readings for intellectuals

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Why can't I write?

Whenever I rewrite an in-class essay, I spend an hour or so developing my ideas, rewording awkward sentences, and analyzing more evidence. The actual time spent rewriting is almost the same amount of time allotted during the in-class write, an hour. Why then do my ideas flow better, words connect seamlessly, and evidence united my essay cohesively during my rewrite? Is it the pressure of a ticking clock that makes my ideas jammed in my head and my words jumble out in a sad reflection of my ideas? Or maybe it's not the pressure of time but the pressure of a grade that will be reflected on my Schoology page and may, O no!, alter my chances of getting into college. Maybe it too is the dead silence of the class during in-class essays that drowns my brain in a black hole of nothingness, no inspiration to draw from. Or maybe it is a combination of all of these and more, or maybe it is none of them at all. See, I don’t really know what causes it, but for me, and I’m sure most, if not al...

Cheaters be warned

In the class GBBE, standing for genetics, biotechnology, bacteriology, and embryology, we are completing a lab to determine two unknown bacteria from a list of about 30. This “unknown lab” is done in groups of two. At the end of the lab, which spans about eight days, the bacteria names are written on a piece of paper, turned in and graded on the spot. If both identifications are correct, 100 point are awarded, and no lab reports or journals need to be checked. If one identification is incorrect, 25 points are immediately deducted. Points, up to 40 point for each bacteria, can be regained if an organized journal is kept and a mistake can be recognized. Even with point being able to be won back, this lab is basically a pass or fail grade. This places a lot of stress and responsibility on students as they must finish the lab within the time frame, share work evenly, complete every step with accuracy, and correctly combine all the steps to identify the bacteria. This kind of stress an...

Troy High Jazz

The Troy High Jazz Ensemble is a small, exclusive group of musicians who practice during fourth hour of the school day. This ensemble consists of two subsections, the horns and the rhythm section. The horns include alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, two baritone saxophones who make up the sax section, as well as the brass section, made up of four trombones, one bass trombone and three trombones, and four trumpets. Rhythm section, perhaps the most important section, is made up of drums, piano, guitar, upright and electric bass, and possibly vibraphone. Vocalists are also sometimes added as a soloist for vocal arrangements. These two subsections, horns and rhythm, are must combine under the guidance of a director, to produce wavelengths known to an audience as music. Passionate, dedicated, and accomplished, the students who make up the Troy High Jazz Ensemble have worked years to bring to life the little black marks on paper composers have written down years before. The honking ...

Pink Flamingos

The American Dream, a staple of the 1950s, was one of luxury, safety and opportunity. A prominent motif during this time was a pink flamingo, which was a symbol of the “wealth and pizzazz” many Americans hoped to convey. Flamingos are a “subtropical species” that are native to South America, India, and Africa. They are water birds, so they live near lakes, lagoons, and other bodies of water. These birds have been respected in their natural habitats for ages, with ancient cultures worshiping these animals as gods. It was only in the 1950s that the bird migrated somewhere it had never been before. The flamingos began “wadding across an inland sea of grass” as American made plastic, brilliant pink variations of these birds that decorated suburban lawns. By using this ancient, special motif as a ornamental lawn decoration, Americans once again hope to capture the wealth and importance an object has. What was once symbolized “the sun god”, one of the most important gods, in ancient Egypt ...

Brushing Teeth

Brushing teeth, or, as described by Horace Miner, “a mouth-rite… of inserting a small bundle of og hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures”, is a daily routine many people consider monotonous. This bring under scrutiny the daily practices carried out by many, if not most, Americans. The practices Americans carry out every day, like brushing teeth, can be described as barbaric just as Miner did. This barbaric description carries an odd connotation to the practices that are common place in many American lives. With just a change in description, the whole connotation of the practice has been changed. This emphasizes the power of descriptions and the impact they have on the connotation. When described as a normal practice, brushing teeth seems commonplace. With a barbaric description from Miner, the practice seems very odd, just as ancient rituals sees odd to modern society. This brings up the questi...

Discussion Techniques

This week we discussed the article “Dumpster Diving” in a different way than we had previously discussed articles. We discussed this using small groups writing responses to a number of questions. As we answered the first few questions, this task was relatively easy. All we had to do was write our thoughts and responses to the question. Then, we were challenged to not repeat any of the ideas that were written down from previous groups. This proved to be a very difficult task, as we were required to think of new, original responses that might not have been obvious when first reading the question. This hunt for new, original thought was mentally a struggle, and as we continued to read responses, I realized the similarities between ideas. Many of the questions had responses that were based off the same idea and convey similar messages. This made me think of the ideas my peers have. Even with the diversity in a school such as Troy High, the social influences cause many ideas to remain ve...