Scholarships!

 Having a scholarship would mean the absolute world to me . Aside from the fact that is helps pay for college, they are also helpful tools for making sure you are not up to your ears in debt. When  I am ready buy my first apartment or house , I do not want to be drowning in student loans because with that being on my credit there is a large possibility that I will not be approved to buy. People do not understand what student loans can really do to you . Not only do you have to pay the money back but they accumulate INTEREST ; something most students do not understand. It is important to me to have either no debt or if inevitable ( very little).  Hopefully students understand what they are really getting

their selves into when applying for a student loan. SCHOLARSHIPS ALL THE WAY!

Check List

Well , this is definitely one of the more depressing blogs I've had to make.:(  What I need to do before college is FOR SURE to raise my GPA. To be quite honest , I believe the right answer for me is to start off in a junior college to raise my GPA.
 1. I need to raise my GPA
2. take SAT/ACT
3.research junior colleges and requirements for them
4. finish my last year of core classes.
 I will be accomplishing these throughout the summer along with next year. I am enrolling for a summer nutrition course through Navarro college in Midlothian. This will allow me to get a head start seeing as it is a core class I need for my degree and I will work hard to keep the grade up to ensure raising my GPA. Throughout next year I will be finishing the required High School classes needed to be accepted in college . I will be accomplishing everything on my check list by May of 2016.
Academically I am not where I would like to be . I expect much more of myself than what I feel I have at the moment. If we are being honest, these colleges are absolutely not for me. I need to start smaller!  I have no desire to be in dept the rest of my life for a degree I can get cheaper somewhere else.

Is it worth it?

1. College has become the key to to the American dream in society today . Attending college level courses expands your education beyond a High school diploma and better prepares you for a future career. High school students tend to complain that what they do in school on a daily basis will never be used beyond their class room. College, on the other hand practices skills such as time management, and dedication to grades. Not to mention that these classes are just stepping stones you have to use to thrive in a career later on. I firmly believe that things have worth are to be earned and not handed to you on a silver platter. Although college is expensive and time consuming , it is worth every bit in my opinion. Ill spend as many hours as i have to in college if it means ensuring myself a significance in society.

2. People in America do not understand how easy they have it here . Kids in some countries cannot even imagine being able to wake up every morning and go to school. For example, in India tests like what we have here "STARR" are everything to them . If they do not pass their education is over and they are sent to work . There is no second chance for these kids , yet we complain when we have to go to class. We (along with myself ) should be thankful of the opportunities we have by living here considering the amount of knowledge we are able to obtain in comparison to the amount of children OUR AGE that cant even read.

Spring Break

My Spring Break consisted of nothing but work! Fortunately I was able to earn quite a bit of money along with being promoted to manager! Very exciting because I worked very hard for the position :)

 In a way Mr. Keating did play a role in the timeing of  Neil's act of suicide but unfortunately as greatly as we would like to point blame toward someone , I personally believe that Neil would have eventually made the same decision even without ever meeting Keating. The bravest student Keating had in my opinion would have to be Todd. Todd over came many fears through out the film and eventually was able to stand up to one of his biggest fears (The uppers) or the Dean of the school by standing up on the desk shouting "O Captain My Captain" in respect of Mr. Keating.  I do believe that Keating put the poetry book in Neils room mainly because I see Keating as a man who pushes students to go beyond just what they are told to do. Keating in my eyes attempts to give the boys a way of escape from the world and the Dead Poet Society for the boys is that escape.

Theme

 The major theme or "point" of The Dead Poet Society was to help not only students but people in general to understand that there is more to life than conforming to a perfect image someone has laid out for you. These boys start out as nothing more than robots caused by the constant pressures of parents, their school work, teachers etc.. Mr. Keating allowed the boys to be their selves and have a little fun in the process. In Keatings eyes, people should "suck the marrow out of life" and "seize the day". Eventually Keating is able to make a difference in each life he comes in contact with , shaping and molding each of these boys into their own individual person. Almost each student in Keatings class by the end of the film faces some form of an obstacle and in tern faces their deepest fears. So in the words of Mr. John Keating , Seize The Day students! You never know who will follow in your steps.

Character Questions:

1. In my opinion , Todd made the biggest over all change throughout the film. He was able to go from barely saying a word to anyone to confiding in his friend Neal (unfortunately losing him after) to by the end of the film being the first to stand on the desk in honor of Mr. Keating. Todd took a huge risk by standing on the desk and shouting "O Captain my Captian" as if to solute Mr. Keating and pronounce him as his leader. He should his emotion and passion for Keating's teachings as if nothing else mattered.

