Go Go Power Rangers!: A Media Reflection

For my critical media analysis, I watched the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie.  This movie was released in 1995 and is about six teenagers, The Power Rangers, who have the power to fight the forces of evil. In the beginning of the movie, a giant egg is unearthed in Angel Grove City. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa(the villains) investigate the egg, and release the creature inside.  His name is Ivan Ooze, whom Zordon, the Power Rangers advisor and guardian, had trapped him inside the egg six thousand years ago. Ooze destroys Zordon leaving him in a crystal deathbed which ends the Power Rangers abilities.  The Power Rangers head for a distant planet and meet up with Dulcea, a bikini-clad warrior who imparts ancient wisdom and new powers.  With their new powers, they become “Ninja” Power Rangers once more and defeat Ivan Ooze and bring Zordon back to life.

As the group I was with watched this movie, we all pointed out several things about the movie that seemed “typical” about any movie.  The first thing was that there did over seventy back/front flips in the movie without tiring out which is hardly realistic in today’s world.  This movie did distort the social reality because first off, teenagers don’t have mystic powers or travel to other planets.  However, the movie did try and portray the message that no matter what, as long as people work together, anything is possible.  This was another reoccurring theme throughout the movie that I felt was more or less the “moral” of the story.  Dealing with symbolic interactionism, George Mead had stated that humans decide how to act based on their perceptions of the social world and that people learn their roles and how to carry them out.  In our social world, the girl always gets saved by the guy.  In the movie, Kimberly, the Pink Ranger, was always in trouble and screaming for Tony, the long haired, good looking White Ranger, to save her.  No matter what the situation, he was always right there to save her.  She was pretty much worthless throughout the movie, always needing saved.  I also want to add in that the girl was matched up with the color pink. 

Since this movie was made to mostly target a younger audience of kids, they had a scene where the kids are saving the parents from dying.  The role that society portrays, that parents should take care of kids, is reversed here.  I believe that this was part of the reoccurring theme that as long as people work together, anything is possible. 

On the basis of racial and sexual trends, two of the Power Rangers were African-American, one male and then other female.   While the male was the Black Ranger, they were both treated equally in the movie.  Even in a child’s movie, there was lots of sex appeal.  On another planet, the Rangers met a Bikini-clad Amazonian-like warrior.  Wathcing this movie as an “adult” I was rather shocked that she was dressed.  I had thought that there would have been more precautions taken for a children’s movie in the way of sex appeal.  However, when I look at society, I realize that the media targets people at an early age with subliminal messaging such as bikini clad warriors or always having the damsel in distress get saved by the good-looking guy.

In conclusion, I noticed a lot more than I thought I would in this movie.  Watching back in 1995 when it came out and watching now, fifteen years later, I noticed a lot more things than I ever would have before.  It’s almost ridiculous all the subliminal messaging that is hidden in this movie and those like it.  I made sure to look at how sex and race played a part of this film as well as any reoccurring themes I may have noticed.  Now that I am finishing this paper, I wish I would have watched the movie A Bugs Life instead.  They mention that you have to B.Y.O.B at one point.  Children’s movies are just as much for adults, they just get a different meaning out of it than kids. 

Civil Rights in Education

     In today’s world, we as Americans, walk around our continent, happy and care free.  You have the freedom that we have always wanted and are not over run by a strict government.  We live are life day to day with all of the proper liberties and we can peruse happiness whichever way we want to.  But do we as Americans, know where all of these rights came from?  Do we know who stood up for us, and let their voice be heard to guarantee that the future generations would be free?  Do College students, of all people, know about the civil rights movement?  Does our most promising generation, our great thinkers of tomorrow, know why things that they take for granted are there?  I have chosen this topic on the fact that all students should know their rights and where they came from.  People should know that things were a lot worse than they are now and according to research and education, they should.

            According to our perfect world, everyone knows where they came from and how they got here with their civil rights intact.  It shows that everyone knows the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., and how it affected schools.  Rosa Parks is one of our key civil rights leaders, right?  Everyone knows where the first black college student was enrolled, and what happened to him.  Our education system teaches all of those things and our youth of America remember them because it is our history of this great nation, right? At Muskingum College, as a liberal arts school, is required to take a politics course in order to graduate.  But for those students, who just need the class to graduate, just want to get it over with.  Those who need it for their Major might take it a little more seriously.  In 2002, Stratford University offered a new civil rights clinic by newly appointed Associate Professor of Law, Michelle Alexander.  In an interview Alexander said, “I want students to have the opportunity to participate in major civil rights cases and learn how litigation can be used effectively as a tool to achieve social change when it is combined with other tactics, such as media advocacy, lobbying, coalition-building and grassroots organizing," So does this mean that we don’t have the everyday opportunity in school to do this sort of thing?  I guess not. 

