REM Artist Statement

In my painting I was trying to show the difference between the Leavers and the Takers. Throughout the book My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Ishmael kept talking about the difference between the Leaver and Taker lifestyles and how the Takers should live and be more like the Leavers. I have two sides in my painting one is the Leaver side and the other one is the Taker side. Each side has many things that each represent something related to the book or stories in the book.

On the left side I put Julie and she represents the Takers because she is a Taker. In the Taker side I put a lock and key because the Takers put the food under lock and key and that's why we have to have a job so we can have money to buy food that was free a long time ago. Also I have the word "Dystopia" because with the Takers ruling we are living in a dystopia. Dystopia is "a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding." I have a cell phone to represent technology because now we have a lot of technology compared to when Leavers lived. I also have money to represent the wealth that we have now. The world with the person at the top represents how the Takers want to be the rulers of the whole world. I put a sad face because we are sad, not always but we are sadder than the Leavers because of the way we live and the way we are. We don’t walk around and see everyone smiling and laughing. We see more people crying or with a sad face.

On the right side I put Ishmael sitting down and that side represents the Leaver side. On the Leaver side I wrote "Utopia" because the Leavers were the opposite of the Takers. Utopia is "any visionary system of political or, social perfection." I think that even though the Leavers were not perfect they lived in a Utopia because they knew how to live unlike the Takers. I have a group of stick people and they represent how the Leavers are more together and they help each other out. I have a happy face because the Leavers are happy, they aren't always happy because they aren't perfect, but they are happier than the Takers.

I didn’t really like this book because most of the book it was about Julie and Ishmael talking and it got boring just reading their entire conversation. I thought it was interesting sometimes when Ishmael told Julie those stories and gave her examples because it helped me understand better what he was talking about. This book made me look at some things from different perspectives like in the School Daze chapters. I used to think of school as just being a place to learn but I never looked at it as a place the takers make us be in so that when we are out of college we get a job so we can get money so that we can buy food. All this is because of food that is under lock and key.

Reading Enjoyment Maximizers (REM)

Project Description: For this project we had to read the book My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and then choose a Reading Enjoyment Maximizer. There were personal, textual, and community REMs but each of those had many different REMs. There were many different options that we could choose from. We could choose the one that we liked the most because the whole point was to do what felt natural and what we personally liked.

Process: First we had to read the book My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Then we had to choose one of the Reading Enjoyment Maximizers. I choose the illustrator one. For the illustrator REM I had to draw, paint, or otherwise illustrate my artistic vision of what I read. I had to include a reference to the literature and a brief artist’s statement. First I sketched out what I was going to paint. Then I had to show it to Charlotte and she had to approve it. After she did, I started painting everything in the canvas board and made the 1st draft of the artist statement. I had many people review my artist statement until I got to the final draft. I worked a lot on the painting until I finished.

Reflection: In this project I learned a lot about our world and about our culture. The book My Ishmael made me look at everything from a different perspective and helped me understand why we are like we are. It also helped me understand the difference between Leavers and Takers. By doing the illustrator REM I learned how to show something with drawings. One of the challenges I encountered was trying to organize my time to get everything done on time. If I could do this project again I would spend more time on the painting because even though I did like the final painting I think it could have been better. This will help me later to organize my time better.

Artifact:

Artist Statement

This I Believe

I can imagine the day she wore her "magical shirt". It was a bright, nice, yellow, red, orange, pink and white shirt. Her squinty eyes overflowed with tears of joy from all the laughter. Her curly dark brown hair was in a ponytail moving back and forth, like a swing, as she bent over holding her stomach laughing. I remember all the people looking at her and me as we laughed about nothing. They had weird facial expressions but we didn't really care; we liked laughing and it made us happy. My friend, Illiana, and I are always laughing, we laugh about things that might not be funny to other people and even though some people might think we are weird, we are happy.

Sometimes people ask us, "Are you guys ever sad?" because we seem like we are always happy. I sometimes have hard things going on my life and I know Illiana does too but we try to be happy all the time and make each other happy. By doing this we also make everyone around us laugh. "I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life goes on, and it will be better tomorrow." I used to think Thursdays were my bad days because bad things would always happen to me that day. But one Thursday I decided to stop thinking that they were my bad days and just be happy about anything that happened. That Thursday nothing bad happened to me and it ended up being a really good day. Since that day, no matter what happens to me on a Thursday, I try to be happy and positive about it and now I don't think Thursdays are my bad days anymore. Life is short so why spend it being sad? I once heard a quote that said, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This means to make the best of what you are given. I always try not to look at everything as sadness and depressing, I try to make every dark rainy day seem like a bright summer day. Life is like a road, I never know when it might end. Make the best out of life and live life to the fullest. So even though your laugh is not the best laugh in the world, or sounds like a dolphin like mine, try to laugh everyday and your life will be better and longer. :)

This I Believe Project

Project Description: For this project, we had to write a personal essay of 400-500 words about a personal belief or insight. Also, create a personal silhouette and display our silhouette and essay for the school exhibition. Before that we had to put our essay and silhouette in a frame.

Process: First, we had to make a list of 30 things we believed in. Then, we had to chose one belief out of the 30 and write a personal essay about it. We had to go through many drafts and revisions to get to our final essay. After our essay was done we had to make a silhouette. After we were done with both the silhouette and the essay we had to put them in a frame. Then we had to exhibit it in exhibition night.

