Importance of Scholarships

Scholarships are extremely important fro paying for college, but they also have other purposes which stress their importance even more. Scholarships are vital to the survival of a new college student and many students who don't take advantage of scholarships remain in debt for an extended period of time as a result of student loans. Student loans, though they seem good at the time, can have drastic effects on a college student's life and can cause them to spend a large portion of their life paying money simply for a loan that seemed insignificant. Scholarships, however, can greatly reduce the initial cost of college and even though scholarships may not seem very helpful, reducing a student loan as much as possible can greatly reduce the time required to pay it off. Scholarships also give a person a sense of worth for their talents and characteristics. There are scholarships out there for basically every talent or characteristic a person could have, which can help bring out a person's individuality. Scholarships not only provide a useful method of earning money for college tuition, they also show a person how important they really are through their traits and talents.

United States Education System vs. Icelandic Education System

The Icelandic and United States educational systems have many similarities and differences, though it is difficult to decide whether one is better than the other. First of all, the mandatory Icelandic school system ends at the age of 16, as do many European nations, while the United States' ends at the age of 18. Iceland end its public education system so early because it gives the students the opportunity to immediately start on their degree so that they can begin their career as soon as possible. This seems appealing, though so does the United States system, which gives students more time to discover what they want to pursue in life. One definite advantage Iceland has over America is the fact they focus quite a bit more of government money for the public school system.

Reflection

I learned that I need to do quite a bit more than I expected before college after completing the assignment. First of all, I learned that I need to take my ACT for a second time, but with the writing portion this time. I took my ACT already, but I didn't take the writing portion, and one of the colleges that I am interested in requires prospective students to take the writing portion. Second, after discussing my situation with the councilors, I learned that I need to actually visit the colleges that I am interested in before applying. Mrs. Shull told me that meeting with the college councilors before actually applying is very important, especially because I am still not entirely sure where I want to go. Second, I realize that working hard now to improve my GPA and class rank will have many benefits in the near future. I learned that I also need to have enough volunteer hours and extracurricular activities in order to get into the colleges that I am looking at. Thankfully, I also learned that I will have taken the required classes for all three of my colleges by the end of my senior year in high school. This assignment helped me very much and I now am very serious about achieving a good score on my second ACT as well as getting in touch with my college councilors.

College Degree Worth

For me, a college degree is definitely worth the time and money it takes to earn, though it highly depends on the person. I want to enter the medical field, which requires a bit more schooling than usual, but I know that it will be worth it in the future. It is quite easy to succeed in the medical field once one earns a degree because they are difficult degrees to earn overall. Nevertheless, they are very expensive to earn. Still, the average salary in the medical field is quite high, so being able to pay off the degree shouldn't be extremely difficult if one is able to succeed. I also believe that people who pursue a medical career achieve a form of social respect as well because they have endured longer periods of college than the average person with a bachelors degree. However, if one cannot find a well paying job with a medical degree, that person can be left with a job unrelated to their degree as well as high levels of debt. This can easily apply to others who don't enter the medical field as well. There are many degrees that people earn every day that are completely irrelevant to their career. There are also many career fields that have a very small window of success, such as music or theater. Nevertheless, this is one of the main reason why high school students should take their education seriously. If a high school student can earn enough scholarships to cut down their college tuition by at least half, that would greatly lower their future debt after college and could increase their chances of finding success. People who don't have to worry about having large levels of debt can spend their money on other things to help them gain success rather than just trying to pay off the debt that earned them their degree. Yet, I still believe that many people could find more success in their life, both social and economical, by having a college degree.

