End of the Tri

I am mostly happy but a little bummed that this tri is over. I feel like we have all grown so much: becoming better writers, mastering the EE, balancing a ton of work, getting closer to each other. However, I really liked my teachers and classes this tri. I'm sure I'll still see them around though. I always get nervous for the start of a new tri, even though I'm a senior! I guess it's just that it's change. Well I hope everyone has an awesome long weekend! Relax! We deserve it. Even though I sometimes thought of blogging as a burden, it's a little weird knowing that this is my last one. I'm just glad that all the dip cans are in the same classes so we will still see each other. And Ms. Mork, you really are an awesome teacher! I feel like I've learned so much from you. Thanks for being tough when we needed it, and understanding as well.  Good luck with your library classes!

Thanks everyone!

Yiruma

So I was told to listen to some Yiruma (instrumental piano) songs today, and I have definitely found a new love. Even though the music is amazing, calming, and just peaceful, it makes me feel sad. I really am not sure why. It is usually quite slow, I wonder if that has something to do with it? I usually don't have these sorts of reactions to things, so I was pretty surprised. Well, I still plan on listening to songs by Yiruma. They are so impressive and I am able to do homework while I listen since there are no lyrics :)

Presentations

I thought the presentations in class today were really great. It wasn't even the presentation style (as everyone just spoke), it was the content. I really appreciated how Sam, Jackie, and Michael all shared very personal stories and trusted us enough to reveal these things about themselves. It took a lot of courage to stand up there and share such personal information, and I think that shows how us Dip Cans really are extraordinary people. I think these first presentations really epitomized this TOK class: the presenters analyzed thinking itself, provided examples of how their mindset has changed, and looked at multiple sides of an issue. Way to go Sam, Jackie and Michael. You three nailed it.

St. Ben's

I applied to the College of St. Benedict mostly as a super back-up school and because it was free to apply. Well, I was accepted and also just found out that I received a pretty substantial scholarship from them, as well as have been entered into the running for their top scholarship. Money is going to be a big issue in determining which college I go to, so this recent event really got me thinking. I had not really ever seriously considered going to St. Ben's, but now that I know I will have financial support there, I feel like it might move up on the list. Is it bad to have money influence which college you go to? I'm not so sure.

UChicago

I am so excited! I have been wanting to apply to the University of Chicago, but I was hesitating because the essay topics are so strange and difficult! However, one of the questions is make up your own essay question... so I thought I could use my prescribed title question!! Ahh I think that would be great! I will reword the question a little bit, but overall this makes applying there a much more doable thing! Ms. Mork you are grand.

TOK Final

For my final essay, I am using the prompt: "'The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility.' Evaluate this claim."

I just came up with the idea of using the issue of Conceal and Carry. The possession of knowledge would be how to work a gun/the power of a gun. The ethical responsibility would be when it is appropriate to use the weapon. So I would take the stance that the possession of knowledge does carry an ethical responsibility.

What do you guys think of this idea?

Acting

With the musical and one acts being relevant, I have been thinking about how talented one must be to be an actor. I especially noticed this with Tom in the musical, but one must completely release one's inhibitions and take on the personality of a character. I struggle with this, which is probably due to my reserved and shy nature. However, I am going to try to branch out by possibly trying out for the one acts. I think it would be a really cool experience, I just have to start looking for a monologue for auditions. Acting is hard, especially when you have to produce emotions that you have never personally experienced. I think it is important to push yourself and try new things though.

The Godfather

Right now I am watching The Godfather and I am really noticing the culture. They all take their life of crime in the Mafia very seriously, yet it seems like their lives have more substance and love than those of people's nowadays. Respect, loyalty, and honor are very valued in this culture, and are treated with the utmost care. Somehow, this life seems to have a romantic appeal to it. However, there is obviously a large down side, crime, murder, dishonesty. The movie also depicts the men mistreating their wives, which was a part of their specific culture as well as the time period. It is also very interesting to see the intellectual side of the Godfather; his logic is incredible, as well as his persuasive techniques. I find this topic very interesting, as I wrote my EE on it!

