Between the Lines

Brain Waves

2009-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Although no one is any longer reading this blog, I thought I would keep it active by posting some updates on what I've been doing.

I'm still involved with the Correctional Education Association (CEA) and like to keep up with what is happening in that field.

I'm more active than ever in Tapped In. With the competition from so may Web 2.0 sites, it's hard to both keep up with current resources and separate the wheat from the chaf. Tapped In is still the best re: community. Maybe I'll make another post on that topic in the near future.

Retirement is wonderful! I'm busier than ever. I miss the staff at Loysville, but don't miss the stress and frustration.

I'm still also active in the CEA Juvenile SIG and post regularly about topics or other information that correctional educators in juvenile institutions may find useful.

Enough for today...have a couple of discussions to moderate in Tapped In. If you're listening to my drivel, thanks!

A New Art Teacher for LYDC

2008-06-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, this is my last year at Loysville. I will be retiring after 24 years. I will miss the boys and I am grateful for the many opportunities that have been given to me both professionally and personally. I will remain active with the Correctional Education Association and am on the board of CEA Region I (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Canada). This will probably be my last contribution to this blog. Thank you for your support and comments. The boys and I both appreciated your feedback.

BJ Berquist

A new Art Teacher is being hired to replace Mrs. Berquist. What are 3 strengths you would you recommend that the new teacher have?

I think the new art teacher should have good art skills, good teacher skills and good people skills. DA

Three strengths the new teacher should have are kindness, patience, and respect. The new teacher should not come here and be bitter to everyone. Kids will not like art class and resort it to the principal and that will start a bad reputation for the new teacher. The new teacher also should be patient with us. Everyone in here isn’t on the same artistic level and need different types of service. Last but not least, the new teacher should have respect for us. We should not be treated as criminals, but as young men and we will give the same respect back. MB

I would make sure that the teacher has humor. I would also like it if she knows an easier way to draw. I would also like her to have assignments that are fun. CM

I would like an art teacher to have tolerance for some kids who don’t have any respect and she needs self-control because kids do get itchy. I would know how you felt if you were my teacher. She also needs to have patience for us and the teachers cause I know kids are not the only ones who have problems. RS

One of the strengths that I would recommend the new art teacher to have is a good state of mind. I would recommend that because if you come in here with a bad state of mind then you will probably go crazy! Also I would recommend the new teacher to have a high self-esteem also because the kids are probably gonna bust on him or her. JB

Personally, another Mrs. Berquist would be perfect. But other people might think that the next art teacher might try and let us multitask! Just kidding ;-) But maybe the next art teacher might do group projects or everybody be on the same project and they would probably get finished quicker. There really isn’t anything else I would change. Happy retirement! DM

I like people that are funny cause that is what I can relate to. I like people who can be creative and make something out of nothing. If someone is nice, it promotes the aura of happiness. JH

Don’t take nothing from nobody; learn from the best, Mrs. Berquist, even if that’s hard for that teacher; and let us do art that we want to do. AG

I would recommend that the new art teacher has excellent art skills and for him/her to have excellent relationship with all students and not treat us as if we are locked up. MR

I think the new art teacher should have set projects that go in order, also I would say that they have to have lots of patience with the kids, and they should always have a good attitude so everyone else can have one. TR

I will tell the new teacher that the three strengths is for you not to let people to run over you, make sure the student is doing his work and make sure that you teat us how you would like to be treated and make sure everybody is given the same thing to do because if you do not they will be doing anything. RM

I would think that he or she has artwork skills, is respectful to the teachers and students, and also is polite to teachers and students. WC

I would tell the new teacher to give residents second chances because everybody that works and makes a mistake is sometimes given a second chance. The new art teacher would realize how other residents get along well every day someone is upset or sad to prevent something from happening the art teacher should talk to him and find out what is wrong and how can he make it better so we won’t be mad the rest of the day. The rules are easy to learn other teachers will help the new art teacher out. LP

Three things I would recommend for the new art teacher are they should be nice, fair, and be here to do their job and help students. RC

I think the new teacher needs to be respectful, pay attention to the kids and help like Miss Berquist used to do. GO

I would say they need to be skilled, good with kids and love their job. It is important for the new person to have good strengths and qualities for the job. If they are not skilled, good with kids, or love their job, then this job is going to be real hard for them. NC

The three strengths I would recommend are to be kind, have a big heart and be talented. These are 3 strengths I would recommend for the new teacher who is replacing Mrs. Berquist. TA

If you were the Principal of your school...

2008-06-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

The Principal of your home school has taken a leave of absence and you have been appointed to fill in during his absence. What are the three main changes you would make to your school to make learning easier for you and the students?

I would make some classes shorter. I would have lots of fun. I will let some things go if the kids are getting their work done. DA

The first thing I would do is make my classes smaller. At my home school it is about twenty-five kids to a class. I would make it about ten kids so it can be easier and less hassle. I would assign about two teachers to a class to help out more. One teacher can teach the whole class and the other can get some individual teaching done. The last thing I would do is make games out of the class work at the end of every week and have prizes or extra credit for the winners. This would encourage the kids to want to learn. MB

I would assign games that would help us learn. I would also make sure that the work would have some type of fun with it. I would also assign extra teachers so they would understand better. CM

I would make learning easier by doing new things like I would have a study hall class for people who forget class work. I would have kids become creative like building an after school program fore kids who flunked. RS

I would allow all the students to have a pair of headphones because I think you will probably get more work and stuff done if you have something taking the distractions away. I would allow the students to work together except for on exams and tests because that would not only make learning easier but demonstrate team work too. The last thing I would do is permit all the teachers in the school to hand out NO homework because when the kids leave from school that’s the last thing they want to be worrying about. I don’t think homework does anything anyway except make things harder on kids, especially teens. JB

If I were principal of my school, I would have more hands-on activities, more study hall, and more educational movies. DM

Three things I would do to make things easier to learn are: students allowed to help each other; students allowed to stay after school in library to do homework/any work; make sure students are doing work at their level. RC

The three things will be – no uniforms, all work on the internet, and take them on trips to learn history. (not a lot, but the truth) AG

If I was filling in for my principal I would let it be more trips to museums and I would make sure every class has what they need so the kid can learn things appropriately. And I would upgrade the library so that kids can have a wider selection to choose from. MR

Me personally I would ask all the students I can what they like to do and what they think is a good way to learn and how they like to learn and what would help them learn. Then I would try my best to follow up on that and help everyone in the school to learn. TR

I will tell the kids to try not to get in trouble and do good and I will make sure that they will not skip classes and I will tell the teacher to make learning fun so that the kids will be more interested in learning and I will tell the teacher to be happy and have fun with their kids. RM

I would do more assemblies, I would have food more healthier, and I would make arrangements for a field trip if every kid in the school is doing good and working to their fullest ability. WC

I would make sure everybody is on time. I would change the classes around and put two teachers in each room so the kids can learn much better. Help the kids understand the work better – read it to them and give them some examples. LP

I would have classes divided into their learning ability. I would have school all year around so they could not forget things. We would have one week of school off a month. JK

If my principal was to go on vacation I think I would have educational trips every Wednesday. We would watch an educational movie until dismissal and I will give a pizza party to the best kids. GO

If my principal left I would change the way we learn a lot. I would have more computer interaction. I would have kids on the computer and have interactive programs. I would also have more time for projects because people don’t have much time and I would allow the kids to set how their schedule is so they could pick where they want to be and when. NC

The three changes I would make in my school to fill in during my principal’s absence would be – Lunch: I would make lunch free with better food; I would give kids the last 5 minutes of class for social talk; I would try and improve all teaching skills. This is what I would do. TA

Multitasking

2008-05-28T14:54:00.001-07:00

Researchers have discovered what many of us are realizing the hard way – multitasking doesn’t work. If you try to do too many tasks at the same time, you only become more efficient at completing them all poorly. Good work requires concentration. Heck, life requires concentration! ~ Brenda Power, Editor, Choice Literacy, www.choiceliteracy.com

Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your position.

No, I don’t agree because if you are concentrating on one thing and try to do another at the same time it might not come out as well as it should because you were not really focused on it. GO

I agree cause if you multitask at things you are bound to mess up. If you do things one at a time and concentrate and take your time you will do a great job of what you are doing. CM

I agree with the topic on the board because every time that I try to do two different things at the same time the only thing that ends up happening is the bad thing. The best thing to do is to stay motivated and do what will benefit you in your life. JL

I agree about that because to concentrate you have to be focused to do something you have to concentrate like for me I can’t talk and do my work because I have to focus on what I’m doing. I have to be alone if I want to focus it has to be silent. DH

I agree to a point about multitasking. I can multitask and make good work but slowly. All people are different though. Sometimes I can do more things than others. I can do good work while multitasking, but also it’s easier to mess up. JH

I agree because I can learn and get more if I concentrate. CS

I agree that you can’t multitask and do everything the same. You need to take your time on what you are doing. If not, and you multitask, you will not get it done the same way. JK

I disagree because like me I can multitask by hearing things what people are saying and I can see what people are doing at the same time. WC

Yes, I agree that if you multitask it helps you get a lot of things done faster. RM

I disagree that multitasking does not work because if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want to complete in life. You can take day by day and work on them day and night. LP

I don’t think that life requires concentration. I think that you should just go with the flow because it’s more fun that way cause you never know what’s going to happen and that’s more fun. I don’t agree because I think that you can multitask and the thing will still have the same quality as before. DR

I think it does require a lot of concentration. I noticed while I was in here if I focus on school I can’t get my books (program) done. It’s overwhelming and my grades in school and completing my books is mediocre. I know I can do better but my mind is always jumping back and forth. SS

I disagree because just because all people the other people can’t multitask that does not mean people can’t because it depends if you got a stressful life or not because if you got kids, a job, laundry to do bills to pay and it all on your head at once it will be harder for you but if you have all that stuff and you know you can do it if you don’t stress then you can do it so I disagree and that is why. MR

I agree that multitasking doesn't work. Because if you try to drive and eat at the same time there is a high risk that you'll wreck and there are things like say for instance you work 3 jobs all 8 hour shifts in one day you'll be exhausted and you'll go to work not wanting to do anything - that can end up getting you fired. TR

I disagree with the journal question because it does work with certain situations so that’s why it will be easier to do one task at a time cause if you do a lot of tasks only 50% of them will get done. ML

I disagree with the researchers’ assumption about multitasking. I think multitasking is hard work, but it is possible. Multitasking helps a lot in life. We can still concentrate and multitask. Multitasking helps us become more versatile Being versatile will help better in life. MB

I agree that multitasking doesn’t work because I try to do it all the time and it never works so I agree. DA

I disagree with this because I think there are some people out there that can do multitasking and they do it well, but for some people they get frustrated and it ends up being worse than what it was when they started. That’s what I think about multitasking. BM

I agree because the more you put in time and the longer you spend on the task, the better it will come out. I learned that in this art class from Miss Berquist. If you focus on the task then it will keep you occupied in many ways. RS

It does work. I do QL all the time. I have 9 nieces and nephews. I know how to do it. VM

I don’t agree, I multitask a lot and do things to the best of my ability. I know you’re not focusing your attention in one spot, but you’re focusing it in many spots at once. I don’t agree I think multitasking works just fine to get more than one thing done at once. NC

I do believe that good work requires concentration. But who needs good work when you could have mediocre! Multitasking is good enough for me so I’ll stick with it. Who knows, maybe I’ll get really good at it. DM

I agree because you can talk and do something at the same time. As long as you pay attention to whatever it is that you’re doing then you won’t have to worry about side tracking. I also agree because sometimes people need to talk to somebody or have some type of noise to focus. JB

I agree that it is hard to multitask because it’s a lot to keep up with. When you multitask you set yourself up for failure because it knows you can do 10, 11, or even 5-3 things at once. The reason is because if you have to be done at a time then you’ll rush through to get to your next task. This is why I agree that it’s hard to multitask. TA

True peace is the presence of justice

2008-04-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.”
Dr. Martin Luther King

What does Dr. King mean by “true peace”?
What would be another way to describe “absence of tension”?
How can you achieve true peace in your life?

By true peace Dr. King means everyone is getting along and treated equally and there are no more crimes being made. The ending of racism could be described as absence of tension. I can achieve peace in my life when I can be able to take care of me and my family. MB

Martin Luther King means by true peace is to be free and have rights. Absence of tension would mean to get comfortable. JK

I can achieve peace by not getting any more charges by me having to go to court again. Also stay home to care, love, respect, and support my parents and family. WC

True peace is not merely the absence of stress or conflict, it is addressing illegal behaviors, things or situations. Another way to describe “absence of tension” is the absence of stress or conflict. The way I can achieve true peace in my life is by confronting the negative and illegal behaviors in this environment at especially in my community. Turn all the bad things and people to good things and people. CW

He want the world to be peaceful. Stressing always worrying and always mad create tension. To bring peace stop doing the negative stuff and start doing the positive. DH

King probably meant everyone gets along (true peace). Another way to describe absence of tension would be that nobody is against anybody else. To me, true peace means that everyone gets along, there is no war, and everyone’s happy. DM

True peace means for things to be fair everyone should be treated the same. Then the minority will feel at peace or there won’t be anyone feeling mistreated. I can achieve true peace by staying out of trouble and to be with my daughter and family. BC

True peace is just that: everybody loves each other. What I mean is different races loving each other and not saying racist things. The absence of tension is that there is no more getting nervous when a minority sees a white cop and gets scared. It’s when white guys see minority and get scared that they might rob them. That is tension. When that’s gone, we have absence of tension. VM

Dr. King means that he wants true peace for the world and his family like he wants peace. Another way to describe absence of tension is that all of the things that you're going through in life, all of the good things that I go through I can achieve peace by me being home with my family and friends and girl living a good life and going to school, working, having my car to pack up and ride around in going to family cookouts. That's what I can achieve with true peace. SB

What I think Dr. King meant by true peace is not doing the little things that are not necessary and just living life without anything to worry about. I can achieve true peace in my life by only being near the people that love me and do not bring drama. MR

I think what that means is that to get along with one another and don't cause trouble at least try and what I think absence of tension is to stress and when you are in that spot you should think of clearing your mind and take deep breaths and do what I have to do to achieve peace. AG

I think Dr. King means by true peace is peace with yourself and the world around you and not worrying about someone doing something to you. I think the absence of tension is not feeling any way about anyone around you. JA

People not messing with each other. If there was no tension between people the world will be a whole lot better. To achieve peace in my life, I need to just stick to myself and worry about me. HR

He means he would like to have peace for real not have fake peace or people fronting. He wants people to truly have peace. I think you could say world friendship as another way to describe "absence of tension." I can try to become a more positive person and try to make friends not enemies. NC

Complete peace - no violence or anything of that nature. No bad vibes from one another. I don't think I can achieve true peace. I'm not a very peaceful person from my point of view. SS

True peace means to have everybody live together as one and not have segregation. Another way to describe absence of tension would be to just get along with people and try to come to the best agreements possible. I can achieve true peace in my life by getting out of here and showing my family that I care about them more than before. I will show them by being responsible and staying out of trouble. CH

Do you have a Hero?

2008-04-23T05:57:00.001-07:00

Heroes: Describe three traits that heroes have. Who is YOUR hero and why?

My heroes are my family. The only reason my family is my hero is because they show me support and love no matter what I do. A family cares for you and supports the good decisions that you make in life. I appreciate everything that they do for me and the love that they demonstrate towards me. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my family as my hero or around me. JL

My hero is my mom because no matter what happens she will love me. She always looks out for the best for me. Also she provides shelter, food, and clothes for me. JS

My hero is my mom and dad. The reason why is because they did everything for my brothers and sister. When we didn’t have food they went out of their way to get food for us to eat. My parents mean a lot to me and the family. RA

My heroes are the Young Guns. The Young Guns are two rappers that has been with each other ever since they were in diapers. They remind me of me and my right hand (best friend). They are always together just like me and my right hand. Another reason why I choose the Young Guns as my heroes is because they make music that I like and that I can relate to, and when I hear it I know that I ain’t the only one going through times and situations. CW

A hero is a person that saves you, and you look up to and have some kind of power over something. Do you know who is my hero? It is my mother cause she saved me from a lot of stuff and I look up to her for certain stuff and my mom have power of some things and the way she react. So that’s my hero and only hero is my Mother. AG

My hero is my parents and family because they love me they care about me, also they support the things I need to keep me alive. Also they are the ones that would not give up on me because they love me too much to do a thing like that. They also said that when I am 18 years old I can come back to visit them any time I want. Also they have faith in me doing good. I haven’t showed it yet, but when I am out of Loysville I think that I am going to start showing my parents and family that I have the capability to be a hero and show the 3 traits to keep being a hero. The three traits are: being courage to other people; have faith in yourself and other people that care and love you; also respectful towards yourself and other people who care and love you. WC

One trait that a hero has is courage. He has to be courageous and he needs to be helpful because that’s what a hero does and a hero needs to be smart because his enemies are smart too. My hero: to be honest, my hero died a long time ago because he ended up hurting me. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a hero again or an idol, but I’m still looking and searching. LC

The three traits of a hero should be courage, honor, respect. My hero is my brother. The reason is because he taught me everything I know. He taught me how to survive. That’s why he’s my hero. VM

Loyalty: to be sincere to someone
Caring: to provide for someone and be there
Love: to love someone unconditionally
My mom and dad are my heroes because they have all the above traits. BC

I think a hero has many different traits, but the main ones are helping others, keeping the peace, and not getting involved with illegal activities. They stay positive. My hero is my mom and the reason why is she’s always there for me and tries to keep me on the right path and does all the things a hero does. JA

To me, I believe that a hero has responsibility, respect, and is caring. Someone who I think is a hero would be my dad. Not only does he have these 3 traits, but he has also raised me. DM

Heroes have a lot of traits, but 3 main ones are truly role models. They save what needs to be saved and they always will lead you in the right direction. My hero is my mom cause she is the reason I’m here and she raised me alone without a man in her life and that makes me look up to her cause if you put your mind in whatever you want to do you can do it and she did it to raise her five kids. GO

My hero is Jesse James/Will Castro. They walked fro the bottom and now they’re at the top. They fix cars, customize them and all. They represent what I want to do in life. They struggled to get where they’re at but they reached their goal. NC

Three traits that heroes have is power. Power is my favorite trait to use. Everybody likes them because they can help whoever is in danger. I like to help people when I can. Another trait they have is they don’t die, and if they do it is hard to kill them. My favorite hero is Batman. He is the one to me that is the one who is most realistic. He has gadgets to kill his enemies. And he gets beat up so it’s not like he is immortal and will die. CH

Traits: Courage, enthusiasm, humor. My brother because he has always been there for me. JK

My mother is my hero because 1) she is always there when I am feeling down. 2) When I need something she is there. 3) She lets me know when I did something wrong. GP

My heroes are my mom, g-mom, and aunt because they have all been through things I would of never made it through and because they love me and I love them and I honor everything they do. Their traits are that they don’t discriminate and they tell you how it is straight up without beating around the bush and they only hang with people that do the same. MR

My hero is superman, because I feel that me and him have a little in common. I husky and sometimes I like to act like him. I like to imagine that I have lazar eyes and strong cool breath, and that I can fly. That’s why he is my favorite hero. SB

A hero is a person who is good. A hero is a person who helps people. A hero is a person who’s kind. My hero is my mom because she helps and loves me. My hero is my mom because she takes care of me. CS

Three traits that a hero has are courage, integrity, and leadership. My hero would be Martin Luther King, Jr. He started the civil rights movement and fought for what he believed in and after he died his dream came true. We are being treated equally. MB

Racism and Prejudice

2008-04-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever experienced racism or prejudice for the color of your skin, your beliefs, or your lifestyle (behaviors)? Write a paragraph on what you experienced and how you felt about it.

One day when I slept over at my friend’s house, his grandma was telling him that she don’t want me to sleep over because black people steal. They were talking in Spanish, so at first I didn’t understand what was going on. I felt real disrespected when he told me what she said. However, I let it go and forgot about it. CW

I experienced people talking about my race just for the simple fact that they were having problems with people who were the same race as me. I felt very sad and angry because nobody should talk about anybody’s race or anything else that could be considered racism. JL

This one time I got called white trash. It made me mad and really upset. He swung on me and I just walked away. I knew that was cause I am part Mexican so I know that he did not know what he was talking about. GD

Plenty of times when I went to the store I experienced racism or at least felt it. One time I went to this mini market run by Asians. When I got in the store the owner just stared at me. As I walked around the store he kept following me like I was trying to steal something. I felt that the only reason he was doing this was because I was black. MB

I can’t say I’ve been through something like that because it’s not like that where I am from. The day I got locked up the cops hittin’ me because of my skin color. They did not like me cause I was Hispanic and I was from north Philly, but I know I am not a bad person because I did good. Just because I am from a bad part of Philadelphia people shouldn’t have the right to judge people. ML

It was this one day in school when I was home. This white boy called me a Spic and I was so angry that I just snapped on him and really hurt him and got locked up for him. In some way I felt disrespected and that is one thing I never liked cause I never even talked to the boy. AG

I never went through racism. I only was only called fat cause of my weight. Some people don’t like my lifestyle but they don’t set or show any disrespect. So I can say I never was put in a situation like that other than my weight and name calling. TB

Yes, I have witnessed racism. It was when I was in elementary school and a new boy came to my class. He said his family was from Virginia and they had a lot of farms and stuff and then one day this black boy my class came to my elementary teacher and told her that the boy from Virginia was calling him a bad name and the teacher said what word was it and they said the N***** word and she asked the boy did he say it and he said yes. I got it from my dad and ever since that I get extremely mad when I hear people on TV calling people the N word. MR

No, I have never experienced racism or prejudice, but I can say because of my behavior from when I was young. When I was little I used to do bad things and get locked up. The cops always brought me back home to my house. People in my neighborhood used to tell their kids not to play with me and that is how I got judged about my behavior. But, you see, when I got older and became one of those chill and fall back bull, I guess that’s when people in my old neighborhood changed their thoughts about me. Some neighbors always did like me. SB

I felt bad because I’d only see people calling me names. Also that is rude when other people hear it. Personally I wouldn’t say that to another person and my opinion. My parents wouldn’t like that either. WC

Yes, I have somebody called me a spic and I was about to hit that person but I walked away. I have it of my beliefs. Some people don’t like the way I do things. I don’t like the way people said this to me. JK

I have experienced racism. I didn’t have it bad, but people used to look at me like I’m some drug dealer because of the way I dress. They don’t even try to get to know a person to see for themselves how some of the Black people get. They just make racist assumptions about the way Black people acted. I don’t think that’s right and I don’t like that. JA

I have lived a life free of racism. I get along with everyone. I hope my life keeps going this good. The world would be a much better place without racism. DM

Yes, I have experienced racism a lot before in my life. People say you’re just a dumb white boy, you will amount to nothing. People underestimate others because of their skin color. I felt real bad. I felt that no one really cared about me. They just cared when I got locked up. NC

Acrostics for Learning

2008-04-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Choose one item from the following list and write an acrostic using that item.
1. Communication
2. E Pluribus Unum
3. Diversity
4. Independence
5. Education

Everyone
Displays
Unique
Characteristics
And
Tries to
Intervene
On
Negative ones. BC

Determination
Integrity I cherish my
Values
Everybody
Reaches towards
Something you feel is right
In your heart
This is
Your time to overcome and succeed. BA

Everybody

Please
Love each other dearly
Under all
Real life
Instances
Because our
United States
Societies

Uniquely and
Neatly
Utilize the strength of the individual in the
Multitudes. DM

Education is the key
Different people do believe, some people are
Unique
Could pass your G.E.D.,
Always try and do your best
Till you figure out success,
In return you'll be a vet,
Or
Never settle for the less. CW

Different
Individuals have
Variety
Everyone is equal and
Respect is due to all
Sustaining
Individuality is
Transcended by the
Yearning for peace. LF

Extend your thoughts
Discuss your options
Utilize others' ideas
Consistent in school
Attend open discussions
Talk to people who are educated
Ideas are important
Overcome your fears
Never quit school. TR

Everlasting
Dreams come in spite of being
Under
Cruelty of hate and I
Achieve the
Triumph meeting goals
Inside my
Open
Nest. CM

Exciting forces of
Destiny
Unite and create a
Chemistry between the
Addition of new learning through
Teamwork and individuals taking the
Initiative to be
Open to
New ideas. GP

Difference
In the right to
Vote is because of the
Energy of others…
Race
Sex
Intelligence of
The
Young. TR

Don't
Invert
Values
Express yourself
Remind yourself
Something will always
Inspire
The
Young. NC

Diversity
Is not
Very
Easy to achieve.
Reaction to a variety of
Situations can be hard
In providing
Treatment in a
Youth facility. JA

Do
Insults
Vary for
Everyone?
Races
Should
Intertwine
To show the best of
Yourself. CH

Enter into a journey to your
Destination.
Understand where you’re going.
Create a plan to
Achieve your dreams. Be a
Teacher and a learner. Provide
Incentives for a better life, an
Occupation, and a
Navigation map for success!
(Block 10)

My Life Described as a Line

2008-04-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

This week's blog entry was based on the element of LINE. Line can show movement, direction, and feelings. The assignment was to describe your life as a line moving through time and then draw your life as a line.

In my left I was abuse physical and sexual so them are my down along with my criminal behavior like robbing people and stealing. My ups are when I express and told about what happened to me and my achievements such as gun prevention, C.O.A. and other groups. TB

My life is similar to the rocky mountains "up and down" because like I start out doing good and then I went downhill. It's like when I do good for a while and I hit a bump in the road. I start falling apart cause I use that "all or nothing" method. It happened a couple times when I would get a bad grade in a subject that I like. KS

When I was born I just wandered around trying to find out what things are. Then I start seeing how far I can go until I get in trouble. I started hanging out with negative people. I talked to someone and decided I wanted to be better but then I started to experiment with drugs. Now I'm doing better and trying to turn my life around. TR

This line represents my life and the things I've been through. It starts out as me moving up in my life and playing sports, then it goes straight down hill because I got in trouble with the law. After doing nine months in placement I came home and started doing good, but then I wasn't doing good in school. Then the next thing you know I was on the run. After eight months on the run I finally turned myself in and got sent to LYDC. During my stay in Loysville I can accomplish some of my goals so when I leave I can be on the straight road to success and keep it consistent. CW

Growing up I was a crybaby. I cried because I got my way all the time. When I went to kindergarten my mom spoiled me to death. When I turned 14 I started to get mature. At 14 I was doing the wrong things in the streets. I became a juvenile delinquent and today I'm learning how to be a good father to my child. JP

Everything was good until I became a teenager. I started acting up then I stayed acting. Now at 17 I am doing a little better but I get into trouble once in a while. JS

Everything was good until I met my friends. I started to get locked up, but I thought it was just a game for me. Now I realize that I have to change and now my life is getting better. JL

My life as a line is starting as a baby. I learned fast when I was young. Then my lifeline went toward a negative side. I started hanging with the wrong type of people. I started to take drugs. Then my lifeline came to a stop because I got locked up and I had to think about all the things I messed up and how I love to do what I want. I'm on my way I get my life line going to the right path and in the direction of success, happiness and a crime free person. JA

I was born in southwest Philly a Children's Hospital. I lived with my grandma, Aunt, Sister and cousin. My sister moved with my older sister. I stayed with my grandma and she took care of me. I got kicked out of my elementary school and went to another school. I graduated from there and went to middle school until the summer. I got locked up at the end of June 2005. I was setting in my holding place until the judge had sent me away. I was away for 15 months all together. I got out at the end of 2006. I came home and was living with my sister when my grandma got sick. I stayed with my sister and my mom until my grandma got well. My grandma didn't make it. I moved in all the way with my older sister and my mom and nieces. Sister moved out. I was just me and my mom and my second older sister staying in the house. I got locked up and then got out. I went to school. I had a court date come up. I went to court and they kept me! SB

My life started when I was born in December. I was living in foster care because my other parents abused me, then August 4, 2000 I moved up here in Coudersport, PA. I was adopted on March 13, 2001. I went to elementary school and then high school. Then, when I grew older I been working with electronic tools. WC

I Am a Still River that Runs Deep

2008-02-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

Students completed a worksheet using the I Am Model as a writing guide.

