Projects!
Happiness Project!!
Project Reflection
1. If you were going to advise someone on how to find happiness what would you tell them? (5-7 senten
ce answer)
If I were to advise someone on how to find happiness the first thing I would advise them to do is to ask themselves, why do I want to be happy and what have I been doing to achieve happiness? I would suggest to any person attempting to find happiness to further examine their values and to ask themselves, am I living up to my full potential. The only way to feel the deepest feeling of happiness is to make sure you are living for a purpose, and the best way to do this is to use our own personal talents to help others. So if someone asked me how they should find happiness I would tell them to stop looking for it. Only when you have found your meaning and place in the world will you be happy.
2. Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Outline the plan below. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned. Use the directions below as well. (5-7 sentences)
Go to this website and read the article. Based on what you read include this in your plan for the summer.
This summer is the first summer I have had in years where I will actually have a lot of free time. Typically I totally overbook myself with summer camps, rafting trips and other such activities. After doing the Brave New World project and reading this article I have decided this summer I should get a job, join another band, and spend more time with my friends. A job will give me meaning and something to work for. Music for me is the best way to connect to others, playing in unison with other people makes me feel happy and like I have a purpose. Spending time with friends will also help me to connect with people but will also help me spend less time using electronics. When spending time with friends I am distracted from the marvels of the internet and games on my phone. Doing these three things will allow me to have an amazing satisfying summer.
3. Looking back over this project, how will what you learned in this project impact your life? (5-7 sentences)
If I choose to use what I learned in this project to my full extent it will impact every choice I make for the rest of my life. The main thing I learned from this project was to make sure I am always aware of why I am making a decision and whether or not it will have a positive effect on the world. This project has taught me to find meaning in life and the importance in connecting to others. Our society today teaches us that happiness is the most important thing for us to strive for and to achieve it we must make as much money as possible and accumulate as much stuff as possible. All of this is simply not true and in order to live a full life I need to focus on making my life meaningful, only then will I be truly happy.
1. If you were going to advise someone on how to find happiness what would you tell them? (5-7 senten
ce answer)
If I were to advise someone on how to find happiness the first thing I would advise them to do is to ask themselves, why do I want to be happy and what have I been doing to achieve happiness? I would suggest to any person attempting to find happiness to further examine their values and to ask themselves, am I living up to my full potential. The only way to feel the deepest feeling of happiness is to make sure you are living for a purpose, and the best way to do this is to use our own personal talents to help others. So if someone asked me how they should find happiness I would tell them to stop looking for it. Only when you have found your meaning and place in the world will you be happy.
2. Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Outline the plan below. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned. Use the directions below as well. (5-7 sentences)
Go to this website and read the article. Based on what you read include this in your plan for the summer.
This summer is the first summer I have had in years where I will actually have a lot of free time. Typically I totally overbook myself with summer camps, rafting trips and other such activities. After doing the Brave New World project and reading this article I have decided this summer I should get a job, join another band, and spend more time with my friends. A job will give me meaning and something to work for. Music for me is the best way to connect to others, playing in unison with other people makes me feel happy and like I have a purpose. Spending time with friends will also help me to connect with people but will also help me spend less time using electronics. When spending time with friends I am distracted from the marvels of the internet and games on my phone. Doing these three things will allow me to have an amazing satisfying summer.
3. Looking back over this project, how will what you learned in this project impact your life? (5-7 sentences)
If I choose to use what I learned in this project to my full extent it will impact every choice I make for the rest of my life. The main thing I learned from this project was to make sure I am always aware of why I am making a decision and whether or not it will have a positive effect on the world. This project has taught me to find meaning in life and the importance in connecting to others. Our society today teaches us that happiness is the most important thing for us to strive for and to achieve it we must make as much money as possible and accumulate as much stuff as possible. All of this is simply not true and in order to live a full life I need to focus on making my life meaningful, only then will I be truly happy.
MUN Project!!
Project Description
This project was a simulation of a United Nations conference. Each student in our class, apart from two chairs, was assigned a country to argue the side of in a model UN conference. Two major issues where addressed, the North Korea issue and the Palestine Israel conflict. For both issues student researched the issue in general and from there countries perspective and then wrote a policy paper and resolution for each. Two conferences where held the second one in front of an audience. We concluded by writing reflections on the project and giving feedback to our teacher.
