Final Paper #3

Sheyanne Hughes

Professor Sonia Begert

March 19, 2014

English 101

Creativity in High School

What is high school for?  High school is an educational program to get you ready for your adult life and future career choices. Not only that, it’s a place where students find themselves and to be creative. If this is true, then why do so many students drop out or feel like they benefit so little from high school? Is graduation one of the greatest moments of your life because you’re finally moving on to bigger and better things or because you can finally stop coming to high school? If I were to change high school, I would make it so kids would actually want to go and would benefit greatly from it. With improving the school system to match more of the student’s personal interests and cater to their creativity, there would be more academic and personal achievement. High school would mean more to students in the sense that high school is something they want to do and not something they have to do.

The first change that should be made is to stop making so many budget cuts in the arts department. High schools focus so intently on science, math, history, and English. I agree that all of those subjects are very important by why should the arts be any different? Aren’t they just as important? The arts department is the creative side of education, while science, english, history, and math are the more technical and universal subjects of education. During my last year in high school, the arts department was targeted and was almost completely cut from my high school. Yet, students from the choir and band all stepped up and went to the school board meeting and defending the arts. If science or math was cut from high school, how many students do you think would be at a meeting defending it? The arts is a way for students to explore their minds and be creative. If schools were more understanding of students and didn't just fund math, science, english, and history, high school would be a much better place for those who want to express themselves. Keith Gilyard states, "It is not that in my own gloom I predict doom for the students. Children can learn and grow in other arrangements. I merely assert-and parents and community members who are rallying in an attempt to save the program agree-that at this point in the children's lives, afternoons they spend in the program are better than afternoons without it" (19). This being said, school should be not only an educational experience, but a fun one. Although I understand that funding for the arts is a problem, but a way to fix this would be to evenly do budget cuts from each department instead of wiping the arts clean of every penny it has. The arts are a program that are highly underestimated and should be taken more seriously for the sake of the students’ education.

The second change I would make is the teachers. In order for classes to be enjoyable, teachers must enjoy what they teach. They must be passionate about it. High schools need teachers who aren't just teaching because they just want their pay check, they need teachers who are passionate and love teaching. In the movie Chalk, there was a particular teacher who didn't much care about teaching his students; in fact, all he wanted was to win teacher of the year. And did he get it? No, he did not. In fact, one of his students was more advanced than he was, and the teacher got angry because it made him look bad and because he was ignorant. That teacher should have put his student in an advanced class. Described as the "differentiating function" by Gatto, he states, "Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best" (John Taylor Gatto: Against Schools). This describes how teachers don't push their students to their full potential. A good teacher is active in their students' educational life and is willing to go above and beyond to make sure that student’s gets the education they need and not the education that others say they need. An example of this being Mrs. Gruwell from the movie Freedom Writers. Mrs. Gruwell is a teacher, who against all the odds, went the extra mile to give her kids the education they deserved because no one else gave it to them. She was passionate about her job. When one of the teachers from the school told her that eventually things would get easier amongst the rowdy group of students because eventually they would stop coming, she replied, “Well, hopefully I can get them lining up at the door.” This shows that she really wanted to teach her students and that she actually wanted them to want to be there. All teachers should carry passion to be able to push their students to their greatest level of academic achievement.

The third change I would make is the way school makes you think. There have been so many instances where students will cram right before a test, get a good grade, and then forget everything the next day. What good does that do for anyone? Instead of teachers making the students memorize subjects, they should be making students think outside the box. Of course, memorizing some things does have its place, but make it more than just memorizing. Ask questions that exceed the limit that expand your mind into thinking about things you never would consider. Instead of students being containers to fill you should make them seeds that you need to nourish to grow. As Paolo Friere stated in his Banking Concept of Education, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor" (Ch. 2). This describes that teacher are doing nothing more than just filling a vessel, the students, and not expanding them.  Bell hooks also expands on this by stating, “Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous. Sadly, these children stop enjoying the process of thinking and start fearing the thinking mind” (9). This explains that the world today is taking away the passion of thinking. They’re making students dread and loathe thinking because they’ve been taught it’s pointless. Hooks states, “Those students who do not dread thinking will often come to classes assuming that thinking will not be necessary, that all they will need to do is consume information and regurgitate it at the appropriate moments” (9).  In order to make the students think, you must expand their minds. Are text books important? Of course they are, but to an extent. Don’t have the text book do the thinking for your students. Have teachers ask questions that make the students really think. Don’t make them afraid to think, let them know there is no right or wrong answer because every thought is worth thinking.

The educational system in high school is in dire need of change. With the arts becoming less important, students’ minds not being expanded, and passionless teachers, high school is going downhill. High school should be a fun place where students want to attend and want to learn. It is a milestone in a person’s life, so it should be an experience worth experiencing. If these changes were to be made, students would benefit greatly with their educational success.

Citations:

Chalk Dir. Mike Akel. Perf. Chris Mass, Troy Schremmer.
          Arts Alliance America, 2007. DVD.

Freedom Writers. Dir. Richard LaGravenese. Perf. Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey and Imelda                                                                                                             Staunton. Paramount Pictures, 2007. DVD.

Freire, Paolo.  "The Banking Concept of Education." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York:                   Herder and Herder. 1970. Print

Gatto, John. "Against Schools: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, And Why." Harper's    Magazine. Sept, 2003. Web. 13 Mar, 2014

hooks,bell. Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge.  Print

Gilyard, Keith. "Children, Arts, and Du Bois." National Council of Teachers of English, n.d.                                                     Web. Sept. 2012

6 quotations

“Those students who do not dread thinking will often come to classes assuming that thinking will not be necessary, that all they will need to do is consume information and regurgitate it at the appropriate moments.” 

 “Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous. Sadly, these children stop enjoying the process of thinking and start fearing the thinking mind.”
 

"Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor." 

"Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best."

"It is not that in my own gloom I predict doom for the students. Children can learn and grow in other arrangements. I merely assert-and parents and community members who are rallying in an attempt to save the program agree-that at this point in the children's lives, afternoons they spend in the program are better than afternoons without it."

"Well, hopefully they'll be lining up the door" Freedom writers 

WS pp 32-37

This pertains to the assignment because one of the sections shows you that it's okay to argue your side as long as you acknowledge the other side. But you shouldn't acknowledge the other side too much because it might lose your point.

