Homework?

Calvin clearly loves poetry and so do we! For your homework tonight we'd like you to find a short poem that is no more than five lines in length (you could also use a four or five line stanza from your favorite poem). After you've found your five lines, memorize them. Make sure to bring your poem/stanza with you to Project Soapbox tomorrow.

Here's an example of a short excerpt from Allen Ginsberg's Howl that I might memorize:

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night...

Need some help finding a poem?

Check out the Academy of American Poets or the Poetry Foundation for tons of poems and poets. Or there's always Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Just keep writing, just keep writing

Remember writing a speech is different from writing an essay, but correct grammar is still a must!

Here's an awesome website for helpful writing tips that includes everything from the difference between lay and lie to proper comma usage. You can listen to pod-casts, read, or both.

There's also a section of the website dedicated entirely to public speaking. Here's an example of how to end a speech.

This website is a great resource not only for Project Soapbox, but also for your academic work.

Happy writing :)

Cleaver's Quote

I agree with Veronica and Cleaver. When involved you have two sides however, you could just remove yourself from the situation completely.

Cleaver's Quote

I actually strongly disagree with Cleaver's quote because I believe people can be completely unrelated to a problem and a solution. Just because there are usually only two sides to choose from, people can choose to not be involved at all.

Struggling to find the solution to your issue? Here's some food for thought:

"You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem."- Eldridge Cleaver

Do you agree with Cleaver's quote? Why or why not? Answer as a comment.


And because I know you all love Calvin and Hobbes (or at least you should):

New Thesis

The use of cigarettes by teens in lake country continue to rise because of the teens exposure to cigarettes.

Revised Thesis Statement

I believe that  ­­­the lack of parent involvement is the most important challenge facing my community. This is a significant challenge because without parent involvement students become unmotivated to do schoolwork and won't be recoginized for accomplishments they do academically. If they see they are being recognized, students will feel good about working hard im school. To solve this challenge, I propose  that parents try to switch work hours to try to spend some time with their child helping them in their academics. 

Revised Thesis

I believe that the social taboo sex ­­­is the most important challenge facing the Lake County community in which I live. Making this subject comfortable to talk about will help educate children earlier before faced with life changing decissions.

Hi all!

Research is important for a variety of reasons, but it's especially important when you're taking a stand and proposing a solution. Facts and background information bolster your argument and disarm your opponents - but remember, we shouldn't be pointing fingers and playing the blame game.

If you've found yourself at a standstill with your research, or just want some more quick and dirty tips for good research follow THIS LINK for helpful researching resources.

And if you're still stuck come see me tomorrow for office hours starting at 8 am.

Or you could always go visit the library!

Thesis Statement

I believe that the misuse of money (in schools and the government) is the most important challenge facing the community that we live in. Misusing money is a significant challenge because it will cause our community to go downhill if we don't use the money for the necessary items that will support our daily lives and education. To solve this challenge, I propose that we should put necessary items and obstacles first, and then use what is left for our own pleasure. Otherwise...

  I believe that a lack of technological ability is the most important issue facing my community. This is significant because we live in a technologically advanced world, and our community shouldn't be left behind. To solve this problem, I propose we start educating children at a young age about technology.

Thesis

I believe that the lack of parent involvement in schools is the most important challenge facing my community. This is a significant challenge because without the support of parents, students will begin to become unmotivated since they are not being recognized for the good they are doing such as the sports students are in . To solve this challenge, I propose parents try to change their work hours to come see their kids participate in school events. 

Thesis statement

I believe that the lack of resources at school is the most important challenge facing my community. Being able to improve the school's resources is a significant challenge because in the end many students who have trouble completing their assignments and go through a lot of stress will be able to improve their grades and education. To solve this challenge, I propose the school to be more flexible with the funds.

Thesis

Media has to much influence over the young population, and there aren't enough good role models to outshine the bad examples that the media/society shows.

Thesis Statement- Community Problem

I believe immigration is the most important challenge facing my community. Immigration is a  significant challenge because over all immigrants are as beneficial as any other being in several aspects. To solve this challenge, I propose for our own community to become aware and make an important step in our own community.

I believe that social taboos ­­­are the most important challenges facing my community. Making these subjects comfortable to talk about is a significant challenge because for so long, people have been afraid to speak up about the matter.