This project was a simulation of a United Nations conference. Each student in our class, apart from two chairs, was assigned a country to argue the side of in a model UN conference. Two major issues where addressed, the North Korea issue and the Palestine Israel conflict. For both issues student researched the issue in general and from there countries perspective and then wrote a policy paper and resolution for each. Two conferences where held the second one in front of an audience. We concluded by writing reflections on the project and giving feedback to our teacher.
Reflection
1) In my opinion the main reason the MUN project was important is to gain a larger perspective of world issues and potential ways to solve them. This project opens up student’s eyes to two major problems in our world today, educating us about not only history but also 21st century issues. Learning about our world today helps us to empathise with others and will definitely help us in our future. Although this project my seem dull and like way too much work it is extremely beneficial and has been one of my best learning experiences.
2) The habit of heart and mind I am most proud if using in this project is perspective. I feel like I really adopted the perspective of Russia and argued my side appropriately. We did a lot of research throughout this project and I never took sides even when it was obvious one side was being picked by all my classmates. I kept my eyes open to the entire picture and learned about all perspectives.
3)The greatest problem I faced during this project was research. When researching Russia’s opinion on the issues we would be discussing in the conference I had a very hard time finding reliable sources. I ended up spending a lot of time on the research and not as much on research notes or the papers. Eventually I found a Russian governmental sight that offered great insight into the side I should be taking on both issues. I used this sight for almost all my information while writing the resolution. I now know that when researching specific opinions I should always go straight to the source, in this case the Russians, in order to get the most reliable insight into the issue.
4) The most interesting speech, resolution, amendment, or comment by one of the delegates was a point said in a speech by Benji. It was something that I did not think of for my own resolution and that I thought was a great idea. He said that the way it would be decided who would be allowed back into the Palestinian state would be decided by the Palestinian government. I thought this was a great idea because in my resolution I hadn’t even considered which Palestinians would be allowed the right of return. I believe this was the biggest flaw in my resolution and I am very grateful to Benji for opening my eyes to what I was missing.
1) In my opinion the main reason the MUN project was important is to gain a larger perspective of world issues and potential ways to solve them. This project opens up student’s eyes to two major problems in our world today, educating us about not only history but also 21st century issues. Learning about our world today helps us to empathise with others and will definitely help us in our future. Although this project my seem dull and like way too much work it is extremely beneficial and has been one of my best learning experiences.
2) The habit of heart and mind I am most proud if using in this project is perspective. I feel like I really adopted the perspective of Russia and argued my side appropriately. We did a lot of research throughout this project and I never took sides even when it was obvious one side was being picked by all my classmates. I kept my eyes open to the entire picture and learned about all perspectives.
3)The greatest problem I faced during this project was research. When researching Russia’s opinion on the issues we would be discussing in the conference I had a very hard time finding reliable sources. I ended up spending a lot of time on the research and not as much on research notes or the papers. Eventually I found a Russian governmental sight that offered great insight into the side I should be taking on both issues. I used this sight for almost all my information while writing the resolution. I now know that when researching specific opinions I should always go straight to the source, in this case the Russians, in order to get the most reliable insight into the issue.
4) The most interesting speech, resolution, amendment, or comment by one of the delegates was a point said in a speech by Benji. It was something that I did not think of for my own resolution and that I thought was a great idea. He said that the way it would be decided who would be allowed back into the Palestinian state would be decided by the Palestinian government. I thought this was a great idea because in my resolution I hadn’t even considered which Palestinians would be allowed the right of return. I believe this was the biggest flaw in my resolution and I am very grateful to Benji for opening my eyes to what I was missing.
Tragedy Project
Hailey Redding
Emily Williams
Heart Over Mind
Prologue:
(Scene opens with August nervously pacing around his spacious office talking on the phone. He is on the fourth story of a large corporate building, below cars stream by through a light snowstorm. Voice of person on other line muffled.)
August: That cannot be true!! Are you sure your sources can be trusted?
