Paper #2 Final Draft

What makes a good Teacher?

There are two different types of teachers- ones that we don’t get much out of  besides the curriculum they are teaching which more often than not is boring, therefore students don’t pay attention half the time and hardly learn anything. Then there are the teachers who truly have an impact on our lives and will never be forgotten. Teaching is not an easy job- but just like any other job it is what you put into it. As a teacher you are an adult influence on your students’ lives, and in some cases you’re the only adult influence in their lives. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell are two perfect examples of teachers who put everything they possibly can into teaching.  . They are both very passionate teachers who truly care about their students and getting the most out of their education as possible. Teaching to them- is also building a relationship with their students and not just going by the curriculum hoping it works. They go the extra mile with their students- which make them amazing teachers.

Having a passionate attitude is not something that can be faked- You cannot make someone want to learn something or interested in something, if you the teacher yourself care less about the topic. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell both showed passion in their classrooms in their own unique way. Mr. Keating went out of his way to explain poetry to his students not just by reading the book from front to back, but doing many different learning activities which could help his students relate more to understand. Mr. Keating not only taught his students an understanding of poetry- he taught them that they should walk their own walk, and never just adjust to what everyone believes is normal or right. He taught them to look at everything in life not just from one perspective. When he had them stand on the desk of the classroom and said “the room looks a lot different from that perspective”. He showed them that life can look a lot different to when you change your perspective on it. Mr. Keating was a man who looked at the glass half full in life- which is one of the reasons he had such a huge impact on those boys’ lives; no one had ever given them so much hope. Ms. Gruwell did not have it as easy as Mr. Keating did in the beginning with her students. Her students did not trust her or accept her-they shut her out because they had never been given a chance by any adult in their lives before. She was disrespected by both her students and then later on her faculty as well. But she never gave up on her kids she adapted to her situation and made the absolute most of it. Ms. Gruwell went out of her way to teach her own style as well, because she truly believed she could help her students; when no other teacher in that school would give them a chance. She gave them journals to right their story in, and told them that she would read them if they wanted her to. And after the first night with the journals every single student had left them for her to read. This was the beginning of her break through with them. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell let their passion do the teaching not a textbook; it is teachers like that who kids are lucky to have.

To be good at anything in life we have to strive and be dedicated- dedication means you can try and fail but you continue to try until you succeed. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both dedicated to their teaching job-to the point where is cost those things they loved, and practically everything. In Ms. Gruwell’s case she lost her husband, because he couldn’t handle how much she put into her kids and how little she began to put into him. Ms. Gruwell did not stop paying attention to her husband intentionally-she just did everything she could for her students which slowly began to be more important than her husband was to her. She got two other jobs to help pay for her teaching job because the school would not help her with her class, because even they had no hope for them. Ms. Gruwell went to the library to rent them the book Ann Frank- she was told no because her kids didn’t deserve the chance to read that book nor could be trusted to keep it in good condition. Instead of taking no for an answer she got those two jobs to get the kids books, because it was important for them to learn about Ann Frank. She went out of her way to pay for a field trip for them and take them to dinner. No one had ever done anything like that for those kids. Mr. Keating lost his job in the end- because his teaching style was not accepted and he was blamed for a death of a student. And even though he lost his job he had the biggest impact on those boys and taught them things no one could have ever taught them. Mr. Keating could relate to his students which is another reason he was such a good teacher for them. He had been in their shoes not too long ago-therefore he knew how those boys felt, and knew they needed a positive influence. Mr. Keating was so different from his other staff; because he believed that everyone is meant to choose their own path in life- and that is it not our parents’ choice. And that is what he taught those boys, which is what cost him his job sadly. Both teachers were dedicated to their students’ education, and teaching them there is a chance at a life where they could be their own person without fear.

