Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Merchant of Venice
The youth who write this blog have just finished a huge scholar project. They studied, memorized and performed The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. The youtube version of this show is in the process of being edited right now. We hope to have it available soon.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Matthew Conover Speaks About Education
Once upon a time people took on adult jobs/responsibilities at an early age. Everyone was productive, everyone did their part, and families were united. Then a law was passed that kept people below a certain age from working at jobs. This was great news back then, but it paved the way for the teenage laziness we see today.
Schools today are merely places for social communication with preparations for jobs after college; you learn the essentials of how to work at jobs but not much else. Many teenagers hate school, wanting to get home to play on their Xbox 360s and/or hang out with friends. Few have the best education available. Many children/teenagers get more praise than they deserve with little effort and good grades and teachers who teach only what they are supposed to. A lot of teenagers have secret lives, as parents don’t know what parties they are in. lots Families have become disconnected. If this sounds like yours, you have a problem.
The thing is, schools are overrated. That isn’t to say every school is like that but at most schools, what you learn is limited to what you choose/ what’s available. Also, if all schools gave the highest education possible, the economy would not be the mess it is today. But the only way to get a high education today is to home school (until college), In fact, home schooled students typically have a better education, are better connected with parents, and are less likely to starting doing drugs than the average student because they are almost always at home.
So, if you are interested in homeschooling, here is what you must do to get the most out of it.
1. Put forth the effort to learn.
Getting an excellent education is like seeking treasure; you won’t find it without work, you have to be willing to do what you must to find it and you can’t do it alone.
2. Structure your time to learn.
Now you won’t always know what to expect but if you can, find some time to learn each day.
3. Submit to your mentors.
Mentors are an excellent help to get the best education you can. What is a mentor? They are people who can see who you are what you need, and how to move you’re education forward. What’s the difference between a mentor and a teacher? Well…
• Mentors give wisdom, teachers give knowledge.
• Mentors Individualize, teachers generalize.
• Mentors give pointers/corrections, teachers give grades.
• Mentors push limits, teachers set limits.
But mentors can’t do anything if you won’t submit to them and be a mentee. The difference between mentees and normal students are…
• Mentees accept criticism, students take offense.
• Mentees go above an A, students stop at an A.
• Mentees want to learn, students are forced to learn.
One of the best examples of a mentor/mentee relationship is in the original karate kid movies (The new one is good too.). One such example is in the first movie when Miyagi tells Daniel to do some mundane and seemingly pointless tasks but later are shown to have taught him karate moves. Another is where in the second movie Daniel is in a club of sorts and Miyagi bets $700 that Daniel can break six ice blocks. At first Daniel is frightened saying he has never done so before but with some encouragements from Miyagi, Daniel breaks all six. I could list several more but if you want other examples for mentoring watch the original trilogy yourself as well as many other movies/books with mentoring in them. Your parents can also be your best mentors.
4. Never stop learning.
There is no such thing as knowing everything. Even if you’re the smartest person on earth, have an IQ of 200 or more, and have made 100s of inventions there will always be something out there you don’t know so always keep searching for knowledge.
5. Have fun.
Learning doesn’t have to be a chore. One of the advantages of homeschooling is you get more free time if you finish quickly. Now there are certain things you can’t do during school hours but you can practice sports, go to a museum, etc.
Now this isn’t to say everyone can home school (Many children don’t have a choice because their parents are at work all day.) but those who can should consider it because they might be better off for doing it. Why settle for average education when you could get something better. For more info on low expectations and how to go beyond them, please read “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris and Thomas Jefferson education for teens.
Schools today are merely places for social communication with preparations for jobs after college; you learn the essentials of how to work at jobs but not much else. Many teenagers hate school, wanting to get home to play on their Xbox 360s and/or hang out with friends. Few have the best education available. Many children/teenagers get more praise than they deserve with little effort and good grades and teachers who teach only what they are supposed to. A lot of teenagers have secret lives, as parents don’t know what parties they are in. lots Families have become disconnected. If this sounds like yours, you have a problem.
The thing is, schools are overrated. That isn’t to say every school is like that but at most schools, what you learn is limited to what you choose/ what’s available. Also, if all schools gave the highest education possible, the economy would not be the mess it is today. But the only way to get a high education today is to home school (until college), In fact, home schooled students typically have a better education, are better connected with parents, and are less likely to starting doing drugs than the average student because they are almost always at home.
So, if you are interested in homeschooling, here is what you must do to get the most out of it.
1. Put forth the effort to learn.
Getting an excellent education is like seeking treasure; you won’t find it without work, you have to be willing to do what you must to find it and you can’t do it alone.
2. Structure your time to learn.
Now you won’t always know what to expect but if you can, find some time to learn each day.
3. Submit to your mentors.
Mentors are an excellent help to get the best education you can. What is a mentor? They are people who can see who you are what you need, and how to move you’re education forward. What’s the difference between a mentor and a teacher? Well…
• Mentors give wisdom, teachers give knowledge.
• Mentors Individualize, teachers generalize.
• Mentors give pointers/corrections, teachers give grades.
• Mentors push limits, teachers set limits.
But mentors can’t do anything if you won’t submit to them and be a mentee. The difference between mentees and normal students are…
• Mentees accept criticism, students take offense.
• Mentees go above an A, students stop at an A.
• Mentees want to learn, students are forced to learn.
One of the best examples of a mentor/mentee relationship is in the original karate kid movies (The new one is good too.). One such example is in the first movie when Miyagi tells Daniel to do some mundane and seemingly pointless tasks but later are shown to have taught him karate moves. Another is where in the second movie Daniel is in a club of sorts and Miyagi bets $700 that Daniel can break six ice blocks. At first Daniel is frightened saying he has never done so before but with some encouragements from Miyagi, Daniel breaks all six. I could list several more but if you want other examples for mentoring watch the original trilogy yourself as well as many other movies/books with mentoring in them. Your parents can also be your best mentors.
