Bernard Kelly 4/17/20 Pd 2 - LATE

4/17/20

Bernard Kelly Period 2

While I have been social distancing before it was cool, this shutdown of schools is severely negatively impacting my schoolwork while also hurting my relationships with my friends due to lack of contact. When I work at home, I find it difficult to concentrate without my classmates and teachers nearby to stimulate the learning. We are not much closer to reopening, and those that are suffering from unemployment are beginning to protest the quarantine.

Unsa Munir 4/28/20 Period 2 - Blog #3 (LATE)

Modern Mythology 2020

Unsa Munir

 4/28/20

What is it like working from home?

Tough. Senior year was rough from the start. Senioritis was slowly creeping up on me ever since eighth grade and this year it really attacked me. If doing work while going to school was hard, this is another level. It was an easy switch at first. I thought it wouldn’t last long, and many teachers were giving basic work. As time went on I lost motivation and it was too easy to ignore my responsibilities. Going to school I was forced to pay attention (to some extent) and establish a work setting. Now that there’s no difference between home and school, it’s hard to create it myself. I open the tab for Google Classroom and next thing you know I’m seven videos deep into some oddly specific conspiracy theory. It’s comforting knowing that a lot of my friends are/were in the same situation. Of course, I would never encourage this or hope for anyone to be going through the same, but the fact that I’m not alone does make me feel better. The worst part of working from home is that there is no escape. Even if I slacked off in school, I was able to socialize easily or deal with my problems by playing handball or eating some good food nearby. Now I have to deal with everything in my home and it begins to get suffocating. Regardless, school is a priority and in the end I am determined to finish all my work! Even if it takes me forever, and I lose a lot of points, I want to do my best until the end. I’m just hoping some things get better in time for college because I would hate to have this mentality/environment while starting a major time in my life.

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

It’s nothing I didn’t know before, but wow some people are selfish. There was a tweet written by Jeff Kasanoff saying “Very American to decide we are bored with COVID and therefore it is over.” While other countries are dealing with their last cases, reopening schools, and safely roaming the streets, we are out here in war. It is beyond me that there are groups of people protesting the right for a haircut. Do they not know scissors exist? Do they not know how to use them themselves? Considering that they’re protesting for things like that, I would believe it if they didn’t know how to use them. But really, America had a lot of time to prepare. Instead of making racist ‘jokes’, our fellow citizens and people in power should’ve been taking the time to educate themselves about what was going down. Even when things finally got serious, there were/are still groups of people taking this lightly. I don’t understand how over 100,000 people have died from this in the US yet there are still people who are going out unprotected because they want their freedom. We all want a summer, a life, a job, etc. but in order to get there we need to work together. I’m pretty disappointed in how the US has responded, especially people from my community who I thought would’ve known better. But then again it’s Staten Island. Apparently a tanning salon should’ve been an essential business. What’s going on?

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

These past few months, especially this past week, has felt like a never ending boss level in a terribly hard video game. Everyday there’s a new issue and it’s truly unpredictable. What’s been on my mind, especially after Ahmed Aubrey and George Floyd is the BLM movement. There was a news headline that read “ Two Deadly Viruses are Killing Americans” Covid-19 and Racism.” The acts committed recently are absolutely disgusting. Yet, I can’t say I’m surprised. Things like this have been going on for years. Every day, another life is turned into a trending hashtag. I’m glad things have been recorded recently. Without evidence and proper exposure, these names wouldn’t be known. Imagine how many cases aren’t even cases because of that. I’m doing what I can to help but I know I don’t have much power. The worst or maybe the best part of these situations is finding out who the closeted racist is amongst my followers. I’m incredibly passionate about these situations, as are many others. Seeing videos of innocent people being tortured because of their skin color is something everyone should have a strong feeling about. In all honesty, I’m scared but excited. I’m scared because in a few days it’s June which means it's basically level six of Jumanji. I’m terrified to know what next month holds. However, I’m excited for the movement. It’s sad that these riots happen often but these ones seem different. There’s more power to them. Perhaps it’s because of the power of the media. More cases are being exposed and many celebrities have been sharing them as well. The protests going on are being covered and I feel like we’re closer to change. I could be completely wrong and this could just be another act of racism we write off until the next, but I’d hope not. 

Lillian Tong PD1

Lillian Tong Pd 1

Modern Mythology

Write about what you learned in your online English lessons.