Person on other line: mumf mumf mumf (Muffled voice that cannot be understood)
August: I can’t believe it how could something like this have happened?? Are you absolutely sure??? How could this have been going on for so long without my knowledge?
Person on other line: Mumf mumf mumf mumf (More muffled talking)
August: Okay, Okay I will deal with this I just need sometime
Person on other line: Mumf mumf no time mumf mumf mumf
August: Just get me as much time as you can
(Person on other line hangs up August sits down at his desk with his head in his hands. Chorus, August’s conscious manifested into human form, appears and addresses August with a stern, disappointed look on his face)
August: Oh, what have I done! Those poor kids how could I have let this happen? Human trafficking and child slavery is illegal! If this gets out we will be under a mountain of lawsuits, I could lose the entire company.I know I have to do what is right for the greater good but I have to keep my family in mind too. You know I need the money for Caroline’s cancer treatment.
Chorus:
Think of the children August
Is your family more important than them?
Whether or not you lose the company
You have to save those children.
No one seems to see this happening.
This cannot be overlooked any longer
If you do the right thing
this might turn out differently than you think.
It is not certain you will be blamed for this,
After all you did not know.
By doing the right thing
It is possible that your company will be seen
Not as the antagonist
But rather as
The victims
(Chorus gets up and slowly backs away then disappearing in a poof of sparkles and colorful smoke)
Scene One
(Scene opens with August sitting on a couch at home with his wife watching the news. Their two kids are seated by a low burning fire playing a game.The curtains are drawn blocking out the view of a heavy snowstorm)
Reporter on news: (Talks about the weather)
Caroline: How was your day sweetie?
August: Oh you know just an average day, how was yours?
Caroline: It was alright
Reporter on news: Breaking news, our sources have recently informed us of a rumor going around the business world claiming that Lemmington Chocolate Inc. is involved with human trafficking.
Caroline: (Gasps) August… (She whispers looking at him)
August: Oh god… I’m sorry I have to go
(August grabs a jacket, runs out the door and gets in his car, Chorus appears in the passengers seat in a poof of fiery colors)
Chorus:
August, what have you done
you cannot just leave
Running from your fears
I’m ashamed!
You were warned that this would happen
Yet you waited
Your heart go the better of you
You have brought this upon yourself
Stand up and face the oncoming storm
(August keeps driving in silence not paying attention to the road, his mind is elsewhere)
(Metal screeches and the car hits the guardrail, August’s head slams into the steering wheel and he blacks o
Scene Two
*August wakes up in a dream like state. Looking around he sees children working with tattered clothes, they look like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Not knowing where he is he wanders about this factory like place and sees all kinds of horror. Then he realizes he is in the place that has brought upon him his doom. He has to do something…*
(August wakes with a start to find himself alone in his car, he was only out for a few seconds and no one has noticed the crash)
August: I need to fix this.. (He says out loud to himself)
(Pulling the car away from the guardrail he drives towards the office)
(August pulls his car into his parking space at the office and starts up the stairs to an awaiting receptionist)
Receptionist: August, sir, it is of the utmost importance that you get to your office immediately.
August: OK, thank you. (He mumbles confused)
(August gets to his office to see two men dressed in nice suits waiting for him)
August: Gentleman, how can I help you?
Official Guy #1: We have some things to discuss with you.
Official Guy #2: Please have a seat.
August: (Takes a seat behind his desk) What is this concerning might I ask?
Official Guy #2: As you know it has recently become known that you have been working with a supplier that uses child slavery and human trafficking.
Official Guy #1: This is a serious offense Mr.Lemmington it has been decided that until further notice your company shall be shut down and you will have to undergo legal consequences.
August: But I was not aware of what was happening until today, I was not working with this supplier closely. I should not be blamed for this. I didn’t know! Things like this are happening in companies all around the world.
Official Guy #1: (Stands up abruptly) You expect us to believe that? After further investigation it has become known that you have been working with them since the beginning of Lemmington Chocolate Incorporated!
Official Guy #2: I’m sorry Mr. Lemmington, you are being sued to pay for all the damage and to supply food and a way back home to these kids. I suggest you find yourself a lawyer.
