TOW #30- A Letter to a New APELC Student

Dear New APELC Student,

            You’re in for one crazy, stressful, and triumphant year. I guess I should start by telling you about myself and tell you about how I felt entering this class last year. Basically, I’m average. I was not a part of the gifted program, I was not in any form of accelerated learning; I was just simply a hard working honors student with a love of English. That being said, I was extremely excited to start the course!

            The first month of the class was a wake-up call for some people, including myself. Within the first 2 weeks of school, we had to turn in an essay and take our first test. And I’ll be blunt with you: I failed both. I was devastated and began to feel like I didn’t belong in APELC. There was even a time where I remember myself looking around the room, thinking that I was by far the dumbest person there. After feeling this way I knew that my best option was to go talk to Mr. Yost about what I should do. Talking to Mr. Yost might have been the greatest decision I have ever made all year! He told me that I would do well in APELC and that he would be willing to work with me until I was ready, able, and comfortable enough to work by myself.  In a way, my APELC experience was like learning how to ride a bike for the first time; Mr. Yost guided and supported me along the way like a parent would to their child learning how to ride a bike. When Mr. Yost thought I was ready he “let go” and let me ride by myself, but he was always there for support and help if I needed it!

            After that first month, I was able to bring up my grade 18%! So even though I got my first C ever in a class, it was the most rewarding grade I have ever earned! It was rewarding because I knew how hard I had worked and I was able to see my own growth for the very first time!

            The advice Mr.Yost gave me that first month has stuck with me all year: 1) What you get out of this class is far more important than what you get in the class and 2) If you work as hard as you possibly can, than you WILL succeed!

            For the rest of the year I continued to grow. My academic maturity was becoming more and more AP level every single class!  So my advice for you as incoming APELC students is…

–      Do NOT be afraid to ask for help! Heck, even if you don’t need help go and get help! Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko are always willing to look over essays with you and there is always room for improvement!

–      Enjoy the class! You took it for a reason, so try to get the best out of it! Stay positive and just have fun!

–      Try not to let yourself become fixated on your grades. Yes, grades are important, but in APELC, if you put in the work your grade will come! Like I mentioned earlier, what you get out of the class, is more important than what you get in it.

            If you’re wondering, I will most likely be getting a B for the year! And a B in an AP class is still great! So, I wish you all the best of luck this year!!

                 From,

                         Emily Scott

P.S- Remember to enjoy every minute of APELC (I know I did!)

TOW #29

            An injury can be set back to anyone who receives one. But for dancers in particular, an injury could be the end of their careers.  In the Sundance documentary, First Position, the viewers are brought to see how career threatening an injury can be for young dancers. Many dancers who get injured choose to work through the injury, but others are not lucky enough to just work through the pain. If a dancer receives a sever injury, they may be out of training for up to a year.  Being a dancer myself, I know how devastating it is to get injured and be forced to stop working. The documentary was a great way for non-dancers to see how threatening an injury can be for dancers.

            In the film, one of the main kids they were shadowing had tendonitis in her arches.  Around the time of the finals, Michaela was worried that her tendon would snap while she was dancing and that her career as a ballerina would be over before it even truly began. Michaela also allowed viewers to see the pain dancers put themselves through to continue their training; throughout, she pushed herself to the limits and her arches were constantly in pain.  Dancers are willing to push through their injuries, just so they can have their chance at success. The devastation that comes along with a dance injury is much higher than any other form of disappointment.

            I myself have experienced a few injuries throughout my dance training. In fact, in the past year I acquired two sprained ankles and was out of training for about three months. Recovering for the injury was hard because I had lost so much of my muscle build up and both of my ankles were now more susceptible to being reinjured. These injuries were devastating to me because they both caused setbacks in my dance training and made me weaker.

            First Position was able to show viewer about the risks that comes along with a dance injury.

TOW# 28: First Position (Documentary)

            A career in the ballet industry is hard to come by and very short lived. Children must start training at a very young age, giving up most of their childhood, to increases their own chances at success.  The documentary, First Position, follows a total of seven different ballet hopefuls prepare to compete at the worlds largest ballet competition, Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP).  First Position was released in 2011 and it aimed to show its viewers what life if like for young ballet dancers worldwide.

