Ch. 1 Tipping Point (Jackie & Kat)

Name the three rules of an epidemic in the tipping point, also along with naming those three rules give us one example of at least one of the rules using the Drug problem in Baltimore, MD.

Explain breifly the 20/80 rule..what it is, and or how it works.

Teenage Pregnancy (Brainstorming)

The topic in which I am interested in researching and writing about is teenage pregnancy. I want to know why it has increased overtime, exactly how much it has increased, and if the impact of education has anything to do with that. Is the age getting younger becuase maybe more and more young girls are engaging in sexual intercourse before they are educated about it. Educated about birth control,condoms,about sex period, myths and facts about pregnancy. Why is the rate getting higher? IS this some sort of trend? When I entered high school a girl had gotten pregnant in her freshman year. Two more girls got pregnant during my sophomore year, and many more got pregnant during junior and senior year. It was ridiculous, when two of my friends had told me they got pregnant (one my senior year of high school and the other during my freshman year of college) I was shocked. Many of these girls do not want to deal with the consequences that come along with it. And then think about all the girls who did get pregnant, but we don't know about. The ones who got abortions, or had miscarriages. Some girls even hide their pregnancies so well that their parents don't even know about it until it is time for them to give birth at the hospital, and unfortunately I have heard of cases where others hide it, give birth, and dispose of the child after like it is trash and goes on to live their life as if nothing ever happened. Pregnancy can have many affects on a young girls life. Psychological,emotional,physical..

I want to explore this topic because one day I am going to be a teache, an elementary school teacher. And as an educator I need to know if there is anything I can do as an educator to help these young women before they make decisions they regret. Such as proposing the idea of abstinence, and even of these young women/girls do not want to abstain, educate them about birth control and condoms too, at least anything to make the rate go down so that they do not have to go through these life changing expieriences when/if they are not ready and something can be done about it to prevent it.

Diveristy and Social Change

The place in which I grew up was very diverse,so it is important for me to have that aspect in any part of my life. I have known nothing different, and I don't want to. When chosing a college, one of the main questions I asked myself while chosing was : "Is this campus diverse enough for me? As I look around are there several different people I can get to know and learn from?" My mother wanted me to go to what one would call a traditional white college, where the majority of the students were caucasion. My father on the other hand wanted me to go to a HBCU (Historically Black College or University).

I think it is important for people to take awareness in how diverse our world is becoming around us, not only take awareness but be engage in it as well.If you see someone different from you in a way, or more than one way, you should get to know that person. Get to know why that person is the way they are, maybe you will learn that you have a little bit of that person inside of you, or you have a little bit of you inside of them. Get to know what you have in common. This is the only way people will learn and grow is if they step outside of their compfort zone and are introduced to something totally outside of their element. It is important for us to be open minded and not narrow minded because things are rapidlu changing, they are not going to stay the same forever. When I say take awareness to our world, I don't only mean the United States. When I say our world I mean from anything as broad as the earth itself, our planet, the world literally to as confined as campus,the cafeteria,your own dorm room. The word diversity can be used in many different contexts too when discussing what one may think the word means such as race, ethnicity, religion, political views, sexual orientation, gender, and socio-economic status. There are many many more, but those are just a few to name that most people think of when the word diversity comes to mind.

Like stated before it is very important to try to introduce yourself to new things, new people, new culture, new foods. It is the only way you can help your growth as a person, and as a student as well. When we get into our job feilds after graduating, the carrer world is going to be even bigger. It started off in high school, now we are in college, and next is the world. It is important to take advantage now, soak up everything you can, have an opened mind, because if not you are going to be overwhelmed. Like I said earlier the world is not going to stay the same, it is only going to keep changing and progressing so so what you can now to adjust yourself for that.

As far as research topic ideas there are quite a few I am considering. Some have to do with my major, others do not. I would like to research something such as why has teen preganancy rate increased over the years and the age of children having sex these days is getting younger and younger. I recently saw a lifetime movie called the Pregnancy Pact where about sixteen young girls all decided to make a pact to get pregnant at the same time. I don't think these girls knew how drastic their lives would change as well as the boys who they chose to impregnate themselves too. It blew my mind away. Also shows on tv like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom have made me wonder if this is happening because girls these days think it is some sort of "trend" or not. Another topic I may be interested in researching is Diversity in the Classroom.

