The Spot Vol. 1 No.2 /December 2011

The English Students Association’s Magazine

THE SPOT Vol. 1 No.2 /December 2011

CONTENTS

Letters from the President and Editor

4

5

6

The Director’s Message

Interview of the Month!

7-8 9

10

NCATE Update

11

12

13

What do you know about Charter Schools? Inform yourself!

Basic Course Essay!

14 15 16

Practice Students’ Anecdotes

Practice Students’ Special Project

17

18

Post graduation options

What to do and what not to do in education!

Present to impress and look for useful information

Education News

Ideas to live a green life

Beauty is everywhere… take a look!

CONTENTS 19

20

Words were invented to express ideas and feelings;

check out the Writers’ Corner and feel the talent!

24 25 26

30 31

Movies you must see!

Experience the world of literature

Quotes for thought

Send a little message to anyone you want!

Take a time to relax, laugh, and exercise your brain

Track the ESA’s activities

ESA in sight!

Need a snack?

Our story

21 22 23

27 28 29

President‟s letter

Michael Sosa

People in Charge

Publisher:

The English Students‟ Association

President:

Michael Sosa

Vice-president

Joseph Lance Román

Consultants:

Aníbal Muñoz

Nilsa Lugo Colón

Denise Rodríguez Carrasquillo

Editor:

Kanisha Rosario Ramos

Coeditor:

Angelique M. Colón

Printing:

Artes Gráficas-UPRH

Editor‟s Message

Kanisha Rosario Ramos

Hello Again!

Wow, I am very pleased with all the reactions to the first magazine and now I am

even more motivated to continue. However, everybody keeps congratulating me for the

results and I was not alone. A lot of people made this possible. Not so long ago, two

students proposed the first newsletter (one page long!), then the newsletter evolved and

came to be thirty pages long. Then, in a casual conversation, Joseph Lance

(vice-president) suggested to turn the newsletter into a magazine trusting me to make it

possible. Yet, it would not have been possible without the help of the co-editor Angelique

or without the facilitator of publishing the magazine itself, the president Michael Sosa, and of course the

feedback and editing of two great professors, Dr. Denise Rodríguez and Dr. Nilsa Lugo. Above all, it

definitively would not have been possible to have a great magazine without the participation of you guys! I am

so excited to be part of this chain of success and I hope that it keeps evolving; after all, we are prepared by the

best educators in Puerto Rico. Don‟t get caught by the images and decorations, take a look at the written art

and enjoy English. We are going to be charging for the posts from now on because we need funding to publish

the magazine and make it even better. Thanks for all the support and all of your congratulations for our first

magazine and remember that you are all more than welcome to participate!

Have fun,

Kanisha

4

Greetings! Around the corner we find that the

semester is coming to an end so the cliff we have to climb is harder as we

go up. Still, we have made the decisions and we are where we are. Every

decision we make becomes the path we take. When I first entered the

UPRH, I was admitted by the English program at the elementary school

level but I wanted to transfer to psychology. I discovered that I didn‟t like

psychology as much as I did English. In the end, I transferred to English at

the secondary school level because I learned to love the program. I love

what I do and it has been a wonderful experience.

One can wonder, what would have happened if I had chosen another

path in my life, if I had done this or that? Wonder for a moment. Where

would you be right now? Would you have made more progress? I can think

about this and the answer would be yes, no, and I don‟t know. In my case,

the correct answer would be “I don‟t know.” You are where you are because

of the decisions you‟ve made, and you should be proud. You are studying to

become a better citizen.

We need good leaders in this society, and you are one of them.

Embrace your dreams. Dream BIG!

Message from the Department’s Direc-

5

By: Dr. Nilsa Lugo Colón

Joining the Conversation 2

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn‟t mat-

ter to me. Going to bed at night saying we‟ve done some-

thing wonderful, that‟s what matters to me,” stated the

late Steve Jobs. Reflect on the wonderful things you did

this semester as a student in our program. Did you live

up to your commitment to attend all your classes?

Did you enthusiastically join the conversation

during each class discussion? Did you diligently com-

plete your assignments on time? Did you self-

lessly share your expertise with your fellow class-

mates? If you are able to answer YES to every ques-

tion, then you are doing something wonderful: You

are living your life as a student to the fullest.

Four basic actions are all that is required:

Attend class, join in class discussions, complete assignments, and share your

new-found knowledge and experiences. A relatively simple thing that is asked

of you that you usually enter into with enthusiasm, but that for some reason

may begin to falter as the semester progresses. How can you keep up the

motivation when you are literally being crushed with work and personal

responsibilities? I certainly do not have an answer that will magically

transform your student life into the most wonderful, fulfilling days of

your life. But you do. Approach each day with the singular

thought, “I can do this.” That‟s the magic you need.

Too simplistic? Consider the life of entertainer Sammy

Davis, Jr. In his autobiography, “Yes, I Can”, he recounts how he

should never have become so famous. Born in Harlem, NY in

1925, he went on to become a world famous singer and movie/

television actor. He was a black man at a time of dangerous racial

discrimination, a Jew at a time of extreme religious prejudice, in

an interracial marriage to a white lady, maimed in a car accident

leading to his having a glass eye, and standing all of 5‟2” in a

Hollywood full of statuesque actors. How did he become so

accomplished in his field? He had a talent that he wanted to

share; he put in the hard work; and he focused on what was

needed to succeed and not on his detractors. He approached

each day with a “Yes, I can” attitude that no one could take

away from him because it was an integral part of his very be-

ing. It is not possible for anyone to strip away your unique

personality; only you have the power to do that. Focus on who

you are, what you want, and do not let go.

Yes, you can.

