Through an artist's eyes

...The Fine Art of Procrastination

So, procrastination. Apparently ‘the ultimate barrier to a good education experience’ or something like that. The cause of stressful all-nighters, almost falling asleep in class, and the inevitable misspellings and stupid mistakes that end up in the project completed at 1:00am. But these are symptoms of a first or second time procrastinator. I myself happen to be an expert procrastinator so I have refined my putting-it-off-until-the-night-or-even-morning-before-it’s-due skills.



 I have been told countless times by my parents, exasperated friends, and even my 9 year old brother, that I should stop watching Netflix, or running around outside, or having FUN, and just suck it up and do it. But I think it actually takes incredible skill to write a 4 page essay (that was assigned two or three weeks ago) in only 1 hour at 11:00 at night. The final result can actually be surprisingly good. Because for experienced procrastinators such as myself, some pretty good writing and ideas come from the delirious final hours filled with the glow of the computer screen, the ticking clock, and late-night snacks that are the results of extreme procrastination.

 The idea that a huge, enormous project is due tomorrow morning, and I only have a couple of hours to complete it, somehow spurs me into action, the ‘I really have to get this done NOW’ type of action. If you are given a real, legitimate time limit, it is much harder to succumb to meaningless distractions, such as your phone, and just finish the task at hand.

When working on a project you have procrastinated on, you may find yourself getting small rushes of adrenaline, and also randomly pumping your fists and shouting “YES!” when you finally turn the project in.
I mean, it really feels good to turn in a project that you just worked really hard on for a solid two hours, and  barely made the deadline for turning it in versus turning in a project 2 days early that you spent little amounts of time on until it was done, so when you finally turned it in it was like “Oh ok so that’s done now. What’s next.”



Another positive side effect of procrastination is not really having to worry about the project until the very last minute. Personally, this reduces my stress about school. I mean, I can have weeks of not worrying and watching TV, and rock climbing, and having fun in exchange for a couple of hours of really intense stress. I think it’s worth it*. Procrastinating can also kind of boost self-confidence because you're able to say “Hey, I know I can do this two week project in an hour and still have it turn out well” (however you can only say this if you continually pull off procrastinating). Whether you procrastinate or not, always know that the option is open**, should you find yourself wanting to watch the new season of Stranger Things, or play Capture the Flag at night, or even just have a thoughtful discussion with your family or whatever.
Taking into account that I’m writing this very late at night (procrastination), thank you for reading my blog!



*Note: Procrastinating should only be done if a project is individual. Procrastinating on group projects is not recommended because it may lead to angry classmates/teachers/parents/everyone.



**Other note: (This one is for all the teachers) Only procrastinate if you are at least 85% sure you can turn the project or homework in on time, and done somewhat well.

***One more note: Procrastination may come with side effects such as getting a horrible grade, being really tired, and having mad/exasperated people asking you why you didn't finish it earlier.

-MC

For another view on procrastination click this link (video): https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator#t-831739 

For a more scientific view click on this link (article): https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination OR on this link (another article): http://share.upmc.com/2015/07/the-science-behind-procrastination/?doing_wp_cron=1517467571.2776761054992675781250

Burger Experience

Burger Experience

    Has anyone ever asked you what your favorite food is? I mean I know I have.  Like me you most likely did not have your answer off the top of your head (or in it at all during that time) and were caught off guard, but deep inside your brain you formulated and got an answer. My answer is the burger (and I can’t think of why anyone would chose any different.) Most likely you have experienced the exquisite taste of a perfectly cooked (perhaps not) juicy, medium rare paddy with the ludicrously marvelous melted cheese encasing it (and of course any other kind of ingredients you would like). Just imagine the slightly crispy bun crunching beneath your jaws, just imagine dipping the fries into the fire truck red catsup. I also bet that you have had the bogus burger, the false nasty dry fast food burger (if not, good for you.) As you might have found out I LOVE BURGERS!!! They are the world's greatest creation (besides the porta potty.) Part of the magnificence of the burger are the combinations of the condiments, my personal favorite is fresh onions, crunchy lettuce from an non gmo farm, crispy tomatoes, non colored cheddar cheese and fries with truffle oil. Part of my obsession with burgers is the inability to consume them often leaving the taste always exotic in my mouth, I eat burgers about once a month and driven by my lust I gulp it down, I never learn. Growing up in Portland on the eastside was a lucky break for me, the options of food was not limited (although not unlimited either) and there was a great choice for burgers. My personal favorite is Little Big Burger ( hear is a link to their site http://www.littlebigburger.com/.)  Little Big Burgers burgers are small but tall and anything but bad, they have fantastic fry sauce that has a tinge of heat but not to much and the space is friendly to all cultures ethnicities and religions making it a place for all people. Although Little Big Burger is very good the place I had my very favorite burger was at my friends house, the thing that makes this burger so good is that most of the condiments come from their own backyard also my favorite part is the over easy egg on it, the egg comes from their neighbors chickens. Despite the fact that I find Little Big Burger the best burger shop I have ever went to their are still many different burger places that are still astounding. Some of these include Killer Burger (https://killerburger.com/,) Lardo (http://lardosandwiches.com/) and In and Out Burger (http://www.in-n-out.com/#close.) Some Burger places I dream to go to are AU CHEVAL,

