Christmas Break 2011

So it's Friday December 30th and I'm pretty much just relaxing and still enjoying my family. I don't really have any plans other than grab a bite to eat and then return home. The move to Stockton was a great choice, it is very quite and the house is very nice. Most of the time I'm home waiting on my little sister to come home so that I can play with her. Her name is Harmony and she just made 2 on December 8th. Hopefully if she doesn't come home to late I can take her to the park and let her play around for an hour or two. Tomorrow I will make a trip to Oakland to visit my best friend and possibly stay the night over there then return to Stockton. This whole break I have just been enjoying family and relaxing. I tried to sleep in but my body is so use to waking up so that I can head to YearUp so I haven't had any luck with that. Well, that is all for now it's time to do some Tech homework. 

Activities during Christmas break 2011

During the Christmas break I have been doing a lot of relaxing and reflecting on the time I have spent at YearUp Bay Area, as well as eating good, family gatherings, and watching plenty of basketball games. A special day that I am going to talk about is Christmas day!!! On Christmas Eve I could not sleep because I was looking forward to watching my adopted sister open her gifts!! On Christmas morning we woke up came downstairs and began to pass out gifts, sing Christmas carols, eat breakfast, and last but not least open gifts!!! After opening gifts we all put our clothes on and took a 5 minute drive to my aunt house. There is where we had the biggest Christmas feast EVER!!! There was ham, turkey, roast, greens, carrot salad, dressing, potato salad, greens, cornbread, and many other dishes. After eating and watching a few basketball games it was then time to open more gifts. After the gift opening we took family portraits and enjoyed each others company. Having family around on Christmas day always puts a smile on my face.

internship readiness

The quality of someone who is internship ready is one that shows confidence in what he/she has learned in tech class. A few more qualities for someone that is internship ready is demonstrating professionalism a great attitude, helpful, receiving/acting upon feed back, and eagerness. My plan on demonstrating internship readiness is to keep up the great job of being on time as well as becoming more outgoing as far as volunteering with the many opportunities such as setting up for guest speaker and moving tables in and out of room when necessary. A change that I plan,on making in module 3 would be my energy and facial expressions. Facial expressions may show that I'm mad, sad, sleepy or angry when I'm actually I'm just as happy to be in this program as the person who is outgoing and smiling/cheerful everyday. To be extremely successful in this module that was not consistant the other modules would have to be organizational skills.

Reflection On Work Experience

The best job that I ever had so far was working with DD kids (developmentally disabled) kids through FSSBA (family support services of the bay area). My primary responsibility was to take care of/engage in activity and homework with kids who were challenged, while their parents were either at work or at home. What made the job enjoyable for me was the opportunity that I gave to these kids to have a good time, and to see the smiles on their face while they were enjoying themselves. Another enjoyable part of this job was seeing the parents appear to be relaxed/at ease when I walked in the door to take care of their kid(s). A skill that I developed in doing this job that will serve me well moving forward into the internship is how I have the ability to work with a group of people no matter the age limit. Another skill that will help is the ability to communicate, this job made me become very responsible and forced me to communicate because parents always wanted to know how their kids were doing and what activities did I bring to the respite. A lot of the kids I worked with did a lot of MEWLING, so as a respite provider I had to be open and willing to express/show a caring and understanding side of me. A lesson that I learned in doing this job was how to have patience, be persistent, communicate, lesson planning, and time management.

Response to Rivera's Frozen Assets Mural

In Rivera’s Frozen Assets mural a connection between the banks then and now are rather interesting. In the mural it shows how a security guard is guarding money that is being held in the bank. The occupy movement that is taking place today, and the mural both displays how money is a major issue and that without the wealth life itself can turn out miserable. The mural can also speak things into existence. In the mural the long line of people that are waiting to go somewhere can turn into the long line of people that will be waiting to take their money out of banks because of the fees that banks want to charge to either take out money or even use your debit card. There is a clear connection between the mural and what is going on now in 2011 with the occupy movement. The connection that I see between the two is how if soon things don’t change with the 99% and 1% we will soon head down the same path as the great depression. In the mural the people that are lying down on the ground with the covers around them can also represent the people that are camping out today, in 2011 to protest about the many different activities that are taking place to force people to protest. The man that is standing over the people with the covers over them can represent the police that stands over and sometimes interfere with the protesters that are in downtown Oakland and other places around the world. In the mural the picture at the bottom with the people waiting to get their money out of the bank may have possibly turned into some of the people that are in the middle picture as a result of them not being able to get their money out of the bank. There is a very clear connection although this mural was drawn long before 2011. There are many connections that I have mentioned but a connection between the mural and 2011 that stuck out to me the most is the connection between all 3 of the pictures. The people not being able to get their money leads to them being poor/having to sleep on the ground with others, which leads to the long line in the top of the photo which represents a bread line.

