Exam+1_Trishala


 * Describe the design and purpose behind the design of the [|//The Druk White Lotus School//] (Ladakh, India) (25 minute film) then describe what the built features and daily life within a "culturally inflected" green school building in the United States would be like (drawing inspiration from the Druk White Lotus School).

The Druk White Lotus School is situated in Ladakh, India, a land of rich culture and traditions. It is in an area where modernization has not quite presented its face. The people live amongst extreme climates, ranging from negative thirty to close to ninety. While many of us may experience this climate seasonally (especially in New York!), us westerners have the luxury of highly utilized (environmentally unfriendly) heating and cooling systems. The villagers of Ladakh live simply, and may not be able to afford or find these conveniences.

The school was created with the geographic location of the area in mind. The building was designed around solar energy. It is arranged for the necessity of sunlight and heat throughout the day. The walls are made of mud brick with small panels and a layer of glass surrounds the outside of the building. This layer creates a greenhouse effect of sorts. The sunlight enters and heats up the air, creating a warm cavity. The flaps in the clay can be opened up to allow this air to enter the building where students are studying or living. The flaps can be adjusted through the day and allow for a gradual heating of the facilities so that even at night, when temperatures are approaching negative thirty, the buildings can remain at comfortable temperatures.

The school is also built around respect for the current residents of the area. This is manifested in two ways: using sustainable means through methods locals had taught, and allowing a mixture of English and their traditional beliefs. The building was built in an effort to be a model for appropriate modernization while maintaining culture. It is trying to be a good example of how locals can preserve nature, yet still attain modernization. The building was a project planned around the scarcity of resources while doing as little harm to the earth as possible. The builders did not want to import large amounts of materials due to the adverse environmental effects of transporting across large distances. Thus, local materials, traditions and resources are used. The residential side is cylinder with eight pavilions to represent Buddhist teachings. It is shaped like a mandel, which is a symbol of harmony in the universe. This is one way in which traditions are merged with the needs of modern education. Architects learned from monasteries to create open spaces.

I personally feel that some aspects of this sort of school can be implemented for American schools, but in an extremely modified way. First of all, open floor plans that efficiently use solar lighting is extremely probable. The problem that this simplicity faces is building new structures although current ones are already in place. The largest problem would be societal norms. Americans are too accustomed to their modern amenities, like toilets, that they would not be open to modifications such as VIP latrines- ventilated improved pit latrines. Despite the environmental benefits something like this would bring about, people are simply not comfortable with shaking up their norm significantly.


 * Describe the approach to math education applauded in [|this article] , then explain how your own math education compare

Wow. The approach to math education given in the article was very similar to my own. The article is discussing the benefits of starting supplemental education extremely early in the child’s lifetime. The article gives different examples of after school supplemental math programs such as the Russian School of Mathematics. Students are sent to work out challenging problems with teachers. This eventually leads to them having an increasingly more firm grasp of the material later in life.

Growing up, I was always taught to challenge myself. The article started off with students at a mathematics competition, and the description was all too familiar. A crammed school, even though it is the weekend, full of anxious, intelligent students all competition for the top spot. I too was on math team, and we went to competitions as well. I can still recall waking up on Saturday to get to the venues on time. While the teammate bonding and winning was fun, looking back, it was extremely cut throat, and the level of rivalry is above what middle schoolers should be experiencing.

I was always encouraged to join accelerated math and science classes, being placed in double accelerated math in sixth grade. Reflecting back, there is a correlation between those who were in advanced math classes early on in their educational careers and those who weren’t. Those who were put into accelerated math in elementary school tended to be students who were more motivated and enjoyed challenges. These attributes do not occur naturally, and could imply that the parents at home were pushing these qualities in their students at home.

Other students chose to dislike working hard. Even the simplest of questions would phase them, they lacked the critical thinking skills to solve a challenge. My school district was one of the best in our county and state, but a teacher needs to distribute time between the students who finish everything early and those who straggle behind. The article raised an intelligent point, students cannot be placed into accelerated classes when they are in high school if they have never been challenged before. Intelligence is an exercise, to get stronger, you need to practice overtime. It is not solely made up of IQ, but also persistence, determination and self-motivation. These skills are acquired and kept, like a habit. They are extremely hard to gain if never been utilized before.