Spring Break

My Spring Break was somewhat uneventful. First I missed the Friday before Spring Break because of a baseball tournament in Glen Rose. Friday night, I went with my brother and Kolton's family to Cleburne State Park for their annual camping trip. Jonathon has gone every year on Spring Break but this was my first time camping with the Schmidts. Saturday we came back to Glen Rose to finish off the baseball tourney (unfortunately, we lost), but instead of going back to camp, I went home with my mom because I had previously committed to working at my church on Sunday morning and afternoon. I had a lot of fun on Sunday morning as well as at my church's first ever worship night that evening. Afterward, my mom drove me all the way out to Cleburne to stay with Jonathon and Kolton again until Tuesday. While camping, we rode bikes, hiked, skipped rocks on the river, and many other activities that I enjoyed greatly. We returned home on Tuesday around noon where I went home and took a very long nap. On Wednesday, I had to be at my church at 8 in the morning to help our Assistant Pastor with our new sanctuary. Our church's new sanctuary is being constructed presently and my Pastor wanted to know if I would help him out. When I arrived, I helped take out the trash, install light bulbs, etc., but the majority of my day was spent sweeping. I swept the new sanctuary until about 3:00 when my grandmother picked me up and my Pastor decided to pay me for my work that day (which was a pleasant surprise). I went home and expertly procrastinated from working on my English project which was due the following week. Then, on Thursday, I had to be at the school at 5:30 for another baseball tournament in the middle of nowhere. We drove home that night, even though we had to be at the school at 6:00 the next morning to leave again. Nevertheless, when we arrived at the site of the tournament, it started to rain so we had to drive all the way home in a desperate attempt to get home before wasting the entire morning. I arrived home in the afternoon and began to procrastinate again for the rest of the day (Netflix is the devil). On Saturday morning, I attended the business expo in Midlothian at 8:30 that morning because I am in a youth leadership organization called DeMolay and we had a booth. After I returned home from that, I finally began to work on my English project, event though I accomplished very little. Sunday morning was exciting because I did not have to work in the sound booth at church so I was able to sleep in. I slept in until 10:30 when I got ready and drove to church for second service. Finally, after that, I returned home and started to work on my homework once again.

Blog for Friday, February 20th

1) The most influential leader I've had in my life would have to be my mother. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my parents divorced and my mother acquired custody of y two brothers and me. Growing up with my mother as my guardian definitely shaped who I am and who I will become. She was very adamant about showing my brothers and me the good side of life. She taught us to always stay loyal to each other, even if we may not like each other at the time. She was also the spiritual leader of our household and she taught us to always trust in the Lord throughout all of the trials of life. My father wasn't absent from our childhood, as my mother and father stayed friends after their divorce (they were very keen on the idea of giving us a good childhood). He definitely had an influence on my life, but my mother was most certainly the most influential person in my life, and still is today.
2) Mr. Keating's statement symbolizes that surviving in life is necessary, but what we choose to do with it is truly beautiful. He is saying that the career that each young man is destined to pursue is what will keep them alive, but what they choose to do with their life is the deciding factor in their happiness. I agree with Mr. Keating because the young men had no interest in pursuing the careers laid out for them, for the most part. He was saying that they should try and do something beautiful and original with their lives rather than simply conforming. I believe that poetry is very important because it can be a very powerful influence on someone's life. Furthermore, there are many types of poetry, such as music, sports, writing, etc., that many people indulge in every day.
3) I completely agree with Mr. Keating's philosophy to constantly change one's point of view in order to fully understand the situation. Mr. Keating wanted the boys to not only consider the thoughts and opinions of the author, as they had always been taught, but also to consider their own opinion on the writing. The students were so unaccustomed to thinking for themselves that they were never able to acknowledge their own thoughts. The other teachers (and society in general) just wanted the young men to follow in their predecessors' footsteps and to be like everyone else. Changing perspective is important when assessing any situation and allows a person to understand all points of view.

Blog for Thursday, February 19th

1) In my opinion, I do not believe that Neil would have committed suicide had Mr. Keating not entered his life. Mr. Keating was the main influence in Neil's pursuit of acting, nonetheless, which is the first action in a long line of dominoes that ended with Neil's death. Nevertheless, had Neil not committed suicide, he would have most certainly lived a life of unhappiness and self-loathing.
2) As much as I hate what he did, I would have to say that Neil was the bravest of the students. He chose to end his life rather than to waste it in a profession that he had no interest in. This took a large amount of courage, especially because he was expected to follow his father's orders instead of rebelling against them. Richard was the boy who showed the most cowardice in his actions at the end of the film. He chose to abandon Mr. Keating in his time of need in order to keep himself out of trouble, and even encouraged the other students to do the same.
3) I think that Mr. Keating did place the poetry book in Neil's room so that Neil would be the young man to decide whether the Society should be resurrected. In regards to the administration, I feel that Mr. Keating trusted the young men to know exactly what they were getting themselves into and what the possible consequences were. He trusted his students to think for themselves and knew that it was their call on what they should do.