So live each day by doing something wonderful for yourself

and those around you. At the end of the day, the week, the

month, or the year, it would be a blessing if you could reflect

on all you have done and believe without hesitation, to quote

Steve Jobs, “We‟re just enthusiastic about what we do.”

Much love and happiness in 2012

6

NCATE Update

Description of The Teaching Education Unit Logo

1.Star-like figure represents our teacher candidates who are the shining stars of the unit. All their efforts radiate out toward their students.

2.Gold color represents triumph and success in the areas of diversity, creativity, leadership, and social transformation.

3.Diversity, as the head of the figure, represents the inclusive nature of our program and the wealth of diversity of our teacher candidates and their students.

4.Social transformation, at the base of the figure, represents the pedestal the unit wants teacher candidates and their students to stand upon as a lasting foundation.

5.Curved line that links the 4 candidate dispositions represents the continuous nature of the teaching/learning cycle that permeates the lives of our teacher candidates and their students.

6.Blue color of curved line and lettering identifying the four dispositions represents the positive, dynamic nature of our unit‟s education programs comprised of a BA in English and BA in Education.

7.Pentagon shape represents UPRH in the form of a school house building, that in turn represents the schools our teacher candidates visit for field experience and clinical practice.

8.Burgundy color represents the university spirit of UPRH. 9.Blue color that radiates as a glow around the pentagon shape represents the

educational focus that surrounds our island community (light blue is the

universal color for education programs). Designed by: Dr. Nilsa Lugo Colón/2008

Dr. Nilsa Lugo Colón, TEU Coordinator

November 2, 2010. This is the day the Teacher Education Unit (TEU) received the letter that announced we had been

fully accredited, from 2010 to 2017, by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Were we surprised? No. Are we ecstatic? Absolutely.

This singular letter has forever changed the dynamic of both the English and the Education programs at UPRH. The

faculty, staff, and teacher candidates that make up the TEU have made the commitment to continuously improve their

respective programs by focusing on six essential standards:

Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Dispositions

Standard 2: Assessment System and Unit Evaluation

Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice

Standard 4: Diversity

Standard 5: Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development

Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources

The Unit, as identified in its 2007 Conceptual Framework, designed a four-stage assessment model that includes

gathering data on specific courses or instruments at the entry, pre-clinical, clinical, and post graduate levels of its

programs. The TEU will be focused for the coming years on using assessment results to make data-driven decisions on

all aspects that lead toward continuous improvement. This will engage the TEU up to the next accreditation visit. To

help you understand the timeline, the following dates are key to our reaccreditation process.

1. 2011-2014: Continue assessment processes in order to make data-driven decisions

2. 2014: Submit reaccreditation report to TESOL and NAEYC

3. 2014-2016: Continue assessment processes; prepare draft of Institutional Report

4. 2016: Submit Institutional Report to NCATE

5. 2017: Host on-site NCATE visiting team

One of the areas that the Unit recognizes as a priority is immersing all of you, our teacher candidates, in the

reaccreditation process. We recognize that in order for you to achieve academic and professional success, you need to

be fully engaged in the decision-making process. You will be asked and encouraged to actively participate in

committees, special events, and all assessment activities.

Achieving accreditation was part of the TEU‟s short-term plan; maintaining accreditation is the long-term goal.

Is this a mere academic task to obtain one more certification? No. Is this our commitment to you, that as future teachers

you will become empowered by embracing diversity, creativity, leadership, and social transformation? Absolutely.

7

By Kanisha Rosario Ramos November 22, 2011

Elizabeth Morales (Eli)

※ What is the difference between

being a orientation official in

the department and being a

secretary?

As an orientation official I work directly

with the students. As a secretary I used

to work with the English Director, English

Faculty, and students. I worked with the

administrative paperwork of the English

Department.

The University of Puerto Rico in Humacao

provides a number of services to the student

community that many of us do not know about.

The same thing happens in each department. In

the English Department, we have a group of

people that are focused on helping us through

the sometimes exhausting semester. I for

example never took the time to visit the

department’s orientation official until this year

(my last one). Therefore, I chose to interview

Elizabeth Morales, our orientation official so

you can meet her and feel comfortable to visit

her once in a while.

※ What is the role of an

orientation official? As an orientation official I help the

students develop a program plan, help them

with their registration classes, advice them

on transfer credit requests, assist them in

the preparation of necessary forms, and

discuss pre-requisites.

※ What influenced you to be a

orientation official? The UPRH administration offered me the

opportunity to become an orientation

official and I decided to accept. Also, it is

time for me to do something different

here at the university.

8

※ How can you help students; what kind of service do you

offer? I help students with their degree progress reports, their registration

classes, their transfer credit requests, and a variety of other services

designed to help students achieve their desired degrees.

※ What has been your experience so far? My experience as an orientation official has been good. I am still learning.

I love what I am doing. I have been able to get to know the English B.A. students

and help them with their programs.

※ How has being an orientation official affected your opinion

about this program?

Now as an orientation official I have learned how special, hard-working, and

dedicated our students are.

Contact Elizabeth Morales at:

E-mail: eli_morales_00792@yahoo.com

Tel. (787) 850-9397

Or go directly to her office at the Letras

building in the English Department, UPRH

9

bus picks you up at the top of a hill in Avery Park. Many students with blue-and-khaki-pants……….. uniforms are

congregated talking about life, gogo rap-pers, and “Gurl, yesterday‟s party was off tha’ chain!” In another place, two teenag-ers walk to school and talk about food fights and pupusas, patting weaves and debating whether Chris Brown is an abu-sive boyfriend or not. Farther away in Beltsville, the scent of wontons and fried chicken invites people to the Carryout, a small Chinese food restaurant aptly sta-tioned near a gas station, where all the hottest fights would always end up. And if you‟re lucky, you get to see two idiots trying to escape from the evil clutches of school!

