Scholarships

Scholarships are very important for the obvious reason of money. However, scholarships are also important in other ways too. One reason is because when you have a scholarship you actually have to maintain your good grades so you don't lose the scholarship. It also shows that you have accomplished something that exceeded other people and expectations. Usually scholarships require essays, so when you get the scholarship, it proves that you really deserve the scholarship that you are rewarded for your academic or athletic achievements.

Reflection

What do I have left to do:

• Get my meningitis shot- Today
• Register for classes- July 
• Pay tuition fees- August
• Get my student ID- August
• Get books-June-July
• Get academy equipment- August

Am I academically ready and is Navarro the right place for me: 

I am where I need to be academically. Navarro doesn't really have very high academic requirements, if any, for their upcoming students. I think that this is the perfect college for me because I have already decided that I didn't want to go anywhere for college, it is cheaper than a big university, I know they have the courses that I want to take, I have people here that are willing to help me from Desoto Fire Department and my sister is here to help me with my EMT classes since she is currently taking them at Navarro.

School System and College Degrees

I think it is worth the cost for economic and social success. I say that because without college you will most likely end up working somewhere that you don't really want or somewhere that won't pay good enough for you to remain stable financially. Going to college will most likely put you in debt, however, getting a college degree will also give you more opportunities to become economically and socially successful. Getting a college degree will give you the opportunity do something with your life that you actually want to do, and it will allow you to make the money you need to be financially stable. The cost of going to college may be very expensive, but it is necessary in order for you to get the best education you can for your career path. Unless you are one of the lucky few that are basically already set for life, a college degree is basically essential to become successful.

I believe that we have some pretty good educational opportunities here in the US. Other countries do too though. The country we chose was Australia, and their schooling was actually much better. There are plenty of country with better schools that America, however, we have the best ranked colleges in the world. Personally, I think that America gives us plenty of opportunities because our school may not be as good as other countries, but they aren't bad. Also, once we do get out of school, we will have access to the best colleges that you can get.

Spring Break

I got a car, but other than that I didn't really get to do much over the break because I got to work everyday except Wednesday. On Wednesday I got to go to my church and do renovations to our youth room. Then I got to sleep over at a friends house. The next day we got Brittany's prom dress. Then on Saturday night after work I went bowling with a group of my friends from work. I found out that I am really bad at bowling. Then on Sunday, I went to church, then drama practice, and then work again.

Fridays Post

1. I honestly can't tell you you has had the biggest influence on me. If I had to pick anybody, it would probably be my Aunt Jeanie and oldest sister Chelsie. I would pick them because I guess you could say I look up to them the most and they are the easiest to talk to and get along with. They have basically taught me that I don't have to put up with people's crap and can speak up. I'm not saying nobody else has taught me that either, but I see it the most in them.
2. I believe that Mr. Keating is saying that poetry is basically the meaning of life. Poetry is not just a hobby, but it is something that everyone should actually think about and take into consideration because like he said, it is essential to life. I honestly don't read that much and never thought of poetry that way, when I do read it though, I just get lost and confused by it unless I reread it several times and take a lot of time to think about it.
3. I agree with Mr. Keating's quote. There is always an alternative or different way to everything. I don't really have any experience that relates to this though.
4. I just want to live life to the fullest, I don't intend on going a day without taking a chance that I may never get again. I don't want to regret not doing something in my life. Even if I do do something and regret doing that, I will just take it as a lesson learned.

Blog for Thursday

1. I believe that he would have still committed suicide even if Mr. Keating had not come into his life. I say that because he was already pretty miserable with the life his father had planned for him. His father practically forced him to live the life that he never had or "ever dreamed of having." Neil loved poetry and acting and wanted to pursue that, however, his father never cared what he wanted anyways. The lack of love and support from his father is what drove him to killing himself. I think that the fact that Mr. Keating was there to encourage and support Neil with his decisions and his own father did not even take into consideration his dreams is what set Neil off.
2. I don't remember which character it was that went after the girl, but I think that he is probably one of the bravest of Mr. Keating's group of boys. Even though he was after Chris throughout the whole movie, he put everything aside to get what he wanted right there and now. He looked past the consequences of what would happen if he got caught with her by her boyfriend or the school. I believe,"seize the day," made him realize that he only had one life and what would it be worth if he just conformed to what his family and school wanted and didn't live it the way he wanted to. Even though I didn't finish the movie, or if it even showed it but, I like to believe he ended up living a happy life because he pursued his dreams and went for his goals.
3. I don't remember seeing this part of the movie, but I don't think that Mr. Keating put the book in his room. I think that if anyone put it there it would have been Todd or his father. I think that Todd would have done it because Neil helped him come out of his shell and kind of taught him how to have fun. If he did it, I think it was just his way of saying thank you to Neil. If it was his father, I think he would have done it because he knows that he was the reason that Neil died. He could have left it there as an apology to him for not taking the time to sit down and listen. It could have also been a reminder to him of who is son truly was.

