Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Topic for Argument Paper
FCAT in Elementary Schools-I'm majoring in elemnetary ed but I'm thinking about changing it to early childhood ed just to guarantee that I don't have to teach only for FCAT.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Criteria C-Outline
I-Review of Wackadoo's
A-Introduction
1-Wackadoo's is first sit down restaurant on campus
a-doesn't compare to fast food
2-What type of food/audience
b-casual American,students
B-Atmosphere
1-UCF
a-sports memorabilia everywhere
2-Game Room
a-games
b-pool tables
C-Food Quality
1-broccoli and cheese soup
a-average quality
2-cuban sandwich
b-good, but all cubans are good
D-Service
1-students compose main staff
a-could be unreliable?
2-waitress was slow
b-took over 15 minutes to pay bill
E-Value
1-normal prices
a-pretty cheap,but comparable to other areas
2-tailgating specials
b-fat ass burger and pulled pork for 3.99
F-Conclusion
1-overall good things about wackadoo's
a-prices,atmosphere are good for college campus
2-bad things about restaurant
b-service could be better, food was average
A-Introduction
1-Wackadoo's is first sit down restaurant on campus
a-doesn't compare to fast food
2-What type of food/audience
b-casual American,students
B-Atmosphere
1-UCF
a-sports memorabilia everywhere
2-Game Room
a-games
b-pool tables
C-Food Quality
1-broccoli and cheese soup
a-average quality
2-cuban sandwich
b-good, but all cubans are good
D-Service
1-students compose main staff
a-could be unreliable?
2-waitress was slow
b-took over 15 minutes to pay bill
E-Value
1-normal prices
a-pretty cheap,but comparable to other areas
2-tailgating specials
b-fat ass burger and pulled pork for 3.99
F-Conclusion
1-overall good things about wackadoo's
a-prices,atmosphere are good for college campus
2-bad things about restaurant
b-service could be better, food was average
Rough Draft
When choosing a college campus, one aspect that is often overlooked is the food choices available on campus. The University of Central Florida is an area with food options for everybody including Chinese, Mexican, Mediterranean, sandwiches and fast food. We are lucky enough to have a sit down restaurant in the main hub of campus, which is Wackadoo’s. Located in the student union, Wackadoo’s, is a restaurant run by the University’s alumni and current students. They serve typical American style cuisine with a diverse menu including burgers, wings, sandwiches, salads and soups. Whenever I have walked through the student union and looked inside it always appears packed, so I decided to try it out one day.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is really casual, more like a sports bar then a place to get lunch or dinner. There is evidence that Wackadoo’s is really a place for students and alumni because UCF memorabilia is everywhere! There are pictures of the university on almost every wall and the ceiling is decorated with posters of the Knights and sports jerseys from football and basketball players. On the right side of the eatery, there is a game room with about ten different video games and multiple pool tables to play on. I rate the atmosphere of Wackadoo’s five out of five chicken wings, because the atmosphere is really laid back and relaxed. They also invite you to stay longer to play some of the video games or pool.
The food quality at Wackadoo’s is pretty average. The first time I went there I got Broccoli and Cheese Soup which came with plain saltine crackers, which was pretty good but about the same quality you could get at Panera Bread. My friend Ryan who accompanied me ordered a Cuban sandwich which tasted how a Cuban should taste and contained the proper meats on it. The second time I went out to eat at Wackadoo’s I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The pork was a bit plain but it was still tasty. I rate the food quality and taste four out of five chicken wings, the food was good but there was nothing special about it to make me feel like I found a real winner.
When I found out that there was a sit down restaurant at the University of Central Florida, I figured there would be a lot of students working there. When I arrived I discovered my assumption was correct, but not just the servers were students, everybody working there was. I don’t have a problem with students working with food, but I feel as if they are sometimes unreliable or slow in a service situation. When I went out to eat with my friend Ryan our waitress showed up quite promptly to take our drink order, but to order food took at least ten minutes. Then once our food was ordered it took at least twenty minutes to receive our lunch which was only soup and a sandwich. When it came time to pay our bill, our waitress never came back to take our checks which led to another fifteen minute wait. I would rate the service of Wackadoo’s a two out of five chicken wings because of the length of time I had to wait, but our waitress was still polite each time she visited our table.
I feel that whenever I go out to eat that the most important aspect for me of whether I’ll return is if the food I paid for was worth the price I paid for it. There are many places out there that will charge ridiculous prices for food that was crappy, but Wackadoo’s isn’t one of them. When I ordered my broccoli and cheese soup, it only cost five dollars in total including tip. This is a pretty good deal for a sit down restaurant. My friend Ryan got a special which was only seven dollars in total for his Cuban sandwich. Also, during tailgating they offer special deals on their Fat Ass Burger and pulled pork for 3.99. This is a great marketing tool to get the hungry students tailgating into the eatery for a good burger (and beer if they are over twenty one). I rate the prices of Wackadoo’s five out of five chicken wings, they offer good deals during tailgating and the normal menu prices aren’t that expensive for a student or professor’s budget.
Overall I would rate Wackadoo’s four out of five chicken wings. The restaurant’s atmosphere is suitable and the prices are right for a college campus but, they still have some work to do in regards to service. Also, the quality of the food could be raised in order to bring in more business that could be going to local eateries. Most students don’t have the opportunity if they don’t have a car to go off campus to eat, so I think that having Wackadoo’s in a central location in the student union is good for students who want to sit down to eat. There are many restaurants close by to the University of Central Florida’s campus, but having a place so close for students to will bring in the crowds for a long time.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is really casual, more like a sports bar then a place to get lunch or dinner. There is evidence that Wackadoo’s is really a place for students and alumni because UCF memorabilia is everywhere! There are pictures of the university on almost every wall and the ceiling is decorated with posters of the Knights and sports jerseys from football and basketball players. On the right side of the eatery, there is a game room with about ten different video games and multiple pool tables to play on. I rate the atmosphere of Wackadoo’s five out of five chicken wings, because the atmosphere is really laid back and relaxed. They also invite you to stay longer to play some of the video games or pool.
The food quality at Wackadoo’s is pretty average. The first time I went there I got Broccoli and Cheese Soup which came with plain saltine crackers, which was pretty good but about the same quality you could get at Panera Bread. My friend Ryan who accompanied me ordered a Cuban sandwich which tasted how a Cuban should taste and contained the proper meats on it. The second time I went out to eat at Wackadoo’s I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The pork was a bit plain but it was still tasty. I rate the food quality and taste four out of five chicken wings, the food was good but there was nothing special about it to make me feel like I found a real winner.
When I found out that there was a sit down restaurant at the University of Central Florida, I figured there would be a lot of students working there. When I arrived I discovered my assumption was correct, but not just the servers were students, everybody working there was. I don’t have a problem with students working with food, but I feel as if they are sometimes unreliable or slow in a service situation. When I went out to eat with my friend Ryan our waitress showed up quite promptly to take our drink order, but to order food took at least ten minutes. Then once our food was ordered it took at least twenty minutes to receive our lunch which was only soup and a sandwich. When it came time to pay our bill, our waitress never came back to take our checks which led to another fifteen minute wait. I would rate the service of Wackadoo’s a two out of five chicken wings because of the length of time I had to wait, but our waitress was still polite each time she visited our table.
I feel that whenever I go out to eat that the most important aspect for me of whether I’ll return is if the food I paid for was worth the price I paid for it. There are many places out there that will charge ridiculous prices for food that was crappy, but Wackadoo’s isn’t one of them. When I ordered my broccoli and cheese soup, it only cost five dollars in total including tip. This is a pretty good deal for a sit down restaurant. My friend Ryan got a special which was only seven dollars in total for his Cuban sandwich. Also, during tailgating they offer special deals on their Fat Ass Burger and pulled pork for 3.99. This is a great marketing tool to get the hungry students tailgating into the eatery for a good burger (and beer if they are over twenty one). I rate the prices of Wackadoo’s five out of five chicken wings, they offer good deals during tailgating and the normal menu prices aren’t that expensive for a student or professor’s budget.
