Dilhara DeSilva, Period 5, 10/01/20, Day B

Dilhara DeSilva

10/01/20                                                                          

Period 5

Modern Mythology 2021                                                   

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

How do we move on? How do we keep going when we know there’s terrifying things occurring in our world? From a personal point of view, I have focused on maintaining a healthy mindset and body. It has definitely been a struggle with the pandemic but I have found a flow in the scheme of things by setting goals for myself. To begin with, I have been working towards completing my college applications, performing well academically, and being a dedicated cross country athlete. These goals have kept me in check and on top of things so far this school year. Though college applications have been stressful, I have found them quite useful in preventing me from procrastinating.  The constant thought of deadlines and essays have pushed me in a better direction in terms of getting my work done. This year, school has brought forth a sense of balance and satisfaction for me. I have been enjoying my classes which has allowed me to thrive academically. Running has been very important to me these past few months. The commitment that comes with training every day as a cross country athlete changes you as a person. I’m thankful for the sport since it has allowed me to stay healthy, fit, and driven.  

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Achieving these goals have been difficult, especially on the days where I have just been overwhelmed by the world around me. However, at the same time it has been this world around me that has kept me going. My friends and family are my biggest supporters in life and have been extremely helpful in achieving these goals. My parents have always stressed the importance of education so their constant reminders about college and school have kept me focused and on task. At times, I tend to lose sight of the importance of my academics so I have found it very motivating to think about the bigger picture and my future which has allowed me to strive for more. Apart from this, my teammates on the cross country team have pushed me to be the best athlete I could possibly be. Talking to them on a daily basis and discussing what we want to accomplish as a team has been inspiring to me and I hope I don’t let them down this season. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

In my perspective, the world around me doesn’t affect my perception of these goals. The goals I set for myself were made to align with the circumstances of the pandemic. I’m still able to train, go to school, and prepare for college. The only difference this year is that I am running and learning by myself. It has been a lot about being optimistic and accountable for myself through this pandemic. As long as I have hope, I can still achieve what I want to with laser focus. 

Abel George, Period 8, 10/07/20, Day C

 Abel George

Modern Mythology

10/7/20

Period 8

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

It feels like yesterday I was at the Tech orientation. I vividly remember one of the guidance counselors telling us how before we knew it we would be seniors worrying about college applications. At that moment in time senior year was the farthest thing from my mind. I was a middle schooler going to a new school with a bunch of new faces around me. But now here I am, its senior year  in the middle of a global pandemic. At this current time I have a few goals that I hope to actively work towards. For one I need to work on my college application meaning essays, finding a college that fits me personally and finding a major that truly resonates with me. Secondly I’m trying to stay on top of my school work  which is much easier said than done.

I view college as the next step on a long road towards building a life for myself. For that reason it's important to find a college I like and a major that I truly enjoy as this is what I'll hopefully be doing for the foreseeable future.  My second goal is to stay on top of my schoolwork this year. I can already feel senrosts kicking in but I want my final year of work in highschool to reflect the type of student I am so I’ll have to stay on top of my stuff.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Without almost everything being moved online plus the fact my SAT has been canceled three times so far I’ve been struggling with my goals at times. However I took initiative this summer to find colleges I liked and join virtual tours in addition to emailing them asking questions. My college application is in the works as we speak. I am working to draft an essay that I find good to submit. This has led to many redrafts and restarts but this is a goal I’ve made considerable progress towards since I’ve began. The second goal I am working towards is staying on top of my senior year work. I have been using to-do lists and sectioning of my work to achieve this. By writing down everything I have to do and spending increments of time on each thing I am better able to finish work on time and not feel like I am being swamped with work.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

We are in a very uncertain time right now. Schools closed in early March and as they finally re-open we are met with a blended schedule which at any moment might shut down and move to all remote. The world around me is constantly changing as new ideas and events occur. I have realized to keep up with an ever-moving world I cannot allow myself to become stagnant or sit around as I go through the motions. I must begin to actively work towards my goals instead of viewing them so passively. This has allowed me to take steps towards finishing my goals whether that be through spending an hour in the morning working on my common app essay or reading my assignments ahead of time.