I AM (Model)

I am (two special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
I touch (an imaginary touch)
I worry (something that really bothers you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I understand (something you know is true)
I say (something you believe in)
I dream (something you actually dream about)
I try (something you really make an effort about)
I hope (something you actually hope for)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I am a lone skater
I wonder what’s out there for me
I hear the music of the world
I see different sights in different cities
I want to have a hiding spot
I am a lone skater

I pretend I don’t need help
I feel for people that have it worse
I touch people’s hearts with my words
I worry about my family
I cry when I get hurt
I am a lone skater

I understand my friends
I say be calm and let it ride out
I dream that everything will be ok
I try to do it on my own
I hope for everlasting peace
I am a lone skater
CR

I am a listener and I help people when I can
I wonder how I will turn out in life
I hear my destiny calling
I see paradise ahead of me
I want to amount to something
I am a listener and I help people when I can

I pretend to have everything I need
I feel trapped and unable to escape
I touch long magical beasts
I worry things won’t go as planned
I cry when nobody wants to help me out
I am a listener and I help people when I can

I understand what needs to be done
I say do what you have to to get by
I dream on being someone someday
I try to understand other people
I hope things will work out
I am a listener and help people when I can
BA

I am an honest person
I wonder what would the world be without me
I hear people calling me by my name
I see angels surrounding me
I want to be honest and respected
I am an honest person

I pretend to be flying
I feel like an angel coming down to save you
I touch my heart and think about you
I worry that I will not find you ever.
I cry every day
I am a special person to you

I understand your feelings for me
I say that I love you and miss you
I dream about you everyday
I try to imagine you being here with me
I hope that we could be reunited soon
I am the love of your life
JL

I am smart and good looking
I wonder how my family is doing
I hear an echo
I see unicorns
I want to stay home and do good plus change the way I act sometimes
I am smart and good looking

I pretend to hide things from people
I feel like a dragon
II touch a mermaid
I worry when people tell me what to do
I cry when I am away from home without my family
I am smart and good looking

I understand why my grampa died
I say that I will always love my family and be there for them when they need
I dream about being an electrician, plumber and landscaper
I try to complete this program so I can be home with my family I love
I hope that I can make my parents proud because they want me to do good in this program so I can go home and hopefully stay at home.
I am smart and good looking.
WC

I am the best rapper alive
I wonder if I'm going to live to 25
I hear D-block and Jay-Z
I see myself chilling with my family
I am the best rapper alive

I pretend that I'm in the NBA
I feel that I can make it by being a rapper
I touch ones, tens, fifties, and hundreds
I worry about my friends and family
I cry when somebody close to me dies
I am the best rapper alive

I understand that it's not easy being a single parent
I say it is what it is
I dream about becoming rich
I try to stack as much bread as I can
I hope that my uncle comes home on appeal
I am the best rapper alive
BP

I am a smart gentleman
I wonder how I become who I am
I hear that people who try succeed
I see barbed wire
I want money
I am a boss
I pretend nothing
I feel pain
I touch everything
I worry about life
I cry alone
I am a person

I understand most of everything
I say nothing
I dream about the world
I try hard to make it
I hope I get far in life
I am a man
MR

I am a geek and I'm weak
I wonder why I can't speak
I hear my mom yelling
I see my sister crying
I want to help her
I am Cody

I pretend to be a good kid
I feel anger
I touch my face
I worry about the group
I cry when I'm mentally weak
I am Cody

I understand I'm locked up
I say things to my mom
I dream of coming home
I hope I'll make it
I am Cody
CL

I am tall and strong
I wonder about my cousin
I hear the old things he used to say to me
I want my past family to reunite in the future
I am tall and strong

I pretend to be flying
I feel like I have super powers
I though the bottom of the sea
I worry about my mother
I cry when I think about my grandma
I am tall and strong

I understand my past things I did were wrong
I say that me and the Lord will meet one day
I dream about my family and friends
I try to do my best in school
I hope my mother can get better
I am tall and strong
SB

I am tall and strong
I wonder if there is really life beside earth
I hear God talking to me
I see my kid going to college
I want to be a dentist
I am tall and strong

I pretend to be home
I feel my mother's touch
I touch the sky
I worry about life working good for me
I cry when I think about my son
I am tall and strong

I understand that I am at Loysville
I say it's ok…it's not for long
I dream about fast cars and big houses
I try to do good
I hope my son don't grow up like me
I am tall and strong
GO

I am unique and smart
I wonder what life after death is
I hear barks
I see love
I want a perfect family
I am unique and smart

I pretend to be crazy
I feel upset
I touch peoples' hearts
I worry about my son
I cry about not being with my son
I am unique and smart

I understand I have to be here
I say Allah is with me
I dream I will be a great father
I try to do my best
I hope my child is a great person
I am unique and smart
JP

I am educated and talented
I wonder how the world is going to turn out in 10 years
I hear paper crumbling
I see different human races
I want the best for the world
I am educated and talented

I pretend like I don't care about the world
I feel like nothing no more
I touch every hand in the world
I worry about not seeing my family
I cry because I'm stuck in hurt
I am educated and talented

I understand why people are different
I say the world can change
I dream the world coming to peace
I try to change the way I misbehave
I hope my mother can see me on the stage
I am educated and talented
TR

I am special
I wonder if I live to 100 years old
I hear the radiator at night
I see people everyday
I want a girl right now
I am in love with a girl

I pretend to joke
I feel sore
I touch food a lot
I worry about what's going to happen when I go home
I cry when my aunt died
I am going crazy

I understand what my mom tells me
I say what's up a lot to folks
I dream about girls
I try to play soccer
I hope I make it through life
I am smart at everything I do.
KJ

I am brave and courageous
I wonder how long I will live
I hear echoes
I see fame
I want to be a rap artist
I am brave and courageous

I pretend to be at home
I feel like I'm here for a reason
I touch the future
I worry when I will leave Loysville
I cry when there is a family funeral
I am brave and courageous

I understand people live and die
I say what goes around comes around
I dream of being a rapper
I try to stay focused on me
I hope to get my family a better place to stay
I am brave and courageous
CW

I am powerful and honest
I wonder if I'll have a boy or girl
I hear dragons flying
I see mermaids
I want to get out of here
I am powerful and honest

I pretend that I'm okay
I feel the heat of the dragon fire
I touch the dragon's tail
I worry if my brother's okay
I cry about the death of my older brother
I am powerful and honest

I understand I got to finish the program
I say what goes around comes around
I dream about me and baby and girl will have a good life
I try to stay focused on getting out of here
I hope to be successful
I am powerful and honest
JA

I am Garland
I wonder about my life
I hear things that I see
I see a lot
I want a lot of money
I am Garland

I pretend I'm free
I feel good
I touch a lot
I worry about my family
I cry sometimes
I am a human

I understand my family
I say bad words
I dream at night
I try to stay out of trouble
I hope I go home
I am whatever you say I am
GB

I am lazy and funny
I wonder why we're here
I hear voices
I see people
I want to go home
I am lazy and funny

I pretend to be somebody I'm not
I feel angry
I touch the sky
I worry about my family
I cry when I think about home
I am lazy and funny

I understand why we breathe
I say screw the government
I dream that I die
I try to get out of here
I hope I will leave soon
I am lazy and funny
DR

I am black and white
I wonder why I am the way I am
I hear voices that are in constant flux
I see my last breath
I want to die by fire
I am a nihilist

I pretend that I am the wolves
I feel translucid
I touch my death's hand
I worry about apathy
I cry because no one else will
I am watching from a crucifix

I understand how I don't want to live life
I say what if feels like to be free
I dream neon black anarchy
I try to love my end
I hope the system fails
I am God
SS

I am sad and lonely
I wonder when the world will end
I hear voices that are driving me crazy
I see what no other can see
I want to die a painful death
I am what you would call suicidal

I pretend that no other can touch me
I feel loneliness deep down inside
I touch my addiction to ending life
I worry how I will like my last breath
I cry until my eyes bleed red
I am what you would call suicidal

I understand what my higher power tells me
I say what will result in good
I dream of living in an afterlife
I try to end life so pleasantly
I hope someday I will live happily in heaven
I am what you would call suicidal
CH

I am fantastically smart
I wonder what it's like dying
I hear dead people
I see monsters
I want a mansion
I am fantastically smart

I pretend to fly
I feel creative
I touch the clouds
I worry about my sister and mom
I cry when people die
I am fantastically smart

I understand I am black
I say I'm going to survive
I dream about my dad dying
I try so hard to leave LYDC
I hope I could be successful
I am fantastically smart
AS

I am wonderful
I wonder when I will get out
I hear screaming
I see people that are dead
I want a girl I can stick with
I am wonderful

I pretend to have fun
I feel worried
I touch air
I worry about my sister
I cry when I think about my cousin
I am wonderful

I understand that I will not always get what I want
I say faith
I dream of having a baby boy
I try to do good
I hope I will stay out of lockup
I am wonderful
GD

I am outgoing and kind
I wonder about my future
I hear people
I see my mom
I am outgoing and kind

I pretend to like certain things
I feel people like me
I touch a lot of things with my hands
I worry about my future
I cry very rarely
I am outgoing and kind

I understand what I am trying to do in life
I say things don't bother me
I dream about being home
I try to get along with people
I hope I can go home soon
I am outgoing and kind.
NC

I am curious and imaginative
I wonder why I can't fly
I hear noises of water
I see waves of air
I am curious and imaginative

I pretend that I'm outside
I feel scared
I touch Braille
I worry about nothing
I cry about everything
I am curious and imaginative

I understand life
I say peace and love
I dream about magic carpets
I try to keep on rockin' in the free world
I am curious and imaginative
DM

I am quiet and helpful
I wonder about getting locked up
I hear cars
I see sexy girls
I want a BMW
I am quiet and helpful

I pretend to know things I don't know
I feel like going to Miami
I touch money
I worry about going to court
I cry because my mom is gone
I am quiet and helpful

I understand that people pass away
I say what goes around comes around
I dream about getting killed
I try writing letters
I hope I make it to the age of 25
I am quiet and helpful
KC

I am outgoing and smart
I wonder what happens after death
I hear animals
I see death
I want money
I am outgoing and smart

I pretend to be cool
I feel depression
I touch water
I worry about my family
I cry about life
I am outgoing and smart

I understand life
I say I'm bad
I dream of love'
I try hard
I hope to get out of lock-up
I am outgoing and smart
JS

I am tall and big
I wonder how to paint
I hear music
I see fantasy
I want to be a sponsored skateboarder
I am tall and big

I pretend to sleep
I feel strongly
I touch an apple
I worry about death
I cry being locked up
I am tall and big

I understand I can be what I want to be
I say I don't want to die
I dream of skateboarding
I try to be a really good skater
I hope to be a pro skater
I am tall and big
JK

I am a good person
I wonder if life is going to change
I hear my mother say I love you
I see life as nothing but time
I want a big house and 13 cars
I am my father's son and I am always going to be that

I pretend I am flying
I feel so in love
I touch my son as he is sleeping
I worry about if my son is going to be like me
I cry because I can't see my son grow up to be gig
I am a good father to my son and I love him

I understand life comes too fast
I say life is nothing but a game
I dream I am dying in life
I try to do my best in life as a son, father, and boyfriend
I hope to go home to my old life
I am life and life is what makes me
RA

I am respectful and kind
I wonder about when I am going to go home
I hear sounds that tell me the way home
I see what I have to do to go home
I am respectful and kind

I pretend to be a doctor
I feel so happy with my life
I touch books to learn things
I worry if I will make it one day
I cry losing things I love
I am respectful and kind

I understand I will get out in July
I say I will not get locked up again
I dream of having a family and staying out of trouble
I try to get my program over with and work hard
I hope for freedom and a good life
I am respectful and kind
JS

I am cool and positive
I wonder when I'll get out and how much I'll go through
I hear car exhaust
I see cars
I want to get out
I am cool and positive

I pretend to learn from this program
I feel crazy
I touch my girl
I worry how my family's doing
I cry because of my family
I am cool and positive

I understand I'm going to be here for a while
I say it is true
I dream about getting out
I try to change
I hope for freedom
I am cool and positive
JH

I am calm and take my time
I wonder when I'm going home
I hear new things each day
I see things in everyday life
I want to be there for my son
I am calm and take my time

I pretend to do more than I can
I feel left out
I touch other feelings
I worry about my family
I cry when someone dies
I am calm and take my time

I understand how it feels to be a man
I say how I feel
I dream of my son
I try to do my best
I hope to make it in life
I am calm and take my time
LF

I am easy to get along with and down to earth
I wonder where I'll be in 20 years
I hear drums from a band
I see lots of people tearing stuff up in a pit
I want to be a rock superstar, live in a big house and have five cars
I am easy to get along with and down to earth

I pretend to be retired on a big boat in the ocean
I feel excited when I imagine me retired
I touch a Jeep with a lift kit on it
I worry that something is going to happen to someone I love
I cry over spilt milk
I am easy to get along with and down to earth

I understand I'll be out of here some day
I say life can only get better if you want it to
I dream of being free
I try to be the best I can be
I hope that everything's going to work out
I am easy to get along with and down to earth
TR

I am black and independent
I wonder where life is going to lead me
I hear the songs of God
I see my guardian angel looking down at me
I want to see life for what it's worth
I am black and independent

I pretend I'm dead and there's nothing else
I feel I can hid my face from the face of the earth
I touch death when I'm all alone
I worry that I'll meet my death before I see the light
I cry when it seems like God shows no mercy
I am independent and full of death

I understand that life ain't no game
I say when you reach something you work for never let it go
I dream about death for every death there's a new beginning
I try to stay clear from my emotions
I hope one day I can see life as everyone sees it
I am a man of wonder and independent at that
TB

Aim for Success, Not Perfection

2008-02-19T05:51:00.000-08:00

Write a paragraph on what the following quotation means to you:

"Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life." ~~David M. Burns

To me it means to keep trying. Like in sk8 boarding if you fall, get up and try again. Don't give up your goal. If you fall, you work on what you did wrong and you will get better at the trick. Learn from your mistakes. JR

You need not go so far because you will fail, but you will learn from failing. When you fail you will have a hard time building back up the power to succeed in life. Also you need failure to learn new things. And another thing is if you don’t try to work towards success you will never whatsoever stride to new things. So what this is saying to do is not to lose ability to move on with your life. TR

What this quotation means to me is it’s telling me not to give up and also about that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and don’t never say “I can’t.” No one in this world is perfect, but you can do or be anything you want in life. It’s also telling me to move forward and accomplish all your goals to move on to new goals.. Also, if you make mistakes and you get consequences you learn new things. If you don’t learn new things you will never move forward with your life and succeed in a better life. KJ

Giving up your right to be wrong to someone will make you lose the ability because they would take advantage of you. When I gave up my right to a policeman, at court I got hit hard with a charge. It messed me up by me getting put in jail and going through a lot of unnecessary things. If this would of never happened, I would of probably played a smart way and move forward with my life. When I got out, I did the same again, thinking I wouldn’t get caught, and I got arrested again. Now that I’ve learned my lesson I will have a better life and go for my goals not doing stuff from the past. SR

It is saying that you should aim for your best and not do what you would do that would bet you in trouble. And do whatever floats your boat. And keep your mind on things that would help you in life. And if you do something wrong, move on with your life and learn from your mistakes. GB

To me that means to never give up. And that I should always be open to learn new things. I should have faith in myself. And to also let myself know that I’m wanting to learn new things. And I would like to learn new things and to go in the right direction. And it is also telling me that if I’m wrong to just say I’m wrong and move on with my life. AP

2/21/2008

Another quote has been added to this writing assignment:
"I've failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." -- Michael Jordan , basketball legend

I agree because when you fail more than once it's never right to give up. The most important thing in life is to get back up and try again. In my life I failed in a lot of things that could have lead me in a negative way, but eventually I still haven't given up and I'm staying focused to moving up in life. Also, I want to correct all the things I failed in and try them. Those who fail and don't try again, don't ever succeed in life. JL

I done some things in my life that I had to learn from but some time I kept doing the same thing over and over until I saw I needed to stop and learn from it because if I don't, I am always going to get locked up. RA

This means to me that without mistakes you will not learn, and if you think you are perfect you are not realizing you're making mistakes so in that saying you are not learning. You should know that you made a mistake. No one can take that away from you so you are learning. GD

The quote means to me that if you don't make mistakes you won't learn so don't ever think because you make mistakes you are failing, because you are really learning. JP

Just try to succeed in life not try to be perfect. If you try to be perfect and try to get it all you will fail. Don't think you're too good to be wrong. Suck it up and take it. Broaden your horizons and open your eyes to new things. Always be good and keep on going to be the best you can be. We all need to make mistakes to learn the rights and wrongs. If you never make mistakes then you'll think you are so perfect. Don't think that making mistakes is really bad. NC

I think it means to keep your head up and don't never give up. If you never give up it will show that you have tried and you want to make something positive. I have to keep on trying to succeed because it does get hard and giving up shouldn't be an option. I believe anyone can do good and fail also but you have to keep on trying and trying over and over. SB

I think this journal topic means like that in order to be successful everything you do to achieve that goal doesn't have to be perfect cause nobody's perfect. And it also says that everybody's wrong sometimes and makes mistakes and we learn new things off of our mistakes and move on after them. JS

Think the quote is stating that if you think you're right all the time then you're not going to listen to what people have to say that might be right. The people who do this is an irrational thinker and has no chance for future success. That is why I can admit when I'm wrong and listen to the people that I think is or might be right. JA

Look to succeed in life. Even the small things. Don't try to make it perfect, just make it work, make it right, don't try to make it seem like you know everything and are perfect. Never be who you aren't, be who you are. You're not perfect until you are simply you. SS

When I come in a situation that is hard I don't care about doing the best that everybody has ever done. Just do it to have a good time and get done whatever you get done. If I took up too much time trying to be perfect I will drive myself crazy and will never get anything done. CH

I think that this quote is saying that give it all you can in life to make it successful but don't try to go through life without challenges because everybody makes mistakes in life. It's just you have to learn to get over the things that will hold you back. Just move forward and accept it as it comes and it will help you. BA

I means that it's okay to be wrong because everyone's human and mistakes is a part of life. We learn from the mistakes by knowing not to do it again and again. Some are worse than others, but even judges, police, even the government - things happen and no one is perfect but God. JP

I agree because it's saying it is alright to fail because when you fail it is not always a bad thing. You can learn from your mistakes and so the next time when you face that problem you can benefit. JS

What I think that means is that person wants you to be successful in life without having any major problems like getting charged for something you did. Also, he wants you to do good so you don't have to get into any trouble like breaking the law. Also, he wants you to learn from your mistakes and move on and do better this time without screwing up and doing stupid stuff. Also, doing good gets you good things; doing bad gets you bad things that you don't want to do or get caught for. Also, he's saying not to give up on yourself because you have the right to speak your opinion if they don't like it then tell them to leave. Also he is saying that if you make a wrong mistake/decision and you just throw everything you have to work for, that is just giving up because you got caught for something and don't care and you don't want to to a place that you never been before and don't like. WC

I agree because I do things that are not successful sometimes and I don't learn from. It makes me feel I am not moving forward with my life. I go for the success all the time but if it doesn't go out or come out the way I want it to be, I'm the type of guy that tells himself you need to do things right and start thinking what could happen if you don't. RA

In this world it's best to learn from your mistakes because it leads you to get far in life. Every time that I made a mistake I always thought that it was not wrong, but it took me a long time to realize it. When you give up and don't learn from your mistakes you will always do the same thing over again expecting a different result. Eventually the best thing to do is to learn from the mistakes that you made in life and don't do them again. The really important thing that matters is that you learn from what's right and wrong in life. JL

What it means to me is that what you do and that you are having difficulty on is that don't give up. For success, like anything, it says is to never give up your right. I'll never give up my right, it's meaning that you should stand for what's right to you, and what you going to go along with. Because if you give up on your right, you might get used to doing so, you might adjust to doing that and what it says i

Kindness and Justice Challenge

2008-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Kindness and Justice Challenge

Two websites to stimulate thinking about volunteerism, activism and peace:

The Martin Luther King Kindness and Justice Challenge
http://www.dosomething.org/

40 Days of Peace
http://www.40daysofpeace.org/

What experience have you had doing something to help others that has taught you something important? Maybe helping to clean up your neighborhood, for example, taught you that team work is important. Write a short chapter from your autobiography to detail this experience.

Tips for Writing a Personal Narrative
Because this writing is about one of your experiences, write from the first-person point of view, using words like I and me.

Tell the story as if you are experiencing it, including sensory details to draw your readers into the story and make them feel a part of it.

Your story will be easier to understand if you write the events in order from beginning to end. Using words like first, second, then, next, and finally will help readers keep track of what happens.

The last sentence or two of your narrative should provide some conclusion, such as what you learned from an experience. Be careful not to leave your readers "hanging," wondering what the end of the story is.

--------------------------
The way I experience kindness is to be respectful I treat people the way I want to be treated. I think that is a good way to start and build a good relationship with a person. The next thing is to be truthful. I think that it’s always good to help others. The reason is because everybody needs help sometime and you never know when you are going to need it one day. I think it’s good to help people because you have a sense of achievement that you helped someone achieve their goal. That is some of the reasons that I do what I do. JA

An experience I had doing something to help someone was helping the person to avoid a problem with a peer. It taught me that I could do it too whenever I had a problem. It also worked because the person that I taught left the program successful. SR

Something that I experienced was baby-sitting for my aunt and uncle while they were out. Their kids were 4 and 6. They were annoying and hyperactive. First, I had to think of something to calm them down so they weren’t jumping around everywhere. So I gave them both warm milk to have them sleepy. Next, I turned on the TV so we could all relax. After they fell asleep on the couch, I took them both to their beds quietly. Finally, I went back to the couch, turned on the TV channel to music videos and relaxed until my aunt and uncle got back home. All of them hours babysitting taught me not to have kids until I’m ready to take responsibility for them. Right now I’m a little too young and still have years to learn how to be a great father. CW

I have helped others by experience and I know that some things that I did in my life were wrong so I take that and help my little brothers on my case load so they could go home just like I am about to next month. I learned by learning from others could not only help me but teach me to help others. AS

2/14/2008

In my life I helped a lot of people who didn’t know how to do things. I learned by helping others that it’s very respectful thing and also you could accomplish a lot of things in life. The most important thing that I learned in life is the caring/appreciation that I have for others and they have for me for being kind to them. For me helping them out they show me respect all the time and they know they could depend on me at all times. JL

I have helped people move things out of their house, like moving furniture, beds, kitchenware, etc. It taught me something important…that helping people out like elderly people is not a bad thing. It is a good thing because people will look at you as respectful, kind and a helpful man. Also people might thank him/her for helping him/her out. Maybe some people will give that person money because you helped that person out that really needed your help, attitude, kindness, respectfulness, and caring person. WC

I help my ex-girl go through life because her mom and dad did not help that much as I did for her. She needs help with school and her job. She will call me and we would talk about how she could handle her problems without me. But, it taught me you could help people you know and love. RA

When I was at home when my friends would have trouble I would talk to them because I understand what they’re saying since I been through a lot and I heard kids say stuff there is like nothing I never heard yet. JS

When I help my sister out I feel good because I get to know her more so when I have a child and can treat them the same way like my sister. I help her ride her bike. I help her with school work. I help her so she knows what to do when she grows up. JT

The experience I had was good sometimes and not good sometimes. But my good experience I have done made me feel good and I thought to myself that giving a hand is good iven if it’s the person you don’t like because in the long-run in life I never know if I might need help. So, because I help people out when they need it, it makes me feel good about myself. My bad experience I had was when I help somebody out and they turn around and treat me all mean not saying it’s hurt me, it’s just that they don’t got no respect for others. That’s my experience I had helping people. SB

2/15/2008

I have shoveled some old lady’s snow. My first intention was to do it for money, then this guy came by and asked if I could just do it for free. She is an old lady. I was a little mad at first that he was trying to get me to shovel for free. But in the end I learned that not everything has to be not for your benefits. Do things just to be nice. CH

I lived with an older lady when I ran away from home. I helped her around the house and helped fix things. She would always try to give me money, but I never would take it. She told me once that I reminded her of her son that never came around. She said she enjoyed my company. I found out that I enjoy doing things for people far more than I enjoy doing things for money. SS

I helped others out with plowing their driveways and clean off their cars and I tell them that I don’t want anything in return. The point is that not everything in life has to be about money or other materials and that people remember the people that did something out of generosity more often than the person that only did it for the money. HC

What I have done that taught me a lot is when I helped my grandmom out with her groceries. I also have learned how to get respect from people because I have to give it. I have been taught a lot and learned how to deal with adversity. Dealing with adversity is important and shows a lot of patience. But my grandmom always told me to be respectful and patient in life. SB

I watched my little brother for my mom while she worked overtime. I learned that me and my mom will always need each other in one way or another. And I say that cause I used to think I ain’t need my mom and she ain’t need me. JS

I was trying to help my little sister with her homework. She just could not understand it. But I had to stop and think she is only 10 and she isn’t gonna get it right away. I learned I had to be patient and not get frustrated. NC

This one time I was in a store. I was looking at radios when two people came up to me. They said which one do you want so I ran and asked my pop. He said yes, so they bought me a radio. It made me feel that all people are not the same and there are some very generous people in the world. GD

While I was at home I helped my sister to understand adversity. Whil I was helping her I learned some things myself. People don’t understand the more you help the more you will understand it. My plans is to keep on helping so I can learn more and more every day. TR

A Hard Straight - No easy answers

2008-02-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

A HARD STRAIGHT
A documentary about doing time on the outside
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hardstraight/
Director: Goro Toshima

The blog entry for this week is to watch the documentary and write comments on how you feel the topic was handled. For our blog readers, once you look at the following responses, do you feel that the juvenile justice system is preparing youth for a return to their communities? All comments will be greatly appreciated. BJB

Do you think the people in the documentary were victims of the prison/parole system? Explain why you think they were or weren’t.
-----
No, because the parole officers would kep giving them chances but they would fail. RG

No, it was their choices to do what they did. They knew what they could and couldn’t do. TR

Yes, because once they go to prison it’s like they can’t stay out. LF

Yes, because they were violating their parole and they knew they needed to make a change. NB

No, they committed the crimes. TG

No, cause if they were then parole would have locked them back up without a real logical explanation. They got themselves into trouble. AD

I don’t think they were victims because they did the crime so they had to pay the time for what it was. SB

No, because they did bad things in their life. They been in trouble a lot, get locked up, using drugs, they are not victims. JT

Yes, because they had to report to the parole officer. MR

I don’t think they were victims. They just made bad choices. BP

Yes, the parole system took advantage of them and didn’t give them enough money for the outside. They can’t even walk down the street without getting burned. (BLK 10)

I think so because they could not stay out of prison because some of them couldn’t and didn’t have confidence or strength in themselves. JR

Because they give you just enough rope to hang yourself. KC

Yes, because they were in prison before. CW

Yes, because they had to do a lot of time to do and they didn’t have any place to live. RC

No, because they made their decisions to re-offend and go back to jail. The parole board was just doing their job. JB

In a way yes and in a way no, because they did what they did and the parole was keeping them from doing what they want. RA

Yes, because they did drugs and they broke the law. JS

No, they wasn’t. They was a victim of their own demise. They put themselves in that predicament. JP

No, because they put all that on themselves. JR

Yes, they got to put up with their bull shit. DL

Yes, because they could not get their life together. GB

Yes, because they weren’t doing the right thing. KL

I think the people was not victims. They just wasn’t trying to stay focused and not trying to get out of the system. JA

No, they have a choice. SS

No, they did things or put themselves in the negative situation. CH

No, because they did the things to get locked back up. DR

No, because they did what they did to get locked up. CH

No, cause what ever they did they chose to do. JS

I think they were not cause they were addicted to the streets. Parole is trying to help them. MA

No, because they were the ones putting themselves in that position. CW

Yes, it’s a set up for failure. VN

No, because they did something to get what they got. SB

Yes, should have had rehab/programs in lockup. No, it’s their own fault. (BLK 9)

No, because they put theirself in the situation. AS

Because they get out and they’re faced with strict rules and the parole system knows it’s hard to change. TR

Yes, because they were always in and out of jail, every time they said they wanted to change, they would end up messing up. SR

No, I think they did not think what they were doing and they got what was coming. GD

No, because they were locked up. AW

No, because they make the choice to do good or not and they want to keep putting theirself through it. NC

I think they weren’t because they put theirselves in trouble. AA

==========
Do you think the people in the documentary will ever be successful on the outside and not get locked up again? Why will the people in the film be successful or return to prison?
-----
I think they might change after their 13th time in prison. They might see that this life is not for them and their families. NB

Yes, because if they try hard and show they want to stay out they can do it. LF

I don’t know. You can never tell what someone is going to do. TR

I don’t know. It’s up to them to make the right decision to stay out of the system. RG

I think if the woman starts to think more about her kids and believes that she could make it, then she will. The other two men they going to keep on getting back locked up because they say that’s how their life is and how they are going to live it. AD

Yes, if they just get their head straight. TG

They will not be successful because they like going to jail. BP

I think that one out of every 3 would make it to me because some are messing up, drinking, smoking and other stuff. MR

Because if they want to change their life they can be successful. People return to prison because they feel like they can do what they want in the street. JT

I’m not sure if they will be successful, but I think they will, well the one girl. She’s going to stay out of prison. I’m not sure about the rest of them. SB

Most students felt that none of the people in the documentary would be successful. One felt Regina would succeed. (BLK 10)

No, they will return to prison because they stay with their friends and they do the same drugs JS

I think the guy who had his son will become successful because the only thing he has to do is do his drawing and tattooing. RM

Two of them yes, one of them no, because Smiley had a child and things going for him. And the girl wanted to change. But the other guyt didn’t know how to change. JB

Yes, if they make a good life and find a job. RC

No, because they do the same stuff. CW

Because that all they know is to be in prison they’re institutionalized. KC

I think that if they just forget about their past they will be successful in life. JR

I think they all could do it. They just got to set their minds to it. JR

They can be successful if they want to be. If they put their heart into it they can do anything. Just like us! We don’t have anything. We can come out with something. JP

I think yes but not Shep because he just don’t care. The others are trying to change. SB

Yes, it happened on the video. VN

I think only one of them will be successful…that’s the lady. The other two guys just kept going back to the same environment where they get in trouble. CW

Regina I think will but anything could happen. Smiley yes-his friends were trying to help him. Shep-no. He is a snail in and out of jail. MA

I think the girl will be successful cause she has support and money. The guys won’t cause one just don’t learn and the other can’t take the pressure. JS

No, because they haven’t learned their lesson yet. CH

I think some will make it and some won’t. DR

I think they will do good if they have something to live for and actually love it. CH

