Description
During this project we focused on The American Dream and the inequalities in our country. In Humanities, we chose topics that related to some sort of inequity we face (Example: Criminal Justice or Educational Inequalities) and divided into groups in our topics. We research our project extensively, and then split into individual roles within our group that we would remain in for our exhibition. In Math we learned how to handle our finances, and how to create and understand infographics. We started off learning how to calculate taxes, and then working on a personal finance activity. We then moved on to looking into statistics. We used the knowledge from making our own statistics and graphs to add additional sources to our position papers that we wrote in humanities.
Process(Math & Humanities)
When we first started this project, I had a very hard time researching my topic. The way groups were chosen seemed very unthoughtful, and I was given a topic I wasn’t passionate about. This was the biggest challenge I had faced. I didn’t know where to start, how to start, or anything I could be interested in. I had to push myself to give the bare minimum, and I was very unmotivated. Making my financial plan was interesting though. I was able to create a life where I was working, and I learned what I may need to do to support myself financially. After that in humanities, it was my job to learn what the panelists in my group were focusing on, and how I could improve their work and help them understand their topic better. For my position paper, I had to really push myself to find something to write about. I created a general topic of incarceration rates and how it affected the American Dream. I was only able to accomplish this because I had several articles about these things, so I wrote facts. In math creating our infographic was fun! At first I didn’t think plugging in some data and making it look nice would be enjoyable, but once I got started it was addicting. I used the information from statistics I had researched to influence my infographics, and present them in an engaging story type of way. I really enjoyed that connection piece to our project, and I liked helping out my group members with their work.
Math Learning
While learning about financial concepts, I realized how important it is to be mindful of the decisions you make. I felt very grateful to be learning about taxes so early on, and I learned how much it can take out of your annual income. I learned that being able to budget your priorities is important in order to afford many necessities. I realized when making my personal finance budget, that even without having to pay rent or utilities, how much I would struggle to afford any kind of insurance, and be able to take care of myself. I also learned how going into debt, if put off, can sink your entire life. It’s smarter to save your money to be able to pay off your debt sooner rather than trying to afford things I want. When we made graphs showing how you could potentially pay off your debt forever and seeing how much interest can really hurt you, it made me prioritize paying off my debt before anything else. Compound interest adds up very fast, and you end up paying so much more than you started off with. I understood logarithms very well, and felt comfortable working with them. I really enjoyed connecting our logarithms to real life situations. Using them to find the original amount on a loan, and how interest works. This helped me be more motivated because I felt it would have use in the future. The statistical problem solving process starts with asking a question, designing/implementing, analyzing data, and interpreting results. I didn’t have much use for these steps, because I wasn’t apart of any statistical groups, but I used a few of those skills to make my infographic. I had a spreadsheet full of data and I had to ask myself what I wanted out of all these numbers. Then I moved onto how I could make these numbers physically appealing and easy to understand. From learning statistics I learned terms such as population (a group based on a study), and sample (part of a group for collected data). I also learned that categorical variables put people in different groups, while quantitative variables measure math values. Observational studies are meant to understand a group, but don’t give a conclusion, while a randomized experiment can imply causation and change one aspect of a test. Personally the financial part of this project helped me understand the opportunities for financial aid there are for people in need. It also helped me re-evaluate what money really means and its value. How many people struggle and keep working because they need to support their families. Looking at studies made me realize that each number I looked at wasn’t just a fact, but a person apart of a problem.
Humanities Learning
From this project I learned the importance of putting power to good use. I recognized how many instances in which bad or greedy people abuse their power. This made me want to try something different. I imagined myself owning a successful business and paying my employees what they deserve. This project also helped me take a step back and really appreciate my life, and the opportunities being presented to me. In our world, it’s either you have power and privilege, or nothing. Learning from all these people that work so hard for what they want, has made me more passionate about these topics. Although these problems should be addressed, I noticed that so many people were finally discussing these hard topics, but there were no solutions. No matter how many times we bring up these inequalities, without an answer we aren’t getting anywhere. I think because people are able to discuss and complain, doesn’t mean we are making any progress. One thing I think was really important though, was how discussing these topics educated me. I didn’t know anything about labor rights, or the details on gender inequality, and understanding these things has made me more aware. When we first started this project, I thought the American Dream was what you make it. Turns out, life isn’t all fair, many people have disadvantages, while others are born into success. This being said, I still think the American Dream is what you make of it. All it takes is how much you’re willing to put in, for you to be happy. What you’re willing to sacrifice, to make life worth living. I think it’s important, and non-negotiable that we still have people talking, and working to make solutions to these problems, but I think they can be solved, it just depends on how much you care, and how willing others are to understand and listen.
"Mind the Gap" Exhibition
Out of all the exhibitions I’ve participated in, this one was the most organized. Generally people don’t know where they need to be, and many people are missing their places. Granted that did happen a few times, for the most part, everyone executed their role very nicely, and if not in their correct place, were still being productive. The site was very nice, and despite some minor hiccups, everything was done on time, and people made adjustments. For our exhibition, my role was to be a moderator during our symposium. Our panel topic was criminal justice, and consisted of four panel members, one guest speaker, and two co-moderators. My responsibility was to lend support to the panelists as well as understand their research. During the symposium I asked the panelists questions, and created an opening and closing statement. While preparing for the exhibition, it was difficult communicating with all my group members. At the beginning, I wasn’t needed very much, other than to make sure everyone was on task. I filled in this time by offering critique to my group mates and volunteering to help with their research. Closer to our deadline, I was actively constructing questions for my panelists and encouraging them to practice and helping them feel comfortable presenting. The week of exhibition my group had a lot of fun collaborating, critiquing, and adding the final touches to our presentation.