Breathe

It feels like we just pretty much made it over the hill for this trimester. Our EE is done, IA is practically done... things are great! I mean, tonight I watched a movie. Since when does that happen? It's just really nice to not have all that stress we were dealing with earlier in the tri. We only have a couple weeks left... then it will be on to an easier second tri, for most of us that is. So congratulations to everyone, we made it through a tough period!

Friends and Faith

By going to Catalyst, as well as becoming closer to religious people, faith has become a larger part of my life. I have noticed how amazing the lives of some of my friends are who have faith and religion as a large part of their life. Someone I know just asked for a bible for their birthday- how awesome is that? By seeing how deeply faithful some are, it inspires me to try to deepen my own faith. I think I'm definitely on the right track, I am surrounded by good influences.

Voting

Sorry for lack of posts this last week, musical rehearsal kicked my butt!

Anyways, as it is election day, I wanted to reflect on my experience.

At school today, the conversation was buzzing with political issues. I had several conversations with friends, many of whom have different beliefs than I have. I just really hope that political opinions won't get in the way of friendships.

After school, I went to a church by my house to cast my ballot. I didn't really know what to do, but the people there were very friendly and helpful. I did think it was interesting how the candidates for county positions on the ballot did not list political party or if they were an incumbent. I had not heard of most of those people, so I sort of had to vote randomly on a couple. 

Overall, it was a quick process that made me very proud. It's interesting to think that your vote affects who will be the next President.

Halloween

We were talking in English class the other day about how much Halloween costumes have changed over the years. It used to be that people would dress up as common characters like pirates, superheros, zombies, witches etc. These ideas are still popular, but now there are the "sexy:" witches and "leg avenue" pirate costumes. I guess the knowledge issue here is why this change in what is deemed acceptable has occurred. My theory is that these new racy costumes reflect the desire of society to look attractive, which goes back to the influence the media has (like ads) on the public. If one does not feel comfortable wearing one of these costumes, as many don't, there are few other costumes to choose from. I wonder if there will be a change in the future back to more conservative costumes? Or maybe they will get even worse...

Supporting friends

I have found that recently a few of my friends have been experiencing some challenges, and so I have tried my best to be supportive and help them as best I can. My knowledge issue with this subject is how to be the most helpful. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it is best for the specific situation to be silently supportive in the background, or to try to talk about the problems the person is experiencing. I guess another way to look at this is if there are circumstances when being helpful is not really possible so it's better to be harmless. It can also be difficult to be supportive when you have not personally experienced the issue that your friend is currently going through. I just try to be kind, present, and try not to make it worse by saying something wrong. It's tough, but I think it is very important to put in this effort for the people you care about.

Week after MEA

So apparently the week after MEA is supposed to be super intense? I guess I was not aware of this, but if feels like right now everything is culminating into these next two weeks, creating a large ball of stress and panic. First of all, we now have two research papers to worry about, the IA and the EE. I am especially nervous about the EE, since it can really impact if you get the Diploma or not. Also, the musical opens in a week, so the rehearsal schedule is picking up and things are getting quite stressful there too. In addition, the November 1st deadline for many colleges is quickly approaching, which means we also have to get those college essays finished up. Woofta! I guess it doesn't really make sense to complain, since we signed up for all of this. However, I still like to. I feel like I have already blogged several times about stress in my life, but I can't help it, it's just so relevant! Another thing that is really going to test the couple Dip Cans in the musical is the fact that next week is Tech Week for the musical, which means that we will be staying at school rehearsing from 2:45 until 10 or possibly later. And our EE first draft is due on Wednesday of that week... Yikes! I am going to encourage myself to look at this as a challenge, or a sort of game. If I can make it all work and get it all done, then I will have won. We can do it guys! I know you all have a bunch of other stuff going on, just like I do, and I appreciate you guys (microagression) for it. We can do it. GO TEAM!

Vote No

I just want to start out by saying that I do not wish to debate the politics surrounding the Vote No/Vote Yes ordeal. What I do want to talk about is the voting process. I recently found out that on the ballot, where you can check Vote Yes or Vote No, if one simply leaves it blank for whatever reason, then the vote is counted for the Vote No side. Regardless of one's personal feelings on this issue, I feel like this is ridiculous! The whole point of an election is to have a fair process for the public to decide how the government will run in their state. This totally gives an advantage to the Vote No side, and I feel like the playing ground should be equal for both sides. A lot of people probably will leave that section of the ballot blank, because they are undecided, uniformed about the issue, or other reasons. However, if they do this, then their intention of not voting will not be honored because their ballot will go in the Vote No pile. This post has nothing to do with my personal feelings about this subject, but I think that this sly trick is unfair to the people and makes the whole voting process biased toward one side.