Overall I would rate Wackadoo’s four out of five chicken wings. The restaurant’s atmosphere is suitable and the prices are right for a college campus but, they still have some work to do in regards to service. Also, the quality of the food could be raised in order to bring in more business that could be going to local eateries. Most students don’t have the opportunity if they don’t have a car to go off campus to eat, so I think that having Wackadoo’s in a central location in the student union is good for students who want to sit down to eat. There are many restaurants close by to the University of Central Florida’s campus, but having a place so close for students to will bring in the crowds for a long time.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Template B: Criteria
The four important criteria based off my audience analysis that I’m going to use for my restaurant review are: the atmosphere of the restaurant, the food quality/taste, service, and the value. I believe all four of these qualities are important in any place you are willing to eat at.
My audience will want to know that where they are eating is welcoming, for a casual full service dining restaurant. You wouldn’t want to eat in a place with tablecloths and wine in a campus eatery serving wings and burgers. Also, pride in the University of Central Florida should be apparent in a restaurant in the area.
When you’re eating at a restaurant one of the main factors of whether you will return or not, is the taste of the food. My mother worked at a restaurant in the past, and sometimes it’s a pain to go out to eat with her only because if the food is messed up enough to not pass her standards she will never go back again. Unfortunately this list has grown so big; it’s a stretch finding at least one eatery we both enjoy. As you can see in the case of my mother, the taste of the food can either make or break your trip back.
The service of a restaurant’s employees provides you are another important factor in deciding to go out to eat. If the service is known as slow and unreliable, it will lead you against choosing that eatery. In a college restaurant it’s nice to know that the students will be prompt and responsible while working.
Finally, one of the most important factors of going out to eat at all and especially is one of the deciding factors on what restaurant you choose is the value.
My audience will want to know that where they are eating is welcoming, for a casual full service dining restaurant. You wouldn’t want to eat in a place with tablecloths and wine in a campus eatery serving wings and burgers. Also, pride in the University of Central Florida should be apparent in a restaurant in the area.
When you’re eating at a restaurant one of the main factors of whether you will return or not, is the taste of the food. My mother worked at a restaurant in the past, and sometimes it’s a pain to go out to eat with her only because if the food is messed up enough to not pass her standards she will never go back again. Unfortunately this list has grown so big; it’s a stretch finding at least one eatery we both enjoy. As you can see in the case of my mother, the taste of the food can either make or break your trip back.
The service of a restaurant’s employees provides you are another important factor in deciding to go out to eat. If the service is known as slow and unreliable, it will lead you against choosing that eatery. In a college restaurant it’s nice to know that the students will be prompt and responsible while working.
Finally, one of the most important factors of going out to eat at all and especially is one of the deciding factors on what restaurant you choose is the value.
Template A: Audience Analysis
Topic: Review of one of UCF’s full service restaurants Wackadoo’s
The audience for my review of Wackadoo’s would be students that go to the University of Central Florida and don’t want to only eat fast food, alumni of the university that are coming back, professors that need a bite to eat between teaching, family members that are here for family weekend or visiting their student on campus and people who enjoy a good food of all kinds in general. Also, the menu at Wackadoo’s is mainly burgers, wings and sandwiches, so the diners at this restaurant don’t want anything fancy, just a good “American” style meal.
It’s important to the audience that they’re getting the most out of their meal for the money they’re paying. Most of the people that will be eating at this restaurant are middle class Americans. They want to read about if the food is good enough to take the time to stop by and eat there or if they should go to one of the cheaper and faster restaurants on campus. They will have to have good food that doesn’t cost a fortune and good service. The people who are eating here and would read my review have feelings on all aspects of social issues. No matter whether you are republican or democrat, it doesn’t affect whether you like food or not.
The friends of my audience will also be interested in my review of Wackadoo’s. A lot of the students that go to the University of Central Florida will probably have friends that also go to the university or have their friends come visit them on campus. Last year when my friend was attending UCF and I came to visit he didn’t have a car, so we were only limited to restaurants that were nearby or on campus. Also, the friendly-casual environment of the eatery will invite students to come and have a good time by playing on the pool tables or on the video games that are located on the right side of the restaurant. If they were having an event held at Wackadoo’s or if students that go to UCF didn’t know what the restaurant is it could hurt them socially. Students will need to walk through the student union at least once or twice a week to make sure they are up to date on any events or specials that are going on at Wackadoo’s.
The benefits of reading my review would be that my audience wants to know if it’s worth their time and money to go out to eat at Wackadoo’s. There are so many restaurants on the University of Central Florida campus and all around East Orlando, what would take them to come to eat at Wackadoo’s instead. I will need to show people that the food and the atmosphere are friendly, and that people should think about staying on campus to eat other then leaving to one of the many local eateries.
The audience for my review of Wackadoo’s would be students that go to the University of Central Florida and don’t want to only eat fast food, alumni of the university that are coming back, professors that need a bite to eat between teaching, family members that are here for family weekend or visiting their student on campus and people who enjoy a good food of all kinds in general. Also, the menu at Wackadoo’s is mainly burgers, wings and sandwiches, so the diners at this restaurant don’t want anything fancy, just a good “American” style meal.
It’s important to the audience that they’re getting the most out of their meal for the money they’re paying. Most of the people that will be eating at this restaurant are middle class Americans. They want to read about if the food is good enough to take the time to stop by and eat there or if they should go to one of the cheaper and faster restaurants on campus. They will have to have good food that doesn’t cost a fortune and good service. The people who are eating here and would read my review have feelings on all aspects of social issues. No matter whether you are republican or democrat, it doesn’t affect whether you like food or not.
The friends of my audience will also be interested in my review of Wackadoo’s. A lot of the students that go to the University of Central Florida will probably have friends that also go to the university or have their friends come visit them on campus. Last year when my friend was attending UCF and I came to visit he didn’t have a car, so we were only limited to restaurants that were nearby or on campus. Also, the friendly-casual environment of the eatery will invite students to come and have a good time by playing on the pool tables or on the video games that are located on the right side of the restaurant. If they were having an event held at Wackadoo’s or if students that go to UCF didn’t know what the restaurant is it could hurt them socially. Students will need to walk through the student union at least once or twice a week to make sure they are up to date on any events or specials that are going on at Wackadoo’s.
The benefits of reading my review would be that my audience wants to know if it’s worth their time and money to go out to eat at Wackadoo’s. There are so many restaurants on the University of Central Florida campus and all around East Orlando, what would take them to come to eat at Wackadoo’s instead. I will need to show people that the food and the atmosphere are friendly, and that people should think about staying on campus to eat other then leaving to one of the many local eateries.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Plagarism Workshop
Alexis+ Boys in the back corner
1. It would be a 0 because they are just researching together but they are writing completely different papers and are bound to have some similar facts. It could turn into plagiarism by the students using each others answers to write their paper.
2. It is a 0 because you're only using the same information to write each paper but you're not copying the whole paper word for word.
3. It would be a 2 because it has the potential to be copying the other person's answer but you would just be seeing how the assignment was supposed to turn out.
4. Would be a 5 because the student copied the other person's answer, even though he changed some of the answers around. It wasn't the student's own work which is cheating.
1. It would be a 0 because they are just researching together but they are writing completely different papers and are bound to have some similar facts. It could turn into plagiarism by the students using each others answers to write their paper.
2. It is a 0 because you're only using the same information to write each paper but you're not copying the whole paper word for word.
3. It would be a 2 because it has the potential to be copying the other person's answer but you would just be seeing how the assignment was supposed to turn out.
