~Service Learning Entry #4~

I had another exhilarating night at the JPL last night. As much as that was dripping with sarcasm, I really did enjoy my time there. It was a little different than usual, which was good. I believe the highlight of my night came at the beginning. While I was folding flyers in the Children's section, we had a few visitors. The first was a shy little blond-haired, blue-eyed girl named Mary, who was in dire need of some Bratz books, which it turned out we didn't have. In the end, she settled for Winnie the Pooh, who in my opinion is way better than Bratz.

Shortly after Mary found her book, a boy named Austin and his big sister Brittany came back to see us. Austin headed straight for the computer, where he could play his 15 minutes-worth of games. While Brittany was waiting for him to finish so she could have her turn, she struck up a conversation with Krista, one of the Children's librarians. Eventually it turned into a conversation with me, but I'm not sure when. One of her first comments though, was that she knew the names of all the girls who work in the Children's section, except for "that one." This kind of gave me an idea of how well all of the employees and faithful patrons know each other. For the first time, I actually felt like an outsider. I had noticed last Saturday during Storytime that the librarians knew most of the children's names, but I hadn't thought much of it. Either way, the excluded feeling didn't last long. Somehow, Brittany and I got off on the subject of snakes. I now know that she wants as Diamondback rattle snake as a pet, though she thinks King Cobras are really cool too. I felt a little dumb that her knowledge of snakes was a lot greater than mine, but I think I'd like to keep it that way... As much as she likes snakes, though, she is really scared of spiders. She also used to be afraid of thunder, as did I, but "that's a common thing for little girls," as she put it. Even if the topics of our conversation were a little creepy, it was definetly the highlight of my night. I even showed her some snake books so she could learn even more. Soon, though, it was her turn on the computer, and time for me to move on the the ever-exciting Circulation Desk.

Susan, my "supervisor," in Circulation, had again been having a busy week and didn't really have anything planned. The only job she really had for me was to hole-punch 550 pages of Circulation Desk Manuals, and put them in binders. Unfortunately, that only took about 15 minutes. As soon as I came out she said, "I was hoping that would take you longer." I really feel that in that part of the library, I'm more of a burden than a help. She repeatedly apologizes for not having something "fun" for me to do, no matter how much I explain that I'm there for her and not the other way around. I think some of that also has to do with age differences though. In the Children's section, the oldest employee can't be more than 25. When they run out of things for me to do, we can sit and talk about school, haircuts, you name it. In Circulation, there are employees of all ages. Susan is probably in her late 40s or early 50s, and she's really the only one I have any contact with. There are a few college students who also work there, but they seem to just keep to themselves. I believe that in any culture, even organizational, age is a large factor. It determines how people relate to each other, and therefore how they work together. For example, even if one of the younger girls had more leadership and organizational skills than Susan, age determines that she remains in a lower position. I think this also has a lot to do with why I feel more excluded in Circulation than in Children's. I believe Schein would refer to this as an artifact, even though the word is not quite fitting. He defines artifacts, at least on the website I found (www.onepine.info/pschein.htm), as "visible organizational structure." Age does define the structure, and it is visible, even to outsiders. In this case, it also somewhat defines subcultures. There is a culture in each section in the library, but also between different age groups in each section.

Anyway, after making manuals, I was out of work. After thinking for a few minutes, though, Susan decided that I could search the library for "Trace" books. Basically, I was looking for about 20 specific needles in a haystack full of them. I guess it was a good way to get rid of me for the rest of the night. I was just a little offended that she thought I didn't understand the Dewey Decimal System, but I guess that could again have something to do with the age differences. Aside from that though, I found 3 of the missing items. I got the impression that she didn't expect me to find any of them though, because she seemed really surprised when I kept showing up at the desk. I have to admit, though, that I got a little bored while wondering the stacks by myself. I probably could have searched as well as I did in two hours in one, realistically, but I didn't want to go back and make her come up with something else for me to do. So, I kept searching. I might have gotten a little sidetracked when I found shelves and shelves of music books, but I guess we'll never know... just for the record though, there's some stuff in there I'd like to sing one of these days.

