My Service Experience

I Volunteered at Country Meadows with the special Ed kids and it was probably one of the scariest but definitely a treasured memory of mine. I really had to work up the guts to actually convince myself that we are all blessed in a different way and no matter what in the end we are human and desire the same thing: love, attention, care, and fun (especially for kids). I helped the kids out, a little with their homework and then during snack time and finally recess and really throughout the entire two-day experience I really did realize that stereotypes are probably the most stupid things created on this planet. I never had anyone in my family who volunteered with special Ed kids and I never had the personal experience to spend time with kids of needs, for whatever reason I was absolutely nervous out of my mind. I wasn’t even really sure what I’m supposed to say…how I’m supposed to introduce myself…and what I’m expected to talk about afterward. For example, I wasn’t even sure if they knew who SpongeBob is…and that is super pathetic to look back and reflect on now. I talked a little bit with Heather, to get a feel of what’s expected for me. I was warned; sometimes the kids do get out of hand by having a “sugar-high” and other times the kids just don’t realize that they’re being loud and silly. Honestly, I saw that when the kids scream, jump, make funny “bloop” noises they are the happier than a kid with a happy meal. I’ve spent a ton of time with non-special Ed kids whether it was through babysitting, family occasions, and my friends’ siblings and reflecting on the differences the non-special Ed kids seems like they really take life for granted. They whine over not getting certain toys, they complain about not having a pacifier to sleep with but; my goodness, the kids I hung out with for the service hours really took the meaning of “enjoying life” to a whole new level. During snack time, they truly believe in “life’s short, eat dessert first” and they follow very thoroughly with that idea ha-ha. Aside from the silly stuff and more of the serious stuff, when Heather spoke to me about the kids’ backgrounds, I seemed to hear a lot of the same, unfortunate, stuff story from story. Each of the kids get made fun of during lunch time, laughed at and stared at in the halls; the worst part of it these kids are only about nine or ten years old… it upsets me to see and hear stories like that because when I spent time with the kids they were able to put a smile on my face no matter what circumstance my day was classified under before hand. The reason I said stereotypes are the stupidest things ever created before in this blog is because I truly feel that due to the stereotypes the media sets out it causes kids and even adults in some cases to become stereotypical and judgmental. Often times when you watch a TV show, you aren’t really exposed to kids with special needs so when you come across them you aren’t really sure how to react or what to say, for that matter. This was completely true in my case, I really wasn’t sure how to start a conversation because I didn’t want to make the kids feel like I think that they don’t know how to open their lunch boxes but at the same time you always see people asking the kids “did you need help with that?” or “did you have to go to the bathroom?” but while I was there I saw that no, that’s not the case. Not at all. The kids have their own minds, opinions, and interests and really are no different than myself on the inside. For example, when the kids have to use the bathroom, they ask or when they want to use a glue stick they know exactly where it is and they don’t need special assistance just as any other nine or ten year old. During recess or outside time, whatever it’s called, the kids played any game I would play as a kid and it was completely similar to what you’d expect from stereotypes: the girls played games like “make believe (someone was the mom, and the dog and the grocery bagger lady) the boys played ball games such as a form of basket ball or catch. It’s funny because when I reflect on what I did in elementary school it was pretty much the same thing. The girls all played games like dress up, school, cooking and crafts. Then you’d have the “rough and tough” guys who played hardcore tag and rolled around in the dirt. Stereotypes become, in my opinion, barriers between a person and an experience because I know had it not been for this class I wouldn’t opened up as much as I did and try this experience. I know I would have tried a nursing home or soup kitchen and winded up not getting such a rewarding experience as I did. In the beginning of the semester Sal said that he wanted us to really get something out of this experience and try something new, I feel I really accomplished that and I would recommend any student to try and reach outside their comfort zone when it comes to this service project. I’m not sure whether it was the comfort of having a motivating teacher or wanting to really look back and be proud of my senior year…but I’m happy with my choice and I really wouldn’t have changed a thing. I definitely think having a person there with me whom I am close to helped because it did make me feel more comfortable around the kids. I feel that had I been completely with people I didn’t know I wouldn’t be as interactive and willing to play with the kids. Thank you for having the students do this type of “final” because I think especially for the seniors, when we go off to college I think that no matter what type of person a kid may be in school: rebel, goody-two-shoes, prep, jock, nerd, etc every kid learns either something about themselves or something about the world that they learned from the class throughout the semester.

