September 10, 2014
Learner Profile
“Learner Profile: Liu Qianli”
Today, I interviewed my classmate Liu Qianli. He was born in China. His first language is Chinese. He graduated high school in China and came to the United States with his parents in April, 2013. This is his first semester in CLIP and it takes 40 minutes for him to reach here. He likes reading English more than writing. In English writing is very difficult for him. His ambition is to become a landscaper. In his free time, he plays games and spends time with his friends. Currently, he doesn’t work. He likes to eat Chinese and Japanese food. He likes to visit Korea and Japan. He misses his cousins, friends and relatives in China. Now he lives with his parents in Whitestone.
Learner Profile
“Learner Profile: Liu Qianli”
Today, I interviewed my classmate Liu Qianli. He was born in China. His first language is Chinese. He graduated high school in China and came to the United States with his parents in April, 2013. This is his first semester in CLIP and it takes 40 minutes for him to reach here. He likes reading English more than writing. In English writing is very difficult for him. His ambition is to become a landscaper. In his free time, he plays games and spends time with his friends. Currently, he doesn’t work. He likes to eat Chinese and Japanese food. He likes to visit Korea and Japan. He misses his cousins, friends and relatives in China. Now he lives with his parents in Whitestone.
September 12, 2014
Draft #3
Independent Topic
“The Most Difficult Thing I Have Ever Done”
Every human goes through some tough times in their lives. When I was in high school a year ago, I went through some difficult times in my life. It was necessary for me to take the SAT test. The difficult thing for me was the reading and writing part, because I had just come from India in the same year. Sometimes, I felt very bored and annoyed with the questions. But in my difficult times, my cousins helped me a lot and they encouraged me. Also, they explained most of the questions for me. But still, I had trouble when I saw some new questions. Anyway, I decided to practice more questions as much as I could. Every day I spent more time practicing every subject, especially writing and reading. When my test date was almost near, I was very scared. But I had confidence while I took the test even though it was quite hard for me. After many days passed, I got my score. I was very shocked because I got more than I expected. Through this struggle, I learned one thing which is: if we practice more, we will do our best.
Sep 29, 2014
Draft #3
Rescue 471 Chapter Summary and Reflection
“Rescue 471”
In the chapter “Rescue 471”, a 911 call comes from a nursing home; there was an unconscious patient who was sixty-one-year-old. Peter finds out that the patient is a faker. Next, they send the 471 ambulance to Enfield Street for a shooting. Actually he was drunk and he felt something hit his leg but he thought somebody shot his leg. Then Peter and Arthur respond to the call of a motor vehicle accident on Edgewood Street. It was a minor accident and he was suffering from back pain. Then the police dispatcher called 471 to respond to Maple Street for an injured firefighter. The last 911 call was for a swollen hand. They took this man to the hospital and the doctor said that he is having a seizure.
I enjoyed reading this chapter. There are many interesting and funny stories. For example, the most interesting story I felt was about the sixty-one-year-old man who was a faker. This man was lying on the bed. I think his wife and children left him alone in a nursing home, so he felt very lonely. He wanted to have more care and attention from other people. May be this old man was very annoying to the nurses and the doctors, so they did not pay more attention to him. A Long time ago, I remember my friend telling me about her grandfather. Her grandfather was very sick and all the time he needs people’s attention, so it was very hard for the family to leave him alone and go any place they wanted. Similarly, the sixty-one-year-old man felt the same way my friend’s grandfather felt. Nobody likes to be alone, especially when they are sick and old. Every time we need somebody to care and love them.
October 6th, 2014
Draft #3
“Classification Essay”
Everyone in this world works for themselves and their family. Without a job, it is very hard to live in this world. Wherever we are, we need money to do many things, so money is one of the most important things in our lives. The three different kinds of jobs that I am interested in are: helping professions, hands-on jobs and problem-solving jobs.
First of all, helping professions are when people help others in their different needs. For example, nurses help their patients with different tasks and care for them very well. Counselors help those that are in need and clear all the doubts which they have. Finally, teachers help students to get higher grades and they are able to explain every doubt from the book they teach. These jobs attract me because I like to help people according to their situations.