Large, Boyce, Gilyard, Aronson, and hooks

Large:
Large talks about a book by Tough who indicates that you need to build character in your children and the rest will follow. This meaning, you can't always be their for your kids and they need to learn to get along fine without you. They need to experience the trial and error and overcome failure in order to truly build grit and character. Children can't be pampered by their parents all their lives.

Boyce:
Boyce brings up an interesting point when he says that traits such as; " being able to calm yourself and regulate your emotions in a variety of situations; understand your own emotions, accurately perceive others’ emotions, and empathize; listen attentively to what someone is saying, negotiate, and confidently persuade; think through problems effectively while considering others’ perspectives," are some of the most important things one should learn in life. He believes that these traits are what makes a person human and that these traits are what people use in the real world. One can't always rely on math to solve everything. Sometimes it takes special attention and true human emotion to become successful in the real world. He believes these things should be taught in classrooms to students who can benefit from these traits in the future.

Gilyard: 

Gilyard writes on a topic that is very near and dear to my heart; the arts. He writes about how he went to an elementary school and talked with very bright and creative students who were into arts. He talked about a young student who did poetry. Something that caught my attention is when he said that the arts was recurring less and less in schools because of lack of funding. He believes this is wrong and that students deserve to have creative freedom and not do a class that doesn't interest them in the slightest.

Aronson: 

Aronson talks about a successful program where many students graduated from high school and went to college. It was even higher then schools that didn't have the program. Yet, it was shut down and the books were banned. Yet, their was an uproar and the books were brought back into the library but not the classrooms. It's crazy to think that these kind of programs can be shut down with no second thought no matter how successful the students become. It's almost as if it's not about the students at all. 

hooks:

hooks main point is critical thinking. She explains that critical thinking is great because it gets students to use their initiative and not just something they've been taught is right "just because someone said so." They figure out solutions with evidence.It also brings out the passion in students and their passion to share their ideas and not be afraid of being put down because their is no right or wrong answer! It's their initiative! I agree that critical thinking does in fact empower us. 

How Chalk relates to Friere and Gatto

Chalk is a movie about a dysfunctional school with dysfunctional teachers. Friere and Gatto also agree that many schools, like the one in chalk, are totally dysfunctional with the teachers having a lot to do with it. Gatto states that, "The differentiating function. Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best." In Chalk, one teacher in particular gets angered when one of his students actually knows more than him and is a lot smarter. He gets mad that he's usuign words he can't understand. He tells the student to not act that way because he didn't want to look dumb in front of the principle. He even threatened to tell his parents he was failing the class if he kept it up. The teacher is not pushing his student what so ever and is just keeping him stuck in this place where he can't academically achieve because of his own ignorance. Friere also agres with Gatto when he states "The teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects." Meaning that to the teachers, the students don't mean anything to them. Just like the teacher I was just referring to. He only used those kids so he could get best teacher of the year. He even took time out of the class to have them make posters for him. He didn't even care that it was their educational time. But I guess it wouldn't of mattered since the teacher is completely ignorant and could care less about their education so they probably wouldn't of benefited from his educational teachings to begin with.

Freire and Gatto

Both Freire and Gatto agree that most educational instructors don't take that extra step to push their students or give them an initiative to do it. They also don't give them a complete learning experience such as actually experiencing it. Friere explains, "Liberating education consists of acts of cognition, not transferals of information." This means that students aren't personally experiencing the education they need. It's not about just writing in a text book and listening, it's about hands on and trial and error. Gatto also explains the differentiating function by saying, " children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best." This being that children aren't being pushed and can't experience the education and personal experience they deserve. They both agree that teachers need to actually do what they're paid to do and that's giving their students the education they need and deserve. 

Something else they'd agree on is how schools are trying to conform their students. Freire explains, "Education must begin with a solution of the teacher-student contradiction.." Meaning teachers and students must have an understanding of their roles. Not just "The teacher teaches and the students are taught" or "The teacher knows everything and the students know nothing" or even "The teachers talks and the students listen-meekly" all of these are Friere saying that teachers and students conforming to their known roles is totally wrong. You don't need to conform. Or how Gatto states that, "The integrating function. This might well be called "the conformity function," because its intention is to make children as alike as possible. People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force." How the teachers who are conforming are predictable just like how the students being taught become predictable. It all becomes a vicious cycle. 

Lewis Black and Mike Rose

When it comes to education, both Lewis Black and Mike Rose seem to be very well on the same page. Black believes that too much money is being put into the way schools look and not the education itself when there are kids trying to win the lottery to get into a charter school. Black also believes that the media is totally changing the way people see education, but in a terrible way. "We rank 21st in math, 25th in science, but we rank number one in confidence." Black states that this is completely ridiculous. Mike Rose agrees on this subject when he writes, "..stop the accountability train long enough to define what we mean by “achievement” and what it should mean in a democratic society. Is it a rise in test scores? Is it getting a higher rank in international comparisons? Or should it be more?" Rose is saying that test scores shouldn't define the way we determine if a teacher is good or not. Like when Black takes another look at the media and shows a man saying that if you're driving by a school you should "walk in and ask how you can help." Okay, this is completely ridiculous. Why should you let a stranger teach when so many teachers are being let off for budget cuts? The new reality television series "Teach: Tony Danza" is about a guy who always wanted to teach but wasn't even certified. Even the children knew he wasn't! Personally, if I had a teacher who didn't know what the heck they were doing I would be completely outraged! Rose also talks about the media when he says, "To have the media, middle-brow and high-brow, quit giving such a free pass to the claims and initiatives of the Department of Education and school reformers. There is an occasional skeptical voice, but for any serious analysis, you have to go to sources like The Nation or Pacifica radio. Journalists and commentators who make their living by being skeptical – David Brooks, Nicholas Kristof, Arianna Huffington – leave their skepticism at the door when it comes to the topic of education." He is also agreeing with Black in how the media blows things out of proportion. 

Lewis Black Notes

He's upset at how much money is going into schools.
It doesn't have to be incredibly fancy or the best building you've ever been in
Thinks it's ridiculous that most don't focus on public schools education
Teach Tony Danza!