Opinons of others

To what extent (hehe) should a person listen to others' opinions about oneself? If you are doing something (such as wearing a certain clothing style, coloring your hair, getting a piercing) that one of your loved ones does not approve of, should you stop doing it to appease them? It's a tough subject that really should be taken on a case by case basis. I think that if you are following a certain fad, or something not super important in the grand scheme of things, and it upsets someone close to you, that you must think about what is more important: this trend or the feelings of that person. I've recently had experience with this. I think that you should choose your battles; don't make a big deal out of something and cause problems between you and someone close to you about something that isn't worth fighting over.

The one

A friend of mine, Simon*, and I were talking about relationships the other day. He asked me if I believed that there is "a one" for everyone, like we hear about in the movies, tv, music, etc. I had to think about this one for a while. (I don't want to get in to all the religious/spiritual explanations). Is there really one person that each individual is destined to find and spend their life with? It's a rather crazy concept. Simon said that he thought such an idea did not exist and was not plausible. Though I do not entirely believe this idea, it's hard to wrap your mind around, I think that there are very few people that really match up with you perfectly. I also have heard of people dating around and not settling for happiness once they find it because they want to know if there is someone better (or a better match) for them out there. This goes back to the saying that there are "more fish in the sea." I don't really agree with this totally because it's not like any random person will match up with someone. I guess, in this conversation, we were just musing about this subject, never really coming to a solid conclusion.

Musical

I am a member of the fall musical, Hello Dolly!, this year and I love it so much! I also wrote my ethnography about the musical, so I learned more about the group from that. I really love all the people in the show, and it's great being able to spend time with them. However, regardless of how fun it is, being in the musical is a lot of work. Rehearsals can be stressful, especially since we're starting to get down to the wire and have a lot of work still left to do. Also, on top of homework, that means memorizing songs and lines and practicing dances. Ahh! This sort of ties in to the whole Ovation controversy I have been having. Being a part of these theater productions means so much to me, so I am not going to let IB and its craziness stop me from being a part of them. Somehow I will find a way to do it all. I hope.

Stressssssss

So is it just me, or has IB gotten super intense lately? I feel like we are juggling a million things right now... EE, ethnography, history IA, and then just general homework. Plus, on top of all that, we have college applications that are due pretty soon.I know people were blogging about stress a lot a few weeks ago, but I think it's really getting bad right now. However, there is one reprieve: LATE START. This gift has come at the perfect time. I will be getting 5 more hours of sleep than usual tomorrow. Which means doubling how much sleep I generally get. Also, I will have more time to finish homework if needed. I feel like I have been waiting my entire high school career to be able to have this late start. But anyways, I was just wondering if anyone else felt like IB just recently kicked into high gear.

Friday nights

Friday nights really are my savior. Monday-Thursday nights I am swamped with homework, work, musical rehearsal, and other activities. Yet, on Friday nights, I am free to do what I want to. I don't have to do homework and I can either choose to lay around home and sleep, or go out with friends. I love having that freedom. It really is the only night that I am always open. Saturday and Sunday are usually filled with homework, but mostly Sunday.. I look forward to Friday every week. Tomorrow I plan on going to the football game and then to a friend's house for a small get together. YAY!

Work time in class

Though I really appreciate it when teachers give us work time in class, I find it very difficult to focus in school. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am sleep deprived, so I am constantly tired at school. I often fight to stay awake, which obviously does not allow me to work very diligently. However, I do not want teachers to take away this work time, so I think I will try harder to be able to focus. Tomorrow in class I am going to work hard on my ethnography!!

