Group Presentation and Class peresentations

Our group presentations was very challenging for me. I haven't always been a sociable person which is something the group presentation helped me get away from. I learned that working in a group setting requires much organization and communication.
Watching other groups presentations also helped me observe what one was suppose to act like during a presentation and also what one was not suppose to act like. I tried to also carry that into my part of our group presentation but my fear of public speaking took over.
As for my group members, i believe that they each presented very well and also did a great job on their part of the research. Coming up with a question and investigating it did not seem very hard for us to do as a whole.
The other groups in my class choose very interesting topics and did a very good job of conducting their investigations. I especially enjoyed the one about how black people were portrayed in movies. This is a topic i have thought about for a while and i was very glad to see that i wasn't the only one concerned.
The research process was very useful and our teacher guides were also very helpful. I am glad that this was apart of our freshmen seminar experience.

End of semester Reflection

Freshman seminar was an overall good experience. I learned a lot from the many lectures we had about African Americans and about our history. I gained more knowledge than i would on the news due to the fact that they don't really go deep into some issues.
Writing the blogs  also helped me to take time out of schedule to reflect on what i understood from the lectures and it also gave me motivation to stay awake and pay attention during every lecture section.
One thing really affected me was the African burial ground and how buildings were built on top of such a hostirical part of our history. And it wasn't like they had no clue, they knew what they were doing. Had that been the graves of white ancestors, the issue would have never arose in the first place.
Freshman seminar was very helpful to me and i am greatly appreciative of gaining knowledge that i believe will help me throughout life.Entering college, i was never fully aware of African American achievements or of current associations used to help African Americans such as the LEAP program. However, now i feel that i am more aware of these types of things.

Reflection... (Steeve)

Freshman Seminar was something else. In both good and bad ways, the course ended up benefiting me in several ways. I learned a lot about African-Americans and our history and I learned a lot about Africa and her history as well. In the end, I could just expect a credit for the Afro-American cluster just by taking this course. Along with teaching me much about our history and its significance, Freshman Seminar also got me back into doing research and doing group presentations.

On the other hand, Freshman Seminar taught me a little over nothing about college life and Howard University. I didn't learn how to use the metro trains or buses, how to get a library card, what RSVP points are, what a provost does, who our dean and department chairs are, and the like. I had to learn everything about Howard University from the upperclassmen I met in the Honors program and the organizations I'm involved with at school. Granted, Freshman Seminar's uselessness in this matter has taught me self-reliance and improved my assertiveness. I didn't have to rely on a required course to tell me what to expect from college and professors, how grades work, financial aid tips, how to take an audit course, change a class to pass/fail, take a consortium course or study abroad, and where the school of social work is located. To be honest, I still don't know how to do some of what I've stated, however, I'll figure it out.

In the end, I've become acclimated to the university and learned about African-American history simultaneously. Though I'm not sure how a student who isn't involved in campus life would know how the school works, I'm confident they too will figure it out. I must say though that perhaps I would have made fewer mistakes had Freshman Seminar been there. Say it required at least an hour or 2 of proven study time (a form with a tutor's signature for example) a week so freshmen students don't spend all of their free time playing Call of Duty. Or perhaps the course could have required that students meet with their TAs once a month to discuss their classes and college life and ask any questions. My favorite is always, "what do you wish you had known your freshman year?" That questions seems to always bring up teachers and the administration building, but it helps freshman students to weed out the more secretive details of college life and make less mistakes.

Group Presentations Reflection (Steeve)

I had fun listening to our fellow groups' presentations these past few weeks. Their research into film, race, culture, and the like really helped me see things in a different light. I specifically liked how each group presented differently. The group right after mine, for example, used voice overs and pictures to present their question and conclusions in an interesting way. The Q&A section was also interesting. We discussed Tyler Perry's influence and his work and we discussed the effects of Freshman Seminar on our first year at Howard University.

We did have some problems, however. Each week we had presentations, there was always a problem with technology. The week my group presented, we had to wait for a projector before we could start. When we did receive the projector, we had to spend time trying to get it to work. The following weeks, the other groups didn't get to use a projector. The groups ended up presenting their PowerPoint presentations on their laptop or simply leaving it alone and simply discuss their findings.

Other than the projector, I only really had a problem with how some groups were going over in time. In the second week of presentations, only 1 group presented. In 50 minutes of class, only one group managed to present and they spent almost 20 minutes on it. My group stuck to the rubric's time designation. We spent a little less than 8 minutes presenting and left another 2 minutes to questions and answers. My group surprisingly worked very well together. Our presentation ended up being very well put together, and everyone presented their parts clearly and effectively.