True to the adage, “Each day has enough trouble of its own”, school means one of two things: either facing the day with energy and confidence, ready to embrace whatever life slings at you, or sitting through six hours of formal education in the ghetto jungle and leaving no trace of life. High Point High School, that peculiar one atop Beltsville, Mary-land‟s Cherry Hill, was one example. If the description above didn‟t look like an-other episode from The Wire, then I don‟t know what else to describe to you! Nev-ertheless, I managed to broaden my per-spective of the world, go through my Eleventh Grade mostly unscathed…and survive each day in the ghetto jungle.

Allow me to explain what you would see in the main hallways: as the clock ticked 7:15 AM and someone opened the gates, a stampede of people started huddling through the hallway, going to the stairs and meeting up with

friends, getting some breakfast in the cafe-teria, or finishing things in the library. We had thirty minutes, plenty to do what we had to do and get ready for class. Down to the last ten minutes, however, someone on the PA announced that we had to move to class; then we had to con-descendingly move to our first class. One warning, two warnings, a final warning, and then those who were tardy had to face a dreaded hall sweep. Those who both-ered to do things right went to specific places for detention. Those who didn‟t could find a way to hide. But as I was never caught up in that, let‟s move on to class…

Apart from the fact that I could study with people from many grades, education was really spotty. I could see that while many schools in Prince George‟s County were doing pretty well, High Point was an expert in pulling fire alarms, boozing bathroom buddies, and babysitting substitute teachers! Art classes could easily squeeze in around forty students who needed those credits to graduate. Some didn‟t even have enough materials –and chairs- for everyone! Oy, the pain of budget cuts!

Teachers weren‟t High Point‟s cup of tea, either. Some teachers, like Mrs. Whitlow, my Office Tech teacher, didn‟t enforce her authority on the students. “The nerve of some people,” she always said when something was unsettling her, or when a student was insistently nagging at her with a “nasty attitude!” Others, like Mr. Daniels, my Jamaican chemistry teacher, would curse at us when improperly agitated by something! Even Ms. Mason, with her “Stop talking, y‟all sounding worse than a bootleg movie!” banter could not compare to the sheer awkwardness of High Point‟s teachers. Not a day has passed when I have analyzed, “Was I studying in a high school, or a mental institution?”

At least things changed when lunchtime came in… I think. If we couldn‟t listen to what Wendy Williams had to preview for us on FOX 5 in those new plasma screens they installed, then the food was bad and high in calories, lines were ridiculously long, and we had thirty minutes to find a seat, eat, and leave for class. If that didn‟t make lunchtime even more challenging, what do you think of flash food fights? Semi-frozen pizza floating in the air, synthetic chicken nug-gets, a backwashed bottle of Hawaiian

Punch, and smuggled Pop Tarts made us victims of the American tradition. Because of these stupid events –and because someone got arrested-, they eventually treated us like unruly animals!

If I was really lucky, I could see a fight at any moment. (At least that made my time in High Point worthwhile!) While I didn‟t bother to go to the carryout and watch a fight after school, I did watch some fights happen at High Point. However, I have always asked myself why they ever happened: complexes, girl trou-ble/boy trouble, I really don‟t know. Nor should. I. At least, here‟s a diagram of why I think fights happen. Take for ex-ample, your typical man fight. I always thought that a hallway confrontation would go like this… “Eh, son, watcha doin‟ wif my girl”, Soulja Boy one said to the other one in the middle of the hallway.

“Um… Nothin‟. We were just having a bur-“, Soulja Boy Two said, whilst getting his fist ready as he was rudely interrupted by his “peer”.

“-Ger!? What the…?”, Soulja Boy One said, as he is getting his fist ready and throws his Biology book back to his friends.

“Dude, I swear! Don‟t ya remem-ber when we were best friends in Buck Lodge”, Soulja Boy Two said, as he is starting arch his body like a boxer.

I don‟t care, son! “ Soulja Boy One said. “You‟re still gonna get some for tryin‟ to take away my gir-”, and he is gravely interrupted by Soulja Boy Two‟s first blow. Instigators roll in, cell phone cameras pop-out, and the next thing you know, these two fools are featured on YouTube. Sigh. Again, I‟m just throwing a wild guess.

On my way home, I sometimes reflected on the disaster of an educational institution I faced every day. From “OH, HELL, NOs!” yelled out in the brink of a fight close to a hallway, to someone smoking a cigarette in front of the school, someone else wouldn‟t even bother to think about those things! Even two years later, the ghetto jungle lives on. (I don‟t know if that‟s the right way to say it.) Bad enunciations, walled graffiti and attitudes aside, at least I‟m hopeful things might change for the better at High Point. One thing I can say, though: it takes guts –and a lot of grace- to survive in the ghetto jungle.

José Romero Martínez September 2011

The Ghetto Jungle

10

Accountability

in 2004, the U.S. Department of Education published a

report indicating that more than half of all charter school

authorizers had trouble closing a charter school that was not

performing well. Charter schools not being held accountable for

their results is a problem because it is a prominent feature of the

charter school concept. Recent research from the Center for

Education Reform (CER), a charter advocacy group, indicates

that 12% of all charter schools that have opened have been

closed, with more than two thirds of the closures coming as a

result of financial deficiencies or mismanagement. CER argues

that this "shows that ineffective schools first demonstrate the

inability to remain financially viable or effectively operate well

before there are signs that the school is struggling academically."

However, critics suggest authorizers fail to close those schools

that are academically failing but are still fiscally competent.