2. Cameron for the most part stayed consistent in his ways of always being the "good kid". He did everything he was supposed to even if it meant hurting kids classmates or tearing down someone else to save his own self. Toward the end of the film he was the one who told the administration of the school everything about the Dead Poet Society , throwing the other boys under the bus just so that he didn't get into any trouble.

3. Mr Keating is a static character . While he played a large role he kept the same over all romantic mind set throughout the film.

4.

Todd Anderson: During the beginning of the film Tod barely spoke a word. He had a great fear of interaction with others or someone not liking what he has to say. With the help of his friend Neil and Mr. Keating he by the end of the film has over come his fear and is standing on a desk in front of everyone saying "O Captain My Captain".

Knox Overstreet: Knox meets a girl whom he believes he is in love with by just the sight of her. he is terrified to talk to her but takes a chance "seizes the day" and eventually over comes his fear and wins the girl even with obstacles such as her boyfriend that got in his way.

Neil Perry: Neil has a large fear of standing up to his father. Unfortunately he was not able to over come his fear and it ate at him until he eventually took his own life with his fathers gun. This young man has set a great example of what real pressure can do to a person.

Charlie (Nawnda) Dalton: Nawnda wanted nothing more than to ruffle the administrations feathers, to create conflict or to rebel against the conformity of others. His fear was very apparent from the start and was fear of conforming . During Mr. Keatings walking exercise Charlie chose not to walk as a way of showing his indifference.

Subversive behavior to my understanding is the act of NOT conforming to routine or tradition of an upper or superior. In the movie Mona Lisa Smile , an example of the superior is Wellesley  College or as Kathrine proclaims "Wellesley finishing school". The administration of Wellesley expects Ms. Watson to adhere to every traditional teaching method and only lecture based on the syllabus given to her. Ms. Watson is called subversive by Betty due to her teaching methods and seeing as she refused to be the paper cut out she has been expected to be.

Betty's marriage to Spencer was very unhappy. It is revealed throughout the movie that Spencer often leaves Betty alone to be a good little house wife until hes done with his girlfriend. During this period of time things such as affairs, drug or alcohol abuse along with basically any other "dirty laundry" were supposed to be hidden from the world and simply not talked about. Betty's mother is willing to let her relationship with her daughter suffer as long as she is able to keep her squeaky clean Jones name. She does not allow Betty to stay with her to keep anyone from knowing Spencer and Betty are having issues. Betty's mother will do whatever she has to to have a perfectly painted picture of her family . All the while the Jones family most likely has more skeletons in their closets than most families.

The difference between Katherine Watson's teaching methods in comparison to Charles Dickens' is simply that Dickens only focuses on the facts rather than a personal opinion. Watson wants her students to think outside the box, create their own opinion and think for themselves. Dickens does not give any concern for his students as a person but a number in a classroom that will learn the same information we have been taught for years.

I loved how toward the end of the movie the girls started have more of a voice weather that be toward each other, staff, or their parents. These woman began to realize that not only do they have to conform but they can have their own ideas and perceptions of things around them. Today it is nothing out of the ordinary to see a woman voice her opinion but during the time of the movie (1954) this was seen as disrespectful, or out of "place". I enjoyed seeing this transition along with the movie.

                                                      Mona Lisa Smile:




I personally have seen this movie several times and it is very based based during a time period where women conformed to nothing more than what they have had planned for them from day one which is to marry and become mother and wife for the rest of their life. The professor Ms. Watson wants the girls in her class to become something more than what they have been told they have to be. She goes against not only the guidelines of her job but also against the social standard of this time. It is an inspiring movie and I am eager to see peoples opinions of it.

In a college setting ; exams/tests are not taken near as often making them harder to pass . College exams consist of a large amount of material that may have been covered as far back as 2-3 weeks ago! So for High School students, imagine every test you take is to the equivalent of your six weeks exams. College professors are not required to give a review like so many High School teachers baby their students with these days. Students (including myself) need to learn to prepare for tests on their own which is not something they feel incapable of doing. In my opinion the STARR has to be hardest test considering we go all year long "preparing" for a test that we have no idea what is on it! I feel this test deters our education because teachers feel they cannot go into depth over certain subject while still staying within the criteria of the STARR. Easier tests would be your run of the mill weekly tests given by our teachers. Again, this does include myself but there really is no reason to fail any test unless there is just an error in the test itself. Students have plenty of opportunities to both study and receive help from parents, teachers, or fellow classmates. Unfortunately other things tend to be more "important".