4. Never stop learning.
There is no such thing as knowing everything. Even if you’re the smartest person on earth, have an IQ of 200 or more, and have made 100s of inventions there will always be something out there you don’t know so always keep searching for knowledge.
5. Have fun.
Learning doesn’t have to be a chore. One of the advantages of homeschooling is you get more free time if you finish quickly. Now there are certain things you can’t do during school hours but you can practice sports, go to a museum, etc.
Now this isn’t to say everyone can home school (Many children don’t have a choice because their parents are at work all day.) but those who can should consider it because they might be better off for doing it. Why settle for average education when you could get something better. For more info on low expectations and how to go beyond them, please read “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris and Thomas Jefferson education for teens.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Do Hard Things by: Benjamin Winters
How would you like to be like these men? George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson. The truth is YOU CAN. The secret to having the success they had was this... they were willing to Do Hard Things. They made sacrifices to accomplish this, and they followed a success formula. And if they did hard things, then who’s to say we can’t. We were sent here to fulfill a mission and we can either answer to the call, or ignore it. However most people don’t know how to accomplish their great task. I have been at that point myself, but in reading this book I have found a way to Do Hard Things. My success as well as yours is based on five basic fundamentals necessary to complete your mission. I am going to share with you this success formula.
1) Make sacrifices.
2) Break the Chains of society
3) Step out of your comfort zone.
4) Ask God for help.
5) Do Hard Things!
1) Make sacrifices. “Where some might look down on or excuse young adults, God calls us to be examples. Where our culture might expect little, God expects great things.” We are the Hero Generation, and as such we have the potential to be great, if we want to. But we must be willing to do hard things. God calls us to be examples, but who should we be examples to? As LDS youth I believe that we are being examples to the whole world of what our church is like. This is a big task but it is possible if we can realize that God expects great things of us, and that we can accomplish anything if we want to. The world today does not expect us to be great as “teenagers,” but in the past, youth have carried great responsibility. George Washington is my hero because he was not content with being mediocre, he wanted to be great, and he was willing to pay the sacrifice. He became the Major over four militias when he was 19, that was a great burden, but he was willing to do hard things. If we are willing to sacrifice, we will be great!
2) Break the Chains of society. In “Do hard things” there is a story about elephants that are trained in India. “When the elephant is still young, his owner takes him from his mother and shackles him to a large tree—with a heavy chain around his hind right leg. For days and week, the young elephant will strain and pull, trying to break free, but all he succeeds in doing is causing the shackle to cut deep into his leg. He gives up and accepts the idea that he can’t go anywhere when there is something around his hind leg. Soon the owner can replace the tree with a post and the chain with a piece of twine. Theirs is now nothing but a piece of twine around his ankle, but there are heavy shackles around his mind.” The reason that the twine holds the elephant is because every time the elephant feels any pressure it stops moving, even when the pressure is coming from a small piece of twine. Unfortunately, we are like these elephants. The teenagers of today are bound by twine, which they think are chains. They have chains in their minds that disrupt their vision of the truth. Regrettably, these chains have been placed on us by ourselves; we have forged these heavy chains, and willingly put them on. This is because most youth can sometimes lose their sense of vision, me included. I have had many times were I have lacked vision to see the future. And when I say vision, I don’t mean seeing with my eyes, but seeing with my heart. When I was 11, I had NO IDEA of what I would be doing later on. Now I know that I will need the skills of writing in my mission in life, but back then, I HATED writing. I thought that it was COMPLETELY unnecessary, and a waste of my time. Luckily, I struggled through those times and now I love writing. This is just one of many examples from my life, where I have lost and regained vision. In this example, I lost my vision of the need that I would have for writing, but due to the help of mentors and parents, I regained my vision. My hope is that this paper will help you too regain your vision.
3) Step out of your comfort zone. In “THE DREAM GIVER”, Ordinary lives in the land of Familiar. In Familiar everyone does the same thing as everyone else. Everyone is in their comfort zone. Ordinary receives the urge to do a Hard Thing. But everyone else tries to stop him because it’s different. Ordinary completes his mission and proves to the world that it is possible to do something great. We as youth must be “Ordinary”, not ordinary. If we do we will be successful. The hardest part about doing something hard is that to do that we must get out of our Comfort Zones. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED says, “I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.” This is what I believe. Those “positions” are part of a comfort zone. All of us have circles of friends that we associate with the most, and all of us have different places where we feel comfortable, but sometimes doing what right takes us out of these places, and the companionship of our friends. We should do something not because it is what’s “Popular” and because it is in our Comfort Zone, but because it is the right thing to do.
4) Ask God for help. During our country’s birth, the Constitutional Convention was having a hard time writing the constitution. Benjamin Franklin gave a speech in which he called the delegates to prayer. He said, “A sparrow cannot fall without his notice. Can an empire rise without his aid?” Afterwards they started praying at the beginning of their meetings and very quickly the Constitution came together without any further obstacles. This is just one in MANY examples. This example shows that wanting to do hard things is not the only step to accomplishing great things. We MUST ask God for help. I know this and I use this knowledge every day. When I am writing my papers I listen for inspiration, and by doing this I can improve my papers, and continue to progress until I am ready to Do Hard Things. By having God on our side we assure ourselves success because no one can stop God. Asking God will also help us to know if it is the right thing to do.
5) DO HARD THINGS! The other four steps are completely useless without doing hard things. After you have prepared to be ready to do hard things, you need to take action, and begin doing hard things. If you don’t, then all of the preparation and education that you have gained will be a waste of time for you. Doing hard things will likely be harder than the preparation involved, but if you utilize this success formula that I have spoken of, I guarantee that you will succeed.
These are the basic steps involved in Doing something HARD. However in most instances there are extra steps specific to your mission. These five steps are not the only things to do, and to do something hard you must be willing to do all involved, not just these five steps. These steps will guide you, but you must be willing to complete the other steps needed for your different missions that you will accomplish. Doing hard things is not easy but it is possible, and as long as you remember that, you and I will always have the strength to succeed. These steps work, and they have been proven many times before now, and will be proved many times in the future. I have used these steps and have proved them myself. GIVE THEM A TRY!
