Spring break blog post UPFRONT

The gaokao is a test that high schoolers in China must take in order to determine what college and eventually job they will go to and have. There is much stress riding on their single test for millions of Chinese students. The magazine Upfront has an article called “China’s Cram Schools” that discuses the process many take preparing for this test and all the stress involved. This stress is damaging, unneeded, and unfair to students. For example, this test creates super high stress levels that are unhealthy for students, a bad environment for the students in general as well as an unfair situation for the parents and teachers of the students.

            Super high stakes such as these for the gaokao lead to an unhealthy amount of stress on the students. Loads of stress can be physically and mentally damaging especially at such a young age.  It states in the article “teenage suicide rates start to rise as the gaokao nears. It also states from a boy named Cao, “My mother constantly reminds me that I have to study hard because my father is out working construction far from home to pay my school fees.” This is a crazy amount of pressure and for most there is no way to escape this.

            These students also have work in horrible environments. Many go to “cram schools” where they are packed into rooms with thousands of other students studying around the clock. In the article it states, “Two years ago, a student posted a shocking photograph online. A classroom full of students being hooked up to “intravenous drips” to give them strength to keep studying. This was shocking to many but many find necessary with all the pressure to succeed.

            Another major, unfair factor in the process of the gaokao is money. Poor families put all they have into test prep for the gaokao in order to help the kids escape their fate as a manual laborer and hopefully go to a good collage where they can get a high paying job and support their family. Wealthy families can afford fancy test prep or even other options. It states in the article “Many wealthy families are simply opting out of the system, placing their children in private international schools in china or sending them abroad for an education.” For others there is no alternative to the gaokao, this extremely unfair.

            Overall the gaokao is just another test that can be compared to American standardized tests but it puts much more extreme pressure on teachers, parents and most of all, students. This test is out of hand and needs to be addressed. It is unfair for all this pressure to be put on a high school student toward a test that will determine the rest of their life.

Book Banning Arument essay

Sabina Chackerian Book Banning Argument

Dear Ms. Berner

U.S. schools ban more than 20 books each year. This school should not limit teens access to to certain books.  Schools everywhere are faced with the decision whether to ban these precious books or to let students enjoy them.  But why take away a life changing and educational experience from a teen who needs it now more than ever?  These banned books in particular are the ones that could connect with the student and guide them, it is important that M.S. 51 let these kids be exposed to these books.

Banned books can not inspire teens to recreate the content in their own lives but to instead help teens to help themselves and prevent these issues.  In the article “Banned Books week 2010: An Anti-censorship Manifesto” It states that the author of Crank spoke about his book and how afterwards a girls started to cry and shared her own story. It says “she started getting high in middle school mostly as a way to deal with her alcoholic mothers absence.” This shows that relatable topics are in these books. Even the more extreme ones occur in someones life. It goes on to say “One day, she found that book. She saw herself in those pages and suddenly knew she didn’t want to be there” Many teens are closed off about issues they are facing, especially with adults. Books are a way to reach them. Banned books deal with heavy issues these are the issues that most importantly need to to get through to kids.

Books should also not be banned because teens should get exposed to many opinions so they can be open minded and feel as though they can express themselves.  In the articles “Schools Ad Censorship:  Banned Books” it states “our basic right -- the freedom to express ourselves as we see fit -- is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, ensuring the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unpopular or unorthodox.”  This is where it is not left up to the school but up to the parents and kids to decide whether these books are appropriate for them.

Even though letting teens pick their own books seems like something they can be trusted with, many don’t agree with this. Some peoples definition of book banning is “making responsible decisions about what reading material is edifying as age-appropriate for school children.” This seems like something positive, in the article “In Defense of Book Banning” it states  “far too often the explicit nature of the work is the selling point.” meaning that the reason teens are purchasing these YA novels is because of the same reason they are banned, what is deemed inappropriate at the time. This article goes on to talk about how these books are oversexualized in an unnecessary way. This is probably true for some books but that is something smart teens can look past and its not what they are taking away from the book. what these teens are taking away is the message and so if a great book with a strong message is out there but it has a few risque topics I think that we shouldn’t let that stop teens from reading it.

