Expected Schoolwide Learning Results

Why I feel that I have demonstrated the Expected Schoolwide Learning Results

Being responsible is taking account for one�s actions and obligations while choosing between right and wrong or doing the correct thing. This is one of the Expected School-wide Learning Results (E.S.L.R.s). The first requirements under responsible is, �Produce quality work with personal integrity.� I have done so by making this project as well as I could. I have done everything myself and have not lied about doing something I have not. This in turn has helped me develop emotional well being by being proud of what I have accomplished which, is another E.S.L.R. I feel good about it. I have also cooperated with others to solve problems, which, is another E.S.L.R. The problem that I started with was the amount of knowledge that needs to be brought to people about caring for animals. I have solved it by making a Web Site informing them about this subject. This has helped people to be aware of animal rights and legal responsibility for their actions towards their animals and pets. One page on my Web Site includes a list of rules that San Diego County has about pets. I have worked together with Colleen Blackburn and Shannon Steck to do this. Shannon and I went to one shelter and learned a lot, then the three of us met a few times. We helped each-other build Web Sites about the issues. This has solved a small part of the problem. Our survey results will prove that. I have also met this E.S.L.R., �Demonstrated responsibility for their learning and actions.� I take responsibility for my project. I did not cheat, lie or use anyone else�s information without their permission. It is all mine. I have no reason not to take responsibility for it or what I have done during this project. I have been more responsible on keeping up my meeting with my advisor than on my tenth grade personal project. Although they have not been perfectly consistent, I have gotten more responsible and will take responsibility for that also. To be responsible you need to think about what you are doing or have done. This is another E.S.L.R.

We all know that Aristotle and Einstein were a few of the great �Thinkers� of all time. To become great thinkers like them, Guajome thinks that students need to �propose questions that illuminate fundamental issues.� �Identify problems and suggest solutions Recognize and examine moral and ethical issues,� �Apply knowledge to experience, and experience to knowledge.� �Integrate knowledge gained from various subjects,� and �Demonstrate creative, critical and evaluative thinking.� I have done these things by doing my senior project. The first thing I did was think of a problem that I could help solve. I asked myself, �What is a problem I could solve?� The answer to that was, after a while of thinking, awareness of caring for animals. The issue was that there were Humane Societies and shelters all over the United States, if not the entire world. This shows a problem with people taking care of their animals. After that, I thought about the issues and how to solve the problem. To solve the problem I thought about the issues and facts. I had identified a problem and suggested a solution. I also recognized and examined the moral and ethical issues behind the problem and solution. I thought about the poor little animals having to be in a shelter without a family and having to kill them sometimes. I also thought about people not caring about their pets or having them lost or getting arrested for not following rules about having pets. I think it is ethical and moral to take care of yourself and another creature you have responsibility for or have in your possession or control. I used the knowledge I obtained from the various arts to do this project. I used the Internet, library and conversation. I integrated the information into an organized project. In organizing this project I integrated knowledge I have gained from various subjects. I used my writing skills to write about various subjects along my technology skills to type it up on the computer and put it onto the Web Site. This entire project used my creativity. I had to conjure up a whole project on my own. That took some creative thinking while being critical and evaluative of whether I could perform it successfully. I also thought about how to make the Web Sites interesting and nice to look at, so that the people would want to read on. I did this by drawing and coloring pictures to put onto the pages, while also making the text into a usable format. When I think my project is finished I will criticize it and see if there is anything I need to improve. All of this is communicated in my senior project.

In order to change society one must communicate with the people of the community. I did this with this project. First of all I needed to master the essentials of effective reading, writing, speaking, listening, calculating, and computing. To access information I went to the library and used my computer. To retrieve the information I checked out the books and printed out Internet sites. I read many books and Internet Web Pages about animals. I also spoke to and listened to people about what they had to say, which, I can prove with the video and notes I took of the interview I had with an Officer at the Humane Society in Oceanside. This shows that I accessed and retrieved information from him. Then I computed it in my head and wrote about the information I had gathered. To show or display my newly received information into a usable format, I made a Web Site. On the page, I wrote about the interview and also put on the questions I asked and notes I took during the interview. The technologies I used were the computer, Internet and a writing program called Microsoft Word. I used these in conjunction and in order to effectively show what I was trying to get across. The final product is presented as a resource for people to learn about caring for animals. It can be easily accessed on the Web. That used media in an effective way. It proves it is effective with the survey results.

Contributing to the community is what this project was all about. I made a Web Site that has helped people. The project was designed and implemented to improve our school and community. That is one of the E.S.L.R.s. I participated in the various arts by making the site (E.S.L.R.). The computer type technology is an art form in itself. Making the layout of the site also uses an artistic sense. One direct way I used art in the conventional format is drawing. I drew all the pictures I used myself. I also colored them with colored pencils. This is very artistic. While I was in the community and around my home and school, I needed to respect care for others and myself. It would not be acceptable to demonstrate anything other than respect. I have grown up feeling that if people deserve respect I should show it to them. The others would need to disrespect me in some way for me to disrespect them. In order to learn from people and gather correct information, they need to feel one respects them. This also goes hand in hand with another E.S.L.R. �Respect and value the human dignity of every individual.� I respected their dignity as I respected my own. I always kept myself first in order to help others. I cannot help or care for them if I cannot help or care for myself. This is one way I have gotten information. This also goes along with being a citizen of our Nation. Anyone can be a citizen, but it takes more to be an active citizen.

I wanted to help the community with my project. I applied and valued the history and principles of this Nation to do that. I researched the issues and concerns people have over their animals. There would be no rights activists, Humane Societies or rules about pets if no one cared. I thought that it must be a concern. I based my project upon that. It is something that needs to be helped. Then I proposed a thoughtful solution to this local, national and world problem. I chose to do a small part in helping this local problem. It was a start; this is being within a Global Society. I was thinking about others in my own society. I was also being prepared for changes within this society and the technology or employment that goes along in it. I was trying to change something and help my society. To do that I organized people and an event. I had meetings that were set up with my advisor, Mrs. Mitchell along with separate meetings with two other students, Colleen Blackburn and Shannon Steck. These meetings were made in order to implement innovation and change into society with this project. I also needed to organize other resources. I organized the first interview we had. This is proof of organization because it happened successfully. I called up my friends and asked if they wanted to go do an interview and take a tour of the Humane Society in Oceanside. They both said they did. We agreed on a date. Then I found the phone number and called the place. I spoke with a few people there and organized a date and time to do the interview and tour. I then spoke with the students, one in which, decided they could not go. This made it a bit different than my already placed plans, but Shannon and I went without her because it was something we needed to do. We organized more plans in which, my mother would drive us to the Humane Society and we would use her video camera. It happened and now we have the video of the final product. It took a lot of organizing to make it happen. This was an organized part of the organized product that was made in hopes of implementing change into the community and society.

Being responsible, thinking, communicating and contributing are some of the things that have made me part of my community. I have demonstrated the �Expected School-wide Learning Results.� I feel that I have helped in a small part. This is the first step in changing the world for the better one step at a time.