Reflection: In this project I learned that we all have different beliefs and that we should respect what everyone believes in and express our beliefs, not because our friends don’t believe in that too doesn’t mean we can’t believe in that. We are all different and believe in different things. One of the challenges I encountered was actually choosing what belief I was going to write a personal essay about. It was hard for me to choose out of 30 things I had in my list. Another challenge I encountered was making my personal 400-500 words because first I had had less than that but later I had much more than 500 so I had to cut some things out to make it 400-500 words. If I could do this project again, I would spend more time and effort on the essay because even though I did spend a lot of time I think I could have made the essay better. I think this will help me later to organize my time better and put more effort in everything I do.

Artifact:

My This I Believe Essay

Evelyn Glennie Shows how to Listen

What will you remember about her performance? Be specific about the experience.

I will remember how much emotion she put while playing those instruments. I will also remember the really nice sound it made when she was playing the marimba. Also, how much she seemed to love music.

Describe what it felt like listening to her play. What factors helped create this moment?

It felt nice and relaxing hearing the music that she played. I think it was how much emotion she put into playing those instruments and her love for music that made the music sound better. It made me feel the music and not just hear it.

What elements of her performance influenced what the audience heard?

I think it is how much emotion she put into the performance and also that she was deaf because she had to be able to feel the music. I thought it was surprising that she was deaf because she didn't seem like she was. Also,she was really good at playing those instruments.

What did she mean by, "Each person experiences music in their own way"? Think about how you experience music and why everyone doesn't enjoy listening to the same music.

I think it is because everyone has different personalities and everyone is different. Not everyone likes the same thing. Also some people are more into music and enjoy it more than other people.

Sustainability Visit

Interview with a manager at the Imperial Beach Farmers Market

What is your name and your role at the farmers market?

My name is Juan Martinez and I’m practically the manager here, I could say.

How long have you been working here?

With this company like 2 years.

Do you like working here?

Yes, I love working here.

What is the difference between a farmer’s market and a normal store or market?

Well the fruits and vegetables here are not processed it’s like from the tree to you. It’s the most fresh that you can get.

What is your advice to get people to come to farmers’ markets?

That if you are looking for quality and freshness you should go to farmers’ markets.

Do you think the fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets are healthier than fruits and vegetables at other markets?

Yes, I think it’s probably much healthier because the fruits and vegetables at a farmers market are more fresh.

What is the goal of this farmers market?

Our goal is to expand our commitment to the residents of Imperial Beach and surrounding communities by offering a weekly Farmers’ market, featuring fresh vegetables, fruits, local arts and crafts, and family entertainment.

Since when has this farmers market been around?

Since 1998.

Response to the visit

What struck you about the location you visited? Was it what you expected, or very different?

I went to the Imperial Beach Certified Farmers Market. It struck me how everything seemed so nice and fresh. I thought it was going to be much smaller but it was kind of big and everyone was so nice and welcoming there. Also, I thought there were only going to be fruits and vegetables

but there were also things like flowers and crafts.

Which items were cheaper than expected? Which were more expensive?

I thought everything was really cheap. I didn't think anything was expensive. I think it is because it's gown locally and doesn't have to be taken somewhere else.

Do you think you will start going to a farmers market more often?

I think I am because some of the fruits and vegetables were less expensive and the fruits and vegetables there are more fresh and that could be healthier.

How do these locations fit into our essential question of “Why Don’t People Live More Sustainably?” and “How Can I Convince them to do So?”

The farmers market relates to sustainable living because the fruits and vegetables there are locally grown or organic and healthy. I think more people should go to farmers' markets because most of the fruits and vegetables are more fresh there and even less expensive. I think if more people knew about them they would probably start going to farmers' markets more often.

Senior Garden

Interview with Senior

What is going to happen to the garden during the summer?

I don’t know because if John would stay here then he would come back and check on the plants but he is not going to be here for next year. So I don’t know.

How often do you work on the garden?

Well it depends on the weather, like when it was raining we didn’t work on the garden but when the weather is okay then we would work on the garden on Wednesdays and Fridays. So that’s like four hours a week.

Do you use GMOs for your seeds?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you add anything to the water?

No, it’s just water.

What is this garden for?

It’s for environmental science class. I love environmental science class because instead of learning about everything in class we come here and work on the garden and we can see what’s going on instead of reading about it.

Have you ever sold any of your fruits and vegetables in a Farmer’s Market?

No, we haven’t.

Do your fruits and vegetables taste good?

Yes, they taste so good.

Response to the visit

Does this inspire you to start your own garden?

Yes it does because I really liked the garden and I think it was really nice to see all those fruits, plants, and vegetables growing.

What did you like or not like about the garden?

I liked how the garden didn’t just have fruits or just vegetables; it had fruits, vegetables, and plants. It had a great variety. I also liked how it was really clean and nice.

How does the garden reflect sustainable living?

It reflects sustainable living because they are growing and planting their own fruits and vegetables instead of buying everything from super markets. It’s almost like that family that we learned about that planted and grew many things, like fruits and vegetables.

Would you like to continue the seniors work?

Yes, I would really love to and I think it would be a really good idea.