After helping facilitate a deliberation regarding single-use plastic intake and attending another deliberation about Maternity/Paternity and Child Care policies in the United States, I can appreciate the importance of continued collaboration and discussion about things we want to see change in our community. The areas of comparison I am going to be drawing from will be based off of the criteria for deliberative discussion as outlined by Gastil’s deliberation chapter. First I would like to talk about the creation of a solid information base. Both deliberations I attended did a great job of bringing in personal issues, experiences, and stories. This allowed for further discussion about a possible approach or solution to a topic. For example, having someone at the plastics discussion who had already given up single-use plastics altogether allowed questions to be asked about the process and if it was a plausible solution to delve into further. At the child care deliberation, participants brought in stories about their own families, such as one participant who expressed her parent’s frustration with not being able to spend as much time with her younger sibling as a newborn because of their financial need. This leads into a few social points that were also used well throughout both discussions. Respect of other participants was at a high, as people were receptive to the life experiences of others, especially when it came to the child care discussion. And as I said, the plastics group was able to get more questions in regarding other people’s opinions, asking for clarification. This mutual comprehension was also a major point in the child care discussion, with people consistently not being shy about speaking frankly when it came to what they thought about a certain topic. This in particular forces everyone at that discussion to listen carefully to everyone, considering their ideas and experiences, and replies that disagreed with opinions presented were respectful and understanding of the fact that everyone disagrees. For example, at the child care discussion, there was dissent regarding child care in the workplace, and people disagreed upon if this would be easier or harder on the children themselves. This point was not one we came to a consensus about, but both sides expressed their opinions openly without fear of being ridiculed or judged. One social point the plastics group did exceptionally well with was distribution of speaking opportunities. While the child care group sometimes had difficulties when two people spoke at the same time, the use of a single microphone eliminated that problem in the plastics deliberation, giving everyone the opportunity to feel they could speak and have everyone attentively listen. What I believe was a major difference between the groups, however, was the fact that the child care group’s solutions were very pointed and direct. They may have had deeper values behind them, but they were never addressed, and it was hard to make that connection when trying to prioritize key values. The plastics group had an excellent way of defining their approaches as broad topics that reflected individual and group values, such as education, reinforcement, punishment, etc.  

My passion blog is going to be a discussion of Vampire Diaries characters. I haven’t done a blog like this before, in the style of a discussion about another creative work, so I’m excited to try this new style. This blog will include some spoilers, however, so watch out! I will start by discussing the main cast and move into lesser characters. I will be starting with Elena Gilbert, the main character of the first six seasons before Nina Dobrev left the show, next moving to Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett, Caroline Forbes, Matt Donovan, and Alaric Saltzman. Next I want to hit the Mikaelson family, Gemini Coven, the werewolves, and, of course, the staple villain of the entire show, Katherine Pierce. Ooh, I’m so excited! Along with Stefan, I can also talk about Silas and Valerie, Damon connects well to Enzo, Bonnie lets me bring in Jeremy, Caroline pulls her mom, Sheriff Forbes into the mix, Matt is attached to Vicky, and Alaric ties to Jo, Jenna, and the twins! Of course the Mikaelson’s will not only discuss the family dynamic with Niklaus, Elijah, Kol, Finn, and Rebecca, but I can also discuss their parents, Esther and Mikael, as well as someone like Hayley and Hope (Klaus’ knocked up werewolf and child). The Gemini coven is their own issue with those many twins, including Jo and Kai, but also Lizzie and Josie, and Liv and Luke. Prison worlds and even the Heretics and Lily Salvatore have a place here, too. The werewolves will cover Tyler Lockwood, more on Hayley, and minor characters important to the first seasons such as Mason and Jules, and can talk about the Lockwood clan overall, too, such as both mayors and their deaths. Katherine, well, what isn’t included here? Everything from the Salvatore brothers becoming vampires to the search for the cure, the race against time and the part when she Passengered into Elena’s body. Oh, and let’s not forget about her daughter, Nadia, and all the other people whose deaths she was responsible for. Overall, it’s gonna be a ride.   My civic issues blog will deal with budget cuts in schools and the effect it is having on education. Things such as disappearing music and arts programs to worse buildings in desperate need of renovation, and all the way to fewer teachers being employed, or ones not qualified for the subject they are teaching.

