Harry_Garry

Welcome to St Mary's Campus, Semester 2 2011.
During your time @ St Mary's you will have a range of tasks to complete as part of the Wikispaces assessment task. In order to make things happen!! I ask that each individual 9 BROWN class member create their own page in the 'SMC Reflections page' and put your name to it. When you have created this page can you please copy and paste the following questions on to your page.We will discuss this further in terms of expectations etc during class. I will also issue you a Wiki rubric that will further outline the expectations. Please note the following Reflections and Discussion Posts need to be completed by FRIDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER. We will continue to use the Wiki beyond this date as a communication tool.

Regards Ms Kays

Each student will build their own page for the purposes of Reflection. This is because when two students are using the same page at the same time the page will not save properly. Each week for 10 weeks you will need to write a reflection about your experiences and opinions about the topic. Each reflection is expected to at least 200 words in length. The topic or questions you are asked to reflect on are listed below. Copy these questions to your individual reflection page. Thank you
 * Reflections **

I have received a lot of advice from many people; family members, teacher and friends. But the best piece of advice I’ve received would be from my primary school teacher, Miss Rodi. When I was moving from Perth to Melbourne I thought that it would be the worst thing that could ever have happened to me. But, Miss Rodi assured me that it would be an get experience. She told me that Melbourne is the city filled with opportunities and wonderful places to visit. I was a bit sceptical to believe her at first, but when i arrived I realised that it wasn’t that much different from Perth. Aside from the climate and people. Miss Rodi said some very strong things to me, she said to me that it was okay to feel hurt and angry, she also said to me ‘Erin I’ve known you for 6 years now and this is the first time that I've seen this much emotion just pouring out’ she was right. She had been like a big sister to me and I felt like I could go and talk to her about anything, but in this moment I felt so much angry and betrayal by my parents that they had shut me out in the dark and hadn’t told me anything about it. Miss Rodi had told me that I was the most strong and invincible person she had known in her lie but she also told me that everyone has a time when they feel so lost and confused. Miss Rodi gave me the best possible advice because it was true, many people before her had given me good wishes for the future and hoped that I would have fun and become successful. However, Miss Rodi took the time to comfort me when I needed it most and explain all of the hopes and thoughts that I could achieve in the state that offers the most. After living in Melbourne for a year and a half now I’ve realized that her advice has helped me to realise that she was right and that opportunities which have come to me in Melbourne, may have never happened in Perth. I’ve also related a lot to a quote from ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, this quote was on a head stone at the cemetery which said ‘Be just and fear not’. This makes me feel like I can be myself and I don’t need to fear of what others will think.
 * Week 1 **
 * __What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? __**

If I threw a piece of rubbish on the ground and didn’t bother putting it in the bin, millions of things could happen. But, just to name a few; the piece of rubbish could stay on the floor until someone picked it up, it could blow around and never be picked up or it could be eaten by an innocent little animal mistaking it for food. These things could continue on again and again forever and many things could occur in the future because of this simple and avoidable problem. We have such a beautiful world and I can’t understand why some people are so careless and are destined to turn it into a ‘pig sty’. Not only does it look disgusting, but it also creates problems to our environment and mainly our marine life. We may think that a piece of rubbish won’t harm anything but if everyone is dumping rubbish then it can cause major risks to the animals that are helpless once they are trapped or have eaten this rubbish. Even though clearly marked bins are placed all around people are still too lazy or careless to walk the extra few metres to put there rubbish in a bin which could essentially end up saving marine lives.
 * Week 2 **
 * __What would happen if you threw a piece of trash on the ground? What if everyone did? __**


 * Week 3 **
 * __What would you do if you saw a friend cheating - report it, confront the friend or nothing - and why? __**