In My School

In my school of 4.205 students each one of those students has their own story. Not everyone was born into a wealthy family and not everyone is a part of a low income family because they choose to dress differently. After watching the video of footage from life at a school is Texas, I'm happy to say I'm not involved in a school where kids are ruthless and think higher of themselves- compared to "outsiders" of their social class. Overall, regardless of some stories people hear, everyone is fairly nice to one another regardless of ones social class. I have never walked down a hall and heard someone get defriended due to their social status in our school. I've heard people getting put down for a certain stereotype they may hold but when watching the video it upset me to see that kids refuse to be friends with people of a different status. It's not like people have a disease just because their home isn't large. When ever I've volunteered, i've become thankful for what I have but I've also learned so much from people who may be less fortunate than I. I've heard struggles that individuals have gone through just to make it to where they are today, and with us we usually just take things for granted. I know I do, as bad as it is to say teens go out and buy a $50 shirt where some people truly work hard just to put food on the table. Tammy from the video, for example, walks 10 miles every day to work at Burger King for the minimum wage that she gets paid and with that she supports her three children: one which seems embarassed and ungrateful, but it definetely makes me very thankful. It also reminds me to not judge people by how they are dressed or what they look like on the outside, because whether it's in my school or at work I can never tell what type of hardships a person may have gone through to get to where they are now.

Deviance

In class we did an activity in our groups/as a class and it was based off "unknown" drugs and based off their descriptions/severity we had to rate the drugs as either "legal" or "illegal". After every group wrote and discussed why they rated a certain drug as either "legal" or "illegal" we saw that many drugs that were described as being very severe most groups ranked as "illegal-felony" and then we'd find out that the drug was something like Advil; however, there were some groups who ranked differently and we got to see how everyone has their own perception even toward drug descriptions. Imagine how people are in the real world, similar to when someone hears a description/gossip about a person. Similar to the different perceptions on drugs, people have different perceptions toward people- whether they are "bad" or "good" and to one person, the rudest kid can be the sweetest kid. it's all based on perception, and deviance. This can be related to me whenever I'm meeting new people, especially when it's your first day in high school. Sometime, because our school is so large you have those people that you know exist and you've seen them around but never actually talked to them nor had a class with them; but, your friends have and based off what they tell you, whether it's good or bad you make your own assumption based off the description (or information) given to you. Similar to the drug activity, after getting to know the person yourself you have your own understanding of the person, sometimes even having a closer connection. Whenever this occurs you realize that not everyone has the same perceptions as yours may be. Everyone has their own opinions for a reason, it allows for the complexity of our society and a better understanding of individuals.

When Are We Considered An Adult???

This week we have been discussed when are you actually considered a teenager and what draws the line to be considered an “adult”. We’ve realized that there’s more to it than just the transition of seventeen years old, to eighteen years old. The actual definition of an adult is: “having attained full size and strength; grown up; mature” but what actually determines that? Let’s not forget you can be six-foot, muscular or in-shape but how can that determine that you are now magically an adult? We discussed that every human is different and we all have our own opinions about when we can actually be considered an adult and ironically when we went around the room and asked “what age would you consider to be an adult?” most classmates answered with at least twenty-one, or perhaps older. I don’t even consider myself to be an adult yet, regardless of age. I believe an adult is someone who has fully matured, and who can be independent where as I still depend on many adults in my life, and still have a lot to learn about life before I can go ahead and call myself an adult. Also, I kind of like enjoying my childhood:). In addition, we read an article that tried to explain why teens and parents tend to bump heads often times on many circumstances- curfew, independence, marriage/dating age, and so on. It taught us that today teens are unfortunately very restricted than our parents were. Yes, we have the freedom to drive, get a job, but compared to parents, at the least my parents, we’re fairly restricted. My parents share stories about how they used to go all around town as kids, and today my parents hate the idea of me going to certain areas and places, regardless what they did as teens. I’ve learned that it’s not just a me thing, any teen can relate that the transition from teenager to adulthood is often times a stressful one. Teens get the feeling that parents “don’t understand” and adults have a tough time letting go of their kids especially in tougher, and sometimes more scarier, times in the world.

