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.

SUPER ROUGH DRAFT

How Music Changed My Life

What is music? Well, music is something that is hard to explain through words. Music, to me, is something so personal that I can only express my passion for it through music itself. Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a little girl. I was always singing, even if it wasn't that good, and I learned to play the acoustic guitar. Without music, I believe my life would be totally different. It has changed my life completely for the better.

Music can teach you how to be motivated. My instrument of choice is my vocals, which sparks the motivation inside me to want to increase my vocal range. When I was in 6th grade, I decided to join choir. It was the best decision of my life. Ever since then, I've always been enrolled in some type of choir. During middle school, and especially high school, choir was one of the only classes I truly loved. It was one of the reasons I actually got up in the morning. Knowing I'd be surrounded by something I loved, being able to sing, and to extend my knowledge of music itself motivated me. During high school, I made it into an auditioned choir called Chamber Choir. This class was about an hour before school started. Even though some mornings were hard and would have been easier to just hit the snooze and go back to sleep, I pushed through. My love of choir and singing was much stronger than my love for sleep. 

Music taught me that it pays off when you work at something hard enough. During choir in high school, we had auditioned choirs. We had a Chamber Choir, a Jazz Choir, and the all-woman group, Northern Lights. 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. 

Another time I can remember when my hard work paid off was the singing contest in Bremerton, 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. 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. 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. The song was such a beautiful peace, "Silent Noon" by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 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. Now the hard part, the waiting game. 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. 

One for 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. 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 gonna mess up, or your voice is gonna 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. That's another reason I pushed myself to sing more in front of people. 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. One time, 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. Singing is something fun to me, and 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. Yet, there is someone who I couldn't have done any of this without. She is someone who has always pushed me to achieve greater things and who has stood by me no matter what. She was someone who is so passionate about music and what she does, that she passed on that same passion down to me. My choir teacher, Sylvia Cauter. Anyone who has had the absolute honor and pleasure of knowing her will know that she is a one of a kind person, so unique in every way. She's quirky, smart, passionate, and so caring for everyone. Without her nothing that I wrote about would have been possible. She kept me motivated beyond belief and helped me get to where I wanted to be. When someone so special comes into your life and guides you on an educational learning experience, they're someone who you'll never forget. Music is something that will remain in my life forever and is something I will never give up. My life has never been the same since choir, but in the best way possible.   

My Favorite Educational Narrative

My Favorite Educational Narrative

If I had to choose my favorite educational narrative, I would have to choose "How I Learned to Love Traveling Solo" by Cate Huston. The reason this is my favorite educational narrative is because of how informative and fun it is. I love hearing about her personal experiences and why she loves traveling by herself. She even gives pros and cons of traveling solo. One excerpt from the blog I liked was, "When you’re traveling on your own, hardly anyone cares what you look like, and you’re probably never going to see the people you meet again anyway. So comfortable, easily packable clothes should be a priority." Usually people are always freaking out about their appearance, but Huston insists to dress for comfort, especially if you're traveling alone. Something else that stuck out to me, that I really like, is when she said, "When I travel, I’m after an adventure, not to fall in love."

I also really like how she emphasizes that you should really take it all in. Even the littlest things can be breath taking. One of these moments include when she said, "When I visited Hong Kong, I had this moment sitting on a bench in a park with an amazing barbecue pork bun. I felt very peaceful, and just acknowledged it as the kind of moment that I get while traveling solo, but not when travelling with others. I felt relaxed and free to just do whatever the hell appealed to me at that moment." I for one am a big fan of the little moments that just make you happy to be where you are in that exact moment. The littlest things can really make your day. 

This educational narrative is definitely one I will be looking back on whenever I want to travel. Which is another reason why I love this blog so much! I love to travel! Huston is just someone I feel like I could connect with on a personal level. She's someone who doesn't need other people to enjoy herself, which is something I really admire in other people. This blog has been very insightful and very informative. I could go on and on on why I like this blog so much, but I don't wanna make this entry too long! 

In conclusion, I loved her educational narrative, and it was definitely my favorite out of all the ones I read!  

Differences Between Ed. Nar's. in Books and Blogs

Books vs. Blogs

When it comes to writing an educational narrative in a book than on a blog, the difference can be quite large. The style of blogs, I feel, is more personal, and more about free writing. You don't have to worry too much about punctuation and you can write more expressively. With blogs, you can also customize your page adding different backgrounds, different text styles, colors, and even adding pictures to enhance your blog post 

With books, I feel like writing has to be more technical and you have to write to please the reader. With blogging, you're writing to almost please yourself and let out how you're feeling, or share things about your personal life. Blogging, you don't have to worry about what some publisher thinks of your work because you are the publisher. The tone of blogging, I feel, is a lot more relaxed then it is when writing a book. 