            In 2008, Doug Mann wrote an essay for a school board titled American History that's not taught in school.  It is about genocide against the Indians, the post-Civil War civil war, the birth of American Apartheid, and the unfinished business of the Civil Rights movement.  It talks about all of the things that happen in the U.S. that aren’t taught in schools. Why wouldn’t part of our history not be taught in schools?  The simple answer is that those are the parts where we committed acts of brutality and we want to forget those.  In a survey I gave, no one knew that there were about 20-40 million Native Americans in what is now the continental US in 1492, and most were settled gardeners or farmers whose understanding of the art of crop-growing was more advanced than the Europeans in some respects, such as how to avoid depletion of nutrients in the soil by growing certain plants together (e.g., corn and beans). In order to start farming, the so-called pilgrims didn't have to clear much land. It was mostly a matter of taking over the farms of Native Americans.

            While some people did know a little bit about Civil Rights, they were Politics Majors or had taken a class pertaining to Civil Rights recently.  The fact is is that the longer people go without learn about their Civil Rights, the less they remember.  College students don’t know enough about our road to freedom to be experts, or even really knowledgeable at all.  But what can be done about that?  Well, in order to graduate from college, students should be required to take and pass a politics class.  Wait, Muskingum already does that.  So what now, when only certain places of the nation actually teach about civil rights?  Well go back a bit and have a government class for High School students.  That has been done too, and puts out the same effect.  A lot of things depend on the student to make sure they are learning the material, and the teacher to have a good instructional class.  So if one of those to components fails, then the whole thing fails and it is a waste of time.  Unless someone can come up with a good way to influence the way we learn about our Civil Rights, we may lose that battle because that is an ongoing fight, and without people who know where it is headed, it might fail.

            I compiled research from student surveys and journals.  It was difficult to find a journal about college students and Civil rights, but I fared well enough.  My survey had leading questions to try and get people confused to see if they really knew their civil rights or not.  I enjoyed doing the project, and now I see that when I am a High School History teacher I need to make sure that students know about their Civil Rights movement and they know key figures and court cases.  Without that knowledge, how can our country advance?  We have come so far, and the last thing we want is to go back to the way we once were. 

An Educational Review of England

My time is London, England was one of the best weeks of my life. I think that any time that I am traveling anywhere is listed as some of the best experiences I have had in my lifetime. Most of that travel was with family, so it was really nice to go out on my own for once and be able to do just about anything (as long as it didn’t involve the US Embassy). London is a place of cultural depth and knowledge. There is no other one place that you could go to and learn about so many different religions or cultures without have to board a different plane every other day. While we were in London I advanced in my street smarts as well as my school smarts so writing this paper should be fairly easy, even though my journal already discuses my experiences that I had, which makes this paper seem slightly redundant.

Let’s first discuss the religion aspect of the trip. We saw three different temples which were the Hindu Temple, and beholding His divine form. The ritual was very interesting and not very active for the people doing the worshiping.

The next temple was the London Mosque where met Omar and he was a pretty cool dude. I think one of the most important things about the Mosque was its use of space. It wasn’t just a place to go worship twice a day; it was a place of life, education, worship, and family. The giant dome in the prayer wasn’t just there for show, it was there as a natural voice amplifier. There was a prayer room, library for soteriology, pre-school, and place to get food, all in one place of worship. This shows that religion to the Hindu population isn’t just about praying, it’s a whole lifestyle to them, and Omar was perfect example of it. The “rug” mark on his forehead that showed his devotion to his faith really showed his dedication and I feel that it is something to be proud of.

Finally we visited the Buddhist temple, which was fairly smaller than the rest of the temples, but was one of the better looking ones with its elegant gold and out of the daily grind of the city. After stepping into the temple, you were greeted to a shrine of several different statues and meaning. The walls were covered in murals that detailed the history of Buddhism and its meaning to those who worship it. The monks that lived here devoted their lives to meditation, understanding, and worshiping the way of life that is Buddhism. To me, this practice took the most dedication out of a person and would be the hardest to do.