Secondly, hands-on jobs are when a person is involved as a personal participant in an activity. For example, jewelers create and repair their jewelry by hand. According to the internet research, this occupation requires precise hand movements and coordination, especially when working with small mechanical parts like those found in watches. Artists, who are able to work with their hands on a regular basis, always love to be creative and paint on glass, paper and walls. Finally, surgeons work with hands on other patients to save their lives. These jobs attract me because I like to work and create new things.
Finally, problem-solving jobs are when people find solutions to difficult issues. For example, according to the internet research, personal financial advisor helps people in managing their money, investments, and insurance. They also have to listen to people’s needs and analyze their current financial situations and develop plans that will help the people achieve their individual financial goals. Industrial engineers help organizations figure out how they can make the best use of their energy, machines and employees. Finally, conservation scientists help people and organizations setup their land and facilities in different ways that minimize the negative impact on the environment. I am interested in these jobs because I like to solve other people’s problems and make them stronger.
In conclusion, I am interested in helping professions, hands on jobs and problem solving jobs. These three jobs are very important for me because I like to help other people, to work and create new things with my hands and to solve other people’s problems and make them more courageous and strong.
Oct 22th, 2014
Draft 3#
Process Essay
“How to Sing Well”
Singing in front of a large group of people can make us pretty anxious. Since a young age, my dad has always encouraged me to sing, but the day when I was suddenly and unexpectedly asked to sing in front of a large audience without any preparation was a life changing experience. Surprisingly, after I sang, many people congratulated me. The steps to sing successfully at any time, expectedly or unexpectedly is to focus the mind on the song, sing it with passion, practice well before performing and be confident.
First of all, focus the mind on the song. We have to focus on the lyrics and the words of the song. The singer must feel the song as they are singing. The singer should also focus on the song, not the audience, because they can be fearful.
Secondly, sing with passion. This means to sing from the bottom of the heart. When we sing with passion, we should feel each line of the song and show some appropriate facial expressions. Singing with passion will impact the audience to feel the song. Concentrating on the song helps everyone to sing with passion.
Next, “Practice makes perfect”. For example, if someone practices or takes music lessons at a young age, it is very easy for them to sing when they grow up and they will not find any difficulty. First of all, find a good place to practice singing. Where is the best place to practice? Practice in a room or anywhere where it’s very silent. When practicing, be sure nothing is distracting them a phone, television or laptop. Finally, devote some free time as a routine.
Finally, be optimistic in singing. If someone loses confidence, then it is very hard for them to sing in public. First of all, before performing, come up with a smile onto the stage. This helps the audience know that the performer is not nervous, and it also helps the audience to interpret our singing level. Finally, think positively every time and always strengthen yourself and say, “I can do it”.
Singing is a positive experience. It is something that should be cherished but there are certain times where unexpectedly, one might be asked to sing. In those instances, it is important to sing with confidence, believe in oneself, focus the mind on the song and then sing it with passion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32RVbwBcuYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kchnpUK-gcg
Nov 8th, 2014
Draft #3
Academic Lecture Summary
Public Health’s Relation to Medicine and Dentistry
There was a presentation about Public Health’s Relation to Medicine and Dentistry on October 22, 2014 from 12:10pm to 1:30pm in the Medical building. The speaker was Dr. Joseph Korevec from Columbia University Mailman School of public health.
The presentation was located in Medical building room number 136. I walked to the building from Trailer 2. There was only one speaker and there was one professor who helped the audience to sign in our name. There were approximately 20-25 audience members in the presentation. First of all, he talked about himself and told his past stories about studies. He mainly focuses on public health. He said that public health is the science and art of protecting and improving health of populations through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and research for disease and injury prevention. Then he explained about the five degree programs such as MPH, MHA, MS, PhD and D.PhD. Next, he explained about the different academic departments in Columbia University. It includes biostatistics, Environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy, management, population and family and sociomedical sciences. Then he explained about the certificates they offered in Columbia University. Finally, he talked about the admission requirements and Financial Aid.