1) Make sacrifices.
2) Break the Chains of society
3) Step out of your comfort zone.
4) Ask God for help.
5) Do Hard Things!
1) Make sacrifices. “Where some might look down on or excuse young adults, God calls us to be examples. Where our culture might expect little, God expects great things.” We are the Hero Generation, and as such we have the potential to be great, if we want to. But we must be willing to do hard things. God calls us to be examples, but who should we be examples to? As LDS youth I believe that we are being examples to the whole world of what our church is like. This is a big task but it is possible if we can realize that God expects great things of us, and that we can accomplish anything if we want to. The world today does not expect us to be great as “teenagers,” but in the past, youth have carried great responsibility. George Washington is my hero because he was not content with being mediocre, he wanted to be great, and he was willing to pay the sacrifice. He became the Major over four militias when he was 19, that was a great burden, but he was willing to do hard things. If we are willing to sacrifice, we will be great!
2) Break the Chains of society. In “Do hard things” there is a story about elephants that are trained in India. “When the elephant is still young, his owner takes him from his mother and shackles him to a large tree—with a heavy chain around his hind right leg. For days and week, the young elephant will strain and pull, trying to break free, but all he succeeds in doing is causing the shackle to cut deep into his leg. He gives up and accepts the idea that he can’t go anywhere when there is something around his hind leg. Soon the owner can replace the tree with a post and the chain with a piece of twine. Theirs is now nothing but a piece of twine around his ankle, but there are heavy shackles around his mind.” The reason that the twine holds the elephant is because every time the elephant feels any pressure it stops moving, even when the pressure is coming from a small piece of twine. Unfortunately, we are like these elephants. The teenagers of today are bound by twine, which they think are chains. They have chains in their minds that disrupt their vision of the truth. Regrettably, these chains have been placed on us by ourselves; we have forged these heavy chains, and willingly put them on. This is because most youth can sometimes lose their sense of vision, me included. I have had many times were I have lacked vision to see the future. And when I say vision, I don’t mean seeing with my eyes, but seeing with my heart. When I was 11, I had NO IDEA of what I would be doing later on. Now I know that I will need the skills of writing in my mission in life, but back then, I HATED writing. I thought that it was COMPLETELY unnecessary, and a waste of my time. Luckily, I struggled through those times and now I love writing. This is just one of many examples from my life, where I have lost and regained vision. In this example, I lost my vision of the need that I would have for writing, but due to the help of mentors and parents, I regained my vision. My hope is that this paper will help you too regain your vision.
3) Step out of your comfort zone. In “THE DREAM GIVER”, Ordinary lives in the land of Familiar. In Familiar everyone does the same thing as everyone else. Everyone is in their comfort zone. Ordinary receives the urge to do a Hard Thing. But everyone else tries to stop him because it’s different. Ordinary completes his mission and proves to the world that it is possible to do something great. We as youth must be “Ordinary”, not ordinary. If we do we will be successful. The hardest part about doing something hard is that to do that we must get out of our Comfort Zones. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED says, “I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.” This is what I believe. Those “positions” are part of a comfort zone. All of us have circles of friends that we associate with the most, and all of us have different places where we feel comfortable, but sometimes doing what right takes us out of these places, and the companionship of our friends. We should do something not because it is what’s “Popular” and because it is in our Comfort Zone, but because it is the right thing to do.
4) Ask God for help. During our country’s birth, the Constitutional Convention was having a hard time writing the constitution. Benjamin Franklin gave a speech in which he called the delegates to prayer. He said, “A sparrow cannot fall without his notice. Can an empire rise without his aid?” Afterwards they started praying at the beginning of their meetings and very quickly the Constitution came together without any further obstacles. This is just one in MANY examples. This example shows that wanting to do hard things is not the only step to accomplishing great things. We MUST ask God for help. I know this and I use this knowledge every day. When I am writing my papers I listen for inspiration, and by doing this I can improve my papers, and continue to progress until I am ready to Do Hard Things. By having God on our side we assure ourselves success because no one can stop God. Asking God will also help us to know if it is the right thing to do.
5) DO HARD THINGS! The other four steps are completely useless without doing hard things. After you have prepared to be ready to do hard things, you need to take action, and begin doing hard things. If you don’t, then all of the preparation and education that you have gained will be a waste of time for you. Doing hard things will likely be harder than the preparation involved, but if you utilize this success formula that I have spoken of, I guarantee that you will succeed.
These are the basic steps involved in Doing something HARD. However in most instances there are extra steps specific to your mission. These five steps are not the only things to do, and to do something hard you must be willing to do all involved, not just these five steps. These steps will guide you, but you must be willing to complete the other steps needed for your different missions that you will accomplish. Doing hard things is not easy but it is possible, and as long as you remember that, you and I will always have the strength to succeed. These steps work, and they have been proven many times before now, and will be proved many times in the future. I have used these steps and have proved them myself. GIVE THEM A TRY!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
RESPECT
By: Paije Peck
Sep. ?th, 2010
Aretha Franklin once wrote a song that went like this: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me! Justa,justa little bit baby, uh huh, a little RESPECT!” and so on. She was practically begging for respect! She obviously felt disrespected by her husband. She was basically demanding respect from him! Like Aretha, there have been times when I have felt disrespected also. Can you demand respect from someone else, or do you have to earn it?
Lack of respect is a problem in our society. People have trouble feeling respect for other people, especially kids for their parents. Just like Aretha Franklin, people think that they can somehow demand it; that they are entitled to respect! When did we become so ignorant? People just don’t understand how respect works. They have relationship ignorance. I know a story of a girl who overcame her relationship ignorance and learned what respect really meant.
The story begins with a girl who didn’t have respect for anyone but herself. She was cocky and proud and because of this, the relationship between her and her parents was disastrous. Her problem was that she didn’t have RESPECT.
In order to gain respect, you have to give respect first.
Here are three ways to gain it:
1: You need to change yourself first.
