I embarked on a truly terrifying venture that many would think insane. I took thirty high school freshman on a field trip to an out-of-state college. My new principal mandated that all students be exposed to a four year school. She also required that it be outside of New Jersey so the students could see what is out there for them.
A few reasons this is well-intended, but missed the mark. First, the kids are only fourteen years old; they aren't thinking seriously about school yet. Some of the female students swooned because a college guy said hello back to them. I tried explaining it was truly reflexive, but I swear some of those girls were ready to marry him. Secondly, we went to Temple University which is extremely urban. The campus was not too different from what they encounter everyday. Some greenery would have been nice. Thirdly, the trip consisted of a 90 minute bus ride, 30 minute tour (the students asked no questions, because, well, see my first reason), a 60 minute lunch, then another 90 minute bus ride home. They really got to see three lobbies and a cafeteria.
I think a longer trip to Kean or Rutgers would be way more beneficial to the students. Maybe they could sit in on a class, see the dorms, speak to some club and organization leaders. The out-of-state trip should come when they are juniors.
One reason I bring this up is because the founder of Temple is apparently buried on campus. There is a campus ghost hunters society who regularly patrol the campus for signs of hauntings. Oddly enough, they claim cell phone reception is strongest at the burial site. Every ghost hunting show I've ever seen has claimed that spirits do nothing but interfere with electronic devices. Perhaps I can use this experience for my paper at some point.
Speaking of, I've started writing the section about urban legends to be discussed at our meeting next week. I was unsure what direction it would take, but once I started writing, it started to take shape (go figure, right?). I'm really looking forward to what it will look like in one week.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Urban Legends
So apparently I'm having trouble remembering to blog until the day it is due. Hopefully I can snap out of this and get this work done on time in the future. November, when teachers have more days off than in school. It's hard to believe that time has moved so fast.
I haven't started writing my next chapter about urban legends yet, but I've been doing quite extensive research on them. By research I mean reading about them. I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading about urban legends. There is something about the urban legends or anecdotal stories that commenters relay that are more appealing than the creepy pastas. The creepy pastas are submissions by users of websites. They have a lot in common with legends or myths, but they come across as being too contrived and rely on jump scares that most tweenagers find terrifying. But I still enjoy them to an extent.
I browse Reddit on a daily basis. I come across a lot of threads where topic posters will ask for users to share a) the most creepy thing they've seen b) the most creepy thing that has happened to them c) creepiest local legend etc. The submissions on these threads are always so fascinating.
I've even come across some ideas that inspired where I might take the chapter. There are several instances of the legend being based on reality, but with some alterations. In one, there was the legend of a man without a face who would stalk you at night and attack you. In reality, a man had his face severely burned so that it was covered in a mass of scar tissue. You could, in fact, encounter him at night, but only because that was the only time he could go out for a walk without being harassed. He had reasons for his behavior, but they were misconstrued for the sake of a good story.
I'm excited to sit down to write out some of my ideas. Here's to hoping I don't forget.
I haven't started writing my next chapter about urban legends yet, but I've been doing quite extensive research on them. By research I mean reading about them. I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading about urban legends. There is something about the urban legends or anecdotal stories that commenters relay that are more appealing than the creepy pastas. The creepy pastas are submissions by users of websites. They have a lot in common with legends or myths, but they come across as being too contrived and rely on jump scares that most tweenagers find terrifying. But I still enjoy them to an extent.
I browse Reddit on a daily basis. I come across a lot of threads where topic posters will ask for users to share a) the most creepy thing they've seen b) the most creepy thing that has happened to them c) creepiest local legend etc. The submissions on these threads are always so fascinating.
I've even come across some ideas that inspired where I might take the chapter. There are several instances of the legend being based on reality, but with some alterations. In one, there was the legend of a man without a face who would stalk you at night and attack you. In reality, a man had his face severely burned so that it was covered in a mass of scar tissue. You could, in fact, encounter him at night, but only because that was the only time he could go out for a walk without being harassed. He had reasons for his behavior, but they were misconstrued for the sake of a good story.
I'm excited to sit down to write out some of my ideas. Here's to hoping I don't forget.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Off the Path I'm Beating
I absolutely apologize for being so late. I know some of you guys can't sleep at night until you've read what I have to say. My wife and I are on vacation this week and I completely lost track of what day it was. We were on our way home from Adventure Aquarium today when it dawned on me that I forgot to blog. I figured I would veer from discussing my thesis to talking about something even more frightening- the election.
I don't want to focus on how terrible it is that Trump won. Let's be honest, he had a 50/50 shot and it's not like our other option was no Abe Lincoln. Truthfully, he hasn't even taken office yet so no one has any clue whether or not he'll be horrible at the job or not.
Instead, I wanted to look at the aftermath of the outcome and how some people are behaving like petulant children. Protests? Riots (because what else should you call destruction of property)? Demanding an overhaul of the electoral college? Okay, maybe Al Gore would support you on that last one.
What is causing these people to behave so poorly? This is the same behavior they most likely ridiculed at Pro-Trump rallies prior to the election. What happened to "When they go low, we go high"? So far it seems like Trump is throwing everyone for a loop by acting, well, unTrump-like. He seemed gracious and wasn't gloating in his acceptance speech. He's confusing me; I'll just wait for the other shoe to drop and hope to be surprised when nothing bad happens.
