Madison

I can’t believe it, this is the last blog I’m ever going to post. Cause honestly I will never use this website again (or at least I assume not). To wrap up the year for this course I have a few things I want to talk about.

There are many things I learned in this class, I’m not about to tell you all of them because that’s what my Final is for and then you’d just be re-reading what I’ve already written and that’d be boring.

• I can type really fast and not look at the keyboard the whole time due to all the papers and guys I am really excited about this.
• I’ve learned that It’s ok to starts a sentence with FANBOY’s and it’s ok, but according to my other teachers that’s not okay, but they can get over it.
• I’ve learned to remember and use proper MLA, and how to write a constructive well written and not pointless research paper.

This blog and all the things we’ve done in this class have always been great for strengthening me as a writer and reader and in ways a reading critic. I also want to mention how much I enjoyed this class as a whole, from the jokes Ms. McCarthy played (throw back to before Christmas break when she told us we had to read an entire book just to get back at us for complaining), to things like attendance questions and birthday cupcakes and apples to apples. Over all I always looked forward to coming to this class, and am really glad we got Ms. McCarthy as our Dual teacher, cause had it been anyone else I would’ve skipped more often.

Side note: the picture is for you guys, the heart beat is for me because I want to be a nurse.

Before I discuss my research paper and what I plan to talk about in my final, I’m going to mention that we only have 16 days of school left (if you are exempt) and 23 until graduation!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also on the formal last day of class/ goodbye day I have a surprise planned! yay!

During my research process and getting prepared for my research paper, I found that doing the Annotated Bibliography was a MAJOR help. I feel like for any other research paper that I have to do in the future I will do a miniature version of this (obviously not full out because it’s not for a grade). I had problems with revising my paper when it came to the research paper it’s self because of the way I chose to write my paper. Since it is in a timeline format I realize that it is a challenge to get my point across thoroughly and not confuse people at the same time. One suggestion from the revisions the other day in class that I really liked and am highly considering was Scarlett’s. I may add a timeline at the end of my paper, but the only way I figured to do it is to add pictures since obviously she doesn’t have a time line anywhere actually mapping out everything that she did.

Today I decided on the questions that I am doing for my final reflection. Hard to believe we only have two more weeks together! ahh! I don’t have them on hand right now, so I can’t tell you which ones I chose, but I figured they were the few that I could most elaborate on and had most to do with the things I learned in this class.

Before I talk about volunteering my paper and the feedback I got this week, I want to talk about Molly’s tweet this week. Molly wrote an article of sorts called “24 Signs You Went to PHS”. Here it is, and if you haven’t read it, I highly suggest you do. You can deffinitely tell her tone in it, and it’s just so Molly, but every PHS student (excluding this years freshman) can relate.

Now to my paper. I feel like there were some contradictions with it. Last week when I volunteered it for the introduction review everyone said it was good, but that I needed to introduce Diane Ravitch if I’m going to talk about her in my intro. Also when we peer reviewed I got the same sort of feedback. So once I changed those things and brought it in for the entire class to look at, and then everyone said “This doesn’t fit” “This is confusing” it confused me… But that’s why it’s a rough draft right? I do appreciate all the feedback, it’s just this part I did not understand.

Another thing I want to talk about is my creative piece. I’m really excited about it, and I don’t want to give away too many details on it because I am presenting it. Just know it’s pretty cool. I feel that it represents my argument in a pop culture kind of way that is interesting, and is also academical of sorts. Cayla knows what I mean by that.

I feel like “Head Start” is an education reform program.. correct me if I’m wrong though. I just thought about that. But the meaning of my title is because I’m getting a head start on my blog. (; Another reason my title is “Head Start” is because you have to be ahead of the game when writing a research paper.

Some problems I feel like I ran into were feeling repetitive. I remember at one point that we had a discussion about being repetitive; that to the writer it may seem like to much, but to a reader it reiterates the point you are trying to get across. Another was that since I am writing it like a time line of sorts, that I’m trying to write both sides of the argument. I feel that I do put in my own views though to show that I am against what Michelle Rhee did for the children in the District of Columbia.

I’m glad we went over the introduction in class the other day though, another problem I ran into was being kind of confused on how to write my thesis since I wrote my body paragraphs first instead of the introduction first. So I was kind of confused as to what to talk about in my intro and not be summing up my paper in the first paragraph. But just like what she had said with Molly’s paper, mine was okay with not having a direct thesis. I feel that it leads into the paper well, and correlates with my conclusion.

One last thing, again; HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. McCARTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Thank you for the cupcakes)

Research, research, research. Did I pass the fifteen second test? I feel like that’s all I can focus on right now… like it has to be perfect. After we voted on how we want to be graded, I guess  I didn’t realize what I was voting for until after we got it because Rylee said “We only have two grades y’all”…. that stresses me out. Since we have 39 days left until graduation, honestly this is the only class I care about… but shhh don’t tell my other teachers (;

Back to the 15 second test part, and all I can focus on, it’s crazy. One week and our ROUGH rough draft it due… woo. I feel like I have so much to talk about and in such little time… I don’t know if I want to write six pages and have a cool piece of art work to accompany it, or do I just want to talk about how Michelle Rhee isn’t actually as great a chancellor as she put herself out to be for 10 pages? What to do what to do? By the way this is what Michelle Rhee has to say about her time as chancellor, if you were wondering… since I mention it so much.