"The Family in America Today"

-diverse
-small
-big
-separated
-different
-equal gender roles
-non-nuclear
-educated
-birthdays
-holidays
-step parents
-step siblings
-pets
-birth/biological parents/chidren
-adopted parents/children
-same sex parents
-divorce
-single parent home
-rules
-gaurdian
-nuclear

My Linguistic History

Ever since I could remember I loved to write. I first discovered my love for writing in elementary school in the 3rd grade. We all got our own personal journals in which we would have formal written assignments to do in class every day of the week, but every friday we got to free write. That was my favorite, free writing Friday. I loved free writing Friday because we had no limits, no restraints. Our only rule was to write. We could be as creative, wacky, and crazy as we wanted to. The best part about it was there was no certain amount we had to write. You could write as much as one word on the page or write two pages back to back. The time where writing went from being fun to becoming a hassle to me was in Middle School. Why you might ask? This is when I could remember when I first had to write for a standardized test..fun fun fun (sacasm). We spent weeks upon weeks preparing for a prompt that no one would know but the practice we were doing would be simular to whatever prompt we had to prepare for. I remember a lot of kids being frustrated and upset during that portion of the test, however I did not fell frustrated or upset. Weird right? I know! I think it had much to do with the way my teachers taught and prepared me and my other fellow Mary D. Lang Elemntary alumni for Middle School. The kids from Greenwood Elementary and New Garden Elementary seemed frustrated and disorganized. At Mary D I can remember writing in a journal either the same or simular to the one i got in third grade from third grade through sixth. Out teacher's knew that by the time we got to middle school the idea of the standardized test would make us panick and feel unrelaxed or nervous or unprepared about writing. So without giving it some big scary name like standarized, they just gave us prompts simular to the ones they knew would be asked and told us to write about them. By the time we got to Middle School and we got intorduced to these prompts, everyone from my elementary school thought this is what we had been doing in the past three years, it is just now that we get to middle school they call them prompts for standardized tests. I feel like the basis of writing starts in the elementary classroom, I now realize that ever since the third grade I have been prepared to write, whether it be responding to a prompt, bloging, writng a research paper, a review for a book or movie, or simply just writing a poem or free writing in my journal. The preparation that I got in elementary school lead me to be comfortable with my writing in middle school, which placed me in good classes in High School that prepared me for where I am today in this very moment writing this blog right now. I feel that my discovery and love for writing in elemenary school has something to do with me wanting to be a teacher now., Teachers help students find their niche, and I want to help someone else find their's.

About Me =)

Hello Everyone,

My name is a Jackilyn Lewis. I grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia and I feel a little akward because I just added the class, have an idea of what to expect..but not really Lol! This will be my first time ever writing/creating a blog so we'll see how this whole thing goes. Fortunately for me I love love loooooove writing, so I have a feeling I might enjoy the writing part of this class..I don't know about the research part though. I love spending time with family and friends. I really don't care what we're doing as long as they're around then I'm all good. I love to dance..I am a dancer, yes I am. I'm part of a team on campus called Ritmo Latino, its a very diverse dance group made up of both males and females and although the title sounds like it is latin based dance, we do various different styles. Hip-Hop, Interprative, Step, Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and so much more those are just my favorites. Speaking of hip-hop I have a love for it and RnB music..not the crazy stuff you hear on the radio these days but the good stuff like 90's and 80's hip hop and RnB, even though I like some artists that are out today. Basketball is my favorite sport (Go Celtics!) even though I can't play AT ALL haha I shoot pretty well but I'm not a contact person. I played softball and love it..baseball is my second favorite sport (Go Phillies). If you looked at me you probably wouldn't guess I was the kind of person to get worked up over sports..but those sports OH YES! My two sisters, my mom, and my nephew are my world. My major is Elementary Education and I recently took up Spanish as my minor..I love the language! If anyone has questions or needs help with spanish let me know =) (I am only on the introductory level though. I love working with kids and believe they do have a significant impact on the future they are our future!! After I teach for five years I'm considering going back to school to get my cosmotology liscense or maybe a degree in journalism..who knows we'll see! =)