One day, the girl was hanging out at a friend’s house. They decided that they were going to have some kind of party that week. After they had officially decided, the girl unexpectedly stated that her parents wouldn’t let her come to the party. The mother of the household asked why, and the girl then said: “ Because I just know my parents won’t let me. They never let me do anything I want to. We’re like worst enemies.” Upon hearing this, the mother decided to try and help the girl. So, she gave this girl a challenge. She said: “Go home and try to get along with your parents for two weeks. Do whatever they tell you to do right when they ask you. But don’t have a saucy attitude about it. Just say OKAY. We will post-pone the get-together just for you. Believe me, after you’ve tried this, you will have a better relationship with your parents.” At first, the girl didn’t believe her, but, the mother reassured her. So the girl finally went home and decided to tried it.
The key word here is OKAY. When you say this word in answer to an instruction that your parent(s)-or any other adult- gives you, then you have just given them the respect that they have been wanting and expecting from you. When you respect them, they feel that you are worth giving respect to in return.
2: Just do it. Even if you don’t want to, just try it.
As the girl was going along with the challenge that she had excepted, she noticed that the relationship between her and her parents was surprisingly getting better. She also noticed that whenever she followed an instruction given to her, she was more selfless, her parents were happier and she got to do the things she wanted to when she wanted to more often.
3: Realize what you have just overcome and stick with using the effective system that helped you overcome those challenges.
It’s probably best if you stick to the effective system that you have found and used. If you go back to fighting, being disobedient, having no respect for anything, etc…than what was the use of the effective system that made your life better than it was before? If we don’t keep up a good system, then we can never achieve anything we want to.
This girl ended up being able to go to this party that her and her friends had planned. During the party, the mother asked how the challenge/experiment went. The girl said “I think the challenge worked and went great! I’m now the best of friends with my Mom and Dad!“ The girl then apologized to the mother that she had doubted her advice. She also said that she would try always to respect other people from that point forward.
Rosa Parks was also a great example of someone who understood respect. Mrs. Parks lived in Alabama during the time when segregation was very prevalent. One day, while entering a city bus, she paid at the front and started walking down the isle from the front of the bus down to the back of the bus. As she was walking, the bus driver grabbed hold of Rosa’s coat sleeve and told her to get off and get on at the back “like her own kind”. She contradicted the driver and said that she was already on the bus so, why did she have to get off again and go to the back? The driver ended up kicking her off the bus. The segregated social system disrespected Rosa for her color and nationality. She promised herself that she would never ride that man’s bus again. One day after work, twelve years later, Rosa accidentally got on that same bus. She paid at the front but forgot to look at who the driver was before she sat down. A few stops later, some more people got on the bus. Some happened to be white. All the whites sat down except one because there were no more seats. Finally, two ladies across from Rosa stood up so the man could sit down. Then a colored man by Rosa stood up too. Rosa did not stand up. Suddenly, the driver stormed up to Rosa and shouted: “Well, aren’t you going to stand up?” and she calmly and politely said: “No”. What Rosa was telling and showing other people was that her and all the other coloreds in the South wanted, expected and needed more respect from other people, and she did it in a calm way.
Some people might think that Rosa was being disrespectful to the bus driver and to the other white people in order to gain the respect she desired. After all, couldn’t she have done what the other girl did in the story I previously mentioned? Couldn’t Rosa Parks have just said O.K. to the bus driver and the other passengers? The answer is no. Why? Because Rosa wasn’t disrespected because of her disrespect to other people. She was disrespected because of her physical appearance.
Rosa was calm about the whole situation. Her calmness was the best way to earn respect from people who were byest against her. She didn’t need to yell for respect, she didn’t have to be violent for respect. All she needed to do was to show respect with calmness.
Respect is a very important thing to have and give. When we give respect, we are being peacemakers. And when we receive respect, we feel appreciated. But, also when we give it, we are respected by others. Having respect and a calm feeling will make us leaders if we choose to be. People who have respect and a calm feeling about them-especially calmness-have power. The calm feeling that we have will help others feel calm as well. And then, if the two people have the same feeling of calmness, then most likely they will understand each other much better than they would have before. Even though Aretha Franklin doesn’t completely understand what respect means, she did know one thing. Her song says: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T! find out what it means to me!…” We will all get more respect if we take the time to understand what the word RESPECT means to the person you want respect from.
Sep. ?th, 2010
Aretha Franklin once wrote a song that went like this: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me! Justa,justa little bit baby, uh huh, a little RESPECT!” and so on. She was practically begging for respect! She obviously felt disrespected by her husband. She was basically demanding respect from him! Like Aretha, there have been times when I have felt disrespected also. Can you demand respect from someone else, or do you have to earn it?
Lack of respect is a problem in our society. People have trouble feeling respect for other people, especially kids for their parents. Just like Aretha Franklin, people think that they can somehow demand it; that they are entitled to respect! When did we become so ignorant? People just don’t understand how respect works. They have relationship ignorance. I know a story of a girl who overcame her relationship ignorance and learned what respect really meant.
The story begins with a girl who didn’t have respect for anyone but herself. She was cocky and proud and because of this, the relationship between her and her parents was disastrous. Her problem was that she didn’t have RESPECT.
In order to gain respect, you have to give respect first.
Here are three ways to gain it:
1: You need to change yourself first.
One day, the girl was hanging out at a friend’s house. They decided that they were going to have some kind of party that week. After they had officially decided, the girl unexpectedly stated that her parents wouldn’t let her come to the party. The mother of the household asked why, and the girl then said: “ Because I just know my parents won’t let me. They never let me do anything I want to. We’re like worst enemies.” Upon hearing this, the mother decided to try and help the girl. So, she gave this girl a challenge. She said: “Go home and try to get along with your parents for two weeks. Do whatever they tell you to do right when they ask you. But don’t have a saucy attitude about it. Just say OKAY. We will post-pone the get-together just for you. Believe me, after you’ve tried this, you will have a better relationship with your parents.” At first, the girl didn’t believe her, but, the mother reassured her. So the girl finally went home and decided to tried it.
