As in the previous chunks, Miles Corwin continued to use imagery, anecdotes and statistics to retell the events of the lives of the students, faculty, and parents he interviewed to write this book. In this last chunk we were able to see how the students had progressed and what the result of that progress would be when they received their college acceptance letters. Through the statistics provided on pages 402-403, we are able to see how the removal of affirmative action affected acceptances of minorities and allows us to see that no one is going to just give us our education to move on to have a career. We have to want and strive for an education and fight academically to compete at the top schools. The students Mr.Corwin followed overcame many obstacles and kept their education as a number 1 priority. Some had issues with parents being addicted to drugs, gangs interfering with their education, finances causing them to work long hours, having a baby, the problems Ms.Little had affected their learning and preparation for the exam, or in Olivia's case, being locked up. Knowing their stories is an inspiration for me to always reassure myself of why I need an education and what I need to stay away from.
Upon completion of the many stories within And Still We Rise, I was able to look into my own life and situations with school and see what it is I need to do to excell and go on to do great things. I was able to see that our teachers have a tough job and not just anyone can do it. We should appreciate our teachers because they only want to help us achieve. I was also able to see that the way teachers communicate with their students and how they behave has a major affect on students. Students are in school with their teachers for most of the week, and attitudes that are present in the classroom affect the learning process as it did with Ms.Little's class. The issues that were going on with her and the administraters carried over into the classroom and ultimately caused he AP students to not get the proper preparation for the AP Exam. This situation made me realize that I'm not going to get all the information from my teachers. I have to do some things on my own as well. Since things don't always go according to plan, I must make it a priority to study and revisit things I have already learned to stay ahead and pass my AP Tests. Teachers are there to give us the information, but it is up to us to do something with it. I realized that receiving straight A's won't mean anything if I don't have the passion to learn the information and retain it and do something with it. I have to continue to motivate myself even if others don't because in college I will have to do things on my own.
I was touched by the lives of these students who went to Crenshaw and made the best out of what they were given. Miesha went to USC and majored in management consulting; Sadi went to Clark College in Atlanta and majored in speech communication; Danielle went to Pitzier and majored in sociology and black studies; Willie went to Morehouse and majored in business; Claudia went to Cal State Long Beach and majored in psychology and anthropology; Venola wen to Colby College and majored in Spanish; Princess went to the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara and majored in communications; Curt went to UCLA and majored in physiology; Naila went to Stanford and majored in medical administrations; Robert went to UCLA and majored in African American studies and history; and Olivia was released in August, went to Northridge, reapplied to Babson, and transferred her junior year. While going to school, each student worked or had other activities going on because of the different groups they were a part of. But they continued to excell. I know that I need to take advantage of everything I am offered in order to do the same thing.
Application: If you were in one of MsLittle's students' situations, and had to deal with parents being on drugs or being completley broke having to work many hours or constantly being in the line of fire from gangs, how do you think you would have handled the situation? Do you think you would have handled it the same as some of these students or what would you have done things differently?
Application: Who from this story can you most relate to and why?
Style: Why do you think Miles Corwin chose to follow Ms.Little's AP English class instead of the students' other AP teachers' classes?
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application: If i was in those kind of situations i would be like the character Sadi. I think that i would have fallen into the peer pressure and all the temptations just like Sadi did. I think that i would have turned to the streets for love and for friends. But like Sadi i would turn my life around learning from what is right from wrong, having your own friends gun down or taking to prison, would have changed my life the opposite direction. I would have did what Sadi did, work hard for what was rightfully his and what he deserves.
ReplyDeleteStyle : I think that Miles Corwin decided to follow the lives of Ms.Littles Ap class because they are seniors and they are all different and bring something different to the table. Unlike all the other students, these students learned and grew from all the trouble and now are making the best of it.
style: Miles Corwin may have wanted to follow Miss Little's Ap class because, he may have seen the drive and determiniation she had towards her students, so that they would graduate. Corwin may have also saw the determined students Little had in her classroom, and how they struggled to maintain the grades, and even come to school, and pass her class.
ReplyDeletep.s thanks about the dates of my blogs, i couldnt get tp a computer on the days the blog was due, but i still did them so hopefully she wont go as hard on me, but thanks.