Final Senior Art Portfolio

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Art - Senior Art - Hull on Friday, June 3, 2011 at 3:11 pm

So for our final Senior Art Portfolio we were supposed to make a sculpture, take 200 photos and edit a select few, copy a piece of work by a famous artist, draw a bike, and then draw observations from outside. However, as you can see, I sort of drifted away from the assignments, going back to how it was 1st semester. The first photo you see is what I worked on for basically all of the quarter. It was the most proudest piece of art I've ever drawn/painted. I found this picture off offline and fell in love with it. I knew from the first time I saw it that I wanted to recreate it. The hardest part was making the eyelashes and also creating the pupil of the eye. I didn't know how to make such feathered looking eyelashes and it was hard to mesh the colors in for the pupil. Other than that it was great making the painting and I had to step out of my comfort zone in order to create it.

The painting below is another picture that I found offline that I fell in love with. It's still a work in progress but I'm very happy with the result as of now. Especially with the sky inside of the hand. Those small stars were really tedious yet felt great when they were done because it made the piece look so much better. I can't wait to finish it but hopefully it will look like or look better than the original painting.

Q4 Benchmark and Reflection

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Globalization - Laufenberg on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 8:58 am

The thing I found most challenging about this project was categorizing and finding pictures for different sections. I don't know. I just feel like globalization can be represented by many things. The way I defined globalization in Philadelphia was if something from outside of Philly (like a culture or thing) impacted the people of Philadelphia as a whole. At first, I collected pictures from Chinatown, because they have their own Asian Bank and their own health buildings there. However as I went on I realized how all of those pictures were the same thing, of a culture migrating to Philadelphia and colonizing. My trade and technology picture is my favorite because those are all parts of a phone from the same company yet one is made in Korea and another is made in China. I don't know, I just find it amusing. I do believe that globalization is everywhere in Philadelphia, however, in places like New York I find it way more prevalent than Philly. New York is like a more cultured and busier Philadelphia with all of it's different culture based fashions and it's vast selections of food.

12 Year Olds in Peru

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Globalization - Laufenberg on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 9:29 pm

I feel as though the 12 year olds in America can not relate at all to the things the 12 year olds in Peru have to accomplish everyday. American children are lazy and probably haven't even thought of money making unless it's putting change in their piggy bank. For children in Peru, working is not only their only way to survive but also their families way. American 12 year olds usually depend on their parent to buy them what ever they want or to depend on their parent for their personal wants. The children in Peru are their family's provider. They don't even have the choice to think about personal wants because they can't afford anything that is not necessary. If they even live to be 40, I feel as though they would be bitter towards the world because they didn't really have a childhood. Most of them aren't able to obtain and education making it harder for them to succeed in the world so they would probably just think that working 24/7 is the only way to get a little closer to what you need to get by in life.

Q3 Artist Statement

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Art - Senior Art - Hull on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:54 pm

When I first heard that we had assigned assignments for art I was a bit sad. I enjoyed figuring out what I wanted to do for the quarter because it always had meaning to me or my life. However, when I started these assignments, I found them pretty challenging. Partly because I feel as though I'm not that good of an artist but also because I was a bit intimidated by the people in my class who were doing the same artwork but with better skill.

Even still, I tried my best and completed the tasks at hand. The first one we started off with was the hand drawings. I don't know why but I really liked the outcome of my hands. I found them not really easy but enjoyable to do. The hardest part about them though was making sure the dimensions of the gaps between my fingers were right and also the length of my fingers as well.

Then we did our self portraits and I must say that I have mixed feelings about this one. I mean, I guess you could say that I like the outcome of my drawing but I just feel as though I look old. I found it really fun to do but it was really hard to hold a mirror and look at myself, and draw what I saw at the same time. Also, I ultimately hate drawing lips. I can't draw them at all so I was upset with that.

The next thing we were supposed to do was draw a full life figure and I was that figure. My sister is in the Navy and they have to learn how to stand for long periods of time so she taught me the secret behind it...Secret haha...but I was happy that I could help people draw without moving...it didn't really hurt for standing that long or anything. I didn't even feel self conscience...it was just blank.

