C.E. 2

In a recent post on the cite UPI.com entitled "German High School Bans Homework," it tells what reform this school made, and why they deemed this necessary.

The school this post is talking about is the Elsa-Brandstrom high school in North Rhine-Westphalia. They have decided to rid the student of homework, one of the most dreded things ever. They did this "to help students unwind." I like the idea of no homework, but I, as much as it pains me to say this, don't see this change coming to my school any time soon. Also, another reform had to happen that made this possible that I am not ok with.

This change is that they did away with a year of high school and elongated the school day and year. I absolutly hate this idea. If this never happend at my school that would be to soon. I understand that means homework will never be done away with, but, hey, a man can dream can't he?

While researching this article I came across a school in the US that also has done away wtih homework. They instead asign reading to be done. So, maybe the daughnting task of homework will soon be a thing of the past.

While almost any student will tell you that homework is stupid and should go away, those same student would say the same about the idea of extending the school days. So, i think change is just a distant thought that the students of this generation will not have to worry about.

Current Event

        In a recent article by Peter S. Goodman, Business Editor of the Huffington Post, entitled "Chicago Teachers Strike A Push-Back To Education Reform," Goodman informs his readers of what the reforms were and why the teachers do not like them.

         Rahm Emanuel, the person who made this drastic reforms to the chicago educational system, "revoked a 4 percent raise that had been promised to teachers under their existing union contract." Emanuel thinks that test scores should depend on the raises the teachers get. Emanuel also stated that students get "the shaft" since the teachers just get the raises instead of earning them through the students test scores.

         The teachers, as anyone in there situation, didn't react to kindly to these new changes. They say that this isnt fair because they "are effectively getting stuck with accountability for complex social problems that extend far beyond their control." They go on to say that "no one in Chicago runs the risk of losing their job for failing to supply enough low-income housing. No one must satisfy a numbers-based standard for increased employment in impoverished communities. No one is on the hook to ensure that students show up well-fed and well-rested. All of these issues roll down to teachers, they say, directly influencing conditions in their classrooms. Yet they alone find themselves having to answer for the sole measured result: achievement on test scores."

       While reading this article I couldn't help but side with the teachers. No matter how good they are at teaching, some students will do bad on tests no matter what. The teachers shouldn't loose thier hard earned money because of it. Especially if it was already promised to them in a contract. These changes are unfair to the teachers that work hard to give there students the education they deserve and cutting their pay is not a good way to show appreciation for that hard work.

           I completly side with the teachers, something I thought i would never do, on this topic. The reforms should be changed back to the way they were. I would be irate if my pay, pay that was already promised to me, was cut due to circumstances beyond my control. I have said all i have to say about this topic, but i leave you with a question. If you were in these teachers shoes would you fight for your pay or would you just sit back and take it?

Literary Bucket List

1 Battle Royale - Koushun Takami: This book is a must read for any fan of the Hunger Game series. I liked the series and i heard this book was a lot like it so i figured i would check into it. From what i heard a class of kids are kidnapped by the government and forced to kill each other until only one is left standing.

2 The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater: I want to read this book because the author wrote the Shiver series and i liked that series a lot, so i figured why not give this one a shot. It is about a "death race" so to speak. I read the back of the book and the inside cover and it caught my interest right away. I am looking forward to reading this book.

3 The Gray Wolf Throne - Cinda Chima: This is the third book in its series, the Seven Reamls series. I have read the first and second and I enjoyed them enough to want to read this one. This is also a fantasy book, which is my favorite genre, so that fact also picked my interest.

4 Calico Joe - John Grisham: I wanna read this one because my english teacher Mrs. Gillmore promoed this book in class and it is by John Grisham. I have read a few books by this author and i liked them so i decided to give this one a try.

5 Supernaturales - Eon Colfer: Eon Colfer is one of my favorite authors. The Artimas Fowl series is also one of my favorite series. Since this book is by him, I automaticly came to the decision that this book was worth my time and i want to read it ASAP!

6 The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor: I love everything about Alice In Wonderland. The books. cartoons, and the movie. When i heard there was a new book coming out that put a spin on the story i new i wanted to read it. A few of my friends have read it and they said it was good.

7 Seeing Redd - Frank Beddor: This is the second book in the Looking Glass War series. While I haven't read the first one YET, I still want to read this and the other book in the series, Arch Enemy. I know this book will be an amazing one and i can't wait to read it.

8 Arch Enemy - Frank Beddor: The third installment in the Looking Glass War trilogy.I want to read this one because I love everything dealing with Alice In Wonderland. I have ever since I first saw the cartoon when I was a little kid. So, I'm guessing there is a very good chance this book will be amazing.

9 The Serpent's Shadow - Rick Riordan: My brother, Austin, was reading this book and I sort of skimed it and it seems very interesting. I have read the other books in this series and I liked them
so I figured I would give this one a try.

10 It's A Book - Lane Smith: This book was shown in my class as a book trailer. It made me laugh and i like books that make me laugh. True, this book won't be high on my "to-read-list" but it will be read eventually.

WTC

             America is a strong country that will remain independent as it has since its conception. In the text it says that the building will be 1,776 feet tall. America got its independence in 1776. This was a message from the architects to anyone who dares threaten America that no matter what happens, no matter how badly the damage, we will retaliate and we will come back stronger than before.

How to survive a job interview

How to Survive a Job Interview

We all know people who are always “a ball of nervous energy” whenever they go to a job interview. Since they are nervous, a lot of people make mistakes that cost them the job that they would not have made if they had a clear head. This is understandable since surviving a job interview is such a daunting task to accomplish. Here are some tips that will hopefully soothe those troubled minds.