Well, besides all of this religion stuff, we visited the British Museum, the V&A, National Gallery, and Tate Modern for more of the Arts and Humanities feel. In the British Museum, we say a bunch of history that the English had collected from all of over the world. What I really enjoyed out of these places was the V&A. There were so many sculptures here that were just so cool. I mean it is one thing to talk about them in class, but it is completely different when you actually see them in person. I enjoyed looking at the David sculpture from above but it would have been nice if that exhibit had been open. This David sculpture by Michelangelo was really something different than all the other David statues. This David is depicted before the battle with Goliath, instead of during or after. His sling is over his shoulder as he looks out over the countryside of r his attacker. David’s proportions are off as well, but that was due to the face that people would be looking up at the statue, making it seem the proper human shape and size. Another thing that was really cool was the Apollodorus of Damascus. This column of Trajan, Rome was a remarkable achievement is sculpture which depicts a military campaign with Roman realism. Ethan and I tried to get this whole pillar in a picture with one of us, but that didn’t work out so well due to us small people and the pillars massive size. I think the final thing that I really enjoyed from the V&A was Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook. It was so tiny, but had so many of his thoughts and ideas written in it. It was also written in mirror writing, so one would have to read it via mirror to receive its information. 


The National Gallery was fun but only because Kekoa was there to take us around and tell us about the paintings that were important and those we should know about. I hate all those uncomfortable museum tours that make you hate the stuff that you are looking at because it’s so incredibly boring. My favorite pieces of artwork were The Four Elements painted by Joachin Beucklaer. These four paintings make up a group illustrating the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. In each portrait there is some sort of bible story depicted in the back round. In Earth, the tiny figures of the Holy Family can be seen crossing a bridge in the far distance on the left. In the Air painting, the prodigal son is shown leaning against a woman in a debauched manner. In the painting that represents Fire one can see Christ seated with Martha and Mary. Finally, it the Water Painting, framed by the central arch is the scene of Christ appearing to the disciples for the third time after his Resurrection to perform the miracle by which fish appear in hitherto empty nets. It was fun to look at these works of art and figure out which story was which.

I greatly enjoyed my trip to London and I am glad that I got to experience it with such a good group of people and professors. I look forward to more meetings at Uppitys and reminiscing in the hallways of this college. For me, it was more than just a trip, it was a time where I gained 14 new friends or strengthens the connections I already had with people. Maybe Italy is in my future, but that always depends on how much it would cost. So do us a favor Kekoa, and keep the price down will ya?

A Trip Across the Pond: London, England

Day One

Goals for today: Make it to London alive

                In about 2 hours, I will be on the bus to the Columbus Airport, and then on a flight to England.  I am excited.  Actually, I cannot believe that I actually get this chance to go to England.  I didn’t think it would be possible, but for this price, who could pass it up?  Ethan and I are going to get Bob Evans for breakfast in a bit…

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Bob Evans sucked

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Airplanes are not made for sleeping.  End of story.  I am so uncomfortable right now it isn’t even funny.  The lady next to me hates America and is so glad she is finally going back to England.  I don’t care if this aisle seat helps me pee, I would rather lean my head against the window so I could sleep!  Sigh…Are we there yet?

Day 2
(which is actually still Day 1)

Goals for today: Don’t get killed

So this just happened: We got off the plane, and then got on and off of a train, and then Kekoa walked our feet off for about 6 hours.  I have never been so tired before.  Ever.  But we walked around and saw some pretty cool stuff.  I really liked all the flags for that important guy from South Africa (?).  Hyde Park was pretty sweet and so was Trafalgar Square.  Anyways, it is nap time so I can be refreshed for dinner tonight. 

~

Fish and Chips with Guinness are the best ever hands down.  I absolutely love it here.  We walked all up and down the river, and ate at the Founders Inn.  We say the Globe Theatre, the London Bridge, Big Ben, and the London Eye.  I have basically seen enough today that I could go back to America tomorrow and have a smile on my face. Tomorrow the real fun begins after a full night’s sleep.

At least showering will be interesting in the morning….