Citations

Works Cited

Freire, Paolo.  "The Banking Concept of Education." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder. 1970. Print

hooks,bell. Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge.  Print

Gatto, John. "Against Schools: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, And Why." Harper's Magazine. Sept, 2003. Web. 13 Mar, 2014

 Black, Lewis, "Back in Black - Education Crisis"  The Daily Show with John Stewart. 5 OCt, 2010. Web. 3 Mar, 2014

******************PUT THEM IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER*********************

Rough Draft Paper #3

Sheyanne Hughes

Creativity in High School

What is high school for?  High school is an educational program to get you ready for your adult life and future career choices. Not only that, it’s a place where students find themselves and to be creative. If this is true, then why do so many students drop out or feel like they benefit so little from high school? Is graduation one of the greatest moments of your life because you’re finally moving on to bigger and better things or because you can finally stop coming to high school? If I were to change high school, I would make it so kids would actually want to go and would benefit greatly from it. With improving the school system to match more of the student’s personal interests and cater to their creativity, there would be more academic and personal achievement.  High school would mean more to students in the sense that high school is something they want to do and not something they have to do.

The first change that should be made is to stop making so many budget cuts in the arts department. High schools focus so intently on science, math, history, and English. I agree that all of those subjects are very important by why should the arts be any different? Aren’t they just as important? The arts department is the creative side of education, while science, english, history, and math are the more technical and universal subjects of education. During my last year in high school, the arts department was targeted and was almost completely cut from my high school. Yet, students from the choir and band all stepped up and went to the school board meeting and defending the arts. If science or math was cut from high school, how many students do you think would be at a meeting defending it? The arts is a way for students to explore their minds and be creative. If schools were more understanding of students and didn't just fund math, science, english, and history, high school would be a much better place for those who want to express themselves.
Keith Gilyard states, "It is not that in my own gloom I predict doom for the students. Children can learn and grow in other arrangements. I merely assert-and parents and community members who are rallying in an attempt to save the program agree-that at this point in the children's lives, afternoons they spend in the program are better than afternoons without it.(19)" This being said, school should be not only an educational experience, but a fun one. 

The second change I would make is the teachers. In order for classes to be enjoyable, teachers must enjoy what they teach. They must be passionate about it. High schools need teachers who aren't just teaching because they just want their pay check, they need teachers who are passionate and love teaching. In the movie Chalk, there was a particular teacher who didn't much care about teaching his students; in fact, all he wanted was to win teacher of the year. And did he get it? No, he did not. In fact, one of his students was more advanced than he was, and the teacher got angry because it made him look bad. That teacher should have put his student in an advanced class. Described as the "differentiating function" by Gatto, he states, "Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best." This describes how teachers don't push their students to their full potential. A good teacher is active in their students' educational life and is willing to go above and beyond to make sure that student gets the education they need and no the education that others say they need. 

The third change I would make is the way school makes you think. There have been so many instances where students will cram right before a test, get a good grade, then forget everything the next day. What good does that do for anyone? Instead of teachers making the students memorize subjects, they should be making students think outside the box. Of course, memorizing some things does have its place, but make it more than just memorizing. Ask questions that exceed the limit that expand your mind into thinking about things you never would consider. Instead of students being containers to fill you should make them seeds that need to grow. As Paolo Friere stated in his Banking Concept of Education, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor." This describes that teacher are doing nothing more than just filling a vessel, the students, and not expanding them. 

Paper # 3 Brainstorming

What is high school for? High school is an educational program to get you ready for your adult life and future career choices. If this is so true, then why did I feel like I barely benefited from high school other than getting a piece of paper stating I graduated? Honestly, if I were to change the way high school functions, I bet more students would benefit and become more successful.

One thing I feel like schools don't recognize/focus on enough is the arts. From my first hand experience in being in choir all years of my high school life, I can say that because of it, I did better in school, had a way better experience in high school, and was just a happier person altogether. Singing is something I love to do, and without it in high school, I honestly don't know how I would've gotten through it. My last year of high school, they started doing budget cuts towards the arts which was completely ridiculous. Yeah, english, math, and science are important to some, but it's focused on TOO much. Isn't high school advertised as the place where students get to explore what they want to do with their futures and start training for success? Where students can be creative? How is cutting the arts supporting this at all?

Something else I know I would change is teacher to student ratio. Does it make sense to jam 30 students in a class with one teacher? More kids would benefit with a smaller class room because that gives the teacher more opportunities to care for the students needs and when they need help. Everyone is different and for a student to get that individual time with their teacher on a specific area they need help in is very crucial.

Another area I would see needs attending to is thinking. Yes, thinking. I don't think we were made to be containers to be filled with information and just memorize it. We were made to expand our minds and to think outside the box! I can't tell you how many times I crammed last minute for a test, get a good grade on it, then forget everything the next day. (Banking Method)

What is high school for?  High school is an educational program to get you ready for your adult life and future career choices. Not only that, it’s a place where students find themselves and to be creative. If this is true, then why do so many students drop out or feel like they benefit so little from high school? Is graduation one of the greatest moments of your life because you’re finally moving on to bigger and better things or because you can finally stop coming to high school? If I were to change high school, I would make it so kids would actually want to go and would benefit greatly from it. With improving the school system to match more of the student’s personal interests and cater to their creativity, there would be more academic and personal achievement.  High school would mean more to students then just getting a piece of paper stating they graduated from high school.

The first change that should be made is to stop making so many budget cuts in the arts department. High schools focus so intently on science, math, history, and English. I agree that all of those subjects are very important by why should the arts be any different? Aren’t they just as important? The arts is the creative side of education, while science, english, history, and math are the more technical and universal subjects of education. During my last year in high school, the arts was targeted completely and was almost completely cut from my high school. Yet, students from the choir and band all stepped up and went to the school board meeting and defending the arts. If science or math was cut from high school, how many students do you think would be at a meeting defending it? The arts is a way for students to explore their minds and be creative. If schools were more understanding of students and didn't just fund math, science, english, and history, high school would be a much better place. 


