7th Annual KU Composition Conference

When I attended 7th the annual KU Composition Conference, I specifically chose to attend the panel discussion because I was interested in what they had to say. I love teaching children and when I get out of college I would like to open a school of the arts for children. I thought that by going to this panel discussion I would learn a few tips for teaching. Although, The panel seemed more focused on creative writing then just teaching. The professors were more interested in giving their students a voice then in just teaching them how to write. I found that interesting because most teachers seem like they want to teach their students grammar and sentence structure. When they discussed how the public high schools constrain their teachers, I had a bit of a revelation. It never occurred to me that the schools were making the teachers teach that way, I always thought they chose to teach that way. I also never realized that public schools taught to prepare students for tests, not necessarily for learning. I was home-schooled my whole grade school career, so I never knew that was how they taught in public schools. It makes me thankful I was home-schooled because my parents were more interested in my creativity and growing as a person, then in passing tests. By being home-schooled it taught me creativity, responsibility, and learning things on my own. Those are quality that don’t seem to get included into the children’s education in public school. I find it alarming that the teachers know that the school simply wants to prepare its students for tests, and there is nothing the teachers can do about it. I could not imagine teaching children everyday knowing that I am simply preparing them to take tests, not necessarily for the real world. 

     When the discussion turned to budget cuts, as I assumed it would, I learned many new insights. I knew that the budget cuts would effect the students and their education, but I did not realize how much the budget cuts would effect teachers. The budget cuts will definitely make teaching harder, and make grading harder due to the class size. 

Music In Our Daily Lives

 In my composition class Dr. Morris had us do an exercise which involved the class listening to classical music and writing down how it inspired us. Some of the responses were pretty interesting. The students said things like spring or school, while others associated the song with a commercial it was used in for chocolate. I found this concept interesting because I never realized how many things and emotions I associate with different songs. For instance when Target used the song “ You Say Goodbye”, by the Beetles in their commercial, whenever I heard that song I thought of the store Target. Not only do I associate songs with product ads, but I also associate them with feelings. Songs that come out on the radio during the summer, I always associate with summer, even years later. The song I heard right after my dad’s heart attack, I associate with worry, and every time I hear that song I get a sinking feeling in my gut. One way can utilize music to benefit us is in studying for school. Classical music such a Baroque period music causes the heart to beat slower and relax to the beat of the music. The body becomes relaxed and alert, and the mind can concentrate easier. This type of music will help you study and focus on the task at hand. You will also associate the information you learned with the music you listened to while you were studying. Then listening to that same music before you take a test will bring all that information back to your memory. Music can be such a useful tool.

          Music can be a useful tool in a persons life. We naturally respond to music because of its rhythm. Our bodies have their own rhythm, from our heartbeat and breathing patterns, to how we walk and talk. The type of music we listen to plays important role in our life. I noticed that when I listened to soft music I feel calm and happy, but when I listen to rap music I feel more on edge and angry. It’s interesting how the type of music we listen to affects our mood.

          In researching for this blog I learned a lot about music’s affect on emotions and body functions. I find this subject very interesting. I’m going to start listening to classical music while I study and see if it improves my test score and retention.

Meeting With Aramark!