Banned books often make parents feel relieved to know they don’t have to constantly be monitoring what their teenage child is reading but the truth is they never do, students at M.S. 51 are educated and mature enough to handle banned books by knowing which ones they can and can’t read. Parents and schools won’t stop worrying about their children and students but that doesn’t mean they have to take away these amazing books from the people that need them.

Bibliography:

"In Defense of Book Banning." The Federalist. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2015.

"Schools and Censorship: Banned Books." Schools and Censorship: Banned Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015.

Reading and Writing for Social Justice

Sabina Chackerian 802  Reading and Writing for Social Justice

Basu, Moni, Moni Basu Reported from Ferguson. Holly Yan, Dana Ford, Greg Botelho, Sara Sidner, Rachel Clarke, Ralph Ellis, Dave Alsup, Steve Almasy, Jason Hanna, and Evan Perez. "Protesters Torch Police Car in Another Tense Night in Ferguson." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/justice/ferguson-grand-jury-decision/index.html

This article talks about people’s reaction to the grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18 year old Michael Brown. Many people as well as myself believe this is an example of social injustice. It states in the article “Activists are set to rally tuesday in more than 115 cities in the united states speaking out in support of Brown’s family and accusations about police violence and racial injustice-- rooted in the fact that Brown was black and Wilson is white.” I agree with these activists. This is something many people should carefully look at and try to prevent. So many years of fighting for social equality have still left many unchanged, and we need to be able to figure out who these people are.

This case is definitely more closely looked at because of the place it took place in, Missouri. Many more people are not as accepting of racial equality here as in New York. Even so I can still relate this to the things I see everyday, just on a much smaller scale. People at my school and in my neighborhood are very much aware of race and this can lead to certain social divisions. One example is how people often associate more with there own race, and in a place where this is a large majority of white people, such as Park Slope, this can cause people of other races to feel either left out or put on the spot. This could be bothering to many in school or on the street and could be preventing people from getting the proper education if they are focused on being an outcast, even if no one is expressing this or bullying them for this.

Observing my neighborhood and finding social injustice

1. Kids at John Jay get forced to leave school grounds immediately after school, while this doesn’t happen at other nearby schools.
2. Kids with disabilities are not as socially accepted at M.S.51
3. The less wealthy kids often need to eat in the cafeteria which is considered less desirable  
4. On social media people often show off their things which can often create a competitive environment
5. If you are better looking this often plays a big role in who is popular

One social injustice scenario that really stands out to me is on social media. Social media is a place where teens often show their things and experiences this can create a competition between people. Less wealthy teens often have less nice things and less interesting experiences to show on social media. This can make them feel uncomfortable, and when looking at other peoples nice things this can make them feel as if they aren’t getting enough and they are some how deprived. One big example is on Instagram, here it is not just words but actual proof of things through pictures, that is the main focus of Instagram, what things and experiences are you having? On other social media website such as Facebook there is a little more of a balance between sharing words as well as show off things. Instagram can kind of be seen as one big competition where people try to show off and the less wealthy teens can end up feeling left out or feel as though it is unfair.

Interview #1:

What do you believe is good in our world?

I believe one of the good things in the world is people’s generous response to the tragedies of others. One example being hurricane sandy, were social media was very instrumental in directing people to websites where they could donate money to the organizations providing assistance. Corporations also provided help for these people by pledging money and providing resources. Many people went down to personally help in anyway they could. This shows the compassion that people feel for others.

What do you believe is unjust in our world?

I believe that the way people are paid for their labor is often very unjust. For example the senior executives of companies should not be paid tens of millions of dollars a year while they pay many of their employees less than a living wage. Another thing that I believe is unjust is how children of families that have very little money have such a small chance of getting a good education which means many intelligent, ambitious and bright children are missing opportunities to contribute to society.

