Reflection

    This year has been a learning exprerience. I found out a lot about myself through my writing as well as the class in general. I realized my fatal flaws and have become more aware of what my priorities in class need to be. I would like to thank you Ms. James for being very patient and helping me through this class. You have gone way above and beyond the required work to help drag me a long. I wish that I had learned the lessons I have now earlier in the year and recognized how fast this time would pass.

   However I do have a sort of highlight reel of the year. Included would be the trips to MSU, the presentations to the class as well as free writes. I feel as though I have learned much about myself through the free writes. I enjoyed the company of our class mates and of course the company of our teachers.


Thank you
Drew Ray

Education in China

    I found the education experience in China to be very interesting. The students in China seem to be a product produced by the country. Classes are very long and very detailed. There is no talking or socializing and everyone in school does school work all the time out side of shool. There are hardly any hobbies shared by anyone or any outside work other than school. When I wrote about socializing or anything outside of school it blew the minds of the students. This is what Ella told me in an Email after I sent her a copy of a freewrite,
    "I am sorry for replying with such delay and I would love to share my writing but I found that all my writing is so test-oriented. They are restricted by forms and contents. I have never written such long essay like yours and I have no idea how to write although I am willing to. Limited by English writing level, I can only write some personal feelings or experinces. Actually I feel upset these days, because on April 19th we are going to have a very important test as English majors. It is not the test that upsets me but the selfishness of some of my classmates. People tend to be selfish but they are good at hiding their selfishness , by telling lies. Many of my college friends would like to study in secret and don't want to share anything conscerning study with others. I don't like that. I want to share everything with friends and I'd like to make progress altogether. I miss my high school days when I was happy with my close friends and I don't enjoy my college life. But anyway I have no time to dwell on my past, I have to spare no effort to prepare the coming examination.
Maybe it's not proper to tell these unpleasant feelings to you. But people tend to think about himself/herself when they are writing something. I am sorry for that. Thank you very much for your time."

   Time is not a luxury in China lif out of school still is based in school work. Students attend class most of the day and study most of the night.


Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_China

powerpoint

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2NzWjen8MSKY0pxQWVyN3VwazQ/edit?usp=sharing

Global Perspectives

    The first issue I was presented with was one of poverty and homelessness. Many points and examples were made and many views giving. I feel less alone in the passion for equality among human beings. After all, we are here with the same mutual goal which is to survive and thrive in this world. Why not help each other out and build a stronger community at the same time. I began to recognize a theme of universal equality and relief  by the time I attended the second Global Perspectives presentation. The second presentation was a short film following an organization helping refugees escape from hostile countries. In a way this reminded me of a small neighborhood were neighbors help one another out and open their homes. The only difference is that helping refugees is on a massive scale, instead of neighboring homes it is an entire country lending a hand to help the world's people become safe once again.This gives me hope that one day, eventually, the human race can accept peace and understanding.

   Both of these presentations coincide with my overall goal of achieving a point of equilibrium in the world. An equilibrium with humans and its food resources (getting rid of food insecurities) and with cultures colliding. As a whole human beings have worked together to achieve greatness. I believe if we can come together and create a program for refugees or even come together to build an international space station for example, we can most definitely put the brakes on hunger in America as well as other issues.

Conversating A Million Miles Away

I found the responses from China to be quite flattering and encouraging. I feel I need to write more in order to supply a new demand. I have more of a purpose to to write now and I feel a new purpose to help teach english and answer any questions about American culture. This has been an eye opening experience and has allowed me to understand the culture of China a lot more.

Helping Humanity Proposial

The idea is based off of the fact that there is zero issue with the amount of food in the world. The only problem is with the distribution of the food. In the food industry (where I and many of you may work) there is a lot of wasteful throwing out of food at the end of the night. This food is eatable and is being wasted daily. The idea is to have a route a truck could drive and pick food up from these places and deliver to a central point where it could be used to help supply shelters. For the food that may go slightly bad, you could possible use it to feed animal shelters. This would lower the spending of shelters and cost the restaurants almost nothing.

Reading Respnose 5 Article 2

    The education in America is new considering how long other countries have been practicing. America was at one point, very much oriented on manufacturing. This prolonged the necessity of a higher education. Now that America's factory jobs are being outsourced to other countries we must learn how to learn. I see that the solution we have come up with is to manufacture our students just as we have manufactured goods in the past and old habits die hard. I believe we need to take note of how other countries (Finland in this case) have been educating. I don't think we have lost the importance of education exactly but we have been going about it in the wrong way. If we are going to continue down the path of a non-manufacturing country we need to understand that we cannot mass produce students in a standardized way. I believe teachers should be held as higher than CEO's of companies and other high paying jobs that in my observation have not helped this nation in any way at all. It has become a very important job and needs to recognized as such.