          While I was interviewing Aramark, the food provider for Kutztown University, I had a few revelations. I always assumed that the reason students had to leave their backpacks outside the dinning hall was because, the dinning hall was experiencing food theft. I understand that food theft is a problem for a company, but what I did not understand was why they were taking such extreme action. Since the dinning hall is essentially a buffet. As I spoke with Aramark’s Representative he informed me that food theft was not the main concern. That a more expensive reason arose that forced Aramark to have students leave their bags outside. The real issue is silverware theft, students are stealing plates, napkin holders, knives, forks, spoons and anything else they can get their hands on. The representative informed me that this semester he had to reorder about $10,000 worth of kitchenware for the dinning hall that had been stolen. The reason we have to leave out our bags outside, is because some of the students do not respect their property. The students continually steal from the dinning hall. Believing that it is fine to take plates and other things because, they are paying for a meal plan. They think they have the right to take Aramark’s property. If you went to a fancy restaurant, would you stick the plate you just ate off of into your bag? Probably not, because that would be disrespectful and you would get in trouble for stealing. So why do students think its ok to do that in a university setting. If the students would not steal from the south dinning hall, we would probably be allowed to take our bags in the dinning hall. Eliminating this whole problem between Aramark and the student body. Aramark did not seem like they want to enforce such regulations. Essentiality to protect their company’s property and to avoid being taken advantage of, they do not have any choice but to implement such rules. I believe the students are really to blame for this whole situation. We blame the company for the rules they put in place. But really the reason the rule was put in place is because of the students. We as students have to become more responsible and stand up against theft. If we see students stealing, we should call them out, and explain to them how stealing will affect the whole campus, including them. I also think we as students have to raise awareness about this issue. I think a lot of students are not aware of what they are doing and the consequences. My groups project for my composition class was to get Aramark to protect our property. I would still like to accomplish that goal. I think that raising awareness around campus about this problem and how they, the students, are causing it, is also necessary.

         

My Group and Aramark.

        In my composition class my group is tackling the problem of book bags being stolen from the upstairs of the south dinning hall. We entitled our group safe sacks, in hope the name would grab attention. We recently scheduled a meeting with Aramark the food provider for the south dinning hall. We wanted to talk with Aramark because they are the company that is forcing students to leave their bags outside the dinning hall. We wanted to get Aramark’s  and the universities point of view on the thefts. Our group was very excited to meet with the representative and have the interview. I had called the representative a week prior and confirmed our appointment and where it would take place. I even called three days before the meeting for confirmation. When the day came our group gathered together early to shared our questions with each other before the meeting. We wanted to be well prepared for this meeting because we were not sure what to expect. We waited thirty minutes for the representative to arrive, then we figured he was not coming. We were very hurt and upset by this set back, so we went back to out teacher Dr. Morris. We told her what had happened and she listened in awe of our misfortune. As soon as we were done telling her our story she immediately asked us “ what do you do now?” I think the whole group was a little stunned by how quickly she expected us to to bounce back from our failure. I think if Dr. Morris had not said that to us we would have lost our drive and passion to continue. Because of her pep talk, we decided to e-mail him and request another meeting. I sent him an e-mail, and as my group and I were walking out of the building, I received a phone call from the Aramark representative. He asked if we could have the interview now at the coffee shop. We were all very excited and we ran to the coffee shop. 

           Our meeting with Aramark went great, they were impressed with how well prepared and professional we were in the interview. Although one thing I found difficult was using my words in a professional way. In the beginning of the interview I was simply reading off my paper which wasn’t getting my questions out effectively. The more questions I ask, the more comfortable I became with the interview process. Another thing I found difficult was trying not to offend the people I was interviewing. In this interview I was very passionate about the subject, and my questions were not ones they wanted to answer. I had to push to get some of my answers, it was hard not to get angry or frustrated. Perhaps it was because of my personal experience with this problem and knowing how it feels to have things stolen. Although as the interview progressed I realized that Aramark and the university also had property stolen. Aramark was subject to the same theft situation as I had experience but from the opposite perspective. One thing I loved about this interview, was both our group and Aramark had the same goal. Trying to give the other party an insight into how they feel, and their side of the story. It was amazing because, at the end of the interview we ended up meeting in the middle, and finding a comprise.

Teens and the News

         The average teenager is not interested in what’s going on in the community or even the world. Many teenagers do not regularly watch the news or read the newspaper. They believe that they do not need to know what’s going on in the world. Most teens would rather be watching TV or surfing the web, than making the world a better place to live. They do not seem to realize that this world we are living in will someday be their responsibility. The internet was created to make the world work more efficiently, but it is actually more of a distraction then anything. Websites continually bombard teens with time wasting ads. Teenagers believe that they are more in tune with the world via the internet, but because it is such a source of distraction they are actually less connected to the world and the problems around them. 

