Trinh,Ha

= Assignment #1 = My brief Info: Hello, my name is Ha Trinh. I’m a substitute teacher and an MYP/ DP Vietnamese Language and Literature teacher at Vientiane International School in Laos. This is my 3rd-year experience with IB with 2 years in Laos and 1 year in Mozambique. I have been very happy with my career move from international banking to teaching. The switch totally opened up a lot more opportunities for me to understand about myself, as I love being around people, exploring nature, and having an active lifestyle. Moreover, being international educators is a great way for me and my husband to travel around together, be exposed to different cultures, and have deeper connections with both families we have from Vietnam and the US.

I’m excited to take this course in Conflict Resolution/ Peaceable Schools as the next school year we will move to work at one of the UWC schools, where mindfulness will be the main philosophy of teaching and learning. I think this course will be very helpful and crucial for any profession. Human beings have been trying to get together and build peace, but it’s never been a stable timing for us to achieve the same voice for all. With me, Peaceable Schools should be the way education, in general, should aim for. We have gained so much knowledge in many fields, but not learned enough how to just be human- to live and be together, and with nature.

Within this course, I would like to learn about
 * 1) The natures of emotions and thoughts
 * 2) How to help maintain calm and stable stage of mind
 * 3) Growing and encouraging empathy in the community
 * 4) How to make it natural to teach peace
 * 5) Become a mindful teacher/human being

= Assignment #2 = American History X portrays a tragic situation and even more disturbing events that are offshoots of the main catalyst of the movie. That catalyst is the death of Derrick’s father. Although his father’s death is not shown on screen it is the spark that eventually leads to Derrick’s downward spiral. Derrick is a smart kid who sees all the angles and he understands that he is a victim of the times and a corroding environment. The environment that he once grew up in has changed and in his eyes, it’s for the worse. He turns into a bitter man and seeks a neo-nazi as his replacement father figure and mentor. This man takes advantage of Derrick’s weakness and exploits them. Derrick, being a smart and charismatic speaker rises to the top of his white supremacist gang. At the beginning of the movie, we witness what happened to Derrick and his response to it which led to him going to prison.

The movie does an excellent job flashing back and allowing the audience to realize the depth of some of these characters, mainly Derrick and his younger brother. The loss of their father affected all members of their family. When Derrick’s mom attempted to move on and had invited the teacher over for dinner Derrick became extremely territorial embarrassing his whole family. I personally believe that that also had something to do with Derrick’s distrust in the school system. It blurred the lines between Derrick’s home/school relationship. This might be why he looked at his teacher as if he was the enemy, trying to replace his father. The teacher was in a tough situation because he was a good man. His attitude towards Derrick and his family changed after that dinner encounter. It’s also easy to say that Derrick’s attitude towards him was forever altered.

The only real positive role model in the film is the principal who visits Derrick while he’s in jail and makes his younger brother write the American History X paper. The principal knew Derrick best and realized that at his core he was a good kid who had a bad hand dealt with him. The role of nature plays a much larger part than the role of nurture. The widowed mother seems to lose touch with her children and even reality. She’s in poor health and has seen too much tragedy. Her heart is broken and she knows she does not have enough help to save Derrick and his younger brother. The bad economy, the diversification, and gang mentally along lack hope in the neighborhood made for a perfect storm that allowed racism and hates to ensue. The school is clearly not a safe place, as seen in the final clip of the movie, however, the principal seems to have the best interest in the children. Every action in this movie has a reaction. Although Derrick came out of prison a new man. His past and the ripple effect of his actions stay haunted him, his family, and his neighborhood. The powerful lines at the end of the movie show that there is hope for everyone to coexist, but the damage had already been done and the wheels were already set in motion. Still, I thought that Derrick’s brother words summed up the entire situation quite nicely, I.” Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'

It’s heartbreaking to see Derrick’s younger brother get gunned down even though he was almost out of the vicious cycle of hate that consumed so much of his world and those around him.