(The men stand up and leave as August puts his head in his hands)
Chorus:
Things are looking bad
But this may not be over yet
Play this carefully
Lives are on the line
One wrong move and everything will be over
With a good lawyer and honesty
We could win this still
Just keep in mind that
Saving the children must be your first priority
Scene Three
(Scene opens six months later with August standing by his wifes death bed as she takes her last breaths. The children are seated at the bottom of the bed sobbing.)
August: I’m sorry Caroline, I’m sorry I didn’t win the lawsuit, I’m sorry all our money was lost. If only I had known what was happening. I could have fixed everything. I could have saved the children working in those factories. I brought down the company because I didn’t try to do what I knew to be right. Then you would still be getting treatment. I’m so so sorry… (said sobbing)
Caroline: August, look at me, It’s ok. (Coughs) It’s my time to die, you must take care of the children… (Coughs more)
(The children sob as Caroline takes her last breath and her eyes close)
August: (Shakes Caroline) NOOOO you can’t leave me! I cannot go on without you my love!!
(August gets up and grabs his handgun from a drawer. The children look up at him as he lifts the weapon to his head)
August: I’m so sorry. (He whispers)
(Then with a bang he takes his own life and the children are left alone in this cruel dark world.)
Chorus:
Every decision August made
brought upon his fated doom.
By trying to save his wife
he brought to end
His family and company too
He chose heart over mind
Family over the community
His one fatal flaw,
He cared too much
No one can save everyone
Emily Williams
Heart Over Mind
Prologue:
(Scene opens with August nervously pacing around his spacious office talking on the phone. He is on the fourth story of a large corporate building, below cars stream by through a light snowstorm. Voice of person on other line muffled.)
August: That cannot be true!! Are you sure your sources can be trusted?
Person on other line: mumf mumf mumf (Muffled voice that cannot be understood)
August: I can’t believe it how could something like this have happened?? Are you absolutely sure??? How could this have been going on for so long without my knowledge?
Person on other line: Mumf mumf mumf mumf (More muffled talking)
August: Okay, Okay I will deal with this I just need sometime
Person on other line: Mumf mumf no time mumf mumf mumf
August: Just get me as much time as you can
(Person on other line hangs up August sits down at his desk with his head in his hands. Chorus, August’s conscious manifested into human form, appears and addresses August with a stern, disappointed look on his face)
August: Oh, what have I done! Those poor kids how could I have let this happen? Human trafficking and child slavery is illegal! If this gets out we will be under a mountain of lawsuits, I could lose the entire company.I know I have to do what is right for the greater good but I have to keep my family in mind too. You know I need the money for Caroline’s cancer treatment.
Chorus:
Think of the children August
Is your family more important than them?
Whether or not you lose the company
You have to save those children.
No one seems to see this happening.
This cannot be overlooked any longer
If you do the right thing
this might turn out differently than you think.
It is not certain you will be blamed for this,
After all you did not know.
By doing the right thing
It is possible that your company will be seen
Not as the antagonist
But rather as
The victims
(Chorus gets up and slowly backs away then disappearing in a poof of sparkles and colorful smoke)
Scene One
(Scene opens with August sitting on a couch at home with his wife watching the news. Their two kids are seated by a low burning fire playing a game.The curtains are drawn blocking out the view of a heavy snowstorm)
Reporter on news: (Talks about the weather)
Caroline: How was your day sweetie?
August: Oh you know just an average day, how was yours?
Caroline: It was alright
Reporter on news: Breaking news, our sources have recently informed us of a rumor going around the business world claiming that Lemmington Chocolate Inc. is involved with human trafficking.
Caroline: (Gasps) August… (She whispers looking at him)
August: Oh god… I’m sorry I have to go
(August grabs a jacket, runs out the door and gets in his car, Chorus appears in the passengers seat in a poof of fiery colors)
Chorus:
August, what have you done
you cannot just leave
Running from your fears
I’m ashamed!
