"Getting Interviewed"

Last Friday myself and some of my fellow UA students had the opportunity to get interviewed by a reporter. She was interested in how students felt about Mayor Fenty and the recent school takeover. I was happy to be in the presence of a reporter because finally we could get our voices heard. All this time we have been going to school and enduring this nonsense of not having enough books, or the unkempt atmosphere of our school. This was an opportunity to tell those who are in charge what we really face behind closed school doors.

At first I thought it was going to be intimidating but it went smoother than I predicted. I felt like a famous person getting interviewed. There was a camera lady who would take our pictures as we talked to the reporter. The reporter took notes on what we said to include in her article that will appear in the Washington Post.

Everyone sat around the table giving their insight or describing how they feel about things. We all approved of Mayor Fenty and we hope that he made the right choice when he chose Ms. Rhee as chancellor. A lot of people doubt her ability to produce real change because she has no superintendent experience. I believe as long as she can stop everyone from saying what they are going to do and start actually putting it into play, then I am happy that she is apart of the team. So, hopefully we will see results soon, and DCPS can be what a school system should be like.

If you where in my situation how would you react?
What’s one thing you would have said about our school?
Do you think what we participated in will bring change? If so how?

"College Panel of Alumni students"

What do you think about the college panel that came out to talk to us on Friday?
The alumni students gave out some good information that we could benefit from when we go off to college. Some tips that the college students gave out was to take courses that are transferable. You don’t want to transfer into a school and all your credits don’t go along with you, let alone pay for the courses that would be irrelevant to your major or irrelevant to your transfer. The other tips were to get to know your professors. There are some professors that care about your education and there are some ones that are there just to make that money. For we all heard that college is a business and whether you play with it or be serious, your money is still getting taken away. Some professors don’t care whether you come to class or not. It’s hard to believe but some professors would have the audacity to threaten you into not taking their course or making you think that you are not going to pass. Have you ever felt like a teacher didn’t care about your education?

We hear people talk about college a lot but you don’t here or see certain things until you actually experience it for yourself. It can be hard or it can be easy, it all depends on how adaptive you are. No more having people tell you what to do; you now make the rules for yourself. Some get home sick but others can wait to get away. This panel helped us get more knowledge of what to expect and learn throughout our college experience.

-What are some things that you were shock to hear that happen in college?
- Was the college panel useful?

"Public speaking challlenge"

As you all know the Public Speaking Challenge is just weeks away. Are you ready to engage yourself in this end of the year event? I hope that you all are. Now you can finally brag about the things that you did at your worksite and the cool and exciting people that you were able to meet. You will be surrounded by a various group of community members including your friends, mentor(s), program coordinators, and judges. All theses people will be there to support you and hear how you progressed throughout the year.

Don’t be nervous, just practice, practice, practice! The more you practice the better presenter you become. The PowerPoint presentation will consist of many different prizes including a $100 bonus for a highly scored presentation. Even though the program is about to end for us, you can still use what you have learned and apply it to your everyday world. Beginning this program, most of us only expected a job and a paycheck. But after experiencing what we’ve experienced in the world of work, we can better understand and expect what we want out of life.

UA has helped taught us about networking, with these presentations we can pass it on to someone else. Practice makes perfect!!

What rating would you expect to get on your presentation?
How prepared do you think you are?
What are some things that would make your presentation more appealing?

"Weather vs. Professionalism"

It’s hot and you want to stay professional and be cool at the same time. How do you do that? I know that this is a challenge for many but it can be done. Don’t think about the heat, concentrate on making a good impression by the way you dress and carry yourself. Here are some heat friendly ways in which we can apply this to our everyday work wear.

For the ladies you could put on a nice knee length skirt and a tank top. Some of us are not fortunate to get rides so we have to catch the Metro. You could where your tank tops walking to work and have a little sweater in your bag or purse to put on when you’re working in the office. For the shoes you could where nice flat shoes or nice pair of sandals that you can be comfortable in and look professional at the same time.

For the Fella’s it’s all about less dress. If it’s a hundred degrees outside, you don’t want to come to work with a full suit on. You could simply where a button up shirt, short sleeves and some nice cool slacks. Light colors matter. Try to wear light colored slacks and not black because black carries heat. The office is always cold so you don’t have to worry about being hot in the workplace only going to and from work.

- How do you survive with heat?
- Do you think there should be less pressure for interns to dress up?
- Do you feel that the same rule applies to everyone?

"School Takeover"

I think Mayor Fenty taking over the DC public schools is a great idea. Maybe we could actually get better teachers, newer books, safer and cleaner environments. This would also eliminate the teachers who are not actually doing their jobs. We need teachers who would come to work to teach and not come to make friends with the students. Having Mayor Fenty in the office to make sure students receive good teachers would not only help the school system but it would also help change the learning environment. Here are some links to different articles where Mayor Fenty talks about the new DCPS chancellor and more in depth information on the takeover.

Links:

1. 20 Questions to Ask the New School Chief
2. An Even Bigger School Bureaucracy
3. D.C. Schools Investigation
4. Longtime D.C. School Woes Eclipsed Board's Triumphs

Questions:

1. What do you think of Mayor Fenty’s choice for the new chancellor, Michelle Rhee?
2. What type of impact do you think this will make on students?
3. Do you think teachers should start getting full background checks before they are allowed to teach?
4. Do you think Rhee will last?
5. Do you think Mayor Fenty should have told Superintendent Clifford B. Janey in person first and before announcing the takeover to the public?