THE COZY INN and HOLEMAN & FINCH PUBLIC HOUSE I hope this blog has inspired you so when the next time you go out for dinner to ask, beg,

plead, implore for a burger.

The Importance of Representation of Mental Heath in Mainstream Media

At around 3:50 pm every Tuesday, I go to a tan building on Flanders Street. I enter the first office on the fourth floor. I flip a rewired light switch and wait. At exactly 4:00pm nearly every time, I am greeted by my therapist. 45 minutes later I’m either out of the office and in the car, or, once every four weeks, I sit in that same waiting room again, waiting for someone else. At exactly 5:00 pm nearly every time, I am greeted by my psychologist, who has given me a prescription for 10 milligrams of Prozac to take once a day. I’ll save you the googling and go ahead and tell you it’s an antidepressant/antianxiety medication, but if you want to know more, you can find information here. Although this entire process may sound strange or foreign for you, (or perhaps not; I don’t wish to make assumptions), it’s a routine for me.

I’ve noticed something, however. Whenever I tell people what I just told you, I get two reactions: surprise and pity. To be honest, I never quite understood why. To me, taking meds and going to psychotherapy weekly isn’t strange at all… it’s normal, even. I guess the prospect of being totally normal and able to function properly is as crazy to me as the thought of not being normal to other people. I, in part, blame this on the portrayal of mental illness in the media.

When a TV show or movie has a character that has a mental illness, I find that oftentimes, unless done very carefully, instead of raising awareness they create a sort of oversimplification, or romanticization of them. This is, as it would be expected, a problem. Take the show 13 Reasons Why, for example. Even though people praised it for bringing to light the struggles of depression and the effects of suicide throughout a community, there were concerns. Reports of “copycat” suicides started cropping up (Link to an article about that here .). People started complaining that images and scenes in the series were disturbing and potential triggers to others who had suffered or were suffering from mental illnesses. On the other hand, one could argue that it shed a light on a dark, yet very important topic.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure if I should say something. After all, any time I met someone who was depressed, they always seemed to have it worse than me. Even when there were characters in books and movies who were mentally ill, they always seemed to not want to get help. It didn’t make sense that they would be so against it when all I wanted was to get better. It made me feel like I was faking it, that I had made up this problem for attention. Oftentimes, people who live with mental illnesses are portrayed as not wanting to get better, as actively fighting against taking meds or going to therapy. To me that just seems stupid and dangerous. It makes it feel like you’re doing something wrong when you seek help, which is exactly opposite the case.

I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Although sometimes it might feel that way, and although everyone in the magazines and on TV look perfect, they’re not. There are people out there who know what you’re going through. Help is there if you need it, and don’t be afraid to seek it.

Resources:

National suicide prevention hotline -you can talk to a trained worker confidentiality in emergencies.

The quiet place project -a great resource to stop destructive thoughts or actions and to help you calm down.

7 cups -free online counseling (This shouldn’t take the place of professional help, but can be a valuable resource for a number of things.)

New Sport, New Challenges

         This year, I started playing basketball for my School. I decided to play because so many of my friends were trying out for the Middle School teams and it would be a fun experience. Much to my surprise, I made the “A team”! Although I play basketball at lunch and I’m okay at it, I had never played in an actual basketball game with a referee and a timer. A couple of practices in, my coach started talking about zone defense, the full court presses, and complicated offensive plays. I was so confused! Thankfully, my friends who play club basketball came to the rescue and explained the strategies of team basketball. Even now, halfway through the season, I sometimes need to rely on my friends if I have a question about a play. (rules of basketball HERE)

          Another challenge in basketball is my size. I am one of the smallest kids in my 7th grade class. It is super frustrating for me to be so much smaller because it is hard to defend the big guys. They can just run me over and there is nothing I can do to stop them. Even when I put up arms over my head, they can just shoot the ball right over me. In games, I have been playing the point or shooting guard position, which works for a small person since I defend all small guys. Also, if I shoot, I’m afraid that my shot will get blocked. I’ve already been stuffed once and it was not a good feeling. I’m having fun playing basketball while learning the game with the help of my friends.