At the end of the day, there are two things that need to be considered. The importance of creating bright students who are willing to tackle challenges in the future, and the significance of providing kids a stress free childhood in which they can enjoy. I do believe both are possible by splicing time between tutoring centers and playtime to run around outside and take in nature. The level of competition that kids face is increasing, and the age at which they begin to encounter it is decreasing. We, as a society, need to value the time children need to enjoy their fleeting childhood. Meanwhile, we also need to be positive mentors and guide them in a direction which will lead to a meaningful future.

Annie Leonard made an argument that many people ponder themselves when paying taxes. The government is constantly claiming that they are too broke to increase or sustain funding on schools, social security, the EPA, etc., yet the majority of American citizens are paying the taxes that are asked of them. So where is the money going? Why is the money disappearing now when it was sufficient in the past?
 * Explain how <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[|Annie Leonard argues that we "aren't broke,"] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (8 minutes) and should have plenty of money for public education in the United States, then list four ways you would increase funding for public education in the United States (if you were in charge of everything).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Citizens of America provide a big portion of their paychecks to the government in hopes that they are saving money for the future. These taxes are thought to contribute to a better future that we are unable to build on our own. The government receives a significant amount of money that seems to disappear when being put into public needs and services. We are so broke that we are needing to cut things that made this country great, such as funding for school and the EPA.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The reason that this is happening is due to spending on projects we don’t need, subsidies, tax breaks and dependence on the dinosaur economy. We spend billions on fighter planes we don’t need. The video brought up a quirky metaphor of a wealthy parent on a yacht calling their child to tell them that they can’t afford money for school lunches.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The government is wasting money to stabilize corporations that are dragging us down. They are providing subsidies to big agriculture which is putting family farms into extinction. They are spending money on cleaning up toxic spills for companies, which costs around $140 million. They are providing risk tax subsidies to insure companies for building risky ventures such as nuclear reactors. Should there be an explosion, the company won’t be liable, yet our government will be. They are giving away permits to mine public lands that were supposed to be protected.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Increasing funding for public education should be a priority, above lobbyists and corporations. We need to invest in the future of America. To do so, I would firstly redirect money going to the military to education. Yes, it is important to have good security for citizens, but we are overspending on the military. Less than half of one percent of the budget goes to NASA, yet NASA creates jobs, increases security and develops significantly more technologies than just the space program. Schooling and education needs to be placed above wars. Even a five percent cut on military spending that is sent to the public education system would make a significant change. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next, I would have a portion of taxes which are strictly allocated to education. This portion will be set aside every year and cannot be reduced to send to big corporations. I understand that this policy would be to ideal to implement in today’s society.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I would also reinvest tens of billions of dollars that are being sent to private corporations to encourage renewable energy such as solar. This would create thousands of jobs, thus providing the government with even more taxpayers. I would use the money from these taxpayers and put it to underfunded areas, such as city schools. The city school educational system is in much need for reform.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The video had stated that raising recycling rates by one percent would create thousands of jobs. The money that would come from these taxpayers I would put towards scholarships. College prices are significantly rising at rates that people’s income isn’t. I would also cut tax breaks on numerous tax exempt organizations and corporations. Additionally, corporation would need to be in compliance to clean up toxic spills that have been caused by them. Hopefully all of these changes would benefit the educational system of America.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s incredible how much corruption and deceit can occur, and is occurring in society as we know it. I have previously heard of cover-ups, I am aware of Monsanto and how big companies will often hide knowledge discrediting their product in fear of lost profits (such as tobacco companies in the 1900s who didn’t want to lose sales when it was shown that their product caused cancer).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Describing how we can prepare students for careers possibly riveted by the kind of conflict that has riveted the career of Tyrone Hayes. See Aviv, Rachel. 2014. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[|"A Valuable Reputation: After Tyrone Hayes said that a chemical was harmful, its maker pursed him,"] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> The New Yorker. February.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even at my age, I try not to think too extensively about the lies that corporations are telling us, the dangers in the vast majority of foods sold on the market. If I did, I would go crazy in constant paranoia, obsessing over the chemicals in one food or another, bidding my time to get cancer.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">How are we to teach students about the double crossing of companies for profit if the idea paralyzes even adults? We see this time and time again: authorities in Flint lying about water quality, Monsanto pushing their genetically modified crop, the data presented in this article. What age would be correct to begin children to start questioning the government, their colleges, CEOs, people they want to assume can be trusted?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m honestly not sure how to prepare students for strife of this variety. The most important aspect to combat an attack like the one Tyrone Hayes faced was to maintain independent thought and take precautions for security. This can be manifested from an early age by teaching students how to think for themselves and encouraging them to make their own decisions.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The tricky aspect of this situation is how discrete the companies will behave to undermine a scientist’s credibility. The fact that a corporation was paying individuals to track Hayes’ moves was not shocking. Nor was the fact that they tried to discredit his research and draw attention to meaningless, miniscule mistakes in his publications. The worst part of the article was how Duke University chose not to accept him due to the fact that Syngenta had invested in the University and paid them an extra bonus.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Institutions of research should not be biased. Innocent people are consuming these infected products at high quantities not realizing the adverse effects. Additionally, even if they knew of the cancer they are eating, there is no other option because Syngenta is the second largest producer of this herbicide after Monsanto. Hayes also correctly stated that people of lower income will consume more amounts of this cheap, easily accessible herbicide because it’s what they know, it’s what they can access.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students need to be brought up to be critical thinkers. In an ideal world, they will be raised so that they do not fudge or discredit articles like the corporations of today do. However, that way of thinking is too romantic. Thus, parents and children must raise their children to be aware of the world. They need to be able to analyze information and take care of themselves. They should encouraged to question everything, and analyze information which is widely accepted as safe. Hopefully, one day, they can create a way of life in which these actions are not necessary.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Watch [|Dropout Nation] (75 minutes) then describe why kids drop out, and how the teachers portrayed in the film try to help. Note that a school featured in the film (Sharpstown) is in Houston... a different part of of the city than the part hemmed in by chemical plants (see the work of [|TEJAS] ), but rough in a different way. Also describe four interventions that you can imagine, at least two involving environmental education <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students drop out for a variety of reasons. One of the largest contributors to students leaving school is circumstance. A large number of students at Sharpstown live in poverty. This leads to a number of issues which can snowball into becoming a dropout. Students from poor financial backgrounds tend to fall academically behind. When they fall behind in the early grades, it is extremely hard for them to catch up in the later years of high school which typically involves more difficult material. The students feel isolated in their situations and do not enjoy coming to school

