blog 4!

For Ampersand I hope that I will be able to have a high quality final product, that i am proud of. i hope that i will be able to follow most of the advice on the board to contibute to my final product.

blog 3! interview.

Interview with Linda Dreyfuss

Educating Green, 25 2^nd graders a year.

When I walked into Mrs. Dreyfuss’s room, the first thing I noticed about it was that the walls were covered in the colorful work of the 2nd graders. The room was empty at the moment, but I was already receiving good vibes when I stood in it. The sun streamed through the window slits and it made the room feel warm and full of kindness. Mrs. Dreyfuss walked in and let out a huge sigh of relief after she took the kids to lunch. She looked weary and a little drowsy but over all she had a fun energetic look to her. If I had just glanced at Mrs. Dreyfuss I would assume she’s an ordinary 2nd grade teacher but go deeper and I realized she has had many battles in her life, starting with breast cancer. Fully recovered now, she enjoys teaching her 2nd grade class and sometimes participating in the Susan G. Colman 3 day walk with her dog in training. Mrs. Dreyfuss is a blonde haired, spunky woman and enjoys when she dresses in style. She has a calm look to her and is easygoing about most things, however she does keep her class under control, her kids adore her and most listen to her every word. She speaks her mind when needed and is able to control her class. Mrs. Dreyfuss has been a teacher for 33 years, and in that time she has contributed to Myron B. Green Elementary faithfully for about 20 years.

Mrs. Dreyfuss at her desk, always working on something when not teaching her class.

Why do you enjoy your job?
I've been teaching for 33 years and I like to work with kids, I like to see the light bulb go on, when they realize something.

Why did you decide on 2nd grade?
I didn't, I was in Special Ed and just decided a change and my principal at the school I was at hand picked Green as a job for me to try and that was the opening that was available. I had been teaching Special Ed for 10 years in San Diego and just decided to look at the General Ed perspective. So this was the job opening.

What’s the hardest part about being a second grade teacher?
Preparing for a substitute! You can never walk out the door, shut the door and say the works going to be there tomorrow. You always have to be prepared for a sub or the long hours to prepare the plan, especially in elementary. Its minute by minute not subject where it would be in high school, where you might be teaching multiple classes but you have the same subject, with the same lesson plan. This is minute by minute for the 7 hours. I cant personally leave it with a skeleton lesson plan, I’ve got to make sure that for me I'm planned or over planned so that if something falls apart its not because I wasn't prepared but that just fell apart, because.

Did you ever think you would be a teacher in high school?
No, I wanted to be a dental hygienist! But there was too much science!

Would you ever teach a different grade?
Yeah! I taught Special Ed which was kindergarten through 8th grade, so yeah I wouldn't mind teaching another grade, but right now this is comfortable and I’m probably only going to teach about 5 more years, them I’ll retire!

blog 2!

A normal work day at green elementary with any teacher would most likely consist of sitting and reading out of books, but walk into Mrs. Dreyfuss’s room and they are moving and working at the same time. Trying to keep the kids blood flowing, keeps them more focused and on task. Looking at Mrs. Dreyfuss you would assume she s an ordinary 2^nd grade teacher but go deeper and you realize she has had many battles in life, starting with breast cancer. Fully recovered now she enjoys teaching her 2^nd grade class and sometimes participating in the Susan G. Colman 3 day walk with her dog in training. Mrs. Dreyfuss is a short blonde haired, spunky woman and enjoys dressing in style. She speaks her mind when needed and is able to control her class. Mrs. Dreyfuss has been teaching for 33 years, and in that time she has contributed to green faithfully.


is there anything i can add to give more detail about her life?
anything to add to make it better?
anything you want to know about her?

semester 2 blog 1

2 high quality interviews:

1. http://toys.about.com/od/hotnewtoyreleases/a/interviewpublic.htm
This interview is high quality and very professional. The intervier is very polite and asks open ended questions not just like yes or no answers. It gives the person being interviewed a question to actually reflect upon and be albe to give a well rounded answer to.

