Reference


Hoff, Benjamin., The Crooked Tree.


Ludwig D. Mark., (2004). Look out for more Blairs. Quill Magazine.


Puka, Bill. (2005). Student Cheating.

Tayleigh Altheide
Excellence Essay
4-29-08

Excellence
What does excellence mean to you? Many today have a different prospective of this question. Is it something that we value or is it something we can try to achieve for ourselves. No matter what, we all have something we strive to do better ourselves.

When we look at The Crooked Tree, we can see that Hui-tse did not value what he had. He looked at the tree as if it did not do anything good for him. He replied to Chuang-tse, that none of the carpenters would even look at his tree, because of all the flaws it possessed. In reply, he says, “It is useless to you only because you want to make it into something else and do not use it in its proper way.” He then tells him what the tree is good for as the way it is. So from this, we need to look at everything from a different angle and except its value the way it is.

Now when we look at the reading from Look out for more Blairs, we can see the values of the students that cheat there way through plagiarism. We can see in today’s society it is a very big problem. Most students do this when they are under pressure to get all there assignments done. One of the facts he states about this way “A 2001 survey by the same institution found that 41 percent of students admitted to cut and paste plagiarism. So this shows that a lot of students do this, most are in college. Some students don’t even find this to be serious.

From this we can see that cheating is a result from being under pressure. From the Reading of Student cheating, this is showing the dishonesty in society. In one part it says, “What cheating shows that merits strong opposition is a student’s pride in deceptively “getting over” on professors and “the system”, even where both are recognized as fair.” It shows how people’s values are getting pushed aside more and more. They feel is they are getting the right answer; it should not matter where they get it.

How do we achieve excellence? We can do this by doing what is right. Also to strive to do the best we can and try to take it a step more. In my opinion, I think if we do what is right and do what we are suppose to, we are achieving excellence. In my life, I defiantly feel the pressure to achieve excellence, especially now, when you have to apply to college and are thinking about your future. So you defiantly are pressured in school to do your work.
So when it comes down to it, you need to know where your values are. When it comes down to it you will see what you will do when you are striving to achieve excellence.

Tayleigh Altheide
Block 4
Mrs. Konjura

What is Education?

Education, what does this word really mean? When you think of this word you usually think back to past experiences with teachers and parents. The really meaning of this word is “the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skill, as for a profession.” Through this you will become more aware of what education really is and why it is important for ones to acquire.

When you look at the movie the Dead Poet Society you can see the different ways that education is taught. Such as, the way they discipline students when they have done something wrong. You can see this when Charlie Dalton receives a beating from the head master. Also we can see the different ways that Mr. Keats taught his students. You can see this by the different methods he used, such as making them think for themselves. He said, “Words and Ideas can change the world.” A good example of this is when he made them rip out the pages from the book. Also when he made them right there own poems and recite them in front of the class. Another way he did this is by making them stand up for themselves. He did this making them stand on the desks and also when he made them say lines out loud to each other. Also from the movie, we can see that parents have a strong influence on our learning skills. A good example is from Neil’s father. He pushed Neil to do what he wanted him to do. So Neil followed his fathers wish until he realized that he wanted to do something else with his life. He was too scared to tell his father of this because of the way he knew his father would react.

Also if we look at the passage from How I Discovered Words: A Home Made Education, we can see another method of education. In prison, he wanted to find a way to write letters. So, he then picked up a dictionary and started writing down words, he then repeated it till he understood them. After this he kept going through the dictionary. He kept on Reading all the time to get a better understanding of everything. He then said “Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that has opened.” So we can really see what education on reading and writing can really do for ones today and the importance of it.

When we look at the story, The Hidden Teacher, we can see that we can be taught by unexpected things. She says “But the teachers are not always to be found in school or in great laboratories. Sometimes what we learn depends upon our own power of insight.” Just like this story talks about her learning from spiders, we can learn from both seen and unseen.

Now, when you look at Two ways of seeing a river, you think of how people see one thing and how if you look at it different you see another. In this, he is trying to bring out that we should try to look at things in a different prospective to get a real grasp on it.

Through my experience on education I have come to many conclusions. One would be that I have come to learn best when teachers guild me through as I am doing the work. You seem to get a better grasp on something, if you are doing it and learning it the right way.

We can now see that there are many ways to learn, understand, and succeed through education.

Personal Statement

I am looking for a job in the financial field. As many opportunities exist, from bookkeeping to statistical analysis. It is an ever changing area, which provides many opportunities and exciting challenges. I learned about it through an accounting class and from my family.

I have worked as a cashier for a local business and also for my families business. My career goals are to go to college and get my degree in accounting and to find a stable job, where I can use this degree. I have many skills that will help me in this field, such as, to want to learn and apply it to my everyday life. I also am good with people and I am a good listener. I have gained these skills from training and working at my previous jobs.

The personal characteristics I posses are compassion and persistence. I think I got compassion from being around people a lot. Persistence comes from wanting to get things right and to get them done. My major responsibilities have come from my previous job and from trying to do things for myself and others. I think I should be chosen for the job, because I show a lot of potential and I have experience in this field and can rise above the others.

Cover letter

Tayleigh Altheide
1008 N. 4th St.
Marshall, MN 56258
(507)-401-1946
taterpop_90@hotmail.com

April 6, 2008

I am applying for a job opportunity as a financial accountant. I have strong analytical skills, and am performing above average in my class.

I have been taking an accounting class at Marshall High School to further my knowledge in this field. I have also taken many math classes, so I could get a better understanding of financial analysis. I enjoy working with numbers and find it challenging and rewarding.

I appreciate your time in reviewing my letter and application. If you have any further questions please feel free to call me. Again, thank you for your consideration.


Sincerely,


Tayleigh Altheide

Resume

Tayleigh E. Altheide
1008 N. 4th St.
Marshall MN 56258
Phone (507)-401-1946
taterpop_90@hotmail.com



Objective:
The opportunity to be employed as an accountant

Education:
I am a senior at Marshall High School. (Graduation June 1, 2008)

Activities and skills:
I do volunteer work in my religion
I have had previous job experience
I also have experience in accounting class

Work Experience:
I have worked as a cashier for a couple of months
I have also worked with my grandparents company doing paperwork and other types of jobs

References:
Available upon request

page 96 Critical Thinking Questions

1. A resume is a organized list of all your background and other prior expirences. A cover letter is a document that goes with a resume and it explains what is in the resume.

2. A resume is divided into a list of things such as education, activities and work experence. A cover letter goes into detail about the specific thing you want to do.

3. I think that it is good, because he is showing that he is really determined about what he is doing. I think the reason for an objective is to let you show what it is you are capible of doing.

4. yes because in his resume he tells of all his qualifications and what he is capible of doing. He also made it very clear and easy to understand