Then we did a drawing of a still life drawing which was a landscape made up of a sheet, stands, vases, fruit, bottles, and even skulls. I found this drawing to be the hardest yet I don't really know why. Maybe because I had to draw it from the perspective of someone sitting in front of it rather than looking over top of it. This was weird to me because the lines of the table that the items were on weren't straight...they were curved and it was just alot to it. The hardest thing to draw would be between the sheet and the skull. since the skull had such a distinct shape to it, I didn't know how to make it look as though there was a "back" to it. The sheet was hard because it just had so many creases and curves in it. I don't know, I don't really like how mine came out, but I guess it's alright.

Then after that we did drawings of things that were transparent like glasses, or a bottle, or a picture frame. I did a bottle which I thought was pretty easy to do. The shading was the tricky part because I didn't really know how to go about putting the detail into the specific areas. I also didn't like how my bottle came out a bit crooked.

I love charcoal drawings though because I feel as though it's bold and free. You can do anything with it and with a mark and a smudge, you can make things come to life.

Quarter 3 Drawings

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Art - Senior Art - Hull on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 8:47 am

Q3 Benchmark on India and China

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Globalization - Laufenberg on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 7:02 pm

The countries that I selected were India and China. When I first chose these countries I thought that they were total opposites and in some ways they are. However, after researching them I realized that they are more alike then they appear to be. For example, India and China both have an air pollution problem. China worse than India, however, they are still trying to "fix" there environment by creating better policies even though both don't follow them. Also, China cares more about their economy than their environment and India is starting to act the same way by trying to increase their trading production.

In order to do this project I had to dig deep and find things that were recent. I looked through journals and blog sites that reported about recent policies of both countries. I knew that it was supposed to be a visual representation of the rates of the countries so I tried to make it as visually attracting as possible. At first, finding the information for the 5 point framework was hard because I didn't really know how I should base the ranking on. But after the second slide, I got the hang of it. If I could change one thing about my project it would probably be the countries that I picked. Doing this benchmark helped me realize a lot of what was going on in those countries and why they were the way they were.

China

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Globalization - Laufenberg on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 9:09 am

How China Was Effected

KBush Voice Thread

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 9:24 pm

I don't really understand how to put it all in that one group so here's mine:
Parent's Right To Know Act

12 Identified Laws

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7:43 am

To complete this project I looked up laws that I've researched before that had some relation to me. For example, the No Child Left Behind Law and Brown vs. Board of Education. Then I looked into the things that people my age weren't allowed to do. This is how I came up with most of my Executive Laws. I researched underaged drinking and smoking to texting while driving.

Now that I think about it, it wasn't really that hard of a process to do, however, the hardest thing about it was separating the different laws and cases into its rightful topic. Also, I kept on mixing up things that related to me with things that I wanted to voice my opinion about.

While doing this, I realized how controlling this government is and how they're very precise with how they word things. I'm not looking forward to getting older because I do believe that every year the Government rewrites laws and even make new ones to incorporate more things that limit our rights.

Quarter 2 Art Project

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Art - Senior Art - Hull on Friday, January 14, 2011 at 9:45 pm

During my years in high school I always saw artistic people drawing these shapes and patterns on a piece of paper, and to me, it looked so abstract and creative. I've always wanted to somehow mimic those designs yet, I never believed that I was artistic enough to do it until this project came along and I decided to do it. I remember seeing this picture that was half the face of a tiger, and the other half had crystals coming out of it. So i drew half a tiger's face and the other side, decided to draw the creative designs.

I'm not done yet but over the next quarter, I plan on outlining the tiger and coloring the other half with color pencil...and finishing the design.
As weird as this might sound, I found the project really challenging because I don't consider myself an artistic person so when it came to doing different designs, I found it really hard to do. I was worried that instead of looking abstract it would look clustered and just wrong. So before I even started it on the actual tiger, I drew an outline of a circle with a paint can and did different shapes in the circles.

After doing these I had the courage to start on the real thing, not because I was ready, but because I figured that you can't really plan out what to draw for things like this. So yeah, it was fun overall and I wouldn't mind doing it again. It's just frustrating trying to figure out how to fill up blank spaces. =]

Final Blog Post for Standardized Testing

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 7:54 pm

Link to the actual google dock =]

What We’ve Discovered So Far:

As of 2010, Standardized Testing has finally been given the attention that it needs. What was, and sadly still is, used as a major resource to evaluate a student’s intelligence, is now recognized to be a failed attempt.

