I sat in my living room watching south park, the episode about guitar hero. Anyhow I sat there and I thought of the movie Babel. I'm not sure why it was named that but I still thought it was a good movie. I watched that movie while I was in Mexico in 2007. Then I thought about the Tower of Babel in the city of Babilu (Book of Genesis). As you may or may not know this tower was built after the great flood in the city of Babilu ruled by King Nimrod. The tower represented men's attempt to reach the heavens. In essence men did not have faith and needed prove of God's existence.
So God gave men different languages and scattered them through earth to prevent them from building their tower. So this is how the Bible explains the different languages on earth. So I started thinking that now would be a good time for God to allow humanity to speak the same language so that we can all communicate and hopefully bring and end to war as we know it. All humans are different and the situation is worsened by our inability to properly communicate with each other.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
knowledge levels
Level 1:
I know enough to think about aliens. I have read and watch shows on many theories about aliens. My favorite was from the series “Taken.” In this show, aliens have become so advanced that they loose their ability to feel and in an effort to recover it they experiment with humans. I don’t know enough this topic to even talk about it. It is fascinating as it is incredible. One day when I have spare time I will read more on the topic so that I’m better equipped to talk about.
Level 2:
Technology is something that I can think and talk about. The way things work, the things that a computer can do, the “specs” on a digital camera or the functions on a cell phone are all things that I can talk about. While I’m not an expert I can explain to people what technology can do for them. I usually will read a tech or gadget magazine to find out about the latest hardware and software. Usually I can spend hours figuring out software such as Photoshop or Dreamweaver to get them to do what they are supposed to do. There are many people who are afraid to browse or explore their computers thinking that something can break. Technology is there to make things easier for us, so that we may spend our time enjoying our freedom.
Level 3:
For this level I have to say that my knowledge in History and Politics go hand in hand. For those interested in politics it is necessary to know History. While I don’t think I could teach History I could teach History in politics, meaning I would very much enjoy taking current events and teaching others on how similar events in History have turned out and how we could expect our current example to be resolved. I am passionate about American History and how politics have evolved in this country. I planned to further my education in this topic by reading my text books required for my degree and by researching on my own.
Level 4:
Frankly, I don’t know enough about everything to where I can say I can debate its issues. Perhaps the only topic which I would say I come close to this level is my knowledge of how Personal Injury Protection insurance coverages work in the states of California, Utah, Idaho and Nevada. Since my job is to handle medical claims in those states I have to be very knowledgeable on the insurance laws. Many times I have found myself in “debates” with my co-workers in a “case scenario” where we are trying to decide if a particular case meets the requirements for us to provide medical coverage. While I’m knowledgeable on the requirements to do my job I still have to rely on others who have more experience and knowledge than I do on this particular topic. I constantly review our insurance policies to make sure that I know why I make the decisions that I make and to ensure that one day I will be the one answering questions.
I know enough to think about aliens. I have read and watch shows on many theories about aliens. My favorite was from the series “Taken.” In this show, aliens have become so advanced that they loose their ability to feel and in an effort to recover it they experiment with humans. I don’t know enough this topic to even talk about it. It is fascinating as it is incredible. One day when I have spare time I will read more on the topic so that I’m better equipped to talk about.
Level 2:
Technology is something that I can think and talk about. The way things work, the things that a computer can do, the “specs” on a digital camera or the functions on a cell phone are all things that I can talk about. While I’m not an expert I can explain to people what technology can do for them. I usually will read a tech or gadget magazine to find out about the latest hardware and software. Usually I can spend hours figuring out software such as Photoshop or Dreamweaver to get them to do what they are supposed to do. There are many people who are afraid to browse or explore their computers thinking that something can break. Technology is there to make things easier for us, so that we may spend our time enjoying our freedom.