Self-Reflection (through the lens of freshman seminar)

My first semester at Howard University has been an amazing experience. When looked at through the lens of freshman seminar, I can say that it has been interesting. Freshman seminar was not at all like I expected it to be. It was more of an African American studies course, and while I learned a lot, I learned nothing about Howard University or college life. When talking to junior and senior friends I discovered that freshman seminar used to teach freshman how to get around campus, obtain information, get library cards, and basic information that applies to college. The class used to get students acclimated to college life. It has been a full semester and I still do not know what a provost is or what the provost does. I did not learn how to get around D.C. or how to use the metro. In past years freshman seminar taught this. I would say that when observing my first semester of freshman year through the lens of freshman seminar, one could see that it was very difficult. Any information I needed I had to find myself, and after wasted time using the trial and error method I found where I needed to go to get things done. In a way, freshman seminar taught me to be more responsible and to take initiative when it comes to certain things.

            Even though freshman seminar was ineffective at teaching me about college life and what to expect from Howard, it was effective in teaching me more about African Americans, and how we have influenced so many things. However, I feel that if that is going to be the main goal of freshman seminar then the name of the course should be changed, and freshman should receive a African American cluster course credit. I also do  not like how we have to do so much work and it is only a pass or fail course. If we do good on quizzes and presentations that we devote 3-4 weeks to, we only get a P or an F. And then to make it more interesting if we receive a F, the grade lowers our GPA, but if I receive an A or 96% for example, it doesn’t help my GPA at all.

            Overall freshman seminar added a lot of confusion to my first semester, but it still taught me a lot. Even though it wasn’t things I wanted to learn about at the moment, I’m glad I now know them.

Group Summary Blog (presentations)

The group presentations were very good. Some groups were more prepared than others but I still learned a lot. I learned about how black scholars have transformed so many different fields such as: medicine, film, dance, music, film, and protest. The group that discussed film and other fine arts was good. I had no idea that scholars and blacks had transformed so much within that field. I enjoyed their presentation and how they made a mini- video of them talking about the different things that were changed and then switched back to a regular presentation. The use of technology was integrated very well.  The group that discussed protest was very enlightening and taught me a lot about the protests that have happened here at Howard, old and current. However, they went over on time, which prevented the last group from presenting that day. They were also not prepared as they all had Mac’s and the Mac’s could not connect to the projector. This made it very difficult to see the videos and the slides they had. The final group to present had the same problem. They could not connect to the projector so again everyone had trouble viewing the PowerPoint. In addition the film group, and the protest group and the final group had problems with reading directly off the screens. They all read word for word. Overall though, the presentations were good and very informational. I learned something after each presentation.

            My group was good. We presented well, and each of us had our information memorized and separate information that could not be memorized put on the slides. We didn’t read much off of the slides. We were fully prepared and gave a solid presentation

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf

This play was very touching. The way the actors explained their stories made it possible to visualize the scenes in you head. Throughout the play, the girls described events, both good and bad, that took place in their lives. From heartbreak to rape, the actors truly portrayed the emotions and thoughts women who have experienced such events would have. The singing was amazing and the acting was two thumbs up. I found myself completely astonished from the beginning to the end. I was very impressed at the overall outcome.

Omoluabi (Gladys)

Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture on Omoluabi was very inspiring. I really liked how he preached that students should always do their best and be their own self. I also enjoyed how he highlights the importance of having a good character and getting a good  education.

Gbadegesin says that part of life requires one to have a good education due to its impact on not only your life, but your human condition. He also says that education can also affect your place in society by what you decide to use that education. This the definition of Omo Olu Iwa Bi, which means “A person of character, disciplined, and self-improving, thus earning the respect of peers and community on account of practical wisdom, putting knowledge acquired through education to the service of the community, and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed” (personal communication, September 5, 2011).

            Gbadegesin also discusses the different types of Iwa. There is Iwa as existence, Iwa as a character, and Iwa  as it relates to endurance. I believe this was a way of describing people according to their endurance, character and responsibility towards themselves and their community. I believe that this is very important because nowadays, it seems like society is always looking for a scapegoat to balme things on, whereas if we were to look at ourselves instead, we would be able to better our own issues rather than to blame other people or the government for it.

            Gbadegesin also discussed why education is so important. He explains that by gaining education, we would be able to pass it on to the many generations to come. This would allow us all to stay educated for centuries to come and also allow us to prepare future generations for the various task needed to keep things in the world and in the government running which is really necessary to surviving.

            I really enjoyed the lecture because it made me realize that everyone affects their community in some way. But if we learn to use our education and knowledge to the full extent, we may be able to make more good impacts rather than bad.