President Barack Obama & Vice President Joe Biden:

Both of these politicians believe that a student is more than a bubble sheet. These politicians believe that education can not be obtained by memorizing the answers to questionnaires but by researching and engaging in experiments. They describe a hands on learning environment to be the most effective way of learning.

The No Child Left Behind Law:

It seems as though this law has been left behind completely. Obama, Biden, and Chakka Fattah believe that this law needs to be changed or just removed.

According to Joe Biden,

“We know what we need to do, and its not No Child Left Behind.”

Barack Obama believes

that The No Child Left Behind Law “leaves the money behind”.

According to Chaka Fattah,

the No Child Left Behind Law is, “intellectually dishonest because it holds children accountable for test scores when their schools lack resources.”

FairTest:

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) is working to end the “misuses and flaws of standardized testing” and to make sure that the assessment of students, teachers, and schools is fair and benefits the education.

This organization has set many goals to try to change the future of education for students, especially those going into college. From stopping the misuses of SAT/ACT scores to determine eligibility for college financial aid to attacking the false notions that test scores equal merit, this center aims for equality and much more for all students.

Throughout my research on Standardized Testing, I saw that there were many various people who opposed this way of testing, yet nothing has really been done to actually STOP it. You see politicians saying all the time that a student needs hands-on learning and such, but have they done anything to see to it that the student gets this type of learning? Because of this, I wrote to the Washington Times which is a popular newspaper in Washington D.C.

My Letter Consisted of:

The project based learning curriculum at my school, Science Leadership Academy.
My views on the SAT’s and how they affect my education and my future education.
Facts and Statistics about SAT scores and the outcome (ex. more money = better SAT score)

However, I never got a reply back from the newspaper...

What Would I Do Next?

Well, as I mentioned before, FairTest is an organization that I support and after writing to the Washington Times, I would share my story with them. I would love to actually have a one-on-one talk with them about their views on Standardized Testing and what can replace it. Also, hopefully they would value a student’s opinion on the topic and not see it as biased but rather passionate about making education much more engaging. If I had their support, I would start a group in Philadelphia that talked about education and the things that we could do to save it. Hopefully, my doings would inspire others to come out and voice their opinions, and with this, I could possibly inform more people, even politicians, that America is not happy with their education.

Bureaucracy Reflection: Registering a Car

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 12:58 pm

Devon and I chose to do our Bureaucracy Project on Registering a Car and Getting Your License. We separated our task by splitting these two processes up and created two different flow charts. Devon focused more on Getting Your License while I did the Registering A Car portion.

Registering A Car: http://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view/4d08d061-7af4-41b2-ae47-04ce0afcbe04

Getting Your License: http://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view/4d08ca51-c1b4-4d42-9ac7-02fb0afcbe04

The process of this task was I believe pretty easy. We went to the PennDot site which had all the information we needed and a step-by-step setup of how it was supposed to be completed. The hardest part was ironically making the flowchart look appealing to the eye. For example, the first time we did it, the chart had 40+ boxes on it and was just black and white. We both realized that this wouldn't work and therefore started over. During the second time Devon came up with the idea that we should make it look like a street and have the lines look like the yellow broken lines in the middle of the street and vehicle like shapes as cars. We tried our best to mimic the curves and turns of the road with the chart.

Form MV-1 (could not be found online)

"Form MV-1 is not available online. This form must be completed by an authorized agent of the Department." I found forms from different states like Georgia and Maryland however, none from PA.

After doing this project, I believe that registering a car in PA is so complex. I realized that you have to have so many forms and documents and go to different people to actually do all of this. It's really, just overwhelming with all of the things that you have to complete. I don't know why this process is so complicated when getting your license is not even close to how difficult it is to complete.

Talking to the Editor on Standardized Testing

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:35 am

Kimberly Bush
December 2, 2010
I sent an email to the WashingtonTimes since it is considered a big newspaper in Washington, DC. In the email I stated my views on being a high school student transitioning to college and also stated the quotes and views of others that actually have more of an effect on the situation. In the email I included the fact that I am attending a project based school where we focus more on projects and presentations than tests. I also stated how this way of teaching has affected me educationally and it has given me a better understanding and view on life. I referred back to my experience with the SATs and how my scores are no where near a representation of what I can do. I gave statistics about the scores of SATs and such. I still have not received a reply back but I’m still hoping for one. I was in the process of creating a Petition however, my laptop decided not to turn on when I got home so I will be uploading that later.