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beyond poverty, students at Sharpstown are dealing with struggles we tend to take for granted in our daily lives. Teenagers in fortunate conditions only focus on graduating high school, as well as clubs, sports, and other extracurricluars. Teenagers at Sharpstown are trying to do this on top of dealing with a deported parent, and another one that may get deported. They do this while working forty hours a week after school to provide for their siblings. They deal with dead mothers, absent fathers, and a child that was taken away. They do not have transportation to school and go to bed at 2 am because of alcoholic parents. They don’t eat breakfast an often times are only able to find food at school. When we realize the situations that these children are facing, it is no wonder that school isn’t their top priority. School officials have to contest staying focused in school with survival.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was impressed at the efforts of teachers at Sharpstown. They tried to prevent students from dropping out by being extremely personable. It was almost as if they were trying to create a second family for students, while still maintaining authority. There were a lot of one on one conversations with students if an issue with attendance or grades came up. Additionally, the action that was most impressive to me, teachers would drive out to pick students up if they needed a ride. The students frequently texted teachers, which meant their phone numbers had been given out. The Apollo 20 program was implemented, which aggressively supported highly effective teachers and principals, extending the school day and school year, and having high expectations. It also looked like there was a nursery in the school so that students with young kids could drop them off. Every effort was made to try to aid the students to come to school.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Part of the Apollo 20 program supported a more interesting curriculum. I believe that by implementing community gardens, students would learn more about sustainability while having an engaging activity. This could be tied in to units about the importance of being green, or where food comes from, etc. Also, an energy and sustainability class could be introduced. This too would be more hands on. Students could build personal wind turbines, solar hot water heaters, mouse trap cars, all while being taught about the scientific and conservation principles behind these creations. The next intervention is a bit more idealistic, but of overnight accommodations were provided, there would definitely be an increase in the students attendance. Certain students would not have to worry about finding overnight shelter, and others would not be bothered to take care of their drunken parents. Additionally, if the school district could implement part time jobs for the students, in the cafeteria, or main office, or elsewhere- that are dependent on the student’s academic standing- more students would be motivated to show up and be successful.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> There are a variety of factors that go into why students choose to drop out. Hopefully, with the help of enthusiastic, determined teachers, we can successfully combat this.