= Assignment #3 =

Peaceable Community or Peaceable School
A peaceable school or community should look like a place where everyone is included and equally encouraged to reach their potential. No job or responsibility should be more important than the others. Big or small achievements are all appreciated. Human beings consider themselves as a part of living things and treat the nature with respects and grateful attitudes. No violence or any kind of abusing. Communication in a peaceable school or community is honest, clear, gentle, embracing, and forgiving. There would be no divided by age, social status, properties, or beliefs. Each voice is valuable and heard. The communicating serves the purpose of creating neutral understandings, bringing the community closer, and preventing mislead judgments or conflicts. Setting rules and agreements that everyone follows with deep understandings should be a crucially tolerated. On the other hand, any act or form of communication that harmful to the mutual trust and/or divide or hurt physically/mentally to another member would not be tolerated. I can list here some of the rules that I think should be included in the community: The expectation should be no expectations. Each member would be content and fully encouraged to follow their talents. Every goal that contributes to maintaining peace is supported. We all should enjoy what we already have and have a more profound comprehension of happiness. Everyone is a teacher. Individuals are responsible to:
 * Respect yourself and others
 * Value Peace
 * Create and protect safety/peace verbally, physically, and mentally
 * Be kind and be brave - be responsible
 * Show love and empathy
 * Appreciate beauties and nature
 * Provide acts of service unconditionally
 * Empower each other - make everyone feels included
 * Learn, share, play
 * Be their own challenge and find ways to achieve goals
 * Take risks and co-operate with others
 * Be safe, responsible, and respectful

Oscar Arias
[|__Acceptance Speech__] at The Nobel Peace Prize 1987 [|__Speech at TEDx Pura Vida__] : Lost Opportunities: Military Spending in Latin America [|__Youtube Video__] : Standing with Hope in the Darkness

Journal Entry #3
Our school VIS located in Vientiane, Laos, and as an international school we have adopted the local culture fairly much here. With over 20% students come from Laos, I think this is a very big amount. But what makes me and most of the teachers come from abroad feel a sense of a slow pace here is the non-confronting culture, which is a bit of a pity for an international community. Conflicts and healthy arguments are considered rudeness/weakness and consulting. Plus we don’t really have a community culture in the school, most of the new teachers coming in feel left out. As a member of Mother Tongue Department (MT), where teachers often have more chances to embrace the unique of each country, I have frequent opportunities to discuss this culture side-effect with other teachers and receive the similar impression. On our One World Day, the video filmed from our school which later showed on TV looks beautiful and colorful, but most of us in MT were not informed ahead and that makes a lot of people feel non-included. This is just a small example of a false sense of peace. When voices are not heard, or voices are not raised, does not mean everything is fine.

But when Mr.Hank walks into our school, he will see the some of the most welcome smiles, all the banners of critical thinking and open-mindedness, flag decorations, IB curriculum, etc. We also have lots of donations for a sister school which is a local school we sometimes invite students to come visit a few times a year. Parents have a unique role in the school, they often are around the school and create a Parents and Friends union, but in contrast, teachers don’t have any union for themselves. Some of the important parents will hold a place in the school’s board and have a strong vote for who they want to keep and not - which leads to a lot of questions and doubts, and that explains a lot of the culture in the school. Meanwhile, the director and principals don’t have a regular and transparent communication with the staffs. This is another example for why I’m sadly admitting that our school cannot be a peaceable school.

However, the academics and what teachers are doing here for the students are exceptional. We all guide students through IB Profiles and Attitudes to form their actions. The collaborating among grades is well organized. Students solve their small problems with Kelso’s choices and ask for advice when they deal with bigger ones. Conflicts are under controlled with help of consultants. In my class, we introduce to students some mindfulness practices and frequently have open conversations about the individual issue and how we feel about each other. I always try to let each student knows that I care about their thoughts, feelings, and questions. Every step of learning journey has our agreements on how we should approach and perform. My students are my teacher, and we all be here together.