Letter To The Editor at Washington Times:

Dear Editor,My name is Kimberly Bush. I am a Senior at Science Leadership Academy which is a Public School located in Philadelphia, PA. I am concerned about the topic “Standardized Testing.” It seems as though many people have glanced at this controversial situation yet none have really addressed it which is why I wanted to bring it to attention for those who read your paper. Standardized Testing is used as a main source to test the intelligence of students across the world. However, this method is doubted by students, parents, and even the President of the United States. According to President Barack Obama, “Creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests...” (Education.com) Being a high school student, I whole heartedly agree with this statement and so does my entire school. Science Leadership Academy (SLA) is a project based school and believes that projects are an effective way to assess not only what the student has learned but also how creative they are by presenting it. Now don’t get me wrong, we still do take tests however we don’t really use them to test our intelligence. They are used to see what we need help in and what we don’t understand which is where the projects come in. By doing projects on the different topics we went over in class we not only learn more and get a better grasp of what we were learning but we also can show and reflect on the topics at hand and how they relate to us. In the end we learn more and also have fun while doing it. I have been doing a lot of research on Standardized Testing for this school year and came across an organization named The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest). Fair Test is trying to end the “misuses and flaws of standardized testing” and is trying to make sure that the assessment of students, teachers, and schools is fair and benefits the education. According to a chart found on FairTest.org, your family’s income can be a factor in your SAT scores. College bound Seniors, whose families have a higher income, are more likely to score higher on the different subjects of the SAT than those with a lower income. This obviously should not have an affect on the scores yet it’s clear that the more money you have the better your odds will be when trying to get into the college of your dreams.

I just took the SAT’s for a second time in October and I feel as though my scores don’t reflect on my intelligence nor my abilities on what I can do. Having a 3.79 GPA with a SAT score of a 1610 doesn’t really shout out, “Smart and great for your school,” to colleges such as New York University or Syracuse University. However, I still applied and am hoping to receive some good news from them. It’s sad because I know that I am a responsible and smart individual with a mind like no other, yet I’m afraid to be taken for granted because of my SAT scores.

The world needs to know that your test scores do not define you and that there should be another way to assess the abilities of others that does not involve filling in the bubbles. Colleges need to see that the youth of today are not just a number, we are individual beings that bring our own personality and ideas to the table. They just need to give us a chance before they say that we haven’t met the requirements.

Sincerely.

Kimberly Bush

6450 N. 13th St.

Philadelphia, PA 19126

(215)224-8539

Lobbying Post #3: Test Optional

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 9:28 pm

As of the year 2010, I believe that that the topic, Standardized Testing, is having a some-what good year. It seems as though many people have been informed about the non-educational practices of standardized testing.

GOOD YEAR:

October 11, 2010: James S. LiebmanAccording to this Columbia Law School professor, New York City has come up with a new idea on how to evaluate schools based on their student’s knowledge at the end of the year. Instead of focusing on “a single, arbitrary line” it looks at the process of each student across the whole scale.October 12, 2010: Monty NeillAccording to the interim executive director of FairTest, “Parents, children and taxpayers would be far better served if politicians understood the well-documented limitations of standardized exams rather than continuing to pursue misguided high-stakes testing policies that undermine real learning.”

FairTest

What is it?

- The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) is working to end the “misuses and flaws of standardized testing” and to make sure that the assessment of students, teachers, and schools is fair and benefits the education.

Goals:

The Assessment Reform Network, aims to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among teachers, parents, education reform and civil rights organizations seeking to improve student assessment practices in their communities.
Creating a new framework for assessment through dissemination of Principles and Indicators for Student Assessment Systems
Uncovering the bias, misuses and coach ability of the SAT, ACT and similar college entrance exams
Stopping the misuses of SAT/ACT scores to determine eligibility for college financial aid such as National Collegiate Athletic Association's initial eligibility rules (Propositions 48 and 16) and the National Merit Scholarship Competition
Promoting test score-optional policies for college admissions
Attacking the false notions that test scores equal merit

2010 College Bound Seniors Average SAT Scores

The Higher Ups:

Joe Biden

"A child is more then a test score. So how can you expect our students to build a new economy if all they are doing is filling out bubbles? How can you expect them to think critically if all we are doing is testing their ability to memorize things?"