Teenagers are not the easiest people to win over- in fact they have to be the hardest people to get through to. What gets their attention though is being outgoing. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both very outgoing teachers. They went above and beyond because they wanted to, not because they felt bad or they needed to. In the beginning of Mr. Keating’s school year he had the boys open up to the introduction of their text book, it was explaining poetry on a scale from 1 to 10 and what made poetry good and bad. He then had everyone rip the whole introduction out because poetry was not math; it was not meant to scale nor was there such thing as bad poetry. Poetry was made to be beautiful. But that was not the only reason he had them rip out the pages, he did not want them to think it was okay to put life on a scale and believe that one thing was better than another just because some doctor said it was. Mr. Keating also introduced the boys to ‘The Dead Poets Society’. He did not give it to the boys to be rebellious, he gave it to them because they were interested and they needed something that was theirs. It was exciting for them and it was another way for him to teach them that they were meant to choose their own path and careers. Ms. Gruwell was outgoing by giving her students things they could never dream of. After teaching her kids about the Holocaust and after reading Ann Frank; she let them write letters to the women who helped hide Ann Frank during the Holocaust. She than helped her students hold a fundraiser to fly that woman to their school- just so she could speak her stories. Ms. Gruwell never gave up on her students no matter what trouble she had to go through.

Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both very similar but different at the same time. They were the type of people who is born to be a teacher. They sacrificed everything to make a difference in their students’ lives. And they did it because it was important to them, and important to their students. They put themselves last so they could put them first. It is not every day we come across people that are like that. Everyone can go to school to be a teacher, but not everyone can be a good teacher. Being a good teacher is a gift- you either have it in you or you don’t.

           

WS pp 19-22

 After reading the work book section it helped me get a good understanding of what a comparison and contrasting paper should flow like. It explains how after each point you make you need to follow it up with information and not leave your readers hanging. It shows good use of making an outline for your paper and how it will help you. Making an outline especially when you are comparing two things is helpful because you can follow the outline and wont be forgetting important details. Because you are talking about two different things or two different people it is easy to leave your reader hanging or confused by jumping around so much. It is important to stay organized throughout your essay. Also it goes over guidelines which I found helpful, taking into consideration of who your audience is- which is important because that will set the tone of the essay. It also shows how to properly transition sentences and what a paragraph hook is and how it will help you.

Paper #2 Rough Draft

What makes a good Teacher?

There are two different types of teachers- ones that we don’t get much out of  besides the curriculum they are teaching which more often than not is boring, therefore students don’t pay attention half the time and hardly learn anything. Then there are the teachers who truly have an impact on our lives and will never be forgotten. Teaching is not an easy job- but just like any other job it is what you put into it. As a teacher you are an adult influence on your students’ lives, and in some cases you’re the only adult influence in their lives. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell are two perfect examples of teachers who put everything they possibly can into teaching.  . They are both very passionate teachers who truly care about their students and getting the most out of their education as possible. Teaching to them- is also building a relationship with their students and not just going by the curriculum hoping it works. They go the extra mile with their students- which make them amazing teachers.

Having a passionate attitude is not something that can be faked- You cannot make someone want to learn something or interested in something, if you the teacher yourself care less about the topic. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell both showed passion in their classrooms in their own unique way. Mr. Keating went out of his way to explain poetry to his students not just by reading the book from front to back, but doing many different learning activities which could help his students relate more to understand. Mr. Keating not only taught his students an understanding of poetry- he taught them that they should walk their own walk, and never just adjust to what everyone believes is normal or right. He taught them to look at everything in life not just from one perspective. When he had them stand on the desk of the classroom and said “the room looks a lot different from that perspective”. He showed them that life can look a lot different to when you change your perspective on it. Mr. Keating was a man who looked at the glass half full in life- which is one of the reasons he had such a huge impact on those boys’ lives; no one had ever given them so much hope. Ms. Gruwell did not have it as easy as Mr. Keating did in the beginning with her students. Her students did not trust her or accept her-they shut her out because they had never been given a chance by any adult in their lives before. She was disrespected by both her students and then later on her faculty as well. But she never gave up on her kids she adapted to her situation and made the absolute most of it. Ms. Gruwell went out of her way to teach her own style as well, because she truly believed she could help her students; when no other teacher in that school would give them a chance. She gave them journals to right their story in, and told them that she would read them if they wanted her to. And after the first night with the journals every single student had left them for her to read. This was the beginning of her break through with them. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell let their passion do the teaching not a textbook; it is teachers like that who kids are lucky to have.