= Assignment #4 =

I’m 100% anti-torture no matter how enhanced their methods may be. Looking back on the brutal and barbaric methods of getting information from people the think that the US would resort to waterboarding in 2016 baffles me. It is terrorizing to know stuff like that and much worse happens in secret locations far removed from the public eye. The US is quite a violent nation, it always has been. It stands on the world stage as quite the hypocrite when it comes to topics such as gun violence and police shootings and racially charged assaults and crimes. It’s strange because we ask parents to be good role models for their children. We ask teachers to be positive role models for their students. Why can’t the world demand better from the US? They certainly have many countries to learn from. It’s almost as If we asked the same for the United States we might get shot. I think it’s more than fair to say that the general US population turns a blind eye to all of the atrocities and violence that ensues within its own country. Its role as leader of the free world becomes slightly tarnished when you read about gun violence or police brutality and the polarizing opinions they bring up with discussed. To have a worldwide reputation as a bully becomes less of an argument when you know that many people in the US are okay with torture and torture through enhanced methods. It saddens me to say but a civilization that has become too desensitized with its own violent crimes at home, promotes violence abroad and engages in all sorts of torture methods is anything but civilized.

So many countries end up as their own worst enemies when they fail to stop the violent crimes that cripple their country’s progress. Many of these crimes are based off some sort of inequality. Which brings up the argument, does inequality hinder peace? I have seen inequality in its extreme rawness during my time in Maputo, Mozambique. Working at the American International School was not only an introduction to IB but to Africa. While living and learning about Mozambique’s violent past due to the opposing government forces, I couldn’t help feel as sense of guilt and share the same sadness for the people who had no control over the circumstances. The inequality was in your face in Mozambique. Those who had money didn’t mind showing it off and those who didn’t have money had no choice but to. Heading over to neighboring South Africa to Johannesburg taught me that even if you can get you basic needs meet greed still flourishes when there is extreme haves and have-nots. Although many of the people lived a higher standard of living than those in Mozambique, you were twice as likely to run into trouble in Jo’berg than in Maputo. If there is distrust in the government and a society that produces a large lower class then sooner or later that lower class is going to get hungry, metaphorically speaking. Life in Johannesburg where violence occurs daily and local tv news reporters get robbed on air live becomes the norm when the equation of bad government, poverty, unequal amounts of wealth and not to mention corruption get mixed up into a cities bloodline. I wasn’t too surprised by the map listing the most and least violent countries from around the world. Countless reasons and examples can be added as to why one country is more violent than the others. I think from a macro perspective it’s important to look at the past to see whether or not a country has a history of violence. Stable countries with good economies don’t have the same issues with violence as third world countries or developing countries with a strongly corrupted government. One cannot fail to mention the population of the cities where violence occurs. Like the stats with the US, the connection between rising violence and population is surely understood but it goes back to the same endgame, inequality. It doesn’t just start with education, it starts by making sure that everyone in the city, the country has a fair chance to learn.

= Assignment #5 =

**AMYGDALA **
Working as a teacher in the early years, I have seen many students break down and have their brain get hijacked by their Amygdala. Most of which I had observed was similar to the examples provided by Mr. Daniel Goleman. Young children, when placed in a new environment, with a completely new set of routines and experiences, often demonstrate different traits associated with the emotional hijacking of the Amygdala. Early years children are still learning how to navigate their emotions and self-management skills. The beginning weeks and months of an early years classroom are all about little humans learning how to build relationships with others. Keeping in mind that many of the students do not share a common language upon entering makes building the said relationships even harder.Getting a student to count to ten or drink some water seems to be the best way to snap them out of their breakdown. Usually, the students would immediately feel ashamed for their emotional outburst. For many of the children, crying after the anger bursts was a common thing. Some children completely lost control and struck the children and the teachers. Sometimes the children would hit their peers and the teachers. Many times the children returned to normal activity after 3-5 minutes of this unusual and sometimes physical behavior. It’s a pattern that is eventually broken as the children eventually learn how to coexist with the others. At such a young age, it’s easy to see the flood of emotions run through an early years student. As they begin learning how to collaborate and cope with one another they get better with their self-management and mindful of their actions.

