Blogging Around: Emily and Albert

Emily's blog discussed how others view the Academy from the outside looking in. It formally, and objectively expanded upon a thought that all of us in the Academy have had at one time or another. My comment on it was....

Emily. Wow, this is an amazing post. You have no idea (well, you probably do) how often I find myself wondering what people think about the Academy and why. I'm not sure where these misconceptions have come from but in my opinion, people should definitely re-evaluate their views. It is really aggravating to hear people's judgements and generalizations of us based off of their ignorance about Academy. I don't liked being labeled and this is often the case with us. Unless someone asks me, I don't mention being in Academy for fear of being stereotyped. Sometimes I get asked incredulously, "you're in Academy?" Like you said, they definitely don't realize the diversity of the kids in Academy. We're not just "Academites." On the plus side, I think our experiences in the Academy will discourage us from making such judgements in the future after being subjected to them ourselves. Hopefully the people that are judging us can take a closer look and see us for who we are.

I really like how you objectively observed the issue and left your own opinions out. This really gives your blog the 360 concept and makes it much more unbiased. And thus, more credible. Great job!

Albert's blog discussed how homework should be optional for those who don't need it. He argues that people who already understand the concept of something gain no value from homework and therefore should not be obligated to complete it. I replied....

Albert,
I could not agree with you more on this subject. I think that if your getting an A or a B in a class homework should definitely be opitional (Math class policy). Why waste time when you understand the concept of something. I usually do the homework in my classes and even if it was optional I think I would do it because, like you said, it is good practice. But, when I'm up at 12:00 at night doing busy work (ex. SS explorers map), it's safe to say I'd rather not do it. If this optional homework policy was employed, I could pick and choose which assignments to do. The helpful ones. The amount of time it would save, at least for me, would be amazing. My stress levels would plummet.

All in all, a sweet blog. I thought you did a nice job examining why teachers assign the amount of homework they do. Then, rebuking that with your own arguements. Great Job!