I was surprised by one thing he said. He said, in the Columbia University that they have a summer training program. If a student was selected only for the summer program, at that time if a professor recommends him/her, they could continue their studies in the University. I was not much interested, but it helped a lot to understand more about public health and programs at Columbia University College.
Nov 10th, 2014
Draft #3
Rescue 471 Final Reflection
This week I finished the book Rescue 471by Peter Canning. The final two sections are called “Memory” and “The Job”. Although the ending is bitter sweet, it ended on a high note.
In the chapter “Polish” Peter and Arthur respond for an unknown at Charter Oak housing for a tiny old woman. She had stomach cancer and is very frail. This woman did not get enough care and food to eat because her daughter was kicked out of the apartment for being too drunk. She seems alert and oriented. A significant idea in the chapter is on page 244 woman says, “No hospital, she says, No hospital, please”. This means the women did not like going to the hospital because she thinks the hospital is only for the people who want to die.
In the chapter “Asthma” Peter responds for a patient who had difficulty in breathing because of asthma. She was not able to move at all by herself. Peter thought that she will become like Nicky Joyner but Peter was able to save her life. A significant idea in this chapter is on page 271 Peter says, “I didn’t want to lose you”. This means that peter does not want the patient to die.
In the chapter “Life” Peter responds to a call for a baby who chocked but is now breathing. The baby was just seven days old and was in a pink blanket. The baby vomited after drinking milk and had trouble breathing. A significant idea in this chapter is on page 281 Peter says, “The baby is tiny, I do not want to say everything is okay”. This means that the baby is very small so anything can happen to the baby at any time.
I enjoyed learning about many different diseases, syndromes and how Peter overcame his difficulties. I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in medical field. I would like to know more about how Peter continued his job.
Nov 12th, 2014
Catw #1
How Your Birth Order Influences Your Life Adjustment
In the article “How Your Birth Order Influences Your Life Adjustment” by Lucille Forer , every child in a family of different position act and think differently. All the parents in the world love their children because they are the greatest gift that they could ever have. Some parents who have more than three kids show partiality and it may lead the children to think and act differently according to their age. Every child that is born daily into this world has different character, personality, way of thinking and more. We can clearly see the different kinds and behaviors of different age children.
Lucille Forer demonstrated that the birth of the children is an important part of the identity in the family position. The author explains about the different kinds of children in the family according to their position. The first is the oldest. Parents usually predict their oldest should be more intelligent and responsible than the younger children. Next, the middle child sometimes thinks of himself as able to do things better than other people. Sometimes they go to their parents or elder siblings for help. Then, the youngest child may develop self-concept and he/she is able to do more things than other people. Finally, the only child always thinks that when their parents are not with them, they have no one to help them so they learn to take care themselves as much as possible.
Lucille Forer said that the only child tends to think, “When my parents are not around, I have no one turn to for help”. Every only child feels very sad and lonely when their parents are not with them. Sometimes they feel they don’t have anyone to take care. They tend to do many things without their parent’s permission. For example, some parents go for work with and they come back at night, they don’t get enough time to interact with their children so they don’t have anyone to ask help in anyway.
I had a friend. Her name is Jeena. Her parents had only one child. Her mom was very strict. She never let Jeena go out with her friends because her mom was scared if something happens to her. When she comes to school she used to share her experience with some of us. Sometimes she hated her mom because she always felt annoyed and lonely.
In conclusion, every child has different opinion and they always act differently. Their character is reflected in their behavior. Some parents are always show partiality when they have more than three kids. The only child always feels very lonely and they won’t have anyone to help them other than their parents. Every parent should try to love their children equally and care them very well whether they have one, two or more children.
Dec 1st, 2014
Draft #3
Problem/Solution Research Paper
“Burnout and Recovery”
What is burnout? Burnout is when someone feels very tired physically, emotionally and mentally. According to the internet research, burnout can be caused by over exhaustion and stress. It can exist in school, the work place, community and more. This can be a problem because people do not get enough energy to move forward in their daily lives. We can learn more about burnout and how we can get rid of it.
