Summary and Response to "What Could You Do With $20,000?"

Blake Boles

In “What Could You Do With $20,000?” Blake Boles enlightens students to not go to college and spend their $20,000 on tutors and to go to different places because students end up being in debt $20,000 after college and are overqualified and unemployed. Bole states that with $20,000 you can get a better education and life and not be in debt. Bole says with $8,000 of his $20,000 he would spend travelling and going to new places, with $3,600 he would get books and private tutors, with $3,20 he would spend on new technology, with $100 he would spend this on portfolio postings on the web for the year, and with another $100 he would buy a new pair of running shoes. This totals up to $14,900 which saved him around $5,000. So after four years at four percent interest he would have earned $22,000. Bole wants us to spend our money on things that would help us more than college would in the future.

"Better Than College" by Blake Boles

Boles is definitely wrong in his video “What Could You Do With $20,000?” when he says it would be better for us to not go to college because when you go to college you get prepared for the future when you get a big paper due or have to write a report on something. When you are in college there a lot more resources and a lot more opportunities than not going to college. At college you can you have a lot more reliable resources like your teachers, your friends, and the library where you can answer your questions you have on something. You also get ready for your job when you have to work more and not as much free time. If you don’t go to college and you never have to work than when you get a job you won’t be ready if they give you an assignment or something big to do. Bole says that you might end up as overqualified and unemployed. People hiring you would want you to have more than just the requirements of the job. This shows them that you did not do bare minimum in college. When people hire they also see if you went to college. It is easier to get a job if you have been to college. When you are not in college it would be harder to make friends in other countries and you would not have the good experiences of college. You can visit other places and join the study abroad programs where you can travel to and have fun at a different country with other college students. College in the end would overall be more rewarding than not going to college.

Summary and Response to "Bully"

Lee Hirsch

In the documentary Bully Lee Hirsch exposes that bullying has become an epidemic because very little people are trying to help the kids being bullied. Hirsch wants people to know that bullying is a bigger problem than people actually think. Parents and friends don’t think bullying is a bad problem until they connect to it. Hirsch informs everyone that kids even take their own lives because of bullying. Bullying is painful physically and emotionally. Hirsch shows people that if they work together than bullying can be stopped. If parents and teachers act and stop the cycle of bullying than it can be solved. Kids who were or are bullied are more likely to bully other kids. Hirsch wants to reveal that people don’t think of bullying as a major problem for kids and that this can be changed.

Alex from Bully

Lee Hirsch’s Bully is absolutely correct that people don’t realize that bullying is a big problem that needs to be fixed and changed. Bullying is not noticed by many people until it personally connects with them. The superintendent said in Bully that if it were her kids being bullied she would do something about it but she never acted to Alex being bullied and choked on the bus. Bullying keeps happening because very little is done about it. The vice principal only told the kids to stop bullying Alex but she never gave punishment. The principal for Tyler’s school wouldn’t admit that he committed suicide because of bullying. Tyler’s parents tried to do something about the bullying but nothing was done about it. Bullies don’t care what happen to their victims they just want to make fun of and hurt someone. Bullies need to be stood up to. Tyler’s friend used to be bullied but when he told them to quit bullying him they stopped bullying him. Bullying hurts people emotionally when someone gets hurt or killed because they were connected with it. When Tyler committed suicide tons of people were sad and depressed because of what happened. Bullying is a big issue waiting to be fixed, but with the help with other people bullying can be noticed and stopped.

Summary and Response to "What's Wrong with the Teenage Mind?"

In the article “What’s Wrong with the Teenage Mind?” By Alison Gopnik clearly illustrates that teenagers are hitting puberty earlier and adulthood later because of the developmental timing of the neural and psychological systems that interact to turn children into adults. Alison writes that kids make bad decisions like drinking and driving, not following rules, and not paying attention at school because they overestimate rewards and underestimate risks. Kids tend to take more risks when they are with their friends instead of other people. When with their friends they want attention and to be popular among his friends. Now days because of all the safety rules it is hard for kids to underestimate risks. Alison wants to inform us that teenagers are acting weirder because they are hitting puberty earlier.