The Truth About Men

In class we discussed how males and females are portrayed very differently with the use of good ol' media- how men are far more "tough" "affirmative" and "independent" and how girls are "timid" "weak" and "dependent" when the truth they are trying to say is "girls can be taken advantage of due to the toughness and masculinity men behold." I find it ironic that everything we wanted beforehand was equality but men seem to take pleasure that they "stand higher" in rank, compared to women. I always see it around school, at the malls, anywhere really- boys always drool over sexual images, of girls trying to sell you perfume or something, and assume every girl looks like the airbrushed and photo-shopped Victoria's Secret models, and I'm not even too sure why places like that advertise to boys? I mean...girls are the ones who where them after all, and we know what a chest and bust look like. Of course media must find a way to advertise to both sexes while giving boys some fantasy. Even a movie is based on this who idea of females having to be "perfect" and men just acting pig like but still getting their ways, it's called The Truth About Men. It's a hilarious romantic comedy  and I must admit I loved watching it but the message it sets out to girls is every girl must have the perfect body, hair, chest, arms, etc and that's all men care about. This message shouldn't be the message any girl gets considering it makes any girl feel a little down if that isn't true. This can kind of be connected to the fish bowl metaphor we've used before. For example, anyone looking at us can only see what's on the outside and they automatically judge, judging on what they see; however, the girl or boy can really see the person they are looking at what's on the inside and loving themselves by that moral. I've always learned and been told by my mommy and especially my close friends and family to always be grateful and love myself. It's the best advice yet! =)

Thrive!

When I first got the Thrive article in class, I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to think of it- thrive to succeed? accomplish my goals? thrive to.. what? Then as I read I saw it dealt with making yourself a happier person, regardless of material things, money, and grades. Mr. Sal. said it would be one of the most influencial and important articles that we would read, ever. I definitely agree. It was interesting to see what it takes for us to live a easier, more satisfied life and honestly after reading it, it makes sense. When it talked about community, I connected to that the most because when my parents decided to move when I was still a baby, my mom chose this community specifically because of it's safety, education, and how you really can get to know your neighboors and feel comfortable. Since most homes in our area consist of the typical parents, and a few children either my age, older, or younger. The house is a decent distance to their work place and we have family and good friends around us. Most people typically put these things into account, espcially when starting families; this way their kids can grow up in a connect social enviornment. This also allows us to connect with friends we go to school with, grow up with them, etc. The article really did bring the factors of money not equaling happiness which unfortunately some people take for granted, and explains that family, friends, a healthy relationship and good health are the key's to happiness.

What's YOUR Subculture?

Earlier this week in class we discussed subcultures and how we are all a part of many different subcultures, whether it's the school we go to, our religion, or our community; we all make up a subculture. For example, i discovered just like our school has its own folkways, values, and mores i commonly share some with the school and have a combination of others due to my religion, ethnicity, and region. For example, my material culture connects with the school- Uggs, school apparel, Northfaces, and I also realized that due to our region we have different material cultures for each season with fashion fads that come with each. An example is gladiator sandals for the summer, and Uggs for the winter. Some mores of mine include going to college, influenced by family and friends and the school environment. Folkways I share in common with my community is silly, apparent,"haunted" areas in the community, and from Christianity people think we go to church every Sunday. Unique words I share in common with my community of course is the names of our towns, nick-names that come up with the schools around us, our school mascots. Finally, I found that I share common values with my classmates, which isn't something peculiar; however due to our community it shapes us that way and makes us a subculture using everyone in our school and community. For example, everyone has the value of going to school to get good grades to go to a decent college he/she is happy with. We were all raised that way, and go to a school that influences those morals on us.