Level 3:
For this level I have to say that my knowledge in History and Politics go hand in hand. For those interested in politics it is necessary to know History. While I don’t think I could teach History I could teach History in politics, meaning I would very much enjoy taking current events and teaching others on how similar events in History have turned out and how we could expect our current example to be resolved. I am passionate about American History and how politics have evolved in this country. I planned to further my education in this topic by reading my text books required for my degree and by researching on my own.
Level 4:
Frankly, I don’t know enough about everything to where I can say I can debate its issues. Perhaps the only topic which I would say I come close to this level is my knowledge of how Personal Injury Protection insurance coverages work in the states of California, Utah, Idaho and Nevada. Since my job is to handle medical claims in those states I have to be very knowledgeable on the insurance laws. Many times I have found myself in “debates” with my co-workers in a “case scenario” where we are trying to decide if a particular case meets the requirements for us to provide medical coverage. While I’m knowledgeable on the requirements to do my job I still have to rely on others who have more experience and knowledge than I do on this particular topic. I constantly review our insurance policies to make sure that I know why I make the decisions that I make and to ensure that one day I will be the one answering questions.
My higher education
I started my college education right after my graduation from high school in 1999. I knew that I would need to earn a degree if I wanted to succeed and achieve the goal I had set for myself for the time I turned 30 years old. After my fourth year in college (still a college junior) I got married and made plans with my wife to finish our schooling. A few months after we were married, we were blessed with our first unexpected child. While we were extremely happy for my wife’s pregnancy it did however, put our education goals on hold. For the next four years my wife and I worked different decent paying jobs that made us complacent with not having our college degrees.
In September 2007 my wife got pregnant with our second child. I took a look at my life and realized that I had been working in dead end jobs. I decided that it was time to look for a job that would perhaps lead me to a career. I turned to my younger sister for advice. She had graduated from the University of California, Riverside where I had also attended college. She had been working for over two years for an auto insurance company in California. I never bothered to ask my sister about her job or even how much she made. She told me that she had started her position at $16 an hour with a company car, cell phone, laptop and other incentives. Two years later she was making $22 an hour. Her position of course required a college degree. She advised me that most insurance companies do have positions for “non-degree” personnel. Between the time I decided to search for a new job and by the time I spoke to my sister, I had realized that I had invested four years of my life and a substantial amount of money. I became determined to finish what I had started.
I decided that I wanted to work for an insurance company and I applied to company that I had always wanted to work for. Fortunately the company was interested in me and I was offered a “non-degree” job and I was more than happy to accept it. I took a pay cut but I wanted to explore my options. I learned that by obtaining my degree I could apply for a degreed position and get a pay increase of ten to fifteen thousand dollars. I realized how much money I was losing by not having my degree. Now I was inspired to finish my college education. I want to finish my education not only to earn more money but because now I know that I will be able to achieve my goal I had set for myself when I started my college education. I will be able to have my own home, a car for my wife and one for me. I will be able to take a week long vacation with my family and travel to a different state every year. My first trip will be to West Virginia when I attend my graduation ceremony.
I want to finish my degree and I know that it will take lots of effort and reading. I want to read all that I can because I want to expand my vocabulary. I deal with people day in and day out. I want to be able to communicate clearly and precisely. I think that attending an online college will be useful for me because I will be using technology along with good old fashion books to study and complete my assignments. I am a self taught computer technology, so navigating and familiarizing myself with the online campus was a challenge I’ve welcomed and have faced without fear of “breaking” anything.
When I started college I was in it just because my parents always told me that I should go to college. With time and through my own experience I have come to realize that college is not only necessary to succeed in today’s world but can also be useful in other ways. Attending college has helped to develop an inquisitive mind and to enjoy learning. If I don’t know or understand I’m not afraid to ask questions. Because I’m able to analyze and inquire, I consider myself an educated person. I do not consider myself better or worst than anyone else, but I do think that most people without a college education are at a disadvantage. Some uneducated members of my family believe everything they hear and watch on television. They are not able to analyze what they hear and question it or agree because they think its right. Instead they take everything on its face value as things are presented to them. I want to use my education to learn, inquire and analyze.