When it comes to depth, I feel like sometimes books can be a bit more informative than blogging. Of course, this is dependent on the type of blog/ type of book. Some bloggers can be very informative and go into so much depth about their topic while books can also do the same. Again, this is dependent on the writer. 

If it were up to me, I feel like reading/writing blogs is a lot more laid back and you can really get to know the writer on a more personal level by the way they write. When with books, the writing can be more technical and take a while to really get to know the writer. But none of this is set in stone. Like I said before, it's just all dependent on the writer. 

Start of My Educational Narrative Using a Purpose: Inform (Rough Draft)

Music

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 ones 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. Without choir and music, I don't know how my life would have turned out. It's something that has changed my life in a way I can't even explain, but I know it's changed it for the better. 

Class Work from January 14, 2014

Using my Blog to Generate Ideas

By reading samples of educational narratives and writing this blog has helped me to come up with ideas for my educational narrative by showing me visual examples and ideas of an educational narratives. Writing the blogs helps me because it allows me to open my mind on my specific topic helping me to generate more ideas. 

I like the wide variety of different topics people have used for their educational experiences and journeys. I know, for me personally, that picking a topic can be hard and can really give you writers block. After reading all these different educational narratives, I've come up with ideas on how to write mine. It's made me feel a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident in being able to write my paper. I also like that I can go back to these examples and use them in case I get writers block. 

These samples have also helped me to pick a topic that is personal and/or close to me because it's something I'll be able to write a lot about and to share my personal experiences. Even though my topic is something very close and personal to me, I've experienced a lot of writing block with it. I've been going back to the samples of educational narratives and used them to help me get out of my writers block. Thanks to those, I'm able to write about the topic I want to write about!

Three Modes

What Music Means to Me

What is music? This question is almost mind boggling to me because you can't really define what music is. Music, I feel, is such a personal thing that everyone has their own interpretation of it. Me personally, I think that music is such a powerful thing that it can bring a whole community together. An example being choir, which is one of my main focuses on music. 

Music, especially in school, is a whole class and educational experience on it's own. In choir, you learn to read music, to work as a team, and to build friendships. Being in choir was/is one of the most amazing experiences in my life and I truly believe it's what got me through high school. Choir was one of those classes that I didn't mind getting up at 5:30 in the morning to be in. There was a chamber choir, audition only, that was before school started at 6:55 in the morning. Even though some mornings it would've been easier to sleep in, music was my motivation to get up and go to school early.

What makes up a choir? Of course, the students enrolled in choir, but I believe the glue that stuck us all together was our fabulous choir teacher. She taught me more about music than I could have ever imagined. She didn't just teach me how to read music and how to sing, but how to truly appreciate music. She's one of the main reasons I have such a passion for singing. Without singing, I feel like their would be an empty void in my life. It's almost like breathing to me, I have to do it to live.  

Group English Project: Goats

Why Goats Are Awesome 

A cute, cuddly, four footed mammal which doesn't like to be cuddled. These creatures come in a variety of flavors and colors, such as black, white, grey and brown. The goat has the reputation to eat almost anything it sees, but they prefer to graze on branches, weeds, and shrubbery. Fun fact of the day! Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference between sheep and goats? Just look at their trails. A goat's tail hangs up while a sheep's tail hangs down. Having a goat is like raising your own kid, no pun intended...a goat can live up to 18 years. 

I've been asked to compare and contrast a goat. When I think of a goat I think of a stinky animal. What do I compare a stinky animal to? Another stinky animal? I'm going to go with goat verses cow. A goat has 4 legs a cow has four legs. A goat has tits/utters that you can pull on and get milk from. A cow also has tits/utters than you can pull on and get milk. I've never had goats milk and I can't say it's something I'd ever want to try. On the other hand I drink milk from a cow on a daily bases. Goats milk just inst as popular as cows milk. Not sure how the process works and how you in fact get cheese from a goat but I've heard of people eating goat cheese but I'm never heard of cow cheese unless it's the skinny cow brand and I'm pretty positive that's not the same thing. Last of all we kill cows and eat their meat. We get hamburger meat and steaks and beef for stew from cows. Do we kill goats for their meat? Can't say I've ever eaten a goat.