American's and Our Values

Last week as a class we read the Values Americans Live By. I found it interesting, and very true, how we have many odd but fairly important values to us that differs in many other societies. For example, when we read how time is possibly one of the most valued things by us, Americans, I didn't want to believe it since that would make the person seem like a "control freak" because those are usually the people who do everything by the book. They take a certain amount of time to eat in order to make sure they have enough time to get somewhere, with time to spare. When ironically, in a previous article Social Time, many other countries aren't so scheduled around time as we are. Our entire day revolves around it, when really we are the ones who make it so scheduled. An example of that is when classes are five minutes from being over, majority of the class begins to pack up. It doesn't surprise me that everyone packs up, it surprises me only because I realize that everyone, whether it's the teacher, or the students, must glance at the clock at least 5 times during class. This shows that we do value time, and where our time is spent. Another value that I found only strongly valued in America was competition. Around here, everyone is competitive, whether it's in a job, at a sport meet, in school, it's all around us. An example of that is our school. Everyone is strongly competitive in big things- grades, athletics, tests, etc that it shows when competition really doesn't matter. For example when running the mile in gym a girl in the class must run and follow behind the fastest runner in the class or else she feels as if "she didn't give it her best". I found this shocking because little things such as a gym mile time become such large factors into our lives. Partially because we have been accustomed to these social norms ever since starting high school, however, it becomes so valued we don't take the time to just relax and take things as they are. During tests, teachers have to always remind the class that this isn't a "who can finish first test" which incorporates time and competition as well; and the ACT isn't designed to see which friends can out beat others- yet we have been formed to act in competitive ways.

Culture Shock

So, in class we learned about how each culture has their own perspective to look at things as simple as hand motions, to things as complicated as rules. Playing the card games, with different rules, and not being able to talk really gave me a better idea on how most of us tend to be awfully ethnocentric. I was already judging poor Alissa when she started to play differently than how my table had played. However, it really got me thinking how judgemental we tend to get just because something is different than how we are used to- it taught me to remember every culture is different, just like Sal's example of not classifying all Latinos as "Hispanic". Then, when we spoke about different eating habits from different cultures, I remembered I can connect that to me. So, all my grandparents are from Poland and to them finger-food is viewed as "dirty" and "a bad manner"; everytime my grandparents are with us and we have BBQ's or pizza, they always ask for a knife and fork. It's so strange to us just because here, we are used to picking up a pizza and biting into it. Yet, when you ask my grandparents to do that, they think that it's equivilant to chewing with your mouth open. That reminded me of the fishbowl metaphor- we are used to what we see everyday, and when something new is placed in our enviornment or around us, we often tend to judge ourselves due to culture shock or because of our ethnocentrism. A time where I had culture shock is finding out that in Paris, it's perfectly normal for men to pee outside, in public urinals...not public restrooms, but urinals that are placed at random in the city. I'm not even sure who thought of that, but obviously it's something normal the men in Paris do. Here in the US; i'm sure you'd get a fine.

Categories and Generalizations

In class we discussed the importance or the disadvantage of generalizations and categorizing people into "groups" however, I noticed a trend in class today. I realized that nearly everything we have dealt with in this unit had to do with this final article. Looking back to the episode of freaks and geeks we learned why types of stereotypes came with each categorized group (the freaks & the geeks) and how people applied their knowledge of those groups to situations, for example students know the "freaks" are supposed to be tough, rebellious, and mean so the "geeks" already don't see a chance in any geek wining a fight with a freak. Why? We learned that in the article today where Charton explains that we apply relevant knowledge that we learned in the past, to situations we encounter and that is because of generalization. Thus, because we generalize certain stereotypes, we use it to our advantage- staying away from the freaks. Then when we did the "booted off the boat" activity and we applied our previous knowledge of categories: elders, smarties, the "useful" and the "non-useful" and that was the determinants of who stayed and who got booted off. Obviously before that I never put that much thought into things, I kind of assumed we just do it because it's "what's expected" of us, but I'd never think people put thought into doing experiments and writings on it- I thought it was just a natural part of how our minds work. It was proved to me that it is a large part of Sociology because in the movie A Bronx Tale, we saw the many categories and generalizations that came with the categories "C" was placed in. For example, when he started to hang around with Sonny, the big Mafia tough guy; people began to fear him- like the guy who owed him money. The reason that happens is because we tend to categorize people into stereotypes and while doing so we generalize about those groups. Mafia guys (Sonny and the crew) are people who were not trusted and feared. "C's" friends were categorized as trouble makers who seeked revenge and were generalized as racists.
I can relate this to myself because when you're at the lunch room the tables become categories, for example we see all the asians together and we just assume they're all the "smart ones who do homework during their break time" or we see someone sitting alone, and we generalize that they have no friends. So, obviously it's a natural way of thinking, but we never think if our generalizations are even correct. Perhaps it's just because we're more comfortable sitting with certain people who share commonalities with us, because Charton did express that often times our generalizations are incorrect.