Day 3

Goal for today: Find a good beer

                So we woke up this morning and went to the Hindu Mandir.  It was pretty cool.  They way that they built that place was really interesting.  It’s just like a giant puzzle, but really really sacred.  The floor was not that comfortable to sit on, but it was still a pretty good ritual over all.  I enjoyed all the awesome stuff at the British Museum as well.  I really enjoyed the Egypt Exhibit as well as the mummified skulls.  My camera went dead though!  I must charge it more often.   OH!  Ronnie and I found this HUGE Doughnut.  It may be one of the best tasting doughnuts I have ever tasted.  That’s the other thing about London, is that everything is about quality, not quantity.  I really enjoy that fact and will not eat at any fast food place unless it is my last option.  McDonalds is so gross compared to all these things they have here.  Fish and chips are still my favorite however.  Ronnie, Max, Ethan and I just got back from sampling the beer at a few Pubs.  Stella was pretty good, and so was Kronenbourg.  Then Ronnie felt it was a good idea to run down the steps going to the tube station.  Oh what fun…

Day 4

Goal: Find out if I actually like tea

                First off, London has some pretty sweet cars.  Everywhere we go there is some awesome car just parked on the side of the road, and most of them were Porches.  Besides that, today was a lot of fun!  We met this really cool dude named Omar and he taught us about the Mosque in London.  I am surprised how functional the Mosque is with library, daycare, Food Court and prayer room. Everything here has a purpose and everyone here is very devoted to their faith.  Omar has this spot on his forehead that shows that he has prayed a lot over the course of his lifetime.  The actual prayer was interesting too.  There was lots of movement and not that many words.  I really couldn’t tell the difference between the funeral prayer and the normal one, but since it was my first time seeing one, I forgive myself.  After the Mosque, we headed off to the V&A to have lunch, tea, and scones.  Scones are really hard, and you have to have this cream with it…which I did not find very appetizing.  As for the tea, I am still not a fan of it.  My whole family drinks tea, but not me. 

                So the V&A has some amazing things, but the Italy Exhibit was closed!  This was rather upsetting because Kekoa had talked about it so much in class.  We could look from above, but it’s not exactly the same.   Ethan and I tried to get that really really big pillar with the carvings on it into perspective with one of us standing in front of it, but we couldn’t fit the whole thing in the camera!  Ethan and I also found some really cool stuff from Assassins Creed II and da Vinci’s notebook!  It is really small, and written in mirror writing which is really cool!

                We went and saw 6 Degrees of Separation tonight which was really funny.  I was not surprised at all by the naked men, but I think Jonny may be scared for life.  After that we all went out to the Fire Station Pub and had food, drinks, and merriment! This is so far the best night yet, and may stay that way.  Plus, Kekoa was so drunk that Ronnie had to carry him home…

Day 5

Goal for today: Find more Peroni

                We drove out to see all of the stone circles today…talk about a long drive.  But it was worth it.  The weather was rather nice, only a bit windy.  We First we saw some ruins and then went out to Salisbury Cathedral and Ronnie and I found more Doughnuts.  Yummy.  I believe we also saw that Magna Carta!!! That was really cool…too bad we couldn’t take pictures!  Then we stopped at Stings house for tea, and then headed off to Stonehenge, which I thought was rather big.  I don’t think I was expecting it to be smaller, but I think the whole concept of actually being there was pretty amazing. After Stonehenge we went to Salisbury Hill, West Kennet Long Borrow, and Avebury.  These places are pretty cool, just lots of looking at rocks and walking around.  Ronnie, Ethan, and I hung out with Kekoa and got some pretty sweet pictures.  We sat in the devils chair, climbed some rocks, found a really big penis rock, and hung Ethan on a cross looking rock.  Then we went and had hot chocolate, and heading back into London.  I have to finish this journal entry quick because Ethan are I are going to go see Avenue Q tonight with some people which should be lots of fun, since I have always wanted to see this show.

Day 6

Goal for today: Relax

                It honestly seems like we have been here for almost a month.  We have seen so much, and I can’t believe we still have two full days left.  I don’t think I have ever done this many things in such a short amount of time.  It is exhausting, but it is worth every moment of it.  Today was Westminster Abbey and the National Gallery.  I so wish we could have taken pictures of the memorials in the Abbey, there were so many of them!  I wasn’t really interested in finding anyone in particular, but seeing so many of them was just amazing.  The national Gallery was also pretty cool because Kekoa was able to tell us about all the important pictures and I learned more that way than anything else.  After the Gallery we all broke up, but a group of us went shopping(ish).  We just walked around for about 3 hours and when we got to the place we wanted to go, we were too tired so we found a Tube ride home.  We attempted to find the Grenadier Pub, but that failed because it was in the middle of the office buildings.  So we ended back at the Fire Station and stole more Peroni glasses.  Look what I started…

Day 7

Goal: Have a good last night out.