Tuesday MLK papers (Steeve)

I'm doing great in Freshman seminar this semester. I've finished my blogs on time, and I've gone to class every day. So why, might you ask, did I attend the extra credit lecture on Tuesday? Is it because I'm such a good student that I would entertain any opportunity to learn? Not quite. I really went to support my friend, who wasn't doing so great, expecting an exaggerated lecture about Martin Luther King's Jr.'s fantastic accomplishments and the like.

This, however, was not the case at all. Once I walked in, I didn't go straight to my phone and start playing Angry Birds. The lecturer, Dr. Crawford from Morehouse College, was already talking about a topic about Dr. King that I've never heard about: his papers. To think that Dr. King had thousands of papers containing his thoughts and ideas really made me appreciate his ideas and their fruition much more. Dr. Crawford showed several examples of his writings, which contained typos and many scratched off words, on different surfaces like tissue paper and the back of documents. She went on to discuss the importance we should put on Dr. King's ideas rather than Dr. King himself.

However, this collection of papers isn't the only one. Dr. Crawford mentioned that Dr. King also donated a set of papers to Boston University. Although these papers only accounted for his life until 1964, they combined with the King Collection at Morehouse give a comprehensive look into Dr. King's evolution into civil rights and theologically-based speeches. One great example Dr. Crawford gave of this evolution is Dr. King's rejection letter to Howard's President Mordecai Johnson stating how he could not work here while he still had unfinished business in the south.

It is rare to have newfound respect for someone you already know much about. This lecture unveiled a new way for me to find more about Dr. King from the man himself. Once students and the public have access to the digitized collection of Dr. King from Morehouse, it will open many interesting new doors for historical research into one of the most influential men in the 20th century: Martin Luther King Jr.

Homecoming (Steeve)

Homecoming. From Sunday's Gospel Show to last night's Step Show, it was obvious that the Howard University campus was taking on a whole new social atmosphere.

Though none of my friend accompanied me to the Gospel Show, I simply made some new ones while I was there. The show was phenomenal. It started off a little rough with a few off beat praise dancers, but then the Howard Gospel Choir (HGC) came on the stage and brought the whole audience to its feet. I especially loved the guest performance, former HGC director, Clifton Ross III who retired this June. His voice is one of a kind and I was very excited to hear it firsthand. I have to admit I was a little upset with how the seating was set up. So many seats were reserved, even getting to the show really early only allowed me to sit somewhere near the middle where I could barely take in the presence of the performers as much as I wanted to. What made it slightly worse is that everyone performed fantastically. At the end, Shirley Caesar made me stand on my feet watching her and her group's performance s enthusiastically that I almost went up there to sing when she asked Howard students to do just that. About 1500 people attended this event, and this was just the beginning.

For the most part, the week was a regular week with tests, quizzes and papers all normally scheduled. Once it hit Thursday, however, anyone could tell that D.C., let alone HU, was no longer the same. Yardfest was on everyone's mind (mostly because it was free) and the facebook pages were blasted with people selling for the homecoming game, the R&B show, and the stepshow. At the most, I've only ever seen about a thousand people on the yard at once. That was during freshman week when some of the main events were going on at the yard and most of the freshman class was participating so they wouldn't be bored. This time, the entire school was privy to coming and also the community, alumni, media, and distinguished guests were also coming. Though I'm upset I had an appointment to go to a museum right in the middle of Yardfest's activities, I still managed to see the size of the crowd of people that attended. I must say it was insane.

Thousands upon thousands of people were present. From children to adults, greeks, students and locals, walking through the yard was nearly impossible. I really wanted to find some high ground somewhere and just take a look at the yard from a distance and watch in amazement the real HU's homecoming activities. Followed by the stepshow and the R&B show, the weekend was something to remember. The thing is it wasn't all fun and joy. Plenty of fights broke out and many people were just acting stupidly for stupidity's sake. In my first year of HowardU's homecoming, I at least learned that everything is affected by it, people and businesses alike, specifically the metro. I cannot wait for next year's homecoming, where I will actually go to the game and make sure I go to yardfest and really enjoy everything I can take from Howard's Homecoming.

Gladys Free Write

My first semester of college has so far been a little challenging for me. However, I have realized the things I need to do in order to stay on top of my work and grades.

One of the things I have discovered is that time management is very important. This is something I have heard a lot of people say but I never really understood it until now. It seems like it is so easy to loose track of time and work in college. I was so shocked because I have never experienced this before. This probably because I don’t have a teacher constantly reminding me of what is due and when it is due.