**TED TALK - AMY CUDDY **
That was the second Ted Talk of Amy Cuddy that I have seen. I was first impressed by her talk on body language. She has a fantastic backstory and she is a very elegant speaker. Her idea of power poses hijack the emotions and her body language promotes confidence. In a way, Amy has found a way not only to hijack emotion but make it work for her by exhibiting power poses and a sense self-confidence. Her mindset is already wired to demonstrate confidence. I would say that having the mind-body connection between one's Amygdala and vision on postures is very significant in her success. Teaching others to have a dominant pose is evident of her strong mental personality. Amy is very convincing with her beliefs and has the experience and poise to show why are curves who you are. The changing of one’s body language could, in turn, change brain connectivity. Positive thinking is a very powerful thing. Matching one’s actions and mindset is a craft task that is often showcased in leaders, managers, and teachers. Amy was a speak but she’s also a get teacher and motivator. Being motivated by experience is the best way to prepare oneself to be mentally tough and resilient to adversity. Her teaching women how to tap into their internal instincts and embrace their power is interesting to watch because she is asking women to rewire their brain and become more assertive through non-verbal actions. These passive traits are expertly modeled by Amy Cuddy throughout both of her TED TALKS.

= Assignment #6 =

What is a conflict? Conflict refers to some form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group.

What is conflict resolution? Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional. When a dispute arises, often the best course of action is a negotiation to resolve the disagreement.

1. Analyze one conflict that you have observed or participated in terms of a "Hijacked Brain". This would be a conflict that started and escalated because of an emotional engagement.

I witnessed two colleagues lose their cool once during a planning meeting. The elder colleague was clearly stressed from the day’s and seemed to have an issue with another member of our grade level team. In what was like an explosion, my co-worker certainly had an issue with a hijacked brain as she started cursing and shouting furiously. The two stood up and one followed the other one shouting and cursing back. It seemed to me that there was a lot of misguided anger due to some stressful settling / beginning of the year transitions and tensions. There stress erupted into a full-blown dispute where I felt caught in the middle of it. I at first thought about trying to calm them down but it escalated so quickly.

3. Describe what happened in the conflict above or the one you observed. Who was involved in the conflict,and how the emotional engagement of the Amygdala were all working to hinder the conflict?

The two colleagues involved were two early years teachers. They had very different philosophical views on classroom management. The argument ensued after a disagreement. I witnessed the elder teacher trembling and shaking after the conflict. She apparently had a hard time cooling down. Both teachers had raised their voices and their blood pressure. I would say that the Amygdala kicked in and eventually allowed for one of the teachers to “flight” rather than fight. It was after the teacher left the room, normalcy, and cool heads started to prevail.

** Journal Entry #6A **
Question: Do the involvement of emotions and the Amygdala always hinder conflict resolution?

I would say yes, but not always. I believe that the emotions can become too powerful for the Amygdala to fully hinder conflict resolution. The amygdala is linked to the parts of the brain that govern your senses, muscles, and hormones – enabling your body to react quickly to the sight or sound of a threat so having said that the sooner one no longer feels threatened the soon conflict resolution can begin. Sometimes conflicts depending on size, duration and intensity make it hard for the role emotions and the Amygdala to fully hinder the conflict resolution.

** Journal Entry #6B **
When I read the article, watched the video, and looked at the statistics I thought of cursing as a way to release the pressure valve that is our emotional reactions to day to day activities, tensions, and stressors. Cursing helps convey and release pent up emotional aggression in a non-violent way. I found it very interesting when looking at the different states and their popular curse word. I wondered about the role of culture and what collaboration that might factor in alongside the immediate environmental factors. I would also like to learn more about reducing anxiety levels and gather more evidence on how exactly cursing can help your health. I then start to wonder why cursing is unacceptable in the workforce if it is beneficial and could prevent violent actions from potentially taking place.

