Shelton,+Cara

Hi! My name is Cara Shelton and I currently teach in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My school is quite small, so I social studies and English for high school; therefore, I am a busy girl teaching five preps a day of 9th/10th grade English, Advanced Placement Language and Composition, United States history, Psychology, and Political Science. This is my ninth year teaching and third year at Discovery School. I love teaching and I love a challenge- I have never taught the same grade or the same subject two years in a row. This is probably my final year in Honduras and then we shall see where the wind takes me from here.

When I think of this course, I expect material to help address sources of conflict both inside and outside the classroom; strategies that could be used with my students, but also with co-workers, administration, as well as in our personal lives. I feel communication activities and strategies would be helpful as well as team building activities to create unity and positive morale. When I hear the name of the class, I also imagine schools that have created an environment, both culturally and physically, of acceptance and love and diversity.

List five topics you would like to see addressed in the course

 * 1) Communication, particularly with administration and apathetic students
 * 2) =====Activities to promote empathy =====
 * 3) =====Examples of successful and renowned “peaceable schools” =====
 * 4) =====Strategies for combative or unmotivated students =====
 * 5) =====Ideas for boosting morale and camaraderie throughout an entire school =====

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As a Sociology major, this film proves the dominance of nurture over nature for me. I have always felt that our environments shape us significantly more than genetics and that our behavior is constantly adapting and changing based on our experiences and the people in our lives. =====

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 In the opening scene of the film, as Dr. Sweeney is speaking with Danny’s concerned teacher, he makes the remark that “[Danny] learned it and he can unlearn it.” I asked my Advanced Placement students about this after asking them to watch the movie, and they did not agree but they completely understood Dr. Sweeney’s point, which is that knowledge and our processing of knowledge is fluid; we can never unlearn something but we are always shaping the knowledge we have as we receive more and more. =====

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 As Sweeney told Derrick, “my help is not unconditional.” I feel this is important to keep in mind as a teacher. We may love our students or our spouses or children or friends unconditionally, but reciprocity is extremely important. Help, in whatever form, demands an exchange and an understanding that nothing is for free. Dr. Sweeney intuitively felt that Danny could change, but he knew the only vehicle of change for that young man was his brother. Derrick’s only hope was Dr. Sweeney, and when he was hopeless and questioning everything he had known to be true, Derrick allowed the embodiment of everything he thought he hated to be his only real savior. Derrick’s experience in prison forced him to deconstruct everything that he had believed and fought for and killed for up to that point in his life. Being raped by his “brothers” was the epitome of his awakening, and the ignorance and hatred was inevitably clear. =====

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Dr. Sweeney’s commitment and persistence is almost unbelievable; as I discussed this with my class, I asked them if they could give someone like Danny another chance and put so much faith into a person that looked at them with hate and anger; most of them said no. It would have been very easy and justifiable for Dr. Sweeney to wipe his hands of Danny and his entire family; they were racist, bigoted, ignorant Neo-Nazis that represented everything Dr. Sweeney. However, Dr. Sweeney understood very well the power of nurture. =====

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It is evident that Danny was fighting the influence of his family for awhile, as we can see with his father at the dinner table during the flashback. As Danny discussed the literature that his teacher had him read, his father subtlety shared his prejudices in a manner that was both calm yet aggressive. It is also evident that the entire family was not a product of this white supremacy ideology; both the mother and sister did not share these beliefs and pleaded with Danny and Derrick to reconsider the ideology they were living by. =====

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My class and I had an incredible conversation about human nature and how we form the beliefs that we have. We all agreed that we are quite malleable creatures, capable of changing our minds and behaviors with a mere interaction or moment with another person or experience. When I reflect on my own life, it is these small moments that have made the greatest change; a stranger’s kindness or wise words have created waves in my thinking and my actions. =====