I also realized that you can never study too much. In high school I barely had to study in order to get a good grade. But nowadays, I find myself doing so much that I easily forget everything I learned that previous day. That’s why I have started trying to review my notes every chance I get so I don’t completely forget everything. College is definitely teaching me more than just academics.

I am slowly getting a hang of things, but there’s still something’s I have to work on. Things definitely seem better then they did before. Hopefully, I will be able to carry these lessons throughout my years in college. I know I definitely don’t want t relearn them again.

The Joy Of Homecoming (Gladys)

I have heard people talk about how Howard's Homecoming is so amazing, but i never really understood the hype about it. I always thought that every homecoming was the same and now, let's just say my view has changed.
I have never seen a homecoming like Howard's. There were so many people there that didn't even attend the school. From Howard alumni to people who traveled from far just to attend this legendary celebration, everyone seemed to get along. I especially enjoyed the concert. I liked that they had a wide range of performers and also that even some Howard students preformed.  
Though i do not listen to rap music much, i did really appreciate the fact that rappers such as Jezzy and Wale tok time to come celebrate with us. It really shows how Howard is known and appreciated by everyone to the point that they would go out of there way just to preform for us students.
Another highlight was the Homecoming game. I have never ever been to any type of football game, so this was a true experience for me. On top of us winning the game in overtime, i also got to see Calvin from "Tyler Perry's House of Payne." He was just walking around hugging people and just having fun like the rest of us. Showtime's performance was also very memorable. I liked how they didn't back down from the other team's band just because they were a larger band. They truly have a lot of heart and enjoy what they do. 
All in all, i loved homecoming week. It is by so far the most amazing college experience i have had so far. I definitely can't wait for other special events at Howard.

Homecoming Blog

This week was one of the most interesting weeks of my life. I experienced my first college homecoming. However, it wasn’t just any homecoming. It was THE REAL HU’s homecoming. In the beginning of the week I was not very excited, because I still had many projects and tests due. It wasn’t until after my morning class on Thursday that the excitement hit. I was done with all work for the week. When Friday rolled around I was beyond excited. After my afternoon biology class, I headed straight to the yard and saw so many vendors, and Greeks. For a second I just stood and took it all in. As I watched the performers I realized that it was going to be a good weekend. During YardFest I also realized that I want to host an event at Howard, like Jae Murphy. In a way, I admire him. He is well known on campus, and hosts spectacular events. By the time I am a graduating senior I would like to have hosted an event on the Howard campus. Once Big Daddy Kane emerged I was so excited. I had the chance to see an older Emcee perform, and take me back to the roots of rap, and what it used to be. Before all the drugs, gangs and negative images. When Jeezy and Wale came out I didn’t want to leave. But I had to leave early during Wale’s performance to head to the R&B show.

            After YardFest, my floormates and I headed straight to the R&B show. I could not wait to see some of my favorite singers on stage. Tyrese, Avant, Joe, Monica, and Melanie Fiona were all great. Melanie’s voice was heavenly! As for Tyrese, well its safe to say he has complete control over the Howard girl’s minds. The R&B show as a whole was amazing. I cannot wait for next years. My final Howard homecoming experience was the magnificent step show. I loved the step show. It was an amazing experience. While I do not agree with the winners I still enjoyed it. The DREW HALL step team was fantastic. They were perfectly in sync. If they had been in the competition they would’ve won hands down. The Kappa’s, Sigma’s, and Que’s were great. I am still waiting for the day I can see the Alpha’s of Howard. The NC Alpha’s were good though. All in All the step show enhanced my Howard experience 100 fold. I feel bad for all the people that left after the Sigma performance. They missed the Travis Porter performance and the announcement of the winners.

            Overall, I enjoyed my first Howard Homecoming and cannot wait for next year. I also think this is the most concerts I’ve seen in one week ever.

Homecoming 2011!!

Man, oh man. Homecoming was an experience for the books. I didn't really attend too many events during the week, my homecoming started Friday at YardFest. My classes were cancelled so I slept in until 12 p.m. so I could prepare myself for the night and what would take place. I got up and went to band practice at 3 p.m., to prepare for Saturday's activities. After that, I showered and met up with my friends and went to YardFest. There were so many people there. Old people, young people, and even small children were there to enjoy the festivities. After a long night of "wholesome" fun it was time for sleep so I could be prepare for the longest day of my musical career. Saturday started at 6 a.m. with me walking to the Fine Arts building to put my uniform on for earlier morning rehearsal. We got out to the field by 8 a.m. and ran through the show a few more times. The parade started at around 10 a.m., and my instrument didn't leave my hands until 7 p.m. that night. it was one of the longest experiences ever, but I'm glad I was able to participate in it. Our drumline show was phenomenal and everyone enjoyed it. Homecoming was amazing, I can't wait until next year when I can do it all over again.

