lifeless.
When someone transforms, they are actually doing something. Unlike the vegetable that is waiting around, the person is actually trying for something in his or her life. This idea brings in the concept that we spoke about in class today. If a person wants to do something in life, and to do something I mean actually doing something not just doing it for one or two moments in their life, then they must master the skill in that particular profession that they are doing. You can only master that profession once a skill is created. That particular skill can really only be created through a sense of transformation; because truthfully, the transforming is causing that person to come out of their comfort zone to actually accomplish what they want to accomplish.
Some people think that they can just sit around and something will eventually come to them. In reality, this is not so. As Professor Joseph D. McNair states, he enjoys speaking with grownups. Not with people who just listen to what their parents say to them; but people who think and do for themselves. This is something that can really only be done through transformation. Why is this so? Because to master a skill a person has to go through many different people, cultures, ideas, characteristics etc. In order to do well in these many situations, a person must transform to each particular one in their particular setting. Once you attempt to do this, then the skill will eventually come and the person can complete exactly what they desire to do.

Reflection Paper Number 1

There are many things in life that are very different yet connect at the same time. I believe the three articles: the prehistoric use of fire, the invention of the wheel, and the history of writing are three completely different topics yet have this amazing connection as well. Not only do these three diverse topics differentiate in their own special way, but each one connects to the concept of education as well.

The prehistoric use of fire discusses how the homo erectus who are also known as the upright men were the first creatures to stand upright and start the use of fire that is needed in many aspects of our lives today. There was one point in the article with the australopithecine creatures that I would personally like to focus on. At that point in the article, these creatures were described as chimpanzees because the way they looked. Their features were supposedly not ‘normal’ to what we are used to nowadays. This to me is very important for interns to take into account before entering a classroom. There are going to be many different students with many different characteristics; but there must not be that sense of judging that particular student. Each student must be treated equally no matter what the case. If you were to single out that one student for a specific characteristic they may have, this one action may cause a lot of damage to this one student that could have been avoided from the beginning.

The invention of the wheel is a completely different article yet connects as well. In it, the article explains the process of how the wheel was created. The wheel first started as something round, which then lead to a sledge, and then a row, and then a groove etc. This simple concept can be transformed into something unbelievable. If the wheel did not begin with the sledge or the row then it would have never lead to the grooves or the carts. It had to go through each specific process in order to get to the wheel that we use today. This connects to education as well. When a student begins to get educated, the teacher has to begin at a and end at z. If the teacher were to start at h and then went back to a to then go to z, the process would never get anywhere. If you were to really understand a certain depth to this article you can see how important certain topics need to be taught so that a student would be able to comprehend what is going on.

The last article, the history of writing, discusses the different ways that things are written. For instance, the Hebrews had a completely different way of writing than the Greeks and the Greeks had a different way of writing than the Samaritans etc. This is important knowledge for interns to know as well because every student that walks into a teacher’s classroom is going to have some particular background that pertains to them. Their background can cause them to speak a different language or to write a certain way, but there has to still be that sense of acceptance to each and every individual in their own specific case.

So all in all, there are many things in life that are very different yet very similar at the same time. After reading these three articles the connection to interns can be found in many ways. If you really attempt to read and understand the depth behind each particular case, the insights of the way a classroom should work begins to flow through each particular topic.

Quiz Number 1

About Me

Hey,

My name is Jacqueline Saka. I am twenty years old. I grew up in Miami Beach Florida all my life. I have ten siblings. Six sisters and four brothers. I have around twenty two nieces and nephews and I love each one of them to death.

My hobbies include cooking, baking, playing piano, listening to music, and dancing.

I am attempting to major in teaching. I would love to start off with Elementary School kids and then work my way up to Highschool to eventually become a public speaker.

At the moment I'm working full time in a Credit Card Processing Business and taking four classes in Miami Dade. This is actually my first semester in the North Campus. I just switched from South- so wish me luck ;)

I'm the type of person that constantly expresses myself through different types of feelings that I have. To me this is really the best way to go. Why you may ask? Because everything is just real when the feelings come into play. Unless your playing a role in a movie- it is very difficult to fake expressing emotion.

Growing up I attended a religious school. In it I learned and grew in many ways that I never thought was possible. Thank G-d I created lasting friendships that will last a lifetime.

To me, everyday presents a new experience and challenge that G-d puts infront of me to accomplish. I definietly try my best to do the best that I can, but there are those days that you are just not in the mood. To me those are the days that really become the challenge, because it's something that is not easy which once accomplished creates tremendous growth.

Recently, I just discovered that I have a love for reading. It's really funny, because I grew up saying I hated to read, yet I never tried it out. One night I decided to shut the tv off and started reading a book I was interested in. After that night, putting that book down become literally impossible. I took it with me to school and work. It became very addicting. When I was finished I sort of laughed at myself. Because I spent my whole life until now saying that I don't like to read and then look how everything changed once I actually tried picking up the book. The lesson I learnt was, when something in life presents itself infront of you- try it out. You really have nothing to lose. And in the end you may just be surprised with the outcome.

To end this off I guess I'll express my ultimate goal in life. Teaching is a huge part, but in the end I would love to get married, raise a family, and be an amazing housewife.

-Jacqueline Saka-