First of all, online research from the article “Prevent Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies” helped me to understand more about burnout and how we can overcome it. This article says that problems seem very great and miserable when people deal with burnout. Stress is a big factor in burnout. When stress continues, people begin to lose interest in doing many things and they will always be frightened. People feel hopeless, helpless and lonely during their difficult times. According to the research, we can overcome burnout by starting the day with a relaxing ritual, eating healthy food, exercising, good sleeping habits, setting boundaries among people, taking a daily break from technology and always having a positive thinking at work.
In the article, “Burnout in the Hospital: Why Doctors Are Set Up for Stress” by Sifferlin mentioned that, doctors feel stressed about their jobs and they feel burned out and defeated by the health care system. Forty percent of doctors reported being unsatisfied with their work life balance and that they did not have time to devote to their families or their personal lives.
We recently read a book called Rescue 471 by Peter Canning. The main character in this book is Peter. He had gone through a lot of pain and suffering in his life. Even though he was an experienced and professional paramedic, he felt burnout with the new dispatcher, bad weather, waiting so long in the hospital, doing work without taking a break and more. He felt very sad when he did his best and could not save some of the patients’ lives. Many times he wished to quit his job in his mind. Peter overcame burnout because of Rebecca. He saw Rebecca as a very hardworking person and it helped Peter to learn more about the seriousness of a paramedic and she was an inspiration for Peter. He was also inspired by the lectures he had attended in the EMS program.
The article, “Preventing Worker Burnout Can Boost the Bottom Line” by Rachel Martin clearly explains about companies and how they get rid of burnout. This article mentioned that, burnout is not an easy problem to address. A few years ago, burnout was a problem in many companies. Still many companies and employees are facing burnout in their time, schedule, policies and more. Bruce Elliot said that many huge majorities of employers did not get the fact that there is burnout, but at first it was very hard for them to fix the problem. According to this article, the companies overcame burnout by: the boss let the employees take as many days off as they want, the employees rotated and switch jobs with other employees and it made the workers very happy and they did not suffer the burnout that they have seen in the past. Finally, flexible schedule made them better employees and keeps them for longer because they remain happier.
In 2009, I went through some difficult times in my life. I had an awesome sister in our family. Her name was Kezia. Both of our houses were near so we had a close relationship with each other. She helped me in my studies. When she went somewhere she always brought me something. Especially every birthday, she gave me precious unforgettable gifts. When I was down, she encouraged me a lot and it helped me to be a more courageous person. Many years passed. My sister went to a short visit in her parent’s house for one week. I really missed her presence. On the seventh day, I was eagerly waiting to see my sister. In the evening, somebody called our home and told my mom that, “Kezia got up into an accident”. At this point, I was really shocked and I did not know what to do. Immediately, they brought her to the hospital and we also went there as soon as we heard the news. Sadly, a few minutes before we reached at the hospital, she passed away. At this point, I was totally blank. This affected my studies and it was very difficult for me to concentrate. I got very low grades in my tests. It took a while for me to overcome this. My parents and other family members were there to help me in my difficult times and they made me a happier person. My friends shared their own experience and it made me stronger. After many weeks passed, I got better.
I have learned many signs and symptoms of burnout. According to the article, burnout can be caused by over exhaustion and stress. By reading the article, online research, and Rescue 471, I understood more about burnout and how we can get rid of it. By reading all these paragraphs will help us to know how we can overcome burnout in times of pain and suffering.
Dec 3rd, 2014
Draft #3
Gig Chapter Summary and Reflection
Merchandise Handler
This profile is about Janice Lejeune. She works in the stockroom at J.C. Penney’s in Louisiana. She is a merchandise handler. This means doing a couple of different things. She used the price gun to add the price tags to clothing, hang up the clothes and she puts the security tags to prevent people from stealing the clothes. Lejeune was born deaf and her syndrome is called Usher’s. When she was 37 or 38, her vision started to get a lot smaller and it started to become blurrier. She decided to go for a training program for disabled people. In this training program, she learned better communication skills, transportation skills and whatnot. J.C. Penny hired her because the personnel director’s cousins had the same type of blindness that Lejeune had.