Perhaps the most formidable challenge that I will face in completing my degree, will be time management. As a full time parent, student, husband and employee I will have a difficult time balancing my duties and responsibilities to ensure that I don’t neglect any of them. I will also face the usual college challenges such as procrastination and peer pressure. I am determined to do well in school and so I have dealt with procrastination. My peer pressure would’ve come from my wife asking me if I was done with my homework so that I could spend time with her and our children. I wanted to deal with this challenge swiftly and so this is my solution: in order to succeed my wife and I need our degrees, so my wife is also going back to school. We have divided the week so that we both have time to complete our school work while the other cares for our children and allowed for one day off school work. This will allow us both to complete our assignments and it will also allow us to spend time with our children.
The number one reason why I want to complete my degree is because I want to set an example for my children. I was blessed to have parents that told me I had to go to college but they did not lead me by example. I want to lead my children by example and make the best case that I can as to why their education will be their greatest investment and achievement. Ultimately, it will be their decision to make but I know that it will be an educated decision.
In September 2007 my wife got pregnant with our second child. I took a look at my life and realized that I had been working in dead end jobs. I decided that it was time to look for a job that would perhaps lead me to a career. I turned to my younger sister for advice. She had graduated from the University of California, Riverside where I had also attended college. She had been working for over two years for an auto insurance company in California. I never bothered to ask my sister about her job or even how much she made. She told me that she had started her position at $16 an hour with a company car, cell phone, laptop and other incentives. Two years later she was making $22 an hour. Her position of course required a college degree. She advised me that most insurance companies do have positions for “non-degree” personnel. Between the time I decided to search for a new job and by the time I spoke to my sister, I had realized that I had invested four years of my life and a substantial amount of money. I became determined to finish what I had started.
I decided that I wanted to work for an insurance company and I applied to company that I had always wanted to work for. Fortunately the company was interested in me and I was offered a “non-degree” job and I was more than happy to accept it. I took a pay cut but I wanted to explore my options. I learned that by obtaining my degree I could apply for a degreed position and get a pay increase of ten to fifteen thousand dollars. I realized how much money I was losing by not having my degree. Now I was inspired to finish my college education. I want to finish my education not only to earn more money but because now I know that I will be able to achieve my goal I had set for myself when I started my college education. I will be able to have my own home, a car for my wife and one for me. I will be able to take a week long vacation with my family and travel to a different state every year. My first trip will be to West Virginia when I attend my graduation ceremony.
I want to finish my degree and I know that it will take lots of effort and reading. I want to read all that I can because I want to expand my vocabulary. I deal with people day in and day out. I want to be able to communicate clearly and precisely. I think that attending an online college will be useful for me because I will be using technology along with good old fashion books to study and complete my assignments. I am a self taught computer technology, so navigating and familiarizing myself with the online campus was a challenge I’ve welcomed and have faced without fear of “breaking” anything.
When I started college I was in it just because my parents always told me that I should go to college. With time and through my own experience I have come to realize that college is not only necessary to succeed in today’s world but can also be useful in other ways. Attending college has helped to develop an inquisitive mind and to enjoy learning. If I don’t know or understand I’m not afraid to ask questions. Because I’m able to analyze and inquire, I consider myself an educated person. I do not consider myself better or worst than anyone else, but I do think that most people without a college education are at a disadvantage. Some uneducated members of my family believe everything they hear and watch on television. They are not able to analyze what they hear and question it or agree because they think its right. Instead they take everything on its face value as things are presented to them. I want to use my education to learn, inquire and analyze.
Perhaps the most formidable challenge that I will face in completing my degree, will be time management. As a full time parent, student, husband and employee I will have a difficult time balancing my duties and responsibilities to ensure that I don’t neglect any of them. I will also face the usual college challenges such as procrastination and peer pressure. I am determined to do well in school and so I have dealt with procrastination. My peer pressure would’ve come from my wife asking me if I was done with my homework so that I could spend time with her and our children. I wanted to deal with this challenge swiftly and so this is my solution: in order to succeed my wife and I need our degrees, so my wife is also going back to school. We have divided the week so that we both have time to complete our school work while the other cares for our children and allowed for one day off school work. This will allow us both to complete our assignments and it will also allow us to spend time with our children.