This I Believe. I believe in everyday small kindnesses and their ability to have an impact in someone’s life. I watched a video that was about a boy in high school. Everyday, this boy would go to one particular set of doors in his school and in between classes would just stand there, holding open the door for everyone. This was such a little thing, but he did it consistently every day for the next four years. He was beloved by classmates, who just thought it was so thoughtful, sweet, and unexpected. He was voted best liked in his grade, and almost everyone in that school knew his name. When it was time for him to graduate, everyone was devastated- it was almost like losing a tradition, or even a piece of a culture. At the end of his last year, he was asked why he did it, why hold open that same door that many times for that many people he didn’t even know, especially at first. His answer was simple. “I heard that if you do something nice, you make friends. I wanted to make some friends. Now I have friends.” I believe in loving everyone unconditionally and showing them their own worth in action and speech. When I was twelve, I was friends with a girl named Aurora. She was a beautiful soul, inside and out, always making me feel comfortable and welcomed. She was sixteen at that time. We sang in the choir together that whole year, having an amazing time laughing and talking. Near the end of the year, she stopped coming to rehearsals. I didn’t know why, but I had enough respect to not press her about it- if something was wrong, surely she would tell me? I found out about a month later that she had committed suicide. She was gone. She had had to drop out of school that last month because she was getting bullied so badly, and at home, the bullying continued in the form of online harassment. I wished I could have helped her. Been there for her. Shown her how loved she was. So now I take extra care, and if I love someone, I am going to tell them. As soon and often as possible, because who knows how badly they need to hear it?   Passion Blog: I could continue with going through the process of a theatre production, letting you in on tricks of the trade, Or I could talk about The Vampire Diaries and the anguish that goes along with being a fan   Civic Issues Blog: Does the United States government have the right to tell people how they are allowed to express personal feelings of attachment to others of the same gender? I could also do: What about cuts to funding of the arts to focus on STEM subjects?

The beginning of the semester arrived suddenly, as any such major life change usually does. Hundreds of thousands of students all across America started preparing to leave the life they had known for so long to start a new adventure in college. For myself and the other students in RCL, this meant also starting a new class that would try to teach us about “rhetoric and civic life”.   If you had asked me a year ago, I would have simply told you that civic life was a certain level of engagement in our community that was optional for me and many others I knew. I think part of this is because I didn’t fully grasp what “civic duty” meant, but another part stems from the limited amount of chances that were easily being handed to me to participate in such activity. As a high school student, if I wasn’t told I HAD to do something or if I didn’t have the motivation or want to do something, it likely wasn’t going to happen (with the exception of chores, school work, work, etc.). So doing my civic duty wasn’t high on the list.   But I think I have a different appreciation for it now. I think I have come to understand that doing your civic duty means that you are participating in making your community a better place and being a part of something bigger than yourself. You are putting yourself into a global (in some cases) community that gives you the opportunity to have your say and make a difference.   Rhetoric has also changed for me. I used to think it was a term just to be used occasionally in an essay or in a sophisticated English conversation. Now, I have come to think about it as the way that we communicate and how we use our words and language to impact the way our message comes across to others.