- Joe Biden

According to Joe Biden,

“We know what we need to do, and its not No Child Left Behind. We have to stop focusing on test scores, a child is more than a test score.”

At the NEA (National Education Association) Convention, Biden spoke on Standardized Testing and Education in general. He believes that many things should be changed, such as:

Class sizes
Teacher Salary
No Child Left Behind
Focus on Test Scores
Availability to an Education

Barack Obama

“Creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests...It just can’t dominate the curriculum to an extent where we are pushing aside those things that will actually allow children to improve and accurately assess the quality of the teaching that is taking place in the classroom.”

-Barack Obama

Obama doesn’t support the No Child Left Behind Law because he believes that it’s all talk but no action. The No Child Left Behind Law “leaves the money behind”. It takes away the creativity and the individuality of students and their teachers.

Obama states that teachers should be able to teach instead of spending majority of the year preparing students to fill out bubbles on a test. Instead of just standard testing on Math, Reading, and Writing he will fund states to apply a broader variety of assessments such as:

using technology
conducting research
engaging in scientific investigations
solving problems
presenting
defending their ideas.

Who Does This Problem Most Relate To?

Students:

The link above is a video of four high school students performing poetry about standardized testing. In it they state how standardized testing has conformed the minds of students and that it doesn’t educate you on “the things we need to know to live.”

I believe that students feel more singled out by standardized test than anyone else because they are the ones who are taking them and these tests “determine” their future. However, some colleges and universities are becoming test optional.

Upcoming Meetings on Education:

The Compact meets on the first Thursday of every month to share perspectives on reform initiatives in the Philadelphia schools, and to support policies and strategies that hold the best promise for improving the culture and outcomes of local schools.

Friday, December 3, 2010; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, January 6, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, February 3, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, March 3, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, April 7, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, May 5, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Thursday, June 2, 2011; 8:00 AM–10:00 AM

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/opinion/l18schools.html

http://www.fairtest.org/

http://www.fairtest.org/2010-collegebound-seniors-average-sat-scores

http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/joe-biden/2/education/14/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg4PbJs6N3k&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Barack_Obama/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktC_C7Z-wWE&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9EkX_gX6R8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4A6e8Rk8Oo

http://www.thedailyriff.com/2010/10/saying-no-to-standardized-testing-for-college-entry.php

http://philaedfund.org/programs/engaging-citizens/education-first-compact/upcoming-meetings

Lobbying Blog #2: Yes or No

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 9:25 pm

Kimberly BushOctober 22, 2010

Joe Biden"A child is more then a test score. So how can you expect our students to build a new economy if all they are doing is filling out bubbles? How can you expect them to think critically if all we are doing is testing their ability to memorize things?"

- Joe Biden

According to Joe Biden,

“We know what we need to do, and its not No Child Left Behind. We have to stop focusing on test scores, a child is more than a test score.”

At the NEA (National Education Association) Convention, Biden spoke on Standardized Testing and Education in general. He believes that many things should be changed, such as:

Class sizes
Teacher Salary
No Child Left Behind
Focus on Test Scores
Availability to an Education

Barack Obama“Creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests...It just can’t dominate the curriculum to an extent where we are pushing aside those things that will actually allow children to improve and accurately assess the quality of the teaching that is taking place in the classroom.”

-Barack Obama

using technology
conducting research
engaging in scientific investigations
solving problems
presenting
defending their ideas.

Chaka FattahFattah, when asked if he supported standardized testing, gave two perspectives. He believed that tests were needed to “analyze how students were doing in relation to other students,” however, he also believes that, “students should not be merely taught to pass examinations or given tests prematurely before they have been taught the information.”

According to Chaka Fattah, the No Child Left Behind Law is, “intellectually dishonest because it holds children accountable for test scores when their schools lack resources.”