             The documentary tells the stories of 7 kids: Aran (11), Jules (10) Miko (12), Gaya (11), Joan Sebastian (16), Michaela (14), and Rebecca (17).  The film -makers used each child’s personal lives as anecdotes about what it’s like to be in training to be a professional dancer.  Each child has a story to tell; each story connects through ballet. For example, Michaela is an African Ballerina from Philadelphia who was adopted from Sierra Lion at the height of the war. While being interviewed for the documentary, she talks about how both her parents were killed in the war and how everywhere she turned she saw death. At the orphanage were she was staying there was a magazine with a ballerina on the cover, Michaela told herself if she ever left Sierra Lion she wanted to become like the dancer on the cover. Ballet became Michaela’s passion and helped her recover from a traumatizing experience. Dance is such an important part of her life, and just like all of the other children in the documentary, Michaela is willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve her goal of becoming a professional ballerina.

            Cinematography also played a huge role in getting the directors purpose across. By constantly switching between all the different stories, viewers were able to understand what each dancer had to do to prepare for the YAGP competition. At the end, all the stories ended up on the same place, and all of the children had the same goal, to win.

            I found First Position to be a very moving film.  Being a dancer myself, I was able to connect with the emotions that the kids were feeling. But, the documentary  also let see a whole new side of the dance world I had yet to be exposed to.

TOW #27: TOW Reflection

            As much as I disliked the TOW assignments, I will admit that they ended up being extremely helpful throughout the progression of my English education. At the beginning of the year, I saw writing TOW’s as unnecessary busy work; but boy, was I wrong.  Who would have thought that a short 300-350 word blog post would allow me to grow so much as a writer.  After going back and reflecting on old TOW posts, I realized how much I have evolved as a writer in less than a year!

            From the first marking period to now I have noticed a huge leap in my writing ability. In the beginning of the year, my TOWs were extremely formulaic; I simply followed the guidelines that were handed to me in the syllabus. At this point in time my writing quality was below average and I struggled to accept the fact that I would not be able to be successful if I continued my black and white form of writing. The TOW posts allowed me to experiment on different ways to transform my bland writing style to more cohesive, enjoyable pieces. So now looking back, I realized how much these silly little blog posts have help me.

            TOWs also allowed me to work on specific elements of writing. For example, I saw transition sentences as a struggle in the beginning of the year, and now they flow easily and effortlessly on to the page. I also placed a large amount of focus on diction and word choice this year. TOWs let me experiment with new words without having to worry about a penalty.  But, there is always room for improvement! I still need to work on strengthening my analysis and also generating a strong conclusion that can leave my readers thinking.

            So, even though I dreaded writing my TOW post every Sunday, I have most definitely benefited from them. I only wish I would have known how much I would gain from them when I first started the APELC course. The TOW assignments have achieved their overall purpose flawlessly.

TOW #26: V-J Day in Time Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt (Visual)

Goals:

-Pick a unique piece that would challenge myself

-Try not to repeat words so often

-work on connecting rhetorical elements to thesis

         

           It’s August 14^th 1945, President Truman has just announced victory over Japan and the end of World War II.  Thousands of people fled from buildings to join the celebration in Time Square in New York City.  One American sailor’s excitement caused him to go around the square kissing anyone and everyone he saw. Intrigued by this man, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt began clicking his Leica camera for a chance to capture the perfect kiss.  Out of the corner of his eye, Eisenstaedt saw a white nurses dress being wisped into the sailor’s arms. SNAP! The iconic image was taken. “V-J Day in Time Square” photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt represents celebration in a kiss and the luck Eisenstaedt had in order to capture the joy of all American’s at the conclusion of WWII.

            Propaganda played a large role in any war. Kissing in war advertisements was seen in a very positive light during wartime because it made the war seem lighter than it truly was. Although V-J Day was shot after the declaration of the war’s end, it still played a large role in persuading the American public.  An American sailor who had most likely predicated in WWII is seen kissing a nurse. This image was published in Life magazine, along with a few other kiss pictures in order to generate a new sense of hope in American citizens. This captivated many and brought out more excitement about the war’s conclusion.