         Teenagers are rarely given the opportunity to venture out into the world and change problems they face. They often rely on their parents to solve their problems. This is unfortunate because problem solving is an important skill to learn. As we grow into our adult years we use problem solving, no matter what our occupation might be. Perhaps if teens were given more of a chance to solve problems they would be more interested in the world around them. Another reason teens are not interested in the world could be, because the news is directed towards an older generation. Most teens find the news boring, and honestly, I personally do too. The news is always presented in a matter-of-fact way that does not interest teens. I would love if someday there was a news program that was informative and exciting to watch for both teens and adults.      

           Most adults refuse to listen to what teens have to say about the daily problems they face. Teens are rarely taken seriously, simply because they are young. I believe, adults should listen to what teens have to say. Teens are exposed to a different community then adults. They also see different problems in the world that might grow to be bigger problems in the future. 

         

The Fun Theory

            When Dr. Morris sent me this video, I have to admit I was skeptical as to how they were going to make the stairs fun. Although, when they turned the stairs into a keyboard, I was completely blown away. I would have never thought of that idea, it was such a creative and fun approach. While I was watching the people going up and down the stairs I couldn’t help but smile. They were so happy playing on the stairs and making music. I found it amazing how the whole atmosphere of that area shifted when the steps were changed.  Without the piano steps the room was dull and everyone was just trying to get from point A to point B. When the keyboard was put in everyone stopped and enjoyed themselves. Even if they were in a rush to get to work or school, the new improvement at least brightened up their day. The part of the video that amazed me the most was how many people took the stairs for the sole reason that is was now fun. I find the concept of fun, to make positive change very interesting. I feel that as we get older and the more stress we are under, we forget how to have fun. Why does it have to be that way? Remember when you were little and you used to go to the playground, and how much fun you had? Why do we lose that as we go into the adult years? Most of us make little to no attempt to have fun throughout the day. 

            The more I thought about the video the more I realized that I have seen this concept before when I was younger. When I last went to Disney World, I remember there was a water fountain that talked to you and made sounds. I would stand there for as long as my parents would let me, just drinking water to see what it would say next. I probably drank two gallons of water that day. How interesting would it be if all water fountains talked to you. It would definitely lead to a positive change, because many people are dehydrated and don’t drink enough water. Who knows, it might even help prevent obesity because the consumption of sodas might decrease. I feel like a small change like that could make a world of difference.

              Perhaps If we could make the world a more fun and interesting place to live people would be happier, and healthier. Painting and the arts are entertaining but I wish we could have the opportunity to go out and make peoples days brighter. I am not saying that a painting doesn’t make people happy. Maybe if we went out and shared our arts in a constructive way more people would come to the galleries and performances for fun.

*For more information about The Fun Theory please visit www.thefuntheory.com

College Composition

         In my college composition class we are attempting something really different for the semester. We get to pick a problem that we as college students face, and decide on something we can do to fix that problem. At first I thought it was a little odd that we were doing something like this for a composition class, but as I went to more classes I realized that this class was going to teach me much more then just how to write. This class is going to teach me how to solve problems in the real world, and how to set realistic goals for myself. How to get to the source of the problem and tackle it head on. When I enrolled into this class I expected to be glued to a desk writing papers on subjects that did not interest me. Although, so far everything I have written about has been something I am passionate about. Through this I realized that I write much better when I am passionate about the subject. 

            Knowing the fact that we can actually change things in the world is very empowering. I used to always feel like the problems I encountered were out of my hands and there was nothing I could do about them. There are so many different problems in the world that simply don’t get tackled. We passively watch and complain yet never do anything about them. Everything in this world is interconnected, what effects one person might someday affect you. We act like we are bystanders in our own world and essentially our own life! We all have to learn to work together and stand up for what we believe in no matter how small the problem or the person. 

               Dr. Morris keeps reminding us that we can cause change, as long as we don’t give up.  I think we feel like we can’t do anything about it, because change seem like such a big task to make happen. Maybe it is actually easier then we think. Perhaps the big companies and our peers make us feel small and insignificant so we do not rise up and make change happen. Well I say one person can change the world and someday I want the person to be me.

* All Pictures From Google Images*