4. Would be a 5 because the student copied the other person's answer, even though he changed some of the answers around. It wasn't the student's own work which is cheating.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
UCF recycling and sustainability
Recently around the globe, there has been a big change in the way humans around the world think about energy and water use. The threat of global warming is looming, and people need to begin altering the way we use our resources. Many changes have taken place around the University of Central Florida to make the property greener and more sustainable, such as adding recycling containers and starting a community garden. All of these events around campus show that students and faculty really care about the environment and that ‘going green’ isn’t just a fad.
UCF started the recycling process in 2005 with a miniscule five percent recycling rate. In 2006, the university entered in RecycleMania, which is a friendly competition and standard for college recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities, which started a spark in the dismal rate raising it to eight percent. As each year goes by the idea of recycling on campus gets more popular, according to last year’s twenty eight percent average. According to the University of Central Florida’s recycling website, UCF Recycles accepts aluminum cans, plastic, mixed paper, wooden pallets, cardboard, hard/soft cover books, magazines, batteries, electronics, and scrap metal and aluminum. Also, each move in/move out session furniture that would be thrown away is donated to the Bithlo/Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families. Once the materials are collected the workers from the physical plant go to every location on campus to retrieve these materials, sort them, and weigh them before the next day. The money from recycling goes towards new equipment for the campus. I think that it’s great for a large university like the University of Central Florida to be able to recycle so many of these materials is and help the needy at the same time.
As I observe the growing amount of recycling containers of all types as I trek across our campus, I’m glad UCF started to take a stand against the growing amount of recyclable items going into the trash. There are bins for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspaper, ink cartridges, plastic bags, and cardboard located in every building and location on campus. I feel a sense of pride whenever I see a container that is almost full. This means that many of our 50,000 students are taking the extra step and recycling, when they could have just as easily thrown a recyclable item in the trash. Every game day event I have attended so far, there have been numerous can and bottle recycling containers and they always seem to be full. Imagine how many cans that would have been lying in our landfills! UCF dining services has also started an event that each home game if you bring twelve cans or plastic bottles to a stand outside of Knightro’s you receive a free t-shirt! If that isn’t a great incentive to start recycling, then I don’t know what is.
A lot of students are choosing to live greenly as well, just not in their choice to recycle but in the food they buy and household items they purchase. In my apartment alone, we choose to purchase Clorox’s Green Works household cleaners to use as dish soap and all purpose cleaner. We also chose to go vegan, which is like being vegetarian but with no animal products at all. Cherah Charter states that she “enjoys eating vegan, when it is possible because you feel healthier and you aren’t getting involved in the killing of animals”. During that two week period of time we lived on salads and soy milk and found it difficult to find other protein rich foods to eat, other than meat. There are other ways to support going green such as wearing novelty tees with sayings such as “stop destroying our planet! It’s where I keep all my stuff” and by wearing organically grown cotton t-shirts and hemp clothing.
The university is also seeking other ways to lower the campus’s green house emissions other than just turning out the lights. Many of the changes taking place so far at UCF are mainly building/construction based. There is a thermal energy storage facility that is on track to be finished this semester and will help keep energy costs low by saving the university 700,000 dollars annually! They have been saving water by installing low flow shower heads to all of the showers and using dual flushing toilets. The shuttle system is also a great sustainable addition. I use the shuttle system daily, and the buses come to my off campus apartment complex every fifteen minutes. It saves me time from having to look for a parking spot and allows another driver to have a parking spot I would have taken up. Additionally it saves me the stress from having to drive in the terrible Orlando traffic when it’s time for me to leave. These few changes on a campus this large will save the school thousands of dollars which could be put towards things that students enjoy such as more free events.
Many citizens believe that the only people who recycle and live sustainably are hippies have faith in “peace, love and happiness” or only college students but now that is not the case. 30% of eighteen to thirty year olds don’t recycle anything, which is contrary to the belief that we students are leaders in living greenly. With the change in prices of electricity and with the recession a lot of middle class families are now trying to cut costs by reusing items and cutting off power when not needed. When asked if he recycled, freshman Kyle Stultz replied “My roommate and I have a habit of collecting all of our bottles in our dorm and at the end of each week we take them downstairs to put in the recycling bin. I think recycling is good for the environment and saves resources, so it’s not a big deal to take a little bit of time to do it.” Another freshman Mariah Charter states that “I try to use the recycling bins as much as possible; I walk by them every day so I might as well use them. I love saving money as well and living sustainably for some things lets me do that. My roommates and I don’t use the dishwasher to save on energy costs”. Some people, however; oppose the idea of recycling and think that it is a waste of time and effort. Freshman Ryan Smith explained to me his point of view, “I don’t want to have to pay money to recycle, that right should be just given to us. If recycling on campus makes the tuition higher then I don’t want to be a part of it.”
I think that if we don’t change some of our bad habits now as “energy wasters” that it will truly start affecting the environment we live in. Already carbon dioxide levels are climbing yearly and many species of animals are going extinct because of change in climate and habitat. The University of Central Florida aims to have all of its buildings LEED certified in the future and is putting more money towards being more sustainable and improving its recycling rate. You can call me a hippie but I’m glad the university I’m attending is actually making an effort towards being “green”.
Works Cited
http://www.recycle.ucf.edu/index.htm
http://today.ucf.edu/blog/2009/05/14/raise-the-recycling-rate/
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=783
UCF started the recycling process in 2005 with a miniscule five percent recycling rate. In 2006, the university entered in RecycleMania, which is a friendly competition and standard for college recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities, which started a spark in the dismal rate raising it to eight percent. As each year goes by the idea of recycling on campus gets more popular, according to last year’s twenty eight percent average. According to the University of Central Florida’s recycling website, UCF Recycles accepts aluminum cans, plastic, mixed paper, wooden pallets, cardboard, hard/soft cover books, magazines, batteries, electronics, and scrap metal and aluminum. Also, each move in/move out session furniture that would be thrown away is donated to the Bithlo/Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families. Once the materials are collected the workers from the physical plant go to every location on campus to retrieve these materials, sort them, and weigh them before the next day. The money from recycling goes towards new equipment for the campus. I think that it’s great for a large university like the University of Central Florida to be able to recycle so many of these materials is and help the needy at the same time.
As I observe the growing amount of recycling containers of all types as I trek across our campus, I’m glad UCF started to take a stand against the growing amount of recyclable items going into the trash. There are bins for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspaper, ink cartridges, plastic bags, and cardboard located in every building and location on campus. I feel a sense of pride whenever I see a container that is almost full. This means that many of our 50,000 students are taking the extra step and recycling, when they could have just as easily thrown a recyclable item in the trash. Every game day event I have attended so far, there have been numerous can and bottle recycling containers and they always seem to be full. Imagine how many cans that would have been lying in our landfills! UCF dining services has also started an event that each home game if you bring twelve cans or plastic bottles to a stand outside of Knightro’s you receive a free t-shirt! If that isn’t a great incentive to start recycling, then I don’t know what is.
A lot of students are choosing to live greenly as well, just not in their choice to recycle but in the food they buy and household items they purchase. In my apartment alone, we choose to purchase Clorox’s Green Works household cleaners to use as dish soap and all purpose cleaner. We also chose to go vegan, which is like being vegetarian but with no animal products at all. Cherah Charter states that she “enjoys eating vegan, when it is possible because you feel healthier and you aren’t getting involved in the killing of animals”. During that two week period of time we lived on salads and soy milk and found it difficult to find other protein rich foods to eat, other than meat. There are other ways to support going green such as wearing novelty tees with sayings such as “stop destroying our planet! It’s where I keep all my stuff” and by wearing organically grown cotton t-shirts and hemp clothing.