Response to interview #1

I agree with what was said in this interview. It was interesting to see someone who is out of work still having strong feelings and being connected to how much workers are paid she also talked about kids that don’t have a lot of money and those issues even though this is not something she is experiencing she can still think about it and put herself in someone elses shoes. This I believe is a big step in solving social issues. Many people aren’t motivated to help because they can’t put themselves in other peoples shoes. It was also interesting that the things she thought were good in the world were alot more general then what she thought was unjust in the world. Overall, I think she did a good job of looking at the problems of everyone and not just of herself.

Responding to something in the news

On November 30, channel New York 1 did a report on Robert Gonzalez. He resigned from his job of 20 years in the NYPD to become a teacher. He stepped down after someone else got the job of deputy commissioner of training, sources say this was the job he wanted. He is also a part of the National Latinos Officer Association. This group has been very critical of the NYPD for not appointing hispanics to the highest ranks of the department. The Latino officers Association Statement on Roberts resignation said that Bratton, the head of the police department, should have looked more carefully and recognize “Latino talent at the same level as white privilege.” If I was in the position as Robert Gonzalez I would think carefully if it was right to appoint who they did or if I was just as good a candidite. I would continue to be a part of the National Latinos Officer Association if possible and continue to fight for the rights of Latinos in the NYPD even though I was no longer a part of it.

Interview #2

Liz Iannotti works at LaGuardia Community College teaching English as a second language. She is also the Assistant Director of the E.S.L program.

Why did you want to be a teacher?

I enjoy interacting with students. English is so important to their lives in New York City. It is wonderful to see their improvement.

What do you look forward to each day at work?

I look forward to talking with students and laughing about the curiosities of the English Language. I also enjoy sharing ideas with other teachers.

What is the biggest reward of teaching these adults?

Helping them get into college or get a job because this has such an impact on their lives.

What is a challenge for you teaching these adults?

One challenge is trying to keep students motivated when they don’t learn as well as some of the other students.

Response to interview #2

Liz changes the world everyday by educating adults who need to learn what she teaches for their daily lives. These people need to learn english to get into college and get jobs to help make a future for themselves. Without any E.S.L programs these students wouldn’t be able to do these things for themselves in NY. Not only is this program very important for the students but these students can now teach their families or other people from their country. Liz doesn’t just do her job, she is very involved and dedicated to these students and making sure they get the proper help they need.

""Try" Lyrics." COLBIE CAILLAT LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/colbiecaillat/try.html

“Try” by Colbie Caillat analysis

This song talks about how girls and women don’t have to try so hard to try to be liked by doing things like putting on makeup and doing our hair we just have to be ourselves and people will like us for who we are and we should like ourselves for who we are. I think this song delivers a great and strong message to girls. Many people in general experience feelings of self consciousness but this song is a good reminder that people will like you for you. Alot of media can create unrealistic images of especially girls which can lead girls to spend hours each day trying to be something which is basically impossible to be. This is not healthy and puts a lot of stress on girls.

This song also reminds girls that they are their own worst critic and if they like themselves then that’s what matters. The last line of the song is “Don't you like you? Cause I like you.” This leaves people thinking about it and understanding that that is the important question and if they do like themselves that is what matters. saying “Cause I like you” makes it also known that there are people out there that love you for you and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

The Brady Bunch  Analysis

This show was popular in the 1970’s and when ending in 1974 continued to be even more popular among kids and teens. The Brady Bunch is a sitcom about an all american blended family with 6 kids all living in one house. Here we have many examples of teens and children being portrayed by hollywood. One thing that stands out is that they are all white, the two families that came together were both white, and so the 9 main characters, the Brady’s and their housekeeper, are white. Not only are the large amount of main characters white but all the guest characters such as the children's friends are also all white. Another thing that stands out is their obvious wealth. They own a large house with a backyard and can afford to have a live in housekeeper. This is something that probably would have been a little bit more realistic for families when the show aired but is still portraying a rich family then and definitely now. They are able to have this big house and green backyard because they live in the suburbs. This is another way hollywood portrays children. Kids are influenced by TV and like books kids can often look for a relatable character, this “right” way to live only represents a small fraction of kids but there are not many other shows that represent the rest. This can leave kids feeling bad about themselves and again somehow deprived.

