Check Google Classroom! But the slide show you need is in this post too!!

Here is a link to the slide show that will help you figure out how to make this final video presentation!

This is the MHS Schedule

Click here for the MHS Digital Learning Schedule

Let's discuss how to fit our meeting time into a space that is CLOSE to what this published schedule seeks to acheive, and into a space that does not conflict with your other classes.  

This is for Wednesday, April 29, in the Year of the COVID19 Pandemic

Hi seniors! After hearing your feedback, we decided to jump on the Google Classroom bandwagon. We will continue to use our blog to communicate with one another, but GC is where we'd like you to submit assignments. We will post on both platforms. Hope you're all doing well. We miss you so much!

Google Classroom code: gcipngn

Creative Writing

Cleaning out my backpack from school, I came across something I have carried almost everywhere with me for the last six years. Whether it has been in my backpack, in my car, sitting next to my bed, or in my pockets I keep it on me. 

I am talking about my cube.

I never thought I would be attached to a six-sided plastic block of jumbled colors, but since I picked one up I haven't put it down. Twisting and turning helps me focus, zones me out and relaxes me. If I am stressing or undecided on something, Im able to arrange and rearrange the cube to help me think about what I should do. Sort of like a thinking cap, Im able to see things more clearly. Its helped me a ton, but it has also been a distraction. In class, at work, while driving. No limits to my finger fiddling, I have had plenty taken away, broken, or lost. Learning from my mistakes I now have a full drawer filled with replacement cubes, just in case. I don't think I will every forget how to solve one, the algorithms are now burned in my brain, and in case you were wondering my record time for solving a Rubik's cube is forty-four seconds.

Tristian Saenz P.5

Tristian Saenz

Language, Gender Culture

Lumberjack. Miner. Sumo Wrestler. 

Three jobs, completely unrelated and random, but the one thing that tied all these together for me was the image of a man with big beards and bellies. Without realizing it, I have been programmed to imagine that women either do not want to or physically can’t do some jobs that men have dominated for so long, but now I see the bigger picture. After reading Susan Chira’s view on “The Manly Job Problems”, I have come to a whole new conclusion. Her article in the New York Times Magazine is aimed to unite empowered women and make aware those who are unaware of the constant sexual harassment and disrespect women must face in order to make it through a day of work. 

Many of the women who have worked in work forces mostly made up of males, like mining or construction, are no stranger to this harassment; including verbal abuse, groping, and sometimes as bad as assault. If this happens so often I'm curious as to why we hear so little about it? This article was posted two years ago, so it's not old at all. There should be very serious consequences, just as the victim must be taken seriously if an accusation is made. I thought something quite humorous but actually quite true when Chira had the theory that  “Then women were moving into these occupations, so what does that mean? If women can do the job, maybe it’s not so masculine after all.” In other words, men feel threatened when a woman can do their job; hiding their hurt pride by making others feel smaller than them. 

Although we see this toxicity in the workplace, women cannot give in to these stereotypes. Do not be the femenine image that some men try to place on women! That's an important thought from the article that is difficult and challenging to many females, since mens violent or abusive tendencies. No pain no gain!

Women's fight for equal rights might not ever be over, but we can not stop until this battle of the sexes has stopped globally. We need to recognize, encourage, and stand up for those who are not able to do it for themselves. This was a great article since Chira was able to get me interested in the issue and exclaimed the lack of awareness of the abuse women face everyday.

Creative Writing

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/kentucky-refused-quarantine-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

“A coronavirus patient refused to quarantine, so deputies are surrounding his house to force him to” by Scottle Andrew (CNN)

Dey’ got me all locked up on my own propurty. Sayin’ I got some type of virus from one of dem’ Mexican beers. There I wus in the hospital when dey told me. Dey told me not to leave da’ hospital but I had to, I tol’ em I got persuhnal bidness and that's that. So I went on ma’ way home. When I got into ma’ house, I got all cleand’ up fuh my big date. Getting ready to go out, I dun walked outside to about a dozen cop cars sittin’ outside. I never got my yello’ ass back inside so quick! I started thinking real hard of how I was gon’ go meet this lady without da cops catchin’ me..den I got dis’ idea goin. 

