Values

The Gifted and Talented Seminar 1 class has just begun a unit on Ethics. First, it was necessary to define values, morals, and ethics. After we came to a conclusion and agreement on what the differences are among these three things, we took a values survey to determine what our values are.


 I am fairly content with my results. They were:
Honesty, Integrity
Religion Spirituality
Family, love, emotional security
Fulfillment, Intellectual and Vocational achievement
Personal freedom, Independence


 I believe these results reflect me fairly well. I don't know if i've said it before but i do not believe strongly in tests that classify you. They don't take into account that all people are unique, but i digress. I was always taught that honesty is the best policy... and even if i didn't think it was the best it was a better policy than the belt so i told the truth. I have carried on that value into my adolescence and intend to keep it until the day i stop walking this earth. I am also a Christian Baptist and making time for God is one of my top priorities. I want to provide the best life for my family possible and be a good husband and father. I want my life to have meaning and i want to reach fulfillment in every aspect of my life. My independence is my greatest gift and privilege and thats how i will treat it, as a privilege. 

"Quote of the Day",    "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...(whole poem)... i took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" -Robert Frost

The trouble with geniuses parts 1 and 2

         For the past few weeks, my Gifted & Talented class has been reading the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. The book is about success and the factors that cause it. Everyone loves the rags to riches story, but in the outliers Gladwell theorizes that noone makes their own road, but your environment is what defines your success. For example Canadian hockey players who are born closer to the cut off date in January, February, and March, get more practice because they make the better teams and get more advantages as time goes on.

         We have just read chapters 3 and 4 of the book which is entitled the trouble with geniuses. These two chapters primarily revolved around the importance of IQ. The average IQ is 100. Obviously there is a huge difference between IQs of 70, 100, and 120. The person who's IQ is 120 obviously has a higher chance of winning a nobel prize than someones of 70 or 100. This is where it changes though that same 120 IQ person has thee same chances of winning a nobel prize as a person with an IQ of 180. The chapters also focus on a man, Chris Langan, who has the highest IQ in America. He however didnt have 2 things required for "success" in America. He did not have entitlement or practical intelligence " AKA  social savy"  Chris Langan dropped out of college and had to work as a bouncer.

         I believe Chris Langan is successful because he has a wife, farm, and a relativeley happy life. I don't believe he lived up to his full potential due to lack of practical intelligence and entitlement. I hope Chris Langan's work is accepted as credible by the science community one day.

         I think i will learn not to worry so much about my IQ and focus more onworking hard toward my goals.

Spanish

Hey guys,
            I am in spanish 2 right now and i finished my work so i decided to blog. World language is a great elective, it prepares you for real world situations that are likeley to happen. I personally would like to go to Spain. I want to go to resturants, beaches, and everything i hear is good about Spain. Anyway i can't wait until Gifted class it is my favorite class of the day.


                 Quote of the day: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" Mohandas Ghandi
Hola chicos,

             Estoy en español 2 en este momento y yo terminé mi trabajo, así que decidí blog. Idiomas del mundo es una gran elección, te prepara para situaciones del mundo real que se likeley a suceder. Personalmente, me gustaría ir a España. Quiero ir a los restaurantes, playas, y todo lo que escucho es buena sobre España. De todos modos no puedo esperar hasta que la clase Dotados es mi clase favorita del día.

Cita del día: "Ojo por ojo deja al mundo ciego" Mohandas Gandhi

KIndegarden Debate OR Acumulative Advantage

           I believe that either side of the argument have valid points but that Malcom Gladwell's opinion is more accurate. When a kindergardener is put into school later than his or her peers for the purpose of being ahead of them maturity wise the action is often misinterpereted as innate talent. They are then placed in honors programs and A team sports programs, ergo the younger, less mature, and possibly innateley talented are decided to be mereley average and do not get the nurturing and positive environment that they would benefiet from. Now fast forward 8 years.

          Those children who were put in the honors classes and A team sports programs now are at the top of their classes, the starters on their sports teams, and have the best oppritunities going into high school. Why? Why is it that because they were a year older than everyone else they have so much more of an advantage now. They are now in 7th or 8th grade and in 2cnd and 3rd grade they were put in rogate or the A team for sports. In 5th and 6th grade they were presented with more oppritunities. In conclusion there are only 2 words accumulative advantage.

Random Streaming

Gifted and talented program is the best class of the day. It is the period i look forward to during the day. The topics and style of teching are up to my standards and my peers in that class are awesome. The novel we are reading The Outliers is very interesting and it has opened my mind to new topics. Yet again i am force to end my streaming early because i have to do my chores.

 Quote of the day: Et tu Brute? by William Shakesphere in The Tradgedy of Julius Caesar

My First Blog

      Hey guys its Justice here and this is my very first blog. I am in 9th grade and my favorite subjects are english and science. My favorite topics to learn about are war and ancient philosophy. I like to go bowling and freerun when im not in school. My goal for my carreer is to be a neurologist or neurosurgeon, and suceeding in any of the things i do makes me happy. I was doing homework on the computer and i decided to write a post for my blog. I tried out for the play today with James M. and i think we did great. We both got called back and i hope to get the part i want. I'm going to wrap this post up quickly because i want to finish my HW. To end i want to establish a quote of the day that i will have in all my posts. The quote today is " With all the wise peole once telling someone somethin' I ain't never met one" My grandfather James Strickland