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None of the characters’ actions in this film were rooted in nature; no one is born to hate or to feel superior or crave violence. We are taught in both covert and overt ways these behaviors that shape us. I believe it is our obligation as humans to recognize our vulnerability and reflect on how changeable we are; we should not be ashamed by our mercurial ways, but rather hopeful that we do not have to be controlled by our ideologies or our parents or our communities. As free thinkers, we must constantly pay attention to what is shaping us and question the goodness of its effects. =====

What is a peaceable school?
 * Assignment #3 **
 * What would a peaceable school or community look like?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What elements of communication would be included?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would be tolerated and what would not be tolerated?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would the rules be?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would would the expectations be?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What would the responsibilities be?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A peaceable school can physically take the shape of anything; from the outside, it could be a one-room schoolhouse or a million dollar building or a set of tires on a field. The physicality of a school has no importance to its “peaceableness;” it is the life and the environment radiating from it that matters.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Communication is at the core of a peacable school, and it must involve all stakeholders- parents, students, faculty, administration, board, and staff. Too often, communication is not treated as a priority; people generally avoid and fear confrontation, but this neglect and miscommunication is almost always what leads to conflict. Positive communication is real, honest, firm, balanced with praise and criticism, and most importantly, rooted in trust.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a peaceable school mistakes are tolerated as well as all the feelings, but reflection and encouragement and therapeutic activities would be necessary. It is important to teach students that failure will happen and conflict will happen and unfortunate circumstances will happen, but there are proper ways of handling these situations. Bullying, disrespect, and apathy should not be tolerated in a peacable school. In order for conflict to be avoided and peace be not only sustained but dispersed, students must be taught to respect each other and that respect must be modeled. Students must understand the danger of apathy and indifference.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I feel like the rules must be rooted in compassion. It doesn’t matter how fun or engaging or comfortable you make school- there are going to days people do not want to be there. There are days where laying in bed and watching mindless television trumps learning and active minds. That is just the truth, but peaceable schools know this and are tolerant of “bad days” because most importantly, the school philosophy is rooted in nurture.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ultimate expectation is to be a good person, a global citizen, and a person of dignity and respect. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> All members of a peaceable school live by the expectation that what happens at school becomes a part of you and you must reciprocate by being a good human being. Relevance and authentic assessment and instruction should be instilled in all classrooms and all lesson planning. We all know that students learn the best when they can make sense of the content in their own lives, so relevance in every aspect of curriculum should be expected. This is the only way that our students are going to remember anything in a year or five years or a lifetime. The content must stick, teachers must make it last, and in order to do that it must be personal.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students of a peaceable school should have responsibilities in the school that require them to take ownership such as cleaning up, community service, extracurricular activities, and appreciation for the faculty and staff. Peaceable schools understand that is everyone’s responsibility to maintain order.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">B. Do a web search for Oscar Arias (use a minimum of two sites other than wikipedia)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">D. Response to the Oscar Arias speech at the Tri-Association
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Describe how if Hank (your professor) came to your classroom or community he would observe the elements of a peaceable community.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What evidence would he see?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How will you promote peace in your community?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Oscar Arias’ speech, he urged educators to teach the value of peace and gave suggestions as to how to incorporate this value in classes of history, science, and language. I am a teacher of both history and language, and it is my daily goal to incorporate this value in my lessons in some fashion. Instead of calling it peace, I call it empathy training, but the premise is the same. With each lesson, as well as with interactions with students and staff, I hope to plant a seed of kindness and compromise. So, if Hank came into my classroom, he would observe the following elements of a peaceable community. First, I begin each day with affirmations. Every single day my high school students walk in the room and it is the same procedure- they get out their materials, they push their chairs under, and they stand behind their chairs waiting to repeat the affirmations of the day. Depending on my mood and the kids’ moods and the activity of the day, my affirmations may change, but they are all rooted in unity and respect. “I am no better than anyone else.” “I will make a difference in my world today.” I am respectful.” I choose peace over war.” “I understand it is my obligation as a human to help and understand others.” These affirmations take approximately 1-2 minutes and then students are given their instructions for the class. If a student decides to be a bit of a jerk or not take the affirmations seriously, then he or she must lead the affirmations the next day or they get a parent conference. I have found this to be quite helpful and it sets the mood of the class every day. There have been a few days that I haven’t greeted my students at the door or started the affirmations in a timely manner, and they definitely notice. One of my students would not participate in class one day until I led the affirmations because she said it was “messing up her aura without them.”

