the system

The System
I am a product of the system. Look around the room. Every student in this class is a product of the system. There is no reason that anyone should believe that compulsory education does anything but empower the future of this great country!
It is my strong belief that a portion of the youth in this country do not take advantage of the opportunities that are given to them. Unlike many inner-city schools, the students in “Stand and Deliver” were given the opportunity to take Advanced Placement Calculus. These students went above and beyond what a majority of kids would do, to not only pass but to succeed (Stand and Deliver). This proves that given the opportunity, the chance of having someone believe in them is a simple task to future success for our country.
I come from a small town and a large family where education was forced to be my number one priority no matter how hard I fought it. Our school district offered many programs such as Advanced Placement classes, Gear Up program, and dual credit classes. The Advanced Placement classes allowed you to take more strenuous courses and at the end of the year students could test out of it to earn college credit. The Gear Up program was created to encourage students to pursue higher education after high school, whether it be college or a technical school. Our local community college offered dual credit courses which we received local high school credits as well as college hours. These programs were developed to help students succeed in their educational careers so that they would go on and become stronger members of the community and society when they got older.
My peers from other schools also participated in the programs mentioned above as well as a few programs that were new to me. Their schools held College Nights, where representatives from various colleges and universities throughout the state came and talked to the students about what their schools had to offer and to promote the desire for the high school students to attend college. The districts also allowed juniors and seniors a “college day” where the students can go visit their college of choice before making their final decision. Some schools even take groups to colleges to explore their options.
Some schools also implement incentives for the students that succeed in their classes. This encourages the students to do well and gives them something to look forward to after they complete all of the hard work. Communities also participate in the success of students. In “Idiot Nation,” Michael Moore talks about a restaurant that gives the children that met their reading goals a free personal pan pizza (“Idiot Nation,” 144). This teaches children at a young age how to set goals and to stick to them for their own good. Not only are the school districts promoting education but many businesses take part in the effort!
I agree with the video, titled “Teachers” we watched in class. Teachers do not do the work they do for the money. They spend endless hours trying to influence our youth and to “build a better tomorrow.” They never ask for the honors some CEO of a company may receive or the praises of an award winning actor. This is an excerpt from a poem about teachers:
“I wanted you to know, That I'm grateful for your hard work in helping me to grow. For your constant understanding and for always being there, To tell me I can do it and to show me that you care!” (DTLK Growing Together).
Teachers know that at the end of the day they are appreciated and that’s worth all the money in the world to them.
It isn’t only the effort of the school district, the community, and teachers but also the support of the child’s parents. The combination of these three key factors is a perfect equation for a successful education for students across the nation and across the world. Hillary Clinton once said, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and in this instance that is the truth.
Compulsory education puts everything they possibly can into educating our youth. When given the educational opportunities students must take them and strive to succeed. Schools must provide proper programs to influence children to higher their education after high school. The community should also take Moore’s advice to participate in the local children’s education. Teachers should keep doing what they are doing because with out them we would not be able to be in this classroom today. And last but not least, parents should support their children in everything that they choose to do in life while stressing the importance of education.

Work Cited

“DTLK Growing Together.” DTLK’s Site. 2007. 13 September 2007.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/school/poems_for_teachers.htm

Moore, Micheal. “Idiot Nation.” Rereading America. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 132-150.

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Mendez. American Playhouse, 1988.