Identity Molecule: What Makes Us Up?

The activity that we did this week incorporated us classifying ourselves into groups, and what groups truly make up who we are. We sat in a circle and started to see who had common groups with us, and I was shocked to see how many similarities I have with the class. Obviously, I knew we all classified ourselves as a part of the "SHS" group, however when people listed a "friend group" and "family group" and starred them as important it was great to see all of the class standing up with me. What really interested me was to see the different people that make up the society (around our area) that we live in. There were students from Iran Lithuania and India, and others who had their religion, such as Christianity, that was important to them because usually in our school everyone is classified as a "snobby rich Jewish student" when this activity proved the diversity of not only our school but our society. Sure, some groups are more popular in our society, such as sport players and workers, but in the end we have things that differentiate us from one another. Activities such as these, allow us to better connect with our community and to see that people we may not even be friends with has our morals, same lifestyles, or same personalities. This allows us to take the time to get to know people, rather than judge them from what we hear or think we "know". Similar to Sociological Mindfulness, often times we tend to judge from what we see on the outside, but never take the time to see what's on the inside. We become too caught up in our own lives, and as a community we break away from others because we hear of certain stereotypes or rumors we may not agree with. Seeing we share common beliefs or personalities as others is a beneficial things and also teachers us to become more open individuals. It taught me to become more open rather then being too quick to judge. :]

Abandon Ship

In class we did an activity called abandon ship, based on a true circumstance. Through out the activity we either volunteered or were chosen to take the role of a character and classmates had to fight for their chance to stay alive. I couldn't really imagine how those people must have felt years ago when this took place, having to either live or die because a boat can't hold everyone is a tough and awfully sad situation. I was one of the observers while classmates had to decide who should stay and who should leave and although I didn't help decide I still think it was rather unfortunate that who survived was based on others selfishness. For example, they got rid of all elders and ones with health conditions (epilepsy and obesity) because they felt that these people would danger the others chances of survival; however, anyone with ship knowledge, education, and families got the privilege to live. Yes, having a family would absolutely give you a reason for survival and that may have been a less selfish choice, this represents how our last week we spoke of sociological mindfulness in class and how what matters is how we influence something-- being educated in a specific major you're interested in really comes in handy when peoples' lives are at risk. For example, the Nobel prize winner for physics and ship operators were kept so they can help save the lives of others on the raft, regardless if they took up two spots, they helped save our classmates in the raft. This can be connected to everyday life, specifically when there are partner quizzes in classes. Haven't people ever noticed that when you can choose your partner often times people go for the "more intelligent" classmates so that they can receive a good grade rather than pairing up with their friends? We're all guilty of doing that, myself included and we do these things in order to receive better grades. By that we influence our younger siblings, perhaps motivate people to work harder, but we really do it for better reactions from teachers and parents. however, in the end it does motivate us as individuals to get better grades in the process and it does tend to make us more responsible, by studying the next time.

Sociological Mindfulness

While reading the article about what being sociologically mindful means, it really makes you look at things differently and connect them to yourself and your life. Obviously, we read this article because it's Sociology class, however, it connects to when we started class in silence; Mr. Sal. taught us that in order to understand and walk away with something from this class, we have to think out of the ordinary, literally. For example, we have to set aside the common "sit in class, quietly, & listen to your teacher" attitude. This connects to the article because the article explains that we have look deeper than just what's on the outside. In order to make a difference and be remembered here is to make yourself stand out and don't be selectable when it comes to choosing groups in projects, or sitting next to friends because you may stereotype others as something other than what you think of your friends and you. We have to be mindful people, we have to go out of our comfort-shells and try new experiences in order to really learn about our society and people who all have their own stories, stories we all may connect to. This article clarifies our community service project because part of doing community service and setting aside the normal activities you may do and help others, who may have a more difficult life than yourself. Also, you never know when you can make a difference in someones life, helping someone in need can put a smile on their face they've long needed. Community service is a way of taking time out of our day and be aware of other things that go on within our community, things we often tend to neglect when we are often stressed out from silly things like parents and college. It's a way for us to appreciate our own lives more, and become more thankful, as well as influencing good acts within our community- standing out and making someone remember us for something.