I chose not to start with my intro this time just because I feel that my working thesis didn’t fit into what i was trying to get across. So write the rest of my paper, or some of it at least and then go back and write my intro to fit with the paper. Typically I would write my paper first and have the paper fit to the intro, but I feel like that always was a challenge to do. So we’ll see how it turns out I guess.

I have been telling my self for weeks I will take the time on Thursday night to write my blog. I finally did it you guys! ….I always forget…. But on the bright side it gives me more time to focus on my annotated bibliography this weekend, which I will need. We have 50 days until graduation and I believe 15 left with this class. So much stuff to get done with such little time! AHHH!

Let me begin by saying, thank goodness for work days. It gave me time to sit down and start processing my thoughts. I got some stuff done, mostly finding possible, credible sources. Here is an article I found that talks about Michelle Rhee and her school reform system. As I discussed with you all in my recent presentation, she claimed her school system was “for the kids” and worked “very well”, in her eyes. While in the eyes of Diane Ravitch, it was the complete opposite. It touches base on the positives of Michelle’s journey with reforming the school system in D.C. using charter schools. I still want to find an article, hopefully from a parent who has/had a child attending the D.C. charter schools that either agrees, disagrees, or both with the things Ravitch discussed in her book.

Here are some thoughts I had on the research I began today linking along with the charter school research I plan to do, what do you think? Begin with some back ground information, maybe a brief statement about why I chose this topic. Again, like previously stated, look at both sides of the argument, I’ve already read Ravtich’s, now it’s time to look more into Michelle’s. Add in a bit about a parent’s point of view from the situation, since it’s really their choice to put these kids into these schools. Anything else…?

Where to begin… hmmm… I think I’ll start with charter schools once more. Since we’re talking about Education and affecting our school systems, I feel this will be good to look into a little deeper. Since I already have a pretty decent basis on charter schools due to Ravitch, I feel I should continue my discussions on it. Suggestions for anyone else who may want to research charter schools also; READ CHAPTER 16 FROM THE BOOK.

Here are what my thoughts came to on Thursday when we have so many questions to answer in only two minutes. Don’t worry I’ll talk fast and fit them all in (; Just kidding. I want to further research charter schools in the DC area. I want to look into Michelle Rhee’s side of the conversation a little deeper. I want to see what parents who have children in charter schools are saying (like I’d had as a related conversation in my presentation hand out). All of these things interest me. Do charter schools work in some areas? In the places they do work, are they being used like the original intended use? What are the stats from an unbiased position? If there is another suggested solution, what might it be this time? There are so many questions I still have that can be researched, not even dealing with charter schools. Like why are teachers told they’re being evaluated and how can we better evaluate them? So many questions, so little time. How can we fit it all in ten pages.

I feel there are so many things I could say in this blog. So just as my title says, “Where to start?”. I feel I could touch base on charter schools again, but we’ve discussed this many times. Another thing I want to continue discussing is poverty, and as Miranda mentioned more in her blog, removing standardized testing and only testing for the well being of the student to know where they stand educationally.

Starting with poverty, and relating it to the schools and education and life really. It’s all connected. It’s not the school’s and teachers, and staff’s job of these facilities to end poverty, or prevent it. Poverty starts early, it’s like a mindset. If that’s how you grew up and you didn’t have your family pushing you to be the best you can be, then that’s where you’re staying. Not all people in poverty are this way, example as I mentioned in class the other day, Ben Carson. There are people who “get out” of poverty because their mother or father wants them to end up better than they did. But the majority aren’t this way, and that’s why we have drop outs… School’s can’t fix the drop out rates, they can’t force you to attend school, or learn, or read a book. That’s not their place. Their place is to teach you to be a responsible citizen, and to grow up and want to be successful and use those skills to better your life.

Moving on to testing, I’ll make it short, sweet, and simple. Testing is not good for students in my mind simply because it doesn’t effect learning. Children are taught to take a standardized test from K-12, then go to college and are thrown for a whirl wind. Because they’ve never had to study for classes because they were good test takers. So for those good test takers out there, and for the poor ones (like myself), in all reality, what separates us from each other intelligence wise rather than statistically? Who knows, we’re still stuck in the world of standardized tests.

You know I really honestly try to write my blogs on Friday afternoon, but every time I get home I always think… man I don’t want to do this right now… TLC is calling my name. But this week I was determined to continue my conversation on Charter Schools from Friday and I’d had no idea where the lap top was. So here I am, Sunday afternoon as always.

Like I previously said, continuing my conversation about Charter Schools. Right after I’d left class I turned to Cayla and Miranda and asked how they thought it went. They said well, Miranda said she couldn’t wait to continue the conversation about charter schools since her chapters are on the solution. Which sounds interesting to me, maybe she didn’t mean all charter schools just the school system in general. But weren’t charter schools supposed to be the solution? From my reading in short term summary I basically got that Charter schools are the solution to failing public schools. They didn’t work, their test scores didn’t show much if any improvement. Most schools were ranked below a “C” average school. Business men and women saw it as an opportunity to invest in “great” schools and make money off of them since they were privately controlled.

Here’s the thing, not EVERY charter school is unsuccessful. There are some charter schools out there that are run by the original true intent of making and running great schools that help those students who don’t learn as well and are close to failing. As I’d had on my handout for you all under the related conversations portion, there was an article I’d found of a mother who’d had a child in a charter school in the Los Angeles area. She was writing to Ravitch in response to her book Reign of Error, saying that she liked the school her child was in for the good education and improvement she saw her child making.