The second change I would make is the teachers. In order for classes to be enjoyable, teachers must enjoy what they teach. They must be passionate about it. High schools need teachers who aren't just teaching because they just want their pay check, they need teachers who are passionate and love teaching. In the movie Chalk, their was a particular teacher who didn't much care about teaching his students, in fact, all he wanted was to win teacher of the year. And did he get it? No, he did not. In fact, one of his students was more advanced than he was, and the teacher got angry because it made him look bad. That teacher should have put his student in an advanced class. Described as the "differentating function" by Gatto, he states, "Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best." This describes how teachers don't push their students to their full potential. A good teacher is active in their students' educational life and is willing to go above and beyond to make sure that student gets the education they need and no the education that others say they need. 


The third change I would make is the way school makes you think. Their have been so many instances where students will cram right before a test, get a good grade, then forget everything the next day. What good does that do for anyone? Instead of teachers making the students memorize subjects, they should be making students think outside the box. Of course, memorizing some things does have its place, but make it more than just memorizing. Ask questions that exceed the limit that expand your mind into thinking about things you never would consider. Instead of students being containers to fill you should make them seeds that need to grow. As Paolo Friere stated in his Banking Concept of Education, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor." This describes that teacher are doing nothing more than just filling a vessel, the students, and not expanding them. 

Chalk Notes

The school and teachers are all unorganized and dysfunctional

"You hone your skills at teaching, then you let it fly. And sometimes you get it." -Mr. Stroode

The history teacher flips out at his students and goes to smoke as if he felt guilty and knew he was better than that

The vice principal isn't listening to the coach

Mr. L tries connecting with the kids more

Vice principal thinks it all starts with home

Gatto Answer

1) The adjustive or adaptive function. Schools are to establish fixed habits of reaction to authority. This, of course, precludes critical judgment completely. It also pretty much destroys the idea that useful or interesting material should be taught, because you can't test for reflexive obedience until you know whether you can make kids learn, and do, foolish and boring things.

-I believe when Gatto talks about this he is referring to schools prioritizing classes such as english, history, and math over music and art. Many students aren't even going into a career that has to do with mathematics, english, or history. Are they good to know? Yes. But do all careers require these things? Absolutely not. 

An example from my experience in high school is when the school board was trying to cut choir and band. Now this was really confusing considering we had an incredible amount of students in both band and choir! It was all budget cuts and even though they probably didn't care what we had to say when we went to the school board meeting, we still fought. The arts program wasn't cut completely, yet we still had to adapt to changes. 

2) The integrating function. This might well be called "the conformity function," because its intention is to make children as alike as possible. People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force.

-When Gatto talks about conforming students he means that schools are trying to make everyone the same. That they're making them into little robots who can't think outside the box. 

Honestly, I can't say my school has really done anything to conform their students but I know their are schools who do such things. 

3) The diagnostic and directive function. School is meant to determine each student's proper social role. This is done by logging evidence mathematically and anecdotally on cumulative records. As in "your permanent record." Yes, you do have one.

-Gatto is referring to the placement of students to see where the student lies academically. But you can never know if it's accurate or not. Some students are what you call "lazy geniuses" or maybe a student got lucky on some multiple choice questions. 

In my high school we had something called the HSPE. Something we had to pass our sophomore year that required you to pass in Geometry, reading, and writing. 

4) The differentiating function. Once their social role has been "diagnosed," children are to be sorted by role and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits - and not one step further. So much for making kids their personal best.

-Gatto is referring how schoosl don't really push their kids to do their best. They just pish them to the "average" and not to their full potential. Although their are AP classes, students usually take those by their choice and aren't really referred to them. 

5) The selective function. This refers not to human choice at all but to Darwin's theory of natural selection as applied to what he called "the favored races." In short, the idea is to help things along by consciously attempting to improve the breeding stock. Schools are meant to tag the unfit - with poor grades, remedial placement, and other punishments - clearly enough that their peers will accept them as inferior and effectively bar them from the reproductive sweepstakes. That's what all those little humiliations from first grade onward were intended to do: wash the dirt down the drain.

-Their are schools who definitely favor students. And some only care about the "smart" students and furthering their education 

6) The propaedeutic function. The societal system implied by these rules will require an elite group of caretakers. To that end, a small fraction of the kids will quietly be taught how to manage this continuing project, how to watch over and control a population deliberately dumbed down and declawed in order that government might proceed unchallenged and corporations might never want for obedient labor.

-Now Gatto is saying that this is all a vicious cycle and that nothing is going to change. 

The Banking Concept of Education

Friere means to say that learning is more than just answering questions from a textbook, it's going through the actual experience. To learn properly, the teachers must show students the true experience in learning. Gaining knowledge is an experience in itself. However some teachers just spill out information as the student contains it. Some students just learn that way and some don't need an experience to understand something. Having information and guidance is one thing, but experiencing something is another learning experience. An example being drivers education. You can read the book 100 times and you still wouldn't really know what it's like to drive a car. Yet, this is why they have drives with an instructor to gain experience.

What Makes a Good Teacher Final Draft

Sheyanne Hughes

Professor Sonia Begert

English 101

February 21, 2014

What Makes a Good Teacher

What makes a good teacher? Is it the amount of homework they give you? Is it how easy going they are? Or is it the fact that you actually passed their class? What do I say makes a good teacher? Passion; it is the most important trait when it comes to teaching. If teaching is not what you love, then your student's will not love what you teach. A good teacher puts their heart into every class and is passionate about helping students and educating others. When a teacher loves what they're teaching and loves teaching it, it really shows through to the students and makes them excited about learning more. Both Sylvia Cauter and Stephen Pagaard are two teachers from my high school who had so much passion in teaching. Passion is what makes the difference between a good teacher and an incredible teacher.

When it comes to never giving up, Sylvia Cauter takes the award. She was my choir teacher throughout all of my years at North Kitsap High School. Of course, she made choir an amazing experience for everyone who took choir as a class. She always strives her hardest to make sure we got the most out of our education. Many could say that music has no educational value to it but that’s where they’re wrong. Sylvia Cauter took music and made it mean something more to her students than just getting a grade for a class. With music, she taught us team work and to really strive for goals. Every morning she was always in her office bright and early getting ready for her classes for the day. She would always take work home with her. She would even stay after school to voluntarily help us with our music and to help those who needed extra help and special attention with their vocals.

