Blog #7 Parent's Jobs

Parents. The people who brought us into this world. But who were they before we came along? Who are they now and how have they changed? Recently I have talked to my mom about her career and how it has become apart of her. Over twenty years ago she became a telephone operator for Verizon. She is the person that will say,“What city and listing please” when you call 411 for a phone listing. Yeah, that’s my mom. I believe that a career can become a part of a person’s identity. I see this through my mom and her career. This is because she has been shaped by the people at her job. Most of the people who work with my mother are Hispanic or African American. Over the years, I have seen how working at Verizon has shaped my mom. She now talks like an African American and thinks she is “black,” most of her friends at work think she is to. It is quite funny to hear her talk and interact with them. When she gets together with them, it is like a light switch is flicked on and she is a different person. She has the whole talk and walk down to hang out with them; I get a really good laugh out of this. I also see how her job affects her mood at home. Lately her job has been very stressful and she is constantly watched, due to her company wanting to down size. When she comes home, she is still very stressed and will sometimes make simple things at home stressful. Such examples of this is cleaning the house, making dinner, and others. Therefore I believe that a persons career can affect their personality and how they act at home. I love my mom and how she is now. I guess I’m glad that she got a job at Verizon twenty years ago because I don’t know who she would be if she did not work there; I don’t know who I would be if she didn’t work there. 

Blog #6 Television and Immigrants

Today’s television revolves around different things. Some shows take place in the work place. One example is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. One the show the officers of the New York Police Department try to solve crimes that happen in the city.  There is no immigrant workers on the squad, but in certain episodes there are immigrants. This is because immigrants cannot be police officers. It is not that the show is prejudice against immigrants, but they are not any of the main characters. In a few episodes the cops help immigrants into getting justice from their attackers and even help them get asylum in the United States; which shows that it tries to depict real scenarios that would happen on the streets of New York City.

Blog #6 Television and Immigrants

Today’s television revolves around different things. Some shows take place in the work place. One example is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. One the show the officers of the New York Police Department try to solve crimes that happen in the city.  There is no immigrant workers on the squad, but in certain episodes there are immigrants. This is because immigrants cannot be police officers. It is not that the show is prejudice against immigrants, but they are not any of the main characters. In a few episodes the cops help immigrants into getting justice from their attackers and even help them get asylum in the United States; which shows that it tries to depict real scenarios that would happen on the streets of New York City.

blog #5 Time management in the first two weeks of school

The first two weeks of school. These are always the hardest weeks in the entire school year. This is when schedules are set and classes being to delve into the subject. Over the past two weeks, I have balanced my time in between classes, homework, and friends. But this year is completely different from any other year in school, because I am on my own for the first time. Now I have to manage my time on my own. Mommy and daddy are not around to nag me to do homework or be on time or even go to school. Over the years my parents have helped me manage my time and have set me up with a good system that I now use in college. Doing homework is the most important thing in keeping up with my classes. Every day I come home and start homework, even if it is not due for a while. I have learned that getting ahead is better than being behind, which has been a strength in my eyes. Other strengths of mine are being aware of deadlines and keeping organized. Some areas I would like to improve on are not getting too far ahead and making sure I understand all the assignments given to me fully. As of right now, I do not always understand assignments fully and need help from peers to make sure I am on the right track. In the future, I would like to be more self sufficient in that area. These are just some of the things I have seen as strengths and weaknesses in the first two weeks of school. I am sure there will be more as the semester moves on and hopefully I will be able to adapt to them.

Blog #4 The learning style test

Everyone learns in different ways. No two people take in information the same way. People have introduced ten learning styles that people fall into. They are as following: independent, social, pragmatic, creative, verbal, spatial, rational, emotional, concrete, and abstract. The learning style test helped myself understand how and why I take in certain information. I am an independent, pragmatic, spatial, rational, and concrete learner. The test showed me why I am the way I am. It did not help me learn anything new, but it did help to see which learning styles will work better for myself. For example, after taking the test I realized that I work better with a system in place, with pictures and visuals and tangible objects, and with no one but myself. The learning style test did not show me anything new, but helped me understand the reason behind my thinking. 

Blog #3 Differences from High School to College

College, the beginning of the rest of our lives. This is the time where we are supposed to figure out what it is we want to do with our lives. High school was just a time to prepare for the real world and college. That was when we had to go to class, do homework, and even get detentions if needed. High school was full of cramp hallways, noisy people and trying not to get in trouble for dress code ( I previously attended a Catholic high school). College is a form of culture shock from that environment. In high school, the teachers handed out syllabi and then read through it with the class to make sure everyone was on the same page and understood the demands of the course. College also handed out syllabi, yet some of the professors did not go over the syllabi. My high school gave about the same amount of work that I have received in college so far. The teachers there wanted to prepare their students for the work load they would experience with their further education. The biggest difference, to myself at least, is not having bells going off when it is time for class. Now, the professors expect you to be on time with no reminders. All together college hasn’t been that different from high school, but I enjoy the freedom and change from high school.

blog #2 How do I read?

Reading is more than just a hobby or chore to some people. To those people who enjoy reading and can fully delve into and have it become almost an alternate reality. For those people they become a character in the book and  submerge their minds into the book. These people feel the way the characters feel and relate to the different emotions that arise over the course of the book. I am one of these people. When I find a book, novel, series, or poem that I truly enjoy I put my mind and heart into the book. For example over the past year I read Nicholas Sparks’ The Last Song and the book took me to North Carolina where the plot was set. I felt exactly how Ronnie, the main character, felt throughout the book. 

Most of the time I enjoy reading by myself whenever there is time, such as at night. If i am reading at night, I love to curl up with my book in my room and just read all night. But my favorite place to read is on my porch where i can listen to the leaves rustle  through the wind and enjoy nature along with the book. When I am in that environment I can truly enjoy myself and fully grasp what is going on the book. 

Reading for school, or anytime I am not choosing to read, is not the same as if I choose to read. That type of reading is a lot more difficult and challenging. In this type of reading, one must try to see what is important and what is not, what is a metaphor and what is its meaning. To try to analyze these books, I sit down in a quiet spot and just let my mind do all the work. With a pencil in my hand, I read through the work and outline what is important or summarize each paragraph and chapter. This helps organize thoughts for paper or tests, even discussions. I feel that this is one of the best methods for reading when doing it for a purpose, such as school.

Reading is an amazing way to escape from reality. When movies, television and music fail there is always a book to help inspire someone and even let them use their imagination to take them to a new place. 

blog #1 What do I expect from Stockton College?

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, my present and future. It is the place that will launch me into the next chapter of my book. It is the place that will lead me to my future, a better future. I expect that I will grow as a person and after my four years here I will be ready to enter the adult world of working hard and responsibilities. I expect myself to fail in some parts, but learn from my mistakes and in the long run succeed. Mistakes are necessary for learning and for succeeding in the future. Some of the wisest people in the world are people who have made mistakes or failed, yet learned from it and now have a new perspective on things from their mistakes and failures.  No one is perfect and I know that I will not go all four years without any problems, but I know that with my past, and Stockton as my present, I know I will succeed and ultimately make a better tomorrow for myself and the students I teach when I graduate.