Free-Write Blog Post

I sat down and thought about what topic to write about and couldn't think of anything. So I decided to write about the one thing that's most prevalent in my life here at Howard University; the music program. Being a member of the Howard University Showtime Marching Band has been one of the greatest decisions I've made in my life. The work is challenging, we practice for so long everyday to reach the perfection that you guys see on game days. Every step we take has been engineered to match each beat of the musical selection. Within the band there are separate entities called sections. My section is the drum line, or Thunder Machine as its called here. We work the hardest, and perform the most. Being a part of this section has changed me both physically and mentally. They prepare us for the performance world and the real world. I plan on marching for my duration at Howard University and continuing a legacy of great performers and musicians.

Learning and Observation (Steeve)

Ever since I started freshman seminar, I've learned many new things about black scholars, culture and history. I've found it very interesting that many of the characteristics of black culture today stem from traditions and styles that our ancestors participated in. Using what I learned in class, I've observed many different forms of mbongi as well as many African characteristics that have transformed to adjust to modern society.

A great example of this transformation is speech and communication. Ms. Worthy, one of our guest speakers, spoke about one of her students who sucked their teeth (or did something with their mouth) and how she used to wonder why the student did that so often. Once she realized that it had African roots, Ms. Worthy became so enthralled by the act that she didn't mind it at all anymore. Though this may in fact be due to a tendency to like anything African, this revelation speaks to how our African past still affects us today. The way many African Americans talk, their lingo, is reminiscent of African languages and styles.

We frequently use these styles in communication with each other, especially when we're participating in an mbongi. We're our most comfortable and open and things flow more easily than when we're trying to strictly speak proper English. As we all know, rarely anyone speaks the way s/he writes. These mbongis happen so naturally I really didn't think of it as anything special until Dr. Carr pointed it out. Whether in church or in our dorms, we actively participate in mbongis and thus remain in touch with our African roots.

Free-write blog

Since this blog post has no specific prompt, I have decided to write on a few different topics that I feel are interesting.

The first current event I feel is interesting is that the U.N. has projected that by October 31, 2011, there will be 7 billion people on this planet. That’s right 7 billion. Some are calling this a milestone, but I think of it as a major problem. The worlds resources are already strained enough, and there are so many crowded areas. It makes no sense to have so many people on one planet. I personally feel that the Earth was not meant to hold this many people. However, with so many third world countries and other nations that have no access to birth control, there is no way to slow down our population growth. Some people are having kids because they believe it will help them. “My father had 25 children — I have only 14 so far, and expect to produce more in the future,” says Kasadha, who has two wives. He considers a large family a sign of success and a guarantee of support in his old age.” (Suntimes) I disagree with having this many kids, because it adds to the world population. It isn’t guaranteed that having all those kids will support him. The children could just as easily choose to do nothing with their lives and seek federal or national aid. Then they would be adding bringing down the economy of their nation, and not helping advance anything. Another reason I believe it’s a problem for us to have so many people in our world is that it runs a risk to the environment. If the population continues to grow (Looking ahead, the U.N. projects that the world population will reach 8 billion by 2025, 10 billion by 2083) how will we be able to coexist with animals and nature without encroaching on their territory. The environment and animals are just as important to the earth if not more important than humans. They keep the natural balance of things intact, while humans throw it off search of resources and space. Overall, I believe we need to find a way to either live on another planet or spread birth control to poorer nations and get people to use them properly as to prevent the population from growing so rapidly.

The next current event I want to discuss is the recent sesame street hack. Sesame Street’s youtube page was hacked and before youtube could shut it down, hackers posted porn. I find this disgusting to expose children to such material. Thousands of children 2-8 all exposed to material that is far too inappropriate for anyone under 18-20. I’m disgusted but happy that Sesame Street was able to regain control of their page. I feel that people that do this kind of thing needs to be arrested and persecuted to the full extent of the law. It is sick and twisted to try and corrupt innocent children. (FoxNews)

This is my free write on current events. I hope it was enjoyable.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/17/hackers-turn-sesame-street-youtube-page-into-porn-site/?test=faces

http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/8263677-418/as-worlds-population-hits-7-billion-plenty-of-challenges-are-born.html

Miss' Evers Boys (Gladys)

Miss Evers’ Boy was very touching and informational. I was surprised that the guys were  reluctant to get their blood tested for such an important sickness. But I guess that was more due to their lack of trust toward white people and their lack of education. Most of the boys only had two years of schooling. Another thing that got to me was how Dr. Douglass’s character changed throughout the play. He went from seemin to care about the boys to only caring about how much money he got to keep a research going that was in no way benefiting any of the boys which he seemed to care about.