2. http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/the-market/2009-03-23/bruce-high-quality-foundation--1/
This is another example of another good interview for different reasons, it is more like a conversation but the interviewer still got the information about the art that he needed.

Into the Wild

The book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is about Chris McCandless's (Alex Supertramp) journey through the wild he throws away everything he has worked for and drops out of college. He burns all the money he is carrying and abandons his prize car. Chris McCandless walks into the wild with no money, thin clothing and a 10lb bag of rice, he met many people and one specific couple, Jan Burres and her husband, Mr. Burres, made a huge impact on him. Chris used to write to them all the time, whenever he stopped in a city for a long time and around holidays if he remembered. I definitely see something noble and brave in his story; he literally walked into the wild with almost nothing, lived off the woods, depended on them for everything, and died with the woods, which to me is admirable, noble, and brave.

Chris started out in his car, an old yellow datsun, but after getting caught in a flash flood he abandoned it. Inside the car he left a gianini guitar, a saucepan with $4.93, a football, some old clothes, and a fishing pole with tackle, a razor, a harmonica, jumper cables, 25lbs of rice, and in the glove box were the car keys. He originally started out with a good supply of things to live out of his car with but once he couldn't use his car anymore he needed to lighten his load dramatically. He only took 10lbs of rice, a blue sleeping bag, a .22 caliber rifle and a journal to record everything that happened over the next 2 years.

When Chris McCandless was living in Alaska for 4 months he had a rifle that was used to kill many squirrels and porcupines. Although in a stroke of luck he managed to shoot and kill a moose. He tried to copy some hunters by smoking it but that did not work, he ended up just ruining the meat and wasting all of it. There was a bus that he lived in, it had been left there by a man who had been trying to forge a way through the woods but had run out of money so he returned with only 2 out of the 3 buses he owned. He left the last one for people passing through or hunters to stay in. Chris McCandless wrote an SOS note in which he says “I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening.” This note gives solid evidence that he is using the woods to his advantage and using it for all its worth.

Chris was in Alaska for 4 months and ended up dying in the bus. He got too weak to try to cross the river and did not have energy to go collect food. He basically starved to death, he could not collect food for himself and he needed to get more protein into his body but could not do that for the lack of game in the area.

I think what Chris McCandless did was stupid, he walked into the wild with almost nothing and expected to live? Well I think that was stupid but at the same time he is courageous and noble. He decides to just live off the wild with nothing, no phone, computer, TV, nothing! I think that is really brave of him to do, I don't think I could do that. He just decides to up and go to Alaska and live like people like hundreds and thousands of years ago did. I think what Chris McCandless did; living off the woods for 2 years was noble and admirable.

BLOG 27!

i am thinking of doing number 1 or 3.



1. 168 says "I am reborn. This is my dawn. Real life has just begun....The Great Holiness of FOOD, the Vital Heat....Reality. Independence. Finality-Stability-Consistency." this passage is very powerful, it has words that are capitalized for no reason just so that they become more powerful and meaningful. Food, is bold and all capital letters, it makes it stand out even more then it would. i think the reality of this passage made him realise that he needs to start over to become something new. start a new life with food, stability, and consistency.

3. "nothing positive at all about Chris McCandless’ lifestyle or wilderness doctrine …surviving a near death experience does not make you a better human it makes you damn lucky." in my opinion he was courageous and brave for going out and trying to live in the wild for years on end. but i also do think that he knew it would end bad, he wrote to Everett Ruess "as to when i shall visit civilization, it will not be soon, i think" this is saying that he did want to go back eventually but not quiet yet. i think he was very brave for going out into the wild, not many people survive for as long as he did, the only reason he did not leave was because he was rained-in. the river that he had to cross was over flowed and would have killed him if he had tried to pass it.

BLOG 26!

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/contests.html

the entry is free, you can upload up to 5 photos. the deadline is dec 2, tomorrow but there will be another one opening up that i plan to enter.

my work compared to theirs is about the same maybe a little less but it will still be accepted, and will get my work out in to the public.