Alison Gopnik's “What’s Wrong with the Teenage Mind?” is definitely incorrect because even though teenagers are hitting puberty earlier and adulthood later they are not being helped enough by their parents and other adults. Kids in the past had internships when they were younger so their skills would be reinforced. Now days when students try for an internship they are being denied and aren’t able to reinforce the skills they need. When kids were learning the skills they needed when they were younger were helped when they made mistakes and learned from their mistakes. Kids now when they make mistakes the consequences for them are worse because they are older. It is not good for kids to rely on the parents for so long because they don’t learn to be as responsible until later on when it will affect their futures. Parents help them with their homework and help remind them of things they forget. Without their parents they will be forced to learn these skills and reinforce them when the consequences for it aren't as bad. If kids would learn these skills sooner than they will be more prepared for puberty and adulthood where they want their friends respect or to be successful.

Summary and Response to "A Vision of Students Today"

In “A Vision of Students Today” By Dr. Michael Wesch informs us that education is not always relevant for students today because a lot of students read assignments that aren't relevant to them. Students buy hundred dollar textbooks that they don’t even open, some students will read only 8 books in a year, and some students will be over $20,000 dollars in debt after their graduation.  Wesch thinks that since education is not always relevant to them students might not try their best. Wesch wants people to know that not all things students do in class are important for students’ educations and their futures.

Dr. Michael Wesch’s “A Vision of Students Today” is incorrect that education isn't always relevant to students because all assignments that students read are relevant to them. All books that students read help students get better at english and writing because they see it written properly in the book and it is an example to them. Fiction and Sci-fi books help students think outside the box in writing by them writing about futuristic and mind-boggling ideas. Sometimes students need to read something exciting and different from the boring textbooks and regular school books. Students always buy books for school that they would need. They would usually use them every day for class and homework. If students did buy a book they would never use then they could sell it and get their money back. Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that reading only 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text a year. When students are in debt, and they can’t pay off the debt, they can get people to help them financially. The money the students pay go towards helping the school and future students. Even if students learn something irrelevant to their education if they try their best then they will do well. When students read their assignments they get better at English.

Reading, Writing, and Thinking Reflection Blog

       Reading, to me, is something that I don't like. I won't read unless I have to. If I start reading a book I really enjoy then I will zone out and will keep reading until I have to stop reading. We read so we can learn new words and word phrases. It helps our minds to grow and it will improve our writing and speech. When I read I try to imagine a picture of what I am reading. I get focused into the book and try to imagine the world they were in. When I get confused when writing I re-read the paragraph or sentence multiple times until I get it or until I realize I won't understand it. I know I am successful when I understand the book or piece of writing and enjoy. I would read non-stop until I finish it. My role as a reader is to learn what I read and to think deeply about what I read.
     Writing is something that when I do I think about what I write. I am not a big fan of writing, but I will write if I am told to. We write so we can improve the neatness of our handwriting. When I write I tend to have a hard time thinking of what to write or how to write it in my own words. I will eventually get it after a few minutes. I make a lot of mistakes when writing and end up writing paragraphs multiple times before I write something I like. I do get confused with my writing sometimes after a week, but I just have to re-read what I wrote and remember what I meant. I know that I am successful at writing something when I can just think of what to write and don't need many changes to my writing it. I would be able to understand my writing instantly. My role as a writer is to get better at writing and get people who read what I write to think about what I wrote.
     I enjoy thinking about different things. I have always been entertained while playing brain games. We think so we can understand something we don't know of. It helps us to get in deep thought and can create mental pictures. When I think I don't realize what is happening around me and won't stop thinking until I fully understand what I am thinking about. If I get confused with one of my thoughts I try to think more about it until I understand or I will search for an answer on my computer or where I got the thought from if possible. I am successful at thinking when I can think multiple thoughts over and over and won't get confused. My role as a thinker is to understand what I am thinking about and not get confused.