The number one reason why I want to complete my degree is because I want to set an example for my children. I was blessed to have parents that told me I had to go to college but they did not lead me by example. I want to lead my children by example and make the best case that I can as to why their education will be their greatest investment and achievement. Ultimately, it will be their decision to make but I know that it will be an educated decision.
Education in a Mexican Community (revised)
The level of education people achieve will determine their lifetime earning potential. “Data from the U.S Census Bureau (2002)…Show that high school drop outs earn on average, around $18,900, whereas college graduates may earn $45,400 or more annually” (Mueller, Giacomazzi and Stoddard, 2006). Growing up Mexican I learned that in my community, success was not an option, it is more of a dream that is not achievable and viewed by many as exclusive to whites. Instead of going to school, many Mexican students choose not to go to class and instead they spend their time with gangs and consequently as J.W. Newman explained, “show an increasing amount of extreme resistance to schooling and conventional socialization” (as cited in Hartnett, 2007). Education in the Mexican community where I grew up was not highly valued or at least not as valued as going to work construction (or any other job that did not require a high school diploma) and bringing home money to help the family. Unfortunately most people in Mexican communities do not make an effort to ensure the education of their children by reading and talking with their children. This is the case of generation after generation resulting in “the median income for Hispanic men…[being] less than two-thirds the figure for non-Hispanic men-$14,141 compared with $22,207…” (Rodman, 1992). Consequently this becomes a vicious cycle because “parenting is influenced by poverty….Poverty is linked to poorer child outcomes as well as poorer parenting” (Brooks-Gunn et al., 1997). The following are examples of how the learning of people I know have been influenced by their environment.
First case: A 15 year old girl gets pregnant and she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom I baptized and accepted the moral and religious responsibility of his upbringing (a responsibility on which I have miserably failed). By the time she was 21 she had four children with 3 different fathers and was living in a motel room. By the time she was 23 she had bored 2 more children and added another father to this family. By this time her brother, whom I use to play video games with, was in jail and his girlfriend lived with her parents with a fatherless child. Also on of her cousins was pregnant by the age of 16. Statistically “only 64% of Hispanics graduate with a high school diploma or its equivalent…” (Mueller, Giacomazzi and Stoddar, 2006). The odds are that only 3 of her 5 children will graduate from high school. How did this person turn out to be this way? It was known to those around her family that both parents were cheating on each other. Her mom was the neighborhood whore. Both of her parents never completed middle school and were Mexican immigrants.
Second Case: A family of 4 siblings and their unemployed mother and disabled father. The third oldest was a female pregnant by 15. All 3 of the high school aged siblings dropped out of High School. I hate to make this prediction but I think the youngest will follow the elder's footsteps. They did not idolize Bill Gates for being a college drop out and still managing to be the richest man in the world. Instead they would gather in their front lawn and they would always talk about a certain drug dealer, idolizing him while getting drunk. Their father was disabled and both parents were illiterate. In this case it is obvious that their parent’s poverty and lack of education influenced this family’s choice or lack of to further their education.
Third Case: A friend in high school, more like an acquaintance, we hung around a few times a month. He played video games and studied more than most of us. He only lived only a few blocks from the family in the second case. After high school, his friends began to call him a "bitch" because he no longer hung around with them (out of all his group of friends, he was the only one who attended and finished a college education). Both his parents completed their high school education in Mexico. His younger brother also attended college and his sister opted for a short career. The interesting fact about this case is that this person was chastised for sacrificing time with his friends in order to further his education. While not all of his friends work dead end jobs they will never have the earning potential that he does with his bachelor’s degree.