To be good at anything in life we have to strive and be dedicated- dedication means you can try and fail but you continue to try until you succeed. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both dedicated to their teaching job-to the point where is cost those things they loved, and practically everything. In Ms. Gruwell’s case she lost her husband, because he couldn’t handle how much she put into her kids and how little she began to put into him. Ms. Gruwell did not stop paying attention to her husband intentionally-she just did everything she could for her students which slowly began to be more important than her husband was to her. She got two other jobs to help pay for her teaching job because the school would not help her with her class, because even they had no hope for them. Ms. Gruwell went to the library to rent them the book Ann Frank- she was told no because her kids didn’t deserve the chance to read that book nor could be trusted to keep it in good condition. Instead of taking no for an answer she got those two jobs to get the kids books, because it was important for them to learn about Ann Frank. She went out of her way to pay for a field trip for them and take them to dinner. No one had ever done anything like that for those kids. Mr. Keating lost his job in the end- because his teaching style was not accepted and he was blamed for a death of a student. And even though he lost his job he had the biggest impact on those boys and taught them things no one could have ever taught them. Mr. Keating could relate to his students which is another reason he was such a good teacher for them. He had been in their shoes not too long ago-therefore he knew how those boys felt, and knew they needed a positive influence. Mr. Keating was so different from his other staff; because he believed that everyone is meant to choose their own path in life- and that is it not our parents’ choice. And that is what he taught those boys, which is what cost him his job sadly. Both teachers were dedicated to their students’ education, and teaching them there is a chance at a life where they could be their own person without fear.

Teenagers are not the easiest people to win over- in fact they have to be the hardest people to get through to. What gets their attention though is being outgoing. Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both very outgoing teachers. They went above and beyond because they wanted to, not because they felt bad or they needed to. In the beginning of Mr. Keating’s school year he had the boys open up to the introduction of their text book, it was explaining poetry on a scale from 1 to 10 and what made poetry good and bad. He then had everyone rip the whole introduction out because poetry was not math; it was not meant to scale nor was there such thing as bad poetry. Poetry was made to be beautiful. But that was not the only reason he had them rip out the pages, he did not want them to think it was okay to put life on a scale and believe that one thing was better than another just because some doctor said it was. Mr. Keating also introduced the boys to ‘The Dead Poets Society’. He did not give it to the boys to be rebellious, he gave it to them because they were interested and they needed something that was theirs. It was exciting for them and it was another way for him to teach them that they were meant to choose their own path and careers. Ms. Gruwell was outgoing by giving her students things they could never dream of. After teaching her kids about the Holocaust and after reading Ann Frank; she let them write letters to the women who helped hide Ann Frank during the Holocaust. She than helped her students hold a fundraiser to fly that woman to their school- just so she could speak her stories. Ms. Gruwell never gave up on her students no matter what trouble she had to go through.

Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell were both very similar but different at the same time. They were the type of people who is born to be a teacher. They sacrificed everything to make a difference in their students’ lives. And they did it because it was important to them, and important to their students. They put themselves last so they could put them first. It is not every day we come across people that are like that. Everyone can go to school to be a teacher, but not everyone can be a good teacher. Being a good teacher is a gift- you either have it in you or you don’t.

           

Paper three "Third person"

After reading my narrative essay I would like readers to have a good idea of what a narrative essay is and an important educational experience of mine. My educational essay was about how skating formed me into who I am today and the memories I got to take from it which I will have with me for ever.

The main point of this narrative essay was to show readers what an educational experience is, and how not all educational experiences in life are taught in schools or from a book. This narrative essay shows how just a sport can form people into who they are, and although sports are meant to be played for fun- they teach people dedication and give people the drive to never give up on something. Dedication and drive then comes into the lives of people who go to college to get a degree, and get a career. Life is not meant to be easy, and without those qualities for people-being successful will be even more difficult than it already is.