Derek Dong, Period 5, 10/01/20, Day B

Derek Dong
10/01/20
Period 5
Modern Mythology 2021

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

It is always important to set goals for ourselves as they motivate us to work harder every single day in order to ultimately achieve what we have wanted. I have set both short term and long term goals to keep track of what I need to do as well as keep pushing myself to strive for what I want. 

A few goals I have set for myself are working on college apps for at least one hour per day, working out everyday to stay in shape, and spending time with my friends whenever I can, even if they are over zoom or FaceTime calls. College applications are most likely the top priority for every seniors. With many different deadlines to remember, essays to write, and forms to complete, it is very important for me to designate a time period for myself to work on college app everyday in order to stay on track. Due to PSAL postponing all of its fall sports and all other seasons still up in the air, it is essential to stay fit and be prepared in the case that the season restarts or just for the physical health of ourselves. Since I suffered a partially torn hamstring about one month ago, I can not run or put too much pressure on my legs. Therefore, I have decided to focus my workouts on my other body parts in order to stay fit. Lastly, choosing fully remote learning takes away the opportunity to see and socialize with many of my friends. Socializing is crucial to everyone's daily life and mental health so I want to make sure I have time to talk to my friends.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Although setting goals is very important, it is only the first step towards achieving the goals. The process is much harder and it can easily cause us to lose interest and motivation. I have several ways to motivate myself and demonstrate resilience as I work to achieve my goals. I set aside a time period, usually between 6 to 7pm to work on my college app and nothing else. I put my phone away from me so I am not distracted and can be the most productive. Staying motivated while being injured is perhaps one of the hardest challenges that I have to face currently. Watching motivational YouTube videos regarding overcoming injuries is definitely very helpful as I patiently wait for my hamstring to heal. Working out with my friends and teammates are also motivating as we can all push each other to improve. Additionally, I have also set an early alarm so I can wake up and get the day started. I try to balance my work time during the day with relaxing time at night so I can talk to my friends and watch sports. I often look for motivational quotes to remind myself everyday to keep going and give my best for everything.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

We are certainly living in a very uncertain time right now as the pandemic continues to roll on. Our daily lives are greatly affected: schools are opened but with blended or fully remote learning, social distancing is still in effect, and  some of our favorite activities such as competing in sports, going to concerts and more are currently being put on hold. With our lives not being normal, it is very easy for us to just put down our goals and find excuses. While it is important to pay attention to our mental health and make sure we are happy because our own mental health and happiness comes before anything, I realize the fact that I need to stay focused and strive for my goal. Therefore, the world around us does not change my perception for my goals. I need to make the necessary adjustments and adapt to the situation. I will continue to work as hard as I can and keep pushing for my goals.

Eddie Chi, Period 2, 9/30/20, Day A

 Eddie Chi

9/30/20

Period 2

Modern Mythology 2021

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

I do have goals. For me, goals aren't just one achievement, they are processes that involve checkpoints. These checkpoints can be anything like a certain time I have to wake up at or finishing a college supplement on time. Once I pass one checkpoint, I'm on to the next, and eventually, I will reach my goal. Currently, the goal I'm most focused on right now is trying to adjust to the world at this point. Covid-19 has been going on for a while, and it was expected to end much sooner. Yet, now it seems likely it's going to last until 2021 keeping me home even longer.  Despite all the time I spent at home already, this time it's different. 

Most of my time in quarantine was spent at either at the end of the school year and in the summer so I wasn't expected to focus on responsibilities in school. Even though I did do some work, the introduction of college apps does add some weight. It's a struggle even if Covid-19 wasn't happening. But on top of that, I have to keep up my responsibilities at home. Before school, I had a problem trying to feel productive. So every day I would try to achieve some little goal to make it seem like I'm moving forward. I would exercise, read a book, and do chores. It made me feel productive and it put a smile on my face. So now I feel obligated to keep these little checkpoints in mind: daily exercising, laundry, and cooking. The reason why this its such a huge goal is that I can't overwork myself. This time makes it especially difficult because I will have to put maximum effort into every writing piece, daily chore, and math problem for me to become successful. The key is to find the balance and I'll take it one step at a time to achieve this goal.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Right now, I'm making little Post-it notes to stick on my wall for To-Do lists. They have every single assignment, essay, and reminder that I have to do. It makes me satisfied when I complete one but the main reason they are there is so I can plan every day out. I'm trying not to overwork myself but at the same time create very productive strides. Currently, on my wall, I have this blog, University of Michigan supplements, FAFSA, and my English fairytale paper. I planned it so I can do them all on a weekend while completing all my homework during the week. 