Community Issue Thesis Statement

I believe that the negativity in Round Lake is the most important challenge facing my community. The lack of pride and belittling of Round Lake is a significant challenge because the continuation in the consumption of negativity from both outside and inside the community leads to low self esteem, disinterest and apathy in the appearance of the community and no real happiness in what we consider home. Round Lake does have its flaws but the majority does not bother to look past them and see the good in it or try to fix it; there is a lot of room for improvement in a continuously growing Round Lake. To solve this challenge, I propose to think more positively; represent the community more; participate in community activities such as school sports, presentations, etc.; tidy up our community; invest in the community such as schools because it will be beneficial and help improve the community and to stand up to the negativity.

Thesis Statement

I believe that high school drop outs are a very important issue in my community. The problem with high school drop outs is a very difficult challenge to face because there are so many causes that one can not imagine without experiencing themselves. A major cause of this issue is family obligation and the belief that supporting one's family is more important than getting a proper education. We, as citizens of the Round Lake community can help, is by funding money towards the families that struggle to get by day to day. If we can come together and help support these families, their teens are more likely to focus their attention back on the education they need rather than have to worry about their families.

Thesis Statement

I believe that people not respecting and valuing others is the most important challenge facing my community and every other community. Overcoming bullying is a significant challenge because people haven't been fully educated and the consequences are not making the bullies to open their eyes and see that what they have been doing is wrong. To solve this challenge, I propose parents to spend more time with their children and teach them the importance of respect. Also, to make them know that they are noticed and possess a great value. I  propose to make the consequences strict in order to make them regret what they've done.

Community Thesis

I believe that  ­­­our bad reputation of the town as whole is the most important challenge facing my community. Round Lake being called "poor" or "ghetto" from other cities around us and even our own local residents is a significant challenge because we as Round Lake citizens do not stand up for what is being brought to us verbally. From my view, I see people talking about how Round Lake is a terrible place to live in; they talk around some of our citizens and they would also agree due to being embarrassed at saying the truth. I realize there are gangs and people in our community that serve into making this community a bad place to live in, but in a more broader scale our community is still in the process of rebuilding the community that once was flourishing with tourists. Our community is growing at a steady rate and there is still more time to improve. The village of Round Lake will not be going anywhere. To solve this challenge, I propose that we, the fellow citizens of Round Lake, take a stand and show how proud you are to be living in Round Lake. We can also try to participate in community and school events to show pride; as well as spiffing up Round Lake so it may look renewed. 





(Too much? Comments please. Criticism is allowed )

I believe that the overuse of technology is the most important challenge facing not just my community but in today's society .The excessive use of technology is a significant challenge because people are becoming too obsessed with the latest gadgets that they forget about reality. To solve this challenge, I propose people to find a new interest and we can help each other out by doing activities with our friends that does not involve the use of our electronics. We have to know that there is a right time and a right place for everything. 

Community issues thesis

I believe that doing something about immigration is the most important challenge facing not just my community but the U.S. as a whole. Not giving immigrants a chance is a significant challenge because those immigrants come here for a better life, so if they chose this country the country should give some support to them. Other citizens treat immigrants like they are nothing because immigrants could easily get deported so they don't have a stable life here and also immigrants take the worst jobs just to get some money in their pockets. To solve this challenge, I propose that we stand up for immigrants, after all they are people, and give them a chance to be part of this country. If they were smart enough to get through the police guarding the border they could be smart enough to make some beneficial changes in this country.

I believe that having an overcrowded high school is the most important challenge facing my community. Having too many students in a high school is a significant challenge because the students will feel cramped in the classes and not feel comfortable enough to pay attention; the students can also get hurt while walking in the hallways if people start pushing each other. To solve this challenge, I propose that the school be expanded, and if there aren't enough funds, there should be a fundraiser to help earn money to expand the school. 

I believe that students not caring about their education ­­is the most important challenge facing my community. Family involvement is a significant challenge because if  the family doesn't get involved with the child education; then the child would believe that education isn't important and just not try. To solve this challenge, I propose to having school activities that help the child and the family spend time with each other. 

For tonight's homework we would like you to come up with a thesis statement. For now, use this model thesis statement:

I believe that  ­­­_________ is the most important challenge facing my community. _______ is a significant challenge because _________. To solve this challenge, I propose ____________. 

Fill it in, make it your own, but realize this is not the final version that might appear in your speech. After you've completed the model, post your thesis on the blog. Feel free to comment on your peers' posts. 