Success

MY American Dream
There is a nice house with a white picket fence in a small town, with three children, one boy and two girls playing out in the front yard. A handsome man pulls into the driveway and the children run to him with their arms wide open, yelling “Daddy! Daddy!”….That is MY American dream! As I grow into my stilettos as a woman, I am striving to become a good wife, a nurturing mother, a successful, independent woman, achieving a stronger faith in God and being comfortable in my surroundings. This is very similar to Lynette Scavo, played by Felicity Huffman, in Desperate Housewives.
Lynette has a successful job at an advertising company. She is well known for her fiercely determined attitude and ability to knock her competition off their feet. Lynette is happily married to Tom Scavo, played by Doug Savant. Tom is the ideal man; tall, dark, and handsome. He is focused on what he wants in life and Lynette is his number one fan. The couple have four energetic, healthy children, Preston, Porter, Parker, and Penny. There is never a dull moment in the Scavo household. Lynette is surrounded by her close friends and neighbors, Susan, Bree & Gabby, that support her in everything she does. Lynette seems to have the all around perfect life, or so it seems from the outside.
Even though I envy Lynette’s killer woman power and “perfect” family, every TV
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show has it’s drama. The difference between fantasy and reality is that not every one of life’s problems can be solved in an hour, include commercial breaks. The Scavo family often feels the need to be “keeping up with the Jones’.” The real question is that even if you “have it all” are we really happy or will we always just want more? Lynette may not have the house in the Hampton’s or the luxurious yacht and she may have many flaws as a wife, a mother and a woman in general, but she appears to have a happy family. She has achieved her goals. She is an all around successful woman.
The difference between Lynette’s character and the characters we see in the tabloids of “Holly-Weird” is that I don’t feel pressured to be the image of “perfection” by her character. Lynette shows the world that she isn’t perfect, and no one is. She has made many mistakes in her life, such as becoming addicted to her son’s ADD medication. Of course she had her reasons. She thought it would help her be a more alert mother and the perfect content housewife. Even if it was an unsuccessful attempt, it just went to prove that we all have flaws. Even the most successful of women make mistakes, which only make us stronger.
The one thing that stands out between Lynette and myself is that she does not appear to have the relationship with God that I would like to have. I grew up in a strong Catholic family. I fully intend to raise my children with the same Catholic values and beliefs that I grew up with. Faith is very important to me and I strongly believe without a strong belief in God, life can be a lot harder than it should be. There is also another difference between the two of us. Lynette is the businesswoman in the power suit and I’m the high school teacher wearing the blue jeans and spirit shirt. I am currently pursuing my
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degree in Family and Consumer Science with a teaching certificate. I know I won’t ever walk into the board room to present my marketing campaign, but when I walk in those classrooms I hope to have the same effect on the students that Lynette has on those CEOs.
The media constantly tells us what Hollywood’s idea of success is. Even in sitcoms about middle class families, success is still portrayed as having a large house, a nice car, and frivolous luxuries such as plasma TV’s and iPods. I can argue that money does not influence your ability to be a successful person, but I would be a hypocrite. In order to have the nice 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house in the suburbs, or the safe, family SUV of my dreams, I must have money. Sure, thousands of Americans live on credit and have all of these luxury items, but are they truly happy? That brings me to the question of what is happiness? I believe that I will be happy once I have achieved all of my life goals, I am surrounded by those that love me, and when I have developed a strong relationship with God.








Work Cited
Desperate Housewives. ABC. KVUE. 16 January 2005.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

The tree is lit up and decorated, the star is on top, gifts are stacked underneath, the stockings are hung by the fire place with care…it’s that time of year, Christmas time that is! Eighty-seven percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious people. Therefore, it should be no surprise that a majority of American holidays are based on Christian beliefs, specifically Christmas. According to Dictionary.com the definition of Christmas is “the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.” Most popular American Christmas customs are based on Christian beliefs.
During the Christmas season, over 36 million Christmas trees are bought and placed in the homes of American families (Pope Explains…). The Christmas tree is viewed as the most popular symbol of the holiday season. The Evergreen can survive through extreme cold winters, symbolizing human’s ability to undergo the harsh reality of life (How Christmas Trees Work). The Pope claims that the Evergreen represents the tree of life and God’s ultimate gift to his followers. Each family has their own traditions of cutting and decorating the tree, such as purchasing the tree the day after Thanksgiving and stringing lights on it that night. Many Christians don’t believe in removing the tree from the home until January 6th. This is 12 days after the birth of Christ when the three wise men arrived following
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the star of Bethlehem.
Many non-Christian Americans participate in the holiday season by exchanging gifts. The Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings or the Magi, went to visit baby Jesus in his manger. The Three Wise Men took gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This created the tradition of exchanging gifts as part of holiday season. Referring back to the definition of Christmas, it is an “occasion for exchanging gifts.” Some may believe that for this reason, Christmas has become a commercial holiday, and it has lost it’s true meaning and a price tag is being put on a religious holiday. The typical American consumer spends on average $681 on gifts during the Christmas season. This includes non-believers. Non-Christians participate in gift giving because it has become an American tradition that is not only targeted towards Christians.
Children are told Christmas stories about Santa Claus and they even take pictures with them in the mall, little do they know that the jolly fellow in the red suite is a symbol of a saint. St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop that was well known for giving money to the poor, one night he dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of a needy man and it landed in his socks that were being hung to dry. That is where the tradition of hanging stockings came from. St. Nicholas’ feast day is celebrated on December 6th. St. Nick has been Americanized and become Santa Claus, giving gifts to children around the world on Christmas eve.
As you drive down the streets of the suburbs or pretty much any American house you will see Christmas lights strung outside as well as inside on the tree that can be seen through the window. Did you ever wonder why we did this? Christians do this to represent the Christmas star that announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the field and the Wise Men in the east (Christmas Symbols). When it’s all lit up it is suppose to be a little reminder of the miracle of life of God’s only son.
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A star is also placed on the top of the tree when the decorating is complete. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Mathew 2:10)
The American culture is primarily Christian, and the holiday season reflects that for believers and non-believers alike. Even if it isn’t thought of, each of these things are Christian symbols, that have stories behind them. The tree, gift giving, Santa Claus, stockings, and stars, along with numerous other symbols are traced back to Christianity. The Christmas holiday is just one example of how religion has it’s round about way of effecting culture in our society. So next time you go pick out a Christmas tree with your family and you are making another trip to the mall for more holiday shopping, think about the real meaning behind the things that you do!