During the day, I try to wake up earlier so I can get the day started. I like to dedicate up to 4 hours of work a day to not overwork myself. Most importantly, I'd like to spread it out because this would give me the time to enjoy my day. One way of doing this is after lunch. Usually, I would eat lunch at 1-2 and since I can't exercise an hour after lunch (because of cramps), I can do work during that time. And at night, I can write essays or I can enjoy my time playing games or just relaxing. Take today, for example, it's my break day so I am writing this blog when I should be exercising because I plan to write my UMich supplements at night. And yesterday, I worked assignments in the morning and afternoon because I knew at night, I would be distracted from the NBA Finals.

These checkpoints are realistic but the main goal only comes through time. I don't expect to achieve it instantly but I know I will adjust to it eventually. The addition of college apps does pose a challenge but it was originally a challenge handling extracurriculars as well. I'm confident that if I work hard enough and keep my priorities straight, my goal will eventually be in reach.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

The world right now is in a hectic time. It definitely adds to the difficulties of my goal. One is that it poses a huge distraction. My parents are super worried about the pandemic so the only time I can go out is when I want to go on a walk (I went on one today!). Yet, when I look around, I see all my friends from school going out to hang out and play volleyball. It definitely adds to my fear of missing out. It makes me feel like I can do so much more on my downtime. Yet the only thing that is keeping me focused is that I have to be patient so I can complete all my responsibilities while staying safe. Another difficulty is the pressure, especially for college. Many people are working hard, not just me, and they all want to get into good schools. It makes me nervous about the competition and how others can balance out their time and simultaneously work hard on their applications. It also makes me worry if I can be successful and if what I'm doing is right. 

If looking through a global lens, I'm only one person out of billions. I have to work hard to make a difference but no matter how small the lens is, I'm still going to be comparable to others. It adds distractions, pressures, and unexpected outcomes to my goals. The world just makes it harder.

Jenny Cheung, PD2, 9/30/20, Day A

 Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

    Our most current reading was the myth of Icarus and Daedalus. Any current teenager worth their salt probably knows the story from Percy Jackson in The Battle of the Labyrinth as Daedalus was a prominent character who was technically neither living nor dead. It was interesting to read the original story and compare it with my prior knowledge because of the contrast between the different tones and storytelling. Rick Riordan had included some of the original myth and spun a new tale with the more supernatural aspects and giving a new identity to Daedalus. The original myth was very short as it strove to tell a moral that you shouldn’t indulge in hubris (a word created by ancient Greeks that was a flaw that caused the downfall of many heroes; meaning excessive pride) or greedy. Depending on how you look at the myth, Icarus’s death could be the cause of many factors. Since he was trapped, he spread his wings, literally, and did not heed his father’s warnings to not fly too high. It could be that because he was simply too curious of the outside world, the new experience of flying was too exhilarating and he forgot to watch himself, or did not think he would fall because of his faith in his father. 

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

    Learning about the critical theory itself has really opened my eyes to critical perception itself. While I knew that people criticized many classical works like fairy tales or Shakespeare’s works, I never knew that there was a movement of looking at these stories through different lenses like feminism, moral criticism, Marxist criticism, etc. These movements have existed for decades also means that scholars have always been looking at stories at different perspectives to challenge society’s perceptions of classic tales. We also learned about archetypes and axes of transformation to be able to recognize stories that share similarities with plot or characters that share similar traits. Through this new information, it influences how I read stories now because I can now recognize archetypes with the knowledge that through deconstruction, characters or new stories have been influenced by old stories directly or indirectly, showing how influential they are to society. 