The key word here is OKAY. When you say this word in answer to an instruction that your parent(s)-or any other adult- gives you, then you have just given them the respect that they have been wanting and expecting from you. When you respect them, they feel that you are worth giving respect to in return.
2: Just do it. Even if you don’t want to, just try it.
As the girl was going along with the challenge that she had excepted, she noticed that the relationship between her and her parents was surprisingly getting better. She also noticed that whenever she followed an instruction given to her, she was more selfless, her parents were happier and she got to do the things she wanted to when she wanted to more often.
3: Realize what you have just overcome and stick with using the effective system that helped you overcome those challenges.
It’s probably best if you stick to the effective system that you have found and used. If you go back to fighting, being disobedient, having no respect for anything, etc…than what was the use of the effective system that made your life better than it was before? If we don’t keep up a good system, then we can never achieve anything we want to.
This girl ended up being able to go to this party that her and her friends had planned. During the party, the mother asked how the challenge/experiment went. The girl said “I think the challenge worked and went great! I’m now the best of friends with my Mom and Dad!“ The girl then apologized to the mother that she had doubted her advice. She also said that she would try always to respect other people from that point forward.
Rosa Parks was also a great example of someone who understood respect. Mrs. Parks lived in Alabama during the time when segregation was very prevalent. One day, while entering a city bus, she paid at the front and started walking down the isle from the front of the bus down to the back of the bus. As she was walking, the bus driver grabbed hold of Rosa’s coat sleeve and told her to get off and get on at the back “like her own kind”. She contradicted the driver and said that she was already on the bus so, why did she have to get off again and go to the back? The driver ended up kicking her off the bus. The segregated social system disrespected Rosa for her color and nationality. She promised herself that she would never ride that man’s bus again. One day after work, twelve years later, Rosa accidentally got on that same bus. She paid at the front but forgot to look at who the driver was before she sat down. A few stops later, some more people got on the bus. Some happened to be white. All the whites sat down except one because there were no more seats. Finally, two ladies across from Rosa stood up so the man could sit down. Then a colored man by Rosa stood up too. Rosa did not stand up. Suddenly, the driver stormed up to Rosa and shouted: “Well, aren’t you going to stand up?” and she calmly and politely said: “No”. What Rosa was telling and showing other people was that her and all the other coloreds in the South wanted, expected and needed more respect from other people, and she did it in a calm way.
Some people might think that Rosa was being disrespectful to the bus driver and to the other white people in order to gain the respect she desired. After all, couldn’t she have done what the other girl did in the story I previously mentioned? Couldn’t Rosa Parks have just said O.K. to the bus driver and the other passengers? The answer is no. Why? Because Rosa wasn’t disrespected because of her disrespect to other people. She was disrespected because of her physical appearance.
Rosa was calm about the whole situation. Her calmness was the best way to earn respect from people who were byest against her. She didn’t need to yell for respect, she didn’t have to be violent for respect. All she needed to do was to show respect with calmness.
Respect is a very important thing to have and give. When we give respect, we are being peacemakers. And when we receive respect, we feel appreciated. But, also when we give it, we are respected by others. Having respect and a calm feeling will make us leaders if we choose to be. People who have respect and a calm feeling about them-especially calmness-have power. The calm feeling that we have will help others feel calm as well. And then, if the two people have the same feeling of calmness, then most likely they will understand each other much better than they would have before. Even though Aretha Franklin doesn’t completely understand what respect means, she did know one thing. Her song says: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T! find out what it means to me!…” We will all get more respect if we take the time to understand what the word RESPECT means to the person you want respect from.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Hobbit
By John Baker
October 12, 2009
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a great story that is a lot of fun to read. My favorite part is on page 30. It is my favorite part because it is just so funny.
“If you have seen a dragon in a pinch, you will realize that this was only
Poetical exaggeration applied to any hobbit, even Old Took’s great-granduncle
Bullroarer, who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged
The ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and
Knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a
Hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the
Battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.”
My favorite characters are all of them but especially Balin and Fili and Kili. I like Balin because he’s cool. I like Fili and Kili because they died defending Thorin with only a shield in the battle of Five Armies. I admire their courage.
At the beginning of the book Tolkien says about Bilbo, “He may have lost his neighbor’s respect, but he gained--well you will see whether he gained anything in the end” (p.16).
I think Bilbo gained a lot. He got a lot of gold. He grew in courage and he learned from his experiences. When they made bad choices there were consequences. They learned to make better choices because of their experiences. Tolkien says at the end that Bilbo lost his neighbor’s respect, but that’s okay. Bilbo didn’t mind anyway.
October 12, 2009
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a great story that is a lot of fun to read. My favorite part is on page 30. It is my favorite part because it is just so funny.
“If you have seen a dragon in a pinch, you will realize that this was only
Poetical exaggeration applied to any hobbit, even Old Took’s great-granduncle
Bullroarer, who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged
The ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and
Knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a
Hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the
Battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.”
My favorite characters are all of them but especially Balin and Fili and Kili. I like Balin because he’s cool. I like Fili and Kili because they died defending Thorin with only a shield in the battle of Five Armies. I admire their courage.
At the beginning of the book Tolkien says about Bilbo, “He may have lost his neighbor’s respect, but he gained--well you will see whether he gained anything in the end” (p.16).
I think Bilbo gained a lot. He got a lot of gold. He grew in courage and he learned from his experiences. When they made bad choices there were consequences. They learned to make better choices because of their experiences. Tolkien says at the end that Bilbo lost his neighbor’s respect, but that’s okay. Bilbo didn’t mind anyway.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
My Personal Declaration
By Lisa Toone
Once upon a time… That’s how all the fairy tales start, tales of courage and valor, honesty and love, adventures and trials: stories, more or less, about life, and what it means to be truly living. In life, we have a myriad of choices, the consequences of which all affect us, whether we notice the affects or not. They are what make up the stories that are our lives.