Achievement Student achievement in charter schools is important

information in policy decisions. The most rigorous studies

conducted to date have found that charter schools are not, on

average, better or worse in student performance than the

traditional public school counterparts. This average result,

however, obscures tremendous variation between individual

charter schools and charter schools in different states. Some of

charter schools significantly outperform their counterparts in

traditional districts. Some states have better performing charter

schools than others. The single most rigorous study of charter

schools yet conducted, funded by the U.S. Department of

Education and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research,

found that on average charter middle schools that held lotteries

for entrance were "neither more nor less successful than

traditional public schools in improving student achievement."

The authors also found that, on average, schools serving more

disadvantaged students had positive effects on math

achievement, while schools serving more students with higher

income and prior achievement had negative effects on math test

scores. As they note, the study's results may not generalize to all

charter schools, since they only studied schools that had

significantly more applicants than they could accept.

The results of the Mathematica study gives context to

previous research. A well-publicized study of charter schools by

the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) in 15

states and the District of Columbia studied 70% of the students

enrolled in charter schools in the U.S. They found 17 percent of

charters posted academic gains that were significantly better than

traditional public schools, 37 percent of charter schools were

significantly worse, and 46 percent were statistically indistin-

guishable. Another recent study by Zimmer et al. found that

charters in five jurisdictions were performing the same as

traditional public schools, while charter schools in two other

jurisdictions were performing worse.……………………………

While some studies do not show stellar academic achievement

from charter schools, other studies in some cities have found

strong positive results. Using a rigorous methodology similar to

the Mathematica study of charter middle schools, Hoxby,

Murarka, and Kang found that charter schools in New York City,

on average, significantly outperformed the traditional counter-

parts. In a comparable study of Boston charter schools, Abdul-

kadiroglu et al. found that charters improved student

achievement significantly more than traditional public schools.…

Educational Innovation …………………………………... In one of the founding documents of the charter school

movement, Brookings Institution fellows John Chubb and Terry

Moe argued that autonomy, choice and freedom from many of

the regulations governing traditional public schools would make

charter schools centers of educational innovation. Most research,

including a paper by Christopher Lubienski in 2003 and a report

by Gill et al. in 2007, a have not found significant evidence of

this. Charter schools have not innovated education interventions

much faster than traditional public schools. A recent paper by

Berends at al., however, suggests that charter schools have been

more innovative than traditional public schools in their organiza-

tion, if not their curriculum. Berends et al. also find that charter

schools are more likely than traditional public schools to signifi-

cantly incorporate values and morals within their curriculum.

Finance and Operations ……………………….

… Generally, charter schools receive less government

funding than traditional public schools on a per-pupil basis. The

Thomas B. Fordham Institute issued a report in 2005, based on

data from the 2002-03 school year, indicating that the average

state spent 21.7% less per pupil on charter schools than

traditional public schools. Researchers at Ball State University

completed a follow-up to the original report with data from 24

states and Washington, D.C. of the 2006-07 school year. They

found that states spent an average of 19.2% less per pupil on

charter school students. The researchers argue that differences in

the student populations served by charter and traditional public

schools cannot explain the wide disparities. In other words, they

conclude charter schools are not receiving less money because

they are educating students with less costly needs. A recent

report published by the Education and the Public Interest Center,

however, argues that the discrepancy in funding is in large part

due to the different obligations on charter and traditional public

schools. The authors point out that traditional public schools are

required to provide more extensive transportation, food and

student support services than charter schools. Consequently, they

spend substantially more money in those areas.

Research and Report

(NCSL) National Conference of State Legislatures -2011 <file:///F:/Charter%20Schools%20%20Research%20and%20Report.htm>

11

Yazmín Sostré

I am practice teaching students from 7th grade at Leoncio Meléndez Middle School in Las Piedras. In the beginning, my time at the practice center was kind of challenging. The first day at the center the teacher wasn't expecting me and, also, a big fight occurred next to me as I was leaving the school. Two students were fighting over a girl that ignored both of them. Then as time passed and I got acquainted with the school personnel and the students, I felt more and more comfortable, even in a school that is known as a high risk because of the students‟ poor discipline and the number of violent incidents. My practice home group has 34 students, from which more than 10 students are part of the special education program. This represents a huge challenge but I was willing to go through the experience

of having a complex and diverse group that needed a real teacher in order to be successful, instead of an excellent group of "perfect students". ………………………...……..……………………………………………….... ……………………... ....My education was based on the constructivist and humanistic philosophies. Once I was in the classroom, I noticed the importance of other schools of thought, since you need to have good control of the group before doing anything else. Nowadays, after taking the PCMAS and being in practice teaching, I believe that the English program needs to be revised as soon as possible. Courses such as Classroom Management and Evaluation and Testing along with Conflict Resolution are needed in order to achieve our goals. ……………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………... ….. ….December is right here and I don't want to finish my experience at the school yet. I love being a teacher and I love my students. Now the dream is finally materializing after a lot of hardships and difficult times. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, see each day as an opportunity to learn and don't surrender if the school, students, or environment is not perfect. This is what will empower you to be a great teacher, and more importantly a great person. Believe in yourself. There is not such thing as the imposs ib le .…..…………..……………………………………………………………………………………….. . Love, …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Leyci Caraballo