~Service Learning Journal #3~

Well, as I predicted, this week's volunteering was at least slightly more productive than last week. I spent three hours this morning in the Children's section at the library. I got there at 9, pretty early for a Saturday, but you know, we do what we gotta do. Anyway, I spent the time doing various tasks, mostly pulling and reshelving books. At first I was reshelving all of the Black History Month books, and then pulling St. Patrick's Day ones for the new display. When I first arrived the building was deserted, besides the few people behind the desks. After about 45 minutes, though, things began to pick up. Storytime began at 10:30, and by then the Children's section was full of eager kids and their parents. It's funny... I've always thought I was fairly comfortable with kids, but being around so many at once made me really nervous. It would be just like me to do something totally wrong. I didn't have too much contact with them though, so I was okay. Pretty much all I did was try not to run over them with the book cart, pass out some crayons, and stamp their hands as they left storytime.
After Storytime, I again set out to pull books, only this time they were Easter-oriented. While pulling them I noticed that we were getting a little abstract when it came to topics, but I just did what I was told and pulled all of the ones on the list. The history of the Cold War and the Iran and Iraq atlases made me wonder, but then again, what do I know? Once I had finished, I took the cart to the desk and they asked me to put the yellow tape on the spines that indicates that the books are part of the seasonal display. My doubts just couldn't let me do it without asking though. As it turns out, Gina, the Children's section director, had printed out a list including not only Easter books, but also "Eastern" books. I had to reshelve at least half of what I had pulled, but at least we all had a good laugh.
All of that pretty much took up my 3 hours for this week. Next week I have 7, so it should be interesting. I walked in this morning expecting to meet a few new people, but instead found all new faces. I guess it keeps things interesting at least. I don't mind meeting new people, but explaining that you're not the "new girl" and that you're not volunteering because you're a criminal can get annoying. I have some new ones left to meet in Circulation, but I think I've met everyone in Children's now. They've all been incredibly nice to me. I'm afraid I'm almost more of a burden than a help because they have to work so hard to find things for me to do, but I just have to remember that they could have told me no in the beginning. Overall, it's a good atmosphere to work in. I'm not sure I'd want to work there all the time, but it's interesting to volunteer there.

*Servie Learning Journal Entry #2*

Last Thursday evening was my first night of volunteering at the library. It wasn't exactly like I expected, but then again, I didn't know what to expect. Basically, I did typical library work, like shelving books and pulling movies for a new display. (I'm pretty sure I pulled every Oscar-winning show since the beginning of time). After I had done those two things, however, it seemed I had finished my duties... the problem, however, was that it only took two of my four hours. Since I didn't volunteer to leave then, they had to find something else for me to do, which involved checking to make sure the CDs were all in order, which they were, and finally cleaning the cases of all the movies I'd pulled. They really did need cleaned, but it made me feel almost more of a burden than a help. I was warmly welcomed by everyone there, both in the Children's section, where I spent the first hour, and by everyone at the Circulation Desk, where I spent the rest of the evening. Despite their lack of planning for me, which they apologized for, it was a pretty good evening. I think that from now on they will keep me busier. Thursday also happened to be the last day for one of the girls in Circulation. The remnants of her goodbye party, as well as a teary goodbye, told me a lot about the dynamics between the employees there. From everything I saw, I concluded that they must be a fairly close group, at least in their section. The employees from other areas that dropped by seemed to be less connected, but most were at least aware that it was her last day. Basically, they seem like a tight-knit group, but not so much that they are rude to outsiders. Overall, it was a good experience and I felt welcomed by everyone there, even though they seem very unused to volunteers. The biggest downside of it all was that walking out to my car was incredibly scary, since the library is on the wrong side of town and apparently a bit of a haven for the homeless... at least until nine o'clock. I was actually really surprised that there was no security whatsoever, and there was only one man working in the whole library. Despite a little boredom and nervousness, I think my first night went pretty well, and I think that overall it will be a great experience.