It may be hard to see what goes on behind the scenes with teachers, but sometimes it’s necessary to know what they’re really going through. The arts is always the program that suffers the most when it comes to budget cuts, because it’s not a priority to schools. Sylvia was so passionate about her job that to keep the arts program, which they were going to cut, she told the board to take the whole budget and that we would raise the money ourselves. If she wouldn't have done that, our choir program would be completely erased. She was truly passionate about music and the effect it had on her students’ lives that she was willing to do anything to keep it. Her salary was dropped quite a bit, yet she refused to quit. The fighting spirit she had in her was passed down to her students because we were right there backing her up the whole way. When they had board meetings we would go to them and volunteered to speak to defend our case on not cutting the choir program. Sylvia is truly a diamond in the ruff. She never left us and I don’t think she ever could. With all the odds against her, and no faculty to really back her up, she fought and fought and prevailed. Our beloved choir program wasn't cut. Yet, she did have to adapt to some changes, but she made it work. She was the backbone to our defense. She wasn't just a teacher; she was a role model who showed us to not only strive for our goals, but to fight for what we believe in.

The other teacher that, in his own words, “strikes my fancy,” is none other than Stephen Pagaard. Now, Pagaard was quite an odd teacher. The first day we walked into class, he referred to us by our last names, an example being, Mrs. Hughes. We were all a bit confused by this, but it was his class room, so his rules.  If you met Pagaard or heard the rumors around school about him being an insanely strict teacher, you might be a bit intimidated. Yet, I cannot speak for every student, but Pagaard wasn’t strict, he was actually very fair when it came to grading and homework. Now, what makes Pagaard such a great teacher? Well, Pagaard was a man who could tell you anything you wanted to know about history. He could give you a complete tour around the world pointing out every statue, land mark, and historical area, and give you a complete back story on it. He is without a doubt one of the most intelligent history teachers in this world. I remember one day in class I asked, “How do you know all this?” and he simply replied with, “Well, I read books.” In fact, every year Pagaard is chosen to fly to St. Louis, Missouri to help grade a huge world-wide history exam. Even though he did get paid, it’s a very long process and it takes a few days to grade everything.

Something that stands out about Pagaard is when you came to class, you could tell he was ready to teach, and he always did so with a huge grin on his face. He always got so enthusiastic when he went into detail about any certain topic he talked about. He always involved us in the topics and asked questions to keep our minds open. He didn't ask just generic text book questions, he asked questions that truly made us think and really analyze the subject. Pagaard gave a full analysis and review of any subject we were on. He wasn't just a good teacher because of how smart he was and how much knowledge he gave us; he was a good teacher because he was passionate about what he does. You could tell that man truly loved history and teaching it. What also made Pagaard a great teacher was he didn't just give us a text book and tell us to answer the questions from the chapter or make us take copious amounts of notes, he gave us the information we needed and elaborated on it. He even won an award for best history teacher in the state of Washington. He really knew what he was doing when it came to educating his students.

The differences and similarities between these two teachers are quite tremendous. The differences are, well for one, they teach completely different subjects. Comparing their teaching styles would be night and day. Sylvia teaches verbally through music and is very hands on, while Pagaard is more visual with his teaching. Another difference is Pagaard is a little more traditional with his teaching, while Sylvia is more modern and “out there” with hers. Now, for their similarities, they both love what they do. In fact, they both have awards for their teaching. What makes their classes stand out to me is that they didn't just make class regular and boring; they always added excitement and enthusiasm in their teaching, as well as a lot of humor that always made the lesson more fun. Another huge similarity they have is they both have the one thing that is most important when it comes to teaching; passion. Without passion, there is no true education.

Both these teachers are completely different yet share one thing that makes them come together in a way only a student could see. The fact that they both have such enthusiasm and passion for teaching shines through to the students and make the students passionate about what they’re learning. Although there may be many teachers who go unnoticed by faculty for the effect they have on students’ lives, they will never go unnoticed by the life of the student that they changed.  

Which two teachers?

For my two teachers I will be using Stephen Pagaard and Sylvia Cauter. They are both teachers who are from my high school at North Kitsap. Mr. Pagaard teaches American History and AP European World History (I took both classes) and Sylvia Cauter teaches choir and music theory. They both are very different, although they're both equally as funny, they have very different personalities. Mr. Pagaard is a fun-loving guy who is passionate about history and loves learning new things. Although he is quite dorky and nerdy, that's one of the main reasons why I love him so much. He always made class a blast with his humor and made learning so much more fun! Now, Mrs. Cauter also made class a blast! She was so funny! And her laugh made me crack up! But the reason I'm picking them is because they both had an obvious love for teaching. They made my high school years so much better.

Have you had a teacher like Mrs. Gruwell?

In a way I have a had a teacher like Mrs. Gruwell. My choir teacher throughout high school, Mrs. Cauter, was someone who truly cared for us. She didn't just treat us like students, she treated us like a family. She was always concerned about our well being and if someone needed financial help for trips, she would help them out as much as she could. She had a heart of gold and would never let anyone down. She was the glue that brought our entire choir together. On the choir trips where we had to stay over night, that's when we really got to have deep discussions with her. She would give us advice on what was going on in our lives and would make sure our personal lives were doing good. Of course she wouldn't get too personal but she was always making sure we were okay. In choir class if she noticed a student wasn't doing well, she'd have someone run the class while she talked to them in her office to make sure they were okay. She is an amazing person who will remain in my life forever for everything she's done for me. 

Rought Draft- Good teacher?

What makes a good teacher? Is it the amount of homework they give you? Is it how easy going they are? Or is it the fact that you actually passed their class? What do I say makes a good teacher? Passion; it is the most important trait when it comes to teaching. If teaching is not what you love, then your student's will not love what you teach. A good teacher puts their heart into every class and is passionate about helping students and educating others. When a teacher loves what they're teaching and loves teaching it, it really shows through to the students and makes them excited about learning more. Both Sylvia Cauter and Stephen Pagaard are two teachers from my high school who had so much passion in teaching. Passion is what makes the difference between a good teacher and an incredible teacher.