The university is also seeking other ways to lower the campus’s green house emissions other than just turning out the lights. Many of the changes taking place so far at UCF are mainly building/construction based. There is a thermal energy storage facility that is on track to be finished this semester and will help keep energy costs low by saving the university 700,000 dollars annually! They have been saving water by installing low flow shower heads to all of the showers and using dual flushing toilets. The shuttle system is also a great sustainable addition. I use the shuttle system daily, and the buses come to my off campus apartment complex every fifteen minutes. It saves me time from having to look for a parking spot and allows another driver to have a parking spot I would have taken up. Additionally it saves me the stress from having to drive in the terrible Orlando traffic when it’s time for me to leave. These few changes on a campus this large will save the school thousands of dollars which could be put towards things that students enjoy such as more free events.
Many citizens believe that the only people who recycle and live sustainably are hippies have faith in “peace, love and happiness” or only college students but now that is not the case. 30% of eighteen to thirty year olds don’t recycle anything, which is contrary to the belief that we students are leaders in living greenly. With the change in prices of electricity and with the recession a lot of middle class families are now trying to cut costs by reusing items and cutting off power when not needed. When asked if he recycled, freshman Kyle Stultz replied “My roommate and I have a habit of collecting all of our bottles in our dorm and at the end of each week we take them downstairs to put in the recycling bin. I think recycling is good for the environment and saves resources, so it’s not a big deal to take a little bit of time to do it.” Another freshman Mariah Charter states that “I try to use the recycling bins as much as possible; I walk by them every day so I might as well use them. I love saving money as well and living sustainably for some things lets me do that. My roommates and I don’t use the dishwasher to save on energy costs”. Some people, however; oppose the idea of recycling and think that it is a waste of time and effort. Freshman Ryan Smith explained to me his point of view, “I don’t want to have to pay money to recycle, that right should be just given to us. If recycling on campus makes the tuition higher then I don’t want to be a part of it.”
I think that if we don’t change some of our bad habits now as “energy wasters” that it will truly start affecting the environment we live in. Already carbon dioxide levels are climbing yearly and many species of animals are going extinct because of change in climate and habitat. The University of Central Florida aims to have all of its buildings LEED certified in the future and is putting more money towards being more sustainable and improving its recycling rate. You can call me a hippie but I’m glad the university I’m attending is actually making an effort towards being “green”.
Works Cited
http://www.recycle.ucf.edu/index.htm
http://today.ucf.edu/blog/2009/05/14/raise-the-recycling-rate/
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=783
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Outline
I-Going green on UCF campus
A-Introduction
1-World needs to start change
a-polar bears are dying, global warming
2-UCF is involved in process
b-students and faculty care
B-how ucf got involved
a-started when
1-recyclemania
b-what materials recycled/how
1-various materials
2-physical plant does a lot
C-What is being done on campus?
a-recycling bins
1-always filled
b-eco friendly items
1-vegetarian,natural,hemp clothes
c-saving money by recycling
1-building water tower
2-green roof
3-solar panels on tower
D-What students think
a-pro recycling
1-utilize the recycling bins
2-helping the environment
b-con recycling
1-expensive
2-trash is in recycling bins
E-Conclusion
a-why we need to change
1-what will happen
b-plans for future of ucf
1-further recycling
A-Introduction
1-World needs to start change
a-polar bears are dying, global warming
2-UCF is involved in process
b-students and faculty care
B-how ucf got involved
a-started when
1-recyclemania
b-what materials recycled/how
1-various materials
2-physical plant does a lot
C-What is being done on campus?
a-recycling bins
1-always filled
b-eco friendly items
1-vegetarian,natural,hemp clothes
c-saving money by recycling
1-building water tower
2-green roof
3-solar panels on tower
D-What students think
a-pro recycling
1-utilize the recycling bins
2-helping the environment
b-con recycling
1-expensive
2-trash is in recycling bins
E-Conclusion
a-why we need to change
1-what will happen
b-plans for future of ucf
1-further recycling
Monday, October 12, 2009
Thesis paragrapgh
Recently around the globe, there has been a big change in the way people around the world think about energy and water use. The threat of global warming is looming, and people need to begin altering the way we use our resources. There have been many changes around the University of Central Florida campus to make it greener and more sustainable, such as adding recycling containers and starting a community garden. All of these events around campus show that students and faculty actually care about the environment and that ‘going green’ isn’t just a fad.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Matrimony Commentary Questions: Alexis Munroe, Kyle Stultz, Pablo Quiroga
1. The commentary is focusing on how men are becoming more involved in the setup of a wedding and other plans involved.
2. The author gives an interesting introduction to the issue by telling of a particular instance in which a guy had devoted as much time perfecting his outfit as his fiance had.
3. The author explains the context of this issue well. They use several people in different professions involved in a wedding to explain their reasoning. This seems to portray a possible apathy towards the subject.
4.The possible causes could be women are getting married older, so they have less time to give to wedding planning. Thus, the men are needed to complete the wedding plan process.
5. The author mentions several tv shows, such as The Bachelor and Bridezillas, that have caused gender roles to shift in society. This would cause the shift in the belief of how a wedding should be planned.
6. The writer wrote this commentary more to tell information, and doesn't show much bias on the topic. They present several instances in which they appear in favor as well as against the issue of wedding planning.
7. The significance that the author sees is that the trend of men not being involved in wedding planning, is now almost the opposite. It appears as though now men are taking an initiative in the process of wedding planning.
2. The author gives an interesting introduction to the issue by telling of a particular instance in which a guy had devoted as much time perfecting his outfit as his fiance had.
3. The author explains the context of this issue well. They use several people in different professions involved in a wedding to explain their reasoning. This seems to portray a possible apathy towards the subject.
4.The possible causes could be women are getting married older, so they have less time to give to wedding planning. Thus, the men are needed to complete the wedding plan process.
5. The author mentions several tv shows, such as The Bachelor and Bridezillas, that have caused gender roles to shift in society. This would cause the shift in the belief of how a wedding should be planned.
6. The writer wrote this commentary more to tell information, and doesn't show much bias on the topic. They present several instances in which they appear in favor as well as against the issue of wedding planning.
7. The significance that the author sees is that the trend of men not being involved in wedding planning, is now almost the opposite. It appears as though now men are taking an initiative in the process of wedding planning.
Commentary Interview
1. Are you aware of any legislation that causes UCF to go green?
No, I am not aware of any legislation
2. Do you know how long UCF has been recycling for?
I believe they have been recycling for the past 5 or six years
3. Do you think that trash and energy usage has been a problem at ucf before?
Yea I do believe it has
4. Do you know what ucf does after they collect recyclable materials?
I have no idea what they do after they collect the materials
5. What do you think are advantages and disadvantages to recycling and "going green"?
i don't really see any disadvantages but it sure does save a lot of resources to recycle and such
6. What are ways you are "going green"?
Me and my roomate have a habit of recycling all of our bottles and cans
7. Do you know what UCF is aiming for in the future, energy usage wise?
I would assume to tone down its energy useage
8. Do you think that recycling is just a waste of time?
No, I don't think it is a waste of time
No, I am not aware of any legislation
2. Do you know how long UCF has been recycling for?
I believe they have been recycling for the past 5 or six years
3. Do you think that trash and energy usage has been a problem at ucf before?
Yea I do believe it has
4. Do you know what ucf does after they collect recyclable materials?
I have no idea what they do after they collect the materials
5. What do you think are advantages and disadvantages to recycling and "going green"?
i don't really see any disadvantages but it sure does save a lot of resources to recycle and such
6. What are ways you are "going green"?
Me and my roomate have a habit of recycling all of our bottles and cans
7. Do you know what UCF is aiming for in the future, energy usage wise?
I would assume to tone down its energy useage
8. Do you think that recycling is just a waste of time?
No, I don't think it is a waste of time
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Commentary-Letter to a friend
Dear Jessica,
How have you been, it feels like decades since I’ve last seen you! Everything is going great so far at the University of Central Florida! I enjoy going to most of my classes (psychology just kills me) and I think I’m doing okay in all of my classes. Do you remember that travel coffee mug I bought you for your birthday? I hope you’ve used it! I think it’s great how the University of Florida is giving discounts on reusable coffee cups, but I have yet to find a program like that at UCF! I think Einstein Bagel Bros. might have a discount program like that, but I’m not 100% sure. I’ll have to look into it.
