Archive for March 20, 2007

Intelligence Potential

{ March 20, 2007 @ 6:26 pm } · { Reading/ In Class Response }
{ } · { Comments (1) }

There are many different types of people in
America, this includes people who do well is school and those who do not. Should these two groups of people really be separated, and what constitutes as doing well in school? Is there are limit to intellectual potential and should these students be tracked throughout their schooling? Lastly do those students placed on the lower tracks have a disadvantage when applying to colleges.

            Ever since I was a kindergartener I have been seen as having intellectual potential, meaning that in my latter years in school I would do well. I was then set on a path of academic success where all the right opportunities were given to me in order to succeed in college. What about those kids who were not seen as having the same intellectual potential as I was, what happened to them? In my high school students were separated into several different categories according to this potential. You had your remedial classes, vocational classes, college prep classes, regular classes, honors classes, then lastly ending in AP classes. This list starts with what was considered the lowest category of classes, then increases from there. I do not agree with this form of structure that is shown through most public schooling. This form of tracking does not give others the same opportunities that I did on the higher track.

            Also how does one measure these students intelligence, through a standardized test that only shows their academic ability? Going back to my high school that is in a small, conservative town, if your child’s potential was not up for the college prep level or higher, the students parents were advised by a guidance counselor to be placed in a vocational school. There are several different reasons that make this a controversial issue. First and foremost it seems the counselors are putting a cap on the students potential saying they will never be able to do anything better than using their hands. Secondly this form of advisement makes it seem that vocational school is a bad thing to be in, when some of the most successful people have been enrolled in a vocational school.

            Lastly those that have been tracked to being the brightest of a group of kids have more of an academic advantage for the future than those who were placed on the lower track. I believe this is extremely unfair! For example, as I said before I had been put on the higher track, where as my cousin Thomas was not. During his sophomore year of high school, Thomas’ parents were called and advised that he go to vocational school for half a day his junior and senior year of high school. Thomas was put in the Automobile Correction class and hated it. He was doing horrible in his classes at the vocational school, but doing well in his college prep classes at our high school. However nothing was said or done to take him out of his vocational school. Thus his grades were suffering and he felt that college was not the future to him due to the bad grades he was receiving in his vocational class. He then enrolled in the Marines because he felt that he could make a stronger difference through serving his country and had no aspiration of going to college because he thought he could not do it. However he is happy with his decision and now has the ambition of some day going to college. 

The Body Beautiful

{ March 20, 2007 @ 6:25 pm } · { Film Diary }
{ } · { Leave a Comment }

In this movie, the mother’s breast was removed. She was pregnant and was diagnosed with having breast cancer, so each day her baby grew stronger her body grew weaker. At the time of her delivery her body was so weak they removed both her breasts. Before surgery, the doctors had advised her to bring handkerchiefs to “stuff” her bra with, so what she was left with looked somewhat normal. During this time period the doctors were saying they were doing more mastectomies than tonsillectomies. Telling this to the woman who is emotionally unstable as it is because she just gave birth to a child and now she is loosing both of her breasts. I believe this does not do well for a women’s self esteem, not only is her removing her breasts, the thing that makes her feel feminine, but she is also being told to make herself appear “normal” to the public eye.

            As her children got older and the mother started to heal, her daughter became a model right when women’s curves were “in fashion.” This I think would put a toll on the mothers self esteem as well. Her daughter is making money off of her looks and curves that supposedly makes her a woman, where as the mother does not have this advantage. The movie moves along to where her daughter invited the mother to go to a sauna because “all the women are doing it.” Despite her initial instincts, the mother went in order to please her daughter. Within the sauna, women’s breasts were exposed everywhere. This is degrading to the mother as well, however she never exposed herself. As time went on, the mother feel asleep in the sauna and allowed her towel to drop, thus exposing her scar from her mastectomy. The other women in the sauna stared her down, and it was then that her daughter realized all that her mother had went through.

            The movie ends with the mother and a young black male touching and kissing each other. Also the daughter keeps yelling in the background, “touch her.” This part of the film I found somewhat disturbing. However I understand the point the director is trying to make. In today’s society a woman’s breast is what makes her feminine. When the mother lost her breast, it leads her to feel undesirable.