Pursuiting A Dream

Am I better now that I was yesterday?

Of course. Back then I would only hear about the DREAM Act and then simply hope that someday it would pass. I've also learned about the importance of hearing both sides of the story. I always wondered why people were reluctant towards the bill, and know I know why it sparks so much debate and emotions.

As of now, I feel like I know a lot about the controversy around the DREAM Act, and why some media portrays is as a "nightmare". After hearing both sides of the story, I've learned that most of the negative critcism of the bill is because of people being misinformed. Some people think that the DREAM Act, is a free ticket to citizenship for illegals. Well, it's not a ticket, and it's not free at all. The bill won't give illegals citizenship, it will only open the doors for many of them. Mostly these are Republicans, but I have been glad to see some Republicans that are in favor of the Dream Act are so because they are well informed about the DREAM Act.

I am planning on getting the school involved. After my presentation on the DREAM Act at school to a small portion of students, I wouldn't mind giving it in front of a larger crowd. I also want to get the school involved, I'm going to start out by writing an article on the Burr, and then probably give a speech to the entire school during circle ceremony. I see this project headed in a good direction.

She's Back...

I've been enjoying watching the conversations grow on this blog! You all have some great ideas, and I'm glad to see you are applying them to your personal goals and your work at school. (See especially Marcos's blog about homework and independence at Chinquapin.) You are already showing your leadership by participating in this blog and taking the risk of sharing your ideas here.

Now I would like to see the "lurkers" who have not yet participated chime in. We are getting closer to the start of school (August 16th!), and the rest of you most certainly should have started your reading of Drive by now.  If you are not sure where you might jump in, I suggest that you pull a passage (a sentence or two) that speaks to you and just respond to that.  (Don't forget to cite the page number.)  You don't have to have read and digested the entire book to be able to dive into the conversation.

How about it?  Which passage got you thinking?  Was it about autonomy, like Tito's blog below?  Or was it about mastery?  What about the significance of having a sense of purpose in what you do?

As you blog about your thoughts and reflections, don't forget to include "labels" (also called tags).  Include a label of your first name and at least one for the main idea of your blog.  As you can see from the "tag cloud" on the right, your name or topic gets bigger the more you use a particular tag.  And, frankly, my name is way too big here!  I want to see more from you than from me.

Finally, I want to thank the teachers -- Jeremy D., Amanda, and Amulya -- who have taken the time to participate in the conversation.  This all makes me very excited about the coming year and our work together.

(And a few members of the Class of 2011 are still missing.  Where are they?  Please encourage them to get on board!  I would like to see a post from everyone in the next week.)

Intrinsic motivation in Chinquapin

As Chapter 1 of Drive explains, Motivation 2.0 works by rewarding people for doing a good job, punishing them when things are not working, and keeping a very close eye on them. As we can see by reading the novel, this sort of structure is being less frequently used in business and replaced by a self-driven motivation. My question is, wouldn't this also work in Chinquapin?

People who work using intrinsic motivation do jobs that are interesting- non-routine work. These people are self-motivated, and therefore they need to be less monitored. I saw Chinquapin take a similar direction last year with the addition of a new rule- high school guys on the high honor roll didn't need to attend night study hall. Instead, these guys did their homework in their own dormitory, and, every now-and-then, on their own beds. As the year culminated, these students did pretty well.

Now, I don't know if Ray, who came up with this idea, had read Drive before, but this new rule showed a perfect example of how intrinsic motivation works. The students were were not monitored, and still managed to have positive results on their tests and quizzes. They were not monitored, forcing them to be self-driven and to work at their own pace . This privilege set up a "purpose maximizer" environment. Students were able to turn on their stereo and find more creative ways to do their homework, making the task more enjoyable.

I know there are many other ways to add intrinsic motivation to Chinquapin, but the positive result of this "experiment" by Ray could lead to Chinquapin being run by a new "operating system", something I definitely wouldn't mind.

This Book Is a "Door-Opener"

I just finished reading the introduction and part of Chapter 1 from Drive, and I'm amazed at the complex point of view that this book is putting out there. It's really intriguing because the idea of having a satisfaction that comes from within makes sense if you think about it. Plus, I find a spiritual factor having to do with that idea since the satisfaction comes "from within". It's great because it means you don't have to rely on any outside sources for satisfaction or rewards. It clicked in my mind that doing what I would love to do would be satisfying itself. I believe this book will greatly influence my Senior Project as I keep reading, especially towards the last Chapter.