Yes. SS

If they get focused and try to do right the people might not go back to prison and they might because if you make a mistake and it was not intended to go that way. JA

Yes, they can change just like everybody else. KL

They could, but they got to work on it. GB

I say the Mexican dude will be successful. He got a son in his life and finally realize that prison ain’t for him. Gina finally saw the light. DL

No, because they are criminal thinking still. So they will go back to prison. AA

Some of them. They don’t seem to get it. They just want to do what they want. But I think for the most part yes they will. NC

Yes, they will one day to get more stories. AW

I think that they can all be successful as long as they recognize what they’re affecting and what they do wrong. GD

I think they all will be successful, but the only one that has me worried is Shep because he keeps messing up. All he needs to do is get his self a girl and a job. SR

Shep will go to prison again; Smiley goes to prison and gets out; Regina stays clean after her programs. TR

They’ll return to prison except for the girl. She’s doing good. AS

They all could succeed if they put their mind to it. Smiley and Shep probably won’t. (BLK 9)

==========
Do you think some of the experiences you have had were shown in this documentary? Describe your experiences
-----
Yes, but juvenile probation is a lot different and you don’t get that many chances. RG

Yes, I was in and out of placement for repeating the same crime. TR

Yes, having a PO and having to see him every week. LF

Yes, the part where they had violations for smoking and doing drugs. Violating probation. NB

No. TG

Yes, I did get back locked up for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. AD

My experiences was that I’d get out of the police station and be sent home. I will get locked back up and the judge got tired of seeing me. That’s how I used to be like. SB

Yes, because every time I am home I get in trouble and get locked up. I hang out with a lot of gang members. JT

No and yes because I like to drink, but not addicted. MR

No, because I try to do something with my life. BP

Drugs and alcohol, P.O.s treat unfairly, rules not realistic. (BLK 10)

I couldn’t stop hanging with my friends that were negative and went back to the past that left me locked up again. JR

Because when I come home I said I was going to stop smoking weed but I went right back to smoking. KC

No. CW

Well, I did the same stuff that they did, but am going to try to change and keep on moving with my life. RC

Yes, because every time I got out of placement I would hurt my parents again by using drugs and going back to placement. JB

Yes, when they had to be in the house at the time parole said to be in. RA

No. Battery and assault. JS

Yes, I had a kid and got locked up for robbery and never seen my son grow up. Now he is 1 ½ and I’m not there. JP

Yes, using drugs and gangs. JR

Yes, always violating my probation, living the streets, getting locked up. DL

No, except getting locked up again. GB

Yes, not wanting to stop smoking while on probation. KL

Yes, I’m up here for violating probation and getting back around the wrong kind of people. JA

Yes. SS

Yes, I had a problem with drug usage and always used when I got out. CH

No. DR

Yes, cause this is my 3rd placement and every time I go home I go back to the same thing. JS

Yes, usually I get locked up for violation and I hang out with gang members. MA

Break addictions and make money to survive. (BLK 9)

Keep on doing things over and over again. TR

Kind of similar to Smiley with a girl to stay with and get a job for music. SR

Yes, I smoked a lot of weed and I keep getting locked up for the same thing over and over. GD

No, not at all. AW

Yes, because I always say I won’t get in trouble and I do. Then I get locked up and say I won’t get locked up again, but I do. NC

==========
If you want to be successful when you are released from Loysville, what are you going to have to do?
-----
Worry about yourself and stay away from the old crowd that you used to hang around with and handle responsibilities. NB

I’m going to go back to school and get a job and use the things I learned here and make better choices. LF

I’m going to have to get a job and go back to school and get my diploma, stay away from alcohol. TR

To be successful you have to make sure you’re not getting into any negative behaviors and it will flat work out like you want it to. RG

Complete probation, go to school, get a job (good paying), move from Pennsylvania and go somewhere else where the system don’t know who I am. AD

Go into the real world with a strong positive mind set. TG

I don’t know. I’m not home yet. BP

Get a job and get my diploma. MR

I am going to school, stay out of trouble and do not hang out with gang members. JT

I’m getting a job and I’m going to play on a football team so that I’d have things to do. I’m going to take care of my nieces and sisters, be there for them. SB

Stay consistent, learn how to hang with different people, participate in LYDC treatment programs (BLK 10)

Choose better friends. JS

I’m going back to school, get a good job for myself and start doing my dancing and DJing for a life career. RA

One of the things that I think I’m going to have to stop hanging out with the same people I was. JB

Get a job and continue doing good. RC

To do good and stay out of trouble. CW

Handle my responsibilities so I can stay out. KC

I am going to stay away from negative people and try to do the things that are right for me to be successful in life. JR

Stay away from old people, places and things. JR

Move and start fresh with a job and go to college. JP

Stay away from my old friends. SB

Get a job and live life. VN

Change my behavior and my surroundings and stay away from negative peers. CW

Try to get away from my hood or something. MA

Stay away from negative stuff. JS

Stop stealing. CH

Get new friends. DR

Look at how things affected me, look at what I have to live for, care for myself and my family. CH

Do what I don’t show or do in here. SS

Stay focused and do positive things and not try to get involved with negative people. JA

Stay away from the illegal stuff and stay positive. KL

Work hard. GB

Get a job, stay out of trouble, try not to VPO. DL

Stay out of trouble and negativity. AP

Try really hard. I am going to have to occupy my time to the fullest. Go to college. Just stay strong and keep occupied. NC

Get a job, go to school and pick the right friends. AW

I am going to play football and keep myself occupied so I do not get in trouble. GD

Get me a good girl to keep me out of trouble, work on my GED and career links, and get a good paying job. Also start up making music and sing. SR

Stay away from negative situations and respect authority. TR

Just not get involved with drugs or other charges. AS

Listen to PO, family/select people, places, friends and who you associate with. Get a job. (BLK 9)

==========

Shouting from the rooftops!

2008-01-28T05:28:00.000-08:00

Communication is an expression of feelings, thoughts, ideas, viewpoints, and opinions. Choose your favorite way in which you communicate and explain WHAT it is that you communicate in this way.

===============

My favorite way to communicate is to use humor in what I say. It makes me feel like I can come in touch with people and I get to know the person. I also build a good relationship that way. CH

I like to communicate by playing my guitar. It helps me by expressing my feelings. I express my self by creating different types of songs to go with different moods I have. I play heavy metal for anger and Bob Dylan or Jim Croce when I am happy, feeling glad, or just want to play because it is soothing for me. It calms me down and it is a big help. BA

My favorite way to communicate is by talking, I communicate feelings by telling them to people. I like to communicate what my opinions and feelings are to people who I have a relationship with. NB

I communicate by letting people know how I’m feeling. I talk and my looks. JT

I communicate with other people. I communicate for different factors like talking, expressing my ideas and sentiments through letters and art. LC

Talking because they can see who I am and to know more about me. AF

I talk because to let people know how I feel about them. AR

My favorite way of communicating is talking. I talk so I can let other people know how I am and what I’m about. DE

How I communicate is to dance cause it makes me happy and it makes you communicate cause touching each other. EL

I want other people to know about me about my past and how they can help me. I communicate by singing. TM

My favorite way to communicate is by talking. I like to verbally express myself. The best way for me to express myself is through many methods but for the most part my mouth. I communicate how I feel, ideas, thoughts, opinions, facts, and viewpoints. I like to tell how I’m doing and I really like to talk to and meet new people. NC

My favorite way to communicate is writing a letter and what I communicate is things about what I am going through and sometimes I like to communicate to people with my words and tlak to them about life or things that’s going wrong with me or them. And they listen to me and that’s how I communicate. AW

Shaking someone
S hand is my way of communicating. The reason why I shake someone’s hand is because it makes them feel good. Also, it shows them my self-respect for me and others when I shake someone’s hand I let it come from my heart. That’s why I hand shake. TR

My favorite way to communicate is talking. I usually express my feelings and find out information. I also communicate ideas for my thinking. I also like face to face so I can look people in their eye just so they know I am keeping eye contact and so we both know we are being respectful to each other. GD

My favorite way to communicate is face to face. It lets you see how you affected that person. You can’t see any of that thing with out seeing. I love to communicate with my family, friends, girls, staff, counselor and etc. So I guess it’s just that I like to talk. TB

My favorite way to communicate is by texting. In text messaging I tell the latest news of what’s happening or what is the objective for the day. I text message people on my phone to communicate. I also use body language to girls when I see them. I talk to them by expressing myself, introducing and tell them my feelings. That is my favorite ways to communicate. SR

When I am happy. That feeling makes me feel good inside and I can do a lot of good things. And I would be a good person inside. I show people when I’m happy. I sing a lot. GB

My favorite way to communicate is by singing. When I am happy I like to sing good songs. When I am depressed I listen to slow songs, and when I am angry I listen to loud music. GY

My favorite way to communicate is to rap. I rap when I am angry or about to fight someone. I sing when I am sad or depressed about something. I communicate that people will respect me and if they don’t there will be consequences. MA

My favorite ways to communicate is to use humor in what I say. It makes me feel like I can come in touch with people and I get to know the person. I also build good relationships that way. CH

My favorite way to communicate is with my non-verbals. The reason why is because my face expression can tell a person if I’m mad or not. I do like to say more than I have to and that might be why I like to use non-verbals. I communicate my feelings and my attitude and if I feel like playing or not. JA

My favorite way to communicate is by talking and showing body language. Expression. I like to express my thoughts and I like to show my communication by me dancing, listening and eye contact. I just show feelings and thoughts along with ideas and opinions. That’s all what I like to say. They’re my way of expressions. SB

My best way of communicating is talking about football. I like talking to my social worker about football. But, when I am mad, I do not talk to NO BODY. That is how I communicate with people. I like to communicate with my Dad and we talk about football and ball. JF

My favorite way to communicate is over the phone because it is easier for me to express my feeling to my girl and I communicate about a lot of stuff how my day went, what I did, and where I went. It is a lot of stuff I communicate about. MR

The way I communicate is talking, singing, dancing, writing poems down that I come up with saying words like “I love you, I need you, or you’re my world”. RA

Internet. I communicate my feelings my thoughts my ideas and my opin ions to my family and my friends. JS

I like to communicate by words. The reason that I like to communicate by words is because it helps to improve your vocab and shows respect to the others. When talking by words you express your opinions, thoughts, and also your ideas and feelings. JL

The way I like to communicate is by art because I can show the mood of the community by different colors or what not. Or I can show what people will wear in the time period, what they eat, drive, and what they do for fun. JP

My favorite way to communicate is to talk. That is the only way to fully get your point across. Another way I like to communicate is by showing. I communicate my feelings and what I am thinking, because I don’t like to hide my feelings. MD

My favorite way to communicate is talk. I talk about my feelings cause it makes me feel better. Also I talk about my opinions cause it makes me happy to escape myself. DR

My favorite way to communicate is talking. I like talking because I think it’s the best way to get a point across and express yourself. You can do that by talking to other person about what you think is right to you, or express yourself by yelling. JS

My favorite way to communicate is talking because it is easier to express my self to the people I want to understand me better that way than any other. VN

My favorite way to communicate is to rap, because when I do this I feel better and can relax more and it relieves a lot of pressure on me. SB

My favorite way to communicate is by talking. I express the way I feel and what I think about things. CW

I communicate with people by talking with them. I like to communicate when I’m playing sports. I talk about how good he or she is. And then I talk about how good he or she thinks how good I am. I would ask them was that a good shot or not. I would say good pass, good shot, stuff like that. AP

I communicate when I’m playing basketball. I try to tell people how to play as a team and pass the ball. Give everybody a chance to shoot and make baskets. KL

My favorite way of communicating is talking. So it can go to a person direct so they know how I really feel inside. And I also like communicating by writing people if they are far away from me. When I’m locked up that is a second way of getting in contact with them, the first way is calling them. DL

I communicate by words because I like to talk. I use it whenever there is an appropriate place. I also enjoy it because it is a gift. I use to communicate with other words of feelings, thoughts and concerns. AS

My favorite way to communicate is by rapping to who sometimes my girls or family such as talking about sports and other special things. KJ

I like to communicate face to face so that I can bring my thoughts out to them face to face so they don’t think that I’m lying of trying to mess with them. If you won’t show your feelings and emotions especially to females you can’t do it on the phone or a text message. You have to tell them face to face. No games. DM

My favorite way of communicating is my thoughts and my ideas. They are good ways to hold a conversation. You get stuff done faster when you express your ideas. Your thoughts are part of your personality. TR

My favorite way to communicate is writing raps. I communicate the struggle in my life, what I want to accomplish, and where I want to be in life. GG

I like to communicate by talking to my boy about my problems. TG

My favorite way to communicate is talk and write. When I talk it’s the truth. When I write I express myself. Writing is easy. When I talk I sometimes bend stuff to make it fit. KW

My way of communicating is talking to people because that’s how you communicate. DD

I communicate by talking and moving my body. The way I move my body people know what I am trying to say. When I am about to fight people know because the way I move and talk. People know how my feelings are because I get sad and my voice change and my eyes get big and my face gets red. JS

I communicate by talking and shaking people’s hands so I can greet people in the proper way and make friends. CL

I like talking to people face to face because I want to get my point across when I don’t like something so talking face to face I can do that so that’s why I like it better than cell phones and all that. DA

How I like to communicate is to be friendly because I treat people how I want to be treated plus when I am not with my family I want them to be respected too. I also communicate with feeling like be a gentleman, say hello, thank you and please. JM

My favorite way to communicate is by talking. I think if you talk to a person you can find out a lot about them. Talking also solves a lot of problems. I think it’s the best way to communicate. BP

My favorite way to communicate is by computer, cell phone, because I like talking to people or write to them on a computer cause I can espress myself out and not say it out loud. JT

I communicate through music. I like to play my electric guitar and when I do it it gets my feeling out. I make my own music. I learn new power cords and notes. JK

My North Star

2008-01-22T06:25:00.000-08:00

I've given the assignment of writing an acrostic using My North Star. The example given follows.

My
Youth is swallowed up by the
Needs and
Objectives found as signs on the path that
Relentlessly
Twists and winds
Homeward. My
Star
Twinkles brightly
Above, giving my journey
Resolution.

Look for student submissions soon!

BJB

Never
Overthrow
Rights
That I
Have.

Special
Things
Are always
Remembered.

NC
=====

Maybe
You’re

Not
Out
Running
The
Hood,

Starting
To
Act
Responsibly. JA

=====

No
One
Really
Thinks
Hard.

Special people
Think
About what is
Right. SB

=====

May
Your

North Star be an
Opportunity to
Reminisce on the
Time you
Had freedom.

Stand
Tall
And
Rejoice. CW

=====

My Mom sometimes be happy. She respects me. I trust her a lot. She is a thorough and nice to me. I love her to death. GB

=====

Sometimes I never open my real things. I hide them to myself. I stay and keep my feelings on the low. I realized that my stuff is something that I have to deal with. DR

=====

Mom
You

Never abandoned
Our
Relationship even
Though we
Had our bad times.

Sustaining our love and care for each other
There wouldn’t be a soul that can divide
And destroy our
Relationship. DL

=====

Never
Obey
Rivals
Through
However

Secretly
They treat us
As
Rivals. GD

=====

I am a mighty young man.
I am tough and healthy and very original.
Sometimes I could be remedial,
Sometimes nice, but I am alright.
I am good at school and very smart.
I hate fishsticks but am very artistic.
I have a loud voice and yes, I am rejoiced.
I am beautiful and also very truthful. AS

=====

Mistakes
You

Need
Or
Right
Thoughts
Heed:

Seeing,
Thinking,
Attitudes,
Reflecting… MD

=====

Make it through the
Year

Nevertheless
On top of the
River
That
Hands out

Special
Treats
And
Recipes. CR

=====

Many miles
You have to

Negotiate
Over
Rough
Terrain through
Hours of hard work.

Struggling
Through the entire journey.
Afterwards you are
Rewarded greatly for your effort! BA

===

Maybe
You’re

Nobody
Or
Really
The
Handyman

So
Try
All
Routes. JS

=====

Meaning
Youth

Never
Order
Routine
Truth
Heart

Soul
Tumor
Authority
Rot. SS

=====

Memories
You

Never
Order tell you to
Return
To
Home.

Start now
To
Activate that
Return. DR

=====

My mom
Younger

Never
Obtained
Restlessness
Tough
Help

Succeed
Throughout
All
Rigidness. NC

=====

Mine
Yours

No
One
Really
Thought
How

Some
Times
Art
Really works! TR

=====
Never give up
Overcome
Respect
The memories
Home

Stay free
The freedom
Apple
Rough times. TR

=====

My
Year was good.

Now
Other
Rappers
Think they’re
Hot,

So I do my best to
Try
And
Regain my composure. GG

=====

My
Youth

Numbs
Other parts of my life
Rather than the
Things I
Hate,

Starting from
The Actual
Roots of my
Ancestors. LF

=====

Maybe I will in the
Year 2008

Never doubt
Or
Regret
The
Hard work

So
That
All
Remember. DM

=====

Meditate
Yearly

Nice
Or in
Rage
The
Healthier persons

Satisfy your
Temptations
Against
Rage. RG

=====

My
Youthful experiences

Name
Original
Remnants of
The past that target and
Help

Significantly identify
The
Attributes of my life
Relentlessly repeating in my mind. NB

=====

Makes
You

Never
Obey
Right
Thoughts
However

Still
They’re
Arriving
Ready for action. TG

=====

Music
Yams

North Philly
Onions
Rock star
Thorough
Hard

Shorties
Tall
Aim
Rockets. RA

=====

My Mom
Younger siblings
Siblings
Richmond
Oregon
North America
Toronto
Haw??
Area of Land
Tropical
South America
Reptiles. KS

=====

My family
Your love

Never cry but when
One at a time it
Runs through
Trust and life
Hours and minutes.

Sorry
That I
Am in a
Rough life. JT

=====

Mom,
You’re

Now
On the
Road
That
Helps

Start our relationship
Together
As we
Ride for a new life. JS

====

My
Youngest child, who is my North Star,

Not
Only
Runs
The
House, but

Stays
To
Apply the
Rules. SB

=====

Mom
You

Now
Other
Resident
Tell
Him what

Started
The
Agreement so they can
Relive. DA

=====

My life of love has come true and for years I been writing for you. Our love is too strong. Right now the only thing I could do is wait for you to come back home to me and the love that I have for you. Special love comes once in a lifetime. That’s what I believe. After love I wouldn’t know what to do. Right now the only thing I could do is sit and wait for you, my love. JL

=====

My life is to be a good father
You’re my son and I love you with all my heart.

No one could say I haven’t been there cause I have
Or say I never seen cause I have, but
Right now I can’t because you are far away and
The truth is my son I had to go do things right.
How and why is because I did something I should of never done, but

Since now your father is locked up and
The day will come for me to see you
Again after I’m done doing my time, but
Right now, Jaden, I love you my son and never forget that. RA

=====

Misunderstandings are something that happens to
You every
Now and then.
Respect for people
Turns into hatred.
Sometimes people even turn against their own relatives.
Then life goes Bad. JB
=====

THE NORTH STAR PERSONAL CONSTELLATION

2008-01-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Before each class read Reynold's The North Star, we discussed the keywords of journey, constellation and signs. After we read the story (online using an LCD projector), I projected the Constellation Map Maker and students filled out a worksheet with the questions on the map maker. I then compiled the responses.

Next week we will be taking the information and writing poems. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

The North Star by Patrick H. Reynolds
http://www.fablevision.com/northstar/thestory/thenorthstar_boy.php?p=0&lang=eng

The North Star Personal Constellation Map Maker
http://www.fablevision.com/northstar/map.html

Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History
http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/

What special things have shaped your life? Imagine each one is a star…

1. What is something important to you?
Family, my son, daughter, freedom, relationships, my girl, music, life, brother, sister, my kid, getting locked up, my dog,
=================
2. What special talent do you have?
Reading, drawing, skateboarding, sports, intelligence, play guitar, living, listening to music, I’m fast, music, pretty boy, basketball, poetry, making music, creative and imaginative, creative, athleticism, welding, writing, artistic skills, fighting, rapping, fixing motorcycles, eager, working on cars, ride dirt bike, make friends, computers, building, bowling, talking to people
=================
3. What place has special meaning to you?
Home, Army/Navy, Maryland, a concert, my grandma’s house, listen to TV, my town, Harrisburg, New York, my heart, funerals, Pittsburgh, Dorney Park, beach, daughter’s grave site, peach mountain, my thoughts, Pottstown, Dominican Republic
=================
4. Who has helped you find your way?
Me, mom, counselor, family, parents, a band, my grandma, my friend, nobody, friends, staff and school, God and parents, my father, staff, the north star, placement, people in the world, girlfriend,
=================
5. What do you hope to do someday?
Chef, work, live in Florida, be a father to my daughter, own a carpet store, have a business with my brother, anything, people’s music, be successful, barber, play ball, fly a plane, go on a cruise, get a shop, artist, go to a party, go to the NFL, become a lawyer, be successful, be in the NBA, work and have a family, plumber, businessman, computer graphic designer, go to Mecca, support broke family, become someone to support my family, go to college, zoology, find the star, move, be a famous rap artist, have a family and kids, small engine mechanic, go to trade school, police officer, work for Disney, be rich, sing, working on cars, computer technician, carpenter, fly a jetpack, counselor, work with kids, herpetologist
=================
6. What do you need to be more happy?
Freedom, college, a good job, my family to get along together and be happy, her, listen to explicit music, money, family, respect, friends, music, nothing, get out, life, my cousin, a father, grandpop, love, peace, to see the star, have a career, make friends, my (deceased) daughter back, make a living, to not let little things bother me so much

Hangman

2007-11-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hangman by Maurice Ogden
http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/17387/728/2

After reading the poem, answer the following questions:

Who/What does the hangman represent?

Who is the narrator of the poem?

What lesson does the poem try to teach?
==============================================

Into our town the Hangman came,  
Smelling of gold and blood and flame.  
And he paced our bricks with a diffident air, 
And built his frame in the courthouse square.

The scaffold stood by the courthouse side,  
Only as wide as the door was wide;  
A frame as tall, or little more,  
Than the capping sill of the courthouse door.

And we wondered, whenever we had the time,  
Who the criminal, what the crime  
That the Hangman judged with the yellow twist 
of knotted hemp in his busy fist.

And innocent though we were, with dread, 
We passed those eyes of buckshot lead --  
Till one cried: "Hangman, who is he  
For whom you raised the gallows-tree?"

Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye, 
And he gave us a riddle instead of reply:  
"He who serves me best," said he,  
"Shall earn the rope of the gallows-tree."

And he stepped down, and laid his hand 
On a man who came from another land.  
And we breathed again, for another's grief 
At the Hangman's hand was our relief

And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn 
By tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone.  
So we gave him way, and no one spoke,  
Out of respect for his Hangman's cloak.

2.  
The next day's sun looked mildly down  
On roof and street in our quiet town,  
And stark and black in the morning air  
Was the gallows-tree in the courthouse square.

And the Hangman stood at his usual stand 
With the yellow hemp in his busy hand;
With his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike 
And his air so knowing and business-like.

And we cried, "Hangman, have you not done 
Yesterday, with the foreign one?"  
Then we fell silent, and stood amazed,  
"Oh, not for him was the gallows raised."

He laughed a laugh as he looked at us: 
"Did you think I'd gone to all this fuss  
To hang one man? That's a thing I do  
To stretch a rope when the rope is new."

Then one cried "Murder!" and one cried "Shame!" 
And into our midst the Hangman came  
To that man's place. "Do you hold," said he, 
"with him that was meant for the gallows-tree?"

And he laid his hand on that one's arm. 
And we shrank back in quick alarm!  
And we gave him way, and no one spoke  
Out of fear of his Hangman's cloak.

That night we saw with dread surprise 
The Hangman's scaffold had grown in size.  
Fed by the blood beneath the chute,  
The gallows-tree had taken root;

Now as wide, or a little more, 
Than the steps that led to the courthouse door, 
As tall as the writing, or nearly as tall,  
Halfway up on the courthouse wall.

3.  
The third he took -- we had all heard tell -- 
Was a usurer, and an infidel.  
"What," said the Hangman "have you to do 
With the gallows-bound, and he a Jew?"

And we cried out, "Is this one he 
Who has served you well and faithfully?" 
The Hangman smiled: "It's a clever scheme 
to try the strength of the gallows-beam."

The fourth man's dark, accusing song 
Had scratched our comfort hard and long;
 "And what concern," he gave us back.  
"Have you for the doomed -- the doomed and Black?"

The fifth. The sixth. And we cried again, 
"Hangman, Hangman, is this the man?"
 "It's a trick," he said. "that we hangmen know 
For easing the trap when the trap springs slow."

And so we ceased, and asked no more, 
As the Hangman tallied his bloody score.  
And sun by sun, and night by night,  
The gallows grew to monstrous height.

The wings of the scaffold opened wide 
Till they covered the square from side to side; 
And the monster cross-beam, looking down,  
Cast its shadow across the town.

4.  
Then through the town the Hangman came,  
Through the empty streets, and called my name --
And I looked at the gallows soaring tall,  
And thought, "There is no one left at all

For hanging, and so he calls to me 
To help pull down the gallows-tree."  
So I went out with right good hope  
To the Hangman's tree and the Hangman's rope.

He smiled at me as I came down 
To the courthouse square through the silent town. 
And supple and stretched in his busy hand  
Was the yellow twist of the hempen strand.

And he whistled his tune as he tried the trap,
And it sprang down with a ready snap --  
And then with a smile of awful command  
He laid his hand upon my hand.

"You tricked me. Hangman!," I shouted then, 
"That your scaffold was built for other men...  
And I no henchman of yours," I cried,  
"You lied to me, Hangman. Foully lied!"

Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye, 
"Lied to you? Tricked you?" he said. "Not I.  
For I answered straight and I told you true -- 
The scaffold was raised for none but you.

For who has served me more faithfully 
Then you with your coward's hope?" said he, 
"And where are the others who might have stood  
Side by your side in the common good?"

"Dead," I whispered. And amiably 
"Murdered," the Hangman corrected me: 
"First the foreigner, then the Jew...  
I did no more than you let me do."

Beneath the beam that blocked the sky 
None had stood so alone as I.  
The Hangman noosed me, and no voice there 
Cried "Stop!" for me in the empty square.

========================
The hangman represents prejudiced people. The last man that got hanged told the story. The lesson is not to be prejudiced and to speak up for your rights and other people's rights. JT

The hangman represents prejudiced people. The narrator of the poem is the last man that got hung. The lesson the poem is trying to teach is that you have to speak up and defend your rights and the rights of others. JW

The hangman hung all the different people and others just walked away. He was like a virus that spread and wiped them out like an epidemic. The narrator was the guy who spoke and was the last one to get hung. The lesson is that the people were cowards and did not stand up for themselves and it shows that if you don't speak up then you won't be heard. MC

Native American Heritage Month

2007-11-14T06:05:00.001-08:00

Carlisle Indian Industrial School
http://home.epix.net/%7Elandis/

From Debbie Reese’s American Indians in Children’s Literature
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

In Cheyenne Again, Bunting tells the story of a 10-year-old Cheyenne boy who, in the late 1880s, is taken far from his family and sent to Carlisle Indian Industrial School, more than 1,000 miles away, to “learn the White Man’s ways.” “The corn is drying out,” his father says. “There will be food in this place they call school. Young Bull must go.”

Toddy’s acrylic and oil paintings are perfect for a boarding school story, especially when he contrasts the open, light expanse of the Great Plains with the depressingly dark confines of the school. The child’s pain also, as Young Bull’s hair is forcibly cut while others, with short hair, look on. And his running away, with only a thin blanket for cover, into a blizzard. Toddy has been there. As a former student at Intermountain Indian School in Utah, he holds the stories in his heart.

In Bunting’s telling, on the other hand, conditions appear far better than they were. “Kill the Indian, save the man”—Captain Richard Henry Pratt’s harsh motto—was much more indicative of the treatment meted out to the lonely, miserable children than Bunting cares to reveal. Children whose parents voluntarily sent them to Carlisle went there, not to “learn the White Man’s ways,” but to learn English. Bunting does not mention the many deaths—from malnutrition, from diseases, from beatings, from broken hearts. Nor does she mention the jail cells and the arbitrary punishment such as having lye rubbed into young mouths for the sin of not knowing what was expected. She whitewashes the abject wretchedness of the children’s lives.

There would have been no kindly teacher to offer “salve to sooth the place the chain has rubbed,” to console a child by telling him, “Never forget that you are Indian inside. Don’t let us take your memories.” Pratt’s “teaching” methodology was designed to force the children to deny—and later, forget—their Indianness, inside and out. Any teacher encouraging a child to remember who he was would have been fired on the spot.

American Indians are still experiencing discrimination and disrespect. (See Changing Winds Advocacy Center http://www.changingwinds.org/ ) Do you feel racism is still being practiced in the United States? Why do you think this is or is not so? What cultures do you think are the victims of racism? How can you demonstrate respect for other cultures’ beliefs and practices?

For more information about activities for Native American Heritage Month see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentsAndTeachersAgainstRacism/links

BJB

Yes, racism is being practiced in the U.S. in every day routines like jobs and even in school. Racism is being practiced in school because some people think they are better than others – all whites, blacks, everyone. I can demonstrate respect for other’s cultures and beliefs by showing that there are some decent people out there. MC

11/15/2007

Racism is still being practiced in the U.S. because some White people believe the Black people are trash. I think racism exists because of slavery. Black and White cultures are victimized. I can show respect by helping them, reading books to learn about their culture, ask the teacher, and visit other countries. JW

11/19/2007

I believe that people show racism because times before we were born people practiced it so it just passed on from one generation to the next. Now after slavery, we have African Americans trying to reclaim there dignity and reputation in the world and are pointing their finger at the white people. On the other hand, the white people of today are sitting there saying it wasn’t my fault, it was the generations before me. Now we have a war to see who will come out on top. White Americans are looking at the black African Americans that live in the ghetto saying this isn’t the way an American should act or live while the blacks are saying the same thing.