SCRIPT: News clip – Obama addressing gun violence and recent school shootings School shootings have been a topic of discussion and debate for the past … years. Different political groups, age groups, and … have a myriad of views and perspectives when it comes to the root of the problem. Across the board, officials agree on the general statement that school shootings have reached an impossibly high level and that action needs to be taken to protect the lives of American children. The true debate lies in how to fix the growing death toll in places of education nationwide.   In 1999, the nation saw one of the deadliest school shootings in history and one of the first to spark a new level of vigor in the fight against school shootings. This was the mass shooting at Columbine High School. And just this past February, 17 people were killed in Parkland. But the assumption that these limited mass shootings are the only examples of an education system failing to protect their students is false. Everyone knows that school shootings are an issue, but the argument stems from a disagreement about what the solution is. The Madfis & Levin model created by professors Eric Madfis and Jack Levin can be used to identify the five stages that a shooter goes through before committing mass murder. First, a shooter suffers from a chronic strain, which is about the repeated trauma a shooter faces, for example bullying or isolation. John Malcolm and Amy Swearer in their article state the three common traits of a school shooter which are mental health illness, broken homes, and socio economic insecurity. Mental health illness is a serious issue, especially when it comes to school shootings. Of course, the vast majority of those suffering with mental illness will not commit violent crimes, but many school shooters do. Could identifying and treating potential mental health illnesses in students early on prevent school shootings? Also, often times school shooters will give clues about their planned attack. In the case of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, the shooter posted a video on youtube about him becoming a “professional school shooter”. Could Identifying these warnings earlier on lead to less school shootings? Many shooters come from broken homes. The article states, “The gunmen at Sandy Hook, Chadron High School, Isla Vista, SuccessTech Academy, Northern Illinois University, and Santana High School (just to name a few) all had divorced parents”. While not all school shooters come from broken homes, there is evidence that broken homes increase the likelihood of common symptoms in school shooters. “Several studies have found that adolescents from intact families tend to report lower levels of emotional and psychological stress, while those who do not live with both biological parents are more likely to exhibit psychological affective disorders such as hyperactivity, irritability, and depression as adults”. The last trait is socio economic insecurity. Many school shooters were poor students in high school or were even kicked out. Also, they didn’t have much prospect of a future. “For example, the Sandy Hook attacker was removed from high school by his parents due to sensory-integration disorder, failed to obtain a degree after attending classes at Western Connecticut State University, and was unemployed without any likelihood of holding a job in the near future. The Parkland attacker had been expelled from high school for disciplinary problems, was taking adult education classes to get his GED, and worked at a Dollar Store”. Secondly, Madfis and Levin state that the potential shooter starts to exhibit troublesome behavior, also known as an uncontrolled strain, for example the police being called to the shooters home repeatedly. Next is the acute strain, a specific event that triggers the person, which could be any form of perceived rejection. After that, the shooter begins the planning phase. Madfis and Levin bring up that the planning phase can last anywhere from a few years to year. Lastly, the shooter carries out the attack, usually in a school because of the large population most schools have. Following the shootings, we see the controversy appear. For example, two people from Murfreesboro have two totally different viewpoints of the Second Amendment. The Constitution states that there will be “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” “I’m pro Second Amendment,” Dean Wilson said Thursday while at the On Target firearms, target shooting and gun instruction business in Murfreesboro. “I believe we have that for a purpose. When you take the power of protection away from the citizens or the law-abiding people, that leaves them vulnerable to those who don’t follow laws.” Kimberly Cagle of Murfreesboro, have concerns about guns being accessible after the Las Vegas shooting. “I think they really shouldn’t allow guns, except if you are a police officer.” Republican tend to believe in smaller governments and less regulation. When it comes to firearm, republicans believe that all American citizens have the right to own, carry, and use guns. On the other hand Democrats believe in more regulations. They want to make it harder to buy guns. When it comes to gun rights, there are few similarities and a few differences between Republicans and Democrats. Both parties believe that the mentally ill shouldn’t be able to purchase guns and that people on the no fly or watch list shouldn’t be able to purchase guns. Democrats are more in favor of banning assault-style weapons, creating a federal database to track gun sales, and banning high capacity gun magazines. In contrast, Republicans are more in favor of allowing concealed carry, allowing concealed carry without a permit, allowing staff members to carry guns in k-12 schools, and to shorten waiting list for buying guns legally. With all of the attention and … that has arisen as a result of school shootings and the deaths of American youth, people are eager to find a solution that benefits everyone. […]

Introduction: Self intro, intro to topic- I have a disability- explanation Not what you might expect when you hear “disability” Forty since mental illnesses recognized as a disability in schools You would think there would be a change- (has been, subtle- explore)   IEPs and 504s- personalized plan for kids, what they need tailored to them, w/ help of teachers, administration, and counseling team- add percentages of children with said plans designed to help them These plans have developed- must be implemented vs they could be- examples?   Increase in people with mental disabilities has increased- because of some genetic, cultural, or situational flaw? No- due to people’s ability to recognize the signs Increased visits to guidance counselors- school meetings to discuss disabilities- assemblies People’s attitudes toward individualized help for students has shifted (difference between equal and fair- mention)   Personal anecdote- 7th grade teacher ignored accommodations, proceeded to inform student they would receive extra credit if they didn’t talk to her for rest of the year- scarring Unfortunately common among children who are supposed to receive additional assistance for disabilities beyond their control Duty of America and the public education system to do a better job at providing for these kids (come some way, need to go all the way to have real change)