~*Service Learning- Journal Entry #1*~

Making my response detailed may be difficult since I haven't actually begun my volunteering yet. The first challenge I faced in volunteering was actually finding an organization that would accept short-term volunteers and that was open during the hours I am available. After trying multiple places, such as the Ronald McDonald House, the YMCA, and the CP Center, I finally stumbled upon the Joplin Public Library in the phone book. The other organizations either required extensive training or were not open in the evenings. The personnel at the library seemed unaccustomed to individuals asking to volunteer, but were more than willing to give it some consideration. Once I got it through their heads that I wasn't looking for the criminal-redemption kind of community service, they agreed to bring it up at the next meeting. I was beginning to get nervous because I hadn't heard from them, but finally on Wednesday evening they called me, asking if I was available to start next Thursday evening. I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, but something was said to the effect of spending some time in the Children's Library and then some time in another section that I think has more to do with records and archives. I'm actually very excited about getting started there. I have always loved books, and I enjoy libraries because of their quiet and peaceful atmosphere. I expect this to be a very positive experience, and possibly even something I want to continue doing if my schedule allows. I'm really hoping that they will let me read to the kids, but I'm not sure that's what they have in mind. Either way, I'm very excited to get started and I'm hoping it will help me develop an attitude of service.

*Forum Response*

As we recently discovered in Forum, it is impossible to pin down a specific cause of stereotyping. I think we all stereotype for our own personal reasons, but all of them essentially accomplish one goal: they tell us who we are in relation to those around us. As human beings, we are creatures of comfort, as well as of habit. In response to this need for comfort, we automatically, and habitually, make judgments about others in order to create a space for us within a group. A personal example: on the first day of our Freshman Survival Seminar, I met all of my classmates for the first time. Because I didn’t know any of them, I automatically made judgments based on the way they talked, the clothes they wore, and other superficial factors. Next, I grouped them based on these judgments. Finally, based on these groupings, I decided what each person was like and whether I liked them or not.
Since that first day, my superficial judgments have been proven wrong, of course, because I’ve spent time working with and getting to know everyone. If I hadn’t been, however, I would still be holding on to my original opinions of each person and group. I might have even passed my judgments on to others by now. The stereotypes would be beginning to stick. Stereotypes begin with people seeking comfort and security in new and different situations.
I believe that stereotypes are a social necessity. I don’t believe that they are always good, but they are necessary. We live in a world of over 6 billion individuals, in a town with over 20 thousand. It is impossible to know enough about each individual to make accurate decisions about them. Because of this, we are forced to group these individuals and then decide how we are going to respond to them. While our circumstances determine much of who we interact with, we are still left to decide how to respond to them. For example, we are forced to interact with those we work with. However, the job doesn’t always determine how we interact with those people.
Though it is impossible to accurately pin down the cause of stereotypes, it is important that we begin to sort out the negative ones and do away with them. Negative stereotypes affect not only the holder, but also the stereotyped. Just as with a child who is repeatedly told he is stupid, those people will begin to live up to those stereotypes. African Americans, for example, were once labeled as criminals. Today, the crime rate of African Americans is higher than that of Caucasians.
Stereotyping causes changes in an individual’s self-image. Children are a prime example of this. A child grows up in a trailer park and is labeled “trailer park trash” by others at school. As she grows up, she continues to experience this stereotype, and comes to believe it about herself. As a result, she never tries to improve her conditions because she feels she is not worthy of anything better. It’s sad to think of all the potential she forfeits because of a groundless stereotype.
There are countless cases similar to this, which prove again that we need to make an effort to put an end to negative stereotypes. Not only are they harmful to self-image, but they are also harmful to society. No matter where one lives, it is easy to see the divisions that stereotypes cause. In the United States for example, Hispanics are often labeled as illegal, dull, and poor. This is far from the truth, however. As the number of Hispanics in our country grows, they become a more and more important part of society. They are becoming part of our government and judicial systems, and many are as American as any Caucasian. If Americans continue to label Hispanics negatively, divisions are soon going to surface in our society and government.
Though some stereotypes can be positive and useful, there are absolutely no positive affects of negative stereotypes. They harm not only individuals, but society as a whole. It is our duty as intelligent and educated individuals to take the initiative and begin tearing down the walls built by negative stereotypes.