You were warned that this would happen
Yet you waited
Your heart go the better of you
You have brought this upon yourself
Stand up and face the oncoming storm
(August keeps driving in silence not paying attention to the road, his mind is elsewhere)
(Metal screeches and the car hits the guardrail, August’s head slams into the steering wheel and he blacks o
Scene Two
*August wakes up in a dream like state. Looking around he sees children working with tattered clothes, they look like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Not knowing where he is he wanders about this factory like place and sees all kinds of horror. Then he realizes he is in the place that has brought upon him his doom. He has to do something…*
(August wakes with a start to find himself alone in his car, he was only out for a few seconds and no one has noticed the crash)
August: I need to fix this.. (He says out loud to himself)
(Pulling the car away from the guardrail he drives towards the office)
(August pulls his car into his parking space at the office and starts up the stairs to an awaiting receptionist)
Receptionist: August, sir, it is of the utmost importance that you get to your office immediately.
August: OK, thank you. (He mumbles confused)
(August gets to his office to see two men dressed in nice suits waiting for him)
August: Gentleman, how can I help you?
Official Guy #1: We have some things to discuss with you.
Official Guy #2: Please have a seat.
August: (Takes a seat behind his desk) What is this concerning might I ask?
Official Guy #2: As you know it has recently become known that you have been working with a supplier that uses child slavery and human trafficking.
Official Guy #1: This is a serious offense Mr.Lemmington it has been decided that until further notice your company shall be shut down and you will have to undergo legal consequences.
August: But I was not aware of what was happening until today, I was not working with this supplier closely. I should not be blamed for this. I didn’t know! Things like this are happening in companies all around the world.
Official Guy #1: (Stands up abruptly) You expect us to believe that? After further investigation it has become known that you have been working with them since the beginning of Lemmington Chocolate Incorporated!
Official Guy #2: I’m sorry Mr. Lemmington, you are being sued to pay for all the damage and to supply food and a way back home to these kids. I suggest you find yourself a lawyer.
(The men stand up and leave as August puts his head in his hands)
Chorus:
Things are looking bad
But this may not be over yet
Play this carefully
Lives are on the line
One wrong move and everything will be over
With a good lawyer and honesty
We could win this still
Just keep in mind that
Saving the children must be your first priority
Scene Three
(Scene opens six months later with August standing by his wifes death bed as she takes her last breaths. The children are seated at the bottom of the bed sobbing.)
August: I’m sorry Caroline, I’m sorry I didn’t win the lawsuit, I’m sorry all our money was lost. If only I had known what was happening. I could have fixed everything. I could have saved the children working in those factories. I brought down the company because I didn’t try to do what I knew to be right. Then you would still be getting treatment. I’m so so sorry… (said sobbing)
Caroline: August, look at me, It’s ok. (Coughs) It’s my time to die, you must take care of the children… (Coughs more)
(The children sob as Caroline takes her last breath and her eyes close)
August: (Shakes Caroline) NOOOO you can’t leave me! I cannot go on without you my love!!
(August gets up and grabs his handgun from a drawer. The children look up at him as he lifts the weapon to his head)
August: I’m so sorry. (He whispers)
(Then with a bang he takes his own life and the children are left alone in this cruel dark world.)
Chorus:
Every decision August made
brought upon his fated doom.
By trying to save his wife
he brought to end
His family and company too
He chose heart over mind
Family over the community
His one fatal flaw,
He cared too much
No one can save everyone
Reflection
1. In my modern tragedy I am most proud of the lines my partner and I wrote for the chorus. We had a very hard time figuring out how to incorporate a chorus into our story. This caused us to have to put a lot of work into it in order to make our chorus a large part of our story while still fitting the requirements. I feel like I personally spent the most time editing our chorus and it is something I can be proud of.
2. In order to be successful in this project I would advise the students next year to use their time very wisely on this project. Doing projects with partners can make it very easy to get distracted in project work time and although we had several weeks to do this project, more than enough time, my partner and I ended up scrambling to finish our visual in time. I would advise next years students to also choose their partners wisely, to choose to work with someone you know you can work with well so as not to bring failure upon yourself.
3. I felt that working in partners had its up sides and its down sides. As I already said in the paragraph above working with partners can be distracting. Especially when you are working with a friend, I would recommend choosing to work with someone who you are not closely befriended with. On the up side, working with a partner can make it easier to develop a story, having someone to bounce ideas off of is very helpful and in my opinions helps make the story more diverse and creative.