= Assignment #7 = “I’ve got this funny feeling. = = I’m thinking maybe the only reason I’m getting out of here has 1 piece is you? => Behavior (Lamont is the one helps him) + Consequence (Derrick is out of the jail and alive) = = Yeah, stupid, that’s what I thought. => Behavior (Derrick did not trust in Lamont at first) + Consequence (He was wrong, stupid, and got in a lot of troubles) = = I own you, man. => Feeling -Grateful = = Yes, I do.” => Feeling - Grateful

The scene when Derrick walks out of the prison leaving a thankful conversation with Lamont is beautiful. Derrick finally turns around and can see through the truth to realize who has been consistently his good friend. Following Lamont’s wise advice, he gets back his self-respect and trust in relationships which lead to this memorable moment. By this short scene, we can see Derrick is able to get in touch with his feelings and can show it sincerely with the one that deserves his friendship. For the first time in his timeline, he stays calm and his words can show gratitudes. = = = = A.My own examples: = = a.Lana (my Kindergarten student), I heard from your classmates that you cried and refused to stop even when Claire gave you the toy back and said sorry. I can understand why Claire is sad now, my dear, you look so tired, and you also miss out your play time. I feel confused about what do you want. = = => My poor student has been dealing with her unstable emotions for awhile now. We have been talking to our counselor about her mood swing as well. From the beginning, I try not to focus on the fact that how frequent her behaviors are, but to let her talk it out each time. It does not matter how many times we mention about the same issue again (her inability to stop her tantrums), I really believe that by listening to her constantly, she will finally find her way to control it. Normally when Lara can see the connections of her actions with people’s feelings and reactions, she becomes calmer and quickly sorry about what has just happened. = = b. Mom, I’ve never seen more positive posts on your wall than this. You must have been reading a lot more about Canada and Laos (where my brother and I live in currently.) This is extremely good news to us because you can understand more about our lives over here now. We are very proud of you, mom. = = => Coming from a traditional family from Vietnam and now living abroad for a few years now really gives me a clear picture of how communication is the key. My mother, at the beginning, was worried about every single thing we chose (from far away) and had a few misunderstandings of how things work outside of Vietnam. But it’s forgiving and can be fixed because she was on the blind side of the Johari Window. Now she is more active and involved in our conversations, and surely feels much more confident. My mother takes the compliments with pride and asks questions more than before. = = c.Hey Kokoh (my colleague), you know what I want to tell you? That you are pretty awesome. I saw how patient you were teaching Sylvia (another elder colleague) using the computer. I’m sure that she’s much more confident with technology now. Well done, mate. I admire you a lot! = = => Totally my co-worker loves to hear about what she did right. We quickly lead the conversation to what we could do more at our next meeting about technology in teaching, and she suggests to gather a group of helpers.
 * “I Messages” (Behavior - Consequence - Feeling) **

= = B. Gigi: = = a.Dear Gigi, you must misunderstand the reason why I give you my house’s key because it’s only for emergencies. When you come to my place to get things without telling me, it’s impossible for me to look for them. I know that sometimes it’s hard to stay away from checking out my personal documents, my drawers, and cabinets, as we are close friends and you might think that it’s ok to do so. But both Nick and I think it’s crossing the line of privacy, and we feel disrespected. I’m not sure I can trust you as a friend if you keep doing that way. = = b.Dear Gigi, thank you for your sincere response. By calling me before you come over and borrow things, I can see that you understand my points and you respect me. I also see that my privacy has been protected, and I feel proud that you are still my good friend. I hope that we can spend more girls’ time for each other and I will have some secrets to share with you in person. Thanks love! = = = Assignment #8  = I found it strange that the bullies didn’t have any emotional problems as stated in the video “resources to fight bullying at your school.” The trust issues that the bullies have are part of the reason for their behavioral problems. It is terribly sad that so much of the bullying that can go one these days can be almost untraceable up until the very break that may end up being someone’s life or death. I think of things I didn’t have to deal with that current teens are dealing with and that is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is such a dangerous situation that does not get the proper attention and resources allocated to it that it deserves. In fact, according to Google: = =