My Views:

I guess you could say that I agree with those who believe that standardized testing is needed in schools. However, it should not be heavily weighed as a resource to test a student’s intelligence. How can you measure someone’s mind and abilities through a test? You can’t because memorizing and learning are two different things. There’s a distinction between understanding and remembering what you are told. You can be told one thing but this doesn’t mean that you actually understand the meaning behind that thing. Being a Senior in high school, I have a biased view against the Scholastic Aptitude Test because my GPA shows a higher degree of learning than the scores on that test. To get into a college, you should not be based off of how many bubbles you’ve filled out correctly but by the actual grades you get in high school. Either way, there needs to be a change on how we assess the future of our world.

If we don’t change today, than what will we learn tomorrow?

Sources:

http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/joe-biden/2/education/14/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg4PbJs6N3k&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Barack_Obama/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktC_C7Z-wWE&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9EkX_gX6R8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=21850#Result

http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/transforming-no-child-left.html

Lobbying Post #1: Standardized Testing

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 9:24 pm

Kimberly Bush
October 6, 2010
Science Leadership Academy

I’m lobbying against any federal financial aid giving college that’s using Standardized Testing as criteria for admissions.

All throughout my childhood I’ve been told that I am a smart young woman who is capable of many things. However, it was brought to my attention that when taking tests, my intelligence wouldn’t really reveal itself on this piece of paper. Looking into it, I realized that in reality tests can’t be accountable for every young adults smartness because there are those who aren’t good at test taking, one of them being me. This is the main reason on why I wanted to go to Science Leadership Academy. After hearing about this project based school, I felt as though they understood that there are those who are very intellectual and therefore found a way to surface their creativity. As a Senior, I’m looking back at all the projects I did and wondering if I could have shown this type of creativity and individual uniqueness through tests. The answer would be no. However, now I’m trying to get prepared for college which involves finding the colleges, visiting them, and determining if my SAT scores are high enough for any of them. Not only are the SATs one of the things that can determine if you get the education you want but it also causes a lot of unnecessary stress that builds up until you’re done the whole college application process. This whole process made me wonder what SATs are really about and whether they determined how bright a person is based on the answers to a multiple choice question and their view on a topic. To me, a person can be very insightful and wise even if a test says otherwise because they may have different views and different knowledge that we have never been introduced to.

The main supporters of my lobbying topic would probably be high school students, parents of those high school students, and those who took the SATs and didn’t get a good enough test score to get into their desired college. Those who probably would not support my lobbying topic would be the colleges with high expectations (i.e. Ivy League Colleges...), those who have very strong test taking skills, and possibly educators. There is not any type of bill or legislation on my topic that I know of. If there was one to be made, I would like to see what both sides of the topic would propose for the benefit of our youth today. However, I would want to get the opinions of actual high school students too, to see their point of view on this topic. I feel as though you can’t really make a bill without actual concrete evidence. Therefore, if I were in charge of choosing whether or not financial aid giving colleges should use Standardized Testing as criteria for admissions, I would bring together high school students from all around the world with different views and have a big discussion about it. After gathering up data from that event, I would bring together different Representatives from colleges ranging from Ivy League Schools to Community Colleges and have the same discussion with them. Based on the information gathered and the points given I would from there conclude on whether or not Standardized Testing is a good way to represent the intellectual being of a student.

This article states many key factors and details on why Standardized Testing isn’t an effective way on judging the smartness of a student. The writer gives his opinion and backs up his statements with evidence from the actual test itself and those who judge the tests as well.

Here are a few things that he stated in his article:

“Rather than learning anything of consequence, students are taught how to beat the test.”
“The essays written on these tests are frequently not scored by educators, but by temp workers, who are paid minimum wage, and who generally spend no more than two minutes on each exam. According to one former scorer, "There were times I'd be reading a paper every ten seconds. I know this sounds very bizarre, but you could put a number on these things without actually reading the paper." Furthermore, the scorer added that he and his coworkers were offered a "two hundred dollar bonus that kicked in after eight thousand papers."’
“Quoting Roger Farr, a professor of education at Indiana University, "I don't think there's any way to build a multiple-choice question that allows students to show what they can do with what they know."’

These are just a few examples in this text that sheds light on the flaws of Standardized Testing. In conclusion, as a high school senior, I view Standardized Testing as unnecessary and a defective way to represent the intelligence of our youth. Hopefully, later on, this topic will be brought to the attention of those higher up who will realize that there needs to be a change on how we assess our youth. These faulty assessments should not be the criteria that colleges base the future of this world on.