First, I blame the media for portraying him as a boogeyman. Don't get me wrong, he seems downright deplorable at times and has said some pretty heinous stuff. But I've heard that multiple media outlets really tried to slant things in Clinton's favor. This type of propaganda causes those who don't fully read up on what's happening (unfortunately most people) to use sound bytes as the bedrock of their beliefs.
Some people think that now Trump is President-elect, we are all racist now. As is the coast is clear and we can drop the charade. My wife has a friend on Facebook who posted an angry reaction to the election, warning people not to tell her "to be angry with white people." Why are you mad at me?
I also blame people for not remembering anything from civics or government classes they took in school. Sorry if Clinton won the popular vote, but we were all taught about the electoral college and we can't change it just because the person we wanted to win didn't. It seems that most of these people (who all grew up getting ribbons and medals) can't handle being on the losing side of a vote.
These riots and protests won't change anything. A radio host on 101.5 put it best when he said that America isn't a Banana Republic that will have a redo just because you don't like the outcome. If anything, these people are becoming the havoc and doom they were worried about. And don't say that Trump isn't your president, he is. Stubborn refusal to accept this fact will only lead to disappointment.
I don't want to focus on how terrible it is that Trump won. Let's be honest, he had a 50/50 shot and it's not like our other option was no Abe Lincoln. Truthfully, he hasn't even taken office yet so no one has any clue whether or not he'll be horrible at the job or not.
Instead, I wanted to look at the aftermath of the outcome and how some people are behaving like petulant children. Protests? Riots (because what else should you call destruction of property)? Demanding an overhaul of the electoral college? Okay, maybe Al Gore would support you on that last one.
What is causing these people to behave so poorly? This is the same behavior they most likely ridiculed at Pro-Trump rallies prior to the election. What happened to "When they go low, we go high"? So far it seems like Trump is throwing everyone for a loop by acting, well, unTrump-like. He seemed gracious and wasn't gloating in his acceptance speech. He's confusing me; I'll just wait for the other shoe to drop and hope to be surprised when nothing bad happens.
First, I blame the media for portraying him as a boogeyman. Don't get me wrong, he seems downright deplorable at times and has said some pretty heinous stuff. But I've heard that multiple media outlets really tried to slant things in Clinton's favor. This type of propaganda causes those who don't fully read up on what's happening (unfortunately most people) to use sound bytes as the bedrock of their beliefs.
Some people think that now Trump is President-elect, we are all racist now. As is the coast is clear and we can drop the charade. My wife has a friend on Facebook who posted an angry reaction to the election, warning people not to tell her "to be angry with white people." Why are you mad at me?
I also blame people for not remembering anything from civics or government classes they took in school. Sorry if Clinton won the popular vote, but we were all taught about the electoral college and we can't change it just because the person we wanted to win didn't. It seems that most of these people (who all grew up getting ribbons and medals) can't handle being on the losing side of a vote.
 |
| How millennials saw the election going |
So that's it. That's the rant. And I didn't vote for Trump.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
How is it November Already?
Wow, time flies. I can't believe we've been in school for two months already. The first marking period is over and the holidays are fast approaching. Think about it; we're closer to Christmas than to the first day of school.
Things have been crazy busy at work. I not only took on an extra class, but I've also been put in charge of the school newsletter. Thank God it's quarterly. Our new administration has a new policy that every failing student must have some form of intervention. In order to do so, we have to show that we've contacted the parents at least three times. Most phone numbers either don't work or they go unanswered. Maybe that fact alone is scary enough for me to write about for my thesis.
Speaking of which, it's proving harder than I thought to write what I think is "thesis worthy". I'm not 100% sure that what I'm producing is... good enough for lack of a better term. Don't worry, this isn't another despair post. I'm just looking forward to meeting with Dr. Zamora on Thursday so I can get some direction.
I've never been one to take much initiative. I'd much rather take direction than provide it. So to set off on my own to write this thesis is leaving me constantly guessing. I know that my group will provide with great feedback, as will Dr. Zamora.
Actually sitting down to write my passage has been a great experience. I know the time will come when I have to sit down and weave all the pieces together into a cohesive unit. Even still, I'm trying to keep that thought in the back of my mind so that it will be easier to do when that time comes.
Things have been crazy busy at work. I not only took on an extra class, but I've also been put in charge of the school newsletter. Thank God it's quarterly. Our new administration has a new policy that every failing student must have some form of intervention. In order to do so, we have to show that we've contacted the parents at least three times. Most phone numbers either don't work or they go unanswered. Maybe that fact alone is scary enough for me to write about for my thesis.
Speaking of which, it's proving harder than I thought to write what I think is "thesis worthy". I'm not 100% sure that what I'm producing is... good enough for lack of a better term. Don't worry, this isn't another despair post. I'm just looking forward to meeting with Dr. Zamora on Thursday so I can get some direction.
I've never been one to take much initiative. I'd much rather take direction than provide it. So to set off on my own to write this thesis is leaving me constantly guessing. I know that my group will provide with great feedback, as will Dr. Zamora.
Actually sitting down to write my passage has been a great experience. I know the time will come when I have to sit down and weave all the pieces together into a cohesive unit. Even still, I'm trying to keep that thought in the back of my mind so that it will be easier to do when that time comes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)