Go Ask Alice reading response

Go Ask Alice reading response by: Sabina Chackerian 802

A person with low self esteem is often unable to resist bad choices and bad influences. The author of Go Ask Alice portrays this throughout the book through the diary entries of a young girl named Alice. Alice makes many bad decisions after being the victim of a party game in which she was served a drink with drugs in it. In her diary  she talks about her everyday worries about what her crush, Roger, thinks of her, how she hates she her weight gain, how she is uncomfortable at school, and how she has difficulty relating to her parents. On top of these issues she is addicted to drugs and hates herself for it. These personal issues are what leads her to  making bad decisions that spiral into something much worse. She is unable to get better until she overdoses and ends up in a mental hospital.

One example of being unable to resist bad choices because of her low self esteem is the way she doesn't listen to herself. In the text it states “for two days now I’ve tried to convince myself that using LSD makes me a “dope addict” and all the low class, unclean, despicable things I’ve heard about kids that use LSD and all other drugs; but I simply can’t wait to try pot, only once, I promise!” Here you can see that even though she knows what's right she doesn’t have the strength to listen to herself. Another example of this is how she is unhappy with her weight but continues to eat unhealthy food. it states in the text on September 30, “I’m going to start on a diet this very day. I will be positively a new person by the time we get to our new home!” Here she is setting goals to try to keep herself on track. Later in the diary, on January 6, it says “I cut my last class and went by the drugstore and had a chocolate malt, a double order of french fried potatoes and a giant Hershey bar.” You can see this is because she doesn’t respect her goals, because of her low self esteem

Another thing that spurs from her low self esteem and inability to resist bad choices and influences is her not respecting her body. She does this in many forms. One way she does not respect her body is constantly using drugs. Alice finds drugs through her friends and hangs out with people who use and have them. Even once Alice moves she continues to use drugs. Her addiction to drugs leads to another form of not respecting herself which is having sex in ways in which she is not emotionally attached. She loses her virginity while on acid at a party. Even though after this she is very concerned that she is pregnant she continues to have sex. Later she hitchhikes to Southern California where Alice takes more drugs, even prostituting herself for them. This shows that her low self esteem can make her even want to hurt her body or not care for it properly

Alice’s self hatred stemmed from many things and made her unable to make good decisions for herself. one reason I think Alice gets herself addicted to drugs and prostitutes herself for them is because these things make her feel something more than her everyday life does. Alice goes through many issues that teens face but on a larger scale then normal because of her low self esteem. Through the eyes of Alice we get to experience how one bad decision can lead to the next. In the epilogue, it says that Alice died three weeks later of an overdose and that she was one of thousands of drug deaths that year. Teens can often feel alone because they are often under pressure or feel like no one understands them. Teens can learn from this book that it is better to take control of your life and reach out to people if you need help instead of keeping it inside, like Alice did. Not getting proper help can cost you your health or even your life.

Its Kind Of a Funny Story Reading Response

Sabina Chackerian 802  Reading Response to “Its Kind of A Funny Story”

The book “Its Kind of a Funny Story” By Ned Vizzini, is about teenage boy named Craig Gilner who struggles with anxiety and depression. He goes to many therapists to get to the bottom of his issues, but his everyday life gets harder and harder with girls, friends and high school. One night he can't take it and almost kills himself. He ends up in a mental hospital held captive until he is able to deal with his issues. Throughout the story we can see that people often don’t show their mental state through their actions.

Craig pushes himself to get into a advanced school by studying hard. We can see that the work at school is taking a toll on him and giving him more stress and anxiety from his perspective but he doesn’t show his internal feelings. It states in the text his mom says “Craig, I'm being honest, I've never seen someone work as hard as you did getting into this school. You deserve a little break and you deserve to feel proud.” Here we can see that his mother might be sensing the fact he is overworking himself. “In December, 3 month into Executive Pre-Professional, I had stress vomiting for the first time.” This quote shows that he had been under so much stress at school building up to this. The fact this occurred shows that when he was stressed out he didn't ask for help, and he kept it inside. Now it is effecting his life much more severely and in a way he can no longer hide.