            Another thing that got me was how they all put their trust in Miss Ever without thinking twice and how she lied to them without thinking about the possible negative outcomes. However, she did have good intentions but went about it the wrong way. Overall the play was good and the actors were amazing. They really brought life to their characters. I definetely loved Willie, he was really funny. 

LEAP: The Future Of Black Education (Gladys)

Ms. Worthy’s lecture was very inspiring to me. I really appreciate knowing that there are organizations in the world dedicated to bringing education to the people of Africa. I also really appreciate the fact that the program is not limited but open to any student who wants to attend. I feel as though I have heard many people discuss the educational struggles and injustice in Africa but have not seen a lot of people do much about it.

One key point I found in this lecture was the fact that African American children should be taught in a way that is special to them and that being taught by our oppressors is not always the right thing. For example, the LEAP school is purely based on traditional views, not the Europeans. Everything that is thought there is to help culturally build the students and teach them what they would not learn in normal schools.

Another key point I found interesting is the five main tenets of cultural relevant teaching which African logic, African Epistemological Styles, African Axiology, cultural visibility, and Social, Emotional and political responsibility. I feel as though these five things are what sets the LEAP schools apart from most. The students in LEAP are learning about the pure history of the African Americans. Not what you are taught in most schools which is usually influence by white people who don’t want us to get the whole truth.

            I also gained much information about the injusticeness toward the Ubuntu people. I learned about the struggles they had to go through when the white men decided to come and still away all there resources and people. I learned about how they were banned to talk out against white people and how they were not allowed to attend schools. This makes me very sad because Ms. Worthy talked about how accepting the people were and I think it’s a shame that they were willing to give others a chance but were not given that chance themselves.

            I definitely believe that cultural relevant learning would definitely positively impact our people if we make good use of it. But I think that mostly can come from the household people grow up in. I believe it is up to the parents to teach their children about their history. Not hide it as if it were something to be ashamed of. But again, not all parents know about their own history so schools would be the last place to accomplish this. If made good use of, cultural relevant learning could definitely make students embrace their history and maybe use it as a motivation to go further in life.

Kim Worthy's Lecture

I enjoyed Kim Worthy’s lecture on practices of freedom and justice. I believe the three main points were the definition of freedom, the LEAP school, and how to teach culturally relevant teaching. I enjoyed this lecture; however, I disagreed with other things she said. For example, I disagreed and took offense to her calling all white people “the oppressor”. I have many friends that are white and they do not “oppress” me, nor do their parents or any of my teachers of the past that have been white.

The definition of freedom according her was “the struggle for humanization that is thwarted by injustice”. I believe that this definition is partially correct, because freedom is using your universal rights as a human. However; not everyone is able to exercise those rights due to sexism, racism, and many other factors. We are all humans and have the same universal rights and should all have the freedom to exercise those rights. By freedom I mean we should have the ability to do what those rights allow.

The LEAP school is a school in Africa that validates and exalts traditional cultures. There is no sense of Europeanism there. No European symbols are in the LEAP school. It stands by a Zulu proverb that states, “A person is a person through other persons. We affirm our humanity when we acknowledge that of others”. The school is a safe environment where the kids learn to speak there mind and be active in projects, (things they weren’t able to do previously). I like the concept of the school and what values it instills in the students there. It gives them a new place away from where they live and the things they see daily. Those kinds of environments are always great.

The culturally relevant teachings extend into the LEAP school. They are, according to Dr. Edwin Nichols, African Logic, African epistemological styles, African Axiology (values), Cultural visibility, and social, emotional, and political responsibility. The number 1 value is relationships. And that is what teaching is all about. If you develop relationships with your students they learn better and take more in. The students grow to trust the teachers and therefore they actually feel cared for back, because the teacher took the time to build the relationships and learn about the child.

Kimberly Worthy's lecture

I grasped a lot of information from Kimberly Worthy’s lecture. One of the key facts that I learned were the 5 main tenets of culturally relevant teaching. The five tenets include African logic, African Epistemological Styles, African Axiology, cultural visibility, and Social, Emotional and political responsibility. I had no idea that those tenets of culturally relevant teaching existed. What I love about freshmen seminar is that I learn different types of categories/classifications every week.

I also learned the pedagogical practices of freedom and justice. Those include teaching students from a different diagram of perspective. It also includes validating and exalting our culture, heritage, and scholarly contributions. This interested me because I never considered these to be practices of freedom and justice.