When it comes to never giving up, Sylvia Cauter takes the award. She was my choir teacher throughout all of my years at North Kitsap High School. Of course, she made choir an amazing experience for everyone who took choir as a class. She always strives her hardest to make sure we got the most out of our education. Many could say that music has no educational value to it but that’s where they’re wrong. Sylvia Cauter took music and made it mean something more to her students than just getting a grade for a class. With music, she taught us team work and to really strive for goals. Every morning she was always in her office bright and early getting ready for her classes for the day. She would always take work home with her. She would even stay after school to voluntarily help us with our music and to help those who needed extra help and special attention with their vocals.

It may be hard to see what goes on behind the scenes with teachers, but sometimes it’s necessary to know what they’re really going through. The arts is always the program that suffers the most when it comes to budget cuts, because it’s not a priority to schools. Sylvia was so passionate about her job that to keep the arts program, which they were going to cut, she told the board to take the whole budget and that we would raise the money ourselves. If she wouldn't have done that, our choir program would be completely erased. She was truly passionate about music and the effect it had on her students’ lives that she was willing to do anything to keep it. Her salary was dropped quite a bit, yet she refused to quit. The fighting spirit she had in her was passed down to her students because we were right there backing her up the whole way. When they had board meetings we would go to them and volunteered to speak to defend our case on not cutting the choir program. Sylvia is truly a diamond in the ruff. She never left us and I don’t think she ever could. With all the odds against her, and no faculty to really back her up, she fought and fought and prevailed. Our beloved choir program wasn't cut. Yet, she did have to adapt to some changes, but she made it work. She was the backbone to our defense. She wasn't just a teacher; she was a role model who showed us to not only strive for our goals, but to fight for what we believe in.

The other teacher that, in his own words, “strikes my fancy,” is none other than Stephen Pagaard. Now, Pagaard was quite an odd teacher. The first day we walked into class, he referred to us by our last names. An example being me, Ms. Hughes. Now, we were all a bit confused by this, but it was his class room, so his rules. Now, if you met Pagaard or heard the rumors around school about him being an insanely strict teacher, you might be a bit intimidated. Yet, I cannot speak for every student, but Pagaard wasn’t strict, he was actually very fair when it came to grading and homework. Now, what makes Pagaard such a great teacher? Well, Pagaard was a man who could tell you anything you wanted to know about history. He could give you a complete tour around the world pointing out every statue, land mark, and historical area, and give you a complete back story on it. He is without a doubt one of the most intelligent history teachers in this world. When you came to class, you could tell he was ready to teach, and he always did so with a huge grin on his face. He always got so enthusiastic when he went into detail about any certain topic he talked about. He always involved us in the topics and asked questions to keep our minds open. He didn't ask just generic text book questions, he asked questions that truly made us think and really analyze the subject. Pagaard gave a full analysis and review of any subject we were on. He wasn't just a good teacher because of how smart he was and how much knowledge he gave us; he was a good teacher because he was passionate about what he does. You could tell that man truly loved history and teaching it. What also made Pagaard a great teacher was he didn't just give us a text book and tell us to answer the questions from the chapter or make us take copious amounts of notes, he gave us the information we needed and elaborated on it. He even won an award for best history teacher in the state of Washington. He really knew what he was doing when it came to educating his students.

The differences and similarities between these two teachers are quite tremendous. The differences are, well for one, they teach completely different subjects. Comparing their teaching styles would be night and day. Sylvia teaches verbally through music and is very hands on, while Pagaard is more visual with his teaching. Another difference is Pagaard is a little more traditional with his teaching, while Sylvia is more modern and “out there” with hers. Now, for their similarities, they both love what they do. In fact, they both have awards for their teaching. What makes their classes stand out to me is that they didn't just make class regular and boring; they always added excitement and enthusiasm in their teaching, as well as a lot of humor that always made the lesson more fun. Another huge similarity they have is they both have the one thing that is most important when it comes to teaching; passion. Without passion, there is no true education.

Both these teachers are completely different yet share one thing that makes them come together in a way only a student could see. The fact that they both have such enthusiasm and passion for teaching shines through to the students and make the students passionate about what they’re learning. Although there may be many teachers who go unnoticed by faculty for the effect they have on students’ lives, they will never go unnoticed by the life of the student that they changed.  

Differences and Similarities Between the Teachers

The differences between the two teachers from Mona Lisa Smile and Freedom Writers are quite slim. They are both great teachers who really care about the education about their students and are very passionate about their students. One teaches at a college and one teaches at a public high school. If I had to pinpoint a difference, I would say that one teacher is almost forcing her beliefs about education on her students, Mrs. Watson, and one is letting the students express themselves, Mrs. Gruwell. The similarities are, what I said earlier, they are both passionate teachers who care about their students and their educations. They both went against the faculty of the school to reach to their students to bring out their full potential. They risked their jobs to do what they loved. They also both split up with their significant other, not that that's a huge similarity but it's something. Something I think Mrs. Gruwell did differently than Mrs. Watson was she went a little further and took her teaching to another level and making them feel at home. Both the students did end up loving their teacher in the end. Yet, in the end Mrs. Gruwell stayed and Mrs. Watson left the school. 

Incorporating Multiple Sources into your own Essays (not finished)

1. In the movie Freedom Writers, Erin Gruwell is an excellent teacher who loves what she does. She's very passionate about her kids, which is the main reason why I think she's a great teacher. She lets her passion drive her to go above and beyond the call of duty to reach out to these so called "helpless" kids. You can see how passionate she is when she gets two extra jobs just to pay for new books for her kids and to pay for a trip to a Holocaust museum followed by a dinner with some Holocaust survivors. Gruwell succeeds at giving these kids hope for their future. Something admirable she says in the film is, "When I make sense of these children's lives, they make sense of mine." This statement really shows her passion and how she won't let anyone get in the way of her teaching even though so many tried to bring her down.

2.

Differences Between the Two Schools

The differences between the schools in the movies Mona Lisa Smile and Free Writers is almost night and day. The school in Mona Lisa Smile is first off, a college. It's very mature, better education, and everyone there actually wants to learn. The students were all female, and they were prepared to learn. They were all obviously well educated and came from well kept and wealthy families. On the other side, The school from Freedom Writers were obviously from a more poor area and were surrounded by gangs. The students had gone through so much and some of them were even homeless. The faculty basically only cared about teaching the "smart" students instead of the "dumb" students. The school wasn't well organized and things would get out of hand fast. Again, this is a public high school so things weren't as orderly as they were in college. Some kids wouldn't even show up to class, whereas in college you show up to your classes because one, you pay for them, and two, you actually want to be their to further your education. The schools are very different and it's very easy to see the differences between the two of them. 