                Buddhist Temple was pretty cool, very flashy.  The Shrine and walls had so many stories and meaning put into them, I am sure we could have stood there all day looking at them.  After this we went to the Tate Modern Museum of Art.  I hate modern art due to the fact that it is just so obscure and weird.  I prefer a Starry Night over a hanging carpet vagina any day.  I mean I understand the concept of taking something and removing its purpose and just letting it be instead of making it useful.  I just don’t see how laying a sheet on the ground is called art.  To top it off with swan raping, self sacrifice and that projection room…..I would rather be a eunuch then praise modern art.  The shipping crate was kind of interesting, but that was about all.  So after that Ethan, Kekoa, and I all went out to meet Nick, have some drinks, and make a dinner reservation for tomorrow.  Sounds simple right? WRONG!  We had to go hunt for a dinner place because one place was closed, the other didn’t do reservations for more than six people, and another place didn’t wasn’t our money.  Then we found this place that had our own private room, food so good you didn’t know how to pronounce it, and it was affordable!  This was the best place by far.  Then, we met up with Nick and headed out drinking.  I had another Guinness and an English ale, a Greene King, which happens to be the official English ale of rugby.  Kekoa turned into an old woman, we almost went to Oxford, but instead we got on a boat, took a ton of pictures and got offered to go to a strip club!  This night, along with the first night at the Fire Station, were the best nights out by far.  I have so much fun and will remember those times forever. 

Day 7 & 8

Goal: Make it home

                Well, we are currently somewhere over Canada, and I guess I better finish this journal.  Yesterday was Hampton Court which was pretty cool.  We started our day off right by complaining about Muskingum’s technology issue with Dr. Conroy for about an hour. Then we rambled thru Hampton Court with Kekoa leading the way.  We got really lucky in some of the corridors that were empty and got some amazing pictures.  The war room and the gardens were probably my favorite places in that place.  There was just so much to see.  I wish I had the money to build a place like that and live in it.  After Hampton Court, Kekoa took Ethan and I to the expensive side of London and he shopped for friends while we kept our wallets closed.  After that we all got changed and went out to our amazing dinner, which was amazing, and then to see War Horse.  To make horses come to life like that on stage was just unbelievable.  They acted and moved like real horses, and it was all together and amazing show.  Our week in England had finally ended, and it had been the best week of my life. 

                Sunday, we got up and headed to the airport.  Nothing really amazing happened has happened yet, but I have my money on us being delayed at Chicago.  O’Hare is a busy airport and all the times I have been there, my flights have gotten delayed.  We can only hope for the best…

Epilogue

                Thanks to Kekoa, Paco, and Melissa, I have had one of the best weeks of my life.  I am so tired right now, but nothing could compare to this week.  I can understand why Kekoa likes London so much and why he would want to take students there.  It is really a place where you can learn so much in such a little amount of time because it is a giant mess of culture.  We probably hears more non-English that actual English and witnessed more religions than I ever thought I could see in one place.  I defiantly want to go back and see some of the things I missed like Abbey Road and actually find the Grenadier Pub.  I would also like to actually go to Hyde Park since we were only in the gardens next to it.  Over all, it was an awesome trip and I hope I will be able to make another one before the real world pulls me down into its grasp.  

Tutoring Small Children

While I was tutoring, I worked closely with a student named Dalton and he was in 3^th grade.  Every day he always had lots of homework and it never seemed to stop.  To Dalton, his education is all about get out of school and doing construction work with his Dad.  That is the one thing that he wants to do in his life.  He said that he would go to college, but I think that he may not.  He is a smart individual, but either he isn’t motivated or his parents don’t care that much.  School is just something that he does every day as a routine. 

            Dalton’s needs are being met in his school system.  I hope that he get some motivation form somewhere because he is very smart and could go far in life.  The only thing that is really going against him is the fact that he always has a huge pile of homework.  If his teachers didn’t give so much he might enjoy school more, but that is not my judgment.  He only does his homework at the after-school place and not at home, which I think shows lack of parental involvement.  I think if his parents raised their involvement and expectations, Dalton could expand his educational horizons. 

Tutoring was an interesting experience for me.  I knew that I didn’t like working with Elementary kids, but I gained some patience after a whole of working with them.  One of the biggest things that I think I learned was how to tell how students learn better. Dalton was a auditory learner for sure.  Its harder to tell for some of the youngest kids because they are just learning to read.  I think this is the biggest benefit I got from tutoring.  This tutoring experience help me understand more about the learning/teaching methods to visual, auditory and kinesthetic students.  Everyone learns differently and you have to take in their personal experience when grading students papers.  