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Work Cited

Christmas Symbols. 24 October 2007. http://athomeschool.com/unitstudy/christmas_symbols_06.htm.

“How Christmas Trees Work.” How Stuff Works. 24 October 2007. http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas-tree1.htm.

“Pope explains symbolism of Christmas Trees.” Catholic World News. December 20, 2004.
24 October 2007. http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34135.

Matthew (2:10). The New American Bible. Saint Jerome Press, Wichita 1987.

Catholic

I was raised in a strong Catholic family. We attended church every weekend as well as during the week when I attended a private Catholic school. I continued my Catholic education through middle school and high school. When I got to college it became harder and harder to attend church on the weekends. I don't have my mom there telling me to wake up on Sunday morning or get dressed on Sunday afternoon. I still am a strong believer, and I do think since I haven't been making church as much as I should, it has made a difference in my life. In conclusion, I should start going back to church every weekend, starting next weekend.

Now I remember why...

Now I remember why we always called this town, "DRAMA CENTRAL." It seems as though ever time I come back theres more drama that I get sucked into. My mom was right about the people who stay here and never get away. They don't have a life and they dwell on everyone else's and when there isn't any drama, they stir some up on their own! My so-called "friend" made up this unbelievable lie that my boyfriend, whom she has yet to meet for her own reasons, is cheating on me. After crying and talking to my REAL friends, I came to the conclusion that she is just jealous that my relationship is working, and none of hers ever do. Besides the fact that she is a pathological liar, I kind of feel bad for her because maybe she actually believes the lies she spouts out. I love the fact that she had no way at all to back up what she supposedly knew about him. And that is why my small town is known as "DRAMA CENTRAL!"

Hope ya'lls weekend was better than mine!
♥ Cassie

Jesus Movie

The Arts

A young woman, somewhere between 18 and 28 years old is standing at a window on the second floor of a house. She stands with her back towards us. She has brown messy hair that goes to her mid-back. She is wearing a satin ribbon that is barely staying in her hair. The girls right hand is resting on the wooden window frame. Her left hand rests with her finger tips beside her face. The window has a lacy, sheer curtain on it. The wind seems to be blowing her hair. She is wearing a floral dress with lace accents on the cuff, collar, and under the seem of her arm. The material looks very heavy. You can see the top of a building across from her, out the window. She seems like she's a simple girl with clean, short fingernails. In my opinion she is anticipating or waiting for something or someone. The picture is more of a Sepia than a black and white.

The Graduate

I believe Rockwell chose to place the graduate in front of the news paper to give us an insight into his life and his future. The headlines are very relevant. The headlines indicate what is going on in the world. The young man just graduated and he has to look forward to a possible draft, the war or going straight into the job force. The young man's posture and expression shows hopelessness and confusion. He doesn't exactly know what to expect or whats to come for his young life.