(Thanks to Jackie for this post inspiration, as I share this view)

18

So on Saturday, I am going to be 18 years old... an adult. For some reason, this seems like a very significant birthday to me. Yeah 16 was cool... getting to drive and all that... but I feel like 18 is a monumental achievement. Surprisingly, I am not really that excited this year. I feel like I am going to have a lot more responsibilities for some reason. Yeah I will be voting and will be able to make more decisions without my parents, but it seems like something more. I think one reason I might not be that excited is because turning 18 just means I am growing up. Unlike a lot of seniors, I am not looking forward to school being over. I really love this year. I have a great group of friends, and other people who are really important in my life. I also like my classes, and the idea of leaving everything I know to go to college really makes me nervous. So I guess that's why I am half excited and half not excited to become an adult this weekend.

Taking a break

I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed and unmotivated lately, so yesterday I decided to take a break. Usually, I go home after school and immediately begin working on my homework, generally working on it until I fall asleep. Well, last night I was very tired so I decided to just do my mandatory, 5-minute spanish homework and then I went to bed. At 8:45 pm!! The nice thing about IB (or bad, depending on how you look at it) is that we don't have a lot of assignments that are due the next day. Most of our assignments have long term due dates. Just getting to bed early really helped me in terms of my stress. I think everyone should take a night off sometime soon. It really is refreshing!

Music

So this post is sort of branching off one of Cody's, but I wanted to talk about music. Music is really an amazing thing. Rather than tv, listening to music is what makes me procrastinate while doing my homework. There are just so many different genres and feelings associated with different songs. I just love trying different songs and discovering new artists. Also, I have really broadened my music "vocabulary", for lack of a better term. I also think that music really enriches one's life. It allows you to relax and destress from the day's activities. It's also a really good way to get to know people, because you can learn a lot about them by their taste in music. So overall, I guess I just really like to experiment with different types of music. Well, except rap. Not a fan of that.

TP Night

So I think most of us are aware that the traditional senior TP night is approaching, and that got me to thinking. Personally, I do not understand why such a large portion of our senior class will go tp-ing. I understand the urge to do something rebellious and the fun of participating in school traditions, but I feel like this particular event only leads to trouble. First of all, you are putting yourself at risk to be caught by the police and either receiving a curfew ticket, or even a vandalising charge. Also, we all know that the issue of hazing came into play a couple years ago. Besides the legal risks, people are also missing out on sleep! My shock over this issue might just be my IB-ness talking, but I cannot imagine staying up all night, running around in the cold, and then going to school for 7 hours. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that people, often parents, will have to spend hours cleaning up the "fun." I know people often TP their friends, but all that really does is punish them. They, or their parents, will have to spend hours removing toilet paper from their yard. Overall, I believe that the risks outweigh the "gains" of this tradition.

Choices

It's hard when you really want to do something, but your parents will not allow you to. For my 18th birthday in a week, I want to get my nose pierced. However, my mom is very against it. I guess I understand her hesitation, but I was not expecting to be forbidden to make this choice. I think it's interesting how there really is a different mindset between teens our age and our parents. It really is a generational gap. My argument was that it is my body, and as an adult, I should be able to do to it what I please. She countered with the whole "my house, my rules" routine. This demonstrates the knowledge issue of whether or not you should do something knowing that there will be consequences because someone else is against it. This is one issue I have been thinking about lately. I've more been trying to place myself in my mom's shoes, just trying to understand her strong opposition to a nose piercing. The subject of the conflict really isn't the point here. What I'm trying to get across is how we have the decision to choose what we want to do or to defy our elders and do what we think we have the right to. A very interesting topic I think.

Young At Heart

I don't know about the rest of you, but I loved Young At Heart. It was phenomenal! It was so great to see seniors still being very involved in their community and living an active life. They were so supportive of eachother, especially when it came to illness and health crises. It's interesting to think that worrying about health is such a big concern in their lives. I also thought it was amazing how the group performed even after losing two of their long-time members. That really took courage. I think this movie should show us that we really can do what we want- I mean 80 year olds are performing in a show choir! This was also a very good way of showing us how to write an ethnography.

Politics... yay

So with the upcoming election, there has been a ton of talk about different political issues. All of my friends seem to identify with the opposite political party than I do, so I feel like lately I have been subtly influenced by their opinions. I don't like this, because I am proud of what I believe and these beliefs have always been a part of who I am. Interestingly, today I have the chance to talk with someone who actually agrees with me. It was refreshing to be able to converse freely without feeling slightly awkward, or holding back what I want to say. Don't get me wrong, I respect everything my friends think and I have actually had some pleasant conversations with them on this topic, as I mentioned in my last post. However, I still felt like I could not freely say what I wanted to. It was nice today to hear someone agree with what I think, since it seems like I am a minority at this school. But anyways, I feel like today I got some sort of reconfirmation of what I have so long believed in.

