Senior Reflection #2

The pools are all open and lifeguarding is beginning to consume all my free time once again. This year I am working as assistant manager/lifeguard and a coach to the swim team at Hunter's Creek. This summer already seems too busy for the amount of time we actually have. There are just too many concerts to see and vacations to take to fit into one, rather short, summer. Summer season is really busy for me, but I love getting to spend time with all the summer swim people I don't see very much during the school year.

Senior Reflection #1

Now that May 1st has finally passed I couldn't be happier to have the college admissions process over and done with. I have committed to going to the University of Pittsburgh next year and plan to major in Spanish and have a pre-med concentration. So much of this year has been focused on applying to college, getting in to college, and deciding on a college to attend. I'm so relieved to finally know where I'm headed next year and have somewhere to picture myself when I think about college. Now that the stress of it all has come to an end, I'm just really excited to be headed to a new city and meeting new people!

CE #1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/16/AR2010051602986.html?hpid=dynamiclead

A. This article is about the increasing size of wait lists at colleges in the area. Over the past two years, colleges have become more and more cautious due to the economic downturn. The recession has scared admissions offices into waitlisting more students to prevent an underenrolled freshmen class. In times like these, the loss of tuition dollars cannot be afforded. Even though, increased numbers of people on the waitlist means more students getting the rejection letter at the beginning of June and only a select few receiving the coveted admission phone call. Schools such as Georgetown have reinstated there waitlist due to the need to fill in holes in their class of only 1,580. Some schools say that they don't even keep a specific number in their head, but rather waitlist one student per every two admitted. As wait lists lengths increase, people are beginning to wonder if maybe they are too long.

B. I chose this article because the headline caught my attention after one of my friends was just admitted off the wait list at UVA. She was also waitlisted at a couple other schools, which made us all wonder why waitlisting seemed so much more common this year. This article provided an answer for me. The article was well written and provided statistics from several schools in the area along with statements from deans of admissions which provided insight into the admissions process. I enjoyed reading this article because it provided insight into the admissions and wait listing process and how it's changed since the economic downturn.

Editorial #5

Summary: This article is about creating credible systems for evaluating teachers and principals. In many conventional schools, tenured teachers are evaluated only once every three or four years. Even at failing schools, nearly all teachers pass with flying colors. Some high-performing charter schools have major evaluations for every teacher at the end of each year. Additionally, teachers are observed very frequently and then receive feedback. They are evaluated based on planning, presentation, student test scores and more. In these schools, principals and teachers spend more time focussing on the educational portions of their jobs because other administrators take administrative responsibilities for them.

Opinion: I really like the idea of teachers being evaluated more often. Teachers feel very secure within their jobs and without evaluations, there isn't much motivation other than test scores to perform well daily. Perhaps if teachers felt the pressure to impress their superiors they might be more innovative in their teaching styles and engage students in different ways. Of course there are plenty of teachers who are innovative, and truly love teaching their students, but there will always be the others who have learned how to get by and put on a good presentation the day of an evaluation once every few years in the current system.

Editorial #4

Summary: Virginia governor Bob McDonnell won the election last year by a landslide. This was mainly due to his two campaign promises-better roads and better schools- without raising taxes. McDonnell often boasted about his multi-point plan that could be found on his website and how this set him apart from his opponent. So far, he has only made small proposals and essentially leaves the rest to the legislature.

Opinion: Without a plan for funding, McDonnell's "plan" was never truly realistic. Although he boasted about his multi-point plan, it obviously wasn't as simple as he suggested. He's made many small proposals and then claims a victory when many of them pass. Furthermore, he's playing it safe and leaving most of the work to the legislature. This way, he can deflect any criticism that may come from future decisions. I think McDonnell's relative inexperience dealing with economic issues is becoming apparent.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/10/AR2010031003894.html?sid=ST2010031101710

Editorial #3

Summary: This editorial is about the Millennials (those 29 or younger) in comparison to Gen Xers ( 30-45) and older generations. There are many differences between us and the older generations. Studies show that the Millennials are the first truly digital generation with 3/4 of those over 18 having participated in a social networking site. Also 2/5 have tattoos in comparison to only 1/2 of Gen Xers and 1/7 of older Americans. A big difference is the number of Millennials who are veterans. 24% of older Americans were veterans, whereas now only 2% of Millennials have served. The focus then shifts from comparisons to the economic downturn's effect on our generation. Almost 37% of 18-29 years old are currently unemployed. The situation may only get worse as more baby boomers retire and taxes may increase to benefit programs like Socials Security and Medicare. For this, Millennials may become the "chump generation", suffering for their elder's economic sins.

Opinion: I agree completely with this article. Statistics can't be argued with. Obviously employment rates are increasing and the Millennials are faced with difficult economic times to begin their careers in. However, I do believe that this generation has the determination and diligence to be successful and achieve greatness despite poor conditions. If anything, those entering the workforce now know that they need to be great to succeed. The standards are set high.

Link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/07/AR2010030702681.html

Editorial #1

Summary: This editorial is about whether or not women in America have actually achieved equality. Women around the world, including the US, are still being disrespected and violated. The author says that there are, of course, very successful women in the world, but they do not prove that women have achieved equality in today's society. She says that although advances have been made, they do not yet allow women to stand equal to men. She believes that the many successful women we look up to, are actually just a " it's a mirage of equality ".

My opinion: Although I understand the point that the author is trying to make. Women are still making advances to eventually be treated the same as men. It almost feels like the author is belittling the achievements made by those women she mentions, like Oprah and Tina Fey by saying they are just a mirage. I also think the author takes it too far when she says " This is a far cry from progress; it's an epidemic of sexism". The oppression of women in the US is definitely something that still needs to be overcome, but the change is gradual and is still being worked towards by women today.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902049.html?nav=hcmoduletmv