Inspiration

The individual who inspires me the most would have to be my mother. She is the strongest woman I know. She is a breast cancer survivor and she lives her life to the fullest helping every one she can. My mother taught me that life is not just about what you do for yourself, but also what you do for others. Days when I don’t feel like doing anything productive my mother is always the one to push me. She has inspired me to do many things and because of her I have found independence. Growing up my mother was always the one to make a way out of no way and always looking at the bright side of things. I am proud to say that some of her characteristics have rubbed off on me and make my experience at Year easier.

Community Essay

Who are the members of the community?
 The members of the community are people in the age range of 1month to death.
How do the interact?
The people in the community interact in many ways. Some ways are by playing drums, playing the piano, singing, being an usher, choir director, clapping, yelling/engaging, reading the bible, play organs, read church announcements, and the lads interact by all of the above or going to children church.
Do members choose to be a part of thy community of are they members because of other reasons (geography, ethnicity, religion, etc)?
These members are part of this community because it is a religious thing but also it is volunteered. You didn't have to be involved in this community. Most start out in this community and some don't stay but you do have a decision to make. In this community there are Ranks. The pastor is the first, then the first lady, then the elderly, then the deacons, etc. This is something that is known and not brought up on a regular it is just something that you know growing up in the community or just by being in attendance regularly. When other people/Churches come to this community they than become ranked over the congregation and or put on the same level as the pastor. For example, after church dinner is served to the guest church first and then the home church last.
What are the community characteristics? Its benefits? Its advantages? Its successes? Its problems?
The community characteristics are characteristics that you may find or may not find at other churches. The benefit of being involved in this community may differ. The benefit to me is you feel apart of a family, you get help,feel uplifted, etc. Advantages are networking. It success brings people happiness. Problems...
What do you enjoy about the community? What do you dislike about the community?

PLUS AND DELTAS

+(plus)

• language used in the classroom
• being able to stay awake during class
• code switching
• no side talking
• professionalism
• positive attitude
• taking notes

(delta)

• time management
• meeting homework deadlines
• needs to be able to stay focused
• procrastination
• midterm/final grades
• grades on quizzes/attempts
• SLANT
• interaction with other colleagues
• infractions
• develop better study habits
• sleeping habit
• eating habit
• communication between myself and the instructors
• communication with my advisor

IN MY HOOD!!!

The streets are full of what some would call, “RIFTRAFT.” Rift raft is a term used by the elderly in low-to-middle class neighborhoods to describe 2 or more individuals who stand on a corner all day long. These are what some would call neighborhood norms but to outsiders can appear to be disturbing. At any given time of the day usually between the hours of 8am-12 midnight you can catch the rift raft both male and females on the corners. Usually, they are homeless or it is drug dealers selling to “crack heads.” Crack head is a term used by drug dealers to identify the person(s) who made need a supply of crack. Just by driving through my neighborhood you would probably assume that it’s just a bunch of people hanging out enjoying the sun having a good time but in actuality there is a lot of illegal activities taking place. Not all who hang out on the streets are up to any good for example; at times I hang out on the streets just to enjoy the sun. For the most part no one is going to just hang outside without a scheme to obtain money from the crack heads or the crack heads receiving their daily supply from the drug dealers. I can proudly say that I am not a product of my environment. I am who I am because of the individuals who raised me not because of the “bad” neighborhood I grew up in. I wasn’t given a chocice to pick the environment I wanted to live in and as a result I was able to make the choice of which route I wanted to take.

The Poverty Business

Companies such as Turbo Tax, Credit Unions, Credit cards etc. are making the opportunity divide worse by providing the poor with access to these such businesses but the rich are not being offered the same. The opportunity divide will only continue to be divided until the poor and rich are treated equally. Companies are out to target the poor and the rich are left alone because the companies are likely to get their money back from the rich and not the poor. The opportunity divide will no longer exist once such programs aren’t offered to the less fortunate. The rich for the most part do not need these services to help them sustain a comfortable living style, but the poor need these services to survive month to month.  The government holds responsibility for the opportunity divide as well as the people itself. If the government did not let such businesses exist the poor people would not have these services to fall back on when times get tough. As much research that the companies did on the poor is the same amount of research that the poor should have done on the companies. These companies target the poor for a reason. The government plays a major role for the opportunity divide as well. If such services are going to be offered there should be FREE classes for the “poor” to take so that they will be informed about the ins and outs of these companies. Being informed would keep a lot of people out of debt with the companies and may even stop a lot of companies from even being in business. The more people that are aware of what’s going on with the businesses the less business would exist. These such companies are keeping the making the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Bio: Goals and future plans