Craig is often being compared to his best friend, . We can tell that he pushes to be his best but we see he is weakening internally. One example is when he has a really big crush on this girl, Nia. later he says “Nia’s eyes said, ‘You’re cool but you're not as cool as Aaron.”  This shows that he is so willing to give up his self image just based on the actions of one person, and he has low self esteem, but he doesn’t even talk to his best friend about this. Later it says “The really cool thing about Nia...’ Aaron was saying, and he started to go in anatomical details, things about her that I didn’t need to hear.” Here we can see he is tuning out his best friend just to protect himself, this keeps a normal outside appearance but on the inside he is getting depressed over what his friend is saying. The issue has now grown into something he has no control over. At, the beginning when they were just friends if he talked to his friend about his feelings for this girl, he might not have started dating her in the first place.

This weakening internally for the sake of externally looking better leads Craig to where he is. but when he can come to terms with where he is, at the hospital, and the fact that people are aware of his issues, is when he can begin to get better. The author did a good job of teaching the reader this. I now understand people's desire to mask serious issues from people they are close to. People can be scared that this will make the people they share their feelings with be more distant , and they can feel be scared of being vulnerable. Teens can often feel a lot of pressure that can lead to bigger issues. It is important that they learn to except them and not hide them, like many do, in order to help them get better.

Ashes Reading Response

Sabina Chackerian                        Response to “ASHES”                         802

Sometimes we want something so bad that we ignore the reality. The story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer is about a girl who struggles with her parents’ divorce and her relationship with her parents. She lives with her mother and sees her dad once a week, this day is the highlight of her week. Ashes is put in a difficult situation when she must decide which parents relationship she will jeperdize by either stealing the “saftey money” from her mother for her father or leaving the money. Throughout this story, the author shows the reader how love can make it hard to recognize who someone is when you want or need them to be better then who they are.

Throughout the story Ashes learns to face the truth about her father. When she sees her father at the beginning of the story she makes a comparison to her father by saying “He’s always there if you need him, well, not always. He’s unexpectedly there like a warm day in january”. To the reader this doesn’t seem like a good quality in a parent but Ashes turns her Dad’s distance into something beautiful. This example illustrates Ashes thought process of warmth and unreliability for most of the story. “Last week he told me to be an astronaut. The week before that, the CEO of a fortune 500 corporation.  And the week before that, he’d been stunned by my spirituality.” Ashes truly wants  to have a good relationship with her father. We can tell she wants to feel these things he is saying are true, even so her tone suggests Ashes is disappointed that her dad isn’t recognizing  her true talents, The reader might infer that he is not as thoughtful because he  is making up these jobs that do not relate to each other . Later in the text he takes her out to dinner which is not something they often can afford on a night when she sees him, during their special night he ends up asking her to take money from her mom and give it to him so he can pay someone back some people. This makes Ashes doubt her father even more and makes her less hopeful for a change in him. This opens her eyes to the fact that her father isn’t as wonderful as she wants him to be. This shows he is manipulating her and makes her wonder if the whole time he is saying things that are “loving” he is just trying to flatter her for selfish purposes Ashes knows this in her heart and this makes her feel let down.

Similarly, in the beggining of the story Ashes doesnt recognize the motives behind her mother.  For example she says how every time she sees her dad “the sun cast off just a little more warmth then it had the day before” the reader can at the beginning of the story, infer that this means ashes is  excited to see her father, then she says “With mom, there are a lot of rainy days and she takes a grim sort of pleasure in being ready for them.” This shows Ashes is in denial of what is important for her, to the reader the mother is doing somthing important for Ashes . The way Ashes says “she takes a grim sort of pleasure in them” makes it seem like Ashes is focusing on the necessary things her mother does but not the things she wants in the moment. It goes on to say all the things she has ready for any type of emergency, this shows that she is prepared and responsible which is very important  for raising a child. On some level Ashes knows this but knows that being reliable isnt always as much fun. Through out the story Ashes begins to relizes everything her mother does for her.