 * __What do you think courage means? __**

If I saw one of my closest friends cheating on a test or any area of life, I would not report it to a teacher as that would create havoc in our friendship. Although, I would muster up the courage and words to go and speak to them about what had happened. I would ask them why they felt they had to do this cheating. As a student like them I understand the stress and pressure about failing a test, but I would also tell them that this is defiantly not the answer. However if I knew that this friend was only cheating because they didn’t put in enough effort or time to be prepared for the test, then I would give them some lecturing about why it is not there work to copy. Nevertheless I would also be the good friend and offer to help them create a study plan or study with them and motivate them to achieve their full potential. Yet, my friends are the kinds of people who go the extra mile to be prepared and study for the test/ task. They are hard working and I could trust them not to do something like this. So I would never have to make the decision to report, confront or do nothing about this serious matter. I believe courage means the ability to do something that frightens you or the strength to face something while you are afraid. Courage to me would mean that someone has got to do something that they are afraid or just generally not wanting to do. But to gather up the nerve to do what is right and what they believe is right for them. To me a good friend involves trust, communication and to have things in common. To really connect with someone you want to know that they are trustworthy, to tell them secrets to etc. You’d want to know that you can communicate to them with if you’re in a pickle or need guidance. A friend is someone that is the peanut butter to your jelly sandwich, the ying to your yang, the other half of you. What is a best friend? A single soul in two bodies.
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What do you think makes a good friend? __**

<span style="color: #92d050; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Just like a child and their blanket, or a dog and its toys everyone has something that they will always treasure and that is priceless. For me this item would be my jar of dirt. This jar of dirt was an idea from the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. I wanted one of these jars as when I moved from Perth to Victoria I wanted something that would remind me of Perth when I looked at it. My jar contains shells from my favourite beach in Perth, sand from my old house and rocks from my old school. These 3 places are the one place I’ve always felt at home. This item is supposed to make you feel safe and secure, something that reminds you of a happy time in your life. This jar of Perth elements makes me feel like I’m in Perth and it allows me to known that where ever I am Perth is always with me. When someone asks you a question what would you grab if your house was on fire and you could only save one thing, this would be that thing. Most people would head for their photos or piece of technology, but this jar of dirt is to important for me to lose and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 4 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What is your most indispensable possession and why? __**

<span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Although in sometime during my life I would have at some point littered, so I can’t be too critical. However, I think that this just horrible because there are usually marked bins within 100 metres of where you have your rubbish. I don’t think that this is right! This is just pure laziness and there are fines put into place because of these actions.Littering is an environmental crime. Litterers can be fined from $105 on the spot or up to $6,289 if the matter is prosecuted in court. Councils reported a 17% increase in the amount of waste collected from street litter bins in 2003-2004compared to the previous year while there was just over 6% decrease in the amount collected from litter traps. If these issues aren't bad enough there is the matter of Marine life. This is not only our home, but it is also there’s. We are condemning them to live in this poisoned environment and there’s nothing that they can do. So we need to be the leaders in this situation and take charge of this never ending problem and save the animal’s homes, habitats and lifestyles.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 5 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What do you think about people polluting the environment? __**


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 6 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How do you feel when you do something wrong? __**


 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How do you feel when you do something that is very good? __**
 * <span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When something goes wrong it’s almost hard not to feel bad or guilty. You will always ask yourself the questions; could I have done better? Should I have tried harder? There is always going to be that feeling of doubt. We should set out to do our best but, when we don’t these feeling are brought to the surface. **


 * <span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> However, when I’ve done something wrong I can sometimes have mixed feelings. Most of the time I will feel culpable or not as good as I’d want to feel. But, sometimes I just feel happy because it gives me a chance to learn from this. We’re all only human and we are going to make mistakes at some point, this is what shapes us and makes us who we are. The learning aspect of our wrong doing show our true colours and how we can change or improve on something we have done. My mum always told me that when I had done something erroneous, that I had time to learn from what I had done and not do it again, to me this is golden knowledge. All families have their own values and beliefs and it is my family’s belief that when you’ve done something wrong it isn’t the end of the world it’s a short time of misjudgement which can be learnt from and built upon. **

