Yengfong Thao's Blog

Last Blogging!!!

Hey Yang,

I bet you had a lot of fun on your thanksgiving break because you said you did a lot of things that week. So, you went to the Hmong New Year...? hmmm..? What days were those? I only went on Sunday to the Rivercentre and to the Metrodrome I might be going about two days. I was wondering how you think this blog thing have helped you and your understanding of college life and did you like it?? I think this blogging was helpful while writing my essay because I got some information from you and I thank you. Fall semester for college is almost over so I think we will not be using this anymore like bloging. So, if you want to know more about me or have anymore questions about college or anything. Here's my U of M email: thaox097@umn.edu and here's my private email: hmoobthoj15@hotmail.com ....OKAY TTYL(talk to you later)...

-Yeng

Thanksgiving Break.....

Hey Yang,

During my Thanksgiving break, I did a lot of things that was exciting. First of all, I went to my relatives house and eat turkey. I think I gained about 5 lbs or more after that…After eating turkey at my cousins house me and my cousins we left to a party or actually the club. The next day, I went to the Hmong New Year at the river centre in St. Paul to walk around and meet old friends and cousins. I stayed there for about 3 hours and I came back home. That was what I pretty much did on my Thanksgiving break. How was yours Yang? Did you do anything exciting?

-Yeng

Response to Yang #3

hEY yANG,

Wassup? How are you? For thanksgiving I will probably go to a party or probably go to the Hmong New Years. What about you are you going? That's good that you want to be a teacher after high school. Its good to have something to think about before going to college. What kind of games do you play on the computer? And yeah....school is tiring, but yeah its school. You know whats so cool about college. You could pick your own classes to take and at what time...well talk to you laterz.

-Yeng

Response to Yang #2

Wassup Yang,

I didn't see your response until now. About my day at home it is very tiring and stressful because of college life I guess. It could be fun and it could be challenging. My dad at school was long because I had class at 8:00am til 5:15pm. Whew... long huh? Well I'm doing good. That's good that you like math and that you are good at it. Just do your best and you'll fulfill your dreams. So, hows school and everything?

Talk to you laterz,

-Yeng

Teachers

Hmm...teachers?? There were one teacher in my high school year that was good and that I had a lot of respect for. His name was Perry Juenemann. Mr. Juenemann was my U.S. History teacher for Patrick Henry High School and also I was his T/A for senior year. I knew him pretty well about a good 2 years. He was a teacher that treated everyone in the school equally and that he cares about every single student. Whenever I needed help he will always try his best to help me out. It wasn't always school issues, but other issues too. I don't know, but whenever I am around him I could talk to him about almost anything that's in my head. I guess that was the reason I had a lot respect for him because I knew him pretty good. I think teachers should treat their students like their friends that they hang out with because you'll get to know them better and you could motivate them to come to school.

Response to Yang

Hey Yang,

The U of M is pretty cool and its fun. I think its better than high school. How's grade school and what else do you do for fun? What's your favorite subjects in school and what things are you really learning? In college my favorite subjects are math and biology. Do you live in north minneapolis or somewhere else? How's your life at home, is it bothering your learning? You should come to the U of M when you graduate from high school because it's fun and everyone here is nice.

-Yengfong Thao

What memories do our reading/discussion bring up for you?

Discussion this week about North Minneapolis made me remember the bad side of it. I thought there weren't any thing bad about it, but now if you really think about it there are bad things happening in North Minneapolis neighborhoods. I remember that me and my friends got shot up by some people we don't even no who. They probably got the wrong people because I don't have anything against anyone and they just drove by us and shot us like 5-6 times. I guess when I said there wasn't anything that was bad about it there are. I guess I am just so used to the bad things that happens made me realized that the northside is a okay place because there are a lot of drivebys and you could hear gun shotting and people screaming at night. That is bad....

Questions on class this week/Understanding/Would like to know more

After our classes this week, I don't have many questions that I have. I have only a couple and they are just some questions we went over, but is still kind of confusing. Like the paraphrases and citing sources we are using. Overall, I am getting used to using citations and I understand it more now. Even though, I know more about it now, I think we should learn more about it anyways for future writings or projects. I am not even sure if I am doing my citations right on my paper Lincoln and me. I think when citing you should cite all statistics and information that you use from a outside source.

Questions for Lincoln students

Hey Lincoln students,

My name is Yengfong Thao and I am from Fresno, California. I am 17 years old and is a freshman in the U of M. I am majoring in Biology, so that I can be a doctor. What I do for fun is go to the movies with friends and hanging out with them.
In my basic writing class we are going to compare your school with our school that we used to go to, so if you don't mind I'll like to ask you some questions. First of all, can I get your name and what grade you're in.
Then, how is the environment around Lincoln, are you learning anything in Lincoln, and what do you do for fun at home?

Class Connections with Life and Lincoln

Well what we are doing and talking in class connects to my life because I live near the school we are writing about. The school we are talking about is Lincoln Community School and I live about 3-4 blocks away. The north side has some good and rough times, but I think it's an okay place to live in. For Lincoln, I think many people are afraid of the environment thats why they arent doing good in that school. My sister goes to Lincoln and the way I see it she is not learning anything or not as much. She is in the fifth grade and whenever she comes home with some homework she will want some help from me. Lincoln doesn't give out any notes that they can go through to get their homework done. She comes home all the time without any notes for her math homework, and I ask her where it is. She'll say, "This is it." That's why my parents is going to switch her school soon.

The video

In class the other day we watched a video on a bunch of elementary students and their school. In After watching the video about them it was sad how they had their computers for the longest. And they couldn't buy new computers because of money. In the other hand, Lincoln Community School wasn't as bad if I compared them to eachother. It should of been hard for them academically and physically because not having new computers and supplies. They were lucky the teachers were generous enough to go buy some with their own money. I think it depends on the teachers in some cases that could motivate a student to go to school and actually to good.

Comparisons between Lincoln & Ag Academy

The differences between Lincoln Community School and the Agricultural & Food Sciences Academy is that they live in different areas. Lincoln is located near a not very good environment as what people are saying and the Ag Academy is located near the suburbs where it is said that it is a very good environment. What's good about the two schools is that they have the Free/Reduce lunch program that helps out many students that comes from a low income family. Another different is that in Lincoln its more diverse and in the Ag Academy school theres more whites than most of the other races. I dont know, but I actually heard that if theres more whites that are attending your school than you will most likely do well. And if there are less whites than you will most likely not to do well. Similarity towards these schools is the Ag Academy was a school that didnt really have much money when it started and Lincoln had money from the government that helped. I think it also depends on the teachers because some teachers in a Minneapolis Public School tends to not teach well. Both of these schools live in different cities, so that could explain that safety could of been an issue in students learnings.

Difficulties of assignments

What difficulties are you having with the current assignment? How are you trying to address those? Well there's the Blog's assignments that keep on getting to me. What I mean is I keep on forgetting to write two blogs each week. I dont know but it is hard for me to keep up with these blogs. I think its because of all my other classes that I am haven. So, I think the best way to remind me is to write it down in my planner or on a piece of paper that tells me.

Sherman Alexie & LaRhonda Johnson

Well Sherman thinks knowing how to read and understand what they are reading is the most important and thinks that education is how to live life. On the other hand theres LaRhonda, she thinks that education isn't important and that family is the most important. Sherman wanted to learn how to read a Superman comic and to really understand what he is reading. He feels that if you know and understand in getting your education it will save your lifes. LaRhonda feels that she needs to take care of her brothers and sisters and her mother because they can't really take care of themself. She thinks getting her education doesn't matter, and that her family matters to her the most.