Another thing that I found interesting was the LEAP code of conduct. The code of conduct included Be kind, Be honest, Be healthy, be punctual, Look good, Work hard, Never give up, Admit mistakes, Learn from mistakes, Confront issues, Be open to change, and work together. I found this code of conduct interesting because it was simple. In all my years of being in school, the code of conduct was so complex. This code was simple but necessary.

Miss Evers' Boys

Miss Evers’ Boys was a very moving play. Before attending the show, I never even knew that it was a true story. This story was a perfect example of how blacks were treated like animals back in history. Blacks were basically used as guinea pigs to test for syphilis. They were injected with syphilis to see whether or not they would die from it. If that isn’t cruelty, I don’t know what is.

This play really opened my eyes to how things were. I personally don’t think that President William Jefferson Clinton’s formal apology was enough. Innocent people’s lives were put in danger, some lives were even taken. Listening to things like that really hurt my heart.

However, knowing that organizations like the NAACP existed was a sort of hope. I can appreciate the fact that free health care was given to the men that were still living, and to infected wives, widows and children. In the end, justice was provided.

Ms. Kimberly Worthy on Educational Excellence (by Steeve Pierre-Louis)

I initially thought it was weird that the Freshman Seminar team would bring in a teacher to speak to us, rather than another professor or Ph.D. individual. I actually admit that I didn't expect to learn much from Ms. Worthy. However, as soon as she spoke, it made me want to listen. I especially liked the part where she mentioned that she wasn't bragging, but simply illuminating her accomplishments while working at schools and consistently becoming teacher of the year.

One factor of her teaching that helps me believe in her ability to change student's lives is that she understands that different people are taught differently. It really is a crime when some students who are smart and know their craft cannot prove it through standardized testing like other students because they just aren't good test takers. We've all heard this before, however Ms. Worthy took it a bit further. The African psyche and its views on the world are fundamentally different than those of Europeans and Americans. Ms. Worthy mentioned that Africans see everything as connected; according to her, learning things separately like math, english, history, and science is foreign to us because our ancestors saw the bigger picture. Interestingly enough, this was also mentioned in a previous lecture.

Dr. Beatty spoke on how it was that Africans brought to the U.S. and endured slavery accepted Christianity. He stated that our ancestors saw things holistically. They saw that parts of Christianity were similar to what they knew. Being open-minded people as well, they openly accepted Christianity as their religion, even though it was completely foreign to them. Unknowingly, Ms. Worthy corroborated this statement by Dr. Beatty.

Ms. Worthy also spoke on schools in South Africa where students face many hardships and dangers in their communities. The schools posted there, known as LEAP, are like shelters that provide the students a family as well as an education. I specifically liked how Ms. Worthy mentioned a specific tribal proverb that the schools use to educate the students. What made it even better is how the students are participating in what is clearly an mbongi. This again pertains to a previous lecture, this time by Dr. Carr. Ms. Worthy mentioned that the students let it all out and cleared their consciousness in an open room where everyone is equal and everything said is public. Sounds a lot like a "room without walls" to me.

Stories like these warm my heart. What also got me thinking was the fact that the owner of the LEAP school in Africa knew that the students did not need any of our familiar aspects of education like bells and the like to learn. He wanted to make things as naturally and closely related to the way the students can learn things as their ancestors. And the results of this are clear. Ms. Worthy mentioned a debate competition in which the students at LEAP defeated a much more prestigious school. Therefore, the methods mentioned by Ms. Worthy were effective.

Simply through her presentation, I can imagine her in a classroom teaching students in a way they can understand and learn just as effectively as in LEAP. Ms. Worthy gave us all a small biography of her early life and how she got into teaching. A very inspiring story, she found her calling to make a difference in the lives of children and students who are simply becoming lost in the deteriorating and ineffective structure of education that exists in the U.S. now. I hope I hear more from Ms. worthy some time in the future as I believe her work is significantly going to "redefine our social space," in the words of last week's lecturer, Dr. Thorton.

Miss Evers' Boys

The Miss Evers's Boys play by the Theater Arts department was well worth the price. The event felt very formal and professional and I enjoyed the performances by Mary Miller (Eunice Evers) and the story of the 4 men in the cast.

Though when I arrived at the theater and received a program with detailed background on the story, I decided not to read any of it until I saw the play. In this way I was able to judge the performances and accuracy of the story without predetermined expectations. I initially had no idea that the story of Miss Evers would be a tragic one. I expected some form of drama, and perhaps even a betrayal, but I didn't think anyone would actually die. Seeing the end play out without knowing what would happened helped me grasp the full effect of the play.