Dealing with increased feelings of independence and rebellion

Throughout the movie, The Dead Poets Society, there are several themes that they try to show for the audience. The theme that I am choosing to do is the one dealing with increased feelings of independence and rebellion. I chose to do my blog over this theme because it is the one that I feel was portrayed the most in the movie. They first start to demonstrate these feelings after all of their parents left on the day they enrolled (that's at least what I think it was). Then again, that particular group of students were like that since day one. The boys really started to get feelings of independence and rebellion when Mr. Keating came. Mr. Keating inspired them to "seize the day" and basically live life to the fullest. When this message got through to their heads, they began to do just that. Neil, who was afraid of his father and was pretty much forced to live this life that he in no way wanted any part of, started to stray away from his father and become an independent young man who made his own decisions. Mr. Keating made them realize that they are all young independent individuals which kind of lead them into being a little rebellious. The rebellion is shown when they decided to form the Dead Poets Society again. They knew that they weren't supposed to do half of the stuff that they did, but they did it anyways. I believe that all they were trying to do throughout the whole movie was, "seize the day."

Follow Up Character Questions

1. The character that is transformed the most throughout this move, in my opinion, is probably Todd Anderson. At the beginning of the movie, he started off shy, quiet, and really just kept to himself. Later, he learns to get out of his comfort zone and to speak up. 
2. Even though I don't remember this characters name, I think that the red headed nerdy kid stays the same throughout the movie. He is kind of like a perfectionist in class. He is like the person who will do anything to stay out of trouble, even if it means losing all of his friends in the process.
3. Mr. Keating is a very odd character. He likes to do things his own way and challenge the boys way of thinking. All the students were really taught how to think one way and live by the book. When Mr. Keating comes, he teaches them that there is more to life than living by the book. In fact, they ripped up the introduction so that they wouldn't feel limited to what they were supposed to think. He always kept the boys on their toes and eager to learn new things. He is really the person who changed all the other characters, however, I believe that he is also changed by the students. They all end up growing to be really close and personal with each other, so when Neil died, it hit Mr. Keating really hard. I guess you could say the boys even helped him feel young again and expand his mind even more than it already was.
4. Todd Anderson really has to go to school expected to meet the expectations and standards that his older brother set. This makes him really quiet and stresses him to the point where he is afraid he won't be good enough. Mr. Keating helps guide him to believing in himself. Neil Perry, has grown up forced to live the life that his father never had, therefore, he is miserable with his life and leads him to believing that killing himself was the only way out. He never overcame the fear of his father. Instead of actually standing up to him when he had the chance, he backed down with his tail between his legs. Knox Overstreet was the guy that was after the girl throughout the whole movie. I didn't really pay much attention to him, but I guess all he really wanted in the movie was a chance with the girl and to be loved by her. Well, at the end, he gets the girl. Charlie Dalton I believe was the daring one. I don't really remember much about him either, but the way I remember it he was really one to do what he wants anyways. I don't really remember him having much of a fear of anything.

Mona Lisa Smile

Question 1: In this movie, all the women were expected to grow up as housewives and basically support everything that their husbands did. Nobody really expected women to become successful business people or even get a career. They got to stay home and clean, have dinner on the table by the time their husbands got home, do the laundry, take care of the kids, and etc. Katherine Watson disagreed with all of this entirely. She knew that women were capable of actually moving forward with their lives and getting jobs. She pushed her students into believing that they can be more than what they are expected to do.

Question 5: When Betty was in college she got married. Now, I think that would be considered very young. When she got married, I don't think she knew what she wanted other than to get married. Once this happened, she really didn't know what to do because her husband was always gone and she was miserable. It was nothing that she expected it would be. When she went to her mom, her mom basically rejected her. It was probably because she thought that Betty was no longer her responsibility because she was married now.

Teacher comparison

In the movie, Mona Lisa Smile, Katherine Watson was not really a big fan of the book because it really showed the students what to know and they really wouldn't expand beyond the textbook. Katherine Watson wanted them to think outside of the box and instead of knowing the what and how, she wanted them to learn why, when, and who decided that it was important. This let her students really dig deep into the subject and instead of knowing of the subject, they would know about it. This also let them form an opinion and what they think about it and dig as deep as they wanted to. Charles Dickens' novel, however, really just said that if they know the facts, they'll be ready to go in life. They don't need anything else. Any other information is really just pointless. There is only right and wrong. The way I see it is, you can't really form an opinion because it won't matter anyways.

Mona Lisa Smile movie

I thought that the whole movie was really good. I can't really say what my favorite part was, but if I had to choose, I guess I would say the end when everyone finally decided what they wanted and what they were going to do with their lives. They tried to take Ms. Watson conform into what was acceptable for the school because the way she did things was not traditional and they did not like the changes that she was making. Even though her way made a huge improvement in the way the girls learned, their view on "what they were born to do," how to respect, and how to be true to themselves.

Mona Lisa Smile preview

I think that this movie is about a woman who goes to be a college professor but doesn't know what she's in for. When she gets there she expects it to be teaching mature women. Instead, all the women are immature and disrespectful. She decides that she is going to show them what they are dealing with and that she means business. She ends up turning them into young respectful women that start to actually accomplish their goals and moving on in life.

Exams

I think that High School exams are easier. Even though I haven't even taken any college exams, I know they are harder and more complex. High School exams, you will almost always know what will be on the test so you know exactly what to study. High school tests are also shorter and the questions are more detailed. College, on the other hand, they actually make you think. You can't just go in with answers memorized most of the time. You actually have to know the material and be able to go into detail. A college question could cover as much detail as a High School test would. The best way to prepare for these exams is to study for about 30 minutes a day and then quiz yourself over the information you covered that day. After you think you have studied enough of the information, go to a friend and have them quiz you or talk about what you each learned. Who knows, they might have gotten something that you didn't.