The fourth case is about me. Why? Because by having knowledge and first hand experience, I have an opinion on this topic. Growing up as an illegal immigrant I wanted to be like the cool Mexicans, the cholos. I dressed like them and tried to imitate everything that they did. In middle school I once yelled the F and the N words all in one sentence. I was loved by certain circles for doing that, I felt good. One day when walking to school I found a knife so I sold it to a friend, who happily paid me a dollar only to later give up my name as the person that sold him the knife, after he pulled it on a teacher. So I was suspended. When my mom came to pick me up form school, she was crying. When my father came home he gave me a beating that I don't care to remember. I remember one of my hands was numb. Is this child abuse? I think not because right after that I told myself, “this shit ain't happening again” (but in Spanish because I did not speak English at that time). Up to this point I had allowed myself to be influenced by my community and my peers. Looking back at how I behave for the better part of my junior high years,I now realize that after that they I allowed my parents to influence me and my educational decisions. They encouraged me and my two siblings to get an education. Both of my parents completed their highs school education in Mexico.
I then went on to high school where I struggled in all my classes and hung around in TJ (Tijuana) with all the “border brothers.” I managed to graduate and went on to a community college. It was there that I was forced to learn to study and do homework because I was willing pay to repeat any of my courses (I had to work two jobs to pay for school) this wasn't free and I wasn't going to take it for granted. I finally and barely was accepted into a four year university where my performance was far from stellar. At about that time I got married and had my first child and naturally I had to drop out of college. Five years later I finally managed to go back to school to finish what I started. My goal is to achieve financial success. Through my parents I witnessed what can be achieved through hard work. My goal is to work hard using my education. It was their support that made me ambitious but not greedy. Lastly, I want to better myself so that I may give my children the resources they need to be successful and break and defy the education statistics of their cultural and ethnic background.
Statistics are mounted against Mexicans who want to pursue a higher education. Out of the 27 people mentioned here, only six have attended a university or college. That means that only18.5% of the 27 people mentioned here have actually attempted to further their education. We were all from the same community no more than 5 miles apart from each other. Most of the 27 people knew each other. This relationships have lead me to believe that not only does a person have to be smart enough to get good grades and get an education, but any person must also have a support system and an environment that will encourage and instill a need for success through education. Making it isn't easy and only our families can support us so that we can further our goals and succeed in today’s world.
References
Brooks-Gunn, J., Duncan, G., & Aber, L, (1997). Neighborhood Poverty: Context and Consquences of Children, Vol. 1. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hartnett, Sharon. The High School Journal. Does Peer Group Identity Influence Absenteeism in High School Student? Vol. 91, Issue 2, 2008.
Mueller, D., Giacomazzi, A. & Stoddard, C. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk. Dealing with Chronic Absenteeism and its Related Consequences: The process and Short-Term Effects of a Diversionary Juvenile Court Intervention. 11(2), 2006.
Rodman, Griffin. CQ Researcher. Hispanic American, Vol. 2, 2002.
First case: A 15 year old girl gets pregnant and she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom I baptized and accepted the moral and religious responsibility of his upbringing (a responsibility on which I have miserably failed). By the time she was 21 she had four children with 3 different fathers and was living in a motel room. By the time she was 23 she had bored 2 more children and added another father to this family. By this time her brother, whom I use to play video games with, was in jail and his girlfriend lived with her parents with a fatherless child. Also on of her cousins was pregnant by the age of 16. Statistically “only 64% of Hispanics graduate with a high school diploma or its equivalent…” (Mueller, Giacomazzi and Stoddar, 2006). The odds are that only 3 of her 5 children will graduate from high school. How did this person turn out to be this way? It was known to those around her family that both parents were cheating on each other. Her mom was the neighborhood whore. Both of her parents never completed middle school and were Mexican immigrants.