It also goes into religion. Muslims are fighting others who don’t want to plead to them and say that that is the way of the devil. You have Christians saying that the only way to get to heaven is to believe that Jesus Christ died for are sins and that you got to go by the bible so then they are saying every one who dose not believe in it will not see eternal glory so really it is a big battle of morals values and beliefs.

What I do is I listen to what all have to say and I try to defend every one and try to give everyone a chance. I don’t stick to one thing, I’m just open minded and I think that if more people were like that then we wouldn’t have so many problems in the world. People are so close-minded that they can’t see what others see. MC

Racism is still being practiced in the United States because the organized gangs like the KKK , White Pride, etc. people are hating one another for their skin color or religion. All cultures are a victim of racism. You can have respect for other cultures by helping others with or trying to better understand the other religion before hating it . CRO

I feel that racism is still being practiced in some place. There are Whites being hated on, and Blacks and Mexicans. It all depends where you are. This is because of how things were long ago. Some people still holding grudges. Others hate because of their pride or trying to fit in with others so they put on a show because of the way others do things.

I can demonstrate respect to other cultures by interacting with them on a regular basis and not treating them any different than anyone else. I can also invite them to things in my culture. I have no problems with any culture. We are all the same in my eyes. DG

Yes, I think that people around the world are showing racism. They still act like things are not their fault and they take things out on the wrong people. Some people are being real. I think this way. I see things because I feel bad deep down inside. These racist people are being out of control. People are still being hung and tortured around the world for nothing. I think every culture around the world is being a victim, especially Blacks because they get to deal with the thoughts of slavery. I will show them by caring for them and listening to what they have to say. LZ

Yes, I feel racism is still being practiced. As long as there are different colors, races, religions, beliefs, looks, etc. there are still going to be people that say theirs are more superior to everyone else’s. All cultures are victims or racism. That’s a fact. White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and everyone else are discriminated against with prejudice. That’s just the way it is. Me personally, I’m far from racist. I’m around racist people and they say stuff to me. I have a choice to same something racist back but I don’t because it’s not right. I would be going against my morals if I would do that. I can demonstrate help by setting up jamborees for people of all cultures. Have a little fair or something bringing all races together. Respect other beliefs and cultures. MD

I think that racism is still being used in the United States because there are still members of the KKK around who think that black people aren’t worth a thing and there has been a lot of segregation in other states. The cultures that I think are victims of racism the most are the African American culture and the Hispanic culture. I can demonstrate how to be respectful by letting these cultures know that everything is going to be alright if they keep there head up. MR

I do think that racism is still practiced today. There are not just one or two people that are being racist. There are people that grew up and their parents teach them that one group or type of people is better than another. This is why some people join a gang or a club that supports this type of mentality that they grew up on. I think this because it’s in every state, every city, and it’s even in your neighborhood. It is easy to change a child’s mind. All you have to tell them is that their race is better than another, and show them that others are bad, tell them that others don’t care about you and they don’t want to be your friend. When these kids get older and they start to have kids, they are going to show their kids that this group is better than theirs and so on and so forth. What adults have to do is show the kids that we can all be friends and all help each other. STOP ALL THE VIOLENCE AND START A NEW REVOLUTION. JP

Veterans Day

2007-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

Veterans Day
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

America was founded on the principles of liberty, opportunity, and justice for all, and on Veterans Day we recognize the men and women of our Armed Forces who have valiantly defended these values throughout our Nation’s history.

Write a paragraph about what you as an individual can do to demonstrate respect and honor for America’s Veterans.

I can pledge in the morning not to put down my country because it shows what people had to sacrifice and the lives we lost to show them more respect than others. MC

As an individual I can make a poster for the soldiers that are at war and that died for our country. I can pledge and I can thank the solders and not put my country down. JW

What I can do is become a better citizen in America so I can say I am proud of being an American Citizen and I am sorry for what happened to the people who went to war for us. I could also celebrate Veterans Day for all the dead soldiers that died and is not here with their own family. I would even tell my family to celebrate if they don’t participate in them. SB

Political Cartoons: Halloween

2007-10-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

Choose one of these political cartoons and write a paragraph about what issue the cartoonist is communicating. All cartoons are located at www.cagle.com and attributed to the artist:

Picture (made in China) is about a boy running away and it shows that China is in our country’s everything and it shows how much we depend on other countries in order to fulfill our needs and wants. MC

I picked made in China because the cartoon is about a little boy going trick or treating and it looks like he is having a lot of fun. The issue is that the stuff that is made in china has lead in it. JW

I think that the mask is poison because it got lead in it. I think the candy got something wrong with it and it might make him sick to his stomach. I think that the people is giving out poison candy. I think that he could get sick real bad and have to go to the hospital. I think that he don’t know something is up. TJ

11/5/2007

I pick the Christmas/Halloween sale because it’s Halloween but they’re acting like it’s Christmas being funny. They’re selling stuff. It’s supposed to be a joke and they’re being funny saying pick up Valentine Cards. DH

I’m writing about the toy running around the U.S. It’s mainly saying that the U.S. was careless and didn’t check the toys when they should have been so that all the grief that’s happening now could have been avoided. But the U.S. became too trusting with the Chinese businesses because of how long they have been doing business together. I feel that many parents will be very upset especially around the Christmas Season. WL

I feel that it is kind of messed up that there are schools giving out birth control to such young girls. I see their intentions but its wrong they are juveniles and always need parent permission. DG

My opinion on the birth control in Portland Maine Is that it is ridiculous because they shouldn’t be given them out to little kids who haven’t even had the talk about the birds and the bees. I also think that the school board should go to trial for that because if I was a parent I would be highly mad if my child came home telling me that her school gave her a birth control pill. M.R.

I think that if bush would get off his high horse and would help the people in the GREAT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA then we would be able to stop all the violence and help our people forget about every other country what are they doing to help us then aren’t giving us money we have people dying in the states more than what they are in the war. He is turning a blind eye to the people. He spends more money on this war then any other war that any 6 presidents put together. He just put our people in danger. Why doesn’t he stop being a bum and start helping his nation? Why did he know about 9/11 and he didn’t stop it. He should be fired and put someone else as president. That really cares about people and he should treat everyone the same because the way the UNITED STATES is ran is that if you have money your in power and every single higher power member is corrupt. This is why people stay poor no one helps them why don’t you help this country. There is a war in the UNITED STATES HELP US. JP

I am writing about the eleven to thirteen year old girls getting birth control in Portland, Maine. As a Father of a little girl I would not appreciate her school handing out birth control. I would want to be the one to talk to her about the situation, and let her know my opinion on the subject. I think there should have to be a parents signature before the child can get it. That’s like the Criminal Justice system giving the perpetrator the decision to what happens to them. Obviously they can’t make good decisions or they wouldn’t be in the system. They can’t think what’s best for them later in life. I would say there should be some guidance from a judge. Now when you put a decision of birth control in the hands of a 13 year old, do you think they would make the best decision that will benefit them in the long run? I think there should be some guidance by the parents. B.C.

With the s chip the bush was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. When he denied the bill everyone got mad because the poor people didn’t get the benefits of the health care. If the president would have voted for the bill people would have been really mad when the rich get benefits off it too. Then instead of political cartoons of bush taking money away from the poor there would be cartoons of him making the rich richer. I would have vetoed the bill just as president bush until the bill included who got the health benefits by how many people in are the family the bill is right bush is wrong bad bush CR

With the kids health care the president was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. When he denied the bill everyone got mad because the poor people didn’t get the benefits of the health care. If the president would have voted for the bill people would have been really mad when the rich get benefits off it too. Then instead of political cartoons of bush taking money away from the poor there would be cartoons of him making the rich richer. I would have vetoed the bill just as president bush until the bill included who got the health benefits by how many people in are the family and the family’s salary. C.R.

Education and Freedom

2007-10-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be. ~~ Thomas Jefferson

How does this quotation relate to you as a student in Loysville?

How does this quotation relate to you as a student in your home school?

How does this quotation relate to you as a life long learner?

How does this quotation relate to you as a citizen when you reenter your community?

BJB
===================

While in Loysville, I’m getting my education.
I already have a GED so will not be going back to school.
As a life long learner I will be learning new skills all the time.
As a citizen I will learn how to become a contributing part of my community. AM

As a student in Loysville I need to stay positive in order to learn.
As a student in my home school I need to go to school and focus and not do drugs.
As a life-long learner I will learn new things like being on my own.
As a citizen when I re-enter my community I will focus on school and get a job to stay in the community. JW

I think this goes good with every staff’s mentality. They never give up a chance to remind us we’re lockup so deal with it. I think if we think we’ll be successful, we will, so if we are ignorant to success it never was and never will be that goes along in here at school and as a life long learner. NM

I expect only one thing when I go to school which is to learn. There ain’t no need for being worried about the trouble makers. If they wanna skip it’s their decision not the teacher’s. Pople don’t expect suspensions and detentions because then they’ll do wrong things. SR

10/22/2007

As a student in Loysville I want to keep studying for my GED so that I can have a good education and pass it. As a student in school I will go to college so I can get a trade for car repair and make something out of my life. As a life-long learner I will get the skills I need and be the best at it. As a citizen when I reenter my community I will learn how to be a part of my community and stay as a hard worker so I can be successful. AM

As a student at Loysville I’m expected to do my best. As a student at my home school I’m expected to fail. As a life-long learner I’m expected to open up. As I re-enter the community I will be ready to be positive. MC

To be successful in Loysville I need to go in the right direction which is school. I need to make more successful choices in my home school. I need to open my mind up to be a life-long learner. When I am in my community I must follow rules and make good statements. JG

Go to school. Do good in life. Fight for freedom. TJ

Giving Thanks

2007-10-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving

October 8 was the Canadian Thanksgiving. The US day of Thanksgiving is November 22. Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, but a day set aside to reflect on what individuals have to be thankful for. Most cultures have some form of recognizing thankfulness.

Do you set aside time during the day, week, month, year to reflection what you have to be thankful for? On a scale of 1-5 list five things you are most thankful for and why.

BJB

1. My family because I love them.
2. My education because I want to graduate.
3. My release date because I want to go home.
4. My life because God sent his Son to sin for us.
5. My community because it’s safe. TJ

I am thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful to be going home in a month or two. I like to be thankful in a lot of ways. I am thankful for being in this world. I just like to be thankful. JF

I’m thankful for having my life. I’m thankful for having a supportive family. I’m thankful for getting a second chance in life cause God has blessed me to do right and stay out of trouble. I’m thankful to just be me. I’m thankful for having a positive mind and staying in control of myself at all times. AM

1. Being with most of my family members and having a good time.
2. Being grateful to have a family.
3. Eating food.
4. Playing cards with my family.
5. Being able to see my family members that I never met before. JW

1. Family
2. Home
3. Friends
4. Food
5. Life JG

No, I really don’t be into holidays but I am grateful for all that was done. I don’t put aside time:
1. not into holidays
2. there are other things I have to do
3. I remember what happened that day
4. The day after is my dead sister’s birthday
5. But I am grateful. LF

10/10/2007

I’m thankful for a lot of things. One of the things I’m thankful for is food. I’m also thankful for my family sticking with me while I’m locked up. I’m thankful for being here because I could of ben dead if I wouldn’t had got caught. I’m thankful for my stuff that my family bought me. I’m thankful for freedom. DH

1. I am thankful for my parents in supporting me because if it wasn’t for them I don’t know where I’d be.
2. I am thankful for my PO telling me what I gotta do when I get locked up because if it wasn’t for her I’d go back into my negativity.
3. I am thankful for my grandma in raising m the right way because if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t know how to be a good person and learn about my religion.
4. I am thankful for school in teaching because it helped me learn a lot for the future and help my children when I grow.
5. I am thankful to myself because I probably would have been dead if I ain’t handle my problems well. SR

I am thankful for my family because they is always there for me no matter what if I am wrong or right. And I am also thankful for Loysville because if I was still home I probably be in worster trouble than now and now I can go home to a new life and a new me. CS

I’m thankful for this program because they are trying to help me to be successful in life. That is why I thank them a lot. They try to show us a new life and have sympathy and empathy. DR

10/12/2007

Other than Thanksgiving, I do give thanks to things. From a scale one through five my first one would be my family. I am thankful and grateful I still have them. My second is my life. I am thankful I’m still living and learning to become a better person. The third thing I’m thankful for is my house. The fourth is my friends. That gives me comfort. And my last which is the best to me is God. These are the things and people I’m thankful for. DJ

Thank You Letter

2007-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Write a thank you letter to someone who has helped you (relative, teacher,, friend, counselor, etc.). Describe what that person has done and why you appreciate them.

We are getting many positive comments (off-line) on our blog. People are impressed about how well some of you are able to communicate important thoughts and ideas. Keep up the good work! BJB
==============================================

Mom, I want to say thank you for helping me understand life and knowing how to stay focused on having a good job. I want to say thank you for being here for me all my life and never letting me go down and always having a chance to pick me up. I want to say thank you for giving me life so I can know what the world is about. Love you, Mom and thank you for everything. AM

I’m writing a thank you letter to my best friend because I was planning to do something real bad like injure someone. I was so upset that I just wanted to see him down. You was there to calm me down and tell me that it ain’t worth it. It was crazy, but you was the one to tell me what will happen if I did what I was planning to do. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be seeing you again in my life. I am just happy that I listened to you and you were there to help me. That’s a real friend. Thank you. LR

My family, teachers, and administrators give me chances when I messed up and they gave me hope when I was down. They was always there to help me out. They took their time with me. They talk sense into me. The teachers helped me get an education and family they pushed me into the right direction. KT

Recently I have become close to a staff in my cottage and I can relate to him in many ways. We talk about personal stuff and he helps me get through hardships and frustrating times. I sometimes say thank you, but it may look like I don’t mean it. Well, this is a thank you to a staff and a friend, Rich Russell. DR

A person I would like to thank is my girlfriend. She’s done a lot for me and helped me in many ways. She picks me up when I’m down and even makes me feel as if I’m someone. But more than anything I appreciate her for bringing me to the Lord, because without her I would not believe or have faith in Him. Thank you. LF

Dear Dad, I just want to say thank you for being there for me from the day I was born even though I’m not your blood son you still took the responsibility to be my dad. Now it feels like we don’t get along but we have been there for each other all along. I wouldn’t trade you for the world not even for the most beautiful girl. I want to thank you for being the number one dad. MC

I will like to write this letter to my grandma. I will like to thank my grandma for doing all the good stuff for me. She helps me with my homework. I will always love my grandma. I know that my grandma can’t wait until I come home. I love you grandma. From JF

I want to thank my mom and dad for having me and teaching me from right from wrong and appreciate me as who I am. I want to thank my family members for being there when I need someone to talk to and coming to visit me when I get into trouble. JW

10/2/2007

Dear Friend, Thank you for helping me out when I really need helping and giving me a home when I got kicked out of the house and always looking out even when you don’t have to. And caring more than anybody else. Thank you. CR

Mom, I really appreciate the fact that you could get help for me. I was headed down the wrong path and wouldn’t have been able to stop drinking on my own. That is why I am glad that you helped me. I think that I am now a much better person for coming here and accepting the help that was offered to me. TS

Dear Grandmom, Thank you for always being there for me. You took me in whn my parents didn’t care. You made me smart and you did your best to help me out. Thank you for being there for me. NC

Thank you for everything all ya staff what ya do for me. Thank you for anything ya did for me. Ya showed me a different way of life instead of the street life. So I appreciate that and hope you could show other people the way. So thanks a lot. DR

I want to thank my judge for removing me off the streets and my counselor for helping me in my program and all my teachers for helping me learn why I’m here and making my days go fast. CS

Dear Mom, I wanna think you for everything you have done to me. Thank you for your support feeding, teaching and helping me grow up for the future. Thank you for your whooping that helped me learn not to do it again. You are my best friend and know how to keep secrets. Thank you for showing how to treat women and take care of them. Thank you for every advice you helped me with. SR

Dear Mrs. B, Thank you for letting me do these daily blogs because I am able to get a positive SIR from it and that is going to help me when I go to court the 29th and the judge sees this. AS

Dear Mom, Thank you for staying by my side through everything. I’m so glad to have a mom like you. I love you very much. TM

Dear Matt, Thank you for helping me go through things I went through and the problems I had. You helped me. And I’m making changes. So when I get out in the world I do the right thing. Thank you for all the stuff you helped me with. DH

International Day of Peace

2007-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

International Day of Peace (September 21)

United Nations Declaration
http://www.worldpeace.org/peaceday.html

“…the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the day…”

If you VALUE PEACE, you will live your life in a way that reflects that value. List three ways in which you can achieve peace in your family, your community, your school. Describe how this will be done. (example: Resolution of conflict, Respect others, listen to all points of view, help others, volunteer for community projects, model peaceful behavior.) BJB
==================
I can achieve peace by the way of my thinking. If I think of better things then I won’t have negative thoughts that would get me in trouble. Another thing you can achieve peace is by religion or God because it helps people with problems and issues. Last is the pace in the way your behavior is because if you act up people in your community aren’t going to like you to live there. And your family is not going to like the way you acted. CR

List 3 ways you can achieve peace in your family, your community, and your school: helping out elderly people; helping out the homeless; cleaning up the community. NC

Clean up all trash in the community; let school know if any harm is going to be done in school; in my family, look out for one another and treat each other with respect. AS

Peace in my school is like not bothering each other and getting along, not fighting. My family with peace like the same thing, but with respect and treating each other like family. Peace in my community is getting it quiet and no crime no shootings people getting along show respect help each other. DH

Change for my family; Not go back to my negativity; Be a better person in the community. I will change for my family so they could trust me again and be respectful to them. I will control my anger and handle it in a good way, not taking it out on anyone. I will be a better person in the community by doing volunteer work, community services and trying to help my friends change the same way as me. SR

Peace is something that I want for me and my family and the way to do that is to stay away from guns, bad people and probably move from your community. Go to church close to home and try to go to school every day for a diploma to help your family out and having better friends to be with. JC

9/26/2007

How I can bring peace to my family is do good in this placement. I will help my community by cleaning the streets. I will be peaceful when I go to school. I will do all my work in school. That is why I will be peaceful. I will not be bad in school and know more and I will be peaceful when I go home. JF

I will make sure my family is doing the right thing. I can go pick up stuff from the street for my community. I will put signs for stuff everywhere to make sure we are safe from dangers. JG

Talk to people about violence and how it influenced my life. If I talk to gang members of not skipping school and stop gang banging maybe they might take it into consideration. If I don’t get into problems and not get locked up maybe my family will be a little better. JW

You can try to help others instead of hurt others. You can be part of the solution instead of the problem. You can show care and love to others. Well, when you talk to others you be friendly and respectful. Watch your body language and present a positive attitude. Be willing to share and care for others. MC

One way to achieve peace in the family is to talk out things instead of arguing and fighting all the time. My community is already violent and I know the people so I be like, let’s go to the gym and play ball or something. I would lead by example in my school. If kids see me doing positive things they will most likely follow me. DR

I am honest to my family. I also help out the community. I help other people when they need help and make friends with them. When people are arguing I help them solve the situation. LR

The way I can stop negativity in my family or community is by showing respect and helping people that need help and showing positive people relationships and letting my family and friends know I will never put them down. I will be there at good times as well as bad times and show love when needed and not needed, being a loving and caring friend. AM

9/27/2007

I would talk to people that want peace and hold a peace concert and raise money to do so. In school I would talk to the teachers and principal for me to become a student president and talk about peace and how it will help our school. I would talk to my family at a reunion and tell them fighting and arguing is not going to get us anywhere so peace will keep us together. KT

In my family I could encourage the interaction between each other, instead of always arguing over dumb stuff. The community has to come together and everyone has to come to an agreement. In school we really don’t have any say so, but the board can fix the problems. RG

I could participate in a gun violence prevention program. I could help start an anger management class. I could start a soccer night at the community center. It would give people something better to do with their time. TS

Peace means to me a lot. If everybody helps each other the world will be good. There’s still violence, but not as much. We have some peace. So that is why I’m trying to help the community out and so that the world could be great! Help pick up garbage. Do some kind of group, etc. DR

International Day Of Peace: I can bring peace to my family by not getting locked up again and the way I can bring peace to my community by doing the right thing when I leave here and use what I was through and complete school. CS

10/1/2007

My way to achieve peace with my family is making everyone feel good in the family and communicate with the family so we could have conflict resolution so it could keep peace in our family and also use empathy looking at other people’s point of views. I would also keep peace in my school by talking to peers about their problems and have a conflict resolution group in school if the school allows it and my community would also be the same. I would put up peace signs, show peers a lot of respect and would also do cleaning around the neighborhood to show my peace. That’s what I would do to show and keep peace in my life. DJ

Constitution Day - What freedom means to me

2007-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Constitution Day is September 17, 2007. One American value is FREEDOM. What does FREEDOM mean to you? Write a thinking paragraph on what FREEDOM means to you as a citizen or resident in the United States. Reference the Constitution (We the People) and/or the Bill of Rights if you can.

What does freedom mean to me…A lot cause I don’t think anybody wants to be locked down people want to do things when they want to and how they want to. I love my freedom cause you can live your life without nobody telling you anything and that’s why freedom is special to people as well as my self. AM

Freedom means to me we need to be free. We can’t live with people telling us what to do every hour of the day. We need to have space, work alone not being beat. If it was for war we wouldn’t be free. We would be slaves and busted. It means a lot to me but people don’t understand what freedoms means. They take advantage of it. LR

I think of freedom is doing anything you want to do anytime you feel like doing it without having any consequences for it. I hate being told what to do and when to do it. We are guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Here we only have life. We have no liberty, or a pursuit of happiness. We can’t do what we want and we can’t be happy here. TS

Freedom means the world to me. The world to me means that probably I’ll be a slave. They fought for my freedom and many people die for me so I don’t need to throw it away. I need to treasure it and keep it. CS

Freedom means a lot to me. Without freedom life is boring. I don’t want people telling me to go use the bathroom or anything so I need to take my freedom more seriously. My freedom means a lot because people went to war to fight for my freedom so I need to treasure it. DR

Freedom don’t mean anything to me. I think freedom is fake. There really is no such thing as freedom. It’s just another trap the government uses to make you think you’re fine, but then they lock you up. I don’t think there is an ounce of freedom in the U.S. NC

Freedom means: go where I want to go without question being asked, without being confined, not being told what to do. BR

To me freedom means surviving because once everything is become free it is more things that you will have to deal with like criminals getting out of jail or winning a war soon or later it will come back and bite you on the back side and you will regret it all of it. AS

To me freedom means when you could do what ever you want to do. You don’t have to follow authority and people who think they’re the boss. But while you in a place like placement or prison, you got no freedom. That’s when you have to follow through. Freedom is what I wanna stay having so I won’t go to my past behavior and when I get out I could start over good. SR

Freedom means to me being able to do you like going outside not being locked up. And being able to make friends and hang out. Being able to eat what you want. That’s freedom is to me and I’ll have freedom if I do good being able to see my mom and be home. That’s freedom. DH

9/21/2007

Freedom to me is waking up everyday and walking in this world. Also saying food things and learning more things. Freedom is not doing what you want, it’s doing what is good for your life, Like now I have freedom here so that is good for me so I can look at things better. DA

Freedom means that I am able to express my feelings and that I have the right to freedom of speech. I like it because people in other countries are jealous of us because of the way we live and so they want to attack us because they feel it’s not right that we get to have the things that we want and like the way we want. MC

To me freedom means everything. A person’s freedom is their life, what life do you have without freedom? I don’t think there’s no point in living without freedom. Freedom is everything. LF

Freedom means a lot to me. When I go home I’m going to have a lot of freedom. I can’t wait until I get my freedom back. In here I got a little of freedom, but not a lot of freedom. I can’t wait to go home then I will have freedom to play football. JF

9/24/2007

Freedom means to do what you want when you want without people making you do anything else. Me being a citizen of the United States there is more freedom here (the freedom of speech and religion and press). That is why I enjoy my freedoms. CR

9/26/2007

Freedom is very important thing to me. It’s being able to wake up in the morning and go eat and listen to music without being told what to do. Fredom is going to the movies with friends. Freedom is being allowed to go to the bathroom without asking. That is what freedom means to me. DR

Freedom means that I am able to express my feelings and that I have the right to freedom of speech. I like it because people in other countries are jealous of us because of the way we live and so they want to go after us because they feel like it’s not right that we get to have the things which we won’t and like the way we want. MC

Freedom to me means that you have the right to do what you want without anyone saying something. Freedom to me is maning the boss of me and no one else or having the right to go to any school I want without someone saying racial comments. JW

Freedom is being free to me and make life a lot easier for people and something you will always want and need and to be able to be trusted not mocked up and it is something we all love. JG

9/27/2007

I think freedom is being able to do something without someone telling you otherwise. I think freedom is when you’re allowed to say how you feel. I think freedom is being able to live anywhere you choose to live that’s what freedom means to me. DJ

I would always love to have my freedom, but, in the same sentence you shouldn’t break the law to get your freedom taken away from you. If someone murders someone then I feel as if they should have the freedom taken away forever. RG

To me I think freedom means you can’t do what you want and when too. I also think it means you can say what you want and not get in trouble for speaking and talking about what you think and your idea. KT

Three Wishes from the Genie with the Magic Lamp

2007-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

You have found a magic lamp. When you rub the lamp a genie appears and gives you three wishes. You cannot wish for more wishes. Write your three wishes in sentence form in your journal.

9/10/2007

1. I would wish for a better world with no crime, no problems, no poverty, no violence, a Walgreen world: a perfect world.
2. I would wish for every time I would buy something I would have the amount of money I need to buy it.
3. I would wish to own some good business in the world, to never die, to have kids and people never die, and my family would come together. KT

My first wish would be to have a successful life. My second wish would be to be rich. My third and final wish would be to be famous and have a healthy relationship with kids. DR

1. I wish I could have my daughter back from heaven.
2. I wish for a credit card with no limit.
3. I wish I wasn’t in the system. GG

1. My first wish would be to go back in time and fix all my mistakes.
2. Next I would wish to enjoy life as much as I could.
3. And my last wish would be to make world peace. LF

1. I wish we can all live in peace.
2. I wish that I’ll always have my family.
3. I wish my sister was alive. JG

1. I wish I can get out of Loysville.
2. I wish I can buy my mom a house.
3. I wish I can be a football player. JW

1. I wish I was home.
2. I wish I was a good person.
3. I wish I had a million dollars. TJ

My three wishes would be I would wish for a new house for my family. Then I would wish for a new car for my family. Then I would wish to go home to my family. JF

9/11/2007

1. I wish to be home.
2. I wish my family was better because they are all sick.
3. I wish I never got locked up. NC

1. I first wish for me and my mom to be able to live forever.
2. Then I’ll wish for a billion dollars.
3. Then I would wish for all my loved family to have another chance to live. DJ

I would wish for
1. a car – a nice one all hooked up and I would wish for
2. My dad to come back in my life because I don’t know him and I would wish for him and I would wish for him to come back and the third thing would be
3. a million or more dollars. DH

1. I would wish for the end of world hunger.
2. I would start world peace.
3. I would wish for one million dollars. AA

First I would wish for freedom to get out of jail and never go back. My second wish would be to be the richest person alive and never be hurt because of it. And finally my last wish would be to die of old age like 115 but still look young and healthy. AS

1. I wish I was the richest guy in the world and never go low on money.
2. I wish there was no such thing as jail and probation.
3. I wish I would be treated like a king. SR

9/12/2007

1. I wish to live to a hundred.
2. I wish there was 100 women and they was my wives.
3. I wish to have a model celebrity to be my wife. RG

1. I wish for a million dollars.
2. I wish for a big house.
3. I wish for a bunch of cars and girls. AM

1. I wish my mom lives till I die.
2. I wish that I have a good life.
3. I wish to have a good beautiful wife. LR

1. I would wish to be free.
2. I would wish for 999 sextillion dollars.
3. I would wish for a peaceful world. MD

9/14/2007

1. To get out of here and be free.
2. Have all charges dropped.
3. Be able to live on my own. TS

1. I wish for my grandpop to be alive.
2. I want to have money.
3. All my sisters and brothers to go to college. DR

I would like to wish for a billion dollars. Another thing I would wish for to own an island. My last wish would be a 1,000 different cars. DM

What is Art?

