DESIGN

I think hacking into your physical environment can benefit you to be more successful. After spending five hours in the Architecture Studio I saw pure evidence with my own eyes that hacking into the environment in which you work at can help you tremendously. The architecture students changed the structure of their studio and constructed/ redecorated their class room completely different from the original structure to a structure more suitable for them. Changing your environment can help a person feel more at home, comfortable, and maybe even help them focus or learn more. For example I love working in my bedroom because it has all my books, pencils, calculators, laptop, and all the other accessories necessary to do my school work. Changing your environment can benefit someone in many ways.

EXPERIENCE AT CAL POLY(Architecture)

If I remember correctly Dustin, Taylor, Cecilio, and I volunteered our time to travel to the famous University known as Cal Poly. I honestly had no idea of what I was getting myself into, but I've always loved to take risks and this was a perfect opportunity to do so. When I first entered the Architecture Studio I was so nervous and shy to meet people who are pursuing the career that I one day hope to pursue. I introduced myself and then quickly sat down and joined in on the conversation that they were having. We began the lecture like any normal, standardized class. Dr. Preston led the lecture or the talk by asking us questions that we had no preparation what so ever for. I really don't like being put on the spot especially in front of a class full of college students, but we answer all of his questions at the best of our abilities. After a short period of time Dr. Preston had to attend to private matters and we continued without him. No offense to Dr. Preston, but I felt a lot less nervous and more accustomed to the collaboration once he left. We all brought snacks and shared and ate together. Afterwards we split into groups and we collaborated about their class project. They began asking me a bunch of questions about high school and how I think we can make it a better place for students to learn and study in the environment that their in. They were shocked to find out that not a lot of students spend their time in the library our school provides us with because they utilize their library frequently, almost all the time. Afterwards we presented what we came up with to the class. The trip to Cal Poly was an experience that I will never forget. Thank you Dr. Preston fopr making one of my biggest dreams come true.

ESSAY: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Matthew Berumen

Period: 0

Parental Involvement

            Is parental involvement in children’s learning environment beneficial for the child? Most people believe it to be true and encourage parents to be more active in their child’s academics, but statistics have proven otherwise. It’d make more sense if children benefited from the guidance of their parents. It’s ironic to me that the results of this experiment resulted in the way it did, because when I was a kid I remember that my parent’s involvement with my academics was a tremendous help in my school work. My parents were always active and involved in everything that I participated in. Their help, support, and motivation is what kept me going all these years and still is the main source that drives me to succeed.  I was so shocked to find out that parental involvement affected the young students negatively.

            Over the past few years studies have been focused on whether or not the parental engagement in children’s academic lives improve test scores and grades. Despite this, increasing parental involvement has been one of the focal points of both President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act and President Obama’s Race to the Top. Both programs promote parental engagement as one remedy for persistent socioeconomic and racial achievement gaps. What did we find? One group of parents, including blacks and Hispanics, as well as some Asians (like Cambodians, Vietnamese and Pacific Islanders), appeared quite similar to a second group, made up of white parents and other Asians (like Chinese, Koreans and Indians) in the frequency of their involvement. The majority of the time the reason why children do worse in the first group because maybe education isn’t seen as important or valuable in the eyes of the student which reflects on the parents and their teaching habits.

            Like I stated earlier my parents were always involved in my school work and they were also active in all the extracurricular activities I participated in. I honestly don’t think that parental involvement can ever be in any way negative. At the same time I can understand why parental involvement can result negatively. Not all children are blessed with such loving and supporting parents who have the time and patience to help their child like the way my parents did with my siblings and I.

            In conclusion the article believes that parents should not be involved in their child’s learning activities/criteria.

THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN SHOULD AND MUST

      The article "The Crossroads Between Should and Must" is an article that explains exactly what the title states. It compares and contrasts them both. Should is a road in which you have the power to make a choice or not to make a choice. In other words you have the opportunity to act on something or not. Only small risks are made when you on the road/path of should. Usually when you choose this path you don't feel obligated or pressured to make a decision.
      Must is a road in which you don't have that freedom or the will to decide for yourself. It's when you either don't have a choice because one specific way is the best and most likely the most beneficial choice/way. A good example for must is like when you have to attend jury duty. You must go to the jury or your freedom can be put at steak. I believe if you don't go to court when you're asked to then you go to jail.