Reaction to Mona Lisa Smile

Mona Lisa Smile is kind of an odd movie. Although it had a lot of my favorite actress' in it, it's a movie that didn't really capture my interest. I feel like they tried too hard to make the teacher look like she changed those girls lives when in reality, I feel like she didn't do a WHOLE lot. Now, I'm not saying she didn't do anything, because she did, but from what I saw I didn't see a whole lot. To me, the movie was more just about their lives and all the drama that was happening in them. I wouldn't strike this as an incredibly touching movie. Now, it was a good movie overall, it just didn't strike me as a movie about a teacher who completely changed her students lives. Did she make an impact? I'm sure she did. But it didn't occur to me that these girls' lives were totally changed and influenced by Mrs. Watson. I'm not bashing on the movie, it's just my personal opinion.

Is Mrs. Gruwell a Good Teacher?

Is Mrs. Gruwell a good teacher? In my opinion, I would say yes. Mrs. Gruwell never gave up on those kids even though they didn't even respect her in the beginning. Yet, Mrs. Gruwell's determination was as strong as ever and she tried to reach the kids on a personal level. She tried to teach the children poetry through the rap artist, Tupac, someone they were very familiar with. Even though they turned her idea down, she still didn't give up. She got a second job yo buy them new books because she though they were capable of so much more then the worn down and old books that were provided for them. Then she got a third job to pay for a field trip for them to learn more about the Holocaust because none of them, except for one student Ben, didn't know what the Holocaust was. She devoted all her time into those students and went above and beyond the call of duty to reach to them. In the end, she gained the students' respect. Mrs. Gruwell was someone who truly understood them and wanted to help them. All the other teachers were completely against what she was doing, but she didn't give up. Her passion for teaching really showed.  

Audre Lorde

In Audre Lorde's essay, she states that the lady in the library was very kind to her and 
offered to read her a story when she was throwing a tantrum. Because of her, Audre wanted to learn to read. Audre didn't have very good eye sight but she still tried to write even when she was yelled at. The nun at the other school seemed to be quite harsh. Although her teaching methods did seem to work slightly, Aubre still needed help. In fact, she relied on another class mate to tell her what page the lesson was on when she had to read out loud. Aubre was a fabulous reader, she helped her friend who couldn't read as well by whispering to him the words when it was his turn to read. 

Mona Lisa Smile Notes

Ms. Watson encourages Joan to live her dream of being a lawyer and gets her an application to Yale

She tries to get the girls out of the stereo typical "house wife"

Looks up law schools in Pennsylvania for Joan

"Not all who wander are aimless"

Freedom Writers Notes

Bryan doesn't care if the students stay or note but Erin wants them to come to class. She wants them to be lining up at the door.

She's wants to teach the kids even though they don't want to be taught.

She tries to relate to the kids interests to teach them English and poetry

Erin is fighting for the kids to have good books

Erin wants to help improve the kids lives

she goes against what other people say when they tell her to give up but she doesn't

Gets another job to pay for her kids books

Erin gets a third job for more money to pay for a trip for the kids

Erin makes them feel at home

Erin united all of the students

She went against every negative thing people said about her students so she could educate them

She treated them as equals

Gives them hope

Erin is devoted to the kids even outside of school

Erin fights to teach her students their junior year

She ends up teaching them junior and senior year

doesn't let her husband get in between her and her students

What Makes a Good Teacher?

What makes a good teacher? Is it the amount of homework they give you? Is it how easy going they are? Or is it the fact that you actually passed their class? What do I say makes a good teacher? Passion. Passion, is the most important trait when it comes to teaching. If teaching is not what you love, then your student's will not love what you teach. A good teacher puts their heart into every class and are passionate about helping students and educating others. When a teacher loves what they're teaching and loves teaching it, it really shows through to the students and makes them excited about learning more. Me personally, I'm not a big fan of history at all; but that all changed my junior year of high school when I took an American History class with Stephen Pagaard. Stephen Pagaard is probably the most intelligent being on this planet. When it comes to teaching history, he's the best. He made me see history in a whole new way and got me excited about each and every class I had with him. You could literally ask this man anything about history and he could answer it in full text book detail without hesitation. The education I got from this man is one of the best educations I've had all my years in high school. It was such an amazing class that I took his AP European History my senior year. Now, Pagaard can be a harsh critique when it comes to homework, but he's fair. Some students think his class is way to hard, but you actually learn in that class. I've gone through so many classes where the teacher is dull and boring and only cares about their pay check. But I bet you anything Pagaard would teach history for free. He had such passion for teaching! He actually won best history teacher award in the state of Washington. Cool, huh? He's amazing! And you may think he was some uptight nerd who was a bore to talk to. Never. Never did I go a day in his class without laughing like crazy! He was such a funny guy! I could go on and on about Pagaard but then I'd be writing an essay, which I have to do pretty soon anyway. 

In conclusion, when it comes to teaching, passion is key. :)

TED Notes Ken Robinson

Education is a huge topic to talk about

Creativity is as important as literacy and we should treat it the same

Kids aren't afraid of being wrong
"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you're not prepared to be original." 

"We are educating people out of their creative capacities." 

"Everyone is born an artist."

"If we don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it."

Arts are on the bottom of the educational system

The purpose of public education is to create university professors 

Intelligence is diverse, dynamic, distinct 

Creativity is also interactive

First Paper Review

1. Overall I'm very happy with how my paper turned out. I'm sure their could have been a little more editing done to it, but I'm satisfied with it. I did a lot of editing, taking bits and pieces out that weren't necessary, and placing events in order. 

2. Reading my peers' papers, I learned that my paper really wasn't in order and it was actually quite scrambled. For my final draft I placed all my events in the right order and made it less confusing. 

3. At this point I think I need a little more guidance since I wasn't completely sure on how my paper was gonna start or turn out to be. Although we did have a lot of examples, I was still slightly confused on where to begin.

4. I wrote about how music changed my life and how it helped me become a better person. It's a very personal and self-changing experience for me. 