The University of Central Florida is taking some initiative towards recycling however! Everywhere I seem to go on campus there are large plastic containers you can put cans, paper, or plastic bottles into. The only problem is that whenever I have an empty can or bottle, I can never find a container to put it in! It’s probably just my unlucky self though, and I feel like nobody else on campus but I would walk around searching for a place to put my trash.
Does UF have the same outlook on recycling? I know it has become very important on their campus, as an example you can get reusable trays you can take with you from the dining halls.UCF I think is far behind in terms of recycling and going green on campus. I believe that we have a lot of catching up to do compared to a lot of the Universities out there.
I think that many of the changes taking place so far at UCF are mainly building/construction based. There is a thermal energy storage facility that is on track to be finished this semester and will help keep energy costs low by saving the university 700,000 dollars annually! They have been saving water by installing low flow shower heads to all of the showers and using dual flushing toilets.
You know that I live off campus with Mariah, so taking the shuttle has really helped out a lot! I save gas and money by not having to drive to school every hour and have the connivance of not having to drive at all! Also, by taking the shuttle to school it saves cars from being on the road, which makes it more Eco- friendly and saves other students who do drive a place to park in one of the crowded parking lots.
I really hope you come to visit me soon! Maybe you can carpool with Danielle one day and you can stay for the weekend! We could walk around the campus and you will see what action UCF is taking with their recycling efforts. I would love to hear what UF is doing as well to make the world a better place for everybody. Hope to see you soon!
Love, Alexis
How have you been, it feels like decades since I’ve last seen you! Everything is going great so far at the University of Central Florida! I enjoy going to most of my classes (psychology just kills me) and I think I’m doing okay in all of my classes. Do you remember that travel coffee mug I bought you for your birthday? I hope you’ve used it! I think it’s great how the University of Florida is giving discounts on reusable coffee cups, but I have yet to find a program like that at UCF! I think Einstein Bagel Bros. might have a discount program like that, but I’m not 100% sure. I’ll have to look into it.
The University of Central Florida is taking some initiative towards recycling however! Everywhere I seem to go on campus there are large plastic containers you can put cans, paper, or plastic bottles into. The only problem is that whenever I have an empty can or bottle, I can never find a container to put it in! It’s probably just my unlucky self though, and I feel like nobody else on campus but I would walk around searching for a place to put my trash.
Does UF have the same outlook on recycling? I know it has become very important on their campus, as an example you can get reusable trays you can take with you from the dining halls.UCF I think is far behind in terms of recycling and going green on campus. I believe that we have a lot of catching up to do compared to a lot of the Universities out there.
I think that many of the changes taking place so far at UCF are mainly building/construction based. There is a thermal energy storage facility that is on track to be finished this semester and will help keep energy costs low by saving the university 700,000 dollars annually! They have been saving water by installing low flow shower heads to all of the showers and using dual flushing toilets.
You know that I live off campus with Mariah, so taking the shuttle has really helped out a lot! I save gas and money by not having to drive to school every hour and have the connivance of not having to drive at all! Also, by taking the shuttle to school it saves cars from being on the road, which makes it more Eco- friendly and saves other students who do drive a place to park in one of the crowded parking lots.
I really hope you come to visit me soon! Maybe you can carpool with Danielle one day and you can stay for the weekend! We could walk around the campus and you will see what action UCF is taking with their recycling efforts. I would love to hear what UF is doing as well to make the world a better place for everybody. Hope to see you soon!
Love, Alexis
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Going green on Campus-Extension
Recently around the globe, there has been a big change in the way people around the world think about energy and water use. The threat of global warming is looming, and people need to begin altering the way we use our resources. There have been many changes around the University of Central Florida to make it greener and more sustainable, such as adding recycling containers and starting a community garden. All of these events around campus show that students and faculty actually care about the environment and that ‘going green’ isn’t just a fad.
As I observe the growing amount of recycling containers of all types as I trek across our campus, I’m glad UCF started to take a stand against the growing amount of recyclable items going into the trash. There are bins for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspaper, ink cartridges, plastic bags, and cardboard located in every building and location on campus. I feel a sense of pride whenever I see a container that is almost full. This means that many of our 50,000 students are taking the extra step and recycling, when they could have just as easily thrown a recyclable item in the trash. Every game day event I have attended so far, there have been numerous can and bottle recycling containers and they always seem to be full. Imagine how many cans that would have been lying in our landfills! UCF dining services has also started an event that each home game if you bring twelve cans or plastic bottles to a stand outside of Knightro’s you receive a free t-shirt! If that isn’t a great incentive to start recycling, then I don’t know what is!
As I observe the growing amount of recycling containers of all types as I trek across our campus, I’m glad UCF started to take a stand against the growing amount of recyclable items going into the trash. There are bins for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspaper, ink cartridges, plastic bags, and cardboard located in every building and location on campus. I feel a sense of pride whenever I see a container that is almost full. This means that many of our 50,000 students are taking the extra step and recycling, when they could have just as easily thrown a recyclable item in the trash. Every game day event I have attended so far, there have been numerous can and bottle recycling containers and they always seem to be full. Imagine how many cans that would have been lying in our landfills! UCF dining services has also started an event that each home game if you bring twelve cans or plastic bottles to a stand outside of Knightro’s you receive a free t-shirt! If that isn’t a great incentive to start recycling, then I don’t know what is!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Brainstorming Commentary
1. Going Green on campus
At UCF, people are trying to lower their carbon footprint in many ways. There are recycling containers of all sorts around campus and eateries such as Marketplace and Knightro's have started not serving trays when you get your food. A new innovation are the water refill stations in the student union.
2.Free events/stuff on campus
There are so many free events at UCF its almost ridiculous. Is every college campus filled with groups trying to persuade you by giving you a free shirt or random guys walking around with free bottles of hand sanitizer?! Also there are events like Late Knights and speakers that are actually interesting(a guy from Deadliest Catch is coming tomorrow,i'm pretty excited).
3.Ban on birth control
This isn't just school wide but, banning birth control is a important issue. Teenagers are going to have sex no matter what, and with the birth control ban could cause the abortion rates to increase dramatically. Also, for the girls that use the pill not only for sexual reasons but for bad cramps and ect, what will happen to them!
At UCF, people are trying to lower their carbon footprint in many ways. There are recycling containers of all sorts around campus and eateries such as Marketplace and Knightro's have started not serving trays when you get your food. A new innovation are the water refill stations in the student union.
2.Free events/stuff on campus
There are so many free events at UCF its almost ridiculous. Is every college campus filled with groups trying to persuade you by giving you a free shirt or random guys walking around with free bottles of hand sanitizer?! Also there are events like Late Knights and speakers that are actually interesting(a guy from Deadliest Catch is coming tomorrow,i'm pretty excited).
3.Ban on birth control
This isn't just school wide but, banning birth control is a important issue. Teenagers are going to have sex no matter what, and with the birth control ban could cause the abortion rates to increase dramatically. Also, for the girls that use the pill not only for sexual reasons but for bad cramps and ect, what will happen to them!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Memoir-Final Draft
This was it; the magical day was finally here! I was about to pick out my senior schedule. When you’re in high school or grades even younger, you aspire to be a senior. I was finally the “big woman on campus”, technically speaking. Your senior schedule could make you or break you in a college’s eyes, so it was very important to pick classes that looked good, but still allowed you to slack off a little bit. I decided to do child care two-three which sounds like a piece of cake but, it ended up being my hardest class. I also decided to take college algebra, my first college level course. To round out the rest of my schedule I chose psychology, marine biology, fashion design two, and English honors four. Little did I know that the
senior year ahead would be one of the most exciting and emotional years of my life.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool would hopefully start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach four year olds unknowing of what to work with, and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to teach. The rest of my day was fairly boring, listening to lectures about how challenging the class ahead was going to be. But I had my eye on the prize just like every other new senior, graduation.