Carpe Diem

The theme of the movie becomes very obvious when one analyzes the diverse conflicts that the students must defeat in order to truly understand themselves. It is clear that the authors meant to show that Carpe Diem is an idea that can help anyone no matter what problem they are up against. "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day" is a phrase that is heard repeatedly throughout the film by both Mr. Keating and some of the students as they begin to understand its true purpose. The boys hear this saying by Mr. Keating in the beginning, but many of them fear that he is somewhat unusual and they are quick to dismiss these words as another one of Mr. Keating's crazy ideas. Nevertheless, as their interest with both the Dead Poets Society and Mr. Keating himself is peaked, the students establish a firm respect for their teacher and his unorthodox methods. They start to understand the application of this unusual set of words as Mr. Keating allows them to view what they truly want out of life. Most, if not all of students learn to Seize the Day in that they pursue what their hearts desire rather than just what society has predestined them to be. Even the resurrection of the Dead Poets Society showcased the aspiration of the young men to take advantage of the time that they have left and to not waste another second. Seizing the Day becomes extremely important to the students as many of them begin to realize that the lives they are about to embark on may not be what they wish to do. They attempt to use every second that they have to explore new possibilities in order to find what interests them the most. This is a very important way of life for Mr. Keating and he enjoys being able to give the boys the opportunity to make their philosophy as well.

Character Analysis: Dead Poets Society

1) During my experience of watching the movie, I noticed that all of the boys in the Society were changed over the course of the story. Still, I believe that Todd was the boy that was changed the most by the events in the film. In the beginning of the movie, he was extremely shy and afraid to show himself to others. Throughout the the events in the story, however, he became a completely new young man with the help of Mr. Keating and his peers. When Mr. Keating had him share his opinions in front of the class through poetry, the students finally understand Todd's mindset on society. Nevertheless, when Mr. Keating went to retrieve his belongings at the end of the movie, Todd was the first student to jump out of his desk and express his misgivings towards Mr. Keating's departure. This took much courage, as he was defying the headmaster by embracing his belief that Mr. Keating should not have been fired. This is drastically different behavior than what he showed in the beginning, which showcases the change in his outlook on life.
2) Charlie is the young man that I think is the most like himself in both the beginning and the end. He is very adventurous at the start of the movie, just like at the end. The only aspect that changed is that he knew what (or who) he should rebel against instead of simply rebelling everything. He was one of the main supporters of the study group, which was the eventual precursor to the Dead Poets Society.
3) I believe that Mr. Keating is a static character because he was equally as determined to reject society throughout the movie. Nevertheless, I feel that he was a bit more creative in the end on how he would help other young men to reject the status quo. I think that the boys inspired them just as much as he inspired the boys in that Mr. Keating was joyous that the students were able to find what they truly wanted out of life.
4) Todd Anderson is very timid and is not accustomed to the idea of rebellion. It is assumed that he has always lived the way society destined him too, as he was also expected to live up to his older brother's fame. He overcame his shyness because of Mr. Keating's pressure to show the class his true self. Neil Perry was very lively and outgoing, yet he refused to accept the fact that he wanted something else from his life rather than the plan that his parents had laid out for him. When Mr. Keating arrived, he showed Neil how to explore his new interests and how to show his parents what he wanted. Knox Overstreet was somewhat buoyant and cheerful but he faced a major conflict when he wanted to court a girl who was already taken. Mr. Keating influenced Knox enough that he was able to overcome his complacency and learn to "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day." Charlie Dalton was by far the most rebellious student throughout the entire movie. He hated the life that was set out for him and hated that the other young men were so reluctant to initiate change in the school. Nevertheless, he was not knowledgeable in how and when to effectively rebel in order to cause long-term change. Mr. Keating was able to show Charlie his faults and gave him the opportunities to rebel against specific ideas. Without Mr. Keating, it is apparent that many of the conflicts that the students faced in the movie would not have been overcome as the boys did not have a proper leader to follow in their lives.