= = = =

= = That fact alone is astounding. It’s terrible really, and the worst part about it is that cyberbullying extends far beyond the personal boundaries of the classroom. As a teacher it makes me want to build a strong cyber ethics guideline or essential agreement in my classroom. One that has zero tolerance for this sort of thing. One that also provides the students with clear and open pathways to find help if he or she finds themselves in this sort of situation. As a primary school teacher I realize that some students might still end up in a situation where bullying and cyberbullying ensue as a teen when they reach secondary school, but by informing them now about how to seek help at an early age and act responsible and accountable for their actions on the web, my help curb the statistic = =

= = When reading the article pertaining to the Neuroscience behind bullying I couldn’t help of think of the typical situation where I coach pushes a player too hard causing a physical and or mental breakdowns. After rehashing that scenario in my head, I begin reflecting on my time as a student and the bullying I witnessed. As a female, I was pretty lucky to have not come across any major bullying in my primary school days. Others, however, including teachers were not so lucky. It actually reminds me of current family “mafias” aka board of directors who run similar bullying tactics on teachers and admin staff. = = What I’m referring to is the systemic bullying that can often happen in schools, where the family gets involved and the teacher becomes the target of bullying. I’m just thinking from an international school perspective where the school itself is in a corruptible third world country without any real competition from other international schools, how easy it is for parents to leverage their position. In fact, we’ve heard and seen cases of it at my current school. When wealthy board/ family members/etc throw around their power and make teachers live in fear of giving certain grades to certain students, the said student understands and also plays a conscious role in bullying and manipulation. To see whole families do it is a shame, to see them do it well as if they have had experience with this type of thing is a travesty. In order to create and cultivate bully free school, the trust needs to be modeled between parent to teacher, teacher to student and student to parent and teacher and other students. Without trust students and teachers will not feel completely safe and that shows the beginning seeds of bullying. As a teacher, I promise to raise awareness to those around me about the seriousness of bullying and make sure that they themselves realize that bullies can come in all different shapes, sizes, ages, and gender. = = = Assignment #9 = After taking the Personality Profile test, here are the results of my husband and me: = = = = My husband: PP=23; LE= 22, CP= 32, PM= 23 = = Mine: PP= 25; LE= 25, CP= 31, PM= 19 = =

= = Both my husband and I agree that the results are pretty correct. While my husband has a more balance score for PP, LE, PM (around 22, 23); I have PP and LE are both 25, but my PM score is significantly lower (19.) And that’s very true with my poor sense of time managing and efficiency. I tend to neither follow rules, nor orders, or instructions. With my high points in PP (25) and CP (31), I can totally relate to how often people comment on my stubbornness and dramatic personality. = =

= = The part that both of us share is we are both problem solvers, and this is what we already know without the test. We love challenges and always seek for new adventures, as well as doing many tasks at the same time. In our team, my husband is more a balanced one who keeps us on track, but I am the one who likes doing research more and loves debating (which can lead to arguments.) As we usually start many projects at once, we also have to deal with stress, and, again, my husband is still the one knows best what brings him back to his balancing, in contrast, I will need a while going through my emotions (PP) and fights to not follow advice (stubbornness.) Once I can handle my feelings and emotions, I could get back to solve my own problems. = =

= = The interesting part is that I was not completely raised the way that benefits my strongest personality. The education I received in Vietnam was strict, heavily focused on knowledge and practical management skills. Even though I was lucky to have a fairly good LE to achieve quite high ranks in class, I still often felt left out and I did not completely agree with most of the things being taught around. This line is very true for my learning experience: = =

= = //“Inflexible learning environments with many rules can cause these youngsters to become oppositional and defiant. “// = =