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another example of incorporating the value of peace in my room is through discussion- lots of discussion, about lots of topics, all the time. One of the main reasons I became a teacher is because I wanted to do a better job than my teachers did in middle school and high school. They were not terrible and I learned, however I do not feel like they trusted up to have discussions about meaningful and controversial topics; those topics that teenagers very much need to discuss in an academic setting in order to truly be well-rounded and informed and mold intellectual thought about uncomfortable issues. I went through a lot in high school- a mom in prison, a old, ornery man for a guardian, a best friend with cancer, and much more. I needed a peaceable school to nurture me and provide a smart girl with unfortunate circumstances an opportunity to share her voice. My students, in all of my classes and all of my organizations that I sponsor, get this opportunity on a daily basis in some capacity. I have several different discussion rubrics and templates and activities that stimulate thought and especially as Arias stated in his speech, values as being important as facts (if not more).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lastly, my assignments and projects are typically rooted in understanding perspective. I feel like understanding perspective is the most important aspect of teaching the value of peace. To understand another person or group or country’s perspective creates a basis for forum and negotiation. Without this basic understanding of all voices, it is impossible to solve problems or reach a compromise. In my U.S. history class, my main text is Lies My Teacher Told Me which addresses the serious and misleading myths of the country’s history. I teach my kids to see American history through the eyes of a slave and an American Indian and a textile worker in the Northeast and Donald Trump and a suffragist and an Irish immigrant; to not look at these stories from the top down but rather from the bottom up.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In my personal life, aside from “peaceable” lesson plans, I try to be a really, really decent person and encourage others to do the same. I tip really well. I give strangers gifts. I smile a lot. I hug. I listen. I look into people’s eyes and I tell them thank you and I really mean it. I love with my whole heart. I try to educate and motivate and inspire. I continue to learn and grow as a person. I put being good and kind before any of my other qualities. This is how I hope to promote peace in my community.