 Life is not meant to be easy, and without those qualities for people-being successful will be even more difficult than it already is. not all educational experiences in life are taught in schools or from a book. even a sport can form people into who they are, and although sports are meant to be played for fun- they teach people dedication and give people the drive to never give up on something.

Grammer and Punctuation Sentence "Paper One"

Original sentence 
We all have role models in life. Athletes we hope to be as good as someday, models and actresses we want to look and act like.

Corrected sentence
We have role models in life-athletes we hope to be as good as someday, models and actresses we want to look at act like.

The main problem with these two sentences was that they needed to be connected with the dash because my second sentence was a fragment it did not make since standing alone. The dash makes it one sentence without being a run on.

Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell

Mr. Keating and Ms. Gruwell have similarities and differences. They are both very passionate teachers who truly care about their students and getting the most out of their education as possible. Teaching to them is also building a relationship with their students and not just going by the curriculum hoping it works. They know that each individual learns things better in different ways. They both adapt there teaching styles to their students. Ms. Gruwell did not have it all that easy in the beginning her students completely shut her out and made fun of her. Instead of Ms. Gruwell being highly offended by their disrespect could tell it was because every other adult in her students lives had given up on them therefore they didn't know any different. She never gave up on her kids she gained their trust and did everything she possibly could do for them. If it wasn't for her I can guarantee that those students would not have made it through school they would have dropped out of even worse. Mr. Keating taught his students that it was okay to be their own person and walk their own walk. He showed them a different way as to why poetry was meaningful, having them rip out the introduction of their textbooks because he said poetry wasn't supposed to be on a scale as to why its good or why its bad. He portrayed the idea to the boys that life wasn't supposed to be on a scale either, learning and teaching there is no right or wrong way to do it. The main difference I would say between the two teachers is that Mr. Keating could relate to his students because he had been in their shoes and gone to the same school not that long ago. He could understand how the boys felt about the curriculum, and he wanted to make school more exciting for them. Ms. Gruwell on the other hand could not relate to her students at all she had been raised differently and never had to experience anything close to what her students had been through. She was also white which made her students shut her out even more because they were convinced white people where all the same because they had never had a good experience with a white person before. Ms. Gruwell I would say had more of a difficult time getting through to her kids more so than Mr. Keating but, Ms. Gruwell did not have parents on her back telling her to back down from her teaching style like Mr. Keating did.

Comparing and Contrasting Freedom Writers and Dead Poets Society

The schools in both movies we watched were completely  different and had an entirely different affect on both the movies and audiences. In Freedom Writers the school was a public and modern school they had public school curriculum but there school consisted of kids who were expected to graduate and kids who were expected to fail. As for the school in Dead Poets Society it was an all boys private school with expectations and standards to met. Teachers in Dead Poets Society had no time for goofing around and horse play. They believed there was a certain specific way to teach every single child no matter the circumstance. I would say that some of the teaching staff wasn't to different in both movies by the teachers not truly caring entirely about the students i felt like some of their teaching styles were more for glory and to get attention from the outside rather than truly connect with the students.

Ms. Gruwell and Mr. Keating were both very similar in their teaching styles and personalities. They had passion when it came to teaching and connecting with their students. They wanted more than just teaching the regular curriculum. I feel like that is what makes them good teachers to its because they cared whether or not the students cared and if they were getting something out of it. The difference just truly lied with the students themselves Mr. Keating was appreciated from the beginning because he wasnt an old boring teacher and although the boys thought he was strange to start with they loved him. Ms. Gruwell did not have the luxury of being appreciated she was shut out by her students and was expected to give up on them just like every other adult had in their lives but she proved differently and never gave up on them.

I personally havent been in the situation where i had a teacher like Ms. Gruwell. But i have had a teacher like Mr. Keating who was okay with not reading the textbook from page 1 to the end and didnt look at life or learning on a scale from 1 to 10. Thats what made him so amazing he could teach every boy there in his own way and he truly cared about them and knew how each one learned.