Eng. 111 paper

Bull Victorious
One could define the most effective form of bull this way: the complete synthesis of a few facts, a few guesses, and a lot of experience. While bull in its purest form, as Perry says, is free from facts completely, the most effective form manages to integrate a few facts with the educated guesses. Finally, life experiences best prepare the individual to successfully bull. When one can draw on his or her own life experiences for information on a topic, and combine with that guessing and cowing, he or she has successfully created convincing bull. This form of bull can then be used in virtually any setting to correctly find a solution for a problem or question. In this way, bull proves to be much more effective than cowing could ever be. It must be clarified though that good bull is not false, as the connotation suggests. Good bull in itself is not meant to deceive, but to be the most logical solution to an unrehearsed question.
Cow is largely deficient in that it doesn’t allow the individual room to think and create new ideas. While cow could possibly carry one through school, at least until the college years, it is not very beneficial in the workplace. No matter what profession one chooses, situations are never going to consistently go by the book. Doctors, for example, are taught to memorize everything from the way cancer progresses to the anatomy of a goldfish, but oftentimes these facts are not enough. When seeing a patient with a rare or new form of disease for which there is no complete diagnosis or treatment, the doctor is forced to look at the facts placed before him, make a few guesses as to what the problem could be, and then call on prior experiences to find the most promising solution. In his own way, the doctor is bulling, whether the patient is aware of it or not.
Today’s society is beginning to realize the value of bull. This is evidenced in today’s educational system, from even the youngest grades. Intelligence is beginning to be measured by one’s ability to understand and synthesize ideas, rather than his or her capacity for memorization. This proves frustrating to those who have scaled the system during its most transitional years, but one soon comes to realize that this new method of learning is more beneficial. The process begins at an early age with short-answer essay questions and book reports, and culminates during the high school years when teachers constantly answer questions with more questions. Once past the initial frustration, an individual must realize that though this method of learning and thinking is new and different, it is more practical.
The practicality of bull is evidenced in everyday situations, such as that of the doctor. When it is impossible to memorize all the facts, and in areas in which the facts are always changing, one must still maintain a form of knowledge. Part of this is known as common sense, but part of it is this ability to put ideas, guesses, and experiences together. When one is able to do this, he or she has successfully learned to bull, and is more sufficiently ready for the challenges presented in school, business, and life. No matter how difficult a problem, one will be equipped to give a thoroughly reasoned and plausible solution.

Finally posting...

Well, I am finally posting, but sadly enough, I don't really have anything to say... at least not yet. That generally changes as I start writing.

So let's see... we'll begin with Forum, since everybody has at least a vague notion about that. I can't say that I've thought a whole lot about it yet. I just think that our topic is not what I would have picked. I understand that public image and everything is a big issue in today's society. I've considered it several times myself, I just don't really see it making a compelling topic for discussion for the next 12 weeks. I don't expect it to be bad, I just don't think it will be as good as some of the alternatives might have been. Oh well, that's just my opinion.

So hmmm, what else? English is going okay for me. I was really stressed out over the essay, but I think it'll come out okay. I don't really know though. I get frustrated in that class because I don't really get any feedback on my writing. I want to improve it, but so far I've gotten a reference for unneccessary commas, one for awkwardness, and a few checkmarks and underlines. That doesn't tell me a whole lot about my writing in general. I suppose he'll start doing more with this essay, as we all have to have appointments with him to go over it, but it just kinda frustrates me. It seems to me that if I get a bad grade on this, it's because some instruction is a little bit too late.

Sorry, anyway, I think my classes are all going pretty well in general. I know this post is boring, but I don't have any compelling arguments to make or issues to address. Maybe if I get ambitious pretty soon I'll post my paper and some of you can give me some feedback. (Idk who "you" are, but it sounded good)

I enjoyed having Biology outside today. It was great fun. I'm slightly nervous about the huge test we're going to have in there next week, but only slightly. There's a lot of material to cover, at least compared to what I'm used to. I'm sure there's not really much.

Well, I'm gonna hit the sack now, or something anyway. I don't really know, I'm just not going to post anymore. Bye for now.

Wow...

I must have been really bored last night. You'd think I'd have been told to write that. There's something wrong with me... like serious nerdness. That's my Saturday night activity.

Anyway, Campus Crawl was tonight. It was alright, though I'm very upset that I didn't get a t-shirt. That's why I went. I already knew where my classes are. Oh well, I'm gettin' one if they really do order them.