So far, my story has been fairly average. I, like so many other youth, have often taken for granted my chance to be truly well educated. I’ve procrastinated schoolwork, doing as little as possible to make it by. I’ve spent my time gorging myself on what I enjoy, ignoring the other aspects of my education. I’ve tried to improve, but then allowed myself excuses when I’ve failed. I’ve stayed up, slept in, wasted hours on meaningless things, and, on the whole, been exactly what a teenager seems to be defined as anymore: a youth who wants the pleasures of adult life but not the responsibilities.
But no longer.
No longer shall I hide behind the frivolous definitions of a world with no expectations. No longer shall my light be smothered by the lazier aspects of my human nature. No longer shall I be content to be mediocre. No longer shall my voice be mute. No longer shall I stand among the crowd, afraid to reach my potential. No longer shall I merely live: I shall have a life.
This is my personal declaration of independence from the shackles of low expectations. This is the true beginning of my fairy tale.
Part of this sudden declaration was inspired by a book that I didn’t expect to enjoy. Reading Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens has inspired me to be the person I was meant to be as nothing else has in over three years. For years I have felt a burning inside, a powerful longing to be better, but a longing without motivation behind it. TJEd for Teens has not only encouraged me to find the motivation to improve- to be the change I wish to see, as Ghandi said- but has given me the tools I need to make a difference in my life. These tools are called The Seven Keys of Great Teaching. They are seven things that can change a ‘conveyor belt education’ into a Great Education.
First: Classics, not Textbooks.
In my education (of which I am, for the most part, in control), I have considered learning from college textbooks to be the highest form of learning. You have to be smart to get into college, right? So wouldn’t studying college textbooks suggest that you are college-smart? But as I have studied my brothers’ textbooks, I have come to see that there is nothing especially grand or intelligent about them. They contain interesting facts, yes, but those facts have been watered down to their essentials so that you can gain a basic understanding of them, pass a test about them, and then forget them.
Classics, the ones that I have read at least, are interesting, original, meaty works that inspire as they are read. Moral lessons and scientific facts that stick with you for life can be gained by reading them.
Second: Mentors, not Professors.
For years I have heard the word ‘mentor.’ For years I have thought the definition of that word to be ‘a teacher who spends more time on individuals.’ Only in reading TJEd for Teens have I come to realize how many of the people around me are my mentors and how necessary mentors are. A mentor is a ‘second father,’ to quote the book. They are guides, coaches, a person to discuss ideas with, a person who suggests further reading, a person who believes in me and encourages me to reach higher.
My parents, my church leaders, my siblings, my friends, the ‘teachers’ of the Erda Academy class, they all mentor me in different ways. To some I can pour out my heart, my worries and my dreams, and find reassurance and encouragement. From some I can expect suggestions for improvement, lists of inspiring books, or help with a latest project. Without this mentoring, I am sure my education would be vastly different, and not in a positive way. I look forward to being mentored in the future (and realizing that mentoring is what it is).
Third: Inspire, not Require.
I have tried to live by a schedule. I have tried to learn about subjects that I found dull. I’ve done homework assignments that I didn’t find appetizing. And I can say from experience that doing any of the above sucks all the joy out of learning. I love to learn, but when it is a matter of force, rather than a matter of choice, my free spirit bucks at the task. We were born with agency and a strong desire to use it. When this agency is taken away, there is no substitute for it. Not even the most intriguing subject in the world could arouse interest if it is being hoisted upon an unwilling student.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.” If a person is inspired to read the dictionary, then the dictionary might be fascinating to that person. If a person is assigned to read the dictionary, poor comprehension and bad attitude are far more likely.
Fourth: Structure time, not Content.
I have fallen into the lazy child’s trap far too many times: Write a list of subjects to study, do ten minutes of each, then declare to your mother that your schoolwork is done. In this way you learn as little as possible, leaving the majority of the day free for ‘fun’.
While this plan appeals to the natural man within us all, to the Real You- the part of you that is eager to learn and ready for greatness- finds this plan despicable. It is takes less time to nibble, but only feasting gives real nourishment.
Fifth: Quality, not Conformity.
This key almost speaks for itself. It is better to take the road ‘less traveled by’ and receive a unique and personal education, a Great Education, then to walk the beaten path and receive the education of the masses. It is better to be truly educated in all areas than to be highly trained in one field and unable to make a qualified decision in any other field.
Sixth: Simple, not Complex.
Again, the name of this tool says it all. Why read some professor’s ramblings about Einstein’s theories when you could read Einstein’s theories yourself?
Seventh: You, not Them.
Your education cannot be really Great unless it is YOUR education, an education tailored to fit you, specifically. An education centered on the subjects that will most help you to achieve your mission in life, subjects that will bring out the Real You, is the only kind of education that the youth in these days can afford to have.
The world has no expectations, so we must expect more of ourselves. We must be the leaders of today in order to prepare for tomorrow. We cannot just ride the currents of life without living. Ben Franklin said, “Either write something worth reading, or live in a way that is worth writing about.”
I have started writing my fairy tale. It is time you began writing yours.
Once upon a time… That’s how all the fairy tales start, tales of courage and valor, honesty and love, adventures and trials: stories, more or less, about life, and what it means to be truly living. In life, we have a myriad of choices, the consequences of which all affect us, whether we notice the affects or not. They are what make up the stories that are our lives.
So far, my story has been fairly average. I, like so many other youth, have often taken for granted my chance to be truly well educated. I’ve procrastinated schoolwork, doing as little as possible to make it by. I’ve spent my time gorging myself on what I enjoy, ignoring the other aspects of my education. I’ve tried to improve, but then allowed myself excuses when I’ve failed. I’ve stayed up, slept in, wasted hours on meaningless things, and, on the whole, been exactly what a teenager seems to be defined as anymore: a youth who wants the pleasures of adult life but not the responsibilities.
But no longer.
No longer shall I hide behind the frivolous definitions of a world with no expectations. No longer shall my light be smothered by the lazier aspects of my human nature. No longer shall I be content to be mediocre. No longer shall my voice be mute. No longer shall I stand among the crowd, afraid to reach my potential. No longer shall I merely live: I shall have a life.