I am a Leader

            I take the microphone from my Scoutmaster, and look at my very eager staff, ready, after months of training to teach these scouts about becoming a leader.  Then it hits me, full force through ever sense in my body.  There are 125 people staring straight at me, waiting to hear me say my first words as the Senior Patrol Leader(kind of like the president of Boy Scouts) of Nagatamen National Youth Leadership Training.  There are 250 eyes watching me, 250 ears listening to my words and every single one of them is waiting for something amazing.  The parents want to know that their child is in good hands, my youth staff is waiting for me to crack a joke to ease the tension, and the adult staff is looking at me hoping that I will live up to their expectations.  Think that’s enough stress? I embrace it, because it’s fun.

            I view myself as a leader every day of my life.  Sometimes it is hard to figure out who is leader material, but other times it is rather easy.  When people are working in groups, you can tell the one that seems to be directing the groups activates.  The leader is always willing to help out with problems which they don’t need recognition for.  They will speak of what they have done, but more so if you ask them about it.  A leader never lays all of their accomplishments on the table, or boasts about what they have achieved because they are very modest and humble people.  They care for the people that they are leading and will make sure that they can help others in any way possible.  They ask questions and get to know people on a personal level so they know how to tell when something is wrong.  This way, they have in insight into everything that goes on.

            Now the leader that I am talking about is the leader that does his job for other people without self-profit.  There is the opposite type though, and that is a person who leads for their own personal interests.  They are in it for the recognition and money that may come with the job.  To the self-profiting leader, another job is just a nice little point on a resume.  These people will push tasks off to other people, and then when something goes wrong, they will blame other people instead of taking the blame.  When President Obama had problems with his newly elected Cabinet members, he came before the American people and said “I screwed up”.  He took the blame for his blunder, instead of passing it off to someone else.  That is the mark of a true leader.

            According to Leadersdirect, a Leading management service, you need the following traits to become a true leader.  These traits are that you must have a spirit of adventure and an ability to influence people.  Do people really want a boring person to be their leader?  A good leader can make people laugh when things are at their toughest.  Another trait that a leader should have is that they need to have something that is worth saying and the courage to speak out and the willingness to risk group rejection.  If leaders don’t speak out their ideas, then it is a waste of a brilliant mind.  They need to be willing to put their thoughts on the line, no matter how silly the idea may sound, it might just work. Another trait that a leader should have is the ability to improve the world around you.  And finally, the leader should be able to influence others.  This doesn't require a drive to dominate people, only a desire to differentiate yourself, to make your mark on people.  That is the whole point if leadership, is making someone see how they can do better in this world. 

            So now after all these things, you may ask how do I become a leader?  It has been argued if people are born natural leaders, or if they become great leaders.  Leaders aren't born and neither are great artists, but both are born with potential.  If being a leader means challenging the status quo, then you need youthful rebelliousness to stand up and be counted. This is a character trait you were born with or developed very early in life - it is not a learned skill set. Sometimes attending a leadership training program can help people become better leaders, or just having that influential person in someone’s life can set them on the right path to becoming a leader. 

            When there is someone leading something, and they are doing it properly, you should be ready to follow orders.  They know what they are doing and by standing back and dishing out tasks, they can observe the whole operation and help with the little things so they don’t get too caught up with things.  After the final showing of La Boheme, there was a massive strike to remove the set from the stage.  As stage manager, I needed to make sure things were going in the right places and the set was being handled properly.  Now do that while about twenty people are asking you for instructions on what to do and where things go.  I grouped people together and had them carry out tasks and when they were done, I had something else ready to go.  In a matter of fifteen minutes the stage was completely clear of everything.  It was a big job to do and people were willing to help that I had more volunteers than I needed to strike the stage.  So even simple tasks like making sure there is no trash in Brown Chapel was an important task to keep people busy.  If I had even more people, then I politely tell them that we are nearly finished and they are dismissed. 

            Being a leader isn’t something that you get from a position or title, but it springs from anyone enabled and encouraged to express himself while working with purpose and meaning. As a society, we need to shift away from the notion of chief executives as visionaries with transforming ideas. We have to shift from a dependency state to one of participation in which everyone uses his or her own power and potential to serve and fulfill a purpose. Leadership is a process in which leaders and followers engage to achieve mutual goals. We are all leaders and followers at different times. "Followership" is not a passive role but a dynamic one: Followers ensure that the leader follows the purpose.  If the followers notice that something is not right with their leaders way of doing things, than they can band together and find out who is they can talk to about the issue.

  Being a leader is not all fun and games because there are always people watching you for a slip up.  Your achievements will be praised, but they should mean more than a placeholder on a resume.  Remember: Leadership is a journey, not something that can be learned on a five-day training course. It requires time and reflection.