Attending this also opened my eyes to another aspect of racism that afflicted the black race in the 20th century. I had no idea that social Darwinism affected blacks and pioneered racial supremacy like it did with the Jews in Germany. It was interesting to watch the perspectives of doctors and nurses trying to find out the differences between blacks and whites in terms of how syphilis and disease affects us all. In the end, the play ended up being much more than a theatrical performance for me but a revelation of a less popular, however just as significant, aspect of racism and black struggles.

Looking back, it seems like a short play now that I can probably summarize it in only a few paragraphs. The play, however, lasted almost 2.5 hours. Throughout it, I loved the energy the actors and actress put into their work, especially when Miss Evers's character spoke to the audience, or the "senate" as she would put it, about the plot and explained or say some things that can't be deduced from scenes. I hope to see more performances by the theater arts department as I enjoyed this play with great delight.

Ms. Evers boys (special post)

I went and saw Ms. Evers’ Boys on Thursday October 6^th , 2011. I had no prior knowledge of the play before going, so I had no idea what to expect. I had only heard that it was a good play, and I am happy to say that what I heard was right! The actors were very good and had everything down. The story of the play sent a message while also showing an amazing plot. The play opened my eyes to a some of the things African-Americans had to go through in the past. I never thought the government would do something so horrendous as to let thousands of people live with a disease as serious as syphilis and just study them and lie to them about treatment. That part of the play disgusted me, but what disgusted me more was the fact Ms. Evers allowed it to happen. While she could not have done much, she could have told Caleb, Ben, Willie, and Hodman about what was going on. I feel she lied to herself and the boys. She convinced herself and them that she was friend and could be trusted, but she was just a liar. I expect it did hurt to have to lie to them for all those years, but as they progressively got worse she should have felt some kind of obligation as a “friend” to tell them. The character of Caleb reminds me of myself because I’m not quick to trust people either, especially when it comes to something serious. If I was in the same position I would have done exactly what Caleb did, and got my shot.

Regardless of my personal feelings about what happened, I loved the play. It was very good, and the actors did a very good job. The emotion in Willie’s face at the end when he made them watch him try to dance with his bum leg was so pure and real. I actually was sucked into the story and felt bad for him. A small part of me felt bad for Nurse Evers because she had no friends in the end. However, part of me had absolutely no sympathy for her because of how she lied to her “friends” and essentially killed two of them.

I look forward to more plays from Howard students.

No Excuses (Gladys)

I believe that I must go as far as I can in both my academic and career life. I need to learn not to settle for anything less than the greatest because I know I can achieve more if I set my mind to it. That is how I would become one of Howard’s “best and brightest.” It all starts with getting a good education and striving to be on top.

To be a citizen is to up hold ones responsibility as a citizen. You use the rights you were given to achieve greatness throughout life and pass it on to your kids. You must also up hold your civil duties such as voting and taking an active role in the government, you can’t have a democracy if none of the citizens are involved. The government would therefore fail.

Participation in world both directly and indirectly can affect how the world functions as a whole. People like Martin Luther King Jr. and Fredrick Douglass are examples of how a single person can change the world and make it better by aiming high and walking down the right path in life. By being a good citizen, you can make the world better in a major or minor way. Either way, you have an affect on its out come.

Fredrick Douglass was born a slave and died an African American hero. He never let his pass or the color of his skin hold him back from achieving greatness. He aimed high and truly had a major role in forming the world we have today. That is definitely someone I look up to because I seem to always let my pass keep me from moving forward. Instead of doing my best where I am now, I use excuses keep me from doing just that.

Great people like Fredrick Douglass push me to “till and turn over the soil” because compared to the position they were in and the obstacles they had to overcome, life is a piece of cake, and I can’t let excuses keep me from getting my slice.

On September 26, 2011 my Freshman Seminar class was given a lecture by Dr.Alvin Thornton. Dr.Thornton looks over the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, Education and Communications and Enrollment Management Divisions at Howard University. He also has served on the Political Science faculty for 26 years and is well known throughout campus.

His lecture focused on the importance of education at Howard University and how we need to not sleep on our education. During his lecture, I thought about how I need to study more and plan out my future in order to become successful and obtain all my life long goals.

Dr.Thornton repeated how important it is to contribute in society to make a difference in order to be considered a real citizen. I agree with his opinion because we have to stay productive and should help others around us to make society better. the point that you have to help your society in order to really be considered a citizen.

I would have to say that I look up to Dr.Carr as one representative thinker at Howard. He speaks with confidence and is not afraid of challenges. Numerous people look up to him because of his great accomplishments in life and he is a great example of someone who "tills and turns over soil," because his handwork is the life long effect of his success today and the reason why he is labeled as one of the best professors at Howard University.