  This is one of the most interesting and phenomenal TED talks I have ever watched. TED talks have always been an interest of mine since I started participating in TEDx speeches in my school. I would sit down and watch a few just to get ideas on how to present and convey my feelings in a way other people could understand and relate to. When I found this speech, I was blown away right off the bat by how optimistic and full of life the speaker was. Some TED talks consist of a speaker that is going through the motions of a speech, using the precise language at the right moments to create overwhelming moments of inspiration and profound discovery. This talk blows them all out of the water. Maysoon is so excited to share her story with the world and change lives, and you can tell through the way she uses humor and the tone of her voice. She is a passionate presenter who has such a deep connection with her topic, and it shows.   Another reason I like this speech so much is that it relates to me in two very significant ways.   The two world issues I am the most passionate about are disabilities and tolerance, specifically racial intolerance.   I personally have ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and depression, meaning that disabilities is something I feel connected to. This speech opened me up to a different side of disabilities. I had spent a lot of time learning and and understanding mental disabilities, but I also found a passion in expanding my knowledge on physical disabilities, too.   My grandfather’s full name is Djahangir Nahavandi Moghadam, and when he was 18, he traveled to America from Iran. This means that a good part of me is Middle Eastern, and I have always loved that heritage and that part of me. Having light skin, however, has made my experience with being Middle Eastern different from others. My grandfather has been called names and called out in airports more times than he will admit, so issues of racial prejudice are a close personal interest of mine.   This speaker so eloquently brings together two incredibly fascinating topics with the use of humor and passion to prove how much she deserves to be there and to be heard.

I was thinking of talking about mental health as my paradigm shift discussion point. In the 1700s, those with mental disabilities were thrown into “hospitals” that were nothing more than prisons and insane asylums. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed, attempting to give people with impaired mental and physical health could still gain a chance at getting the job of their dreams. Slurs and words meant to degrade people with mental disabilities (such as “retard” ) are more widely rejected now, and commercials portraying a happy family on TV are even known to have a disabled child, showing the overall shift in how Americans view those with disabilities. As I said before, this argument on the progress of mental health brings up a lot of interesting points about history and the past, but it also brings up the more recent issue that we have seen about mental health care, especially as it has related to gun violence in schools, and personal image. This makes the topic relevant and important to our discussion of America’s new ideals and foundations. Discussing the direction that mental health awareness might go addresses where we want to see our country five, ten, twenty years down the road. In terms of mental disabilities and the future, the issue of minor disabilities also comes up, in direct correlation to the conversation that was just had about mental health care. I am talking about disabilities such as depression, ADHD, chronic migraines, anxiety, and OCD. As a person that struggles with, well, all of these, actually, I have a unique perspective on the matter and have some of my own personal experience to share that could provide fact and proof in my argument that these are indeed real disabilities that can impair someone’s abilities, and need to be taken seriously.  