      So I guess when we are comparing and contrasting goats we can break it down like this:
Similarities: Both animals stink, have four legs, provide us with milk
Differences: We kill cows so we can eat their meat. We don't kill goats to eat their meat cause unlike cows their meat isn't yummy in my tummy.
Goats can also be milked. you can also butcher goats and make the most tasty goat steaks.
now most people prefer walking there goats or toting them in a wagon. long distant hikers use goats as pack animals  to carry heavy packs. while out in the woods you can read books to your goats and the are pretty good at listening. goats never talk back to you and just head butt you when they would like attention.\
Goats can be smelly and decrease the home value and eat your neighbor’s hands if they get out of “hand“.  They can eat your tin cans losing your 5 cents in Oregon or Maine or Hawaii and you won’t be able to make your budget without the precious cents from the tin cans. You can make goat cheese instead of having to use the Cow cheese or the machine cheese the “Big” governments want you to use. Some say goats are a symbol of the devil O.o.  Also goats make lotsa noises and people need their sleep so they can annoy the general public in the morning. Goats eat your grass, what else are you going to make 15’ year olds do on Saturdays and the summer.  Goats can kill people and when they kill people it makes it less amount of people who can die in wars …. Goats can do good things like make goat sounds and teach kids how to really eat food and stuff. They can make trusty back packs.

Goats are a very strange yet useful creature. What makes a goat a goat? Well the shear fact that it's a goat makes a goat a goat. When it comes to being a goat, a goat is the most goat-like thing you'll get to being a goat. Goats are known for their incredible goat beards. Those beards are just one of the few things that really make a goat stand out among other animals. Not only can male goats have beards, but female goats can as well. Kind of like humans. Also, their horns. Goats can have incredible horns right on top of their heads. Goats also produce cheese and milk. Isn't that cool? I mean, even if goats cheese is really nasty, it's still pretty neat. Did you know goats don't have teeth in their upper right jaw? Maybe that's why they eat so weird. And you know that stereo-type that goats eat everything like garbage, clothes, and tin cans? Well it's not true. Goats tend to have very selective diets.

Goats can be very useful. goats like to eat grass, they make excellent lawn mowers. goats also make great pets. small children can ride goats. some people just use them in petting zoo

Goats FTW

Goats are a very strange yet useful creature. What makes a goat a goat? Well the shear fact that it's a goat makes a goat a goat. When it comes to being a goat, a goat is the most goat-like thing you'll get to being a goat. Goats are known for their incredible goat beards. Those beards are just one of the few things that really make a goat stand out among other animals. Not only can male goats have beards, but female goats can as well. Kind of like humans. Also, their horns. Goats can have incredible horns right on top of their heads. Goats also produce cheese and milk. Isn't that cool? I mean, even if goats cheese is really nasty, it's still pretty neat. Did you know goats don't have teeth in their upper right jaw? Maybe that's why they eat so weird. And you know that stereo-type that goats eat everything like garbage, clothes, and tin cans? Well it's not true. Goats tend to have very selective diets.

Free Write - 30 Minutes

Music

Music has always been a huge part of my life. Ever since I was little I was always singing. Music is one of my biggest passions in life and is something I could never give up. I've been enrolled in a choir since the 5th grade and haven't looked back since. Choir/ music has taught me so many valuable lessons in life. I learned to be patient, to feel the music, to sing with emotion, and to be a team player. 

Music has been an incredible journey. So incredible, I wish that everyone had a chance to experience it. Even though I don't plan to make a career out of singing, I know it will always be a huge part of my life. Although, I'm not able to be in the choir at OC, due to my class schedule in Cosmetology, I'm planning to join my church choir so that I'm still around music. 

Some people don't believe that music is a big part of education, but I believe that is completely wrong. You can't really know how music can affect you unless you've been around it. Choir especially, has been such an amazing learning experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I've made friendships that I'm sure will last a life time, and have met the most amazing choir teacher. Someone who is truly passionate about what she does. No matter what budget cuts the arts department gets, I know my choir teacher will strongly stand by what she believes is right. She is someone I admire dearly for her passion of music. 

Traveling Solo

I loved this blog, "How I Learned to Love Traveling Solo" by Cate Hutson because it was informative and interesting! Traveling is something I love doing and wish I could do more often. With schooling and how busy my life is, it's hard to find time to travel. I've been to California, Oregon, Florida, Tennessee, and Las Vegas! Las Vegas was a graduation gift from my mom. Anyways, I loved this article because it shows how you don't need to be dependent on someone and how being alone is an alright thing. 

Many people feel the need to cling on to others and to always have that one person they do basically everything with. Yet Hutson says, "There is too much I want to do and see to wait for the perfect travel buddy." I really liked how she stated this because it shows how she was traveling for the experience and the passion of traveling. Although, I must say, traveling with someone to me is a lot more fun because you can share the experience with someone and talk about your experiences when you get older. Plus, if something bad happens, you have someone there to back you up. 

I also really like how she told us her bad experiences and good experiences to show things you should do if you're going to travel, and things to avoid during travel. An example being when she got an allergic reaction from food or when she got ripped off from a cab driver (which seems to happen quite often among tourists).

I think this is a perfect educational blog for someone who wants to share their personal experiences and to tell people about their passion. It's also good for someone who wants to travel yet can't find someone to travel with. It's very informative and something I could possibly look into in the future.