Even though my final year was going pretty well, at home things were very different. One night I came home late from hanging out at a close friend’s house. I was in my room lounging on my bed and listening to Paramore on my computer when my dad knocked on the door and asked, “Lex can I come in?” “Sure”, I replied back as my dad walked through the door. He stood around awkwardly for a minute and sat down on my bed. My dad had a strained, tired look on his face and started to speak in a somber tone, “Your mom and I are getting a divorce. You know things have been rough lately, and this is the only other option as I see it right now. I think that maybe someday things will get better, but I’m not sure. Your mom is moving out in two weeks to live at her friend’s house and we’re going to try to make things as normal as possible for you, Erica, and T.j.” I was in complete shock, and I could only mutter an “Okay, can you please go now?” My dad gave me a sincere hug and left while I spent the rest of my night crying.
Those next few weeks of going to school and putting on a happy face while my family unit was crumbling were very hard. I could barely concentrate in class, and put in a lot more hours thinking about what was going on at home then on my schoolwork. Luckily, I found relief in teaching the preschoolers. The kids made the long, tiring days go by faster and easier and my favorites could always make me laugh, no matter what was on my mind. The day my mom moved out, I couldn’t even look her in the face. I had a feeling that my parents would break up eventually after fighting so much, but it was sooner than I thought. My brother and sister were completely clueless about what was going on, and the shock of the divorce hurt them more then me. My little brother T.J. was upset, but instead of being sad, he showed more aggression towards my mom and rarely to the rest of the family. I only saw my mom once or twice a week, if I was lucky and our relationship was strained because I believed she had hurt our family out of her careless actions. I felt like I couldn’t talk to my mother about anything anymore and if I did say anything I had doubts that she honestly cared about what I had to say. My sister, Erica was more accepting of the situation and went to sleep over my mom’s house a couple of times, while my brother and I stayed home with my dad. I relied on my friends a lot during this time, and distracted myself as much as I could by putting more effort into my schoolwork.
The saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ showed its true colors because soon after my mom moved out, my dog Rusty died. My one hundred pound, yellow lab who always had been a comfort to me in the hard times, whether they were over a boy who made me cry or that my little brother had ate all of the ice cream (again), was gone forever. This really hit my family hard, and I spent a couple sleepless nights upset that my pet wasn’t snoring beside me. It was hard to think about my college decisions as well because of all of the problems that were occurring at home. It didn’t help I discovered I had been deferred from my first choice college, the University of Central Florida. I thought I had written a killer essay and that my SAT scores were good enough for an admission, but I was wrong. I was upset, but I wanted to keep trying my hardest to get in, so I signed up for an ACT test and hoped for the best.
Eventually, the end of the school year was approaching and everything slowly started to get better at home. My parents started talking again and my mom started coming back home and spending more time with us. In time, my mom moved back into our house after five months of being away. It was still tough at first, getting used to my mother being home again but our relationship has healed somewhat since then. After a while, my parents said that we were allowed to get another pet, but this time it would be a cat! After thoroughly searching a local pet adoption site one kitty turned into two, and after visiting the animal shelter two kitties turned into three! We were able to save one of our new pet’s lives (even though she’s the meanest one) and I’m glad we were able to walk into the animal shelter when we did. I picked the only boy cat out of our new additions, that was about six months old and I fell in love with him instantly. I named him Edward after the book Twilight, and because well, frankly he just looks like an Edward. And to put the icing on the cake, I finally received an acceptance letter from the University of Central Florida. I had discovered that my SAT score I had sent in was not high enough, but that my twenty six on my ACT was just right to receive admittance. Needless to say I was ecstatic and ran around my house dancing and screaming.
As I look back on my senior year, I’ve had so many wonderful memories and sad ones as well. All of my hard work and effort throughout my whole career in school was built up for my final year. I’m proud to say I graduated with honors, and didn’t trip when I walked across the stage. My senior year of high school at Satellite High School was a bittersweet and one of the most memorable school years of my life. Even though I went through multiple emotional ups and downs like my parent’s divorce and my dog’s death, I wouldn’t miss a chance to repeat that year again.
nu%3D324+)694)556)WSNRCG%3D3234556887+79nu0mrj.jpg)
With the kids when the firemen came to visit.
My dog Rusty when he was younger.
My cat is the grey and white one Eddie, and the black one is my little sister's named Stella.
My mom and I at my graduation.
senior year ahead would be one of the most exciting and emotional years of my life.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool would hopefully start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach four year olds unknowing of what to work with, and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to teach. The rest of my day was fairly boring, listening to lectures about how challenging the class ahead was going to be. But I had my eye on the prize just like every other new senior, graduation.
Even though my final year was going pretty well, at home things were very different. One night I came home late from hanging out at a close friend’s house. I was in my room lounging on my bed and listening to Paramore on my computer when my dad knocked on the door and asked, “Lex can I come in?” “Sure”, I replied back as my dad walked through the door. He stood around awkwardly for a minute and sat down on my bed. My dad had a strained, tired look on his face and started to speak in a somber tone, “Your mom and I are getting a divorce. You know things have been rough lately, and this is the only other option as I see it right now. I think that maybe someday things will get better, but I’m not sure. Your mom is moving out in two weeks to live at her friend’s house and we’re going to try to make things as normal as possible for you, Erica, and T.j.” I was in complete shock, and I could only mutter an “Okay, can you please go now?” My dad gave me a sincere hug and left while I spent the rest of my night crying.
Those next few weeks of going to school and putting on a happy face while my family unit was crumbling were very hard. I could barely concentrate in class, and put in a lot more hours thinking about what was going on at home then on my schoolwork. Luckily, I found relief in teaching the preschoolers. The kids made the long, tiring days go by faster and easier and my favorites could always make me laugh, no matter what was on my mind. The day my mom moved out, I couldn’t even look her in the face. I had a feeling that my parents would break up eventually after fighting so much, but it was sooner than I thought. My brother and sister were completely clueless about what was going on, and the shock of the divorce hurt them more then me. My little brother T.J. was upset, but instead of being sad, he showed more aggression towards my mom and rarely to the rest of the family. I only saw my mom once or twice a week, if I was lucky and our relationship was strained because I believed she had hurt our family out of her careless actions. I felt like I couldn’t talk to my mother about anything anymore and if I did say anything I had doubts that she honestly cared about what I had to say. My sister, Erica was more accepting of the situation and went to sleep over my mom’s house a couple of times, while my brother and I stayed home with my dad. I relied on my friends a lot during this time, and distracted myself as much as I could by putting more effort into my schoolwork.
The saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ showed its true colors because soon after my mom moved out, my dog Rusty died. My one hundred pound, yellow lab who always had been a comfort to me in the hard times, whether they were over a boy who made me cry or that my little brother had ate all of the ice cream (again), was gone forever. This really hit my family hard, and I spent a couple sleepless nights upset that my pet wasn’t snoring beside me. It was hard to think about my college decisions as well because of all of the problems that were occurring at home. It didn’t help I discovered I had been deferred from my first choice college, the University of Central Florida. I thought I had written a killer essay and that my SAT scores were good enough for an admission, but I was wrong. I was upset, but I wanted to keep trying my hardest to get in, so I signed up for an ACT test and hoped for the best.
