"The Tenacity of Hope"

Last night I watched our president Barack Obama speak to the nation. Assuring us that America will pass this rather distressed period. I watched how he addressed himself to the nation. I could see the tenacity of hope that sparkled from his eyes. His assurance caused me to hope again. Being a senior getting ready to attend college in the fall, I can say that I am a bit uneasy about where the country finds itself. He spoke to us about education and his plans. Even after the election in my eyes he has not given me a reason to stop believing in him, in his dreams of once again restoring this country back to what it was once the land of prosperity and dreams. 

"Official First Day"

Yesterday I went for the first time to meet my sponsors students. When I arrived they were in the middle of their geometry lesson. At first I was nervous but for some reason when I actually walked through the door it seemed to fall off. Ms. Mahoney was walking around giving a treat to those students that were completing their work. I sat on a side of the classroom and watched the students learn, and interact with each other. I wasn't there for that long but I felt like I was gonna like that class. They are all awake and aware, I admire their curiosity and can't wait until I actually start talking to them and further becoming involved in the classroom.

"Changeling"

In previous blogs I have stated that today's movie seem to be filled vulgarity and language, but I might have been wrong. During the weekend my days are pretty usually organized, Saturday I work and Sundays I get ready for the school week. This week however, we decided to watch a movie. To much to my surprise my father chose this rather odd movie. It was called Changeling, which was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Angelina Jolie. At first I was skeptical, the cover of the movie wasn't as eye catching or extraordinary but I didn't discard it. As we began to watch the movie I was intrigued by the lifestyle people had in the 1920's where a mother could leave to work and leave a door open. As the movie began to unfold I found myself moved. During the entire movie I experienced sadness, anger, despair, hope and at the end disappointment. I won't spoil the movie but I will recommend this movie, because in my opinion there are not many movies today in which they allow the individual to reflect and at the same time entertain. 

"Inspirational Quote"

"The virtuous life is a product of constitantly weeding out flaws and weaknesses, and choosing right over wrong just like preparing a good pot of beans."- Yolanda Nava

I found this quote smacked in the middle of the first three pages of my new inspirational book called "It's all in the Frijoles". She explains in the introduction her story about how much she appreciates her mother and what she instilled in her, she realizes this after her mother's death. As I continued to read, she told us about how her mother assigned the dutiful task of picking out the pinto beans that were not good. At the exact moment, my mind re winded back when I was a child. My mom would also give me that task when she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I would do it with such enthusiasm because I felt like a wildly important task had been bestowed on me because my mom would tell me the same exact thing "cuidado que no se via uno feo" which means be careful that an ugly one doesn't go in the pot. The reason that I felt inspired was because it made me reflect on what my parents have taught me and their significance to my character.

"The Forgotten Puzzle Pieces"

So I ran downstairs yesterday to plead for forgiveness to my mentor (Mrs. Wonderful Porter) for missing my weekly visit with her. When I got there she was talking to her eight period class about the Senior Prom. It made me think while I tentatively listened to her. I brag about the future all the time, and my life goal to leave my imprint for the future, which in my opinion are children. But what happened to the elderly? The past is as vital as the future, as sometimes people can forget. During those less then ten minutes, I felt in a way bad because I had forgotten the past, the wisdom and stories these people contain, the different points of views, or beliefs they have. Which in a subtle but tremendous way shape the future. When I went home after school, that question stilled lingered about in my head. They in a way became the forgotten pieces to the pivotal life puzzle. I am in a way embarrassed for have forgotten the importance and significance of elders and the impact they leave on the upcoming future.

"Mi Familia"

I am not much of a reader or writer although the few times that I have actually read a book on my own, I have to admit I love picking up a word here and there. It broadens my vocabulary and also works that rusty thing called imagination. Lately, I have been reading It's All in the Frijoles by Yolanda Nava. This book is AMAZING, or at least to me. It's filled with saying that I grew up with, it made me feel understood in a sense. This book reinforced my identity, it inspired me tremendously to feel proud of where I come from. Family to me is the most important thing, in a sense they are the pillars of my stability. They encourage me, they drive me to do better and above all they challenge me. I often thank the teachers that have pushed me to do better, who have challenged me to reach for the stars. But they only reinforce the push that I receive from my family. My mother has always told me, "Cindi, you our mirror, what ever you do in life reflects on your family". She has always said that to me ever since I was little, I always understood it as I have to be good in school, respectful to my elders and get good grades. Today I continue to see it as to be on my best behavior, although I think it has a much more profound meaning. I want to make them proud, I am their mirror I represent their character, their beliefs, but most importantly I represent La Familia Tapia.

