final blog

I am defined by music, art, my friends and my family. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are my favorite artists. To me, their music is what keeps my blood pumping. Jimi covers the walls in my room and fills my cd case, along with others. My dad is the person who introduced me to classic music. When I was younger, my dad and I saw a poster of Jimi Hendrix when he is lighting his guitar on fire. My dad explained to me that he could do things like that because people would just give him guitars. Being young and naive, I thought that was the coolest and I needed to know everything about this guy.My dad is a huge influence in my life. He is probably my best friend. I could tell you everything I like about him but it would take way too long. He's just the best. My older brother is my hero. He is 5 years older than me and has been a role model since I was young. Its really weird because I never liked him that much until this summer. He and I got close and spent a lot of time together. He is a fireman and a paramedic. My younger brother is chaos, but is my best friend. He and I are complete opposites but we're together all the time. And if we're not together then he is usually calling me. Where are you? Who are you with? When are you coming home? Those are his famous questions. He was recently moved to a different school because it was hard for him to cooperate in public school setting. My mom works at school. I usually go and stop by her, but this year I haven't had time. I'm out of school after fifth period. I go right to work and then right to another job. This schedule is really tough on me, but I'm hoping I can keep it up. Anyways, I have to save for a new car. Mine is a piece.

Five months later I am pretty much the same person. My dad is still my best friend. It gets tough this time of year because his job demands him to work many hours plowing snow. My older brother is still my hero. My younger brother and him do not have a great relationship and being in the middle I have a really hard time dealing with it. My older brother wants to better their relationship, however, I'm not sure how that is going to work out. We have a snowmobiling trip planned for the three of us; it should be great bonding time. It's really sad to say but my younger brother and I have drifted apart. I really wish we could be as close as we were because he is a great person. Tomorrow is my last day of school. I feel a lot more mature knowing that I'm out of highschool. There is drama that goes on that I just blows over my head. People in class really start to annoy me because of their immaturity. I hope college will be different. I start at the community college in about two weeks and I'm really nervous. I decided to challenge myself and take honors courses. This way I will still be motivated. I'm still working, however, only one job now. I work four days a week and its perfect. My work is my second home and my second family. My boss is amazing and we are really close. I'm so lucky to have that job. It would be great to pick up more hours but I need the relaxation. Anyways my car is still a piece but I love it. At least I have one, right?!

CRASH

This movie we watched in class really opened my eyes. The way it depicted racism was so powerful. I never really see the terrible and hateful race issues that go on and this movie truly made a difference. Racism is a tough problem with a solution that isn't simple. People grow up with racism basically installed into them. I don't think that people can learn to be racist it is just ideas that they are told and believed in. I think that to get racism away we must stop mentioning it in front of children. Like what Sal does with his daughters is great. He doesn't make color seem important at all. This, I think, is what is needed to be done. Gradually it will go away, I hope!! If these stereotypes don't get introduced to these younger kids, they wont have the poor mindset about people who look different than them.

Race is only skin deep

Race in America is a huge seperater of people. Americans have a hard time looking past skin color and see what is really on the inside of the person. When people stereotype its usually to make themselves feel more comfortable. If they assume they already know how a person "is" they feel as if they have an excuse not to get to know them or give them the time of day. A huge part of race is that it is solely the pigment of the skin. Inside, everyone is the same. We all have a family, dreams, a job, and our own problems. It doesnt help when people make assumptions based on someone's skin to not get a chance to know more about them. All accross the world this is a problem, its not only America. In other countries, such as Sudan and Rwanda, genocide is going on between people of the same color. I'm so grateful that American's, though all different colors, all live here for one thing: Freedom. We dont have the same horrible violence as frequent and as dynamic as in other countries, but we do have the horrible stereotypes. I think that these are slowly changing and I try my hardest to make a difference. Plus Ghandi said that we have to be the change we want to see in the world. By losing stereotypes, one day we can all live in a happy, colorful place.

Social Class

When Mr. LaRosa came into class, he was a classic case of someone moving up the social ladder. He had lived in a lower than average neighbor hood that was crowded with gangs, drugs, and crime. He said that he had been tempted to conform with the bad lifestyles but instead he decided to work hard and not stay in the rut that his parents and siblings later would. He came from a family with many siblings and he was one of the only who actually succeeded. When talking about social class its easy to understand how people tend to stay where they grew up and never truly grow. Mr. LaRosa spoke of his new life as an English teacher who is hoping to change kids lives and get them excited for education. He talked about his students who rarely show up to class yet expect to have missed nothing. In situations like this its hard to understand because I go to a school where perfect attendance is nothing to celebrate because almost everyone has it. When it comes down to it, everyone around here has the drive to excel and go to college. The students he described had pressure to join gangs, get pregnant, and do drugs and basically live a dead end lifestyle. Kids where LaRosa teaches and grew up, Rockford, typically follow their parents line of work which is the working class at a factory or somewhere of that extent. When he talked about his siblings it was hard to believe what he was saying. He said that his sister, not even twenty years old, was pregnant. His brother would constantly call him asking him for any "spare change" or else he and his kids wouldn't eat that month. Another sibling was in jail and has trouble staying out of there. LaRosa obviously saw the people around him and didn't want that to be his dream. He worked hard in school and achieved his true dreams, to be a teacher and help kids. Hopefully his story will help his students and give them hope. He didn't use his low social class as an excuse to stay down, but he used it as an idea of where he didn't want to be when he grew up. I hope that he can help these students get out of the rut that they are on and live a straightened out life.