2007-09-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Art is your imagination and also your character. Art is a way to escape the world that you are in and to enter an imaginary world. You can also define yourself through art and drawing. Art is a thing you have to be patient and let it come to you. Art is a beautiful thing. DR

I think art is your imagination of what you really care about and it is an image on what you like or what you and some one you love. Art is also a way you communicate with people you love and care about. KT

Art shows an emotion or a sight and brings character out and it can tell you things. And another one is you learn patience and passion if you put a lot too the picture and it relieves your mind and it opens your heart up. JG

Art is something beautiful that I like to draw and to see. JC

What is art? Art is something to look at. Art is good for a lot of people. I like art very good because it is good for me. A lot of people like art like me. You have to be a good drawer to be an artist. It takes a good artist to be as good as they can be. It takes communication to be a good artist. I know a lot of good artists. It takes a lot of ideas to be a very good artist. It takes a lot of writing and drawing to be the best artist in the world. JF

Art is a way of communicating. Art is used to express emotions. It is for people to be themselves. Art is a very unique way of communicating. You can draw, paint, and most of all use colors. NC

I think art is another way to communicate your thoughts in a non-verbal way. I feel this is a very good way of doing so. You can’t come off wrong to a person when you are drawing. You can also use art as a coping skill. When you are feeling a certain type of way you can draw and express your feeling on paper. You can draw and write a song or a poem. These are all parts of Art. BJ

I think art is something people use to describe their feelings. Also instead of taking them out in a negative way. Also art is a way to communicate with others . AS

Art is a way to express your emotions. Drawing shows how you feel. Using color is the way you feel too, like dark colors show upset or sadness. Light colors are happy. Art helps with many ideas with pictures and thinking. How ever you feel you could draw it out and show an expression. SR

Art is the way you express your self and it’s all about communication like talking, listening and things like doing projects. I like art. That’s what I think art is and doing projects you learn how to draw and stuff. DH

Art to me is how you feel about art and it helps people express their feelings and what they are seeing and how they admire the world. I like to express feelings in my art work. LR

Art is a way to communicate and to express your feelings. Using art can help you a lot with depression and sadness. Art can also help someone who is lonely and has no one to communicate with. My definition of art is depression therapy which helps me calm my nerves and keep me focused on the things I need to complete. KB

Art is a variety of many different things. Art could be music, painting, drawing, movies, sculptures, and animation. KS

What is art? Art is what people perceive. Everything is art because it is from someone’s perception/ There is no bad art, only opinions and points of view. MC

Art is a way to show how one feels. People use art in many ways. It can be used as a pastime or as a hobby and otherwise just enjoy art. There are lots of kinds of art. But I use art as a hobby and to show how I feel. It’s just something I like doing as well as many others. LF

Art is communication. Art is hard for me. Art is my best class. Art is fun to me. TJ

Art is communication and the way people show their feelings. Art’s special. Different people draw different things and different ways. I think art is wonderful and is a good way to talk without words. JP

Art to me is a way of expressing yourself and your feelings like dancing, drawing, painting, music, and cooking. Art to me is being creative with images and ideas you have. That’s what my definition of art means to me. DJ

Art is happy to do. It helps you stay focused. It clears your mind at bad times. It’s something to do when you are bored and I just like art because I like to draw. CS

Art is a happy thing to do and is lovely. You can make stuff you love and treasure so you should communicate with people and take your time to do your work. So do art. Art is good and quiet and is a good thing to do. So I love Art. DR

Art is a way of communicating. It uses drawings and shapes along with colors to express feelings and emotions. Different colors express different emotions. You can draw different things to portray certain messages. Art is more than just drawing and painting. It is a way of communication. TS

Welcome to a new school year at LYDC!

2007-09-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

The plans for this school year are to offer the students opportunities for journaling each week. My students and I look forward to your comments. Posting to this blog gives them the chance to have an authentic audience. YOUR comments are much more meaningful to the students than anything I could ever say! If you have any suggestions for topics, please forward them to us.

The first post poses the question, What is Art? I think you'll find some rather interesting reflections on this.

Updates on Alphonse Ciaccio

2007-07-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Alphonse, the artist in residence we had at the LYDC, has two articles on the Mel Bay's Guitar Sessions site. Check them out!

http://www.guitarsessions.com/jul07/cityscene.asp
http://www.guitarsessions.com/jul07/jazz.asp

BJ...enjoying the summer break ;-)

Artist in Residence at LYDC

2007-06-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Alphonse Ciaccio was an artist in residence at the LYDC during May 2007. He has a report of his experience at http://www.guitarsessions.com/jun07/tales.asp The following are the result of a reflective writing assignment given to the youth after Alphonse completed his residency.

My positives are that I appreciate him coming to LYDC. To try to be a positive role model and to teach me and my fellow peers about music. Also how to play the guitar and about its history. He also talks about his life and how he grew up and where he was raised. He also gave us some pointers how not to give up on our future and goals. The main thing he talk about how to commutate with others and to ever hold any things back from any body and it don’t matter how long something take just keep going to you accomplish your goal. I would like to thank the LYDC School for taking the time for searching for a positive role model for me and my peers. KB
================

What I thought about bringing a Artist in music to L.Y.D C was a very interesting thing for the staff to bring a guy named Alfonse Ciaccio to come in and teach us a little about what he knows about music. And I think that the school brought him to us so we can have some fun with something that is positive and some of us might pick it up when we get out. When I heard that we were getting a person to come play some music for us I thought that the person would just play in front of us and leave and I liked the way how he sat down with some of us that were interested in it and taught some of us about it. Also I learned some new things that I could take home and teach my younger brother because he is into that type of things. And for once my mind wasn’t focused on negative things. ER
================

I did not spend much time with Alfonse but I think it was very good to have him here because it gave some people a chance to learn how to play the guitar. I think he should be able to come back next year because a lot of people appreciated his work. JM
================

They brought him here to show what kind of music or guitars are out there. He showed how to play them and what they look like and how to hit the keys and how to play a note.

What l wanted was to play the guitars and how to hold it and play the right note and be good but I did not.

What I thought about it was he is a good but bad teacher and he could be better by teaching the class and make sure people is paying attention. AW
================

What was the reason for having an artist in residence?
I think the reason they had him come was to come show kids new thing and maybe spark some interest and show kids some hobbies for when they get out so they have something to do instead of getting into trouble all the time.

What did you expect?
Before the dude got here I honestly thought it would kind of be corny but I was wrong. When the guy got here I got to learn how to play the guitar a little bit and I learned something productive.

Did you feel it was a positive or negative experience?
I think it was a positive experience because I learned something and I have something to show to friends when I get home. And maybe even a new hobby. I would now like to continue learning how to play the guitar. DM
================

I think we had this artist in residence to enlighten the students on different types of music. Also to work with the students who take interest in musical instruments and want to learn new notes and how to play them.

I expected for the man to not be as good as he really was with the guitar. He proved me wrong because he was good and played real well.

I felt it was a positive experience because he taught many new things about music that we never knew or thought about. NB
================

I think some of the reasons why he came are to show us that if you set your mind on a couple of things in you life that one of the things you had in your mind you can be able to get. The way he was playing the guitar sounded very well and I liked how it sounded he also taught me that there was more than one type of way to play the guitar. When I heard that there was going to be a person come in and show use how to play the guitar it was going to be very boring to sit around and listen to a man playing the guitar and I have never meet him before in my life. But some of the good things that came out of having the guy come and show use how to play a guitar when some of use never even touched a guitar in our life time. He sat around and took some of his time away from his family to come and teach us something that he did not have to do for use out of the kindness of his heart. I had a little bit of a bad experience while playing the guitar because it hurt my fingers and it took some people more time than it did other kids to learn the music that he was showing us. But I had a lot of good experience while he was here with us showing and talking about the things that he has done in the forty years that he has been playing the guitar. I think it was a good experience for every body that tried to play the guitar and pay attention to what he was showing us and doing for the duration of the time he spent with us. I would be glad if he would come back and show other kids the same things he showed me and the other kids that participated in what he showed us. RM
================

I appreciate the school and all but he could have spent more time teaching instead of yapping. I’m kind of glad he came to show us some of the basics put he could of put more effort into teaching me more. It was an experience that only probably only was a once a life time thing around here. But the only thing he had was good advice for me but no real guitar skills. I asked him to play a note for me from another artist and he was real disrespectful. If he could come back I would like to learn new things. I really can’t get mad because I’m locked up and he came all away out of his way. Taking time to try to teach my hard headed butt some thing. So you know I don’t have any hard feelings about it. So thank you for letting us meet artistic people who are doing some thing with them selves. DS
================

I think the reasons for having this person is a guest in our school was to we have a different opportunity to see somebody different the can show us and we can learn some different stuff like is music the is part of Art class.

I was expect to happened that the guest show us different stuff like the guitar and how to used them. And make some song for us the we never listen before.

The positive response the I have for this experience was to see something different in all this time that I been in this place. And have new experience. SC
================

I think to have an artist in the residence is to see what kids different interest’s are. It could also see what other kid’s can accomplish. What I was expecting from him was to be a rock star. After that I lost a lot of interest in him. I also expected him to rich and famous person but he wasn’t.

The positive response that I have from the experience. It was a different type of vibe to me because I'm not used to that type of stuff. DD
================

The reason for having an artist Alfonse Ciaccio at Loysville so people could have a taste of what real music is. It was an exciting experience for having an artist that plays the guitar extremely well. And for taking his time to share it with the residence and Loysville.

I’m pretty sure that it was a great honor not just to me but from every residence for having an artist here. Sometimes it is cool for having a guitar player that probably knows where we are coming from. So I thank who this may concern to. AF
================

In my story will be talking about the guitarist Alfonse Ciaccio an what my thoughts were about him when he came to lydc and showed my peers and I how to play an guitar.

I myself thought that Alfonse was a good guy, not only because he knows how to play and write music in which I love to do myself, but also cause he actually took his time to teach a couple of teenagers who are in fact locked up an he really doesn’t even know from Adam and eve.

I think that he also is a great musician who I have had the chance to talk to a get to know a little about him and his family. One of the most important things I have learned from him was that nothing in life comes easy an if you really wanted something in life you’ll really get up and do your best at achieving that goal instead of saying the same thing over and over again.

I would really like to think Alfonse for coming and taking his time out from his family to come and teach us new things, I really had fun.

In conclusion I’ve talked about what I thought about Mr. Alfonse and giving him my thinks for him showing. JJ
================

I think the school invited him for us to learn that we can do anything if we put our mind to it. I expected the guitar player to actually show me how to play the instrument. I thought it was a positive experience because I never knew how to play a guitar and at least he showed me how to play a little. AV
================

I think that Loysville brought Ciaccio to this particular placement to teach us that we can do anything any we set our minds to it. There are three facts that hold this conclusion and they are that the administration wants kids to find a good job, to influence people to get up and do something, and to describe how a productive member or society works. AD
================
The positive response I got from the experience was that anybody can play guitar, you don’t have to be famous for people to like your music, and got to learn how to play.

Anybody can play guitar. I did not think that I would be able to play the song that he wanted us to play, when he played it for us. The tempo was slow at times but fast at other times. I kept at it and with a little practice I got it, and if I could do it so can anybody else.

You don’t have to be famous to have people to like your music. He plays gigs for people and he is not famous, and they like his music without even knowing him. He taught me some valuable things. You don’t need to live in a nice house to be liked.

I got to learn how to play the guitar. I never thought I would be able to play guitar. When I see people play, it looks like their hand is moving so fast but when I tried it, it was not so hard.

That is some of the positive things I learned from Alfonse, and it will be with me forever. CH
================

What was the reason for having artist in residence? To show residents the talent and ability to do certain kinds of arts.

What did you expect to happen?
How to learn the arts of playing the guitar.

What positive or negative response, do you have from the experience?
I didn’t really listen because he was so annoying; he kept telling what to do in some kind of voice that made me feel like he was trying to act like my father or something. DJ

1. To show the residents we could be doing something positive
in our life he is a professional.
2. Play the guitar
3. Positive thing about him was he practiced a lot and a long time and came here to teach us residents how to play and he had time for us. DH
================

What I liked about the Musician was that he knew how to play the guitar like me and he had some type of skill. I also liked that he took time off to come visit Loysville to teach our youth how to learn to play the guitar. I want to thanks Mr Ciaccio for coming by and teaching me about guitars. Thank You. ER
================

I think that when the artist came we all got to know a little more about Spanish music than we already knew. Because he came down and told us about why he does what he does as a career. He brought in some guitars for those select few who wanted to learn it, so they can.

I think that Alfonse Ciaccio did a good thing for the residence of Loysville Youth Development Center because he took the time out of his life to come down here with us. He took the time from his life and his family to try to make our lives a little better. He tried to give us another door to open in life be cause he knew that the more opportunities you have the better off you are. So I just wanted to thank you and the school for allowing him to come down here even if I didn’t participate in the activities. HGB
================

I really didn’t know what was reason for bringing the musician Alfonse Ciaccio. I expected someone that was famous and that knew what he was doing, and that knew how to play the guitar. I didn’t like him he was boring and he wasn’t interesting. I just wasn’t in to it. JC
================

1. The guitar artist was trying to teach block 5 how to play guitar.
2. The artist was to teach block 5 how to play.
3. That he knows how to play with no problems. KJ
================

I really wasn’t listening to him but people was playing music on the guitars. He was teaching them the notes on the guitar, they was playing music called flamingo music. It is some type of music people like to dance to. We had a choose if we wanted to listen to him and I choose not to because I had a project that needed to be completed for mothers day and it was soon.
I thought he was going to just play music to us just for the fun of it. If it was like that I would have paid more attention to him and watch him play some music. I think it was good that he was here because it was a good time it was a good vibe when he was here. I would have paid attention and I could have learned some more things about music and playing guitars, and writing some good music. KT
================

I didn’t like what we have got in school because I thought it was boring. I didn’t like the way he was trying to be bossy. I didn’t like the way he played either or teach. I thought he wasn’t good at all the end. HG
================

I believe that the reason for having Alfonse here is to show the residents a different field of work/career. I expected to have more fun than I did, don’t get me wrong I did have fun but not as much as I thought. Me personally I had a negative experience because I had quit because I thought he was getting annoying. MB
================

I believe the reason for having an artist in residency was to possibly learn. We were to grasp his intriguing creativity he has invited us to learn from. Another possible reason maybe could have been to give us an insightful reference on what we plan on doing with ourselves once our time here is completed.

What I was prepared to obtain was maybe a light to the other side of this place we call life. I projected that Ciaccio exceedingly exquisite at his profession. I believe that my expectations were met and surpassed by the artist in residents and I would not mind having back again. MM
================

First off I would just like to thank who ever made it possible for Mr. Ciaccio to come to Loysville, playing the guitar with him and having the opportunity to teach classes and assist him in teaching classes was one of the most enjoyable opportunities that I’ve been able to experience during my stay.

I didn’t really know what to expect when Ms. Berquist informed us that a professional musician would be coming to share his profession with us. I just knew that I was excited!

Music is a personal passion that I have carried my entire life and the opportunity to improve upon my guitar skills while also developing valuable teaching and socialization skills was a chance I am glad to have tripped upon on.

Honestly, when he first walked in I didn’t really know what expect, I mean no offense to Mr. Ciaccio, but he does look the part of a free spirited musician. I mean he came to work in sandals!

I am so happy I had a chance to learn The Flamenco style and I know it will help me personally in my own (hopefully) music career. JM
================

Me personally, I think the reason for having an artist come to visit the facility was to have students who were interested in music to learn more about music. It was for young people such as myself to actually take part in something and feel good about what they learned. Another reason I think would be because residence could learn something new or share what they know from experience.

What I expected to learn from it was, honestly nothing because I wasn’t interested in learning how to play music with the guitar it’s really not my twist I’m more into beat machines, the piano, and the computer.

My response to the whole situation was a positive one due to the fact that, he actually took time out of his day and actually went out of his way to come here to teach other people what he knows about music. TM
================

The reason way I think she had an artist come was to show people can experience how many kinds of instruments is used and how to use it on our own my be one day I can use them and show other people how to use instruments. TW
================

The school wanted him to come to teach us about thing we can do when we get older. I think he came to show us that we can do something with our lives instead of being in the streets our whole life. I liked the fact that he wanted to come to the cottage and try to teach us about songs I thought that was good I just did not get him when he was trying to teach me the song he knew however he did ok I respect somebody that comes all the way down to Loysville to show us some things. AW
================

Alfonse came to talk to us about the music he enjoyed and was interested in, the music he made a living from and took care of his family with. That music instrument was a guitar. He showed us the basics of playing the guitar. He played some different types of music and even allowed some kids to play his guitar. He was actually a professional musician. It was an ok experience to the class and I. I learned a lot about how the music industry works. He also taught a lot of other kids about the guitars. Even other different types of guitars, he took a lot of time to come here to Loysville to teach us kids about music instruments. He even clipped his nails and let his nails go all over the table. It was kind of gross. TM

The Human Spectrum: Where do you draw the line?

2007-04-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Human Spectrum: Where do you draw the line?
http://www.understandingrace.org/humvar/spectrum.html

When we assign people to groups based on skin color or other physical features, we lose information about who they are as individuals.

Has someone ever made an incorrect assumption about you based on preconceived ideas? How did that affect you?

Do you think "race" is a good way to group people?

====================================================

Yes, because it made me not want to tell anyone I'm Italian. No, because they shouldn't judge someone just because of their color. DM

No, because it might start a problem that people do not need to have and it might make someone mad and do something that will get them in a lot of trouble. Also you shouldn't judge a person by their color. RM

No, I don't cuz all people are the some color doesn't matter. Someone has made incorrect assumptions about me because of my tattoos and I just had to prove them wrong. They affected me by lowering self esteem and low faith. But I did it for myself. DG

Yes, I felt like I was being labeled by the way I looked and dressed. It affected me because I wasn't treated equal. No, because people would get treated unfairly cause of their race. NB

Yes, they thought because I was white I was a hick. It made me wonder if people were gonna treat me different. I don't think it is a good way to place people because all people are different and some who are different skin color are even the same. NM

Yes, someone once told me I won't amount to anything because I am black. Yes, because it gives most people a little bit of comfort knowing that they have a group of people to have acceptance and can be around. HGB

Yes, I just let it go cause I know the truth. I think it is easier and a good way cause people with their own race know a lot more about each other. There are usually good things to that. DB

No, because you really wouldn't understand each other. You could probably be sure of one thing in common - that you are the same race, but inside you are all different. You could be black and have the same personality as a white person, so no, I don't think you should group people by race. AF

No, because you're judging someone before you get to know them. (example: he's black so I don't like him). If you group people by race you'd never get to meet different people of different race. ME

No, people accept me for who I am no matter what. No, people should be able to be with people from other race groups. We are all the same. CH

Yes, people from other countries have the majority of their race. If we try and mix the races up and the groups we might have chaos. MP

I don't think so because people would start to fight a lot. AV

When I go to court and people see me in handcuffs they think that I might harm them if I didn't have cuffs on or something like that. OL

Yes, they thought I was going to be a dummy because of my skin color. No, because the insides counts of a person. DD

Yes, I felt disrespected. No, because everyone is unique in their own ways. Everyone has their different ways in life. DS

I was always thought of as just an African American, but I'm Puerto Rican and Black and my great grandmother was white so I was pretty angry when I was confronted on me being Black. I don't think people should be in groups because of their incapability or defaults every one that is human should be in one group. JR

No, I think people should all be the same because it's true everybody is all the same. People in this world do not know the real thing that is happening. AW

Some people think I'm not going to be anything because I have been locked up and that's low I think. TW

No, because it turns out to be a war and no one would get along. HG

No, cause everybody has personality and color can't tell it and cause it really does not matter. JM

No, I don't think race is a good way to group people cause some people may take it offensively. JC

Yes, they have. It made me mad because they thought they had me all figured out, when they didn't even know me. Yes and no, I say yes because most people in a race have similar likes and dislikes. And I say no because every individual is different. TG

I don't think grouping people is a good thing to do. People are always judging people by their race. So that is what I think. Yes, I have been called the 'N" word. LW

No, they should be grouped by personality. JM

Yeah, I've been called Mexican a lot when I'm Puerto Rican. It's not an insult but it makes me feel further away from who I am and my true roots. I do not believe "race" is a good way to group people. It's a lot better when we're all just people, not that white kid or that Rican kid, we all have names and we're all our own individuals. JT

No, I never really experienced that about race, but I have been labeled as a criminal. I don't think race is a good way to group people because others may find it offensive. DP

They asked if I was Mexican because of the way I look, but I am from Guatemala. No, because race is nothing but heritage. It doesn't describe how an individual is. NM

No, race is not a good way to group people because it is racist and prejudiced to do that. RR.

That got me locked up because the cops were looking for a black man my height and ended up finding a gun on me. No, because I never killed anyone and I am black. CB

I don't think grouping people by race is good because people sometimes judge people by what they only see and group people by that. MR

No, because everybody should be grouped the same just like a black, white, Hispanic person. DJ

To tell you the truth I really don't care what race you are as long as you are real. CC

Yes, it made me feel mad. No, because that way you never learn who the person really is. MB

No, because some people might think that we are racist when we group them. Like the Jim Crow law and the segregation. It's just not right and fair to do that. Everyone should be treated equally, no matter what race they are. CG

Race is a bad way to judge people because we all are alike no matter where we are from. ER

No, especially since a lot of people are multi-racial. TM

Understanding Race

2007-03-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

I came across an exciting website about understanding race and wanted to see if this could be used as a lesson in communication. I gave the students the quiz that I copied from http://www.understandingrace.org/humvar/quiz.html While they were taking the quiz as a 'pretest' I showed them the streaming video "A Girl Like Me" < http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/video/index.html> The students were as horrified as I that racial stereotypes have not changed in over 50 years. I posed the question about how the children had formed their ideas about good and bad and black and white. This is a great conversation starter and would make a good writing prompt…maybe for the next blog entry.

Then we took the quiz together using the projected webpage and discussed the answers. Now that we have done this, I'm going to compare the pre and post tests and see if there have been any changes in student knowledge.

Test your knowledge of race and human variation.

1. What does skin color tell you about a person?
a. It indicates his or her race.
b. It provides information about his or her cultural heritage.
c. It offers insight into his or her predisposition to disease
d. None of the above.

2. The origins of modern humans can be traced back to Africa by studying DNA.
a. True
b. False
c. Not Sure

3. The actual patterns of DNA variation in humans show that African populations contain:
a. Nearly all of the common DNA variants found in Asians and Europeans, plus novel variants that are not found in either Europeans or Asians…
b. None of the DNA variants found in Asians and Europeans.
c. Only a few of the DNA variants found in Asians and Europeans.

4. Which of the following are influenced by both environmental and genetic factors?
a. Skin color
b. Height
c. Disease
d. All of the above

5. Can scientists determine a person's race by looking at his or her DNA?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure

6. Which sentence is true?
a. Sickle cell disease causes dark skin color.
b. The sickle cell trait became prevalent in Africa and a few other parts of the world where malaria is common because the trait offers resistance to malaria.
c. Sickle cell is a disease that is found only in people of African ancestry.

7. Experiencing racism can lead to serious health consequences that affect the distribution and concentration of disease in populations.
a. True
b. False
c. Not sure

8. Skin color evolved as the body's way of adapting to:
a. Race
b. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun
c. Climate

9. The ultimate source of all human genetic variation is:
a. Mutations in DNA sequences
b. Natural selection
c. Not sure

10. Is race in humans an accurate picture of genetic diversity?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure

Read Across America-My Many Colored Days

2007-02-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

I do this lesson in observation of Read Across America on March 2, to recognize Dr. Seuss, and to demonstrate the power of the element of color in our world.

SUBJECT: The Element of Color / My Many Colored Days

OBJECTIVES: The student will learn that colors can be used by each individual in a unique way to express his feelings and emotions.

SET: Ask students to generate a list of what they know about color. Then tell them that “today I am feeling ‘blue’ (or green or yellow or purple, etc.) Can anyone tell me in another way how I might be feeling? How else has color entered our language? (sing the blues, acting ‘yellow’, turn beet red, green with envy) How are colors important in everyday things? (gang colors, sports teams, uniforms, etc.)

STATE OBJECTIVES: Colors can be used to express feelings. When your are expressing feelings what are you doing? (This is one of the forms of COMMUNICATION.) Each person uses colors in his own way to communicate his feelings. You each see colors in your own special way.

ACTIVITIES:
1. Read My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss
2. Make a student generated list of feelings associated with the colors used in the book.
3. Show the video Notes Alive!, narrated by Holly Hunter, featuring the Minnesota Orchestra. What element has been added to the story to enhance and emphasize the emotions?

For this lesson for our blog, the students chose three colors from the list of colors described in the book and wrote about their feelings about each color.

BLUE makes things come true
RED makes me feel love
PURPLE makes me feel down
JJ

YELLOW I feel hot
BLUE I feel loose.
RED I feel dead
BR

RED makes me feel like I’m loved
BLUE is whole like the moon
GRAY makes me happy
HS

RED makes me feel angry
BLACK makes me feel upset
BROWN makes me feel confused
GM

RED It makes me feel like a rose always for someone
BLUE makes things come true
BLACK It’s Black History Month so I got to get love
NL

I feel BLUE when I am upset
When I am RED I AM VERY HAPPY THAT DAY
When I use BLACK I feel depressed and all alone
GD

RED makes me feel like people love and care for me a lot
BLACK makes me angry and I am gonna flip out and not have a good day
BLUE makes me feel relaxed and I am having a good time
KL

GRAY makes me feel old
RED mad as hell
BLUE happy as ever
JN

GREEN I think of money and something exciting
RED Makes me think of angriness and disappointment
YELLOW things slow down/tired and boring
AB

YELLOW bright, happy, energetic
RED happy, embarrassed
BLUE sad, relaxed and laid back
MW

RED bruised, embarrassed, shy
PINK loveable, happy, healthy
BLUE sad, down, hurt, stressed
HG

2007/02/27

GREEN makes me feel energetic and hyper
YELLOW makes me feel weird
BLACK makes me feel evil
MP

GREEN I see money
PINK I see girls
BLACK I see home
MM

GREEN when I see this color it gets me hyped and I do without thinking
BLACK when I see black I think of death or something bad happening
BLUE when I see this I feel calm and relaxed and my day goes with the flow
ME

GREEN Fresh, relaxed and tranquil
BLUE calm, a time to think
BROWN drowsy, lazy, ready to sleep
JR

RED I feel angry
BLACK I feel bored
PINK I feel happy
AV

PINK makes me feel happy
BLACK is a real dark color. That’s when you are down and out
GREEN is for when you feel sick
PO

GREEN gets me mad and really mean
BLUE makes me feel true and real
YELLOW makes me feel happy and joyful
DD

RED is sad
BLACK is mad some time
YELLOW is joy or sometimes nice
TW

YELLOW me being happy playing ball
BLACK being depressed when someone dies in my family
BROWN me just want to sleep all day and night
TD

3/1/2007

RED happy
BLUE glad
GREEN feel good
MR

RED happy
BLACK mad
YELLOW very happy
BJ

RED is when I’m mad
BLACK is when I feel down
BLUE is when I’m thinking something good
MS

BROWN tired
RED mad
YELLOW normal
HD

Black History in Rap and Prose

2007-02-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Each year during Black History Month students in the library classes read and write about different people. They work on these reports for a period of two weeks. Several reports are chosen to be read to the other students in class.

One Saturday morning this year I saw a TV program on ‘Flocabulary’ [Harrison, Blake, and Alexander Rappaport. Flocabulary. Kennebunkport: Cider Mill P Book, 2006.] www.flocabulary.com where students learned SAT words by rapping and rhyming so they won’t forget them. I decided to try this with my classes to help them learn in a different way about the people they wrote about for Black History. After 3 days writing their rap/poems they then read them to the other students.

I made arrangements with N. Wertz, LYDC computer teacher, to have the students type their raps in her class. The typed copies were sent to the Art room to be put on our school blog. LYDC Librarian, H. Boose ☺

Jack Johnson

1870 something 1870 something/
When Jack Johnson was born /
growing up in the hard knocks of Texas /
while his dad wasn’t driving /
No Lexis. /
He became one of the greatest boxers of them all. /
He died in a car crash/
and that was the end .

CR

Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm’s her name/
She was born 1924/
In Brooklyn, New York/
She teached half of her life/
Never had a husband present in her life/
She earned a majors degree/
In education you see/
Getting money was the object/
She still is alive today/
She returned to her first love/
Education in 1983/
Today she teaches at Mount Holyoke,
College in Massachusetts/
Shirley Chisholm is still here on earth TODAY!

[Chisholm died in 2005]

DD

Harriet Tubman

H- Harriet Tubman was born
A- And
R- Raised a slave
R- Rescued enough slaves
I- In the South to be rewarded.
E- Ended off still being
T- Tubman

HZ

James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson/
Was a well known man/
He was born next to another black man/
As he got older he became a teacher/
An don’t let me forget he was a civil rights leader /
He was the first black lawyer,/
He had his bachelors degree, an after he finished school he was a principal /
At Stanton elementary /
In the 1900s he wrote the national anthem/
This gave blacks hope/
And yes that includes the ones who was shooting dope/
He wrote Sleeping Beauty and other great songs/
Like Humpty Dumpty an Hey Man You’re Wrong/
On June 26, 1938 he died by a train when it/
Struck his car so I guess that’s it.

JJ

James Jessie Owens

James Jessie Owens

Born in Ohio
Nineteen –n- thirteen
Ran the track for his black power team

Won four gold medals
Track n field
But he lost ‘em
Said black power and it cost ‘em

Nineteen thirty six
Berlin Olympics
He got tight
Adolf Hitler talking bout races and he thought he was right

Nine teen fifty five
Flew to India
As a good will
Did it for a reason
Not for a dollar bill

JM

George W. Carver

C - creative
A - awesome
R - responsible
V - very special person to certain people
E - easy to get along with
R - ready to create something

W – was known as the greatest

C - creative
A - awesome
R - responsible
V - very special person to certain people
E - easy to get along with
R - ready to create something

LW

Malcolm X

Malcolm X grew up poor,
Holes in his shoes no carpet on the floor,
No mom or dad,
No money bags,
Drop out in 8th grade so he didn’t grad,
It sounds bad, but it turned out good,
Later on in his life like the man knew he would,
So he moved to Boston,
Then later on to Harlem,
At the age of 16 he got in some problems,
He did a burglary and caught a charge,
In jail he rewrote the dictionary,
And found Allah

MM

John R. Michell JR

Born Richmond Virginia
1880 gold medal speaker.