This is my personal declaration of independence from the shackles of low expectations. This is the true beginning of my fairy tale.
Part of this sudden declaration was inspired by a book that I didn’t expect to enjoy. Reading Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens has inspired me to be the person I was meant to be as nothing else has in over three years. For years I have felt a burning inside, a powerful longing to be better, but a longing without motivation behind it. TJEd for Teens has not only encouraged me to find the motivation to improve- to be the change I wish to see, as Ghandi said- but has given me the tools I need to make a difference in my life. These tools are called The Seven Keys of Great Teaching. They are seven things that can change a ‘conveyor belt education’ into a Great Education.
First: Classics, not Textbooks.
In my education (of which I am, for the most part, in control), I have considered learning from college textbooks to be the highest form of learning. You have to be smart to get into college, right? So wouldn’t studying college textbooks suggest that you are college-smart? But as I have studied my brothers’ textbooks, I have come to see that there is nothing especially grand or intelligent about them. They contain interesting facts, yes, but those facts have been watered down to their essentials so that you can gain a basic understanding of them, pass a test about them, and then forget them.
Classics, the ones that I have read at least, are interesting, original, meaty works that inspire as they are read. Moral lessons and scientific facts that stick with you for life can be gained by reading them.
Second: Mentors, not Professors.
For years I have heard the word ‘mentor.’ For years I have thought the definition of that word to be ‘a teacher who spends more time on individuals.’ Only in reading TJEd for Teens have I come to realize how many of the people around me are my mentors and how necessary mentors are. A mentor is a ‘second father,’ to quote the book. They are guides, coaches, a person to discuss ideas with, a person who suggests further reading, a person who believes in me and encourages me to reach higher.
My parents, my church leaders, my siblings, my friends, the ‘teachers’ of the Erda Academy class, they all mentor me in different ways. To some I can pour out my heart, my worries and my dreams, and find reassurance and encouragement. From some I can expect suggestions for improvement, lists of inspiring books, or help with a latest project. Without this mentoring, I am sure my education would be vastly different, and not in a positive way. I look forward to being mentored in the future (and realizing that mentoring is what it is).
Third: Inspire, not Require.
I have tried to live by a schedule. I have tried to learn about subjects that I found dull. I’ve done homework assignments that I didn’t find appetizing. And I can say from experience that doing any of the above sucks all the joy out of learning. I love to learn, but when it is a matter of force, rather than a matter of choice, my free spirit bucks at the task. We were born with agency and a strong desire to use it. When this agency is taken away, there is no substitute for it. Not even the most intriguing subject in the world could arouse interest if it is being hoisted upon an unwilling student.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.” If a person is inspired to read the dictionary, then the dictionary might be fascinating to that person. If a person is assigned to read the dictionary, poor comprehension and bad attitude are far more likely.
Fourth: Structure time, not Content.
I have fallen into the lazy child’s trap far too many times: Write a list of subjects to study, do ten minutes of each, then declare to your mother that your schoolwork is done. In this way you learn as little as possible, leaving the majority of the day free for ‘fun’.
While this plan appeals to the natural man within us all, to the Real You- the part of you that is eager to learn and ready for greatness- finds this plan despicable. It is takes less time to nibble, but only feasting gives real nourishment.
Fifth: Quality, not Conformity.
This key almost speaks for itself. It is better to take the road ‘less traveled by’ and receive a unique and personal education, a Great Education, then to walk the beaten path and receive the education of the masses. It is better to be truly educated in all areas than to be highly trained in one field and unable to make a qualified decision in any other field.
Sixth: Simple, not Complex.
Again, the name of this tool says it all. Why read some professor’s ramblings about Einstein’s theories when you could read Einstein’s theories yourself?
Seventh: You, not Them.
Your education cannot be really Great unless it is YOUR education, an education tailored to fit you, specifically. An education centered on the subjects that will most help you to achieve your mission in life, subjects that will bring out the Real You, is the only kind of education that the youth in these days can afford to have.
The world has no expectations, so we must expect more of ourselves. We must be the leaders of today in order to prepare for tomorrow. We cannot just ride the currents of life without living. Ben Franklin said, “Either write something worth reading, or live in a way that is worth writing about.”
I have started writing my fairy tale. It is time you began writing yours.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
TJED for teens
By: Benjamin Winters
“O Remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of god. (Alma 37)” This scripture gives us a clear and simple definition of our duty as youth. That is, to learn wisdom in our youth. “TJED FOR TEENS” is a great way to learn how to learn. It states clearly several MAJOR principles that can help us fulfill our duty to learn! Today I am going to share these principles found in the book with you!
WE ARE NEEDED!!! This is the first of these major principles, our world REALLY NEEDS US! “The world needs what your generation has to share! It needs you to be your real, best self!” This quote changed my view on learning and brought me to ask myself this question… How can we be our BEST SELF? I believe that the way to be our BEST SELF is to learn as much as we can in our “teen” years. By doing so, we prepare ourselves to help the world become a better place. I believe that that is part of our test on earth. And so we need to do our best to fulfill that task. This quote also tells us that we need to share our gifts. I believe that the best way to do that is to LEARN. Learning is our duty during our teen years and the more learning we do, the more that we will have to share, and the easier it will be to fulfill our life’s mission. I believe that the teen years were given to us because of the learning that we need to do. Learning is vital to our mission in life, if we do not learn; we will not be able to do what we were sent here to do. And if we don’t do what we are expected to do, we are letting down everyone who has put their trust in us!