<span style="color: #339966; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I wish that there was a law that declares all cars be fitted with a non removable microchip that blocks the signal from their mobile phone. I think that Australia has enough accidents on the road and I believe most of these are a result of mobile phone use. This distracts the driver, while they should the driving there talking on the phone. If we were meant to drive talk and text there would be cars designed for that, but there aren’t. <span style="color: #339966; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Too many lives are lost because of this need to be talking then and there. I mean seriously wait until it is safe and you aren’t able to hurt or injure other drivers. This law is probably too farfetched for the government to jump at but, I think that it is a matter that they should seriously consider. The government isn’t just there to collect tax or build new roads, they are also there to take care of us and I think safety and preventing of mobile phones in the car is a big step for them to take but it will have a big impact on road death numbers. So until the government puts out, drop the phone, put both hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 7 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I wish there was a law that said... This would be a good law because... __**


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 8 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When you are angry, how do you look? When are you happiest? When have you felt lonely? When do you feel proud? __**
 * <span style="color: #ff99cc; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When I’m angry it’s best to get out of the room because I release demons that you DO NOT want to cross. You will meet another side of me that you never thought was humanly possible. This probably sounds just wrong, but ask anyone who has made me angry and they will tell you exactly what I’m describing. At first I will look calm and act like nothing has happened, but shortly after my body will become so consumed with rage and emotions that you think a nuclear explosion is about to burst. My eyes will start to twitch and then I will most probably use some colourful language that probably shouldn’t, but because I’m angry I do it anyway. **

====** <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"> I am most happy when I’m in the comfort of friends, it’s usually when we are laughing, having a good time not in the mood at all to be split. It’s like we are bound and nothing can pull us apart. I'm usually the most happy when I'm with my best friend Jaimee, because she always know how to make me laugh and know's when I'm upset. She will always be there for a hug or a piggy back ride, whatever the situation I know she will always be there holding my back. She is the reason I'm usually smiling or happy all the time, she is the reason I'm not scared to laugh whenever I want and she is the reason no one will ever be a friend like her. She's always there to share a juice box with, she's always there to talk to, she's always there when I am sad and she's just always there, which makes me feel amazing to know that I've been blessed with a friend as amazing as she makes me feel. I’m not usually lonely, but I felt the most lonely when I moved from Perth because I had convinced myself that there would be no one who would accept me in their group, I felt as though I would be spending the rest of high school as the outcast. I feel proud when I’ve done something right, it’s usually when I’m cooking. I was so proud of myself the day I made a full spun sugar netting croquembouche all by myself. It took me 6 hours to prepare and when it was done I just felt so good about myself. **====


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 9 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Which quality do you dislike most about yourself - laziness, selfishness, childishness - and why? __**
 * <span style="color: #ff9933; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I don’t think that it’s about the quality that you dislike the most about you, I think it’s the one you want to improve on. For me this would be my childishness, but it’s not something that I want to change because it’s a part of me and something that we all need to hold onto. Releasing your inner child is important to hold onto your childhood, something that we need to remind ourselves of. Even though this is a part of me that I love it could also be a part that I want to tone down. I still want to be able to watch my ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Monsters Inc’ and my ‘Princess’ movies but I still want to be taken seriously and come off as mature. But I think that the quality I like the least about myself would be ‘selfishness’. This is because I always feel like I have to be in control of everything, but it can also get in the way of what others think too. For me everything needs to be perfect and no one else can do it as well as I want it done. It all has to be precise and correct the first time, no room for error. I like to do everything myself so I know that it is done the way I expect it to be. I want to work on this because it’s not just me that likes it done right others like to be given the opportunity to do it right, but their way. **

To me prejudice means to prejudge or presume something about someone. I was taught that prejudice exists because of unawareness and lack of knowledge. It’s all down to difference, because someone else is different that we look at them differently. It’s like someone with Down syndrome, most will look at the disability and not the person. It’s like someone from another culture, most will look at their skin colour and not their personality. It’s like someone who is gay, most will look at the same sex and not the happiness of the couple. We prejudge people, we prejudge their actions and feelings. I hate to think that we have come to live in a place where someone judges another person by what kind of car they drive or their appearance. Someone with tattoos will be branded as a substance abuser when what they are only trying to do is express themselves. We have to stop being so critical or disapproving and accept people for who they are, where they come from, the colour of their skin. In the end all of that doesn’t matter because in the end we are all the same, we are all living on the same stretch of dirt and we are all going to have to find some way to look at each other equally.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Week 10 **
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Why do you think prejudice exists in the world? __**