Aside from that, and everything else: I've decided that it's incredibly frustrating to be an undecided major. Everybody's all ready to talk to all of these smart people who already know all about what they want to do with their lives... I'm not one of those people. I have no idea what I want to do. I keep thinking I do, only to find the idea of doing it for the next 50 years incredibly depressing. How on earth am I supposed to figure this out?

Now, for the main purpose of this post. I really need to get out of my house, I think. I can't afford it though. If anybody out there has any ideas as to grants and/or scholarships I could try for that would pay for residence, please let me know.

I think I'm done now. No lengthy, unintelligent that sound intelligent posts tonight, thank goodness. Good luck to everyone tomorrow, and for the semester to come. :)

Thinking...

I must begin by saying I found the simulation yesterday more interesting and thought-provoking than I had anticipated. As a television correspondent, I had the unique opportunity to view both sides of the issue, as well as decide for myself which cause was more justified.

My train of thought just derailed.

Oh yes, I found myself, and I think most everyone else did also, taking the side of the terrorists. That wasn't what I was thinking about to begin with though.

After I got home last night, I was thinking about the media's role in the crisis and what could have been done to improve communications between both sides. I don't remember all of what I thought, as I was really tired, but I do remember critiqing my role and finding ways I could have accomplished more if I'd thought a little faster on my feet. (As everyone is sure to find out eventually, I am an avid perfectionist. I've been staring at the word "opportunity" at the top of the page, because the more I see it, the more the spelling looks wrong, but I've convinced myself it's not, because I just don't spell words like that wrong.) Anyway, I decided that a televised press conference with the President, in which he also gave his speech, might have been a little more effective in communicating with the public, as more information could have been given than in a formal interview like we conducted. I also realized that we never received any kind of reassurance that the hostages were all still alive and well, as I didn't even inquire about it in my on-the-spot hostage interview. Silly me.

Oh, I just remembered what else it was I was thinking about. The objectiveness of the press... In the past four years, I have had limited, but I think thorough, experience with journalism, expressly newspaper. I did learn yesterday that it is much easier to retain objectivity on paper than when communicating with speech and body language. In a way this turns me away from other kinds of journalism, but it also presents a challenge... we'll have to wait and see if I do anything with it.

Anyway, I was thinking about the roles of the press in society, and came to a better understanding of why television press so easily loses objectivity. From what I've seen and understood, tv news has become nothing more than a business in the eyes of those in charge of it. While it's main goals are to inform the public of current events, it has become a source of entertainment, and therefore, a race for ratings.

As we talked about yesterday, the news is greatly sensationalized for this reason. I have to go to bat for all of the "good" journalists out there though, who are simply trying to provide the public with the knowledge they deserve. Because of time limitations and the apparent need of good ratings, much of every story is left out. I mentioned the idea that the media actually makes our worldview smaller, and still support that. I do think however, that much of the fault lies within we who are too lazy or apathetic to find out for ourselves what else is happening in our world. While I think the media should put before us a more real and human side of news, I realize that if they did we could be watching news 24/7.

Through all of this, I have realized that when we remain small and uneducated, we play into the media game of supplying them with ratings based on the entertainment factor of news. While we may not be able to change the system, we can step outside the box ourselves and allow our own views to be expanded. Those of you who have done your international studies have probably already realized all of this, but for me it was a concept I hadn't bothered to think much about before. It all reminds me of my trip to Europe this summer. I saw much of the city and country, but all the time I was curious as to how the real people lived there. I got to see the tourist parts, but I still want to know what life there is really like as opposed to ours. In the same way, we see the sensational and brutal parts of current events, but we are kept from viewing the normal and human side of the world outside our own experiences.

It's been awhile...

Well, it's been a while since I posted on here, or anywhere for that matter. I'm getting bored with my other blog because no one reads them anymore. I guess my hope is that somebody reads this one once in a while after school starts.

Anyway, I'm very excited for school to start. It's gonna give me something to do finally. I've been home for 3 days and I'm bored already. That's sad.

I think I'm excited cuz I'm writing this on my new notebook, and I have a new backpack(haha). Seriously though, I should never be this excited about school. There's something wrong with me. :)

Well, I guess I should say that Europe was a lot of fun, but kinda weird at the same time. It was a really good learning experience though. There are pics on my other blog. I took a ton.

Well, I think I'm about to get all this out of my system, maybe. Either way, I'm getting sleepy.