The Frio

I can’t imagine spending my summer vacation anywhere else in the world than on the Frio River. The clear skies, sunny days, and cold waters keep my family and I, as well as thousands of other Texans, coming back year after year to the Frio.
The day begins with Mom yelling “Breakfast! Come and get it!” from downstairs of our country style cedar cabin located just 75 yards from the river. I walk down the spiral staircase where I join the line of hungry campers for some French toast and bacon. I eat my golden French toast with maple syrup on an old picnic table with names carved in the middle of hearts which sits directly in front of our cabin. My family is evenly dispersed in three identical cabins, side by side along with three travel trailers. Over fifty family members, four generations of the Adams’ attend the annual family vacation on the Frio. I sit there and remember the bonfire from the night before that still smolders with morning dew, and recall how clear the starry sky was. The hill country is entirely different from my hometown, and it’s a place that I don’t ever wants to leave!
I can see the guys down on the edge of the water casting out their rods and reels time and time again. The men started their day early to go down by the river and fish. Of course they walk back empty handed because my uncle has a strict “catch and release” rule on the Frio. No matter how large or small the fish, they are always returned safe and sound back into the swift water.
After I finish my delicious breakfast, I hurry inside to get my swim suit on for the first river run of the day. We load up a dozen rubber inner tubes in the back of a white Ford pick up truck and a red Hummer. The adults cram inside the cab of the trucks and the kids jump on back, hold on tight, and try not to burn their bums on the steaming hot metal of the beds of the trucks.
When we get to the low water crossing, about 2 miles from our cabins, we all jump out onto the warm, smooth river rocks just steps from the clear waters. I grab my tube and burn my arm from the scorching hot rubber. I dash towards the waters edge and dip my big toe into the ice burg-like freezing river. The river was up about 10 more inches from when I left it last summer! I can recall last year when the river was low. But like the Texas Country singer says, “that only means you go real slow, and you take the time to enjoy the finer things in life!” (Roger Creager, “Fun All Wrong”).
At that point, I look back and see my family. They are all so happy to be spending this priceless time together. I know we all share the love for the Frio and we each look forward to this time together each and every summer. The river has been bringing my family together for many decades. That is what makes the Frio river so beautiful.

Small town education

I'm from a small town in south Texas. What really bothered me about my school district was their priorities. At the beginning of my senior year a large amount of money was donated the my school. Instead of buying new computers for the classrooms or even BOOKS for each student, it went to the football team. I know we live in Texas and football is a high priority for most (don't get me wrong I do love it!), but if I had to choose between a Algebra books for my students or a mega scoreboard for the stadium...I think I would go for the books!! If the quarterback is lacking in his classes because he doesn't have the materials he needs to succeed in the subject, then he won't have the ability to play football by UIL standards. Even though I have already graduated and moved on from that school district it still eats at me!

DECA

This is a picture of our DECA team from ALICE HIGH SCHOOL. The five of us made it to state then Michelle and I made it to Internationals in Orlando, Florida with our E-Commerce Business.

(L-R) Michelle Fitch, Veronica Nino, Cassie Perez, Brittany Gold, Cassie Bunch

The Days Go By

For me in high school there wasn't any specific person, event or course that formed who I am today. It was more of a collective effort of numerous teachers, classes, jobs, and of course my parents. Throughout high school I was involved in a wide variety of programs starting my freshmen year as a soccer player and a football trainer. As the years went by my interests changed and I discovered many new talents such as my love for advertisement and small businesses. I started a job at a local tanning salon my junior year and soon decided that in the future I would too run my very own business someday! I joined the DECA club (a work studies program where you compete in different categories usually dealing with business, advertising, etc.) at school and soon took us all the way to Internationals in Florida for our E-Commerce Business. Getting this far in competition was not only the effort of my partner and myself, but my teachers, my personal work experience, and the morals I learned from my family. I went to a majority of my teachers for advice on my written paper to how to produce an informative but persuasive speech. I basically had to sell my product and thats where my personal work experience as a saleswoman came in handy. When times got tough and it didn't ever seem like we would get that trophy, I didn't let myself quit, because Mom always said, quitters never win and winners never quit! DECA was only one of the many programs I was involved in during my high school career, and they each had their own significance in those four years. But all of them put together have formed who I am today and if I could go back, I wouldn't have changed a thing!