Inter-City Schools are kinda scary...

     Well I must say that I am impressed with how much I can learn in just two days of shadowing in an environment like Garret Morgan High School of Science.  I started noticing things from the second I walked into the school.  Never have I ever had to walk through a metal detector before entering a school before.  Once I was through, I came upon the realization that I was the minority.  This caught me a little off guard, but it didn’t affect me too much.  Over those two days I realized how little some teachers cared about the students.  If you are in it for the money, then you might as well get out of it.  It’s just not fair to your students that way.   The students had control over the teachers, but it didn’t help that the teacher didn’t really enforce much discipline.  Only the F-word was silenced, and everything else was pretty much allowed to be said.  Another thing I noticed was the copyrights of the history books.  They were all written in the 1990’s, with the exception of the AP Government books, which were written in 2005 or later.  When I asked about this, Mrs. Craig said that the High School was only two years old, so those books were brought new.  She also added that due to funding, it may be a while before they get new books. 

                Diversity is a beautiful thing.  On my first day I heard two African-American students talking and the girl called the boy a nigger.  When he just laughed and said “well, that’s what I am” I was slightly surprised.  Later I got to talking to those same kids and asked about it.  He simply said that it was fine when another black person called him that, but if a white person called him a nigger, he would punch them.  Anything that is said all matters where and who it comes from.   I appreciate diversity on the highest level because everybody has their own story to tell.  When I talked to the same kids, I asked if you feel like the teachers know your background enough so that they can relate to you.  They said no, and that teachers shouldn’t get all up in their business.  They should just stay out of their liver except for school.

Everyone has a different perspective on their school.  Mine is that this school needs some heavy funding for books and computers, and some new effective teachers.  Others may see that the school is operating just fine.  In a setting with so many different cultures, it’s hard to teach just mainstream things without throwing other things in with them.  The school had an African-American History class, which I thought was interesting.  I never had that in High School.  

What does it mean to be a Leader?

            Adolf Hitler was a great leader.  He was able to convince millions of people that genocide was thing that must be done.  He alone started World War II and was responsible for the death of millions of people.  According to John Locke, people base their decisions on two things: Surviving, and not harming others.  What could have Hitler possibly done that made his people cast aside that second obligation?  He didn't pay people or threaten to kill them, he just was a very influential leader.  So what does it mean to lead someone?

            According to dictionary.com,  the definition of the word Lead is: to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort; to influence or induce; cause; to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring.  There are several other definitions, but these three accurately describe the word in this context.  The definition of the word “lead” includes various accounts of what the word can mean and doesn't leave anything out.  It is neither to narrow nor to broad.  The definition itself uses different words that “lead” to describe it, and “lead” can often be replaced with the word “guide”.  I think that this definition accurately describes the word “lead” and needs no adjustments or changes.

            Let’s now put the definition against the theory that Hitler was a good leader.  Firstly, the definition states that “lead” means “to go before or to show the way”.  Hitler got up in front of his people, and lead them into World War II and Holocaust.  He showed the German people the way to believing that everything that happened in WWII was a good idea, when we know that it wasn't.  The next part of the definition states “conduct or escort; to influence or induce; cause” Hitler conducted himself in such a way, that people gave their faith and support to him.  When you watch Hitler talk, his speeches are filled with such emotion and suspense.  It wasn't that mustache that drew people in, but the way that he influenced people into believing the things that Hitler told them.  The last part of the definition states “to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring” Hitler surly guided his people into a course of action even though it was a horrible thing to do.  It is obvious that Hitler was a great leader because he made people do great and terrible things. 

            Hitler is just one example of a great leader.  People that know how to lead properly have an effect on everyone around them.  I am on staff at a National Youth Leadership Training that takes place every year in June.  Before the participants arrive every year, we take an oath to serve them by leading them to what they want.  I was asked to come forward and give a small speech on what this oath meant.  Unfortunately, I did not know about this speech before hand, and I had to make it up on the spot.  After some quick thought I said the following, “When you lead someone, you are influencing them.  They are looking to you with hope and expecting you to guide them on the right path.  Even if you think you are only leading 6 boys this week at camp, you are wrong.  They will take what you have taught them, and pass it on to others, who will then pass that knowledge onto others as well.  You are leading hundreds to thousands of people in this one week you will be here.  Use that time wisely.”  When I gave this speech, I did not know what the definition of “lead” was, I just spoke with my heart.  I take great pride and caution in the ability to lead people, because you only get one shot.  Don't think using brute force is the way to make people follow you either, because an alliance built on hate is fragile at best.  As Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership.”