Reporter for New York globe
1884 bought the Richmond paper.

1890 president of Afro American press association
Formed groups that boycotted Richmond buses

He wrote stories of the army’s abuse to black soldiers
Died at home on December 3, 1929

He was a man of success
He was not afraid of death.

He did whatever helped the people
By using the newspaper

The pen is mightier than the sword
He proved that among many things.

MP

Jackie Robinson

In Cairo Georgia January 31
a lady name Robinson gave birth
soon the baby became a freak
played basketball every day of the week.
Later he went to the university of California
there he played more baseball than all of us.
soon the baseballs became into bullets
and the only thing he could think of
is how he going to do this!
He thought about it and realized
that he had to run but 4 bases
became 4 years he later got married
and died being a great baseball star

OL

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman a.k.a.
Mother of her people
Ya that’s ha name.
She was a slave for many years
But still went down in fame.
All her masters would abuse her,
But she was a strong dame.
She had a dream to be free,
But her husband a free man
Didn’t really agree.
He straight told her ma
You must be crazy!
Her brothers were down,
But when it was time to put in work
They didn’t bother sticking around.
So she just grabbed the shottie,
And headed for town.
But that wasn’t enough,
So she went back around.
Freed a thousand slaves by using the underground
Railroad without making a sound.
She loved doing good for her people so in 1863
This brave black woman led the union army.
She was a spy, a scout, and a nurse,
Who would of thought in 1913
This strong black sista ended up in a hearse?

PO

Barney Ford

Barney Ford didn’t go to school.
Because he thought it wasn’t cool
He went to mine for gold
So he could be bold
He wasn’t allowed to have any land
He thought that wasn’t grand
He liked to build hotels
So you could check into a motel
He had over $250,000
So he was worth a hefty price
He used his money to help blacks
So he wasn’t wack

RR

Malcom X

Growing up it was a struggle

Just cause of my skin color

So I chose to make the hustle

It was hard with all the racists

They treated me like a rapist/ an outcast

But I knew from the beginning that I would outlast

The time came for me and my people to come up

Cause I was tired of always being a f@*! Up

Me and my Muslim brothers spread the word

And I tried to do the right thing

But there were a bunch of haters and back stabbers

That’s when I heard the gun clatter

And it was all over.

SS

Matthew Henson

Matthew Henson was the best in the world, he even sailed to the top of the world. He believed in the god and the quest to haven opposing his belief he carried weapons. He met commander Robert E parry and was proud of the crew that he carried. Matthew Henson was the best.

IH

Harriet Tubman

[Chorus] 4 xs
She was a slave she led them out

[Verse]
She wasn’t afraid so she freed the slaves/
he underground railroad that’s what freed the slaves/
she led the union army that’s what started the riot/.

AF

Marry Church Terrel

Marry Church Terrel rhymes With Jegnrell Or Fairy Tell
She was a woman of great importance
For instance she spoke three languages
And spoke out against people who discriminated
against black people
She was born in Memphis Tennessee which rhymes with tea
She died in 1891
After accomplishing all she did
Her name therefore went down in history.

JM

Jack Johnson

First black heavyweight boxer
Living life and living large
Dated a white chick and caught a charge
Started small and made his way
In 1910 he was fighting every day
He messed up and fled the state and cried
Came back, fought, lost and died.

JT

Ellen Craft

There was a once a women name Ellen Craft
She escaped from slavery with her man.
She went to Boston with a plan
At first she was feared because her name is Ellen Craft
She made it to Boston with her man
A couple years later she skip to England and
Made a book talking about slavery in the past
She had five children and went back to her old homeland
Made a school for the blacks on how to learn a trade
She then passed in 1897.

DC

Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy
Worked on trains

He invented the automatic
Lubricating machine

He lived in Detroit
Up in Michigan

He spoke with young black
Children

To work hard and stay strong

Elijah invented all kinds of unusual
Toys

Today he’s still known as the “Real McCoy”

DP

John Sweet Rock

John Sweet Rock
Had the dentist on lock
It was 1850 when he open up shop
It was located in Philly on da block
In 1860 John Sweet stopped
He became a recruiter for da troops top notch
From his activities
In law he got a degree
Da first black judge in da Supreme to be
Even though he was a Negro part of the Black race
When Taney the judge died John took his place
It was unheard of whites couldn’t focus
After two years of being a judge he died from Tuberculosis
He couldn’t even celebrate for doing something he loved
But still he became the first black Supreme Court judge.

JR

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey was a hero
He made a light for a black man
Born and raised in the ghetto //with//
Hopes bigger than Shaq’s hands

In 1887 he dropped from his mom’s womb
The youngest of 8 kids
That was poorer than 8 pigs

He didn’t get discouraged instead he fought for change
To take it back to Africa where we would all be the same
In the end he didn't succeed
But will always be remembered.

NH

George was one of a kind but little did people know how fast he would grow. He was born in 1849 and died 1891. He was one of the best in the army, but not just that he was a very nice man who didn’t like to kill so he got out of the army and became a lawyer. He was from the US. But when he really found out what freedom meant to him he published a group of books about Negro troops and rebellion. As he got older he started to travel because of the black people. When he died in 1891 his dream was that the sea air would ease his tuberculosis.

TW

Jackie Robinson

We all know Jackie Robinson
He’s known as a sportsman and a scholar.
He broke the color barrier.

MF

Ellen Craft

Ellen Craft
Married a William Craft
Born a slave
To her father
A master
She was given
As a present
Her father
Sold her mother
When she was only
Eleven years old
She stole away
With her husband
She dressed as a master
Just as her father
They went to Canada
Then over seas to England
Later came back to the U.S.
And opened a school.

WL

W.E.B. DuBois

Du bois web
Fed up with all the pain
Tired of all the games
Both parents split
Left him in the mix

His mother passed away
He plays like its ok
Graduated from school
Where he learned all the rules
And they treated him like a foul
His soul wouldn’t break

He was serious looked into
Education to curious in 88
Down in Nashville Tennessee
Is where he would be received
A player hater degree first Black
It’s a fact started a magazine for
Black needs it was the nicest he
Named it The Crisis he started a
Group from the N.A.A.C.P.
What’s it gonna be fight or flee
come and join me

ME

A Hard Straight Continued . . .

2007-02-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

I think the people were victims and at the same time not victims because they were trying to change then they kept doing things they were not supposed to.

I think the people in the documentary will be successful because there is always another chance in life and they have a family to look after.

My experience was getting locked up. It was not cool because you miss your family and then you realize everything you are missing.

To be successful I have to stay out of trouble and stay away from the people I used to chill with and remember where I was and where I could end up. AF
I do not think the people were victims because some didn’t do anything that bad, but they did mad time. Yes, however, they are victims because they kept getting chances and they messed up. AF
============
The people will never be successful because they want too much excitement in their lives.

My experiences were shown because I would get out of placement and say I changed, but get locked up again.

If I want to be successful, I have to be more responsible with my behavior. HG
=====
Yes, the people in the documentary were victims because once you are in the system you stay in it. It’s hard to follow the rules but it’s easy to break them. Some people change when they come home and some don’t and everything depends on the person or where you are from and the people you are around.

Once you are from the streets it’s hard to be successful. It’s hard to come out and that’s not cool for a person to do anywhere. Sometimes your friends are still in gangs and selling drugs and that’s something that’s going to bring you back to jail or death.

I never went through the experiences of the people in the documentary because whenever I did what ever I did it was around younger people and they gave me more chances for me to do in life.

To be successful when I am released, I’ll have to be away from the people that I used to chill with even though it’s not easy, but I have kids to take care of and a new life to go to and follow my dreams. CA
=====
I don’t think the people in the documentary were victims because they were given a chance and messed it up. Some did more than once. I think they made their own decisions and they are a victim of their own choices.

I think some of the people will be successful, if they think of others and not themselves. Although the recidivism rate is against them, they could easily prove statistics wrong if they are committed to changing their lifestyle.

Yes, I have had experiences like in the documentary, not directly with all of them, but I have gone back to drinking. My main things were getting out and going right back to the same things, just as some of them did.

To be successful when I am released I am going to have to realize that I will not get anywhere if I go to the same thing. I have to want to change and take actions (positive) to work towards a successful life. DW

A HARD STRAIGHT

2007-02-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

A HARD STRAIGHT
A documentary about doing time on the outside
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hardstraight/
Director: Goro Toshima

Your blog entry for this week is to watch the documentary and write comments on how you feel the topic was handled.

Do you think the people in the documentary were victims of the prison/parole system? Explain why you think they were or weren’t.

Do you think the people in the documentary will ever be successful on the outside and not get locked up again? Why will the people in the film be successful or return to prison?

Do you think some of the experiences you have had were shown in this documentary? Describe your experiences

If you want to be successful when you are released from Loysville, what are you going to have to do?

People weren’t victims because they did what they did to get parole or prison, but they were a victim because they did their sentence and when they came home they had to worry about everything they did because of people [parole officer] wanting them to slip up.

If the people do or do not get locked back up again, that is all on them. Every person in this world has a choice and chance to change. It’s just up to them if they want to.

The experiences in the documentary are not necessarily similar to mine because I never got a parole or probation violation. But I did get locked up so it is a little similar.

I am going to have to watch who I hang out with and not be around negative situations. If I know something is going to happen I should just leave. HZ
==========
The people in the documentary were not victims because they got more chances than I ever got and they don’t even do what they are told to so it’s their fault when they get locked up.

Most likely they will be back in cause they try to do what they are told to and they don’t change their ways. The Mexican dude is doing ok, but he may get killed living the gang life.

My experiences are similar because every time I get back out I come right back in. I am going to have to feed my mind right and chill with a different crowd. SS
==========
Yes and no about the victims because it is your ption to take what they give you or not.

The people will or will not be successful if they want to change or don’t want to try to change.

My experiences are similar because I’ve been locked up.

I’m going to have to take care of my family and my daughter and get a real job if I want to be successful when I’m released from Loysville. HG
==========
The people in the documentary were not victims. The reason they were punished was because of their actions and addictions.

The woman that was living with her daughter I think will not make positive decisions to set herself up for success. The man with the tattoos got a head on his shoulders and knows how to play his cards.

Yes, I have experiences like those shown in the documentary. I got in trouble for getting a dirty urine.

If I want to be successful when I am released from Loysville, I have to stay away from the negative part of my community and keep a positive outlook on things. JP

Cultural History Month

2007-02-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

This week’s blog topic was prompted by the comment on Black History Month in Munirah Chronicle.

What are your ideas and opinions about designating one month to a specific culture? Should there be a Black History Month? An Asian American History Month? A Hispanic American History Month?

* Munirah Chronicle
* Today in Black History

**********************************************************************

* "Once a year we go through the charade of February being 'Black
History Month.' Black History Month needs to be a 12-MONTH THING. When we all learn about our history, about how much we've accomplished while being handicapped with RACISM, it can only inspire us to greater heights, knowing we're on the giant shoulders of our ANCESTORS."

* Subscribe to the Munirah Chronicle and receive Black Facts every day of the year.

* To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to:
In the E-mail body place: Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name

**********************************************************************

Yes, I think it is important for those races to have their own holiday. I think it is for the best that it is one month at a time so we can recognize that specific race. I don’t know why they don’t have a white month, but it doesn’t matter. HZ

I think they should keep it like that because that month will be a time to remember things that happen years and years ago. These months, Black History, Hispanic, are all months that have something to do in the future. AF

2/9/2007
I think a month to every culture will make everybody feel special having their own day. Like the Black History day means like when they give them the rights to vote or their freedom and also a day to make them feel like they have to feel or to have a day of celebration that day. And the Hispanic because if we get an amnesty day for illegal immigration so some of the Hispanics are allowed in America, that will be an unforgettable day. CA

Hats Off to Culture!

2007-01-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hats have become a SYMBOL for identity. How do the hats you wear reflect your values, interests and choices in current fashions?

[If you would like to try the Hats Off to Peace Project in your classroom, go to http://ti2data.sri.com/info/teachers/hatsoff/ where you will find photos, support documents and a lesson plan.]

The hats I wear show that I value MYSELF. The reason I am saying this is because I buy the hats to look nice to have the newest fashion. Therefore, I am valuing myself. I choose the color and style of logo to look nice, not to represent a sports team or anything. I mean I like the Ravens but never had their hat because I didn’t like the way they looked. HZ

I wear fitteds. It is a type of hat that I wear. And it has a symbol of the NY sign. It represents where I’m from. I really don’t think that is reflects my values…oh, yes, it does…it shows how much I love NY. I think that fitteds show who I am and where I am from. AF

My hats are all beanies. The way I wear hats lets people know how I feel. If I wear the hat almost over my eyes, it means I’m in a bad mood. If I have it on crooked, I’m trying to be funny. My hats show my sportsmanship. My hats are style. When I wear a hat people want to go and buy one. I let my friends buy hats off me, and I’ll buy hats for my friends. I’m very picky about my hats. I don’t wear hats that have bills. ME

The hats that I wear symbolize style. Where I'm from, for instance, most of the fitteds I wear have PA on them. Also, most of them are real stylish with different designs and colors. SS

Acrostic Poems for History

2007-01-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

DREAM

Discrimination
Remains
Eternally
Around
Me

me

NAZI

Negative people that
Are racist to all beings that are not white with blue eyes and have the same religion
Zaire, Africa, Poland did not matter unless you were a Nazi
In the 1930’s over 1,000,000 Jews died from the Nazi rule.

jr

PEACE

Problem solving is an
Example to be set in our world. A giant
Alliance is to be formed so we can all
Contribute to this by
Engaging in positive behavior to one another.

po

FREEDOM

Foundations of our
Republic depend on
Equality to
Electrify enthusiasm for a
Democracy that provides
Opportunities to
Maintain and motivate the population.

blk 8

NATION

Needs of the people are
Applied to values that help us
Think
Independently about
Opportunities for the
Numerous cultures.

blk 10

Acrostics for Learning

2007-01-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

An Acrostic Poem uses the letters in a topic word to begin each line. All lines of the poem should relate to or describe the topic word. The basic lesson was projected from http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/acrostic/ The acrostics from blk 7 and 9 were class efforts and pretty impressive, if I do say so!

Resource Books
Winter, an Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur, illustrated by Leslie Evens
Spring, an Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur, illustrated by Leslie Evens

RESPECT

Reverence for
Everything:
Self
Peers
Earning
Cosmic
Thankful.

ca

PEACE

Pleasure
Everywhere
And
Constantly
Exciting

jr

LOVE

Lots
Of
Valued
Effects

hz

HISTORY

Here and now
Inside or out
Sooner or later
Tomorrow or today
Our time is now
Remember
Yesterday

ss

EDUCATION

Exhibiting effort
Daily to reach a destination that
Unites
Cultures to reach for
Artistic and
Terrifically
Important
Opportunities to
Network with nations.

blk 7

LEARNING

Live life as an
Educational experience that
Adds
Respect and responsibilities
Now and in the future to
Improve knowledge that
Never
Goes away!

blk 9

The Freedom of Music

2007-01-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

People sang because they new that one day they would be free and God knew that they would be free. The people who sang were Black people. The music was soul music, music that touches people’s souls just by hearing the beat. AF

Songs were sung to protest. The songs were song at mass meetings and church services. The music was spiritual and heart breaking. NH

There were people like Billie Holliday singing about the lynchings that took place. The songs expressed how the people felt. People sang everywhere: prisons, churches, wherever they wanted to express their feelings. People sang with feeling and emotion. The different types of music are gospel, spiritual music and music on how the Blacks should be set free and be equal to all races. PO

The music was untouchable to anyone who tried to take away to communication through the lyrics. It was a strong use of words. People sang everywhere: in jail, on the streets. They sang because they knew no one could take that away. Different music does different things. It can get you hyped up or make you sad. ME

Music and the Civil Rights Movement

2007-01-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

How did music effect the civil rights movement? Our blog entries for this week are based on the Music Movement Medley background essay, quick time video, and discussion questions from Teachers Domain . TD requires you to log in. Membership is free.

Drawing from the reservoir of traditional African American songs, music provided a constant backdrop to the Civil Rights movement. Some songs were spirituals dating back to the era of slavery, others were songs taken from church traditions, and some were composed for specific events during the movement. Very few relied on accompanying instruments, other than clapping, but the common denominator in all of the music sung during the Civil Rights movement was the theme of freedom.

Freedom songs were often sung as a motivating force during group demonstrations, mass meetings, and church services. Most of the singing was congregational, or communal, begun by a leader who was then joined by others who "grew" the song. Sometimes the leader issued a call, and the group would respond, often rotating leaders for different verses. Harmonies, rolling bass, and dissonance all gave the feeling of surging forward.

Songs like "Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Freedom" and "We Shall Overcome" facilitated unity, lifted spirits, and prepared people for direct action. At mass meetings held to sustain the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, African Americans came together in song. As they were loaded into police wagons and crowded into jail cells during the sit-ins and Freedom Rides of the 1960s, civil rights demonstrators communicated with one another through music.

Frederick Leonard, who was arrested and jailed for participating in the Freedom Rides of 1961, remembers prison guards telling the black prisoners to stop singing. Guards threatened that if they didn't stop singing, their mattresses would be taken away, leaving a hard, cold floor to sleep on. The black prisoners continued singing, even after the mattresses were removed.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/iml04/soc/ush/civil/music/index.html

What were some of the different roles that music played in the Civil Rights movement? Where did people tend to sing? What do you notice about the music and the people who sang it? How would you describe the different styles of music you hear?

I think that some black people got together at church and maybe sometimes in streets to sing in remorse. They feel mad because they were being discriminated against and singing made them happy. People were singing in church and in festivals. These people singing were having a good time and it looked as if it was a spiritual thing. The music lifted spirits and prepared people for direct action. HZ

Music played a big part in the civil rights movement and it still does today. The music played a big part in motivating the people who were involved. They sang in church, at gatherings, and at protests. They sang with their souls and showed real meaning to what is being sung. Most of the songs are gospel songs. SS

Violence in Sports

2007-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

After viewing Daryl Cagle's Cartoons at http://cagle.com/news/NBAViolence/1.asp each student was asked to write a paragraph on their opinion of the current level of violence in sports.

I think that violence in sports is not a good example for the fans because the kids watch that too and they think that violence is good just because they see their favorite player fighting or disrespecting others, plus it will mess up the player’s reputation anywhere they play or go. CA

My opinion on violence in the NBA: I think it’s getting bad players into fights over little fouls. I think that violence is getting people hurt and killed. I think when the NBA fights that they are showing a bad example to the people that are watching the NBA. EP

I think this violence is getting ridiculous! These people, superstars, are some of our kid’s role models. They are idols of children. Look at what they are teaching America! That it is ok to fight, and show bad sportsmanship. I think that the people who fight should be suspended for the year without pay. Maybe then they will think twice about fighting. The statistics show that 70% of all basketball players in the NBA are convicted felons. What does that tell you? PO (This statistic is unconfirmed. I’d be interested in some response on actual data. BJB)

I think violence in the NBA is no different from any other sport. It’s just because most NBA players are from urban areas. They want to stretch it out to its full extent. I feel just to talk about the NBA is ridiculous. MM

Now when I say the word violence I mean fighting and talking trash. There shouldn’t be any of that because playing basketball should be something fun. Basketball is a very fun sport. I’m not saying that you can’t get mad if someone fouls you cause you can, but don’t start talking trash and then want to hit someone.

I feel that soccer is getting real bad. People are getting very mad during the sport, taking anger out by kicking the ball but acting to miss and hitting the opponent so they will be injured and taken out of the game and the refs don’t do their job well. They should call it kick boxing as much as the other person gets kicked and no cause. DG

To me the violence in sports is bound to happen one way or another, but there is a place and time. For every action there is always a reaction. The violence is definitely up and it is a wrong and bad characteristic of professional sports today in my opinion. People need to think about the consequences before they react. SS

I think there is a lot of violence in sports. I think this is bad because the youth in America and all around the world pay a lot of attention to basketball players and show a lot of adoration toward them. This could lead to a lot of trouble because kids could think that it’s alright to fight because their idols do. KS

My opinion is about the violence that happens in NBA. I think they should stop getting so frustrated over a game. They are going to waste their career over a little dispute. They can hurt themselves or hurt someone in the crowd. They’re not being very positive role models for the kids that look up to them. BS

My opinion on the violence going on in the NBA I think it is crazy because most kids including me wanted to become a basketball player, but now that we see all the things going on in the NBA most people don't even want to play for teh NBA any more. I think it should just be like the old days and just play the game right. DJ

Sports is very violent because everyone tries to be better than one another. Second reason is because it can be a contact sport. Third reason is because of jealousy. AG

Wrapping up the New Year

2007-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

My New Years goal is to do good and go to school. I also would lie to make my goal to pay off my restitution. I would like to start my New Year off by walking the right way and not getting into any trouble. EP

I went to church last week and I was talking about New Year’s resolutions and one that I was going to make. The pastor told me that a new year’s resolution isn’t really anything. By that he meant anyone could break their resolution and they won’t be mad or nothing so it doesn’t really man anything. So what I did was make a vow to Jesus that I will practice what I preach while I’m in here and out there. PO

My new year’s resolution is to be a positive person in my community. I would also like to increase my intelligence more. I would also like to help at least one person a day with anything. MM

My new year resolution for my school and my students will be to stay focused and stay out of trouble. The reason I say that is because all of my students are residents and we are all locked up. So I will try to say get out and stay out of trouble. When they get out just remember what you learn and keep it in your mind. AF

This entry is about my new years resolution. For 2007 my resolution is to prevent from getting locked up. How I’m going to do that is to do things to keep me occupied such as go to a boys and girls club and maintain hobbies like weightlifting. Something I hope and I’m going to help for my community is to pick up trash on the streets and maybe do community service. A new year resolution for my school and me is to try my best to learn and help others with the best of my ability so everyone can succeed in their life. Also so they can graduate. A new years resolution for my family is to always stick together and love each other and treat others how they want to be treated like we always do. JF

I wish for everybody to make their time here a well spent time and their families to stay strong until their kids come home with them. And to the school thanks for everything and to keep teaching everybody new things cause it does change people’s way of thinking and the better way of life. ET

Some of my school resolutions for this year are to study harder, follow all expectations, pass my GED and build better relationships with my peers so I can get by and remain positive. Also some of my resolutions for my family is for all of us to remain safe, make better decisions and become close again. For myself it’s to stay clean and find new ways of life and get out of LYDC. I also am gonna get off probation. DG

My biggest new year’s resolution is to do what I got to do to get out of Loysville YDC. This would require me to stop joking around and not catch such an attitude when I don’t get what I want. KS

My resolution for the new year is to do my best to stay home with my family and stop running the streets with all my friends. Also to stop getting locked up and do the right thing in school and at home. DJ

New Year's Resolution

2007-01-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

My resolution for this year is to go on the right path. Do right to myself and family. Go to school, be continually positive in school. BS

My new year’s resolution is rather simple. It takes a few steps and a couple of months. First I need to get out of Loysville. Then I need to go to the DMV to get my learners permit. I need to do everything that is expected on that, and then hopefully get my license. So my new year resolution is to get my license. HZ

One of the only wishes that I would have for my peers and family and teachers is that everyone stays in good health and they are safe. SS

For my resolutions I am going to stay out of trouble so I can get out of Loysville and be with my family. For school I am going to study hard so I can pass my GED so I can get a good job when I get out. For my family I am never gonna disappoint them again and help out as much as possible. RM

I hope that my teachers will have a very good new years. I wish that all of the students including myself that are doing good will get released before the summer and before the end of the school year. My new years resolution is to be the best helper in my classrooms. I also wish that the best things will happen to my teachers. LW

I wanna be a new man for the start of the new year. I want to do stuff legal instead of illegal. I wanna believe in my self more. HG

New Year Resolutions

2006-12-31T06:47:00.000-08:00

Between the Lines will use the TeachersFirst Question of the Week for this week's blog entry. I recommend TeachersFirst as a great resource site for teachers!) Please post your own resolutions as responses to this blog or go to the URL below and post to the TeachersFirst page.

This week's Question:
A new year brings new opportunities for you, your school, and your students. What resolutions do you wish for yourself, your school, your students, and/or their families as we begin 2007?

http://www.teachersfirst.com/weeklyq/question.cfm

I wish for 2007 schools around the world find stuff that would interest kids to want to go to school. I want myself to find things that really interest me. Schools need to show kids that it is going to help them by providing interviews with people who made it in life. JG

This year for a resolution I am committed to losing 30 pounds before I'm discharged from this program. Also, I would like to stay in contact with my family and build a better relationship with my counselor. JR

What I want for the new year is for me not to get in any trouble. I want to go through 2007 without getting myself in any trouble with the law. I would also like for me and my familiy to have a better relationship and for my guardian to be able to gain some trust in me. Basically, I want to have a good productive year. RW

My new year resolution is to be a better person than what I was the past couple of years. But, from the past is when a person prepares for the future and one of them is to be a good father to my kids and to be a family man instead of getting locked up every time I get out from doing time. I would like to be the best I have ever been and go home to my family and get my GED. CA

Snow is as common as dirt and self-worth is like money.

2006-12-19T12:09:00.000-08:00

12/19/2006

No two snowflakes are the same in any way. Bentley took an idea and made it his dream and it helped him take a picture of the snowflakes. No matter how bad you’re down or in trouble, it will all come out in the end. CR

No two snowflakes are the same. Creative thinking is what you think is special to you. Self worth will make you feel better instead of money. GS

The design of snowflakes is never ending. As long as you stick by it you will achieve what you dream. You will die happy. JG

No two snowflakes are alike. Creative thinking is something you can do if you just put your mind to it. You have to believe in yourself to do things in life. RW

No two snowflakes are alike. You can be rich with satisfaction. What is important depends upon yourself and what it is worth to you. DW

No two snowflakes are the same. Creative thinking can touch people about great things that people wouldn’t ever think about. If you think it’s worth it then go for it and don’t worry about everyone else. TS

There are no two snowflakes alike. If something seems possible it can be done. Plus, you have to use your mind. If you think it’s right, go with it. JR

I learned about the beauty of snow crystals and the different shapes. I learned that if you have talent, show it to the world. I learned about self worth that I can do my best and to not hide anything from any body. CA

No two snowflakes are alike Everyone thinks in different ways. Everyone has a different meaning of self worth. JT

No two snowflakes are alike. To find out something new, you have to go beyond what other people think. You have to believe in yourself in order to meet your goals. SS

No snow crystals are alike. Bentley took an idea of science and did what he loved and put it into creativity. Even though you may not be rich, you may still love what you do. MW

Bentley studied a lot about snowflakes. He just was learning about snowflakes. Bentley was announced a genius. His stuff was not proven until 50 years after his death. I learned that if you really study that one thing in your mind you can make it worth a lot. AB

I learned that snow crystals are small. I learned that what Bentley did was creative. I learned that what you do means something. CC

I learned that each snow crystal has its own patterns. If you use your creativity more people than yourself will be interested. I learned that sometimes that may not attract others could please you in many ways. AV

I learned that when you catch a snow crystal that you will lay it on a black board and take a photo of it. You could have so many crystals and make art out of it and you could do anything you put your mind to. If you learn about a subject more you would be able to succeed in your projects of art. DJ

I learned that no two snow crystals are alike. If you use creative thinking it will get you somewhere. I learned that self worth is when you do something if you practice you will make it perfect. ML

I learned that no two snow crystals are alike. They are all different. I learned that any person can do anything just as long as he or she puts their mind to it. I learned that a person can feel better about themselves. TM

I learned that snow crystals were discovered by Snowflake Bentley. You can put your mind to anything and accomplish anything you want. Put the best effort in which it comes and take your time with it. HO

I learned that snow is as common as dirt. Creative thinking is a miracle. It is a special way of thinking. Self worth is something like money. AC

I learned that there are no snow crystals that look alike. Creative thinking is thinking and putting effort and imagination into your thinking. Anything you put your mind to can become something if you practice it and don’t give, it may become a fortune. BS

I learned that no two snow crystals are alike. Creative thinking comes from a passion that you have for something. Self worth is how you think of yourself. WL

I learned that no two snowflakes are alike. It took Bentley a lifetime and he put his mind to it and never gave up. H took something he was interested in and stuck with it. Bentley believed in himself and he knew he could do it. I learned if you put your mind to something you can do anything. DP

I learned that snow crystals are never alike but are also snow flakes. I learned that through creative thinking you can find natural beauty everywhere, but it doesn’t last forever. I learned self worth is satisfaction with what you’re doing even if you are not rich. AA

I learned that there are no two snowflakes that are the same. You can have a creative mind if you can think really hard about things. People like myself think we are very valuable when it comes to certain things. LW

None of the snowflakes are the same. I also learned snow is as common as dirt. I learned that a creative thought can get you far in achievements even if other people don’t think so. I learned that you can be poor with money but rich with satisfaction. HZ

I learned that there are no two snow crystals that are alike. I learned that if you are persistent and follow up with your thoughts it will work out. I learned that if you are happy with yourself and your activities it doesn’t matter how much money you have. KS

There are no two snow crystals alike. I learned that if you are persistent you can accomplish a lot. I learned that winter snowflakes are a nice thing to look at. IH

There are no two snow flakes that are the same. I learned that if you put your mind to something you can do anything. I learned that the snow flake man liked taking pictures of snow flakes. RM

Snowflake Bentley

2006-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Snowflake Bentley (Wilson Bentley – 1865-1931)

What did you learn about snow crystals?
_______________________________________________________________________
What did you learn about creative thinking?
_______________________________________________________________________
What did you learn about self-worth?
_______________________________________________________________________

Eye on Our Atmosphere - WBZTV
http://www.snowflakebentley.com/vid.htm
This video clip is a segment on Bentley
Aired in January 2003 on WBZ Ch 4 in Boston.