Violence Quiz Results: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> [|Waterboarding video] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I watched a video on waterboarding, several questions came to mind: How do we balance national security with morality? Where do we draw the line? How does the "torturer" go about he/she daily life without constantly being emotionally attacked by that experience? Even though I am not a proponent of torture, I understand that it has its place and that if terrorism exists, torture will also most likely exist. However, I do feel that there must be accountability. As a society, we must recognize it is wrong and we must understand why it must happen and who authorized the action. Torture should be used a last resort to extract information in an expedient and urgent manner. Severe pain and mental suffering should be avoided and ethicacy should always be considered.
 * Assignment #4**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Question || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cara || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gustavo || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Adalia || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Patricia || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">Owen ||
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">T || F || F || F ||
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || T || T || T ||
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">3 || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">T || F || F || T ||
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">T || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">T || F || F || F ||
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">5 || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">F || T || T || T ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal #4 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to use this activity with my political science class during a unit on the roles of government. I began the lesson by using the atomic circle activity. All the students stand in a circle and the middle (the nucleus) is strongly agree and the outer circle is strongly disagree and they can place themselves anywhere in between. The following statements were given: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Violence is inevitable. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peace is easy to obtain. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Torture techniques are necessary for national security. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Developing countries are more violent than developed countries. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peace treaties should always be number one priority in global conflicts. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A country's leader is responsible for the violence in a country.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The results of the activity were varied and thought provoking. Students made really great points about different kinds of violence depending on the country, the motivation and initiation of violence from the most powerful countries, the complexity of maintaining peace and security, and the morality of torture. I also put the students in small groups and gave them the questions below. They had to each speak for 2 minutes about any or all of the questions and then share as a whole group.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Write a short response on the Emotional Intelligence reading: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The author of the reading argues there are two parts of the brain (rational and emotional). Our emotional intelligence affects success particularly with relationships as well as physical well-being. “Emotional literacy” refers to how aware people are of their emotions and how they control them. Our brains can become “hijacked” meaning we cannot always think rationally because our brains have been consumed by our emotions.
 * Assignment #5**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Research amygdala: [|The Amygdala in Five Minutes] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The amygdala is an almond shaped group of nuclei located in the temporal lobes of the brain and is linked to our responses to fear and pleasure. Its purpose is necessary for survival since it signals to all animals when it is in danger or feeling threatened. Most importantly, it receives sensory information that processes the external world and responds to all emotional activity which is why our bodies freeze, our blood pressure increases, and we sweat in certain situations.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal Entry #5 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I shared with video with my psychology class as an introduction into a unit on emotional intelligence and behavior. I asked them to respond to three questions: 1) How does this video relate to psychology? 2) How could you use this in your daily life? 3) Do you agree or disagree with Amy Cuddy and the idea that our bodies can change our minds?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The kids seemed to giggle at the power poses but they recognized the validity in the practice. They all agreed that a person’s nonverbal behavior defines how other people see them but they were not all convinced that we can “fake it until we make it.” One student argued that faking it could go against that person’s personality and create a false sense of self. Other students brought up the idea of the self fulfilling prophecy and that pretending to be powerful could actually lead someone to being powerful. They were all touched by Amy Cuddy’s personal story and could relate to her feeling of fear and lack of belonging. I followed up the Ted Talk and the discussion by asking the students how they feel about their own emotional states and whether they feel confident in their ability to control their emotions. Over half of my students admitted that they do not control their emotions well and that it affects their daily lives. This further concluded that this emotional intelligence is very necessary with this class, and my hope is that they find strategies that can improve their confidence, their sense of self worth, and their ability to communicate effectively in order to maintain or create lasting relationships with other people.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A conflict is a lack of acceptance of another person or groups' opinions, ideology, or actions. It is a clash or disagreement. Conflict resolution is a reconciliation or compromise that prevents more conflict of any sort and involved peace making of some sort. Resolution is a process that can consist of many steps before true peace can be made.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assignment #6 **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I will be honest, I can become emotionally "hijacked" and it is typically in a relationship. If there is any type of relationship in my life that is in conflict, it seems that my brain is incapable of rational thought. If I am upset and it seems there has not been closure to a disagreement or argument, then I become completely consumed by these thoughts and can't seem to make sense of anything else.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal Entry #6A <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I do not feel that the amygdala and emotions hinder conflict resolution; I feel that miscommunication hinders conflict resolution. I have been in several situations where being emotional and expressing my true feelings honestly was advantageous to the argument; however, if the emotional response is causing a person to misspeak or say hurtful, harmful things, then it clearly hinders resolution. I do feel people can control their emotions without suppressing them, but it depends on the conflict and the people involved. I know that if I do not feel like I am being taken seriously or my thoughts are not valid, gradually my emotional control wavers and I begin to speak and act in a more aggressive and volatile manner.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal Entry #6B: Cursing Reflection <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I find this topic very interesting, and as usual, I wanted to test it out with my kids. For my AP Language and Composition class, I sent them a few websites with different perspectives of whether cursing is helpful or harmful for mental health. Then, I had them write an argumentative thesis statement arguing one of these points. Before they did their own research and wrote their statements, we had a discussion about cursing. I have one particular student whose parents allow him to curse freely and supports his use of profanity as a form of self-expression. He is one of my top students. When asked as a group about this, only one student argued that cursing is harmful for your health. He believed that cursing is a reflection of trauma or negative experiences in one’s life. He also argued that cursing creates a negative image which then affects self esteem and self worth. I also asked my students if they feel it is appropriate to curse in school. Even though almost all the students felt cursing is beneficial, they all felt it was inappropriate to curse in school, except for the student that had argued cursing is harmful. I found this incredibly interesting. So, his argument was that cursing is not helpful, but if it is must be done it should happen in an academic environment with purpose.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I personally feel that cursing is healthy and that there can be an appropriate place for it in school. I teach high school and sometimes, it makes sense to allow the kids to cuss, especially in a heated debate or in a spoken word performance. I also do not feel uncomfortable showing videos or clips that contain cursing. I have always communicated to my students when cursing will happen and whether it has purpose or not. I will also correct my students when I feel they have cursed in a manner that makes them seem ignorant or lacking eloquence. Everything has a time and place, and I find it important to address this in my classroom.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Create three imessages:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assignment #7 **

1. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When you immediately get started on your vocabulary warm up, I can quickly assess your work and I feel the class has started in a positive manner.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 2. When you choose to talk to each other rather than listen to me, I feel disrespected and I lose patience.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 3. When you do not help me with the dishes after dinner, I feel you are not doing your part and my attitude changes towards you.

My psychology class is a challenging group; there are only ten of them so it is quite embarrassing to admit that they are the only class I struggle with in terms of management and behavior. It is difficult to get them motivated and engaged, and t is difficult to communicate with them effectively or vice versa. I decided to take a week and teach emotional intelligence and do lessons #6 and #7 with them as a class. We discussed the importance of communication and they had to create their own imessages. Here are some of the finished products:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When you dismiss me, you don't listen, and I feel ignored. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When you all ways have to be right, even when your are wrong, I feel like I am not heard <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When you yell at me, nothing is accomplished, and I feel annoyed. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When you don't act interested in knowing about me growing as a person, I think that I have no support and I feel upset. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> When you compare me to others, I dislike myself even more because of something that I can't control and I feel disappointed. When you think its okay to ignore me, I am in distress and I feel disgusted by myself. Journal #7 Imessage for "Gigi": When you come to my house and go through my things, an invasion of my privacy happens and I feel uncomfortable.

When you respected my privacy and personal space, I was able to trust you more and feel more at ease with both our friendship and all others involved.

I have one particular student I adore and we have a great relationship, but his behavior in class has wavered recently and has become a distraction for the entire class. I decided that a behavior contract would be ideal to monitor and document his behavior on a daily basis. I wanted him to be accountable for this contract and create it with me. I also wanted him to recognize on his own the behaviors that needed to change. He wrote down four behaviors that I am constantly having to address with him and created his behavior goals. He then defined poor, good, and excellent behavior. Lastly, he came up with his consequences so that they were authentic and meaningful to him. Even though he doesn't really get punished by his mother, he hates to see her disappointed in him so contacting her was his first suggestion for a consequence. He did not think he deserved positive consequences, but I was surprised that he thought getting congratulated in front of the class would actually help his behavior. Below is the contract that we created together. He will evaluate himself at the end of each of my classes (English and Psychology) and then we will have lunch at the end of each week to discuss his progress.
 * Assignment #8**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Behavior Contract <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Student Name: “Nick” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Behavioral Goals: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Daily Check: Poor Good Excellent <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Poor is defined as not meeting any or most of the behavior goals <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good is defined as meeting at least half of the behavior goals <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Excellent is defined as meeting all behavior goals <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Consequences: Positive and Negative <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Positive consequences include individual praise, praise in front of the class, and if there is a consistent week of all excellent daily checks, “Nick” will be able to facilitate a thirty minute team building basketball game with the entire class. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Negative consequences include a phone call home to mom with the possibility of phone and/or game system being taken away. If this does not work, a meeting with the principal to discuss possible suspension will occur.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do not interrupt teacher while she is talking
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Get all materials ready for class before eating snacks
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Complete all in class and homework assignments
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Limit off-task behavior and distractions