4. The most challenging task for me in this project was staying on task. My partner was one of my friends and we did not do the best job staying focussed. We overcame this difficulty by working on our project outside of school when we were not together and it was easier for us to focus. We did all of the planning in class and then, because we couldn’t focus, we both went home and worked on separate parts of the project. Although this was not exactly doing group work it worked out quite well for us.
1. In my modern tragedy I am most proud of the lines my partner and I wrote for the chorus. We had a very hard time figuring out how to incorporate a chorus into our story. This caused us to have to put a lot of work into it in order to make our chorus a large part of our story while still fitting the requirements. I feel like I personally spent the most time editing our chorus and it is something I can be proud of.
2. In order to be successful in this project I would advise the students next year to use their time very wisely on this project. Doing projects with partners can make it very easy to get distracted in project work time and although we had several weeks to do this project, more than enough time, my partner and I ended up scrambling to finish our visual in time. I would advise next years students to also choose their partners wisely, to choose to work with someone you know you can work with well so as not to bring failure upon yourself.
3. I felt that working in partners had its up sides and its down sides. As I already said in the paragraph above working with partners can be distracting. Especially when you are working with a friend, I would recommend choosing to work with someone who you are not closely befriended with. On the up side, working with a partner can make it easier to develop a story, having someone to bounce ideas off of is very helpful and in my opinions helps make the story more diverse and creative.
4. The most challenging task for me in this project was staying on task. My partner was one of my friends and we did not do the best job staying focussed. We overcame this difficulty by working on our project outside of school when we were not together and it was easier for us to focus. We did all of the planning in class and then, because we couldn’t focus, we both went home and worked on separate parts of the project. Although this was not exactly doing group work it worked out quite well for us.
Socialization Project
Mask
Ridding America of Stereotypes
Socialization begins before we are born, what color our skin is, our gender. It’s all predetermined by nature. The first things we are taught in life we learn from our close friends and family. We continue to be socialized our entire life, not only by our parents and close friends but also by the media and the rest of society. Everyone in this world was socialized differently based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, economic class, age, ability/disability, and religion. People are socialized to either be a target or an agent in each of these categories of socialization. Target groups are the groups that are disadvantaged and agent groups are the groups that have the advantage. For example, in America white people are the dominant race and are therefore an agent group whereas people of color are the target groups. All cultures have different target and agent groups. I was socialized by my parents outside the norms of society. Rather than being socialized to be a target or an agent I was socialized to think of myself as an equal. Because I am in the targeted groups in my age and gender. People in the agent groups think of me as secondary. As a result of being told by some that I am inferior and by others that I am equal I am subtly alienated from the rest of society.
American teenagers in our society have been stereotyped as untrustworthy. What people believe to be right and normal is based upon what other people in our community and the media have told us. In the article “The Cycle of Socialization” by Bobby Harro, he states, “We are too dependent on our parents or those who raised us, and we unconsciously conform to their views.” We are born into a society that is already established. This past spring I spent about 3 months going to school in Radolfzell, Germany. Living in a different culture I came to realize how much more trust is given to teens in other cultures . Because I was living in a small town, in order to go shopping or go to the movies I would have to take a 20 minute train ride to the next town over. In Germany, it is normal for parents to let their kids go to another town without supervision whereas in America it is practically unthinkable. Every culture is established differently and as a result people from other cultures have different beliefs and values. In America the media has socialized us to not trust our teens, but in other countries,. such as Germany, people give their teens more trust. In my experience, teens in Germany were typically more responsible and trustworthy than the teens in America, I can only assume that this means the kids given more trust will be more trustworthy.
Women in our American society have been very strongly socialized by media to believe that we must dress a certain way in order to be appreciated by others. The media begins socializing girls to believe they are subordinate to boys from a very young age. Even in children's movies, the idea that boys have different roles than girls is strongly enforced. As stated in the article The Complexity of Identity by Danial Tatum, “Other people are the mirrors in which we see ourselves.” This statement is explaining a theory called the looking glass self. the theory explains that we are always thinking about the way other people see us. And so we use other people as a mirror, to reflect what we should be and look like. From a very young age, girls and boys begin to realize the different roles a woman and a man have and they act accordingly. Girls dress up like princesses and boys play hero. We are socialized to believe that we must reach a certain standard in order to be liked by others.