Dress appropriately for the interview. Kate McInnes, author of “How To Survive A Job Interview,” states that a person looking for a job should “leave the suit and tie at home.” Great advice, because if the place a person wants a job at is not a suit and tie sort of place, the person wearing one will look too “stiff” and “old fashion.” Also, no one else will be wearing one and the person will look awkward and out of place. McInnes also says a person should not show up in jeans and sneakers either. Also good advice because a place might not be a suit and tie place, but it is still a place of work and a person should dress professionally and ready to work. That means no jeans, sneakers, flip flops, showing of underwear, no low cut shirts, and no showing tattoos and piercings. What I am trying to get at is that a person should not dress up too much, but they do not want to underdress either.

If a person goes through the trouble of getting an interview, they should have the common decency of showing up on time. McInnes says in her post that “arriving on time is good,” because it “separates you from the other applicants and every little bit helps.” Showing up on time to a job interview is very important. Being nervous, as well as late to an interview, is not good and will probably cost someone the job. If a person knows they will be late, they should call and ask to reschedule. While being on time to an interview is very important, a person should not show up too early to one either. Showing up too early at an interview can be troublesome and annoying to the interviewer. He or she might be on break or in a meeting and will have to be interrupted to be told the applicant is here. Instead, look around and get to know the place. See if it is a good work environment. A person should show up on time to an interview or only a few minutes before to make the best impression possible.

A person separating themselves from the rest in a good way is crucial, but separating oneself in a bad way could cost you the job. Katherine Goldstein, author of “Arianna Huffington and Getting A Job At Huffington Post,” is a good example of having a positive impact while Bruce Hurwitz’s story on Amy Levin-Epstein’s post “Job Interview Horror Stories” is a perfect example of making a very bad impression. Goldstein was thrown into her interview ill prepared, and, to make matters worse, she was being filmed the entire time. She kept her cool and eventually got the job due to her good attitude and ability to adapt. Hurwitz’s story, however, did not go quite as well. Hurwitz was waiting for the elevator when a man walked up and started talking to a woman also waiting for the elevator. She chose to ignore him so the man started yelling at her about “how he was interviewing for for a great job with a great salary and he could buy and sell her” if he wanted to. Bruce was the interviewer and told the man the interview had been canceled. Now, some people will say all a person has to do to get a job is to know people. While, yes, it is nice to know some people to help out, it is still up to the person to make a good enough impression to get hired. If a person is confident, and makes a good enough impression, more than likely, they will get the job.

To recap all the major points of this advice, dress appropriately, show up at reasonable time, and make a good impression while not making yourself look bad. Now that you know these helpful hints, do you think you can successfully survive an interview?

Doyle, Alison. "What Not to Wear on an Interview." About.com Job Searching. About.com. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewnot.htm>.

Kennedy, Erin. "How To Survive A Job Interview." Executive Resume Writers & Professional Resume Services by Erin Kennedy. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com/interviewing/how-to-survive-a-job-interview/>.

McInnes, Kate. "How to Survive a Job Interview, 10 Tips for Creative Professionals." Adobe Illustrator and Vector Tutorials, from Beginner to Advanced. 04 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://vector.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-survive-a-job-interview-10-tips-for-creative-professionals/>.

Levin-Epstein, Amy. "Job Interview Horror Stories." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-47540318/job-interview-horror-stories/>.

Goldstein, Katherine. "Arrianna Huffington and Getting a Job at the Huffington Post: My Story." Slate Magazine. Slate.com, 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 May 2012.

What does being human mean?

Being human means striving for a better purpose and being able to feel emotions. Everybody feels and wants to do something. Might be something miniscule or humungous, doesn't matter, they still want to do and feel something. If someone had no emotions or goals for there life, I believe that that person would lose the qualities that would make them human.

Everyone wants to do something with their life. No matter what the goal is, everyone has one. The goal might be to become a firefighter, lawyer, hobo, create life like Victor Frankenstein, or even a power ranger, there is still a goal set. My goal is to become a welder once I graduate from high school and college. Having goals is part of what makes humans humans and everyone should set a high goal for themselves.

Every human has the capacity to feel emotions. No matter who you are, you feel some sort of emotion.It could be happiness, sadness, remorse, indifference, or even appathy, people still feel something. Someone could be a evil villain or the world’s most nicest person, they still feel something. Even if it is just a fleeting feeling, the feeling is still there and that is also part of what makes us humans so different than other species.

Some people will say animals feel emotions to, and they do. The feelings I’m talking about are deep emotions that could rule a person’s life. Animals go off of instincts instead of emotions. Those certain people might also say animals have a purpose as well, and, yet again, they do, but they do not set goals for themselves and strive to achieve that purpose.

Anthropomorphism

My friend, Tucker, and I were out running around and doing other wolf things one day. During out trek through the vast forest we call home, we spoted a herd of dear. We had been goofing off all day so we worked up quite an appetite. I decided to approach the herd from the right side while Tucker took the left. Right before I pounced on the herd, I heard a lot of superflouos noise coming from Tucker's side and the herd trampled off before I could sink my teeth into one. Angered, I stomped over to Tucker, and what I saw will forever be etched into my memory. Tucker, the fool, had fallen into a sink hole and couldn't get out. He was covered in mud from tail to head and had the funniest look on his face. I laughed so hard and long that the sun was setting by the time I got Tucker out. We headed back to the pack and shared the story of our adventure that day.