     Something I learned was the cultural differences that may lead to determining who is and who isn’t considered an outsider. In the book WWZ, two of the characters have majorly different backgrounds but hold a similar status of being an outsider. Kondo Tatsumi being a closeted otaku that spends all his time sitting in his room huddled around his computer versus Tomonaga Ijiro who holds strict and traditional Japanese values by heart and works to earn his keep but is severely depressed on account of being a survivor of a tragedy that millions perished from on top of having to live with being blind. These two contrasting characters were able to meet and create the Tatenokai- a group of trained martial artists that defended against zombies. It is incredible how two men who have been scorned can overcome those odds and create something like that. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

    The relationships that were went over in lesson 7 with how there are outsiders was interesting, because in Ap Psychology we’ve been talking about how human conform more often when there are influences that urge them to go against their own thoughts, even their own morals, all to please those that either have more power or in groups of people that all share something you don’t. And in particular with the group of people that share something that is not shared with one individual, it has been shown that they will actively try to copy the accepted behavior and forego their own. It also goes to show how invested we are in our own relationships with other people and how they think of us, that we never slow down and pick up on the relationships we have with other people, rather than other people having a relationship with us. The difference is it being a power grab versus a symbiotic relationship. 

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

     Based on the reactions of people around the world, specifically the United States right now, there is a lot of tension. With Covid-19 having people staying at home for almost three months now, it is an understatement when talking about the amount of pressure people have been put under, especially those in the emergency healthcare units. My cousin is a nurse and works in upstate New York, and being Asian American but also being the person who treats patients has created confrontations. It is difficult because I know how much time he is putting in his job only for him to be verbally assaulted on account of his heritage. I learned while there are people who uplift in this world, there are also others who won’t hesitate to bring you down, and it is important to keep true to your values.

5/29 Martin Zeng Period 1

5/29/20
Martin Zeng Period 1
Modern Mythology 2020
Blogger #32

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Mr. Olsen, my physics teacher gave us an extra assignment after the AP tests where we choose theoretical or practical physics and from there we are doing assignments based on our choice. I chose practical physics and I’m finding it challenging but it has been made somewhat easier from the differential equations that I’ve been learning/learned in calculus. Its taken quite a while for science and math to line up in my educational career. I never thought I would see the day. In our Mythology class I’ve been using the ideas that I’ve learned and tried to use them to understand the events that are happening in our world right its almost like its a psychology class. An example would be blame game thats happening among the world leaders in order to take the blame off themselves. If they truly cared they would have admitted to their own incompetencies and the countless lives they have negatively affected. I understand why they would do it. If they didn’t they wouldn’t keep their job but I still can’t agree with their decisions. Being able to delve deeper into the underlying reasons behind the actions that people take gives the news an extra dimension of applicable thought and self-reflection.

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

Our current situation is that New York City is on the brink of officially ending the pause phase very soon. A bit sooner than I expected but a welcome surprise. Governor Cuomo intends to reopen the city but in a very limited fashion. Many businesses that do not require close contact between people are being reopened for the public to use. However social distancing protocols, face masks, retail pick-up only, and limited capacity are still in effect and large gatherings are still prohibited. The city is taking quick action in order to ensure that people make the best and safest decisions possible regarding going outside because they know that they cannot keep everyone inside when every week the weather is getting warmer and everyone is itching to get outside. Around the country there have been much more drastic reopening measures that have already lead to expected spikes in cases/deaths. I only hope that the virus is contained as well as possible while also reopening the economy. There has to be a balance or a lot more anger will be pent up inside the population.

My personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

I personally believe that what is happening right now is still very surreal even 2 and a half months into the lockdown. Even though I’m more of an indoors person I still miss the outside world and can’t wait for things to go back to normal. Hopefully our government takes the best steps in order to ensure that we can go back to normal as soon as possible. However, I don’t think that things will return to complete normalcy anytime soon. I believe that people will be much more conscious about cleanliness in public and the such. I really don’t want classes to be online instruction in the fall because I shudder at the thought of having to take online classes for classes that will probably be very challenging. My performance and work ethic has already been severely affected by online learning and I’m scared of what online college classes will do to my mental health and work ethic. Everytime I think of what it will be like once we return to normal I can’t envision it because it feels like we’ve been in lockdown forever and that I spent the entire school year at home. Everything that happened before the virus seems so distant that the pre-corona era jokes actually have a bit of backing behind them.

5/28/2020 Cesar Velez Period 5 (LATE)

Cesar Velez (LATE)

5/28/2020

Period 5

What is it like working from home?

Working from home has been frustrating in a way and overall I would rather be working at school. When working from home, I often find myself getting distracted by the littlest things so work that would usually take me 10 minutes if I were at school will sometimes take me the whole day. And even though we have all this technology, and amazing teachers that understand the situation, communication has suddenly become extremely harder. Not only with teachers, but also with our peers, whereas it has become harder to work in teams or groups to accomplish the same goal.