Regards to My First Paper

Both of these articles have brought insight on how I should write my paper. They were both very motivating and showed me others educational journey's and how they faced problems in their way. They were both very interesting articles and I enjoyed reading them both. What's interesting about Rose's article is that it's not super "cookie cutter" and not your average success story. I like how he starts to lose motivation while Malcolm on the other hand, is nothing but motivated. Reading their stories and life changing experiences will help me to define my learning experience more. 

Malcolm X and Mike Rose

Malcolm X and Mike Rose

Both articles I read, "I just Wanna be Average" by Mike Rose and "Learning to Read" by Malcolm X are both so different yet so similar. They both have to do with education and their journey through learning something. 

Mike Rose is put into vocational school yet is accidentally put into lower level classes yet he chooses to stay. During his educational journey, Rose observes other students and teachers and notices specific traits about them. Someone who really stands out to me is Ken Harvey. Rose proceeds to tell us that Harvey just wants to be average. The reasoning Rose goes on with Harvey's "Common Joe" theory is quite interesting. Rose says, "What Ken and so many others do is protect themselves from such suffocating madness by taking on with a vengeance the identity implied in the vocational track. Reject the confusion and frustration by openly defining yourself as the Common Joe. Champion the average. Rely on your own good sense." This really stood out to me because it's basically saying that you don't need to stand out and that it's okay to just seep through the cracks.It's like all motivation has been lost for him. 

Malcolm X's story on the other hand seems very motivational. Malcolm is uneducated yet decides to educate himself in prison. He works hard every day copying from a dictionary and copying it onto his tablet, which he requested from the prison school. Eventually Malcolm gets to where he wants to be and is able to express himself in ways he wouldn't of thought possible. Learning new words is like walking into a whole new world to him. 

Both articles are different and similar in many ways. While Rose starts to lose motivation and "go with the flow," Malcolm goes against the flow and is so motivated to learn. They're similar in the ways that they both struggle during their educational journey. 

Programming Computers and Living Google Free

This and That

"How I Learned to Program Computers" and "How I Learned to Live Google Free" are both very different blogs. "How I learned to Program Computers" was about following your dream and to work hard at it in order to be successful. "How I Learned to Live Google Free" is a blog/article about how someone decided to get off the Google train and spend time finding alternatives. To be honest, the programming computer one struck more of an interest to me than the living Google free one. I just find it kind of a waste of time to switch from something that's almost a regular thing in our lives. It's not like Google is harmful. I mean, not trying to argue with the person who made the blog but it's just my personal opinion, if they want to live Google free, then so be it. Although, I do find it interesting about this persons journey and the depths they went to to stop using Google. 

The programming computers article spoke to me in more ways. It's about finding what you're passionate about and not giving up on it. Me personally, I'm in Cosmetology school. It's something I've always had an underline passion for. Going to school for it is like living the dream. However, there are times where I get frustrated and want to give up. Doing hair and nails may seem easy, but it's really not. There is so much more book work than you think goes on. And like the article said, you need to, "practice, practice, practice." If something like say, roller sets, are difficult to accomplish then the two things you must do is be patient, and practice. 

Both of these articles gave me insight on how I can write my paper because it gave me an idea on what I should write on and how to explain my journey learning something. If I had to choose and article I liked more, it'd be "How I Learned to Program Computers."

Adventures in the Bathroom

 Adventures in the Bathroom

The Dangers of Public Restrooms

Okay, so seeing as this is my first post, I might as well introduce myself a bit. Hi, I'm Sheyanne. I'm in cosmetology school, video games are basically my life, and I think that asian food is the food of the gods. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on with this post. 

Today I'm gonna talk about something we all have to face in our lives; public restrooms. Gross, I know, but today I had an encounter with a public restroom that made me question the sanity and hygiene of the human race. 

Today I was in Cosmetology school and had to use the bathroom. So on my way I went. I open the door, walk in, and I almost threw up. Two girls were standing in the bathroom eating pasta out of a bowl. Yes, EATING PASTA IN A PUBLIC BATHROOM.  Okay, so maybe you don't think this is as gross as I do, or maybe you do, but I think that is so foul. Do they even know what people do in public bathrooms? Like, I can't even comprehend why someone would eat food in a public bathroom! 

Okay, let's take a look at this. A flushing toilet. Do you know what happens when you flush the toilet and the lid is open? Particles from the toilet go into the air. THE AIR. AND THEY WERE EATING IT. They seriously might as well of dumped their pasta in the toilet and ate it out of there. I bet they do the "5-second-rule too". So filthy, that shouldn't have ever been a thing. 

All in all, my point is that restrooms, not just public ones, are tainted and shouldn't be underestimated germ wise. 

Please, don't ever eat in public bathrooms. EVER.