My experience, at the Manuel Mediavilla Vocational High School in Humacao with Mrs. Zayas as my cooperating teacher, seems to change from day to day, week to week, sometimes hour to hour. This is not an easy profession. There are times, at the end of the day, I feel like I‟ve been in the trenches. Other TCs told me that the practice was easy. I don‟t even know what they could possibly be referring to. Sometimes I wish I could slap some sense into my kids. Sometimes I feel like hugging and kissing them. They‟ll surprise me positively and negatively. The most challenging part is getting the students to care. Maybe it‟s a stupid goal because if I didn‟t care this job would be easy. But, if you have a shred of desire for the students to learn and grow, then it‟s going to be a difficult road because what seems to be common amongst many students is a negative attitude towards learning which is a deterrent to providing them with an authentic education. My experience has not been what I imagined. I do not have the amount of control that I wish I had over planning for my group or the kind of respect that I wanted from the students. I knew that the students would be difficult in some ways, but I had no idea just how difficult they would be to teach. My group is especially resistant to working. It is difficult just to get them to take their notebooks out of their book bags, let alone get them to work. The other day, I had to punish most of the class because only seven out of the twenty-four students did their homework. Only those students that did their homework got to play bingo. I made the rest sit quietly. This was an opportunity to teach them responsibility and I did. I turned that negative and lazy attitude into opportunities for learning. After this day, they respect me more and I have noticed a positive difference in their behavior. You might get a difficult group. My group would be a lot better, but my teacher had seven of the worst from her 1:40 class transferred to my class. Four of them are special education students, and now I just got a new one transferred in also from the 1:40 group and also special education. Special Education students can pose a big challenge in the classroom because they need a lot of special and individual consideration. These students end up taking a lot of my attention, which doesn‟t seem fair to the rest of the class. I think that there should be a limit to how many special education students a teacher has in each group, but it‟s not impossible. Always keep their best interest in mind, but don‟t treat these students differently. They can learn just like the rest. They just need more attention. You‟ll see what I mean! On another note, you can work every day and try your hardest, but it doesn‟t mean that you‟ll get through to the students or that they‟ll appreciate a thing that you do. I have faith that if I keep trying at some point they‟ll begin to self-evaluate, become introspective and try to improve themselves. Improvement does happen; it‟s slow, but steady if you keep firm. Sometimes, it‟s hard to see results because they succumb to peer pressure. My students have told me that if they answer and do their work, other students will make fun of them. As a result, many of my students slack. I wish I could do something to avoid this because it‟s not fair. To fight against that type of ignorance, I had my students participate in a team building exercise, which I actually learned from Dr. Nilsa Lugo. The students had to work together to get knots out of a rope while one hand was taped to the rope. I had to tape their hands, because if not, they would cheat. The activity went well and posed an opportunity for introspection. They analyzed their roles in getting the task done and many realized that now I know that they aren‟t working up to their full potential in class. I observed cooperation and leadership and I questioned them about why they didn‟t take these roles in the group activities we do in class? There were many heads hung in shame, or what I take as self-reflection. In addition, you will have particularly difficult students that defy you and will disrespect you to your face! You can‟t take it personally, because they just have the mentality that since you‟re the teacher, you‟re the bad guy. I find this funny, because you may actually be one of the only people that care. Either way, you have to stick to your guns and be persistent, and remember that you have a counselor or social worker you can refer these students to if nothing else works, especially when the parents don‟t seem to care or cooperate. I have found that keeping an incident report helps. Not only do you have a record of the things that happened, but when you look through it, you‟ll see how the incidents will diminish and become less frequent with time. It reminds you that things are getting better. My advice to the TCs who will be practicing soon is to have a positive attitude. You will meet challenges during your prac-tice. It‟s a hard job. Being a teacher is like being a collection of roles, such as a role model, disciplinarian, a parent, an educator, a facilitator, a mind reader, psychologist, etc. Keep at it and always try your best. You will see the results of your hard work pay off. The results are not immediate. There are ups and downs, but you will see your impact on those kids. You can see it in the way they treat you and look at you. Although it may not seem like it, they‟ll appreciate you making them work in the long run. Even if they don‟t appreciate it, they‟ll respect you for it. So, make those kids work!

12

María E. Santiago Rodríguez

Alexandra Marie Conde

Lydia Cruz

When I went to the Rufino Vigo School, I knew that I had to think about a special project. The first thing I did was to observe all around the school trying to find something that would indicate a need for change. At the beginning, I was puzzled. I did not know what to do. However, one day I went to the girls‟ bathroom and that is where I found it. At the very moment that I saw the bathrooms, I said to myself, “Here is my special project.”

I remember telling the cooperating teacher that I was thinking of working with the bathrooms in the school as my special project. Mrs. Aponte, my CT said, “I believe that is a good idea.” She also told me that someone else planned to do what I was thinking, but did not get to do it. I took the restoration of the bathrooms as my special project and I was determined to finish what I planned to do. I immediately went back to the bathrooms and started to do an inventory of the things that needed to

be fixed and replaced. The next day I told one of the boys to go with me to the boys‟ bath-rooms and stand at the door as I noted the conditions of their bathrooms. There is a lot to be done. The ceilings are deteriorating, some of the doors need to be fixed, the sinks are very bad, and there is a lot of cleaning and painting to do, among others. The school has two levels and there are two bathrooms on each level. I decided that I was going to be working with the bath-rooms located at the lower level so that another practice teacher that is in the same school could take the ones on the upper level. I told my plans to the students and I asked for sugges-tions about paint colors. I prepared letters for the parents about what I was doing and asked them for their help. I talked to the maintenance personnel, the director of the school, the presi-dent of the parents‟ committee and some organizations in search for materials to help me with the achievement of my project. The volunteer parents, the school personnel, and I started cleaning the bathrooms and the parents started giving monetary donations to buy what we needed for the bathrooms. I will love to see them achieving their educational goal and for this I know that they need to be in good health conditions. This special project is going to contribute to keeping their health in optimum conditions. The students are going to feel more comfortable going to the bathrooms knowing that the sanitary conditions are well kept, which is going to prevent them from getting sick. I hope this project will benefit the school community and the legacy will remain as something that I did thinking about the students‟ well being.

