Long Division (ID)

Long division is something that I haven't done since elementary school. Once I got to middle school it was all about the calculators. However, this past week I have been required to do long division in two classes, physical education and pre calculus. It had been so long since I had done long division that I had completely forgotten the process. I had to go on the internet for lessons on how it was done so I could refresh my memory.

It was in gym that I was first asked to do long division. We are learning how to calculate the body mass index of an individual by their height and weight. The equation is the individual's weight divided by their height in inches squared and then multiply that by 703. Mr. G makes us solve the problem without use of a calculator. The tricky part is when the decimals come in and you have to start adding zeros to the dividend. In pre calculus we are dividing polynomials. Even though the divider has multiple terms, I find it MUCH simpler than dividing decimals.

The process of long division is extremely annoying. But I understand where my gym teacher comes from when he states that we should be able to figure numbers out by hand. There's going to be a day when a cashier at the store isn't working and we're going to have to make sure that the clerk is charging us the right price. It's annoying, but it's good to learn it just in case, you never know.

Freebie

Using my freebie for the marking period.

The College Process (FC)

Applications,  resumes, SAT's, personal statements. Just thinking about them all is making my head spin. I'm so excited to be moving on to my college career but the process is extremely stressful. Let's start with the college list. I haven't done any applications because I haven't completed my college list yet. It's like every time I think it's finally done, I find out about a new college or decide that I don't like a college that's already on the list. And then I don't know what to look for in a college. I'm not sure what size campus will work for me, if I'd work better in the suburbs or in the city, or if I want the campus population to be majorily colored. I don't know what to ask for from a university.

However, what's really making me want to pull my hair right now is the personal statement.I have written four or five drafts of that darn paper. I know my topic and I know thw message that I want to get across but sometimes it's difficult to word my thoughts. I feel a little more confident with my current draft but I know someone will find something for me to change or fix on it. That is what annoys me the most. I appreciate the pointers but I hate feeling like others are twisting my words and my message is being lost in the process.

I know that all I have been doing is complaining but I just had to get it out of my system. I know that by January when I've completed all of these tasks I'll feel accomplished and more at ease. I know that all this hard work will pay off when those acceptance letters come rolling in.

Mental Oppression (CRR)

I'm glad that we read over some of our fellow classmates blogs today. My favorite one was the post written by Ademola about mental slavery, I could not have agreed more with him. Mental slavery is the worst type of slavery that a human being could be subjected to. Physical slavery creates bruises and wounds that can be healed over time. On the other hand, mental slavery breaks you in ways that can not be repaired. You are stripped of your morals, your personal beliefs, bared from your entire sense of self. You are told what your beliefs are, you are told what your ethical values are and consequently you are being told who YOU are. It’s a process in which you stand for nothing, and therefore you fall for anything.

Sometimes I wonder if this was the case with Phillis Wheatley. I just can’t wrap my mind around the idea of someone being grateful about being stripped of their basic human rights. I understand that she felt saved when she found Christianity, that part I can comprehend. But she could have easily converted to Christianity as a free person and it’s as if she doesn’t understand that concept. It seems as if from her point of view she would have never found Christianity if it wasn’t because she was enslaved. I believe that Christianity was the way in which her oppressors deprived her of her cognitive independence. Christianity told her what to feel, what to believe in and how to act. Converting might have made Wheatley a better person but it also robbed Phillis Wheatley of Phillis Wheatley. 

free post

Using my freebie