Green for Grade$

In our American Studies class this past week, we were discussing the difference and importance of intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation. Which one is better? Which one is more effective? And what does New Trier do to support each one? At New Trier, students can be inspired by music, theater, sports, parents or teachers, but not everyone is. In the inner city of Chicago, less and less people are being motivated to get good grades or graduate high school. This trend is also apparent in other big cities like New York City and even our country's capital, Washington D.C. Parents and adults are becoming restless with the loss of hope for the children. However, there is an idealistic view of motivation for the students created by the Harvard Education Innovation Labs. The idealistic thought of an extrinsic motivation became a pragmatic program called Green for Grade$ which grants 265,986 to students who get good grades.
This idea sounds... well, pretty sweet. But is it ethical? Some people believe this program is simply bribing students to do well, it doesn't enhance their love for learning. However, Mayor Daley and multiple others disagrees in a Chicago Sun Times article I recently read.
Mayor Daley brings up the North Shore and suburban students being treated the same way. Many parents will get their kids gifts or a trip somewhere to reward them for good grades. I know my parents would always take me out to my favorite restaurant or do something special for me, so why is this any different? The money being given to the students is another extrinsic motive to keep students in school, and eventually, teach the students how to be intrinsically motivated. Mayor Daley also says that the program is "Just an idea of celebrating their academic performance and hard work." The program itself is a private organization that not only strives for extrinsic and intrinsic inspiration but also finance budgeting. By awarding these students they learn how to budget their money sufficiently.
I think that this idea is going to help students a lot, and parents are already noticing a change in the grades and study habits of their children. Helping students be motivated is definitely idealistic and very difficult because you cannot make someone motivated, they have to learn it. However, the program is a very pragmatic way of dealing with the issue. It gives students tangible motivation that will (ideally) transfer to intrinsic inspiration.



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Say Yes to Drugs?

While flipping through the Chicago Tribune this morning I stumbled on an interesting article about Mexico and it's changing views on drugs. Recently in Mexico, the crime rate has worsened, and the government has pin pointed it down to the drug problem. Instead of the usual "Say No to Drugs" mentality, Mexico is giving it second thoughts. The article explains that, "President Felipe Calderon, has sent a proposal to Congress that would decriminalize small amounts of drugs by giving those consumers the choice of treatment instead of jail time." So my question is, is this a more idealistic path, or pragmatic path?

Seeing as it is the beginning stages of the process, it would seem to be more idealistic. It would seem so simple and reasonable that the idea that legalizing small amounts of certain drugs, like in Amsterdam, would bring down the crime rate. However, this approach has pragmatic values as well. The potential result would be that by legalizing marijuana, the prices of criminals would need to go down and they would lose a lot of money. By losing money, their whole underground system would collapse, and therefore, the crime rate would lower. It becomes more pragmatic because the law would not just legalize drugs, because that could end in more addiction (and therefore violence and crime), it would give those caught with drugs a chance to go to treatment rather than jail. Treatment not only helps people to become sober, but the ultimate hope is that it changes the person for the better. It seems rational and equal between idealism and pragmatism for Mexico that this law would help.

The article also showed the opposing side. It quotes a U.S. official named John Walters saying, "There's only two ways this goes: They either surrender to law enforcement or they die." This is a very extreme opposition and yet people agree with him as well. If Mexico legalizes drugs, it's possible that people will abuse the law profusily, and the country could end in more peril than it started in.

So if Mexico's pragmatists and idealists work together, would saying "yes" to drugs help them or hurt them?

It's a Balancing Act

Since May of last year, a group of 21 students and four sponsers have spent months creating and working on a New Trier production from scratch. Lagniappe Potpourri 2009's Twisted: It's All in Your Head has been the time consuming, grueling, distracting and fantastic theme of my life since last year, and it's almost coming to an end.
By being on board this year, I was able to see the makings of a full plot driven show created from nothing. This experience is important if you're interested in theatre or film, but then I realized it's relevence to American Studies. Lately, we began a unit on Pragmatism and Idealism, and how one needs the other. It is true in government, the idealists need the pragmatists to carry through with their ideas, and pragmatists need idealists for inspiration, but it is also true when creating anything. With Lagniappe, we had many ideas in the beginning for themes of the show. Those on board who created the themes could be labeled as the idealists, but it took the voting and "realistic" look of the pragmatists of the board to make the show come together. When designing a set, lights, or directing, you have big ideas but you need to narrow them down to what is possible and what works. In politics, teaching, party planning, and anything and everything, this balance is apparant. Without pragmatists, idealists would just dream big, and never reach a goal, but without pragmatists, the world wouldnt be able to progress in creativity and inspiration. When this balance is succesful, people are able to achieve their goals. For me and the board of Lagniappe Potpourri 2009, our idealistic and pragmatistic balance has achieved a show with music, dancing, lighting, costuming, programming, and every small detail that a show needs.

The Pressure of Peril

With the recent stock market crash, everyone's focus has been on the economy and the peril of who lost how many points a day. But the lack of focus on how it effects those already in peril has been lost in the panic. In Chicago, a major problem is the amount of homeless people. Their lives are difficult, especially with winter on it's way. A Chicago Sun Times article delves into the ripple effects of " A sinking economy and soaring energy costs" and how it effects those who are already in peril.