For my Special Project as a Practice teacher in the Rufino Vigo

Elementary School, Lydia Cruz and I decided that we would fix up the

bathrooms for the students because they were in such poor condition. We

wrote letters to companies asking for materials and for someone to come

and do the manual labor that we couldn't do. An important part of our

Special Project was trying to get the students and parents involved. The

students were all for it and really excited but the parents on the other hand, just

complained about us trying to do work that did not correspond to us nor was it our

responsibility.

My recommendation for future practice students is to choose projects that

benefit the students and involve them in whatever way. Another idea could possi-

bly be to send out a questionnaire asking what kind of activities the students would

like to take part in, giving the practice teacher a much more directed idea of what

special project would be successful in that school.

My special project was designing an English Club which I called Tropical Paradise at the Luis

Muñoz Rivera Elementary School with Mrs. Piñero as my cooperating teacher. The main reason for

selecting this particular project was the lack of student organizations in the school and to promote social

interaction between the students of different grades. The members are students from 4th to 6th grade

interested in the English language.

I chose this special project thinking about the students‟ benefits, but I gained something in return. I

was able to reach my students deeply because I spent more time with them, which allowed me to address their

interests and desires. Also, the Tropical Paradise English Club helped me gain better communication with the parents

and caregivers which was an excellent thing.

I advise future TC‟s to create student organizations like the English Club for their special

projects requirement because it is a great way to reach your students and put into practice our unit‟s

core values. I have to warn you that it is not an easy task but, it is not impossible; at the end you

will feel a great felling of satisfaction because you were able to do something meaningful in your

students' life.

This university offers

programs and academic

activities of continuing

education in nighttime

and alternate hours.

In addition, it offers a wide platform of

online courses that facilitates your

academic life. Apply online! http://www.uprag.edu/index.php?

page=registrate

2. University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla 4. University of Puerto Rico in Carolina

This university offers courses, seminars, and

workshops for a continuous learning

experience. It offers courses of

computer, graphic design,

culinary arts, florist's,

vegetable garden at home,

interior‟s design, decoration,

and more! Visit this site to

look for more information. http://www.uprc.edu/DECEP/cartelera/CATALOGO%

20DECEP%202010-2011.pdf

13

After the bachelors’ degree, many graduates stress out thinking about

their next step. The options are endless so “The Spot” is dedicating this

entire page to offering you a list of options that may help you decide!

1. University of Puerto Rico Humacao

Our university has a number of

academic offers for your

continuing education so you

can gain new insights, earn

new skills, and obtain more

and better job opportunities.

From courses on Photoshop, web

page design, and Adobe Flash Player

animations, to sign language, photography,

culinary arts, and more! http://www.uprh.edu/dece/

Cursos_Cortos_Agosto2011.pdf

3. Full Sail University

An online Master‟s Degree on education

Media Design and Technology that helps

you to learn how to incorporate Media into

Education through film and video,

podcasts, music, digital arts, games, and

the number of ways to

use the internet.

Don’t

Don’t Do

Do Don’t

Use novels below the students’ level of literacy

or too far above.

Use literature you don't like or understand.

Use literature that you

consider interesting and relevant for you and the

students.

Do’s and Don'ts

Follow the book page by page throughout

the school year.

Use the book as a teaching device and

integrate other types of literature and materials.

14

EDUCATION

Plan for novels in your lessons.

DO

http://www.xtranormal.com/du/

“Enhance your lessons with a movie and have

students create their own video! It suits a

variety of learning styles and you can get

access to our entire library of characters and

sets; one account includes access for your

students & class admin features. This program

is a great way to teach younger children the art

of film making and learn to break stories up

into smaller, more interesting chunks”

http://www1.uprh.edu/esa/

http://animoto.com/

15

I love this page! After you sign up, it allows you to create 30 seconds of free magnificent videos, perhaps better than Movie Maker. Excellent for a class presentation or for .. personal use- as a gift.

“Making awesome easier”

This is the ESA’s own personal website! Here you can track all our publications since 2005 till now! Take a look at our

story, our board, and our activities! “Helping create better teachers for the future”

“Glogster EDU is the leading global education platform

for the creative expression of knowledge and skills in

the classroom and beyond. We empower educators and

students with the technology to create GLOGS - online

multimedia posters - with text, photos, videos, graphics,

sounds, drawings, data attachments and more.”

http://edu.glogster.com/what-is-glogster-edu/

Changing the future EDUCATION NEWS Magazine from the English Students Association EDUCATION WEEK SPECIAL REPORT

16

www.eiilOTeeCi.org/go/eOeoraJirag-sipiecSallpopulloStons

Assistive Technology Broadens Its Range By MARY CATHERINE O'CONNOR Published: August 24, 2011

Technological tools that help remove barriers for students with learning disabilities are increasingly versatile. …..If you've ever felt the vibration of a cellphone, or used Google's voice-based search function to look up a recipe instead of touching your keyboard with wet fingers, you've enjoyed the benefits o f a s s i s t i v e t e c h n o l o g y . …..Assistive technologies have become commonplace in consumer electronics -- in fact, they make up a $30.5 billion industry that's expected to grow fast, as baby boomers' vision and hearing begin to fail. But those bells and whistles are byproducts of the efforts made by educational technology developers to design and refine assistive technology tools that remove barriers to learning for children suffering from a range of disabil i t ies . ………………………. …..Thanks to the spread of the principles of universal design for learning, in which the needs of all users -- with all levels of access and ability -- are considered when creating products, many assistive technology tools are suited to address both cognitive disabilities and physical limitations and are increasingly being employed to help students with disabilities use digital curricula and take virtual courses. That is why experts suggest looking for ways that a single software platform might accommodate the learning differences of a number of students with disabilities -- but without losing sight of each individual's needs, and without assuming that two students with the same diagnosis will benefit equally from a single technology or tool. "It's less about the label or disability that each student carries, and more about how his or her challenges manifest themselves," said Dan Leibowitz, a learning specialist at the 400-student Town School for Boys, a private K-8 school in San Francisco. He is the owner of Innovative Learning Services, which works with individuals and small groups of students and parents to connect them with technologies and skills to improve the students' ability to learn. "With each [assistive technology] tool, I ask: 'Does it help students access information? And does it help students demonstrate their knowledge?' "he said. While universal design is making assistive technologies useful to an ever-wider cross section of students with learning disabilities, individuals' needs are paramount. "The mainstreaming movement means regular teachers are learning more about