Janice Lejeune enjoyed her job because it was something that she could do with her hands. Whenever she got lost or wanted help, people were very nice to her and helped her when she needed it. She knew where to go and did not get lost or be afraid that there must be some danger.
Janice Lejeune liked the people in her company. When she first started, there was a time she got lost and she yelled out loudly. Suddenly a salesgirl came and she was able to guide Lejeune to the right place.
A couple of things surprised me about this profile. I was surprised about how she always felt very ambitious and how she focused on her job even though she had a syndrome. She did not care about what other people thought. She never gossiped and talked to her neighbors. She always focused on the job, so she was very quick. Personally, I admire this woman because she was lonely and she did her very best and reached this point in her life. It doesn’t matter what disability someone has. Everyone can do any jobs they like and can achieve any goal that they have. When I read this profile, I remembered some of my past memories. I have seen many people working with only one hand and typing the keyboard in a bank and several other offices. When I saw them, I understood that it doesn’t matter how smart we are: It’s all about our desire and hard work that helps us to reach where we want to be in our life. Just as Janice Lejeune, there are many handicapped people all over the world who really enjoy their work without complaining about their own disabilities.
December 12, 2014
CATW #2
Materialism: Our Consuming Interest
Money is one of the most important aspects in everyone’s life. Without money we cannot buy any items in this world today. Everybody has the right to buy everything they want. The Article, “Materialism: Our Consuming Interest” by Linda Kulman explains, when America became the economic leader in the twentieth century. It focused on the promotion of the consumer’s interests. Now a day, people spent their 70 percent in buying goods. Before buying everyone should think that, they have the freedom to buy what they want.
I agree with the statement, “In 1950, American families owned one car and saved for a second. In 2010, nearly one in five families owned three cars or more. Here, the author is comparing form early days. For each person/families, the rates of the cars are increasing day by day. In olden days there were not enough opportunities for the people to as today. Today almost all the people have a job and they make lot of money. So they can buy cars for every member in the individual family.
I had a friend back in India who spends her money on unnecessarily items. She did not even think about the consequences of wasting her money. She always ask her mom for money and sometimes her mom refuses to give her but still she will keep on asking and her mom will give her. One day, her mom came to school for some reason. She told me that she is not satisfied in what she has. She always buys new things and new model shoes, watches etc. Now she has grown older and she is learning how to spend money on necessary things.
This story shows how people can spend money on unnecessary items. Probably if her mom taught her to spend money from her young age, maybe she wouldn’t be that much crazy for things. Now days, every individuals have their own choices and desires to buy things. I think spending money on different things depends on their job and ho much money they have.
CATW #2
Materialism: Our Consuming Interest
Money is one of the most important aspects in everyone’s life. Without money we cannot buy any items in this world today. Everybody has the right to buy everything they want. The Article, “Materialism: Our Consuming Interest” by Linda Kulman explains, when America became the economic leader in the twentieth century. It focused on the promotion of the consumer’s interests. Now a day, people spent their 70 percent in buying goods. Before buying everyone should think that, they have the freedom to buy what they want.
I agree with the statement, “In 1950, American families owned one car and saved for a second. In 2010, nearly one in five families owned three cars or more. Here, the author is comparing form early days. For each person/families, the rates of the cars are increasing day by day. In olden days there were not enough opportunities for the people to as today. Today almost all the people have a job and they make lot of money. So they can buy cars for every member in the individual family.
I had a friend back in India who spends her money on unnecessarily items. She did not even think about the consequences of wasting her money. She always ask her mom for money and sometimes her mom refuses to give her but still she will keep on asking and her mom will give her. One day, her mom came to school for some reason. She told me that she is not satisfied in what she has. She always buys new things and new model shoes, watches etc. Now she has grown older and she is learning how to spend money on necessary things.
This story shows how people can spend money on unnecessary items. Probably if her mom taught her to spend money from her young age, maybe she wouldn’t be that much crazy for things. Now days, every individuals have their own choices and desires to buy things. I think spending money on different things depends on their job and ho much money they have.