My mom and I used to visit my grandma, when she was in the nursing home, multiple times a week and especially during the holidays we used to always help out the others around there. My mom and I would make little goody-bags with cards for the people are my Nana's room and they would always tell us how those simple things were things they would always remember, and they always had smiles on their faces. It shows us that not everything is about how expensive the gift is but rather the sentimental value of it. When something comes from the heart, it means more than any dollar amount means. It allowed my mom and I to be remembered for taking the time to make peoples holiday's and give them something to have and remember with. In addition, it helps us connect with our community because instead of doing the "common thing" and just thinking about our loved ones, we thought of others and looked into the situation more in depth.

Silence: synonym for Awkward.

Silence is a word that adults love, besides why wouldn't they? Ever since kids, myself included, were little that's all we were told to do when we were in class, at a play or show, in a library, in a religious building, basically everywhere our community; it's only normal now-a-days to sit in class, in silence, until the teacher starts the conversation. However, silence is awkward and is the absence of noise. Noise is something that at least creates some sort of interactment. Sitting in class with everyone just staring at each other only makes everything even more awkward- so then you're not only sitting in silence, but you're sitting in silence staring at your classmates, and at times trying not to giggle at the awkwardness. But is it really awkward? I think, it's only awkward to us because we have be used to that idea our whole lives, like previously listed above; it's a part of society. it's been that way, always, so to talk when you're "not supposed to" would just make everyone look at you like the oddball in a crowd- but remember it's like that because we have been trained and taught to think that way since preschool years. even if we did talk during those awkward silence moments, it would be to just fill the room with a distraction and to try and start something: a conversation, words, noise. For example, a time i experience super awkwardness is after you fight with a friend. Because you don't want to talk to the person and there isn't anyone else in the room you confide to silence and honestly it's even more awkward than not talking to the person you're angry with. however, it's how we've been taught by society and our adult figures- if you're mad at someone, "don't talk to them" and it'll solve all your problems. even there, there's an example of being trained to replace silence with noise, but fill it with awkwardness. in class when no one spoke a word and sat there in silence just shows that it's our natural reaction. Some feel if they speak they would be doing it to just start a conversation, while others may keep quiet in risk of getting in trouble. Thus, we already think sociologically because it explains why we do what we do, in given environments. Society and our adult figures taught us to be this way. It's the same it comes to manners, it's awkward to not "excuse yourself" when you burp right? But would it really be awkward if we were always taught to just go with the flow and never say "excuse me" or even "bless you" when someone sneezes. In today's world we'd get strange stares, but if it were normal, we'd get stared at for saying excuse me, or bless you.

Who Am I?

Rocco :)

What defines me as an individual is I'm an only child but I have a little teacup Shih Tzu, Rocco, who can pretty much be considered my brother. He was my super late Christmas gift seven years ago, and an early birthday gift and I absolutely adore him. I'm from a huge family and I'm super close to all of my family and have the best friends i could ask for; I couldn't have it any other way. I'm fluent in understanding polish, but speaking it back is a huge challenge. Since both my parents speak English as their first language, keeping polish fluent and clear, when speaking it, is difficult but I still try my best:]. I started cheerleading when I was three, or four, years old and I kept it up for about twelve years. However, once I started high-school it wasn't a priority for me anymore and honestly, once you do something for too long it becomes stressful- not to mention all the ER visits and injuries I went through. I'm going to college next year and although I'm not exactly sure where I want to go, I know I want to major in either elementary education, or Business with my concentration as Human Resource; as of now, I'm leaning more toward business. The biggest influence in my life is my mom. My mom has been my best friend ever since I can remember and I know I can tell her everything and she'll always give me the best advice. Of all people who come and go in your life, I've learned that your family will always be there for you, but most importantly your mom will always have your side and do what's best for you in her life. Another person who influences my life a ton is my grandma- I've never met a more helping and caring person. She is someone who loves helping people out purely to help others out of the goodness of her heart. For all her grandkids and kids she does what's expected of a grandma and so much more. Some goals I have in my life are to graduate college and get a job in a field I enjoy, get married, and have kids. I've played house, wedding, kitchen and all the little imaginary games with all my friends when I was a little and it's something I see myself excelling in. I adore helping little kids learn, dress up, helping them make the right choices in life and they always know how to cheer you up. My purpose in life is to make the best person of myself that I can. My mom's always told me that no one can be better at being me, then me, and live to that.