The Problem with Round Lake

Something I would like to discuss is the lack of involvement in our educational system both with the students and parents. I realize that there are many parents that aren't available because of obligations towards their family, but those that can be actively involved and chose not to be are really just sad. Besides our schools getting support from parents financially, the students that go to the schools need their parents to be involved in their education. Once a parent gives up on their child, the child is almost guaranteed to give up on themselves and that is a fact we need to change.


Something my Mother discussed with me is the danger of our streets and it is meant to be taken literally. She believes that our streets are unsafe in the sense that we don't have enough sidewalks for our citizens to walk on. She understands that with people walking on the actual street where cars are meant to drive is much more unsafe than walking out of range from where vehicles are passing by.

Hello everyone,

I asked my brother about problems of our community. He is upset about the major construction on major streets. Traffic and pollution builds up because of slow processed construction.

I have a problem with the lack of animal care. I have seen stray cats, deer crossing the streets, and dead squirrels and opossums. Nature is depleting because of it. We need to act now to save these animals.

Community Issues

Hello everyone,

I asked my aunt about concerns she had about Round Lake and one of them was about the misuse of money or handling of money. She feels that money is being invested in other things when education should be a priority. There has been a lot of cancelling of programs or the absence of programs kids want at schools because of the lack of money. (I mean we don't even have a proper recycling program at school because it would cost money to get a recycling bins for all the classrooms). We get money for our schools when people represent the community and there seems to be a lack of that. Whether its that people aren't interested or are scared to do so it is somethig that should be fixed if we want a good education for our children.

An issue I have noticed the community faces is the abundance of negativity. People outside of Round Lake seem to look down at our community and we aswell fall into that negativity and give into what others say and see all its flaws as well.. For example at school sports the thought of loosing is always present just because we're Round Lake. And less and less people are graduating from high school that feeds into that bad image of our community.  Like said earlier there may be a lack of representation and also a lack of parental involvement. But we can fix that if we actually try to help and change the community. We always complain but we don't do anything about it. We have to push to have better schools, both in structure and the education curriculum. If we "fight for" improvement we  can do it. Yes our community isn't very appealing but there is good in it . We have to break this negativity.

Hello all,

   An issue that my mother feels strongly about is that the schools are not in proper condition for the school community. She believes that the schools lack materials needed to develop activities. She also believes that the climate in the buildings are not appropriate since some rooms do not have air conditioning especially the old gym in the high school were students sweat and are active and serious incidents can occur due to the hot weather. The overcrowdedness of the high school is also a problem since students are not in a comfortable environment.

    If I may also add on to my mothers matter the food services in the schools are also a concern. This year there was a change in companies around the district promoting better food but as I see it that is not the case; I have found moldy bread during my lunch and not just once. But what bothers me the most not just in our community but in today society is that as technology advances so does peoples ambitions. Everywhere I go I see everyone even little kids who are barely going into school using electronics. Everyone has to have the latest device and no one can take their eyes off the screens of their tablets or phones not even for a second. This is not only bothersome but scary since it can be the difference between ones life especially in situations where people are on there phones while driving. It is amazing to see the countless of peoples who can not wait to update their statuses or reply a text message or a call. But what really annoys me is when I see children using these electronics. I remember how long I had to wait to get my first iPod or phone. Some might say this is jealousy but I would say those people don't understand that it takes responsibility for someone to take care of something so costly. A child can easily break it or ruin it as they get it all dirty playing with it with their dirty hands. Or by being careless and leaving it lying around just waiting for someone to step on it; some people just do not understand that they don't sell these at the dollar store. And if I may say it is not just the children's fault for asking for these electronics but its equally the parents fault who are willing to give it to them. It is amazing what a parent won't do in order to get their child to stop troubling them. Not only are they not helping their children by showing that they have power over them by giving them what they want but they are also ruining their healthy as more children are getting glasses at a younger age. Not only this but many are becoming lazy and would rather lay on their couch playing on their electronic than being active outside. These devices can also lead to problems as many have to share something that most kids are not willing to due resulting in countless disagreements.        


    

Community issue

Hello everyone,
The community issue I chose was animal cruelty. It is truly upsetting having to see pets not being treated correctly because of their owners unwillingness to do their part. To some people it is very easy to just get ownership of a pet and not realize that it is not a toy that you just look at or abandon when you're tired of it. It annoys me having to see pets being thrown outside with horrible weather conditions and with no resources to please the animals needs. Such as if it was a hot and humid day and a pet was left outside with no water or food for hours. I personally think there should be consequences regarding some fine to the owner because it is a responsibility they put themselves into to take care of another living creature whom deserves to be treated with respect.