We know that we are needed, but what is purpose of learning to fulfill our life’s mission, if we don’t have ALLEGIANCE!!! Allegiance helps us to know and realize what our mission is. “It is so important at a young age to choose your allegiance. In fact, your allegiance is the most powerful thing in your whole life because it is the driving force behind virtually all of your actions, choice, and even thoughts.” We must decide whether we will serve God, or not. If we choose God we will be greatly blessed for our choice. In Joshua this scripture is found… “ Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This is my “motto, because I have chosen to serve the Lord. If we follow God, then we will be blessed. IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!! As well as serving the Lord we must show allegiance to our country. By learning as much as we can today, we are preparing to be leaders of tomorrow. We have a duty to our Country as well as to God. And we must do our best to fulfill our duty to both. If we can do so then we will be well on our way to completing the task that we have to perform on earth. All of the great founding fathers chose their allegiance when they were young and were rewarded be being a part of the establishment of our country. If we can choose our allegiance will young, we to can be great.
The last principle I want to focus on is… we are the next generation of leaders in the world. When our parents are too old to move we will be in charge of leading this world. “It is said that when God wants to change the world, he sends a baby—perfectly timed to grow, learn, and prepare and then take action at the right moment. But there are times when one baby won’t suffice, when the challenges facing the world are just too great; and so instead of a great reformer or a few key thinkers, what is needed is a whole generation of leaders.” God knows what is coming MUCH better than we can know, and he knows what it will take to keep this world together. He saved us for our time, he knew that you and I would be born at this time, and he prepared us to fulfill our duty. This quote was by far the most inspiring one of them all. There is a book called “THE FOURTH TURNING” this book talks about the purpose of each generation. Our generation has been called the hero generation, and as such we must act the way the hero generation should act. The world needs us, and we must do our best to be a part of the generation of leaders. If we do we will be taking part in one of the most important things that will happen in our lifetime. However if we don’t get a great education, we will be missing a great moment in our lifetime. The choice is yours, but I personally want to be a part of a great cause!
This book has been the greatest book I have read up to the present date, and for good reason. The whole book was centered on the importance of education and that is the reason that I focused my paper on that important subject, and as we can see, the major principles found in this book, all hang on the others for validity. If we don’t have one of these principles, we don’t have any of them. If we want to follow these principles, we must follow ALL OF THEM!!! I know that this will be a book that I will read many times in the future. And I hope that other youth that have read this GREAT book have felt the same inspiration that I have felt. And I challenge those that have not gotten to read this book, to take the opportunity to learn and READ IT!!! “O Remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth” That is my goal as a young man.
To learn Wisdom in my youth!
“O Remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of god. (Alma 37)” This scripture gives us a clear and simple definition of our duty as youth. That is, to learn wisdom in our youth. “TJED FOR TEENS” is a great way to learn how to learn. It states clearly several MAJOR principles that can help us fulfill our duty to learn! Today I am going to share these principles found in the book with you!
WE ARE NEEDED!!! This is the first of these major principles, our world REALLY NEEDS US! “The world needs what your generation has to share! It needs you to be your real, best self!” This quote changed my view on learning and brought me to ask myself this question… How can we be our BEST SELF? I believe that the way to be our BEST SELF is to learn as much as we can in our “teen” years. By doing so, we prepare ourselves to help the world become a better place. I believe that that is part of our test on earth. And so we need to do our best to fulfill that task. This quote also tells us that we need to share our gifts. I believe that the best way to do that is to LEARN. Learning is our duty during our teen years and the more learning we do, the more that we will have to share, and the easier it will be to fulfill our life’s mission. I believe that the teen years were given to us because of the learning that we need to do. Learning is vital to our mission in life, if we do not learn; we will not be able to do what we were sent here to do. And if we don’t do what we are expected to do, we are letting down everyone who has put their trust in us!
We know that we are needed, but what is purpose of learning to fulfill our life’s mission, if we don’t have ALLEGIANCE!!! Allegiance helps us to know and realize what our mission is. “It is so important at a young age to choose your allegiance. In fact, your allegiance is the most powerful thing in your whole life because it is the driving force behind virtually all of your actions, choice, and even thoughts.” We must decide whether we will serve God, or not. If we choose God we will be greatly blessed for our choice. In Joshua this scripture is found… “ Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This is my “motto, because I have chosen to serve the Lord. If we follow God, then we will be blessed. IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!! As well as serving the Lord we must show allegiance to our country. By learning as much as we can today, we are preparing to be leaders of tomorrow. We have a duty to our Country as well as to God. And we must do our best to fulfill our duty to both. If we can do so then we will be well on our way to completing the task that we have to perform on earth. All of the great founding fathers chose their allegiance when they were young and were rewarded be being a part of the establishment of our country. If we can choose our allegiance will young, we to can be great.
The last principle I want to focus on is… we are the next generation of leaders in the world. When our parents are too old to move we will be in charge of leading this world. “It is said that when God wants to change the world, he sends a baby—perfectly timed to grow, learn, and prepare and then take action at the right moment. But there are times when one baby won’t suffice, when the challenges facing the world are just too great; and so instead of a great reformer or a few key thinkers, what is needed is a whole generation of leaders.” God knows what is coming MUCH better than we can know, and he knows what it will take to keep this world together. He saved us for our time, he knew that you and I would be born at this time, and he prepared us to fulfill our duty. This quote was by far the most inspiring one of them all. There is a book called “THE FOURTH TURNING” this book talks about the purpose of each generation. Our generation has been called the hero generation, and as such we must act the way the hero generation should act. The world needs us, and we must do our best to be a part of the generation of leaders. If we do we will be taking part in one of the most important things that will happen in our lifetime. However if we don’t get a great education, we will be missing a great moment in our lifetime. The choice is yours, but I personally want to be a part of a great cause!
This book has been the greatest book I have read up to the present date, and for good reason. The whole book was centered on the importance of education and that is the reason that I focused my paper on that important subject, and as we can see, the major principles found in this book, all hang on the others for validity. If we don’t have one of these principles, we don’t have any of them. If we want to follow these principles, we must follow ALL OF THEM!!! I know that this will be a book that I will read many times in the future. And I hope that other youth that have read this GREAT book have felt the same inspiration that I have felt. And I challenge those that have not gotten to read this book, to take the opportunity to learn and READ IT!!! “O Remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth” That is my goal as a young man.
To learn Wisdom in my youth!
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