Semester Reflection Bog

When I first signed up for Global Ed, i was expecting it to be like every other normal class I had taken in the past. When I got there on the first day I was surprised to see that I was wrong. I don't know exactly what persuaded me to do this program, but I think it was because some friends of mine talked me into it. The first few weeks were tough, and I was mad at myself for decicding to take this program. Now that it is the end of the semester I have realized how much this program has helped me and how much it has helped me to become a better writer. It has also given me more knowledge about the world around us.




Our first assignment in english class was to write about our first day of high school. Now I for one thought this was going to be easy, I mean I just had to explain my day right? I was wrong. Mr.Fielder wanted us to write an introduction that caught the attention of the reader, and he also wanted our paragraphs to flow into eachother so the paper would make more sense. I did my best and did what he said, feeling confident when I turned in my paper. When I got my paper back graded there was a lot of feedback and recommendations. I was told to stay focused and keep one point, and also to incorporate dialouge somewhere into my paper. My introduction was not the best so I decided to write that as well. Through that I learned that writing a paper is not as easy as it may seem. I have become a much stronger writer being taught to "struggle" in my writing. I learned to take corrections and make mistakes in order for the paper to be at it's best. Writing a paper in high school is much different then writing one in middle school. Staying on one main point when I need to is the biggest thing I have learned, and not cluttering my writing but to get to the point.





When we got to learn about Rwanda, I got the chance to learn more about the genocide that occured there in 1994. I learned that out of the many groups who were fighting, the Hutu's and the Tutsi's played a major role. Back when the Belgians arrived to Rwanda, they took over and handed out identity cards seperating the people of Rwanda into the two groups of either a Hutu or a Tutsi. The Belgians gave government power to the Tutsi's in the beginning, and that is a main reason on why the war was fought. The Hutu's felt discriminated against, so when they got in control of the government they felt it was "payback" time. They took control and murdered many Tutsi's along the way. When the United Nations came in to stop it, things only began to get worse. Since people back in the United States and other countries did not have a general idea of what was going on, no one wanted to help the Rwandans. Because that happened, the United Nations were sent back home, with little hope of the Tutsi's gaining power back.





Another thing I learned while reasearching papers to understand history, was being able to find a credible source. Most articles I found when researching history were from wikipedia, and all sorts of different websites. To me it seemed the best articles were from the websites that were not considered "credible sources." Ones that were from schools, or written by people who do not have a general idea of the topic, were not the best credible sources. Ones from websites such as bbc, and wikipedia could be trusted as credible sources. The last thing we needed when writing a paper was to get the wrong information. I have been taught which websites would be credible sources and which ones are acceptable when writing a paper.





While we were still on the topic of Rwanda, we got to have a class debate on the genocide. This was my first class debate, and I'm sure it was a first for a lot of others as well. I didn't know what to expect and to be honest I was a little nervous as to what was heading my way with this debate. I was in a group with Chloe and Alexi, and we were representing the Interhamwe. We were sort of the "bad people" in the genocide, so some fingers were pointed at us often, although not as much as I expected. I learned through the experience that debates are a big help in understanding topics better. I was only focused on researching what my group, the Interahamwe did, so when we went around the room and read our opening paragraphs, I learned a lot more about each and every one of the groups. We were asked questions, and we were taught to debate back and forth to accusations from others. I also learned that for any debate we must also have somewhat of a background knowledge in order to be able to debate. Becoming involved in the debate also has a big part in our grades and the defendence of our group.



Through my first experience in Global Ed, I also learned a lot about culture events. Visiting all different places and learning new things taught me to look at things in a different persepective. These culture events helped me to become a better writer as well. On my first culture event, I got a B+, which isn't bad for a first time, but I could have done better. I was told that I needed to describe my trip to Washington D.C., and better explain what it was I saw while I was there. I learned that I need to incorporate my feelings and what it was I enjoyed during this trip into my paper. When visiting the Eleanor and Edsel Ford house, I got to learn what life was like back in time. I learned about the different fashions, the different styles of the home, and what the people who lived there were like. When I went to Washington D.C., I got to learn about all the different monuments, and the past history of them all. At the Henry Ford Estate, I learned how cars were made, and how the Ford family grew up. It showed me what life was like comparing back then to now. It has given me a better view of history, and how much I can learn from it. Overall I have learned to become a better writer, and to take my corrections and mistakes and learn from them. Another main thing I learned was never wait until the last minute to work on your culture event. (:

If I were a native, what country would I be from?

If I had to choose to be a native from one of countries we discussed, I would choose South Africa.

One of the main reasons I would choose to be a native from South Africa is because they still have a say in the government today.