“Okay I dun give up! Ya’ll wun! Good Night!” I shouted out ma’ bedroom window. I put a sac of taters in ma’ bed and mommas old wig on da’ pillow. I jumped from the second story window, da’ side of the house them sherrifs wus’nt guarding, the landin’ stung real bad. I was runnin with lil’ sticks and grass on me into dem backwoods. Hope ma’ date don’t mind if I'ma little late!

Reading

     I spent the day reading Scythe written by the same author of Unwind, Neal Shusterman. The book appears to be set far in the future where all of humanity’s problems are solved by the Thunderhead, which could be compared to our modern day Siri. An incredibly intelligent A.I, that is able to figure out almost any problem or conflict through logic. Like Siri, Thunderhead is “...able to solve all of the world’s problems, including diplomacy and resource management” (Shusterman 35). Their computer was not only able to calculate best options for diplomatic relations or how to properly spend our resources most efficiently. A computer was replacing humans, making them useless. 

     One problem that remained as a direct result of the Thunderhead was a massive jump of the population. This feat was left to a high ranking group of people who named Scythes, functioning as living grim reapers who showed up to people’s homes in the same way a tax collector would. They actually get to decide who lives and dies. They can show up to your door, have dinner with you and then kill your neighbor with the kitchen knife before politely washing it off and returning it. 

     This book is just beginning for me but I am really excited to keep reading and see how Shusterman makes this plot unfold. It is extremely confusing how no one stops the Scythes, as to why the civilians do not rebel from certain, unknowing death. I could not just sit and eat dinner normally knowing the person across from me was about to murder somone. Different strokes, I suppose?

(Apologies for being late)

Alexis Grant is thinking about you

Alexis made this beautiful video a couple of weeks ago, and I had trouble posting it.  But today, it worked.

Are you inspired to record a video message too?  Let's do more of these.

Work for the Week! April 20-24

We decided to wait until after Spring Break to post the new work for ERWC.  :)

There is quite a bit of talk about Google Classroom among teachers and administrators, and we are wondering whether we should switch this class to Google Classroom.  I was hoping that this blog would continue to do the job, but there are (always) some kids who seem to struggle with posting to the blog.  Am I describing you?  I think we may have to go to Google Classroom just to make sure that all kids who want to participate in class can do it.  

If you are still befuddled by the blog, get in touch with us.

Choose Just One.  Or Two.  Or all Three!

Language, Gender, Culture

Read and annotate the next article, "Honor Code," by David Brooks.  Be sure to establish context through your analysis using SOAPS:  Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Subject.  Write a blog post in response, taking a position or posing a question.  Minimum 300 words.

Creative Writing

Go through a junk drawer, or an old backpack, or a basket of odds and ends, and find some little thing-a-ma-jig that you have had for a long time -- some weird thing that you have kept in your drawer or in a box under your bed.  A green marble.  A sea shell.  A note.  A magic 8-ball.  A mood ring.  What is it?  Describe it.  Why have you kept this thing?  Explain it.  What does it mean to you?  Analyze it.  200 words should do it.

Reading

If a "shelter in place" order isn't a good time to develop that reading habit, I don't know what is!  Find a book that interests you, and get to it!  Write a short response (minimum 250 words) to what you read this week.

Ms. Cole-Edwards discovered that AUDIBLE.COM is free to students during the pandemic!  You'll have to do some pointing and clicking to get past the children's titles, but you can do it.

None of this work is mandatory, but if you do it and post it to the blog, we will give you credit for the work to help boost your grade.  If you do not do it, nothing in the gradebook changes for you.  But we'll be worried about you, and will reach out to find you.