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

It seems like everyday there are new updates throughout the world. Whether it’s for new cases because of reopening, new information about the virus, protests, or simply stories about everyday heroes. But thankfully, lately the news has been better. Recently parts of New York have been opening because they meet requirements and just the other day, I read an article that said Staten Island hospital had no new cases for the first time in a long time. And we need to remember that even with all this happening, there are good things happening in the world.  every day, there are stories of people recovering and some areas like new Rochelle have released their patient zero after they recovered from the virus. 

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

When looking back, I can remember in January when my friends were all joking about Corona and “the end of the world”. I remember laughing and playing it off but I’m reality, there was always a part of mind that wondered if it actually happened. If this new virus actually came and destroyed our way of life. Well I feel that anxiety, that fear that nothing will ever be the same, everyday. But there’s also a part of me that hopes it’ll all be over soon and life will get back to normal. Which I try to focus on everyday. And honestly I think that’s how the world is split right now. Some people say that we can never get back to normal and that if we let our guard down, this virus will destroy us. And then there are other people that believe this virus is no big deal, and that they get infected then “so what?” But as always life isn’t black and white there’s always a middle ground. I think that while this virus is a big deal, that people have lost their lives to it and others are giving theirs up to save lives, that we can’t hide indoors forever. At some point we have to reopen the cities, especially New York. But we have to be careful about it. We can’t just jump back to February and pretend nothing has happened. But until the time comes when we can get back to our lives, I also think that we can make the best of our time here. We can take this time to better ourselves. I remember all those times over wanted to do something but couldn’t because I had “no time”. Well guess what, now I have all the time in the world. Overall, with all the things that have happened and are happening, honestly I feel anxious about the world and what it’ll be when this is all over. And I would lovingly take back all the nuisances in my life if it meant things would go back to normal. But, I also think that even though these times seem tough, we will get through them and be stronger because of it. 

5/28/20 Lillian Tong PD1

5/28/2020       Lillian Tong PD 1

Modern Mythology 2020

What is it like working from home?

     Some of the lessons thus far are really interesting as it allows you to research a little more by yourself as you read the lessons on your own time. There have been a lot of times in past classes where there would be something that catches my eye on a slide, I write a note down to look more into it when I’m at home, but I end up usually forgetting about it as my day goes on. Of course, there are a lot of elements that are missing from the at home setting that we would get from a more traditional classroom. The element that I miss the most is being able to interact with people on a personal basis as we go over literary lessons that have been passed down generations. It’s significantly different now, as I read through the slides at my own pace and the extra time helps me articulate my thoughts more clearly, but it’s difficult when I don’t understand something and get stuck at a concept; something that didn’t happen as I could rely on Ms. Fusaro to help me fill in the blanks and provide a deeper way to look at a scene. 

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

     As of writing the blog, the United States tops the charts with 1,662,768 cases. New York City’s own cases total around 370,000 with 29,000 deaths. Places like Long Island and Western New York have been reported to be in the process of reopening, which is great news. With cases plateauing, it gives hope to those who can be able to work again, such is a case as my family, but it also would be good to remember how fast things can spiral out of control out of nowhere, so it’s important to not jump the gun and be patient with how things are progressing.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

     These past few weeks I’ve been reading the news and having conversations with my family and friends about the situation. Seeing as I am still young and inexperienced, it didn’t really hit me how real everything is, until my friend’s grandparents got it. It has worried my family how it might affect my grandparents, as they live near each other. It also is interesting how people react in these times; with videos surfacing online of stores rightfully turning away people refusing to wear masks to shop and these people would throw tantrums and threaten lawsuits, as well as videos of discrimination against Asian Americans that involve slander, harassment, and at its worse, extreme violence. It puts into perspective how far society has progressed only to be undermined by a few people who never really grew up to see beyond their own immature agendas.

5/28/2020 Iris Lee Period 5 (LATE)

Iris Lee (LATE)
5/28/2020
Period 5

What is it like working from home?
Now that I have school from home, the only commute is from my bed to my desk, which is pretty nice. However, it was difficult to adjust to remote learning. I was used to seeing my friends and in-person learning. It is more difficult now because I'm in a setting where I normally would come home and have a place to relax and unwind. It just feels like hours of homework everyday while your family also expects you to do other things around the house. Overall, working from home is just a sad and irritating adjustment.

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
Some states in the US have started to reopen. States like Texas, As of New York, it is anticipated to have businesses reopen soon. On May 10, there was a report of 190,000 people tested for the virus in the duration of two weeks. There is about 360,000 people with the virus and only about 1/6 of them actually recovered. The virus has killed over 23,000 people.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
I personally feel sad about everything that is happening right now. Especially since New York's cases are very high in numbers. Also, not knowing if someone you are standing right next to has the virus is very frightening. Everything used to be so accessible but now we have to take precautions and a bunch of businesses have closed. I sure hope that the number of cases start to reduce and everything can go back to normal. I miss seeing my friends and being able to hangout with them and talk to them in person.