assistive technologies and applying the same technologies for their whole class-rooms," said Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, a former deputy director of the National Center for Technology Innovation, or ncti, in Washington. Ms. Silver-Pacuilla is now the supervisory education specialist for the U.S. Office of Adult a n d V o c a t i o n a l E d u c a t i o n . "So the pressure is on educational tech developers to build in access avenues for [assistive technology] into their products, and the pressure is on at developers to make their products more applicable to mainstream students." …..But the disability community worries that trend could mean students with multiple or severe disabilities won't get the tools they really need. For example, while a text-to-speech application can give a blind student access to a specific document on a computer, it won't allow him or her to navigate outside that document and access other programs or applications, said Jennifer McDonald-Peltier, an assistive technology specialist for the Center for Accessible Technology, a Berkeley, Calif.-based nonprofit that aims to equip students with disabilities with the technology they need to be successful. For that, a screen reader program is essential, she pointed out. …..Acquiring assistive technology tools is a multistep process that involves testing, and further study and coordination with a district assistive technology specialist. Many technology providers offer trial tests of their products, and educators can test-drive the various assistive technologies on display at education conferences. … 'CHEAP AND EASY TOOLS' …..And no matter what a district's budget situation is or the number or types of disabilities students have, experts in assistive technology offer some universal advice. …………... …..To begin with, schools should not overlook the technologies already available. "My first impulse when an educator says she wants to differentiate her curriculum, and differentiate her instruction for a variety of students," said Ms. McDonald-Peltier, "is to start by looking at [Microsoft] Word and PowerPoint. These cheap and easy tools might already meet your needs." …..In addition, school computers are likely to have some basic assistive technology tools built in at the platform level. Macintosh operating systems, for example, offer Universal Access, a set of accessibility-focused monitor and key-board settings designed to help users who have visual and auditory

limitations, or those with motor-skill p r o b l e m s . ……………………… . …..At the other end of the spectrum are the comprehensive software platforms, such as Inspiration software, or the WYNN literacy software, which supports a long list of features and add-ons, such as support for optical-character-recognition devices, or talking dictionaries. Experts point out that such products can be very good learning tools -- but they can become very expensive. They say educators might only need specific modules within a software suite, or perhaps another software product, with fewer features. In any case, experts recommend looking for something that's easy to install and learn -- for teachers and students alike. "The training component is often overlooked in purchasing decisions," said Ms. McDonald-Peltier. Upgradable products are preferable, too, given the rapidity with which technology is evolving. ' W E N E E D P R O O F ' …..Finally, experts suggest relying on the research that educational technology groups, such as the NCTI and the Washington-based Center for Implementing Technology in Education, which helps schools implement assistive technology, have compiled. The Tech Matrix is an online tool that allows educators to search for assistive technology tools by specific content areas. The NCTI is also working with the Assistive Technology Industry Association to help assistive technology manufacturers and software developers conduct research on the efficacy of their tools for learning. "You wouldn't test the efficacy of eyeglasses, but other tools, such as digital-text software that includes educational prompts" need to be tested, said Ms. Silver-Pacuilla. "Does it really help students with learning issues? We need proof." …..Most students, through time and experimentation, will find the tools that work best for them, experts suggest. Brandi Allan, a junior at Immaculate Conception Academy, a 280-student high school in San Francisco, was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 1st grade. She uses a combination of an AlphaS-mart keyboard, an Intel optical-character-recognition device for text-to-speech help with printed matter, and a L i ve S c r i b e n o t e - t a k i n g p e n . "You have to find your own tweaks" to find the best way to use different tools effectively, Ms. Allan said. "I'm still exper iment ing wi th d i f fe rent technologies, and I have been since around third grade.

17

Birding with a Purpose at

the Northern Río Piedras Botanical Garden

“Awaken your senses during this bird-watching tour at the

Northern Río Piedras Botanical Garden, where you will go

“birding with a purpose” as you learn to identify and register

the species of birds that inhabit the beautiful natural scenery.

The tour will depart from the Río Piedras Plant Nursery,

continuing through a tree grove and a brook, until you reach

the Taíno Garden, which is a large area forested by native

trees like the Puerto Rican royal palm, silk-cotton trees,

cedar trees, calabash-trees, the santa-maría and lignumvitae

trees. Along the way, you may observe a great number of

bird species, such as the woodpecker, the northern

mockingbird, the red-legged thrush, the pearly-eyed thrasher,

the monk parakeet, hawks, yellow-crowned night-heron and

the least bittern.”

When?: Saturday, December 10, 2011……………………..

Time: 7:30AM-11:30AM…………………………………….

Where?:..The UPRRP Botanical Garden, San Juan

Cause: Bird Sighting ……………………………………….

Contact: 787.722.5882

http://www.junteambiental.com/eventos/detalle/1395

When shopping,

look for…

Junte Ambiental presents:

“Many seemingly practical, reusable lunchboxes

are often laden with PVC and toxic levels of lead,

which can contaminate the food. Opt for a recycled,

reusable, BPA-free alternatives.”