Ashes perception of her parents changes greatly throught the story. When she doesnt decline taking the money it seems like she is almost blinded by these outward appearence, but the fact that she is hesitant to take the money from her mother shows that the images that she has created of her parents is shifting and making her doubt her original views. Through facing disapointment with her father, she starts to develop a more relistic view about him and starts to admit what she has known about him all along. While Ashes wants her father to be supportive, spontaneous and loving, as his character developed she was more aware of the fact he was manipulative, unreliable and selfish. Through the support from her mother she starts to also understand her mother more. Ashes wanted to think her mother was cold, strict and distant because this made her father seem like a victim and a better person but Ashes faces the truth that her mother is very responsible, reliable and protective. Through out the story ashes learns alot about the true intetions of her parents. the author does a good job of geting this point across. I now better understand the preshure teens can feel when facing there parents divorce. I can predict that Ashes will not take the money because she has learned the importance of what her mother works for. At the beginning I think she would have taken it because she wanted to please her dad so bad she couldnt face the reality that it wasnt the right thing to do. I think it is important for us to understand the issues that teens have, many teens are in there own world and do not understand what the people around them are going through.

Reading Response 9/17/14

Sabina Chackerian 802  Reading Response to Money Hungry   by: Sharon G. Flake

The book Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake is a book about a 13 year-old-girl named Raspberry Hill. She lives in the projects with her mom who is always away at work. She has been homeless and is determined that it will never happen again. This is why making money has become her obsession. She will sell everything she can get a hold of at her school, if its good or bad. This doesn’t make her very popular but it lets her sleep at night knowing she has money. To Raspberry, money is everything no matter what her friends and her mom tell her. In this book the author really shows the reader how poverty cannot just effect adults or parents but can also effect children.

In this book Raspberry feels a responsibility to make money for her mom and herself no matter how hard it is. Raspberry says “Much as I tried I couldn't make enough money to keep Momma and me from ending up on the streets.” This line stood out a lot to me; this really shows who she is as a character. She is just a kid and her mom works yet she still felt it was her job to provide money for her and her mom. She focuses on making money more then anything which is not in her best interest all the time, for example she does not seem to pay a lot of attention to her classes at school but focuses more on selling things. Her mother is responsible and cares for her but she still feels this way. One issue that is probably contributing to this is that Raspberry’s dad is not around therefore she might feel protective of her mom. She also probably recognizes everything her mom has done for her and wants to help her out as much as she can.

Raspberry also is very determined to make money because she thinks its so important. After getting complains about the things she was selling at school and the principle banned it but that didn't stop her, she started to get her friends interested in cleaning peoples houses and after she cleans a house she tries to get even more work by going to her friend who washes cars and washes cars for him. When she sells stuff at school the people complain about it and bully her for it like one character, Seneca but Raspberry brushes it off. She says “Seneca’s right. Before homeroom period is up eight more people want their money back. The last four kids are out of luck, though. I ain't walking out of school today with nothing.” Later the principal comes out and says he is going to call her mom because of what she is selling, she says “Mr. Jackson is saying something else about calling momma. Me, I’m holding tight to my ducats. ‘Cause no matter what, I'm not giving up no more cash today.” These quotes show here determination of having money this also shows her value of money over her reputation. Her determination is probably because of many things, one main effect being fear.

While reading this I could tell that Raspberry was scared of the things that could happen if they didn’t have enough money. It seems as though most of Raspberry’s fear was that they would end up back living on the street like they had before. Raspberry and her mom get robbed and she tries to stay strong but she knows that she doesnt have a lot left. Her friends dad comes too talk to her she says “Before he can ask me anything else, the tears come.’We, we gonna be living on the streets again.’” I can infer that Raspberry feels very angry, upset and responsible right now. She also probably feels scared because she doesn't know what is next. She saves all this money up because she thinks ahead but now that can't get her as far as she planned. She is scared of what is next for her and her mom.

In this book Raspberry is a very strong person and a very independent person. She faces many issues but deals with them without needing constant help or support from other people. Throughout the book she learns that money isn't everything and friendships are more important but she doesn't completely change as a character. This book was a great book and taught important lessons about priorities. Its main issue was poverty and it taught me about the effect on children.