I was not a troubled student back then, but I always found myself being a closer friend with different groups of students, including the troublemaker ones. I remember myself as a young learner firstly was a very bright student who was the favor of many teachers and my parents were very proud of me as a good listener and well behaved kid. But I would soon have to face with some emotional outbursts as people around me did not express their feelings freely, and that suppressed my need of expressing myself. Instead, I had martial arts, dancing, and some other kinesthetic activities to relieve my feelings. Plus there was no space for creativity to grow, everything was mainly concentrated to science (maths, physics, and chemistry) in school. I had to give up my drawing and painting skills due to that. The only subject left for me to be creative was literature, and in my spare time, I could make handicrafts. = =

= = Now, when I’m more sure about who I am, and what will benefit me more, I’m very happy with how I chose some risky decisions. And changing my career has been by far my most proud thing I’ve done for myself. It was not a popular decision where I grew up and lived in, but it was completely what I should do my best. I feel more in touch with my needs of expressing myself. I can keep learning as it brings me joys and wonders. I work with human interactions every day and can join in teams using my communication skill. My creativity can be freely exploited with my curious students when we work together. All of my strengths in sports, acting, dancing, singing, drawings will help me to explore different ways of learning and teaching… At last, I can admit that I’m stubborn, and I’m lucky enough to have my husband and other ones around me being patient for me. I will focus to build up my managing skills, and not to submit my papers in the last minute anymore (, I hope so.) = = = Assignment #10 =

Both films do a great job at making the environment become almost like a character in itself. Each male went through quite a lot of adversity because of their environments that they grew up in. Nature, in this case, was harsher for Derrick than for Homer. I say this because I believe that while Homer was surrounded by ignorance and lack of dreams. Derrick turned to hate and despair. Homer kept his dreams and continued to look beyond his small town while Derrick sought out to find other broken weak minded people to join his hate club. Derrick is a victim of the times and a very terrible tragedy that acts as his catalyst for his transformation. Homer, on the other hand, has a level of self-efficacy unlike any other. His refusal to be like his father is a stark contrast to the situation in Derrick’s vulnerable life where he seeks comfort in an evil malicious male figure. As for the mothers in each film. They both seem to be numb to the grim realities that lay upon them. Homer’s mother daydreams about the beach and almost lives for that dream. This is evident with her constant painting of the beach on her kitchen walls. She is one of the very few positive influences on Homer but her overcompensation is due to the tension between Homer and his father. Derrick’s mother, on the other hand, seemed like a normal working middle-class mother until her husband died. Even when she attempted to normalize her family by dating again Derrick’s inability to not act like the racist alpha male scared away anything thought of a normal life for her and her children. After Derrick goes too far at the dinner table his mother realizes the damage that has been done to the family as a whole. Then when Derrick goes to jail and his little brother starts to model him the mother knows that her family is at a point of no return. Thankfully in American History X, the principal is there to help Derrick with his rehabilitation back into society and to act as a mentor to Derrick’s little brother. His tough love no give up attitude helps Derrick’s little brother reflection on his life and actions thus giving the audience the first-hand perspective of American History X, his paper that he was asked to write. Even though both principals were hardened by their environment it was Homer’s principal who did not believe in him until he realized what an asset Homer was to the school during the Science Fair. The principal seemed to give up on his own dream just as much as he had given up on the lives of others. He was hard headed like Homer’s father. He was small minded and favorable to jocks. He was an additional obstacle that Homer himself had to persevere past. That perseverance is what led to the entire community to rally behind Homer and his friends. Both stories reflect on the community of small town American. Both show the ugly side but the movies also showcased the struggles that average working class Americans had to endure as a community. In each community, setting change was in the air. In American History X, the change represented a more diverse neighborhood and everything that comes with that. In October Sky change was the union and the time period where coal was no longer as desirous as it used to be. Both main characters were aware of their changes in the community. Both main characters acted worked within the parameter of which they were given.