The WBZ 4 Weather Team takes you beyond the forecast. Meteorologist Mish Michaels and a team of producers bring our atmosphere to life through fascinating science stories on an array of weather topics.

The Snowflake Man--Step back in time to learn about the man who taught us that "no two snowflakes are alike." We travel to Jericho, Vermont to recreate the life of a simple, self-educated farmer that took amazing pictures of snowflakes (still found on many products today) and after decades of work, became known the world over as the "Snowflake Man."

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Brings Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian

Snowflakes in Motion Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley

DISCLAIMER: Not everyone got the same information from the same video, although everyone watched the same video! Some also may have read the picture book. The statements that follow are from my students. Some are very insightful and the others are not my fault!!! BJB

12/18/2006

I learned that 6 point crystals are called snow. I also learned that Bentley thinks of crystals as miracles. Snow crystals have six branches and some have three. I learned about creative thinking that you can put your mind on the littlest thing and do lots with it. It’s all in how you put effort toward something. Anything can be made fun if you have a good imagination. What I learned about self worth is that if you enter your time to something and it is fun and takes up time it will help you feel good inside like you’re worth something. DG

I learned that snow crystals not one is the same. I learned that creative thinking gives character. And it helps people to discover things in life. Self worth is how you feel about yourself. And if you think you’re worth something or not. Bentley did not have any support. So, if you believe and have self worth, you will accomplish things in life. DR

I learned that snow crystals are very tiny and have beautiful shapes that can only be seen through a microscope. I learned that creative thinking is very useful and that it opens more doors, more opportunities. Creative thinking is a way to do something many different ways. I also learned that self worth is believing in yourself and getting stuff done that you believe in yourself enough to accomplish your dreams. JM

I learned there are no two snow crystals alike and that all of them are different in shape and size. I learned that if you really have a creative mind that you discover things such as the snow flakes or anything. I learned that self worth will help you think that you are helping the world but also it will give you spare time to make those moves happen. AG

I learned that no two snow crystals are the same. If you think you can do something then you have a good value of self worth. RR

I learned that not all snowflakes are the same. I learned that anything if possible if you put your mind to it. I learned that I am like a snowflake because I’m not the same as anyone. MM

I learned that snow crystals are all different shapes and sizes. With creative thinking you can think of anything and do anything by thinking of it first. If you don’t have self worth then you are worthless/seemed worthless. CJ

I learned that no snowflakes are alike. Anything can be done through perseverance. You can die without money, but if you do something great you are rich to yourself! NH

I learned that Bentley was interesting. No snowflakes are alike. Everything’s got art in it and if you stick your mind to it you can do art too. Bentley did what he did for not much money. He loved what he did. ME

No two snowflakes are alike. It’s good to be creative and think about new things. You’re not the same as anyone! JR

All snowflakes come in different shapes and sizes. You can learn a lot of things if you put your mind to it. Just like snowflakes, we as people are not the same. NM

All snowflakes are not the same. If you set your mind on something that you can work on a good thing and get rich. You are not the same as everybody else. AF

You can catch snowflakes on a black try. Most crystals had six branches. All snowflakes are different. You can bring an idea out and become famous for it. A lot of people will respect me for my ideas that I come up with. MP

Snowflakes all come in different shapes. You can also take photos of snow. Creative thinking can get you far in life. Everyone has creativity, you just need to learn how to use it. Self worth is when you say that you are worth something because of something you did. PO

Wilson Bentley discovered snow crystals and made a lot of them. All you got to do is just don’t give up and keep trying. You don’t need to tell everybody that you are rich and he kept it to himself. ID

I learned that they have Bentley’s work at a museum. Wilson Bentley died of pneumonia and he was a poor man. He attended school. He picked apple blossoms and took them to his mother. TD

Closing Comments and Some Conversation Starters

2006-12-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

I show people my values by displaying honesty, courage, and friendship. I am the type of person that will help anyone out in a time of need. I am a person of understanding and will listen to friends and family. JM

When I value peace I want every problem to be resolved. When I value love I want love from everybody around. When I value respect I’ll like respect to give respect. When I value my self-worth I value my self being locked up, but in the future I see myself getting a chance. My respect for the community is helping them out whenever they need help or by talking to them about any problem. My love for my family is always being there for them no matter what in the future and my peace is live in a place of only peace. CA

I show my values by acting like a civilized black young man. I value respect and love by showing consideration of others. If someone does not like me I reach my hand out to them to help them out no matter what they do or how I feel. AC

PEACE: I show this kind of value by leaving and getting away from all the negative things and people. RESPECT: When I show this value is when I see that the other person or people respect me, my family and my things. SELF-WORTH: The way I do this is by doing what I got to do, and start doing the right things like stop getting locked up and go to school and graduate. LOVE: The way I show this to my family and friends is when I do things for them and show them that I care for them and love them until we split apart. DJ

COMMENTS FROM BJB
If we use this blog topic as an assessment tool, what do you feel the writers are demonstrating? Do you think that they understand what was meant by “living your values?” Do you think that the writers were able to share what they DO to demonstrate their values? Do you feel they are able to communicate their ideas, their hopes, their dreams, their future plans in a clear and concise way?

Your comments are greatly appreciated. An authentic audience opinion is valued by my students and your comments are taken quite seriously!

Do you think we all live our values the same way?

2006-12-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

I show my values in a different way than most people. I show unconditional love to my mother and friends by doing anything they need I’ll help them with it. By peace I show peace by stopping conflicts but by that I mean I’ll try to have peace with my enemies just the same as my friends. I show respect to other people by believing their core beliefs. And self-worth cause I believe everyone’s heart if they mean it. I think they mean it no matter what. KJ

I show my values by giving all the respect I can give to my family cause they mean a lot to me and I want to be as happy as ever cause I try to work hard at school and at the cottage so I can go back to my family cause that’s my biggest value. ET

I show all of these values by living my life day to day. I don’t really ever contemplate doing things, I just do it. I show a lack of respect to the police, but other than that, I live my life by these values. BP

PEACE: The way I show peace to people I don’t fight or shove. LOVE: The way I show love to my people is by looking out for them and talking to them. RESPECT: The way I show my respect to my people is by not looking at them wrong or shouting at them. SELF-WORTH: That is to me how I eat, look, and dress up that is self worth to me respecting myself. MP

The way I show people love is I’m there when they need me and I help them when they need help. I never promise them nothing I can’t accomplish. I dedicate time for them and show them love. I show people respect if they earn it from me the way I show them that is they ask me for help I will help them. I won’t never step on their feet. OL

Our golden rule is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. It’s hard for me to do that because a lot of people don’t like to treat others the way they treat me. People are ignorant. They don’t like talking to you about a situation they would rather start a problem with you by starting some type of rumor or argument. We would all be better if we were all humble. PO

I show the values in these ways because for peace I and not a fighter, I’m a lover. I don’t cause problems unless it is in self defense. I show it in love because I show caring and help my family and girl out as much as I can in many different ways. I give respect to everyone who shows it to me. So you gotta do upon others for the do you. Self-worth: I show because I tell and let people know I am worth something no matter what anybody says. NM

I remember a time when I had peace and a kid started picking on my little brother. And besides me beating him up I put it to the side. I was in love once with a girl named Jenny T. but I moved and I never saw her again. I always give respect to a person only if they don’t disrespect me. Self-worthy is what I am. I do what I got to do to get out of here. AF

I show values of respect by not playing with someone when they aren’t in the mood. I show values of self-worth by how I present myself and how I act in public and around my friends. I show value of love by how I interact with my girl cause she is my queen and I’ll die for her. NH

Living my values...

2006-12-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I show my value of peace when somebody I don’t like is getting hurt I stick up for them. When I show my value of love it is with my family because no matter what they do they are still my family and I will always love them. I usually always respect older people and anybody else who respects me. My value of self-worth is me learning and caring for what the community does for each other and how me and my family do for each other and anybody else. RM

In my community even though I hustle and do things that bring the community down I still show these values. When I’m out on the streets it is hard to show peace but I try by trying to resolve conflicts for other people by talking to them or compromising. I show love to the community by helping out the young boys with money so they can eat or do whatever with it. I also encourage them to play sports and stay in school. I treat them as if they were my own kids. I show respect by keeping things orderly and as safe as possible for everybody. I also try to keep the block clean and clear of any drug paraphernalia such as needles and baggies cause kids and the other people don’t need to be seeing that cause it’s dangerous and plus that stuff brings cops. I show self-worth by looking towards a way to help my community get better. These are the values I show in my community. SS

Most of the time I value my family. I respect and love them more than anything. I don’t trust a lot of people so it’s hard for me to have these feelings towards others. I look at it this way…if someone goes out of their way to show me some respect, I’ll respect them back. DP

There are many ways we show our values toward family, peers and community. For example, my family always gets together on Christmas and share feelings and gifts. Christmas is an important day for my whole family. With my peers, we simply value life and electronics. For example x-box and a computer. Me and my friends sit down sometimes and play x-box for a long while. The community is a hard thing to think of values I share. Well, one value I can think of is the 4th of July. The community gathers around at the park and some other locations to watch the fireworks. HZ

When I show my values, I do it for myself. I do it in everyday life. I don’t force it onto others. People respect me because of my morals. It’s the principle of it. I pass it on to younger lads like myself. I explain it to them so they can keep my legacy going…and going…and going! I think I show love because of the extra care I put into daily things like my job as a janitorial helper at the youth development center. I just love the smiling faces when you help them. DW

PEACE: When I have a problem with someone I don’t resort to fighting. I try to think of a way that we can both get what we want and still be happy. LOVE: When the people that I love make mistakes or do something that I don’t approve of I don’t shut them out. I try to help them by telling them how they could have done something a different way. RESPECT: When people tell me to do things or tell me their opinions I don’t tell them they are wrong or don’t do what they ask. I do what they ask me and I listen to their opinions. SELF-WORTH: I really don’t have self worth, but I have been trying. JT

I have found a new meaning to life with my new set of values. It gives a whole different meaning to how I go about my life. It’s not just for myself. I help others that need my insight as well. People these days don’t really know what values are anymore and I think it’s sad. I respect elders even though they tell you things you don’t want to hear. I apply peace throughout the day because what kind of day is it without peace? JG

I use these values every day in my life. The reason I say this is because for Peace I usually if not always tend to care for others rather than being selfish and only worrying and caring for me. I’ve learned to do this in life because it tends to go farther than just showing peace. I think if we have peace, which I do, then respect comes a lot easier also. For me though I think I gain respect from others as much as I give them. I show respect by showing people it for being who they are not by their actions. Everyone deserves respect even if you don’t agree or like the person. Love to me is one of my most valued values. I believe I show this at times because it seems to me that occasionally I seem to end up loving someone or my community too much and tend to leave myself out of the picture. I help others, pull them through the rough times and before I know it I’m trapped. Last of the values is self-worth. I use this to reach my goals that I know I must to succeed. I put all my thoughts and courage into things I want to do to make a better life and don’t give up until I reach them. To me this is how I demonstrate these values. TS

Honestly, I don’t think that I show peace or self-worth. I really don’t care to learn anything new or want to put aside problems with people. I think I show some love. Some people are not among them, but a few because I always do things for them no matter what they ask and I still care for them no matter what they do. I also think that I show some respect for some few people mainly just the ones I love because I care about what they think and say but for most people I could care less what anyone has to say to me. JY

A way I use peace in my family is I do as I’m told so that everything moves along in my house. Another way I use peace in the community is doing the things that abide by the law. A way I use love is to show that I care about my mom and the rest of my family. I respect people in general by treating them as I would like to be treated also by using manners. I demonstrate self-worth by keeping my appearance clean and watching the way I talk to my elders also by acting accordingly. JR

I use these values in my everyday life. I use them to show my family that I care about them. I don’t think there is a day in my life I haven’t used these values. Everyone uses values in their everyday life. They make up who and what we are about. I do this by listening to what others have to say and I take it into consideration. I show them respect and love. RW

I show the values of peace sometimes, but sometimes I can be annoying. I show love to the people in my community by helping them out, but when I commit crimes I do not show my community anything but harm and disrespect. I show respect because I want to get it. I show respect to all of my peers so I can make very good friends in the future. I should expect other people if I want to get respect from other people. I respect myself because I know what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. If I respect myself I will make it very far in my life. It is kind of sad when you see people that do not have any respect for themselves at all. LW

How I show my values is: I give and I get a lot of respect from people no matter what because I’m a loving person and I’m trying very hard to go home. Most of all I am a peaceful person by helping people out. AC

I show values by doing what I’m told and to show bravery and courage. I do it for the best interests of my staying out of trouble. Values that I show are respect and get a discipline that is why I use values. HG

My value is being respectful. Showing people that I respect them by treating them how they want to be and they will do the same too. Another value is love for people that I cherish. Showing some type of love for them no matter what they do. BS

My values for the Tree of Values

2006-12-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

12/12/2006

How I show my values with peers when I interact with them and work on peer relations so I can become a better person and become more vocal. In my community I show my values by helping the community do what needs to be done and before I got locked up I wasn't thinking of the community and groups here help me think and internalize the things I need to do. When I show my values with my family I do it every day because I love, Respect my family with all my heart and I would never put them in harm's way. My values are shown every day for my family. JF

My most important value is respect cause in order to get respect you got to give them respect even if you don't like them cause that isn't going to get you no where except for the fact you might get locked up. Like I say, you don't have to prove anything to anybody but yourself. You came here by yourself and you're going to leave by yourself, and 9 times out of 10 times you aren't going to see anybody when you go home. TM
[I'm looking forward to hearing comments to this post! BJB]

I show my value for peace by helping others when they need help. I show love when I take care of my girl and talk to her and tell her how I feel. Also, I love my family cause they help me throughout my life and I show it when trying to listen. I respect my friends and my family and cause they respect me I do the same. I think I have some self-worth cause I try to make things better for me and my life. I strive for a good life. SP

The way I can live my values is by following the golden rule and do what I want others to do to me. I can show the values of peace, love and respect by treating others nice and give my love and support to people and I can keep peace by staying away from the violence and just keeping the peace. BW

I show self-worth, respect, love and peace to my peers, community and family. I do things like listen to the rules and follow them. I respect what my family tells me to do. I respect my peers by giving them space. I show love to my family by doing things that show I care. MP

I show all of these values to my friends, girlfriend, siblings and uncles by hugging and talking to them when they have problems. I also leave them alone when they need their space. I respect their opinion, their thoughts and their time. If I ask them to do something, I wait and give them time to do the task. Also, I show them appreciation and thankfulness. CG

I demonstrate these traits in many ways, mainly towards the people I love. I use peace by putting people before myself and take into consideration their feelings. I use love to the fullest. To me love is a very strong feeling and it can be hurtful if betrayed. I know the feeling so I show my love and never let people feel any other way. I show respect for everyone till I feel disrespected. I show respect by treating others the way I want to be treated. Last, but not least, self-worth - by striving for the best and knowing that there is a lot out there for me to learn. CS

I live the values of respect and self-worth by following the golden rule and I like to learn stuff for my heart and my mind. I learn in my own way and I respect the differences of other people and how they learn. RR

Tree of Values

2006-12-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Every color,
Every creed,
Every God,
Every need,
Every Bounty,
Every gift,
Let the strong
The weaker lift.
Let the wars
Forever cease.
Bless this tree,
Its name is
Peace.
bjb

Values

Peace – When we value peace we are willing to put aside selfish feelings and work with others to resolve conflict.

Love – When we value love we unconditionally accept and care deeply for others, even though we may not approve of their behavior.

Respect – When we value respect we show consideration for others.

Self-Worth – When we value Self-worth we strive for lifelong learning in our hearts and minds.

BLOG ENTRY FOR 12/12/06-12/22/06

We live our values. How do you show the values of Peace, Love, Respect, and Self-worth in your relationships with peers, your community, and your family?

End of the Road

2006-12-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

The boys wrote these reflections after reading the comments that were submitted to the previous Posting. The comments had a powerful impact on the students. Your words can change lives! Please continue to give us feedback on this and future topics. BJB

I think that the road less taken is something that should be taken seriously. If everyone took the easy way in life they wouldn’t be learning stuff the way that if the people taking the hard way and the hard way would also be the safer way. RR

The poem effected me because of me making the right choices. And if I make the wrong choices then I will be locked back up. I don’t want that. I want to show my nephew that I am a good uncle no matter what my family says about me. I don’t want my nephew/kids to follow in my footsteps. And have the life I didn’t have. CG

I think the poem is good cause it touched me. I think that if you make the right choices it will get you somewhere, but if you don’t, in the long run you will end up where you don’t want to be. And when you’re older you’re going to think about the stuff you did and how you could of done better. So it’s always right to make the right choices in life. ET

It relates to me because I have made some bad choices and when I got out of here I’m going to make some good choices for now the bad thing I did like have guns, selling drugs, and that hurt a lot of people like my peoples that I love because I’m having kids and I not be there for them so I can see them being born. DP

The way that this relates to my life is that for around four years I was taking all the wrong paths. I took so many wrong paths I was eventually lost. Now I’m here and this place set me back on the right path that I could not find. Now it is just a matter of staying on this path. MS

This poem has to do with me and my choices that I make because no matter what path I take I will have to make a choice. It will either be a good path or a bad path. I have chosen to make wrong paths in my past. I plan on changing. It won’t be easy to pick the right path, but with me thinking before I act it would help me so I don’t end up taking a bad path like the one I have already chosen. PO

The road I didn’t take was the positive road. Why? Because when I was young I had to do things to get money to help my family. And when I started hustling to help mainly my mom to pay the bills and things like that. When all that took place I knew it was wrong but I had to do it. I wasn’t thinking of my victims. That’s one of the wrong roads I took. JF

The road that I took has not been good. I made a lot of wrong decisions in my life. I want to make money the easy way even if I realize that it is going to take me down or in jail I still do it. But now that I have been isolated for the fourth time, I think I need to straighten my life up. I am still young, 17 years old, so I got a chance to change the road that I have been taking. Also I effected my family a lot and that I won’t want to do any more. SP

This poem relates to me because I had made some bad and some good choices in the past, but I am locked up now because I made a bad choice. But now I am trying to change that bad choice so I could have a better future and learn from my mistakes so I won’t end up locked up again. OL

It relates to my choices because the choices I made were bad and got me here. If I don’t make right choices in the future I will have a troubled life. By doing things different that I didn’t do in my past by thinking before I act and thinking about the consequences. NM

The road not taken relates to me by the road I took was a better choice but still I end up locked here in a placement. All I try doing is living my life and due to were I live it’s hard for me to be one out of five black kids where I live and it is very racist. Right now the crimes that were committed were done by a lot of kids supposedly and I am the only one locked up. EE

This poem relates to my life because I did have a path to choose and the wrong one and now I start going to try to take education seriously and have a better future. NH

This poem does relate to me because I have made bad choices and didn’t really think about the consequences. Sometimes things in life are not easy. In the future I will learn to make the right choices. Making bad choices has a consequence to suffer for it. In my life I will choose the right path and do what I have to do to get out and stay out. AF

This poem relates to me because I don’t choose what I am going to do before I do it and that is why the poem relates to me. Because I always choose the wrong way because I don’t like to behave for anybody. And I never wanted to do anything right. RM

I can relate to it in may ways I have made many bad choices and learnt from them looking back on the choices I made that I had poor decision making. In the future I plan to better my life. When I get back out on the streets hustling, carrying guns and all are going to be my last resort cause my family is more important. JM

Since I came here I see the mistake I was making in the past with my decision and all the person affects with the stuff I was doing. Now I realized that a lot of people are waiting and dependant for me to get out of here and start working and go to college so I can be something productive for my family and community now as when I see that. I also learn in here the only friends we have are our parents and relatives because when you are in a place like this nobody cares about you. This is the other stuff I can see about this poem. SC

This relates to my choices I’ve made in my life because there’s always two ways and each choice makes more possibilities. I also need to learn about consequences for my choice. In the future I need to make better decisions so I don’t end up back in the system or worse. I need to follow the right path, not the evil or wrong path. The poem described how we as people have to decide which is the tricky path or the right moral path. KJ

Frost in Rap Mode!

2006-12-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

I’ve chosen to copy this writing as is. If you need a translation, let me know ;-) BJ

A the age 8 never no what life was about?
Strees is a path they give with out no dalt.
And it hard to think about when God calls my name
And I wish I coud think a way to maintain
Or a way where I don’t have to go tru a lot of PAIN
Whan you think about your fear your heart start beating
But when you getting ready to face your fears
Your heart stop beating.

And it’s hard to tell God
That I can’t maket but
In the future if it’s something that is goin to help
I’ll taket!

CA

Back to the narrative entries:

How does this poem from Robert Frost relate to the choices you made in the past and the choices your gonna make in the future? To me it relates because I had the potential to do the good things and hang out with the right crowd, but I took the wrong road. I think I will learn to look the right way next time. JM

This means to me you have two choices in life: the wrong road and the right road. I chose the wrong road apparently and now I have to take the right road. So now that I have the right road in my sight, I can put all the hustling and all the other stuff I was involved in [behind me]. So now I just gotta stay on the right road. JR

This poem relates to the choices we made and the choices we will make because for each decision we come upon there are choices and that is what the roads represent. The easy way which is the road that has been traveled more and the longer way, the way that will take more work. That is the road that was traveled less. I think that the road is traveled less because people always want to take the easy way. JT

It tells me in life not to do the same things that everyone else does. Make your own decisions and don’t follow the footsteps of others. Do something different instead of always choosing the same path everyone else does to get the easy way out. RW

This poem relates to me because I’ve had a couple forks in the road, and have taken one route, now wondering how my life will be if I had taken the other. My decision making chose the wrong road I’ve taken. Now I wonder how it woud feel if I’ve taken the other. Then again, I think I’m at the beginning of the fork still deciding which way I’m going to head. And I’m going to try my best to head toward the way to success. So I won’t have to worry or think what it would be like if I were to take the other. IH

This poem relates to me and the choices I made because of the road I choose. I could have taken a different path that would not have led me to getting locked up. I took the wrong road instead and ended up in here. In the future I will choose a different road so I can have a better future and not affect other people at the same time. AA

I feel as though this pertains to my everyday life in many ways. The most important thing that I receive from the poem is that it’s inevitable that you are going to have to make choices in your life or be faced with a troubling dilemma. And most of the time there is an easy way out but the easy way usually isn’t the right way so pick the right path. KS

The poem “The road Not Taken” relates to me because I chose the wrong road. I chose the bad road that led me here. And in doing that, I stuck a big roadblock in the middle of my life. Next time, when I get out, I want to take the good one. I want to go to school and graduate and go to college. DP

One main choice that affected my choices for me was getting out the gun and loading it. But the thing is from doing something negative I got something positive coming out of it rather than all negatives. Now, from this choice people look at me and think that I’m crazy and that I should be dead. But I deal with the criticism and I’m going to be living a straight life when I get released. I’m going to be going to schools and talking to kids about firearm safety and about being locked up. WL

Well I want to play sports when I get older or if that don’t work out then my back up plan is to work with young juveniles in placement to help them get their life together. What I don’t want for my future is for me to go to jail for a long time for getting busted with drugs and stuff. My young life started out rough getting in trouble when I was like eleven years old. I am eighteen now so I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I want to grow up and have children and be there for them and not be an unfit dad. I want to spend a lot of time with my children so we can live a good life and worship God cause my religion is important. I am a Christian. AB

Because the one road that I did take took me the wrong way and now I am here so in the future I will have the choice to take a different road or stay on the wrong road. The wrong road at first looked nice and easier, but in all reality, after a little while I took notice that the easy road ain't always the right one and sometimes at the end it may not be so easy or nice looking. JY

More Traveling on the Road Not Taken....

2006-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

This relates to me because if I took different roads I would not be in the position I’m in and I would make better decisions in my lifetime. I am going to choose roads that no one else drives on so it’s fresh and no trouble lays upon me. AG

I can relate to the poem because I have made some bad choices and if I would have gone down a different road, then maybe I would not be here now. BP

How the poet’s choices to mine are that he made two choices. One could have been good, the other bad, but his choices were good. The difference is mine were bad choices. We always have more than one choice. The choices I will make in the future are gonna be better than the ones in the past. DR

This poem relates to me because I made a lot of positive and negative decisions in my life. But the only right thing to do is learn from your mistakes to make your life better and easier. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us (Emerson). That means what happened in the past stays in the past and what happens in the future is the future. The past you learned from. JH

I’ve made decisions like staying in school and deciding whether I want to get a GED or my diploma. They both take work and effort, but lead to different options. I decided on my diploma. The reason was it shows I went through every school year and didn’t take the easy way out. I will be able to be accepted in more than one college or there are more colleges that accept a diploma than a GED. I’ve already made choices according to the lifestyle I want to live. MP

This poem is related to me because in life you have choices and I chose to go on the wrong road which was not good for my future. But there is a turn around sign here at this road so now this is where I turn around and go back out and pick the other road which is a better life to live. JR

The poem relates to my choices cause I didn’t choose the path this is not hardly used. In my future I hope I will find the path. I will think of my victims and consequences before I choose any paths. MM

It does in a way cause if I would of followed the right road in the first place I wouldn’t be where I am at today. But, now that I know the right road, I will follow it and have success. CS

Well, it means to me that you too can strive in your life as well as don’t be a follower, be a leader. I got locked up for making the wrong choices and Loysville is a second chance to redeem myself and make it through life and take it to the future. TM

This relates to me because the things that I have done in the past were wrong. And it relates to me because I could change. Sometimes in life I do something wrong and I run away from my problems. And that is how the story is so that is how that story relates to me. What you do wrong in the past will effect your future. EP

It relates to me because the choices I make now will effect me in the future so I need to make a change now so my choices in the future can be positive and I can be successful in life. That’s how it relates to me. BW
I feel this relates to my choices because at some times I make bad choices that slow down my life and make me turn different ways and keep me from seeing and doing other things. I feel this also relates to my future choices because the experiences I went through lead me now to better choices so I don’t keep ending up in a place away from home. It may be hard but anything can be done if you put your mind to doing it. DG

The Road Not Taken

2006-12-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

How does Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” relate to choices you have made in your life and to choices you will make in the future?

I shared the following video with the students before they were asked to give written responses. This allowed them to hear as well as read Frost's poem.

http://www.nextvista.org/2006/09/10/traveling-robert-frosts-the-road-not-taken/

Next Vista leads a monthly discussion in Tapped In (www.tappedin.org). Their next presentation is on December 7, 2006.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I think this poem means a lot because we will be faced with choices in life and there will be different options. If we can prevent looking back and sighing, that is what the best choice is. DW

I think the poem is saying that everything you do effects you down to the smallest thing to the biggest. I made small choices that changed my life and big choices that also changed my life. GS

When I chose The Road, so to speak, I chose the road of drugs. It was one of the worst decisions in my life. It was the short road. It ended just as fast as it began. Now I’m on another road which looks more bright. JG

I would say the poem we went over today is very true and relates to me in a major way. I would say the choices you make in life make or break you because you learn from every decision made in life. In the future I plan on making wise and self-decided choices because I’ve kind of gone with the flow instead of being independent. MJ

The road not taken in my life was the road to success. What I mean is there is a life of violence and crime or the road to good behavior. I took the road to violence and crimes, therefore, I took the wrong road. When I get out I am going to get better directions! HZ

This poem relates to some of the choices I made in my life. The main one was either I stick to sports and go on to college or I start hustling and doing what I want. I took the hustling path because I was greedy. This path brought me a lot of bad consequences, but the amount o stuff I learned by leading this lifestyle out-weighs all the time I spent locked up. A way that this will help me make choices in the future is by leading me to take the road that is less traveled, but make it positive. SS

It is kind of like my life. I made the wrong choices and look at where I am with the choices I made. In the future hopefully the choices I made in the past I will look upon and see that that what path I chose was the the wrong path and so hopefully I realize it and not make the same choice and take the wrong path because I will end up here or worse and that you can learn from your past. MW

It’s like you have two paths two choices to pick from. Either the good path or the bad path. Like I went down the wrong path and got locked up. Now I’m on the good path trying successfully to get out and do the right thing in life. BS

When I read this poem it relates to me because I wanna do good when I grow up and do good and do something with my life, not be a bum…help others out, be supportive and do good things and stay out of jail. HG

I relate to the choices that I made because I did not make good choices, well, not that many good choices and I might have many more choices to go in life. The narrator of the poem said our choices limit what we do. AC

What I want for my future is to become a successful businessman. See, what I plan on doing when I leave this place is to first finish school then go to barber school to become a licensed barber. From there I’m going to college to major in business management and technology and once I graduate I want to go back to school for a bachelor’s degree. But what I don’t want to happen is for me to end up either in jail for the rest of my natural life or shot dead in the streets. TM

This poem relates to what I did in the past because it tells about the choices he had made in the time of need to do something. I learned from this poem that you can learn from the mistakes that you did in the past so you could do it better than before in the future. The choices I will make in the future will be better thought about and I won’t do the same mistakes over and end up in a place I don’t belong. DJ

It kind of relates to my life cause it depends on the choices I make. If I make the wrong choices now it will effect me cause if I do something serious it could just automatically just ruin my life off the bat! That is why I should concentrate on my actions that I make from now on in life. ML

Like the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, there were two roads and each one would take you to a different place. Well, in my situation I chose the wrong road which led me here. In the future I will take the other road and not take the blame for somebody else. RM

It related to me because when I was at home I made a bad choice to threaten my neighbors. So, instead of taking the straight way down the road I took the wrong way and now I am locked up doing time for not going down the straight road. LW

To me this poem is talking about two roads – one negative and one positive. The title, “the road not taken,” is implying that you always take one road or path and go down it and there’s always the one you didn’t take. I took the negative road and led myself down the wrong path making wrong choices about things I did and people I was with. Now that I’m here at Loysville I’ll have the opportunity to take that road that was not taken. Hopefully, that road is the right road and will help me make the right choices and decisions, but only I can make the road work. For every person there is always that road that has not been taken but is waiting for them. TS

Giving Thanks

2006-11-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for having my child to the right girl and the best girl in the world and mostly in my life. She has been the best thing that has happened to me since I was 13 years old. I had my son when I was 15 and she was 17.