"My Love Affair with Education"

Growing up I wanted to be many things a ballerina, a doctor, a Nascar driver, you name it. Then something amazing happened I realized I wanted to be a teacher. My love affair with education began in second grade when one of my most beloved teachers Mrs. Adams gave me the permission to go and teach her class for a day. I cannot begin to describe the rush that I got when I stood in front of those kindergartners, I felt like a giant compared to them. I remembered how tentative they were of what I said and most importantly their tenacity to start projects. I made cards with them I recited the numbers. I felt like I had just found my true calling. Everyday was something new, some new question arose from a curious child. Those days were short but to me their affect will last forever. I feel that if that would have never happened I wouldn't know to this day what I wanted to do, what dream would I be pursuing today.

"Common Sense or Imprudence?"

"It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense." - Robert Green Ingersoll

Growing up I have heard many stories told by both my father and mother. It always started like "When I was a boy.......I had to walk ten miles to school everyday" or something around those lines. I listened and sometimes made sarcastic remarks. Until one day when my father asked me do you know all the elements in the periodic table?, do you know the importance of doing geometry without using a calculator? I was dumbfounded, NO I didn't, I didn't know why I would ever need to memorize the periodic table or why in the world would I need to know the areas of a circle or find the perimeter of the yard in my head. He said, "that is the problem, your generation has supposedly better education than the previous generation with state of the art computers, phones, and calculators. But what happens when you strip them of everything, what is left?". I couldn't answer him, because I didn't know, but most importantly I was ashamed because he was right. I have depended myself of technology and I guess that without it I wouldn't be able to do much. In a way I realized technology has clouded our common sense our ability to function without it. Technology can be useful but we cannot depend off of it. If we continue to allow ourselves to be driven  by technology it can become the most eminent danger in our society. The quote that is shown above came from a man that lived during the Civil War era. He understood that education can be useless when a pupil does not know how or why to use that knowledge. He might had not been aware of technology for it was far past his time but the lesson or message transcended throughout the ages.  So I ask myself is technology part of our common sense or our imprudence to do create shortcuts or learn things quicker. 

"The Idea to Grow"

Sometimes I wish I could lead myself out of the darkness of ignorance when it comes to art. I don't get art, sometimes things that seem so mundane to me can be critiqued as pure ingenious by those critics that have dedicated their entire life to art. So, I was flipping through my favorite magazine VOGUE the other day and I stumbled across this article. It was displaying this young woman (in a fabulous dress, of course) around what looked like blue coral. It grabbed my attention. These coral looking balls where  entirely made out of paper. I was blown away when I continued to flip the pages and reading. I found out that this particular artist has dedicated her life to making these rather unusual yet, fascinating creations. After reading this article, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Art is like those shiny balls that when the light hits it in different angles a different color appears. You have to have a spark of imagination to fully understand art, it might sound cheesy but you really have to think outside the box. This article gave me the idea to grow. I am a fond appreciator of perspective, and to much of my disbelief art screams perspective in the silence of galleries. 

"My favorite Movie"

Call me old fashion or out dated, but I am absolutly in love with the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. This movie is part of a collection of old movies I love. I have to admit that they seem to interest me ten times more then the movies that come out today. I feel that movies like these are simple but entertaining without corssing any line with vulgarity. Audrey Hepburn presented herself as a chic graceful individual throughout the entire movie, even though her character was less respectable. Nonetheless, I envy her sophisticated wardrobe and elegant demeanor. I feel as though today's romance movies seem less sweet and much more intense. It's nice to watch movies that spark your imagination, not ones that make you want to cover your eyes and say "oh my". Making this movie one of my favorites.

"Senior Seminar"

The night of the Senior Project launch, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous if not entirely consumed by them. I had arrived late and everybody was already outside waiting for the cue I guess. I have to admit that I had never been so afraid of speaking in front of people especially my mom, who is by far my toughest critic. As everybody began to speak dread began to settle in my stomach. I admit that I had never felt so scared, I even forgot to mention my mentors. When I got home and un-whined at dinner I realized what had been the glitch in what was supposed to be a piece of cake, I didn't properly prepare myself. I feel like I didn't really show my dedication and passion for this program. I now know that I have to practice and better prepare myself.