5. I wanted the reader to understand how my experience changed me. I also wanted them to look at the big picture to see how it developed my character and made me into a stronger person. The lesson was to not be afraid to work hard for what you wan because in the end your hard work will pay off. 

How Music Changed My Life

Sheyanne Hughes

Professor Sonia Begert

English 101

26 January 2014

How Music Changed My Life

Music is something that is hard to explain through words. It's something that is explained through instruments; piano, guitar, trumpet, drums, vocals, etc. All are such powerful ways to express one’s self through something other than talking. The way I express myself through music is singing. Singing is something that has always been a part of my life. Ever since I was a small child I would always be singing, even if it wasn't very good, I loved it. As I grew older, I decided to finally take my singing to the next step, choir. 

I joined choir in 6th grade and have continued on with it ever since. Choir is something that people, usually in high school, join for an easy 'A' which, it can be, but when I joined the high school choir, my whole perspective of choir changed. There were auditioned choirs and non-auditioned choirs. Starting out as a freshman, of course I would have to work my way up so I started in a non-auditioned choir. When it came to the auditioned choirs, they were like super heroes to the freshman. They were upper-class men, they knew how to sing, and you could just tell they were happy to be there. It was everyone's, well the try-hard students, dream to be in the auditioned choirs. My dream was to be in Northern Lights, and did I have a ways to go. Northern Lights was an all woman's group. They sang classical songs as well as Jazz. Then there's Jazz Choir which is a mix of men and woman, then there's Chamber Choir. Chamber Choir only sings classical, is a mix of men and woman, and is the top choir. If you were to make it into Northern Lights or Jazz Choir, you would automatically be put into Chamber. With the desire in my heart to be in an auditioned choir, I decided to practice until I made it. 

As a freshman, I knew I wasn't advanced enough to be in any of those choirs, yet I decided that if I wanted to be in an auditioned choir, I had to work hard. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for a vocal coach since I had too much on my plate, but I practiced myself. I would practice at home, increasing my vocal range and training my ear. My hard work paid off when I had finally gotten into Chamber Choir and Northern Lights my junior year. I was so honored to have made it into the top choirs. Northern Lights especially was a small group of girls, ranging from about 15-20 students. Many audition for these choirs, but only a few are selected to be in them. 

One of the most important lessons music taught me was to always go for something I wanted because if I didn't, I would regret it. This being said, in choir we have solos we audition for. Although in my previous years, such as my freshman through junior year, solos were always nerve wrecking to me. Even as a senior they still scared me. Yet, I was determined my senior year to try out for every solo. I wanted to push myself and to not be afraid to put myself out there, especially when it was a solo that I really wanted.  Of course, getting every solo isn't fair, but I did get my fair shares of solos throughout high school. I even auditioned to sing at every fundraiser we had and sang at all of them my junior and senior year. Sometimes, the nerves really get to you, especially when you're listening to the person before you. It really gets to you when all these thoughts fill your head thinking you're going to mess up, or your voice is going to crack, or even that you'll trip going up the stairs getting on the stage. Of course, none of these things ever happened, but nerves are something that always got to me. 

This being said, there was one contest in particular that made my nerves go off the radar my senior year, Solo and Ensemble. It's a contest where choirs from around the district register to sing either a solo, or a group, and compete to go to state and sing. If you make it to state, you compete again to possibly win best in the state. I entered the contest as a mezzo soprano, with a solo. Seeing as this was my senior year, I really wanted to win something, even though I knew I probably wouldn't. Most people who win, or become an alternate, are under the instruction of a vocal coach, seeing as I didn't have one, I knew I'd have to do the majority of the work myself. I picked my own music, and practiced months in advance before the contest. The song I chose was "Silent Noon" by Raulph Vaughan Williams. It is such a beautiful piece, that I knew it was perfect, and of course, my teacher fully supported me and found the sheet music for me. After receiving the sheet music, I would practice for hours a day trying to perfect my tone, sound, and vowels. Of course, every now and then I'd get some help from my choir teacher, but she was so busy helping other students that I basically did all the practicing myself. Thank goodness for my choir teacher who puts on a concert for those participating in the concert. She does this about a week before the contest so that we competing can get most of our nerves out. Even singing in front of my peers I was still nervous, yet my teacher pushed me to do it, believing in me. 

And maybe you're asking, "Well if you're so nervous then why even do it?" The answer to that question is because I love it. I love singing and that amazing feeling you get when you're done, the adrenaline, is all worth it. You just get this feeling of accomplishment. Nothing can ever compare to that feeling. When it was my turn to go up and sing my song, I got so nervous, that when I was introducing the song I sang, I said "Silent Nude" instead of "Silent Noon." It was pretty embarrassing, but the audience all laughed with me, it actually even helped to calm my nerves. 

Yet on the day of the contest, I was still very nervous. When it came time to sing for the judge, I was insanely nervous. I got in front of her, my heart beating out of my chest. All I would tell myself was to breath, smile, and make eye contact with the judge. The piano intro started playing, I started shaking, but as I opened my mouth to sing, I felt something strange inside of me. A complete calmness washed over me. I felt the song through my bones and did my best to sing that song to the best of my ability, just how I practiced. When I finished the song and the piano finished playing, I felt such an amazing feeling of accomplishment and happiness. I had worked so hard for that moment, and to know I was completely happy with my performance made that moment such an incredible one that I'll never forget. It took a while for the results to come up but when they did, I wanted to scream. I had gotten first alternate for mezzo soprano. I hadn't expected to win anything, since I wasn't taking voice lessons, but I at least wanted to try for it. Without music, I would of never fully understood how it felt to be rewarded tremendously for all the hours of hard work you put into something you want to achieve. 

Although I may get anxiety when it comes to singing alone, it is something fun to me. That feeling of anxiety before I sing in front of people is just an obstacle that's in my way. In fact, I felt so good about singing in front of people, that when I sang a solo at my graduation, I wasn't scared at all, I was actually really excited! Everyone gets nerves, but it takes a lot of perseverance to move past them. 

Being a part of music, especially at a young age, is an unforgettable experience. Music is something that will remain in my life forever and is something I will never give up. It taught me to work hard and to never be afraid to go after what I want.