Eventually, the end of the school year was approaching and everything slowly started to get better at home. My parents started talking again and my mom started coming back home and spending more time with us. In time, my mom moved back into our house after five months of being away. It was still tough at first, getting used to my mother being home again but our relationship has healed somewhat since then. After a while, my parents said that we were allowed to get another pet, but this time it would be a cat! After thoroughly searching a local pet adoption site one kitty turned into two, and after visiting the animal shelter two kitties turned into three! We were able to save one of our new pet’s lives (even though she’s the meanest one) and I’m glad we were able to walk into the animal shelter when we did. I picked the only boy cat out of our new additions, that was about six months old and I fell in love with him instantly. I named him Edward after the book Twilight, and because well, frankly he just looks like an Edward. And to put the icing on the cake, I finally received an acceptance letter from the University of Central Florida. I had discovered that my SAT score I had sent in was not high enough, but that my twenty six on my ACT was just right to receive admittance. Needless to say I was ecstatic and ran around my house dancing and screaming.
As I look back on my senior year, I’ve had so many wonderful memories and sad ones as well. All of my hard work and effort throughout my whole career in school was built up for my final year. I’m proud to say I graduated with honors, and didn’t trip when I walked across the stage. My senior year of high school at Satellite High School was a bittersweet and one of the most memorable school years of my life. Even though I went through multiple emotional ups and downs like my parent’s divorce and my dog’s death, I wouldn’t miss a chance to repeat that year again.
nu%3D324+)694)556)WSNRCG%3D3234556887+79nu0mrj.jpg)
With the kids when the firemen came to visit.
My dog Rusty when he was younger.
My cat is the grey and white one Eddie, and the black one is my little sister's named Stella.
My mom and I at my graduation.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Senior Year Memoir
This was it; the magical day was finally here! I was about to pick out my senior schedule. When you’re in high school or grades even younger, you aspire to be a senior. I was finally the “big woman on campus”, technically speaking. Your senior schedule could make you or break you in a college’s eyes, so it was very important to pick classes that looked good, but still allowed you to slack off a little bit. I decided to do child care two-three which sounds like a piece of cake but, it ended up being my hardest class. I also decided to take college algebra, my first college level course. To round out the rest of my schedule I chose psychology, marine biology, fashion design two, and English honors four. My senior year of high school at Satellite High School was a bittersweet and one of the most memorable, fantastic
school year of my life.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool hopefully would start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach preschool unknowing of what to work with and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to get to teach. The rest of my day was fairly boring, listening to lectures made about how challenging the class ahead was going to be. But I had my eye on the prize just like every other new senior, graduation.
Throughout the year the project graduation committee put together events for the graduating seniors, to help motivate them to keep up the good grades. The first event they had was about a month after school started which was called the senior sunrise breakfast. We had to be at Pelican Beach Park at about six in the morning to get ready for the festivities. Most of the senior class (that was able to wake up) showed up on the beach to watch the sunrise. Another event that was put on by my high school was the junior vs. senior powder-puff football game. I joined the senior team, and was prepared for almost every practice against the juniors. The game ended up being close, but the seniors pulled ahead and won!
The year was going by quickly, especially that now the preschool was up and running. We had a very strict schedule that included one week of planning and teaching and two weeks of volunteering at a local elementary school. I volunteered at my old elementary school, Surfside and I worked with my old kindergarten teacher Mrs. Lacy. The moment I stepped foot in Mrs. Lacy’s class the children there became instantly attached. I remember a little boy named Patrick would always come up to me before I left to go back to Satellite and hug me so tight I couldn’t breathe and tell me that I was his favorite. In preschool; however, it was hard to have such notoriety with the kids we taught. We only had a week of time with them, instead of two and most of the time we were trying to get all the kids to pay attention to what us teachers were trying to explain or chasing after one of the restless little boys. It was tough being a teacher; we had to get through at least two lessons each (most of them only half finished) in a four person group during our two hour time period.
The best part of the school year was all of the field trips I was lucky enough to attend. We were able to go on eight field trips just through child care 2-3 to ‘broaden’ the young children’s minds. Some of the trips I went on were trips to Play Plus, walking to Publix, the Brevard Community College Planetarium, the Brevard Zoo, and to two children’s concerts. I didn’t go on field trips in just child care though, I visited Sea World for the day with my marine biology class and Jo Ann’s, a textile convention, the University of Central Florida theatre, and behind the scenes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios through my Fashion Design Two course.
Even though my final year was going great, at home things were very different. One night I came home late from hanging out with some good friends. I was in my room and listening to music on my computer when my dad knocked on the door and asked, “Lex can I come in?” “Sure”, I replied back as my dad walked through the door. He stood around awkwardly for a minute and sat down on my bed. My dad started to speak in a somber tone, “Your mom and I are getting a divorce. You know things have been rough lately, and this is the only other option as I see it right now, and maybe someday things will get better, I’m not sure. Your mom is moving out in two weeks to live at her friend’s house and we’re going to make things as normal as possible for you, Erica, and T.j.” I was in complete shock, and I could only mutter an “Okay, can you please go now?” My dad gave me a sincere hug and left while I spent the rest of my night crying.
Those next few weeks of going to school and putting on a happy face while my family unit was crumbling were very hard. I only saw my mom once or twice a week, if I was lucky and our relationship was strained because she had hurt our family out of her careless actions. The saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ showed its true colors because as soon after my mom moved out, my dog Rusty died. My one hundred pound, yellow lab who had always been a comfort to me in the hard times, whether they were over a boy who made me cry or my little brother had ate all of the ice cream (again), was gone forever.
Eventually, everything slowly started to get better at home. My parents started talking again and in time, my mom moved back into our house after five months of being away. It was still tough at first, getting used to my mother being home again but our relationship has healed somewhat. In time my parents said that we were allowed to get another pet, but this time it would be a cat! Well after searching a local pet adoption site one kitty turned into two and after visiting the animal shelter two kitties turned into three! We were able to save one of our new pet’s lives (even though she’s the meanest one) and I’m glad we were able to walk into the animal shelter when we did. I picked the only boy cat that was about six months old and I fell in love with him instantly. I named him Edward after the book Twilight, and because well, frankly he just looks like an Edward.
As I look back on my senior year, I’ve had so many wonderful memories and sad ones as well. All of my hard work and effort throughout my whole career in school was built up for that year. I’m proud to say I graduated with honors, and didn’t trip when I walked across the stage. Even through all of the emotional ups and downs I went through, I wouldn’t miss a chance to repeat that year again.
school year of my life.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool hopefully would start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach preschool unknowing of what to work with and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to get to teach. The rest of my day was fairly boring, listening to lectures made about how challenging the class ahead was going to be. But I had my eye on the prize just like every other new senior, graduation.
Throughout the year the project graduation committee put together events for the graduating seniors, to help motivate them to keep up the good grades. The first event they had was about a month after school started which was called the senior sunrise breakfast. We had to be at Pelican Beach Park at about six in the morning to get ready for the festivities. Most of the senior class (that was able to wake up) showed up on the beach to watch the sunrise. Another event that was put on by my high school was the junior vs. senior powder-puff football game. I joined the senior team, and was prepared for almost every practice against the juniors. The game ended up being close, but the seniors pulled ahead and won!
The year was going by quickly, especially that now the preschool was up and running. We had a very strict schedule that included one week of planning and teaching and two weeks of volunteering at a local elementary school. I volunteered at my old elementary school, Surfside and I worked with my old kindergarten teacher Mrs. Lacy. The moment I stepped foot in Mrs. Lacy’s class the children there became instantly attached. I remember a little boy named Patrick would always come up to me before I left to go back to Satellite and hug me so tight I couldn’t breathe and tell me that I was his favorite. In preschool; however, it was hard to have such notoriety with the kids we taught. We only had a week of time with them, instead of two and most of the time we were trying to get all the kids to pay attention to what us teachers were trying to explain or chasing after one of the restless little boys. It was tough being a teacher; we had to get through at least two lessons each (most of them only half finished) in a four person group during our two hour time period.
The best part of the school year was all of the field trips I was lucky enough to attend. We were able to go on eight field trips just through child care 2-3 to ‘broaden’ the young children’s minds. Some of the trips I went on were trips to Play Plus, walking to Publix, the Brevard Community College Planetarium, the Brevard Zoo, and to two children’s concerts. I didn’t go on field trips in just child care though, I visited Sea World for the day with my marine biology class and Jo Ann’s, a textile convention, the University of Central Florida theatre, and behind the scenes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios through my Fashion Design Two course.