I have been socialized by different groups of people differently. My entire life I have been socialized by my parents and close friends to believe that I am equal to those around me, I can participate in activities boys usually do and no one will really notice or think of me differently. The media and school systems socialize the people around me to believe that because I am a girl I won’t be as good at things boys do. Having these two conflicting sources that have been socializing me my whole life causes some serious confusion. I am constantly making decisions about who I should be, your average girl just like everyone else, or that weird girl who does sports and doesn’t wear make up. As stated in “The Cycle of Socialization” by Bobbie Harro, “We are blocked from action by the fear and insecurity we have been taught.” So no matter how strongly my parents have enforced that I am equal, the rest of society will still win me over, the bigger source, the rest of society, is telling us that we should be insecure.
I think because I was socialized differently I can break the harmful cycles of socialization. By not always following the social norms I can be an example for change for others. In our history all change has started by a group of good role models encouraging others to rebel. To break the cycle of socialization we must do the same, take a stand against the media and other harmful sources that have been causing us to become what they have stereotyped us to be. We need to inform America about the predicament we are in so we can face the problem head on as a society. Stop these harmful stereotypes once and for all.
My mask represents how my age and my gender have socialized me to be the person I am. The puzzle pieces on my mask represent the many different components that make up who I am. The music notes written in the bass clef are representing things my family and close friends have socialized me to be, the base layer of my personality. The music notes written in the treble clef represent what the rest of society and the media has taught me to be, the things that make up the mask I wear on a daily basis. The question mark at the top represents the struggle between these two conflicting elements that make up me.
Socialization begins before we are born, what color our skin is, our gender. It’s all predetermined by nature. The first things we are taught in life we learn from our close friends and family. We continue to be socialized our entire life, not only by our parents and close friends but also by the media and the rest of society. Everyone in this world was socialized differently based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, economic class, age, ability/disability, and religion. People are socialized to either be a target or an agent in each of these categories of socialization. Target groups are the groups that are disadvantaged and agent groups are the groups that have the advantage. For example, in America white people are the dominant race and are therefore an agent group whereas people of color are the target groups. All cultures have different target and agent groups. I was socialized by my parents outside the norms of society. Rather than being socialized to be a target or an agent I was socialized to think of myself as an equal. Because I am in the targeted groups in my age and gender. People in the agent groups think of me as secondary. As a result of being told by some that I am inferior and by others that I am equal I am subtly alienated from the rest of society.
American teenagers in our society have been stereotyped as untrustworthy. What people believe to be right and normal is based upon what other people in our community and the media have told us. In the article “The Cycle of Socialization” by Bobby Harro, he states, “We are too dependent on our parents or those who raised us, and we unconsciously conform to their views.” We are born into a society that is already established. This past spring I spent about 3 months going to school in Radolfzell, Germany. Living in a different culture I came to realize how much more trust is given to teens in other cultures . Because I was living in a small town, in order to go shopping or go to the movies I would have to take a 20 minute train ride to the next town over. In Germany, it is normal for parents to let their kids go to another town without supervision whereas in America it is practically unthinkable. Every culture is established differently and as a result people from other cultures have different beliefs and values. In America the media has socialized us to not trust our teens, but in other countries,. such as Germany, people give their teens more trust. In my experience, teens in Germany were typically more responsible and trustworthy than the teens in America, I can only assume that this means the kids given more trust will be more trustworthy.
Women in our American society have been very strongly socialized by media to believe that we must dress a certain way in order to be appreciated by others. The media begins socializing girls to believe they are subordinate to boys from a very young age. Even in children's movies, the idea that boys have different roles than girls is strongly enforced. As stated in the article The Complexity of Identity by Danial Tatum, “Other people are the mirrors in which we see ourselves.” This statement is explaining a theory called the looking glass self. the theory explains that we are always thinking about the way other people see us. And so we use other people as a mirror, to reflect what we should be and look like. From a very young age, girls and boys begin to realize the different roles a woman and a man have and they act accordingly. Girls dress up like princesses and boys play hero. We are socialized to believe that we must reach a certain standard in order to be liked by others.