Field Expierence

No matter what kind of teacher you want to be, you have to start out as nothing more than an observer.  Over fall break, I had the chance to shadow some of my past teachers and watch how they taught in their classroom.  From High School to Elementary, I observed the same teaching styles presented in different ways.  I learned that you can include several styles of teaching in just one class room, and have it carry over to the home as well. 

            On Monday, I shadowed Mr. Joel Spitzer, History teacher at Olentangy Orange High School and Fiscal Officer for Orange County.  He had a wonderfully constructed class period that combined many factors of learning into one class period.  Be using a program called History Alive, he made a very kinesthetic classroom setting.  He started before the class even started.  As the students walked in, they were given instruction where to sit and what to do.  This provided for less wasted class time.  He had many Transparencies showing pictures that went along with the activity.  He also made sure that what was read out loud was understood by everyone, even if it meant reading it several times by different people.   I was very impressed with the way he conducted class and made it so different types of students could learn. 

            On Tuesday, I had the privilege to attend Carlisle Elementary School and shadow Mrs. Becky Ladd and her second graders.  As the students came into class and put all of their belongings away.  The then had a sort of “opening” activity where they recorded the weather for the day.  This showed responsibility given to the student.  After this, the day was set into a fast pace.  Mrs. Ladd went from subject to subject, leaving anyone who was still on the last topic behind.  This to me seemed slightly cruel to me, but eventually made sense.  This motivates the kids to get their work done faster and makes sure they finish their work.  As a teacher for second graders, one must have a lot of patience and control in the classroom.  Throughout the day, one activity lead to another, and they always related to a later lesson.  There were many colors and illustrations to help the kids understand what they needed to do.  Their daily schedule is normally the same, so the students know what comes next.  I greatly enjoyed watching a second grade class, but I don’t think I have the patience to deal with them all day. 

             During my field experience, I observed many different kinds of teaching methods.  There was a lot of kinesthetic movement in the classroom which kept the students alert.  The students were asked to review the material before the lesson began, so they knew what was going on.  There was also auditory reading as well, which benefited everyone in the classroom. While I observed classes that were almost a decade apart, there were many similarities in teaching, only presented in a different way.  I look forward to teaching my own class one day and using these skills I have learned here in College.   

Inspiring Teachers...

            Teachers can inspire and bring out the best in students.  So many decisions in school are made by the teacher, and the learning environment is affected by those choices.  Many students have a teacher that they admire due to their teaching style or personality.  Some teachers are more hands on while others are by the book.  As a student, I enjoy class activities that take learning to a different level.  When you take a battle between Athens and Sparta and turn it into a rap song, surely that will be remembered.  When you swing a ruler like a sword and jump from table to table, students my pay attention.  If you bring a bucket of ice water in, and have all your students stand in it and say, “Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī. I came, I saw, I conquered,” it makes things fun.  My favorite teacher is Mr. Brent Carson because he brought the unexpected into the classroom.

            I really didn’t like history until the 6^th grade due to the way class was taught.  It was boring, and it seemed useless to learn.  That all changed when I entered Mr. Carson’s 6^th grade History class.  I learned so much and had a lot of fun.  I only got all a C every term and one D third term.  He was a hard teacher, and taught class well.  Mr. Carson read us books, showed us interesting movies, and held game shows that the prize was a trip to Cedar Point!  I learned more in his class then I ever did in one school year.  Mr. Carson received Teacher of the Year and is a living legend.  Everyone knows him and he has taught thousands of students.  He can’t walk into a McDonalds without knowing almost everyone in the restaurant.  There are several movies out about Delaware that Mr. Carson has helped create. 

            Mr. Carson’s teaching does not stop at the school doors.  He teaches the Citizenship in the Community, Nation, and World Merit Badges for a local Boy Scout Troop.  He also educates people about the city of Delaware.  He is very knowledgeable in the field of history and is always striving to learn more.  No teacher should stop educating outside of their classroom.  Mr. Carson hasn’t, and that is another reason why he is my favorite teacher.

            If I could be anything like Mr. Carson, I think that would be a privilege.  I still keep in contact with him and enjoy the time that I had him as a teacher.  He is a man of many words, and I would rather be educated by him than any other teacher.  He is a true legend in the city of Delaware.  From jumping on desks to throwing water in class, he affected my life considerably.  Mr. Carson is the reason I decided to be a History Teacher and I plan to keep that dream.