  “Saving Students’ Lives, One Poster at a Time” The importance of education in America has long been emphasized and reiterated as demand for jobs that require higher levels of education increases. However, as safety in schools has become more of a complex issue and the frequency of school shootings has increased tenfold, education itself has taken almost a back seat when compared with the larger issue of saving the lives of children who could be at risk just by going to school. On March 14, over 1000 students stood up and walked out of class to participate in a walk out to bring awareness to the lives lost because of school shootings. Scattered among the determined, passionate, and even angry faces in that crowd are the words on the posters they hold. One such sign screamed, “We go to school to get As, not PTSD.”, and another reads “I should be writing my college essay, not my will.” In light of the shooting in Parkland just a month before,  these posters dig directly into the heart of the issue at hand, addressing the audience from the perspective of sources close to the matter using tactics that ensnare the emotions of the reader. Elevated feelings of pity, shock, and determination accompany the call to action hidden in this poster behind the reliability of the speakers and the timely manner of the poster’s purpose. The PTSD poster’s purpose and initial intended reaction stems from the use of pathos in the words used and the meaning behind the words. The poster plays off of the innocent idea that the reason for kids going to school is to gain knowledge and get good grades on their report cards. The ideal report card consists of all As, so saying that a child goes to school to get As brings up the notion that the child wants to succeed, an innocent and pure goal when it comes to education. However, in the midst of that goal comes the contradictory image of having PTSD. This image is typically associated with traumatic events such as wartime tragedies or being a survivor of a horrific experience. In comparing the two, the As and the PTSD, it directly contrasts the images of a happy child that is succeeding in school and getting As with the image of an emotionally damaged child, a picture the majority of us can sympathize with. We feel bad for this fictional child and the horrors they have had to endure because we see the consequences of school shootings, such as PTSD instead of the prized As. While this poster play on the idea that a child can be emotionally scarred from such an event, other posters take the message a step further, bringing in the physical well being of the child in question, as well. One such poster that elaborates on the expectation of what a typical high school student should be doing versus the reality of what could be happening, also using pathos to pull the audience’s emotions into the equation. This alternative poster compares college essay writing to writing a will. Writing a college essay is an event that is one of the first steps a student can take towards their future, starting the path towards college and the rest of their lives. The writing of a will, on the other hand, is an action associated with the end of a life, and symbolizes the lack of a future. This creates feelings of sorrow within the audience as they realize the stark difference in outcome based on a horrific event that is a very real possibility in many educational settings. This poster even goes as far as to say that a child’s life could be in jeopardy, not just the emotional well being of the child. All parents or adults who have taken on a role that comes with some level of responsibility for a child understands how devastating such an occurrence would be. Beyond just those people, the rest of the country can understand how the loss of a life is beyond unacceptable, especially when that life is an innocent child with what could be their whole life ahead of them. While both of these posters effectively make use of the pathos in the emotional ideas and concepts presented in their words, they employ slightly different level of shock and pity for the authors of the posters. The aforementioned authors of the posters are another topic of discussion when analyzing the degree to which these posters are successful. This other method is the realization of the identity of the speaker and therefore the relevance it has to the situation. The people we are to envision speaking these haunting words are none other than the people who wrote them in big bold letters on poster paper in the first place- the students. The students are the party directly impacted by the imminent danger of school shootings, making them the ones whose say has the most relevance. Their emotions and feelings on the topic are the closest to the issue presented, seeing as they have the closest perspective from within the walls of the schools that are at any moment in danger of being attacked. Having a student saying these things about having PTSD and having to write a will shows how directly school shootings impact them. This invocation of a reliable source with real insight on the situation is a tactical employment of ethos. The majority of the population of the United States is not in schools, so having these heart wrenching saying come from a reliable source we know has a unique perspective on the matter makes the point more clear and valuable. Having the students as the authors of these posters presents them as sources of relevant and reliable material, claiming ethos as a strategic point used in the persuasive nature of the posters. The timely nature of the message in both posters helps convey the sense of urgency and […]

  The importance of education in America has long been emphasized and reiterated as demand for jobs that require higher levels of education increases. However, as  safety in schools has become more of an issue and the frequency of school shootings has increased tenfold, education itself has taken almost a back seat as an issue when compared with the larger issue of saving the lives of children who could be at risk just by going to school. On March 14, over 1000 students stood up and walked out of class to participate in a walk out to bring awareness to the lives lost because of school shootings. Scattered among the determined, passionate, and even angry faces in that crowd are the words on the posters they hold. One such sign screamed, “I go to school to get As, not PTSD.”, and another reads “I should be writing my college essay, not my will.” In light of the shooting in Parkland just a month before,  these posters dig directly into the heart of the issue at hand, addressing the audience from the perspective of sources close to the matter using tactics that ensnare the emotions of the reader. Elevated feelings of pity, shock, and determination accompany the call to action hidden in this poster behind the reliability of the speakers and the timing of the poster itself.