            If Eisenstaedt turned around 5 seconds later than he did he would have missed this iconic moment. His luck made him and his photograph famous. Eisenstaedt recollection of the event is as followed: “I saw something white being grabbed. I turned around and clicked the moment the sailor kissed the nurse. If she had been dressed in a dark dress I would never have taken the picture.” Without luck, America would have never witness this celebratory action.

            Almost every person in America knows of the image of the sailor kissing the nurse in Time Square.  This spontaneous event led to the iconic image that reminds America of the hope that comes after war. Eisenstaedt will be remembered forever for just a simple push of a button.

TOW #25; Dog Yoga by Jilly Gagnon

Goals:

1) Make stronger word choices

      2) Try not to repeat words so frequently  

      3) Tie body topics to thesis

            As the saying goes: A dog is a man’s best friend; and man will do anything to keep their best friend happy and healthy. When it comes to medical treatments for dogs, more and more owners are trying to avoid using drugs. Alternatives for medicine include dog yoga (doga), pup-lates, acupuncture, and animal detoxes. In the article, Yogi Doggie by Jilly Gagnon, human connections, quotes, and statistics are used to inform dog lovers everywhere about alternatives health options for their beloved dogs.

            In the article, many alternatives are elaborated on; and most of the alternatives are very similar to human activities. The author mentions doga, pup-lates, acupuncture, and a detoxe. All of these alternatives are alternatives used by humans. When dog owners see a medical option that is similar to a task them have performed themselves, they may see it as a fun way to better their puppy’s life.  These alternatives are useful information to any owner who is not a fan of putting their pet on medications.

            To give dog lovers more information on the topic, Gagnon quotes multiples sources. One source in particular was a veterinarian named Louise Murray. Her take on the alternatives are more negative and hesitant. She believes that most of the options have not been fully tested for effectiveness. But if an owner does choose to try out one of the alternatives they should be done by a professional or with a veterinarian. Murray’s view gives readers a fresh view on whether or not to use alternative medial treatments for their dogs.

            Another element that informed readers was the part of the piece that displayed the costs of the alternative treatments.  A doga class can be as expensive as $25 a class and acupuncture can be as high as $120 a session. The price of the alternatives gives readers another factor to consider while learning about these medical options. Most of these alternatives tend to run on the more expensive side.

            Although a little disorganized, Gagnon did a solid job showing her readers the pros and cons of alternative medical treatments for dogs, while also informing the dog lover about how each alternative works. Man’s best friend is living the life.

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/02/dog-yoga-248520.html

TOW #24: Racial Equality Loses at the Court by the Editorial Board at The New York Times (Article)

     Goals: 

-find a topic for article that I wouldn't normally choose

-pick stronger words throughout

-adequately tie each piece of evidence to thesis

         The discussion of whether race and sex should be considered in the college application process has always been a controversial topic. Many see the selection of students by their race as extremely unethical. Personally, as a high school junior preparing for the college application process, I find it unsettling that another applicant may be chosen over me just because they are of a different race. In the New York Times article, Racial Equality Loses at the Court, the issue of racial inequality is addressed. An act was passed that took away the racial and sex –based bias from high education admittance system and brought about a great amount of controversy. The Editorial Board at the New York Times wrote this article to express how racial inequality should be confronted in order to obtain actual equality in the United States.

            The authors incorporated multiple court cases that revolve around the validity of the amendment that took away the consideration of race and sex. A ruling was made that took away this amendment for a short period of time, but “In Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, the Supreme Court reversed the ruling and allowed the amendment to stand”. By incorporating the rulings of court cases like Schuette v. Coalition, the NY Times is able to show the controversy surrounding present day racial inequality.

            Many court justices were quoted in the article to allow readers to see the contrasting views of the issue at hand.  Justice Arthur Kennedy supported the amendment and saw it as a basic use of democratic power; while Justice Sonia Sotomayor disagreed. She believed that “while the Constitution does not guarantee minority groups victory in the political process, it does guarantee them meaningful and equal access to that process”.  Both opinions help all readers interested in this topic that there are many opinions on how to deal with racial inequality.

            The Editorial Board did a wonderful job supporting the idea that racial inequalities need to be confronted and gave insight into the recent racial issue in the field of higher education.