Conversations

Lately, I have been having many deep conversations with my friends. I don't know if we have just been in the mood lately, or if perhaps the looming life-changing decisions surrounding college have made us sentimental, but we have covered a variety of topics. I think it's nice that I have close friends that I can respectfully and confidentially converse with.  For instance, one evening, two friends and I discussed politics for over an hour. It turned out that they were both the opposite political party than what I identify with, and yet I did not feel uncomfortable at all. We were able to respectfully discuss our views, and I think this has a lot to do with the fact that we are IB kids. I value their opinions very much and I think it's cool that we feel comfortable opening up to eachother.

IB upper-level thinking for the win!

Secrets

Something I started thinking about is if it is ever ethical to disclose something that one person said to you to another. An example is if a friend tells you something that is a secret, tells you not to say anything, and then you tell it to someone you trust and tell everything to. I think it's hard because if you have someone that you really tell everything to, is it okay to keep things from them? It's tough and there is a lot of grey area, I feel. There are a lot of ethical issues like this in our lives. Just something to think about.


Mackenzie

IB exam week

So I know we are all already anxious about that week in May when we will have all of our exams... I personally am not looking forward to it. I think having so many exams in such a small period is going to be very stressful. I am having a slight dilemma about this because exam week is also Ovation "Hell Week" (the week of the first performance when we have to stay there until like 10 pm). As a few of you have learned in my personal narrative, Ovation changed my life, so I am definitely going to do it again this year. I'm just a little worried that this decision might impact my IB scores... I feel that it is important in the long run that I do Ovation. Just something I've been thinking about.

Thanks guys!

Seminars

So in many of our IB classes, we have all class discussions, or seminars, to sort of get an overview of the topic we are learning about. It seems to me that many teachers really like this teaching style, but I know of many students who don't like it. I think that since our class sizes are so large now, that it makes it hard to get a word in and get the points. I know many people are also very uncomfortable talking in front of large groups, so then they fail the seminar for not talking. Though I understand that teachers want to push kids to speak, since they'll need that skill later in life, but I feel like it is not as easy as you would think to get a word in. Just something to think about, I can definitely see pros and cons of seminars.

Priorities

Lately, I've been struggling a lot with setting my priorities in order. Maybe it's because I have so much on my plate (with theater, IB diploma, friends, work, NHS, college apps etc), but I have been having a hard time figuring out what I should spend my time doing after school. I think a lot of us who have a lot going feel overwhelmed at times. So I guess my knowledge issue is if people really can "do it all"? I think us Dip Cans are really in the most challenging position at our school. Though it can be argued that  AP classes are equal in rigor, we have all the other aspects of IB (EE, CAS, TOK) to manage. I feel like in a way, we are doing it all. Even though it is difficult, everyone survived junior year. I guess what I am trying to convey is the fact that I appreciate how hard it is to balance a busy life. It's interesting that college admission officers want to see a "well rounded" student. Well, I think that is easier said than done. It's hard to excel in multiple areas in life, such as being on a Varsity team, or in a theater show, as well as a Diploma Candidate. People do it though, and I applaud them.

Overall, I have recently been feeling the stress I know many of us Dip Cans have chosen to endure, and I thought that this was the perfect venue to share it!

Good luck to everyone this week, we can do it!

~Mackenzie

Social dynamic

After reading a couple posts about the social dynamic at our school, I decided to add my view to things.

Like others already mentioned, there is definitely a "popular" crowd at our school. They also seem to have taken the responsibility upon themselves of running all the special senior stuff. I think it is interesting that these people (I think we all know who I'm talking about?) are considered popular, because even though they are well known, they are definitely not the most well-liked people in the school. This led me to think about the cliques at school. Though certain groups, let's use the theater kids as an example, might not be the most "popular" kids in school, they definitely have "popular" people within their own little group. I think this holds true to all groups in our school. It's interesting how this social dynamic of "popularity" also is present when you break the school down beyond just that one group of people considered to be the popular crowd. I think the most important thing, rather than popularity, is having friends you love and who love you. Who cares if everyone in school does not know your name? That's the real definition of popularity. I'd rather just know that the people I have decided to spend my time with know me well.