The Relationship of Katherine and Betty

Betty's marriage to Spencer can best be described as a "false positive" or "gilded." When she was preparing to get married to Spencer, Betty believed that she was making the best decision of her life. Everyone believed that she and Spencer were happy together, even herself. One of the main reasons she was so adamant about getting married was that her mother was very strict about the way she was supposed to grow up and live life. Betty's mother was extremely supportive of the roles that women had in society and had no intention for her daughter to be unique from anyone else. Nevertheless, when Betty started to live her life with Spencer, she realized how much unhappiness was creeping its way into her life. She was slowly feeling more alone, even though she was supposed to be supported by her husband. Betty begins to take her anger out on others and even yells at another student claiming that the student's life was full of emptiness because she was chasing a man who didn't love her back, which perfectly described Betty's life at the moment. In the end, it is Betty, who seemingly had no intention of being unique, becomes and outsider and divorces Spencer because he was cheating, effectively enraging her mother. Katherine Watson, on the other hand, was completely supportive of Betty's intent to become independent. Katherine herself was single as well, and was even described as subversive. Yet, the word subversive literally means someone who is trying to subvert or overcome an established system. Katherine was subversive to everyone else because she decided to live her life by her own rules and not by the expectations of others. Still, wouldn't the word subversive only be used to describe her if the person using it supported the current social system? I believe that Katherine did not appear subversive to herself because she refused to trouble herself with the current social standards, no matter the opinion of others. She wasn't trying to undermine the current system that society blindly followed as she decided to completely remove herself from the system herself. Katherine supported her students to find their own personality and to disregard what society expected them to do, even if they desired to be a part of the system. She was in a league of her own and had no intention of coming back to the current roles that were offered to her by society.

Progressive Teaching Style

Katherine Watson is a very interesting character in the movie Mona Lisa Smile and she perfectly embodies the Progressive teaching style. She is very confident that her students' opinions are important and require them to voice how they feel in class often. She has no intention on telling the girls to conform to society's viewpoint of them, but rather to have independent thought. This allows many of the girls to find themselves and what they truly desire. The factual teaching style, on the other hand, leaves little to no room for independent thought. This teaching style only allows for absolute fact and nothing else. It practically weeds out every form of opinion on any type of subject because in this teaching style, opinions don't account for anything. To this teacher, facts are the only thing that will get you anywhere in life, when in reality, compassionate and independent thought are two very important aspects to success. The factual teaching style is the complete opposite of the progressive style, as it despises independent thought and forces the human mind to conform to whatever image the teacher chooses. While the progressive teaching style allows for every student to develop his or her own method of learning and personality, the factual style destroys any form of originality and attempts to make every student like-minded. This can be very unhealthy, as every person is different and needs ample time to discover themselves. Overall, the progressive teaching style is better for the students and the teacher as it allows for emotional bonding and unique learning experiences for each student.

Mona Lisa Smile Review

I enjoyed the movie Mona Lisa Smile very much and it was a surprisingly interesting movie. The story line was very insightful and I loved the overall idea that everyone should be their own person and find out what they enjoy, whether it be exactly what society wants you to be or the complete opposite. The most insightful theme to me would have to be the drive to overcome the image that you have set for yourself and find something new in the world. Being able to prevail over the atmosphere around you and the appearance that you set for yourself is extremely challenging, but it can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a person's life. If I had to choose a favorite part, I think it would be when the professor was showing her students the advertisements that told women how to live and feel about themselves and their career. I believe that that was the point where many of the girls finally began to realize that they wouldn't be satisfied for the life that society had laid out for them and that they wanted something more out of life.

Mona Lisa Smile Prediction

I believe that the movie Mona Lisa Smile will be a very educated and empowering movie that will uncover some of stereotypes that society decides to silently accept. The main character, who was a college professor, sounds like she is a very independent woman with a strong opinion about the authority of women. I believe that she will most likely legitimize the fact that women were not meant to be part of the working class and were supposed to get married and live at home while raising the children. This movie will probably show the intelligence that women can have if they continue with their own lives through their college career and choose to step out of the social norm. It also might shed light on how women were not given the respect that they deserved in that time period.

High School vs. College Exams

High school exams are completely different than college exams. First off, high school exams normally aren't extremely long and over complicated. High school teachers are directed by the State Educational Board on what they have to teach their students throughout the year. These directions can be quite broad, but many high school teachers are limited on the information that they want to discuss because they are required to teach state-mandated information. If high school teachers refuse to teach the material provided to them, their students could possibly fail the standardized test issued by the state, which could cost the teacher their job. College professors, however, are not bound by these restriction and can instruct students on whatever information they please. As a result, college exams could very well be much longer than high school exams, but not necessarily. I believe that I will enjoy college exams more than high school exams, even though they are longer, simply because after a college exam, students are allowed to finish, They don't have to wait on everyone to finish or until the end of the school day, which provides the students with much more freedom. Overall, I'm sure that college exams will be a definite challenge, but I know that I should be well prepared for them.