I have been socialized by different groups of people differently. My entire life I have been socialized by my parents and close friends to believe that I am equal to those around me, I can participate in activities boys usually do and no one will really notice or think of me differently. The media and school systems socialize the people around me to believe that because I am a girl I won’t be as good at things boys do. Having these two conflicting sources that have been socializing me my whole life causes some serious confusion. I am constantly making decisions about who I should be, your average girl just like everyone else, or that weird girl who does sports and doesn’t wear make up. As stated in “The Cycle of Socialization” by Bobbie Harro, “We are blocked from action by the fear and insecurity we have been taught.” So no matter how strongly my parents have enforced that I am equal, the rest of society will still win me over, the bigger source, the rest of society, is telling us that we should be insecure.
I think because I was socialized differently I can break the harmful cycles of socialization. By not always following the social norms I can be an example for change for others. In our history all change has started by a group of good role models encouraging others to rebel. To break the cycle of socialization we must do the same, take a stand against the media and other harmful sources that have been causing us to become what they have stereotyped us to be. We need to inform America about the predicament we are in so we can face the problem head on as a society. Stop these harmful stereotypes once and for all.
My mask represents how my age and my gender have socialized me to be the person I am. The puzzle pieces on my mask represent the many different components that make up who I am. The music notes written in the bass clef are representing things my family and close friends have socialized me to be, the base layer of my personality. The music notes written in the treble clef represent what the rest of society and the media has taught me to be, the things that make up the mask I wear on a daily basis. The question mark at the top represents the struggle between these two conflicting elements that make up me.
Reflection
1. I am most proud of how well the puzzle pieces turned out on my mask. I put a lot of time and effort into painting every single puzzle piece a different color. Painting the puzzle pieces was by far the hardest part of the mask. The actual building and sanding of the mask was simple but painting every single puzzle piece on their was harder than you might expect.
2. The part of my essay I am most proud of is the second body paragraph. The paragraph is explaining how we are socialized to be women in this American society. I did a good job following the TEA paragraph structure and worked harder on this then I have any school related thing in my life. I spent a huge amount of time editing and refining this paragraph in particular because I had so many ideas about the topic I didn’t know which ones to use.
3. The biggest thing I will take away from this project is what I have learned about myself. This project led me to some huge self discoveries about the masks I wear to hide my true self from the rest of society. Befor this project I was unaware of the ways I have been socialized to think of myself. I also had no idea how much racism is still present in our society. Learning about socialization has opened my eyes to some of the horrible truths of our society that I was blind to.
4. The habit of heart and mind I need to work on most in my next project is perseverance. Although I was very interested in the subject we were learning about in this last project I lacked the motivation to persevere and really do my best work. On our next project I will motivate myself to take learning into my own hands.
1. I am most proud of how well the puzzle pieces turned out on my mask. I put a lot of time and effort into painting every single puzzle piece a different color. Painting the puzzle pieces was by far the hardest part of the mask. The actual building and sanding of the mask was simple but painting every single puzzle piece on their was harder than you might expect.
2. The part of my essay I am most proud of is the second body paragraph. The paragraph is explaining how we are socialized to be women in this American society. I did a good job following the TEA paragraph structure and worked harder on this then I have any school related thing in my life. I spent a huge amount of time editing and refining this paragraph in particular because I had so many ideas about the topic I didn’t know which ones to use.
3. The biggest thing I will take away from this project is what I have learned about myself. This project led me to some huge self discoveries about the masks I wear to hide my true self from the rest of society. Befor this project I was unaware of the ways I have been socialized to think of myself. I also had no idea how much racism is still present in our society. Learning about socialization has opened my eyes to some of the horrible truths of our society that I was blind to.
4. The habit of heart and mind I need to work on most in my next project is perseverance. Although I was very interested in the subject we were learning about in this last project I lacked the motivation to persevere and really do my best work. On our next project I will motivate myself to take learning into my own hands.