As for my mom her community issue is being over reliable on technology. A way technology affects us negatively is taking away too many jobs that it makes it difficult to find employment. Also based on how fast technology changes something is being replaced causing many changes in a routine or a way something is usually done and the result could be annoying after awhile as technology is needed more making it difficult for those who have trouble understanding how a certain technology works.

Community Issues

Hi guys!


I have spoken with both of my parents tonight about community issues and their responses have triggered my thoughts. My Dad stated that he believes he is paying taxes to too many people. Basically he believes, and I agree, that multiple layered government agencies are unnecessary in many situations. For instance, the roads of the Round Lake Area are all plowed by several different levels of government. Most of the roads are plowed by the individual towns' public works, but Cedar Lake is plowed by Lake county public works. This means that Plows are sent all the way from Waukegan to plow a road that our plows already drive over. Also, Avon Township is in charge of Washington. Again, our towns' plows already are driving on this road. I think it is ridiculous and unorganized. My Dad and I both believe that some parts of the government do not have to be as complicated as they are. A way to simplify these government levels is by abolishing townships in Northern Illinois. Avon Township is responsible for under ten miles of roads and could be covered by the towns within. We don't need to pay taxes towards something so useless.




My Mom also brought up a great point! She is concerned with teen pregnancy in our area. Children in these upcoming generations are not being held responsible for their actions. It starts as small as awards. Not everyone is a winner, therefor not everyone should receive a trophy. You have to work hard to be recognized. Or kids are being able to slip by in school; expectations are lowered. Kids who don't do their homework only need to say sorry and they don't receive discipline. By not being held accountable for our actions, we will never learn from our mistakes. We will not understand consequences. Now when we face real life problems, such as teen pregnancy, kids don't know what to do. I know of several students who were educated about sex and their parents have talked to them. However, they still chose to make some silly choices which resulted in pregnancy. Neither of them expected it because neither of them have had to face a consequence before. There was always an easier way out. By Installing responsibility into youth, we could prevent silly choices that result into permanent life choices.

Community Problem

Hey everyone, I just wanted to the address the problem my friend had seen as important.  He believes that the people of Round Lake do not respect the town, leaving trash everywhere and having graffiti in certain places.

I agree with him since I have seen these things happen. Compared to other towns I have visited Round Lake doesn't seem  like it is taken care of as it should. In other towns sidewalks are clean and the outside of stores are kept tidied up.

Community Problems

Hello!

As soon as I was asked to think about a problem our community is faced with I thought of our education and its stereotypes. Like in any community not all people consist of the same values and education unfortunately is not one of every ones main values in where we live. People out of Round Lake see the majority of the people that do not value education and perceive Round Lake as a whole. They believe we lack opportunities and the ambition and hunger to succeed as a whole.

Agreeing with Maria my parents also believe our community lacks from following through with promises. Which relates to what I was talking about before education, immigration and employment. These are all different topics but they all come together to either benefit or hurt us as a whole. Education for example many promises are made, that there will be more classrooms or even as far as offering better resources to allow all of us to have equal opportunities, to over all enhance the education system as a whole.

Community Issues

Hey there!

Today I asked my parents about what they dislike about the community we are in.
Their response really stood up to me. They said that they do not, do not, do not like (not even a bit) how the communication system is set up. Even though it is extremely obvious that there is a major population of Spanish speakers, when there are meetings at schools,church,etc., they give the information in English. "How do they expect us to understand what their message or advice is? How do they expect us to participate if we have trouble communicating?" That is why there are interpreters, so make good use of them! They enforce the idea of being bilingual/speaking another language, but they do not show it since they do not give the information at the reach for everyone.
Or, when they do have another person translating, it still is more English and not all of the information is conveyed.

Now my turn.
I definitely, definitely agree with my parents!!
But something I hate about this community is that there is not really a respect.
There are many ways the people do not show respect but the main one that just bothers me a lot is the respect some people show towards the invalid,people who have trouble learning/developing. I have seen how people stare at them, or try to copy the way they walk or so.
One day during passing period, I saw how these guys pushed this boy who has trouble walking- he went to special classes ... they laughed at him and went away as if nothing had happened.
The security man did not really do anything about it. I wanted to help him but he did not want anyone near him...he was hurt (not only physically but mentally as well). I just couldn't help but to have this strong feeling of hate and frustration.

 These are just two of our community's weaknesses/issues.