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

    The critical theory is used to criticize literature but it can also teach us about how to deconstruct any piece of media and look at it objectively. Right now, there is a lot of discourse relating to politics and there are many articles and news shows that are documenting events about the election. Each of these are narrated or written by humans and although some try to be as objective as possible, humans have biases and those biases may influence how the information is conveyed. We also learn how to critisize versus being critical which is extremely important because through criticism, we address an author's bias but through being critical, we remove our own biases and the author's biases as well. By using critical theory, we learn how to look at them objectively and how to overlook bias to correctly inform ourselves. 

Melanie Choe, PD8, 9/29/20, Day C

 

• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Melanie Choe

Modern Mythology 

Ms. Fusaro

9/29/2020

Issues of inequity and oppression span across multiple generations, various demographics, and are a part of many different histories. Our current political and social climate, however, draws attention to the years of systemic racism and police brutality the African American community has faced. Systemic racism refers to the systems in place that serve to place a certain social or ethnic group in a better position to succeed, while simultaneously placing other groups at a disadvantage, resulting in these issues of inequity and oppression. Systems such as the stop and frisk program allow police officers to detain someone for questioning with the belief that the person is involved in a crime, only to lead to innocent black and Latino people being targeted. Another system is the school to prison pipeline, in which black and brown students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to become incarcerated because of the harsh punishments they are more likely to receive than their white peers, especially if there is a police presence in the school. Despite systems such as these examples, there are those who believe that systemic racism is purely just a myth, but the  murders of innocent African Americans such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor cannot be simply justified. These past few months, we have witnessed a shift in awareness and the shouting of hundreds of names whose deaths cannot be simply justified. It is truly heartbreaking to read the stories behind those names, and the pain their close ones have endured must have been unimaginable. 

Throughout this blog, I have been very wary of using personal pronouns because I did not want to add on to the problem of thinking that I am helping as an ally, but in reality I am actually causing more harm than good. I had a recent conversation with my sister who told me, “You think those who don’t believe in what you believe in are crazy, but they think the same about you and their own morals.” And her words made me realize that it is so difficult to change someone’s beliefs, especially if they have had them for such a long time. And of course there are people who are open to change, but it is not my place to be accepting any apology. I am just grateful that I have the opportunity to educate myself for the better and have the chance to witness the beautiful culture of the African American community, whether it is through the

Bella Chen, PD8, 9/29/20, Day C

Bella Chen
09/29/20
Period 8
Modern Mythology

Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

I’ll admit, when I applied to Modern Mythology, I didn’t expect to be covering fairy tales. I have never really given too much consideration to the stories I was told as a child, but over the course of these last few weeks, I have learned more about the significance of fairy tales and the complexity behind some of the classic tales of my childhood. Something I realized about the different renditions of Cinderella that we read over the summer and at the beginning of the year is that certain themes of the classic story I remember aren’t as permanent or central to the story as I previously thought. During the readings, I noticed that aspects of the story were constantly changing from the version that I grew up with. From Cinderella having a father or step mother, to even one version where Cinderella was a boy! It’s interesting seeing what themes change and what remains the same throughout the stories.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

In this English class I learned what folklore really means and how social media has contributed to the documentation of folklore today. Folklore has always been something I associated with wisdom, stories passed around campfires, and old traditions. And while this may have been what folklore was in the past, today folklore is jokes, memes, and opinions that pass through the world wide web. This has affected my critical perception by changing the way I think about the internet and social media. I may not be Aristotle dropping life-changing critical theories in Tumblr, but that doesn’t mean that the cat video I’m reposting at 3 in the morning isn’t a contribution to our society. It’s ironic because my friends and I are always joking that if a historian 100 years from now looks at us today, they could devote their whole lives to analysing memes. And in reality, they most likely will.

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

I feel like skills in critical thinking that I learn in English can be readily applied to history and, in my case, government and politics. To think critically is a massive skill and English class, no matter what selective class you choose, is constantly developing and promoting us to instinctively think about what we see around us and the truth and meaning behind it. Government and politics is constantly filled with half-truths, lies, misdirection, and murky information. Critical thinking is so important in this field there’s no wonder why social studies goes hand in hand with English class.