Cherishing Family

The purpose of this Action Project in the humanities class Who am I? is to become a time machine and tell a story that brings people back by using different senses. I had to come up with a memory that defines me as person and how it shapes me. I chose to write about how I cherish the people in my life. What I found most challenging was bringing in props to present my memory by using senses. How I came over this challenge was by bringing in all the right materials to make my memory feel real. What I am most proud of is letting people know who I cherish most in my life.

                                                                                        Created by JV Six Flags 2014*

On April 20, 2013 I spent a day at Six Flags Great America that I will never forget. We walked among people with big smiles on their faces, pushed through the smell of funnel cake in the air, and talked to each other over the tracks of the roller coasters and the people screaming because of them. The lively park was perfectly balance by the calm weather, feeling warm on my skin and the sun shining. I strolled through the park with my sisters, boyfriend, and hundreds of others that were there that day laughing, making fun of each other, and fighting over which ride to get on. A couple hundred miles away, hundreds of people’s laughter turned into screams when 3 people were killed in the bombing at the Boston marathon. As I go to Six flags it lets me forget about everything that is going on in the world and also in my life.

It brings back so many memories when I was a child. This memory defines me because as a little girl I would be brave and sneak on all the crazy big roller coasters. That was when I started to show that I was really brave, even though I was terrified of heights. My family always took me to Six Flags and I cherished the moments with my family. When I experienced it with my boyfriend, it made it even more interesting. I wanted to go on the big rides while he was scared, he thought I was crazy. He made me realize I’m even braver than I thought. Because of that I cherish him in my life even more. If I didn't have my boyfriend in my life I wouldn't be the person I am now, he teaches me things about myself that I didn't even realize. This memory will relate to Jung’s collective unconscious because everybody at some point in their life has gone to six flags, a carnival, or festival. They have gone on roller coasters and maybe faced their fear. They also shared memories with people that they cherish in their life. My Grandmas has always told me to cherish what I have in me life. This experience taught me to cherish the tradition of going to Six Flags every year. To have great memories and learning how to be brave. This experience shapes me to cherish all the people I have in my life to shape me and show me how brave I am.

Natural Gas- Methane

The purpose of this Action Project was to create a presentation that explains a specific energy producing nonrenewable source. I chose to study natural gas, and found that it is mainly made up of methane. I chose to research methane because this natural gas heats homes and is a big source of energy that we use in our everyday lives. In my presentation I had to find two points for natural gas. One point measures the original amount of this source, and the other point measures how much of the source existed today. After finding these two points I had to make a graph and predict when the resource will run out. I predicted that the resource will be gone in 545.45 years from now. We are using so much natural gas, what will happen when we run out?

What I found most challenging about this Action Project was doing all the research and finding my two points. How I overcame this challenge was finding good web sites and getting reputable information. I also got detailed information from a person that I interviewed about natural gas. What I enjoyed most about this project was finding out so much information about natural gas and how we get it and use it. I never thought I would be so interested in researching about different types of fuel. It is so interesting to me to ask questions, what will we do if we run out of this essential resource? I am most proud of how my presentation turned out I worked hard and did a lot of research!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

The purpose of this Action Project was to find my own voice, and to express what I believe in. We made a podcast that talks about what we believe in and I chose to write about courage. What I learned during this action project was making a podcast. What I found most challenging was telling my story about how I found courage. This was challenging because I never talked about my story. What I am most proud of is how my podcast turned out.

L. Frank Baum. The Cowardly Lion. 1900. Internet: Wikicommons. 17 Jan 2014 . 

Why did the Cowardly lion from the Wizard Of Oz want courage? He wanted courage so he could become the king of the forest, so he went to Emerald City. Followed the Yellow Brick Road in search of the OZ to get his courage. When the Cowardly lion discovered that the OZ did not have the power to give him courage, he realized he had it all along. Just like the Cowardly Lion, I believed that I needed to find a place to get courage. But I had an experience that made me realize, just like the Cowardly Lion that I had courage all along.

I try my best to face my fears and I believe that that makes me stronger. I believe in courage because courage helped me when I needed it most. I believe that we are all to afraid to show that we have courage. I believe that courage can shape me. I believe that courage opens my eyes. I also believe that courage is my biggest fear and that being courageous is scary. But, I believe being courageous allows me to conquer my biggest fears.

I was hiding from my classmates throughout my 3rd and 8th grade. I discovered my courage by facing my fear. I was afraid of going to school because I had an IEP and being put in a room with only 5-10 kids that made me feel like I was a prisoner. Being in special education intimidated me into not showing how much I actually knew. Kids would stare at me like I was a animal, they would ask me “why are you in special ed, you don’t look retarded”? They were right I wasn't, special ed kids aren't retarded. I didn't need to be in special ed, but, I was afraid to tell the teachers I didn't need it. By being courageous and speaking up, I was able to get out of the special ed class and show people how smart I am. I felt liberated . My classmates started looking at me differently.

My fear of not getting into a high school I wanted to go to gave me the courage to speak up. This brought me to where I am now, at GCE. GCE taught me to have courage. I also was afraid to attend GCE because of how small the classrooms are. I knew I had to talk but I was afraid to open up and speak in front of the class everyday. I knew that by going to GCE I would learn to face my fears of speaking to the public. I would also learn how to travel around the city by myself. At the same time, I was afraid that I would be placed in special ed again, but the staff here understands the students and are good at communicating. The staff is pretty awesome. Because I knew that I could not hide at GCE, I found the courage.

Courage is so important to me because it help me face my biggest fear and gave me my greatest gift to attend my high school. I didn't always believe in courage. I didn't even know I had it. I got so much courage from GCE. I have already learned so much and changed as well. Courage will help you with your biggest fear. You don’t have to hide from it, be like the Cowardly Lion and face what you fear so you can get what you want.