Sources:

http://www.standardizedtesting.net/worst.htm

The Life of D.O.M.A.

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0IPfgE9kACHOWQ0YzE0MTMtYTBhNi00Zjg1LTgwZDctZDUzMzQzOTIxM2I4&hl=en

Recycle the World

Posted by Kimberly Bush in Art - Senior Art - Hull on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 9:45 pm

(I can't find my poster in this school and you told me that you probably had
a picture so yeah)

The reason why I do art is because I feel as though it takes all of the stress away. There's really no pressure on what you have to do or get right because art is sort of like a trial and error process to see what feels right to you. No one is really judging you but they're just observing what you did to get there. Unlike every other class, Art is the one subject that I can always admire and depend on to cheer me up, not only because of what we do and how we learn but also because of the people there. In one word, art is just fun.

I just got into this whole recycling thing because it literally just hit me on how bad the world is because of us not recycling. In the past I was probably a big contributor to the deteriorating earth that we live on now, and I probably still am today but I'm glad that I finally realized the severity of the whole thing. After figuring this out, I've reconsidered art projects and instead of creating new I would recreate with the old and unwanted. It's still a new thing to me but I'm still trying. I realized just recently how many thing you can actually make out of you're everyday things like bottle caps, plastic bags, and even milk cartons. It just makes me thing, How does someone come up with things like this?

Our first project that we did in art was based around bottle caps. We found out that bottle caps can't be recycled so instead people just throw them into the ocean where fish and other sea creatures eat them. And what do we do? We eat those fish, so we're basically eating the plastic that we swallowed. It's all really disgusting but we created posters to try to get people to collect their bottle caps and give them to an artist who uses them in her murals and such. My poster had a coca-cola bottle on it getting recycled into a phone and then a bottle cap getting recycled into a disco ball. For our next project, I wanted to recycle some type of juice container into a wallet or a bag because I feel as though if you can make a bag, out of juice boxes, then anything is possible. At first I wanted to make a Capri Sun wallet, but I just thought that it would be too pre-schooler of me to do that even though, I've always wanted to do one. Therefore, I changed it to making a wallet out of a milk carton (If you haven't noticed yet, I have an obsession with wallets).

It was actually pretty hard because a milk carton is much thicker than a Capri Sin pouch. I had to cut it with a cutting board instead of scissors and then I had to bend it in certain ways. Even when I put it under like, 200 lbs books it still didn't lay flat. Not only that, I had to sew the middle together…my fingers were red afterwards. Then I had to sew a button on the top flap which was a bit easier however, I couldn't see where to put the needle to go through the button so, I was doing that with trial and error….and eventually, I was done. I hope that some stores will take recycling more seriously and create recycled accessories that makes us more informed about the environment that we live in.

Kim Bush goes to Vote...well to ask about it anyways

Posted by Kimberly Bush in American Government - Laufenberg on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 3:28 pm

When I went to my local church to do this assignment I saw many people going in and out. So I stopped one of them, a woman, and told her about this school assignment that many of our students are doing in the Philadelphia area. She replied delightedly and said that, being part of a school community, she would love to help.

What motivated you to come out to vote?
The State of the Union. I don't want people to speak for me. You have to make your voice known.

Did you learn about voting in school?
No. I learned from my family. From the age of 12 they would make me stand outside of this church to pass out ballots.

What would you like to see changed in our political system?
The concept of majority rules. I would like things to be brought back to the people, to the public. I wish that congress would get more opinions from the people instead of having us vote on people who we think might do something to better the political system. However, they could say they're for something, but not do anything about it when they are elected.

What was the most memorable campaign ad that you've encountered?
I got it in the mail and it was against Joe Sestak. It was just, petty and childish really. On it was a bottle full of oil and across it, it read Snake Oil. That's another thing about these campaign ads; instead of stating issues that need to be solved, they're more emotional. In reality, I think everyone's ready for it all to be over.

Are you always sure of who you are going to vote for when you go into the booth?
Yes. I spend plenty of time researching the people who are campaigning to see what they stand for instead of just going off the commercials on tv or the ads that I get in the mail.

What changes do you hope to see in Philadelphia as a result of this election?
The city. They should focus on employment and also on reducing taxes.

Do you think that your vote has an impact on this election?
I'm going to give you the real answer, the true answer. I hope. You just never know.