The World is Changed--annual revisit

This post kicks off our annual exploration into the power of social media on a deeper level.  As we begin year five of Revolution! it seems appropriate to revisit and update the information.

The opening line from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy seems an appropriate title for the first Cultures Revolutions blog post.  Our class at Catlin Gabel School in Portland, OR is setting sail on a unit called Revolutions!.  We are studying the period from the Enlightenment to World War I.  Along the way we will study revolutions in science, industry, politics, society, information, and agriculture among other topics.  Students will be blogging about topics they wish to study more deeply or just pique their interests. They will be including relevant links and images in their posts.  Additionally, they will be commenting on one another's posts in thoughtful, deep ways.

Audio Code Demo

The Audio Player Code thingy

Model UN Post 4--Wrap up

Model United Nations Simulation Debrief 

Answer the questions as fully as you need to. The following questions are about your role/feelings/ participation in the model United Nations simulation activity you just completed.

1. What was your country delegation like? Give a concrete example or two.

2. In your own words, what world problem were you looking at? How much did you know about this problem prior to the simulation?

3.Was it easy to solve the problem? If not, why did it seem so difficult to reach a compromise?

4. How did you feel during the activity? Did you ever feel frustrated? How do you feel about the ability of the UN to deal with problems now?

5. Was this activity helpful to you? Why/Why not?

6. The simulation consisted of 4 activities, learning about your country, researching the issue, writing resolutions, and participating in committee session. Which was your favorite? Why? Which was most difficult? Why?

7.  Was this activity fun?  As you answer, explain what you learned through this simulation.

Oh, yeah....image and labels, please....7th grade, cultures, Learning, mun, simulation,

Model UN Simulation--Day 2

Congratulations on a successful first day of our MUN activity.  Now that you have been assigned both your country and learned what your topic is, you are probably thinking, "now what?"  Here's the topic for today's reflection...

1.  What is your topic?  What world issue are you trying to address?  How does this issue affect your country?  If you don't know, how will you find out?  How do your personal feelings differ from the way your country views this problem

2.  What do you think of the simulation so far?  How is your group functioning?  Are there any solutions or possible resolutions that you are thinking of?

3.  Don't forget to include an image.  Use the same labels as yesterday....7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation

Model UN Simulation--Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the Model United Nations Simulation.  Each day, for the next week (B-F days), you will be asked to reflect in your blogs how the simulation is proceeding.  Your post will consist of three parts:

1.  Something assigned that you must write about
2.  An opinion prompt that will reflect your role in your group
3.  An image reflecting your country or the topic assigned to your group.

Posts will be 2 paragraphs long......5 sentences per paragraph = 10 sentences

Your first prompt

1.  What is your country?  What continent is it on?  Doing no research, what do you know about your country already?  Again, doing no research, what is your initial reaction to your country?  Finally, do a bit of research....how do people greet each other in your country?

2.  What is your understanding about the simulation?  That is, what do you think your group needs to do on days 2 and 3 in order to be ready for day 4?

3.  Use these labels:  7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation    and don't forget an image!

Model UN Simulation--Day 3

Wow!  Time is flying.  Day 3 already!!!!  You have researched your country's culture, know how to say hello in the language, and know a bit about the issue before your discussion group.  Here is today's post:

1.  How would your country address the problem?  Would they just ignore it?  Would they side with a powerful country such as the US or China?  What are possible solutions?  What would it take for a solution to work?

2.  What is your country's top resolution?  How will you present it? How will you defend it?  Will all countries agree to it or are there likely to be countries that disagree with you?  Who do you think will vote with you?

3.  Don't forget image and labels.  7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation

Image Credit

WorldMapper Activity

Click on http://www.worldmapper.org/. Click on Maps. Choose any map by clicking on it. In your blog post, explain why certain countries are depicted as larger or smaller. Compare this projection with any map projection from your Ways to Draw the World chart. How are they different? The same?  Finally, imagine that you are from a country or area that is depicted as being smaller than what a map used in class (including yours) indicates.  How would this make you feel?  Why?  Alternate question-How would you feel if your state/country were in someone's geographic blind spot and forgotten on a map? Use the labels cultures, g&he, geography,maps,worldmapper.  Please include a Worldmapper  image in your post. Image Source: https://worldmapper.org/natures-heartbeat/