I hope to go home in time for my second child to be born to the same girl. I'm now 18 and she is 20. She was ready and so am I to have this major responsibility in my life. It is time for me to grow up.

I'm doing everything asked of me now and up until the day I pass so that I can show my kids what not to end up like when they are my age. CR

*****

I am thankful for the talent that God gave me and the life which He has placed me with and hope for my freedom soon and that when I get out I get a place in a house of my own and after a little bit become famous in rapping, but most important I hope my family is and stays in good health. I am working towards better things such as making something out of my life and working very hard. JM

Celebrate Thanksgiving Every Day

2006-11-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Thanksgiving every day. Take time to count what you have, not what you have not…and when all is lost, you have the gift of hope.

What are you thankful for?
What do you hope for?
What are you doing to make your hopes reality?
*****
I am thankful for having a good family. I am thankful for having a very artistic art teacher. I am thankful for having a person to look up to. I am thankful for having such a perfect pastor. I am thankful for the help that I receive. I am thankful for having a beautiful family. I hope to stay out of placement and never ever get locked back up again. I hope that I become then best NFL or NBA player to ever live. I hope for the best things that can ever happen to me. I hope to go home in March and go to church and I will pray for all of my teachers. I will make my hopes come real by accepting "NO" for an answer, apologizing for the things that I have done wrong. I also will talk about my feelings and my problems instead of holding them in. I also will stop getting restrained and stop threatening my staff and my peers. I also will successfully complete my program and go back to my community where I belong. LW
*****
I'm thankful for having a life and a family and I hope to be successful in life so I can have a job along with money to help my family and I'm not faking it to make it in life. It's real to me, like the way I walk and talk, the way I do everything. I'm seeking help, looking for a job and helping others to do the same. AC

Political Awareness

2006-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Why is it important to be politically aware and prepared to vote?

It is important to vote because you should be able to say who you want in charge and be able to say what goes on in your economy. It is also important to be prepared to vote that way so you know why and what you are voting for. RW

Media Matters

2006-11-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

This week the blog topic is elections. The class is discussing the Hip Hop Summit Action Network which "seeks to foster initiatives amied at engaging the Hip-Hop generation in community development issues related to equal access to high quality public education and literacy, freedom of speech, voter education, economic advancement, and youth leadership development." The first Hip-Hop summit in 2001 was themed "Taking Back Responsibility."

I shared the streaming video Vote! from Media Matters by using an LCD projector connected to my computer. The question the students are to respond to is: Why is it important to be politically aware and prepared to vote?

BJ

Talking, Writing, Body Language

2006-11-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

It is very important for me to communicate. If I couldn't communicate, then I wouldn't be able to express my feelings or anything else. If I couldn't do that I would always be angry. I need to be able to communicate to get my thoughts out also. Getting your thoughts out is very important because if you don't, nobody will ever know how you feel. I really only use three ways to communicate: talking, writing and body language. I always talk and write, but hardly ever use body language. One way I use body language and facial expressions is when I am mad or someone won't get what I am trying to say then I roll my eyes. I am glad we communicate the way we do. HZ

Communication

2006-10-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

This week's lesson is on Communication. The classes created lists of HOW we communicate(sing, talk, dance, read, write, listen, paint, draw) and WHAT we communicate (feelings, thoughts, ideas, viewpoints, opinions). They then defined communication as an expression of feelings, thoughts, ideas, viewpoints and opinions. The writing challenge is to explain why it is important to know how to be an effective communicator.

300,000,000 and the Economy

2006-10-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

With the USA's population reaching three hundred million, it affects the world. There are many different ways it affects the world. Now we need a bigger economic system. We are going to need more jobs and more houses. It's going to affect me because since there are so many people they're going to take those with higher educations for the higher paying jobs. JM

2006-10-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

We've continued the topic on 300 million Americans and are discussing some great political cartoons on the subject at www.cagle.com

This effects us a lot because more people means more stuff we have to use and it also hurts us because that means more people are going to commit crimes and we all have to pay more money for people that are in jail. And the way it effects me is when you get a job you have to pay more taxes. GG
*****
Well, I wouldn't really know how to put it…it effects me because more jobs are getting taken and more people cause more problems and more crimes. It may effect the US by not knowing how many are coming into the US because there are so many of us. I don't know how it would effect the world. GS
*****
I think that the population is due to the people who shouldn't be in the US. They should do what the other millions of people did and get in like they should have. GS

U.S. Population Surpasses 300 Million!

2006-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

This week's topic has to do with the news topic about the U.S. population reaching 300,000,000. After a discussion on the effects of a population on economics, jobs, energy, food, and pollution, the students reflected on how they feel the population growth effects them, the U.S., and the world.

The way this effects me is that my life might end sooner than I expect because of my environment. It effects the U.S. because we will be getting droughts [climate and weather changes from global warming - bjb] and get skin cancer more easily. We've created all of these things that hurt the world and we complain, but we take no real steps to saving the future of this world. We're like junkies if you think about it. MS

Defining "Family"

2006-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

This week's topic was to define Family: How do you describe the concept of "family"? How many people do you need to have a "family"? Describe your family and the people in it.

The concept of family to me is a group of people that you live with and they love you, protect you, and help you when in need. Also, family is people you share your thoughts and feelings with. To make a family you need as many people as there are for you. My family are people I love and they love me back. They are people that support me when I'm in struggle and when I need someone to talk to. They also help me physically, emotionally, financially. AV
*****
A family is people that are real close to you and they love you. I think you need two or three people to have a family. It would be my wife and my child, but it can be just me and my son and that could be a family to me. My family is really big and they all care about and want me to have a good life. My mom always tells me to finish high school and get a good job. My brother give me advice and encourages me that everything would be all right. My dad tells me he's sorry for not being in my life. He tells me that that doesn't mean that I can have a bad life. He tells me not to do the things he did so I can have a good life and have a family and take care of them. SP
*****
Family is where the heart lies. They don't have to be blood related. Families always forgive. You only need one person or it could even be your dog is your family if that's all you have. You need two people that love each other and will listen. My family is hectic. My sister is 12 and she is in 7th grade. My dad is a loud, 6ft. 2in., hard working man. My mom is crazy, but I still love her. She's very picky with being clean. MS

...it's going to be in my belly very fast ;-)

2006-10-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

My favorite food is rice and beans with pork and macaroni salad. It smells very tasty and something that is going to be in my belly very fast. It tastes kind of sweet and very homemade. It can be served hot and cold. It is a Puerto Rican meal. The macaroni can be for many ethnic groups. This food is served by my mom and sometimes my grandmom. When I think of this food I picture me and my family sitting down in the kitchen praying before we eat and then eating and talking about how our day was. AV

Somethin's Cookin'!

2006-10-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

For this week's topic, I wanted to choose something that would have a powerful connection, but give the kids a break from the introspection I've been putting them through. As always, my students and I look forward to your comments.

Since smell is one of our most powerful memories, I decided to go with food. I asked 5 questions:
1. What is your favorite food?
2. What does the food smell like?
3. How does the food taste? Is it served hot or cold?
4. Is this an ethnic food? A food served by mom or dad or a family member? A party food?
5. Thinking about 1-4, describe in words a photo or image of people eating their favorite food.

Spanish food is my favorite. My mom makes it all the time. She teaches me how to cook it. It smells real good like fresh food. Every time I smell it it smells like home sweet home and my country Puerto Rico. The food tastes really good if it is served hot. It is served by my mom and my other family. I can see myself eating Spanish food, feeling happy, with a lot of energy and then, when I'm done, lay back and take a nap. SP
*****
My favorite food is Maryland crabs mmmm……. It smells like Old Bay Seasoning. It tastes very inviting and fresh. It's served broiled with newspapers and a hammer. Yes, this is a Baltimore thing. They were probably caught an hour before they hit your mouth. This is a delicacy. I picture everyone sitting around a table with a layer of taped newspaper and a huge pile of blue and red crabs, shells everywhere and a little boy torturing his sister with the dead crab. Then he mistakes a lung for a piece of meet and his sister calls it karma. MS
*****
The reason I like pizza and chicken is because with pizza the cheese just melts and the crust tastes mad good. I like chicken also cause the meat attracts to me and chicken is so juicy. Sometimes the food is good and it is always hot when I'm getting ready to eat. The chicken is usually served by my mom and the pizza is always at the pizza shop. Pizza and chicken are always party food, no matter what. That's why I like pizza and chicken as my favorite food. DJ
*****
My favorite food is yellow rice. It smells delicious. It tastes great. It is served hot on a plate. Yes, it is an ethnic food. My dad and mom make it, but mostly my dad makes it almost every time. When I picture eating my favorite food, they are all at a table eating their favorite food, talking and having a good time and are being polite. AV

Time to Reflect...

2006-10-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

The posts about heroes wasn't what I had expected. This just points out the level of prior knowledge and experiences that my students have. Heroes is such a wonderful opportunity to provide positive role models. For some excellent ideas on teaching about heroes take a look at http://myhero.com/myhero/

The same goes for music. I'll need to do a bit of scaffolding before we try that topic again!

Hopefully, the next topic will be more engaging. BJB

R & B and Movin' to the beat

2006-09-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

I like R & B. The rhythm is smooth and it makes me think of my girl. The mood is happy joyful love. It always makes me think of home when I was with my family or my girl's or my home boys'. My favorite music is happy and sad. If I would draw a picture of my favorite music, it would be in zigzag and my colors would be blue and yellow. Blue is for peace and yellow for the beautiful sun or regular day in the summer. SP
*****
My description of music is that it has a good rhythm and beat and a good singer and a good song. Sometimes I sing to it or dance to it. I listen to sad music, happy music and also angry music. If I was to paint a picture of my favorite music, the colors I would use would be red, blue, green and orange. The lines would look wavy and straight. AV

Rap and Rock-n-Roll

2006-09-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of music is 70's and 80's rock hyped up in the way of singing about things or when it's mellow it helps me relax. My favorite music is angry often giving a negative reflection. The colors of my music would be black and red and the line would be swiggly because the singers' voices are usually all over. MS
*****
Rap is my favorite kind of music. My favorite kind of music is sad and angry because the singer talks about the things he's going through growing up and the projects. He got this one song called stressing and he says I don't want to lose my life to a smith and wesson, that's why I'm stressing. And he goes at a very fast pace and he got this one song called I been going through some things and in the song he talks about his friend's trial. He was like, "I been through things that nobody understands. I been going through hoping people stay the same, but they are always changing. He was like twelve and got life for killing some dude." AB

Seeing Sounds and Lyrics

2006-09-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

This week's assignment is to describe a favorite kind of music using adjectives to describe the rhythm, mood, message (what the lyrics mean). Is your favorite music happy? Sad? Angry? If you were to paint an abstract picture of your favorite music, what colors would you use? What would the lines look like (jagged, zigzag, wavy, etc.)? BJB

To me Rap music is about how this person is growing up in and around the world. It is usually about where they came from and how horrible it was and the struggle of selling drugs, having sex, and shooting people was how they came up and how they live. I think that it is angry, hungry, and ambitious to get what they did not have when they grew up like big houses, nice cars, and beautiful women. This music would be red and black jagged and zigzaggy and the line would shoot upward and stay up. CR
*****
I like older rock and roll. I would say it's more soothing and relaxing for a few reasons. First, it isn't real heavy. It's more calm and slow and a lot of it wants you to hear and understand the words because to the singers a lot of times there's a meaning so maybe you can understand them a little better. I would say the lines would be wavy and there would be a few colors like purple, red, green. I am not sure why, but that's what I feel the musicians would like. JY

Final posts for Peace Week

2006-09-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Peace is this feeling when you're calm and quiet and you don't want to hear anything and you want it peaceful. Like most quiet people like it peaceful. For example, my mother lights candles and cleans the house and it is peaceful and smelling good. When I come in she says don't start being loud cause it's quiet and peaceful here and I don't want to disturb our neighbors. Then I would start being a little loud and that's when she gets upset and says to go to my room. Then she puts on her little church music and reads her bible and gets ready for church. She makes me come too. She likes the house peaceful before church. AB

To me, peace is when two people that have two different opinions about something can come together and understand where the other is coming from. My description of a peace symbol is just some letters arranged to resemble a peace sign. To me we should have peace in all countries and between all people. Peace also has more than one meaning. It could be something you could say to somebody when you leave them presents. CR

I'm going to close this week's entries with song lyrics that seem to apply especially to this last post. BJB

Let There Be Peace On Earth

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With ev'ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow;
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
http://www.planetaryexploration.net/patriot/let_there_be_peace_lyrics.html

Peace: When people don't hate each other

2006-09-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

My description of peace is that it means when everybody gets along. I think peace looks like a place where nobody fights and where people do not hate each other. The peace symbol I think of is a peace sign with different colors on it. AV
*****
My definition of peace is when it is calm and non-chaotic and when people are getting along. When I think of peace I think of countries including ours not fighting over things and not starting wars. Also, I think of people working together and becoming one. If I were to make a symbol of peace, it would have a dove in the middle of a circle with light shining around it. AV2

Peace makes me feel good

2006-09-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Peace is calm and sweet and happy and makes me feel good. Peace is something everyone can have if they decide they want it. Peace looks nice like spring or a sunny day with birds singing in the air. Peace is when you help a person out and feel good about it. The cross where Jesus died for the world is a symbol of peace cause He forgives us and told us if we need peace we can pray to Him. His heart was of peace. SP
*****
Peace is happy. Peace is having no harsh feelings from nowhere. Peace is harmony. Peace looks like simple beings. No one differs from another being and is always happy. Peace is when everyone is on the same good page. No one needs to look different because everyone would be equal and wear the same kind of clothes. A peace symbol is a circle of love with light and loose lines of a triangle. MS
*****
Peace to me is really showing love for everyone and anything. Showing peace in the world is being affectionate for things. Sharing some type of sympathy. Peace can end things like conflict and it can start up good things. Peace can mean many things. If there was world peace there would be no more problems in the world. Peace to me basically looks like people being happy and having fun. A peace symbol would be two faces that look peaceful. VS
*****
Peace is having respect and standing up for what you believe in and showing support for your community. Peace is honoring our lives and choosing the right path. The peace symbol looks like a circle with 3 stripes [lines] dividing the circle into thirds that represent Respect, Love, and Peace. MB
*****
Peace is when you can walk in the street and you don't have to worry about beef. Peace is when you can have fun and be nice and don't have to worry about enemies. For a peace symbol, I would draw a group of people shaking hands and greeting each other - that's peace. BW
*****
To me, peace is when everyone is at an openminded state. There is no violence. If there is conflict however, conflict is resolved with words of peace and love, not of hate. To me, peace is when although not everyone gets along, everyone shows a level of respect to all religions, races and countries. To me, peace will never come until the day Christ returned, because to the world respect is not peace, peace is no war. But there will never be no war because war is simply conflict. BP

Symbols for Peace

2006-09-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

This question/lesson was suggested on another list by Jeannie in Pennsylvania. She kindly gave permission for me to use it with my students.

Edward Hicks (PA artist) painted many images of the Isaiah verse about the lion laying down with the lamb. His pictures had Wm. Penn making a treaty with the Indians (also happened in Philly/Bucks County area). Hicks used this image because it was the only way he could paint AND be a good Quaker. Jeannie asked her kids what they thought peace was, and how difficult it was to express. Kids have no problem with war, anger, hate: they know it from TV and cartoons (and, unfortunately, real life - bjb) -- guns, blood, explosions, yelling. But how do they picture peace? What images would express peace? This was a true thinking project. What was the opposite of those images that flood their world?

Jeannie got different images: a favorite peaceful place, playing with a sibling they usually fought with, showing a harmonious family, animals that represented peace to them. Jeannie's favorite image was of two groups of "Army guys" who were throwing their weapons on the bonfire in the center.

I will ask for word pictures of symbols and images of peace. As always, we look forward to your comments! BJB

Final post for Dreams

2006-09-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

This has, as always, been a revelation for me! (once again, the students teach the teacher) Are your dreams the same as the ones my students have? Are you going to do the same things to make your dreams come true? Is there such a thing as the Great American Dream? Please send us an email ( bberquist@loyschool.org or berquist@pa.net ) or post a comment to this blog. We really appreciate all feedback. BJB

I want to get out of here (Loysville) and away from drugs. I'm gonna get a job and go to a trade school, probably Penn Tech, for construction or welding and find a career in that type of job after I finish school. I always just want to be around for my family and friends. JY

Should dreams be founded on realistic goals?

2006-09-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

I am going to go to college and make good decisions. I want to go to the NBA and play professional basketball, so in order to do that I have to go to a college and try hard in every game. Hopefully some NBA coach will look at me. If not, then I want to be a detective. To make my dreams come true I am going to do the right thing so I can get out of here and go back to school and play sports and finish school and get my GED and then try to get into Penn State University. AB

The first thing I want to do to make my dreams come true is to do my program in my cottage so I can go home to my family. And when I get out there I will have to go to my high school, study, do my homework, and behave so I can pass and won't get locked up. I will get my diploma and go to college. The way I'm going to college is by saving money when I get a job out in the real world. I'm going to college for criminal justice. So, all I have to do is behave, don't break the law, work, and don't give up on anything. JR

Still dreaming

2006-09-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to make it out of Loysville and go home and then go to school and study to be an electrician. I will play basketball for my school and try to get a scholarship because my dream is to play professionally for the NBA. MB

What I am going to do to make my dreams come true is try to do good for me and my family. I wish that my dreams will come true and my dream is to go home and do good. I need to get my mind set and do what I need to do to go home. I'm going to go to school, get a job and help around the house and keep helping my mom out. DW

Making Dreams Come True

2006-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to DK from MediaSnackers who posted an article about our blog to his website ( http://www.mediasnackers.com/report/2006/September/06/158/ ) "Please take the time to comment on their writing if you have a Blogger account. I would like to pose them this question: what are you going to do to make your dreams come true? What a bold way to create 'Digital Capital'."

I'm going to do everything it takes. I have a lot of dreams, but only some of them might come true, like playing football for the pros and/or for an international team. But my main focus is to finish high school, go on to college and create a tow truck company around the world with my brother so we can hand it down to our kids and so on. That's my dream. CR

My goal is to go to the Army when I get out of here. I'm trying my best to study for my GED so I can take it as soon as possible. By making my goals come true I'll prove people wrong that told me I won't be anything in life. I want to prove that if you put your mind on something you can do anything. I want to make my mom and my family proud. When I get out I'll rent an apartment, have a girl to spend time with me, and get a good job that pays good. SP

What I'm going to do to make my dreams come true: I'm going to finish high school, get a job in construction, save up money and get rich and get a car, a house, have a family and support them and just keep working. BN

I'm going to stand up and live and do what I feel is right and what I feel that I should do. I want to go to the NBA, but first I need to play college ball. After college ball I will know what needs to be done. First I need to get my GED, then go to junior college for a little while and then go to Penn State or Notre Dame to major in business and minor in physical education. If this doesn't work out, I want to become a coach for football or basketball and start a business of some sort. I'll drive trucks for a little while. My family is wealthy so I have money to start a business. BP

Final posts for Hero

2006-09-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

The boys have given us some food for thought in these final entries to the blog for this week. Thanks to everyone for your feedback. It's much appreciated by all and has ramped the depth of thought in participation pieces to a deeper level. I know, as a teacher, both the posts and the responses have added to my understanding of my students and the scaffolding needed to approach a topic. BJB
*****
A hero is to me someone that makes the right choices and someone who doesn't do crimes. Someone who is a role model. A hero is a person who loves you and cares about you and will listen to you when you have a problem or when you need to express your feelings. A hero is someone who won't tell your business and can keep a secret. AV
*****
The most important person in my life is my sister and my Grandmom and yes, they are heroes because they are still here with me. They have my top trust because they care about me and how I feel. AC
*****
My Mom is the most important person in my life because she's always there for me and takes care of me and she's honest with me and lets me know how she feels about me and this situation. Well, my Mom is a hero because she has people that look up to her and they see that she works and has a job and stuff and makes the right choices. AB
*****
A hero to me has to have courage. He or she has to care about everyone not just themselves. A hero is a loving person that takes care of everyone, that will sacrifice their life for anyone just because they love them. A hero has to be strong and brave. They are also supposed to be respectful and trustworthy. The most important person in my life is my Mother because she puts her life out there to help me. She took care of me when I was younger. She also respects me and my other brothers and sister and everyone else in the world, even if you did something bad to her. My Mom is very strong because she had to raise 6 kids by herself because my dad is a shump. We got kicked out of apartments and no one even helped us, not even our friends or wanna be friends. My Mom got us back on track alone. She is brave. She had to work like two jobs just to support us and she was still there when we we had to talk to someone about problems we were having. My Mom also persuaded my older brothers to get their own jobs because she said she will have to go to heaven some day and we need to do stuff on our own. When I get older that's who I want to be like: my Mom - a strong, brave, respectful, caring, trustworthy person. JR

Interesting comment about Hero

2006-09-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

In one of the following compositions, the student writes that "I idolize no one." Is having a hero the same thing as hero worship or idolization? In the second composition the Hero "never gets mad when I'm bad." Is this characteristic good or not good?

The most important people in my life are my sisters. I would die for them and will always see it as my duty to keep them safe and protect them from evil and harm. With this said, I idolize no one, look to no other person as a hero, but do respect all. BP

My most important person is my mother and yes, she's a super hero because she's always been there for me whenever I needed help. She helped me through everything. Her characteristics are that she's a beautiful woman and has a very friendly personality. She's grateful, brave, strong, and she takes care of me and never gets mad at me when I'm bad. MB

Defining Hero is difficult

2006-09-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Defining what a Hero is is proving to be a challenge to my students. Is a hero human? Can a hero be God? Are Heroes cultural? I'm surprised (pleasantly) that no one has written about a sports figure or celebrity! Today's contribution is a wonderful tribute to struggling moms.

The most important person in my life is my mother. I think she is the most important person because she has always been there for me. She was also the person that raised me and because of this I think she is a hero. I think that a hero is a person that helps and saves people and my mom definitely fits that description. One way my mom has helped me is by making sure I always went to school. For her doing that, I have a pretty good education and going to school is not a problem for me. She has taught me many things including the importance of not using drugs. My mother is not perfect but, because she has helped me, she is a HERO!!! HZ

My Hero

2006-09-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

This week's topic is:

Who is the most important person in your life? Is that person a hero? What are the characteristics of a hero and how does this person fit that description?

The most important person in my life right now would be my girlfriend. She has my son now so I am stuck with her for the rest of my life. Come to think of it, I love her more than ever now. She is just the motivation I need to do everything to the best of my ability. Yeah, she is my hero. She would die for me and even do time for me and I love her for that. I will never stop loving her. CR

The most important person in my life is my Dad. He is a hero because he's in the army and fights for his country and he's my Dad. He likes to be a leader and he is a great person. He is a hero to me because he takes care of me and gives me what I want. He cares for others other than himself and is willing to help others any time help is needed. BW

The most important person in my life is my little girl. She is everything to me because she has made me open myself to try to help people. My little girl is my #1 hero. She is my heart and I love her. She is a helpful person because she has changed my life. If somthing happens to my hero I will go crazy. When I get out I am going to change now because I need to do that for her and me. I am going to be a better dad than my dad was. To be a better dad to my little girl I have to get away from people that did not help me in the past. DW

The most important person in my life is my Grandfather. I don't really think he's a hero, but he supported his family and worked for everything he's got. He always made sure his family had a home to live in and food to eat. My Grandfather also made sure he was a good father and was in his kids' lives as a good role model. He also helped out other people by helping them work on their houses. He would help them out with food and would just be there when they need something. JY

3 more posts on Remembering. . .

2006-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Time management is not especially a strength of any juvenile. The deadline for submitting posts was today and we have three eleventh hour additions to the first topic "If you were to die today, what would you want people to remember about you?"

If I were to die tomorrow, the last thing I would want people to remember about me is my sense of humor. I would want that because people could remember the laughs and all the good times that we had...not the bad things. Also, they could think good about me and not what happened to me. Meaning looking at the good side of it. AV

If I were to die tomorrow there would be a numerous amount of things I would want people to remember me by. My biggest thing is how much of a welcoming person I am. I think I'm very easy to get along with at times, and I am very funny. I think my most important rememberance, that I'm a hard worker, should be left with my kids though, cause I want them to do good. KS

Well, I am a cheerful dude most of the day and people who truly know me know that I always seem to have a way of making something bad good in one instant. I would want people to remember me as a nice, funny, smart kid because that's honestly what I am. There's always someone who will be the outcast and try to put dirt on my name, but my true friends and family will know to not turst their lies and rumors. MJ

End of Week One!

2006-08-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

Two final entries from my boys. I'll pick something a little more upbeat for next week :-)

I would want my friends and family to remember that I was a good person cause I'm positive, show respect for others and their feelings, and I care about other people, not just myself. I love to have fun, everybody likes me, and I love sports. BW

If I were to die tomorrow, I would want my friends to remember me as the one who never gave up, the one they could always depend on no matter what the circumstance, the one who showed love and gave love and always had their back. I would want my family to remember me as the one who would go through fire for them, the one who had to struggle at juvenile placement, the one with no father or mother - just a brother who is 6 years older and a sister who is 8 years younger. But most of all I want to be remembered as the original one and only ME! CR

Invitation for Comments and Suggestions

2006-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

As we come to the end of week one of our blog experiment, I'd like to invite those who read the student entries to please comment and make suggestions for future topics. The kids are excited about having their work 'published' and having a voice on the Web! The last entry is one I think you'll find especially touching (it's a girl thing, what can I say?! ;-))

If I was to die tomorrow, I would want my family and friends to remember me as a smart kid and to remember my smile and my personality. NL

If I was going to die tomorrow, I would say everything to them that they didn't know. I would say to my friends that I loved them and that they made my life easier. I would say to my family that I love them too, and that I am sorry for getting locked-up and making them go through pain. I would want them to remember that I would have taken a bullet for each and every one of them. I also want to say sorry for disrespecting my mom by smoking and drinking in her house. I would tell myh mom that my whole life I never disrespected a girl (like hit them or talk nasty in front of one), and that I kept my word. I would tell my dad that I hated him for not being there when we needed you and that if I were to have my own kids, I would have sacrificed everything for them. I will tell my brothers to respect mom and protect her from everything bad. And do the same for our only little sis. I don't want my brothers getting locked-up. I want to tell my little bro Kevin to stop hustling and get a real job. And the last thing I will say is "I love you, I'm sorry, I will see you one day in heaven." JR

Remember Me Cont....

2006-08-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

August 28 was the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. It was also the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina during which many lives were lost and lives destroyed.

If I was to die tomorrow, I would want my family to think that I was a good person and I would want my people to think I was a good person, but made a few mistakes. I don't want anybody to think that I was a bad person. I amm going to get out and turn my life around and show everybody I am not a bad person. AB

If I were to die tomorrow, I would want my friends and family to remember that I am honest, trustworthy, and would do practically anything for them. I am a hard working man and would protect them at any cost. DR

I would want them to remember I loved them. That means more than anything else possibly could. As long as they remember that the love will go on long after I would die. I want them to know I was receiving the help they wanted me to because I loved them so much. JY

If I would die tomorrow, I would want them to remember my sense of humor, the way that I was always willing to learn new things and that it didn't matter what other people said. JG

If I were to die tomorrow I would want my friends and family to remember my love and respect that I give them and the good times we had on the holidays like Christmas and my times when I stand up for what I believe in I want them to never forget about my word when I speak the truth all I want them to remember my spirit and soul. MB

I would like my family to love me no matter what happened to me. ML

If I was to die tomorrow I will like to be remembered by my smile and word. My smile can get happiness to my family and friends, but my word is strong to people to hear. DW

Remember Me

2006-08-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want your friends and family to remember the most about you?

If I was going to die tomorrow I would want my family and friends to remember all the good times we had together. all the holidays we spent together. And most of all I would want them to remember that I love them with all my heart. And to remember that I'm still with them by spirit and that I'm all around them in the voice of the wind. And that I'm watching over them everyday. AV

I would want my friends and family to remember my fancy walk and my favorite line, "What's up, cuz!" And the good old days we used to have and share, like going places I loved going to and the way I used to talk. KS