Even though my final year was going great, at home things were very different. One night I came home late from hanging out with some good friends. I was in my room and listening to music on my computer when my dad knocked on the door and asked, “Lex can I come in?” “Sure”, I replied back as my dad walked through the door. He stood around awkwardly for a minute and sat down on my bed. My dad started to speak in a somber tone, “Your mom and I are getting a divorce. You know things have been rough lately, and this is the only other option as I see it right now, and maybe someday things will get better, I’m not sure. Your mom is moving out in two weeks to live at her friend’s house and we’re going to make things as normal as possible for you, Erica, and T.j.” I was in complete shock, and I could only mutter an “Okay, can you please go now?” My dad gave me a sincere hug and left while I spent the rest of my night crying.
Those next few weeks of going to school and putting on a happy face while my family unit was crumbling were very hard. I only saw my mom once or twice a week, if I was lucky and our relationship was strained because she had hurt our family out of her careless actions. The saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ showed its true colors because as soon after my mom moved out, my dog Rusty died. My one hundred pound, yellow lab who had always been a comfort to me in the hard times, whether they were over a boy who made me cry or my little brother had ate all of the ice cream (again), was gone forever.
Eventually, everything slowly started to get better at home. My parents started talking again and in time, my mom moved back into our house after five months of being away. It was still tough at first, getting used to my mother being home again but our relationship has healed somewhat. In time my parents said that we were allowed to get another pet, but this time it would be a cat! Well after searching a local pet adoption site one kitty turned into two and after visiting the animal shelter two kitties turned into three! We were able to save one of our new pet’s lives (even though she’s the meanest one) and I’m glad we were able to walk into the animal shelter when we did. I picked the only boy cat that was about six months old and I fell in love with him instantly. I named him Edward after the book Twilight, and because well, frankly he just looks like an Edward.
As I look back on my senior year, I’ve had so many wonderful memories and sad ones as well. All of my hard work and effort throughout my whole career in school was built up for that year. I’m proud to say I graduated with honors, and didn’t trip when I walked across the stage. Even through all of the emotional ups and downs I went through, I wouldn’t miss a chance to repeat that year again.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Memo on peer review
TO: Mrs. Moody
FROM: Alexis Munroe
DATE: Tuesday 15th, 2009
SUBJECT: Memoir Peer Review
I liked the information I received on my peer review about my first draft of my memoir. On the peer review I realized that I needed to make sure the main point of my memoir was defined in the first paragraph, and not just describing what my senior schedule was about. I’m glad that I added in the details about what my schedule is about, I felt that I needed to show the audience that the rest of my classes weren’t necessarily easy but, I wasn’t taking five AP courses and overhauling my work load. My line about the “big woman on campus” was used to describe the power that I felt being a senior, but I wasn’t exactly a ‘power force’ at my high school. I’m way too shy to go and put myself out there, I like being comfortable with people I’m friends with or know casually. To make sure my setting and main point of my memoir is clear, I’m going to add details about my school to give the audience a scene of where I spent seven hours of my day, and all the changes that were occurring (to me and with construction on my high school) during my senior year of school.
With this information I’m going to add more details and information about that my topic is my senior year in general and not just about one subject. I have to make sure that I include all aspects of my senior year and information about all of my classes. I’m also going to go back and revise what I wrote in the first paragraph of my memoir. While I’m writing my first draft of my memoir, I have to make sure I add a lot of details about how I was feeling and what the main settings are during these events.
FROM: Alexis Munroe
DATE: Tuesday 15th, 2009
SUBJECT: Memoir Peer Review
I liked the information I received on my peer review about my first draft of my memoir. On the peer review I realized that I needed to make sure the main point of my memoir was defined in the first paragraph, and not just describing what my senior schedule was about. I’m glad that I added in the details about what my schedule is about, I felt that I needed to show the audience that the rest of my classes weren’t necessarily easy but, I wasn’t taking five AP courses and overhauling my work load. My line about the “big woman on campus” was used to describe the power that I felt being a senior, but I wasn’t exactly a ‘power force’ at my high school. I’m way too shy to go and put myself out there, I like being comfortable with people I’m friends with or know casually. To make sure my setting and main point of my memoir is clear, I’m going to add details about my school to give the audience a scene of where I spent seven hours of my day, and all the changes that were occurring (to me and with construction on my high school) during my senior year of school.
With this information I’m going to add more details and information about that my topic is my senior year in general and not just about one subject. I have to make sure that I include all aspects of my senior year and information about all of my classes. I’m also going to go back and revise what I wrote in the first paragraph of my memoir. While I’m writing my first draft of my memoir, I have to make sure I add a lot of details about how I was feeling and what the main settings are during these events.
Memoir Draft
This was it; the magical day was finally here! I was about to pick out my senior schedule. When you’re in high school or grades even younger, you aspire to be a senior. I was finally the “big woman on campus”, technically speaking. Your senior schedule could make you or break you in a college’s eyes, so it was very important to pick classes that looked good, but still allowed you to slack off a little bit. I decided to do child care two-three which sounds like a piece of cake but, it ended up being my hardest class. I also decided to take college algebra, my first college level course. To round out the rest of my schedule I chose psychology, marine biology, fashion design two, and English honors four.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool hopefully would start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach preschool unknowing of what to work with and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to get to work with.
I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool hopefully would start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach preschool unknowing of what to work with and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to get to work with.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Brainstorming ideas!
1. My senior year of high school
My senior year in high school was the most important and busy year in school I have completed so far. I had to deal with my parent’s separation, running a preschool, and completing numerous college applications by their many due dates. It is important to me because I had to worry about everything occurring in my life and plan ahead for the future as well. At the end of the year, I also had to say goodbye to friends that I’ve known since third grade, not knowing if I will ever see them again.
2. My dog Rusty's Death
When I was younger I had always wanted a pet, especially a dog, so when the day came that I got my already beloved gift it affected me forever. Even though he was the family dog, I thought of him as my own. He would always come to me first to play and at night he would sleep in my room. The death of a dog that I loved and cared about so much brought me a lot of grief and sadness and with the arrival of my kitty Edward I was finally able to let my feelings for my dog be at peace.
3. Getting my driver's license
When you’re a teenager the key to freedom and out of your parent’s house is getting your driver’s license. Whenever I would ask my parent’s to drive me somewhere they would take at least thirty minutes to leave the house and as I’m impatient thirty minutes just didn’t cut it. Getting my license meant I could come and go as I pleased without waiting for my parents to drop me off and I could give my close friends rides to places as needed.
My senior year in high school was the most important and busy year in school I have completed so far. I had to deal with my parent’s separation, running a preschool, and completing numerous college applications by their many due dates. It is important to me because I had to worry about everything occurring in my life and plan ahead for the future as well. At the end of the year, I also had to say goodbye to friends that I’ve known since third grade, not knowing if I will ever see them again.
2. My dog Rusty's Death
When I was younger I had always wanted a pet, especially a dog, so when the day came that I got my already beloved gift it affected me forever. Even though he was the family dog, I thought of him as my own. He would always come to me first to play and at night he would sleep in my room. The death of a dog that I loved and cared about so much brought me a lot of grief and sadness and with the arrival of my kitty Edward I was finally able to let my feelings for my dog be at peace.
3. Getting my driver's license
When you’re a teenager the key to freedom and out of your parent’s house is getting your driver’s license. Whenever I would ask my parent’s to drive me somewhere they would take at least thirty minutes to leave the house and as I’m impatient thirty minutes just didn’t cut it. Getting my license meant I could come and go as I pleased without waiting for my parents to drop me off and I could give my close friends rides to places as needed.
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