It was my pre-teen years that I grasped the concept of a word called “GOALS.” Goals is a word that was often used to ask myself and others, What are some goals you want to achieve 10 years from now? At that time I thought I had my goals toward my future all figured out from A to B. Later on I found out that the goals I had set either did not occur or had been changed. My family is my motivation to succeed and achieve the many goals that myself and my family have set for me. Accomplishing these goals will give me a chance to be a great example to my younger brothers and niece that are looking up to me for guidance. My passion is to become either a probation officer for young adults or Tech teacher for young adults outside of the U.S. Becoming a probation officer will light the fire that I have for helping young adults around the world with issues they face every day that may not be resource able to them without a little guidance. A Tech instructor will also allow me to provide the knowledge and experience outside of the U.S that may or not be available to all that wish to have skills in technology.

FINAL PRODUCT Current Events- Shooting reported in front of a Vallejo marijuana collective; shell casings found, but no victim(REVISED) 10-12-11.

Nearby a barbershop in Vallejo, CA a fight broke out in front of a marijuana dispensary in the 1900 block of Broadway. The fight started inside of the barbershop but ended in front of the marijuana store. Many shell casings were found on the ground, but when the police arrived to the crime scene there were no victims any where to be found. The police questioned a few people, some gave information, and some were not willing to say anything. All who spoke to the police had a different story to tell from one another. Some said the victims fled in a van, others said they fled on their feet. A citizen said that as he and his wife were leaving a local store, a bullet whizzed across his head.

It amazes me that the police are hired to protect and serve the community, yet when something happens in the community they are absolutely nowhere to be found until everything has already happened. It does not say whether or not the police showed up immediately, but in reading the article, it can seems that the police did not show up in a timely manner or maybe the suspects would have been caught. Surprisingly, nobody was hurt in this fight that escalated into gun fire. I believe that if more people would speak up on the activities that take place in the community, then it would be less violent. Most criminals would think before they commited a crime in fear of a potential witness telling the police exactly what happened. A few people may say that you would now be labeled as a snitch but to have a safer environment that we all can live in, helping the police will benefit EVERYONE

 http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_18951661

September 20th 2011 (REVISED) 10-12-11

Attending a school inside of a mall was a very interesting and unusual experience. The day I received the news that I would be attending a school inside a mall was the day that I thought it was a school for "special" kids. My thoughts growing up as a child were that there was going to be a huge high school that you will get lost in and will have halls so long it seemed as if they would never end. UPREP was the total opposite. UPREP was a Charter Academy school based in the heart of East Oakland, Ca. There was one big room full of students separated by office cubicles, as awkward as that sounds it made me very comfortable. A small environment with hands on instructors was what I needed the most to have a successful 4 years of high school. The teachers were among the best of the best teachers in all of Oakland at the time. They seemed willing and ready to teach at all times although later it was proven otherwise. Before the school year was over more than 70% of the teachers we started with were no longer there. Further into my years at UPREP the school had expanded and the teachers/students did also so the small community I was use to no longer existed. All students were expected to leave that high school and go straight into a 4 year college, for some this was the case and others it was not. With the help and guidance of my teachers and peers as well as family I was able to go straight to Sacramento State University!! This school had many ups and downs but the UPS outweighed the downs.

comment on diarra post

Wow. It seems as if you have a very clear understanding of how to speak. You take into consideration your environment before you talk to others. There is a on and off switch, you know when to talk "ghetto" and "professional" which is a great thing. Some may not know when and where to use "correct" language but you dont have that problem. How long did it take you to figure out when and where to use certain languages???

Response to Prompt 1

My peers has a great amount of influence on the language that I currently speak. Growing up around a certain group of people for so long will influence at times more then just your speech. I believe that if I was around a different environment the way I hold conversations would be a lot different in the professional environment. Some would say that clear thoughtful speaking is "white washed" but there is absolutely nothing wrong with holding an intelligent conversation. In this case I agree with psychologists. Parents also has a major influence but as a teenager you dont really spend to much time around them you are with your friends and thats where you begin to pick up on the different languages such as "slang." There is nothing wrong with slang but there is a time and a place to conduct a conversation using SLANG. Often I catch myself wishing that  I had picked up on a more professional language then slang because it is hard to transition from slang to professional and it takes time. Once the professional skills kick in I believe that the way I speak today will influence my peers to speak in a more standard way. Talking professional will even draw a different group of people around you and some will even dissapear.