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal Entry #9: Baum and Nicols personality profile. Comment what I am as well as Regina. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was not surprising that I scored as a People Person (with the score of 32) and a Creative Problem Solver (with a score of 28). These two prototypes make perfect sense for me. I feed off of other people’s energy, and I am much happier when I am around others rather than alone. I do not feel intimidated by working with people but rather invigorated by it. I am known as the “fun planner” at school because I frequently organize dinners, parties, and outings to promote morale and comradery amongst my school family. I feel my strength is in the way I treat people. I take pride in the fact that I treat people with kindness and greet everyone with a smile. It s what I am known for among all people in my life. As a creative problem solver, I love to brainstorm and come up with ideas but I struggle with execution. I love to plan and organize, but I need practical managers to help me with time management and delivery.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assignment #9 **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also gave this personality profile to my good friend and neighbor, Regina. Her scores were very interesting. She scored a 27 for both People Person and Creative Problem Solver, but Learned Expert and Practical Manager were not far behind both with a score of 23. These results actually surprised me. She is often awkward in social situations and tends to try to dominate conversations with her knowledge or expertise, so I actually thought she would score as a Learned Expert and Practical Manager. She keeps a very detailed and organized planner that she would be lost without, and she is very meticulous about time and responsibilities. My shock from her results have taught me that people do not always perceive themselves the way others perceive them. I think it is extremely important for all of us to remember this because it could drastically help maintain relationships.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assignment #10 **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of nurture by the families of the two main characters, Derrick and Homer.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of the mother in the development of each of the two main characters Derrick and Homer.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of the teacher Murray in Derrick’s life and the role of Miss Reilly in Homer’s life.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of the two principals in the lives of Derrick and Homer.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The role of the community in the lives of Derrick and Homer.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. The role of nurture is very similar in both the families of Derrick and Homer. They both have mothers that are overpowered by their husbands and not fully able to support their sons or provide any major guidance or advice. The fathers play a significant role in discouraging their sons. Both boys are very much products of their communities and negatively influenced by the presence (or lack there of) of their fathers. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Gender roles are significant for both mothers in the films; it seems that they both want to be supportive and nurture their sons, but are overpowered by their husbands. For example, we see Derrick's mother try to speak up against his father (while he was still living) but she was dismissed. After the death of Derrick's father, his mother seemed less involved in his life and helpless to his behavior. Derrick became the "man of the house" and his mother had no authority or power in shaping him after the death of his father. Homer's mother seems intimidated by her husband and keeps her from being more supportive of his talents and interests in the rocket building. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Murray and Miss Reilly have very different influences on their students; Murray wants to influence Derrick through literature and dialogue, but because he is Jewish, he is completely dismissed by Derrick. Not only is he disrespected and ignored by Derrick, but he also forces his mother to stop dating him. He was not able to shape or mold Derrick at all. Homer, on the other hand, was positively influenced by Miss Reilly because she never gave up and always encouraged he and his friends. She was kind and patient and persistent. She recognized the boys' potential and pushed them to do more. Miss Reilly really did not do much to help the boys academically; they had all the toys they needed. What they lacked is what Miss Reilly made up for- support, someone to nurture their ideas and their dreams and their passions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. The role of the principals is very different in the films //American History X// and //October Sky.// In //American History X// Dr. Sweeney goes above and beyond the role of administrator by continuing to advocate for these students even though they are resisting him in every way. For Derrick, he provides him with freedom and a second chance at life. For Danny, he also provides him a second chance by allowing him to rewrite his paper and focusing the second draft on his brother. He knew that making it relevant and personal could interest Danny and maybe change him for the better. Principal Turner, on the other hand, discourages Homer and his friends by making it more difficult for them to build the rockets and go to the national science fair. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. I would like to focus on the role of the community in //October Sky.// At the beginning, the boys were made to feel like a joke and treated as if their hopes and aspirations were silly being from a small coal mining town. The only expectations the community had for them was to stay right there and become exactly like their fathers. However, as the boys gained attention and popularity over the success of their rockets, the community began to rally behind them and support them. The power of the masses is evident in this film. Because it is a small, rural community it seemed all or nothing with little variation of ideology or behavior. In the other film, however, their community is very diverse with different races, religions, etc.. yet both Derrick and Danny chose a community that was divisive and separatist. Even though they were in a diverse environment, they made the choices to isolate themselves to one small group of people.