On October 5th, the Epworth United Methodist Church evicted it's homeless shelter with 65 beds for the homeless. However, what's interesting about the article is that it is not blaming the government, in fact, it explains that we have enough money to sponser shelters. It is the neighborhoods that are closeminded to helping the homeless. During times of peril, people cannot turn against eachother like the Salem Witch Trials or the Red Scare, people need to work together. Though the trend of excess government power is apparant in such times as the Red Scare and Salem Witch Trials, had the people as a nation or town stayed together and not let fear take over, things could have been different. The issue with the homeless is that there aren't enough neighborhoods that will open a shelter. The article further explains that contrary to popular belief, shutting down a shelter does not lessen homelessness, it only enhances it.

Homeless people are stereotyped as all being drug crazed men and women you should ignore on the street, and although in some cases this is true, it's not all true. With the economy in the state it is, more people are losing jobs, and therefore, their houses as well. We need to look at F.D.R.'s example during the Great Depression and help those who dont have enough food or are without shelter, or else we could delve into a similar atmosphere as the Great Depression. The article ends on a note of helpfullness giving examples of how to help, and since we all live near Chicago and go there fairly often, it is a relevant issue to us.

Wanted: Police

Lately, Chicago has been growing in violence, and people are putting the blame on Daley and the lack of police officials being hired. Daley claims that the growing violence does not have to do with not hiring more policemen. His evidence is that, "we have an economic crisis. . . " so the violence rate is up, and the jobs are down. He further states that cuts in Chicago's funds will be made since "We have to look at this in a four-year financial plan; we're not going to be irresponsible." Daley's statement that it is based off of economic crisis warrants that because of the economy issues, many people are being laid off and few people are being hired which leads to more desperate times and therefore more violence. He also doesnt want to be irresponsible so he and the government need to make every step carefully so they don't land in debt. Mayor Daley is basing his argument upon logic (logos) with the economic issues, as well as pathossince he doesnt want to mess up the economy or Chicago further. I think Mayor Daley makes a good argument putting the lack of police force on the economy, however, there's no hiding the fact that if there were more police, violence rates would most likely go down.

iPhones, Uggs, and Religion

While reading my morning Tempo section of the Chicago Tribune, I stumbled upon an article title that immediately got my attention. It read: "Catholicism suddenly trendy." It wasn't the religion or even the article itself that stood out to me, it was the word describing Catholicism, "trendy." In American Studies, we are discussing the lives of the Puritans, a community based off of religion, and eventually, Puritanism died out, just like how snap-on bracelets or baggy overalls died out in the 90s. So that got me thinking, is religion simply put, a trend?


A trend in fashion is made by a designer who is sick of the old trends so he/she designs a line, puts it on the runway, and one domino effect later, every Walmart or Kohl's is mass producing it. If brought down to the basics, religion is very similar. For example, Puritanism was created by a group of people who were sick of Europe being under the Catholic rule, so they started Puritanism. Puritanism didn't become the "next hot thing" per say, but it had enough of a following to bring people over to the New World, begin communities there and later have the country be one of the most powerful in the world. However, similar to every trend, it died off and newer religions took hold of the populations creating the United States of America to be what it is today. In today's world, Kabbalism is an example of a "trendy religion." It is a mystical religion inspired by the Jews thousands of years before it was sold to the American public by Madonna and her red bracelet. Still today people strut around with their evil eye bracelets although they may not know the true Kabbalistic reasons behind it. The difference however, is that in America it is more about the trendiness of Kabbalism than the actual practice of it.


I am not saying religion is strictly or predominantly trendy. However, when looked at closely, the connection between religion and the word trend is more evident then one would expect which I find very interesting.

Some websites that might interest you:

Kabbalah: http://www.kabbalah.com/01.php

The article I read (in the paper it was titled "Catholicism Suddenly Trendy"): http://www.kabbalah.com/01.php

ps: The Cubs are in the playoffs =]

The Forgotten Voters

While discussing contemporary Native Americans in class, and the election just around the corner, I began to wonder: Who will the majority of Native Americans' vote for?

I had never heard politicians speak outright about any Indian issues, mostly because those views do not speak for the majority of the American population. While I was researching, I was surprised to find an abundance of information that swings both left and right. A You-tube video I found explained that the Indians of Fort Peck Reservation in Northeastern Montana were in great support of Obama, and even named him, "Black Eagle." Typically, Native Americans' vote democratic, and with Obama, many Indians feel closer to him since, as one man states that, "The Blacks have suffered like the Native Americans have." According to the video, Fort Peck Reservation will be voting for Obama.

McCain, however, seems to becoming more popular. McCain has made obvious effort to meet, greet, and understand Native Americans. Not only was he the only candidate at the NCAI's national convention, but he was also the chairman for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. His knowledge with how tribal governments work independently and with the US government is wide and respectable. The issue with McCain and the Native Americans, however, are his environmental views.

The Native American choice should not swing voters one way or the other, but their 1 percent of the population will have a significant role in the upcoming election.