Second Case: A family of 4 siblings and their unemployed mother and disabled father. The third oldest was a female pregnant by 15. All 3 of the high school aged siblings dropped out of High School. I hate to make this prediction but I think the youngest will follow the elder's footsteps. They did not idolize Bill Gates for being a college drop out and still managing to be the richest man in the world. Instead they would gather in their front lawn and they would always talk about a certain drug dealer, idolizing him while getting drunk. Their father was disabled and both parents were illiterate. In this case it is obvious that their parent’s poverty and lack of education influenced this family’s choice or lack of to further their education.
Third Case: A friend in high school, more like an acquaintance, we hung around a few times a month. He played video games and studied more than most of us. He only lived only a few blocks from the family in the second case. After high school, his friends began to call him a "bitch" because he no longer hung around with them (out of all his group of friends, he was the only one who attended and finished a college education). Both his parents completed their high school education in Mexico. His younger brother also attended college and his sister opted for a short career. The interesting fact about this case is that this person was chastised for sacrificing time with his friends in order to further his education. While not all of his friends work dead end jobs they will never have the earning potential that he does with his bachelor’s degree.
The fourth case is about me. Why? Because by having knowledge and first hand experience, I have an opinion on this topic. Growing up as an illegal immigrant I wanted to be like the cool Mexicans, the cholos. I dressed like them and tried to imitate everything that they did. In middle school I once yelled the F and the N words all in one sentence. I was loved by certain circles for doing that, I felt good. One day when walking to school I found a knife so I sold it to a friend, who happily paid me a dollar only to later give up my name as the person that sold him the knife, after he pulled it on a teacher. So I was suspended. When my mom came to pick me up form school, she was crying. When my father came home he gave me a beating that I don't care to remember. I remember one of my hands was numb. Is this child abuse? I think not because right after that I told myself, “this shit ain't happening again” (but in Spanish because I did not speak English at that time). Up to this point I had allowed myself to be influenced by my community and my peers. Looking back at how I behave for the better part of my junior high years,I now realize that after that they I allowed my parents to influence me and my educational decisions. They encouraged me and my two siblings to get an education. Both of my parents completed their highs school education in Mexico.
I then went on to high school where I struggled in all my classes and hung around in TJ (Tijuana) with all the “border brothers.” I managed to graduate and went on to a community college. It was there that I was forced to learn to study and do homework because I was willing pay to repeat any of my courses (I had to work two jobs to pay for school) this wasn't free and I wasn't going to take it for granted. I finally and barely was accepted into a four year university where my performance was far from stellar. At about that time I got married and had my first child and naturally I had to drop out of college. Five years later I finally managed to go back to school to finish what I started. My goal is to achieve financial success. Through my parents I witnessed what can be achieved through hard work. My goal is to work hard using my education. It was their support that made me ambitious but not greedy. Lastly, I want to better myself so that I may give my children the resources they need to be successful and break and defy the education statistics of their cultural and ethnic background.
Statistics are mounted against Mexicans who want to pursue a higher education. Out of the 27 people mentioned here, only six have attended a university or college. That means that only18.5% of the 27 people mentioned here have actually attempted to further their education. We were all from the same community no more than 5 miles apart from each other. Most of the 27 people knew each other. This relationships have lead me to believe that not only does a person have to be smart enough to get good grades and get an education, but any person must also have a support system and an environment that will encourage and instill a need for success through education. Making it isn't easy and only our families can support us so that we can further our goals and succeed in today’s world.
References
Brooks-Gunn, J., Duncan, G., & Aber, L, (1997). Neighborhood Poverty: Context and Consquences of Children, Vol. 1. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hartnett, Sharon. The High School Journal. Does Peer Group Identity Influence Absenteeism in High School Student? Vol. 91, Issue 2, 2008.
Mueller, D., Giacomazzi, A. & Stoddard, C. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk. Dealing with Chronic Absenteeism and its Related Consequences: The process and Short-Term Effects of a Diversionary Juvenile Court Intervention. 11(2), 2006.
Rodman, Griffin. CQ Researcher. Hispanic American, Vol. 2, 2002.
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