Community Issue- Val

My cousin seems to believe that inequality is the biggest issue in our community,  but I believe that lack of hope is what ruins our community. I feel that people no longer believe in the promises that the town provides, such as expanding a school or providing more computers to improve the education in Round Lake. I feel that the people have lived through many empty promises and no longer have hope. So I believe that people should be able to guarantee something when they make a promise, so hopefully it will lift the spirit of the overall community.

Hello I am Maria,
I would like to talk about the way we handle our money in this community. Here we have only one High School in our area. We are being faced with overpopulation in the high school. What really bugs me is that the government is spending money in the reparations of roads all over this community but they don't have the decency to build another high school in our area. They built a temporary road in Rollins RD that from what I see in the blueprints isn't even going to be used or they are going to redo it, and there went a few more dollars basically thrown away that we could be using to either expand our school or build a whole new high school.

What really bothers my dad is politics. He thinks that the mayors and even presidents just promise people things they will do to help out their citizens but don't do anything in the end. They trick people by promising things that gets our hopes up and end up changing their methods after they become president or mayor. He thinks the person running for office should just say what they will really do so we don't fall in their traps and end up regretting our choices.

Bonjour everyone,

I asked my sister what she thought was an issue with the community of Round Lake and her response was only one word; depressing. She believes that Round Lake needs to improve its buildings and make it look like an actual community not a sad little town. She also said to include a mall but thats never happening.

For the first time I actually agree with my sister. Round Lake could do some things that would help improve its image. I understand that that is slowly happening with the bridge that is recently being built but the buildings around town could use some fixing. With a better image of Round Lake; tourist would come like in the old days and Round Lake would turn from a depressing community to a community that you'll never forget.

Hi everyone,

So today I asked my mom what she thought was an issue here in Round Lake, and she said "I hate the construction here". She said that she sometimes has to go around the construction and take the long way, which she says wastes gasoline. Then she said that when she DOES have to go through it, her car gets dirty from the dust and dirt that's all over the place and has to wash her car more frequently. All I know is that the construction won't end until a couple years after this year, and my mom gets mad because they aren't paying for her gas or her car washes.

I guess that kinda frustrates me too because I sometimes have to walk through it, and last time my shoes got all muddy after it had rained. I also get angry because when they are digging, there tends to be a lot more dust in my house, which I'll have to eventually clean up. Also, there are some cars that go by really fast, creating swirly dusts that make my eyes water and my nose hurt. I really wish they would hurry up with construction, because it would make me and my mom's lives easier.

My Community Issue

Hey Guys!





My name is Daniel and I have a community issue in regards to bullying. Bullying is a nationwide struggle and effects many people each day. Bullying is a strong term that could be broken down into 2 separate categories. One category is bullying in the real world and the other category is cyber bullying. Although there are many actions into trying to stop bullying, it does not sustain it. It seems as though there is more of an increase in bullying then a decrease in it.

My mom has an issue on the inflation of gas prices. She thinks it is annoying to watch gas prices  decrease a little and then rise up the next day. Gas prices lately have been rising and falling. It looks like the gas price has gone over $4 in some cities and slowly rising. Even though our gas prices are below $4, they can either rise slowly or fall slowly in a span of a day. If only gas prices were like they used to be a couple of years ago. 

Hey, everyone, Nevyn here.

For my Project Soapbox, I'd like to discuss the disturbing lack of technical information and education available to students across the country. "Technical" is a vague term, so I'll define it as anything having to do with modern technology of the 21st century. This includes computer programming, web design, etc. Many other nations teach very young students advanced forms of these skills, while we haven't even taught ours the basics.

My father is also upset with the education in Round Lake, however, his frustration with it is far more general. He believes that the curriculum of round lake schools is not up to par with that of other districts.

Welcome to the Project Soapbox Blog!

Welcome to the Project Soapbox blog! This blog will serve as a valuable resource over the next few weeks, and we expect you to utilize it on a daily basis. There are a couple main reasons for our blog:

1. Communication – This is an easy way for everyone to see updates and stay on the same page (pun intended).

2. Collaboration – You’ll be posting on the blog and responding to your peers. While everyone will write their own unique piece, it’s always good to bounce ideas off of each other.

3. Become a little tech-savvy – Technology allowed blogs to become the new “soapboxes.” We want all of you to feel comfortable using such online resources. 

We’re very excited for the next four weeks! Please don't hesitate to ask questions or express concerns - we want this experience to be rewarding, meaningful, and enjoyable.