I think since a lot of people have been blogging about this issue, we should see if we can discuss it in class.

-Mackenzie

As we have been working on our personal narratives in class, a knowledge issue that I thought might be able to relate to my specific paper is "What gets someone to try something completely new?"

This relates to my topic, my solo in Ovation (I also wrote my English essay on this). I had never done Ovation before, I was not in any sort of performing group and I had no experience. The fact that my brother had been in the show actually did not have much to do with my decision to audition.  In fact, I don't really know what got me to do it. This is where my knowledge issue comes in... what made me make that decision? It's sort of weird actually, as if I subconsciously knew that this would be one of the best decisions of my high school career. Perhaps I did it because I had watched the show for two years and saw how fun it looked? Well, I guess I'll never know exactly what it was. I am just so grateful that I did it! I want to encourage everyone to take risks and have that "yolo spirit" (sorry if that is annoying). It is interesting to think about how different my life would be if I had not taken that risk last year. That decision to audition for Ovation, as well as for a solo, also led me to audition for the musical (I'll find out on Friday if I made it!). It's hard to wrap my mind around some things seem to be almost pre-planned for you. Well, I just wanted to share a bit of my story. You will hear more about it  in my personal narrative :)

Thanks!

Mackenzie

Teachers and professionalism

Hello- I just had another idea of a blogging topic!

An issue I have noticed at our school is teachers expressing their opinions in class.

Since it is an election year, I think this issue is becoming even more prevalent.

Personally, I believe that teachers should not tell us their political preferences, or even allude to it, and should act professionally. I think I feel this way because I disagree with many of my teachers beliefs, so I feel uncomfortable when they start talking about it in class. I have experienced teachers say outright that they are a "raging liberal" and expressed their opinions on individual political issues. Some teachers express their opinions in more subtle ways though, such as hanging only an Obama poster on the wall or just a quote by a former Republican president. Overall, I think expressing political opinions is unprofessional and teachers should stay objective while in the classroom. If they want to go to rallies on the weekend, go for it.

By posting this, I do not mean to say that these teachers are "bad" or anything along those lines. I just feel like teachers expressing their political opinions can only really lead to conflict in the classroom. I think that classrooms should be places of objective learning and open discussion.

Just something I have been thinking about recently. Thanks guys.

9/9/2012

So I finally figured out how to navigate the blogging world! Yay!

Today, I'd like to talk a little bit about the upcoming election (an idea I got from Christian :)), which I am very excited to vote in, and some of the issues that are involved in talking about politics.

One issue I have noticed with teens, and really anyone, and politics is that people can't really have a civil conversation about things they are so passionate about. I was thinking that these were the knowledge issues: How do I respectfully disagree with others? Can I see both sides of the issue?

One example I noticed this happening with is the "Vote No" campaign. Many people are very passionate about getting people to support their "Vote No" belief and are very upset when they see people supporting the "Vote Yes" side of the issue.

A friend of mine was very disturbed at those who want to vote yes, and believes that that opinion is "wrong."

I personally can get myself to understand the thinking behind both sides of the issue. I just thought it was interesting that, the "Vote No" campaign as an example, each side is so entrenched in their own belief that they cannot understand the other side's thinking at all.

I guess this is the reason that there are such vicious debates between the two different political parties, as well as on Facebook.

So just a quick thought I had! I'm sure many, many other people have noticed this too when it comes to politics.

Thanks for reading guys!

9/6/2012

Hello friends!

While working on my homework this evening, I noticed a connection between our work for TOK and for IB English. Our discussion in TOK about the definition of knowledge yielded the conclusion that many, many things can be considered knowledge; we decided that there really was not one correct definition. Well, today in IB English, we talked about different kinds of media. For our assignment, we had to log all the different kinds of media we have used recently and their purpose. The fact that there are so many types of media with different functions reminded me of how there are also inumerable kinds of knowledge that have different functions in certain knowledge communities. For example, opinion might be of a great importance in one area, but not accepted in fact-based communities.

I thought that it was cool that we were really talking about the same basic comment in two of our classes today!

-Mackenzie