This is the Aladdin

Recycled & Recycla-

ble Lunch Set Ocean

and you can find it at

Walgreens. The set is

only $19.00 and “it is

a perfect fit for you

and the planet!”

http://family.go.com/hot-topics/pkg-go-green/article-idealbite-633417-green-tips-ideal-bite-t/

Every year we cut down

more trees to meet the

world's demand for

paper. Recycling will help

save trees from being cut

down. Why don‟t you

make your own paper from

old newspapers.

You will need: a blender

a whole section of newspaper

2 and a 1/2 single newspaper pages

5 cups (1.2 liters) of water

a pan 3 inches (7.6cm) deep

a piece of screen to fit inside the pan

a measuring cup

a flat piece of wood the size of a newspaper's front

page

waxed paper

Follow These Steps: 1. Tear the two-and-a-half pages of newspaper into

tiny strips.

2. Place the strips in a blender with 5 cups of

water. Cover the blender and blend the newspaper

and water.

3. Pour about 1 inch (2.5cm) of water into the pan.

Pour the blended paper pulp into the measuring cup.

4. Put the screen into the pan. Pour one cup (240 ml)

of pulp over the screen.

5. Spread the pulp evenly in the water with your

fingers.

6. Lift the screen and let the water drain off.

7. Open the newspaper section to the middle. Put

the newspaper on a waterproof surface. Place waxed

paper in the center of the newspaper. Place the

screen with the pulp on the waxed paper. Close the

newspaper.

8. Carefully flip over the newspaper section so the

screen is on top of the pulp. ……………………….

9. Place the board on top of the newspaper and press

out extra water. Open the newspaper and take out the

screen. Leave the newspaper open and let the pulp

dry for at least 24 hours. When your paper pulp is

dry, peel it off the waxed paper and write on it!

Eco-Facts Wood pulp, the raw material used in most paper

production, comes from trees. More than 1 billion

trees are cut down each year to make disposable

diapers!

http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/Kid%27s%20Entries/Make_Paper.htm

18

Pictures can talk!

Cabo Rojo By Tailisse

Beautiful by Kirstie Eagle’s Nest by Laura

Alpes Suizos By María

MOVIERAMA

Now playing

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Happy Feet Two

Hugo ABEL

Coming soon

The Sitter

We Bought a Zoo

War Horse

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Now On DVD

Water for Elephants

Fast Five HORRIBLE BOSSES

Transformers 3

ESA’s Favorite Movies

Eat, Pray, Love —Bryan

GRAN TORINO —Ana

Fight Club– Urayoán

Forrest Gump-Mara

How to Train Your Dragon-Kanisha

19

Based on Hunter S. Thompson’s novel, a

journalist, tired of New York, goes to

Puerto Rico to write in a newsletter

during the 50’s. In the meantime, he

becomes alcoholic and obsessed with a

woman. Check out this movie to see the

struggles he suffers to find balance in his

life.

? You Against Me

by Jenny Downham

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship

of Victor Frankenstein

by Kenneth Oppel

You Have Seven Messages

by Stewart Lewis

Don‟t

know

what

to read

next?

Try these!

20

READERS’ ZONE The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

…..This story presents a battle between the

“socs”, a high class group of people who

think they deserve everything and the

greasers, the lower class group of people

living in the outside. This battle is carried

out by strong characters with a profound

message that needs to be read.

…..Several English students, including me,

Kanisha, were able to see the play here in

Puerto Rico! It was an entertaining

experience; we had a lot of fun! Here are

some of the pictures we took of the play.

Life is Full of Joy

Life is full of joy

Joy that might hurt you

Joy that might embrace you

Joy that might mark you forever

and ever.

By Wilfredo Nevárez

Dismantle She dismantles my heart

As the wind blows Our feelings flow

And she becomes my mantle in the night And then I know, our love is right.

By Urayoán Carrasquillo

21

Love I look into your eyes

and I see the stars They glow like diamonds

in the skies.

When I see them glowing, all the love and care

Comes from the inside of me, without me knowing.

The love that tells me I’ll be yours forever

and no matter what happens we’ll always be together.

You are my love and I am yours no matter what our love is true.

By Lydia Cruz

We Shall Not Cry More Tears

We shall not cry more tears Let those tears follow you and guide you

Let those tears remind you that the door is closer than you think. Do not let those fade away like dust

Always keep them Tears of joy

Tears of freedom and sadness.

By Wilfredo Nevárez

hen the world was created and many

years had passed, a little girl as

beautiful as a rose was brought to the

world. She was the daughter of a

King and Queen who so dearly

wanted a child of their own that God gave them the

most beautiful creation. She was named Rose-Mary.

She was as of that day respected and beloved by

everyone in the kingdom. It so happened that on her

fifth birthday, the king and the queen elaborated a

festival. The Festival of Dreams was named because

Rose-Mary loved to talk about her dreams with

everybody. She was visited by the Esteemed Women

of the land who knew a little bit about magic and

enchantments. The King and Queen were happy

because the Esteemed Women would only come to

kingdoms of very special reputation. The Festival of

Dreams began and Rose-Mary was content and so

everybody in the kingdom appeared with gifts for the

one and only princess and daughter.

Rose-Mary was humble, sweet, and innocent.

The Esteemed Women were great fairies who were

created to watch over children claiming nothing in

return. All the Esteemed Women offered beautiful

gifts. One offered the gift of voice. The next one

offered the gift of wisdom. After that one she was

bathed with the beauty of nature. When she was

going to be offered the gift of everlasting life, The

Most Admired One of All showed up.“A festival and

I am not invited. How is it that one makes a party

without entertainment? Hear me close and hear me

right. Ten years from today, when the princess wakes

up from her dream, she will be found ugly, no one

will like her, and then she will die.”

The Most Admired One of All was the great

queen fairy of evil and she was so powerful that no

other fairy could break the spell. The last fairy tried

and said: “I can‟t undo what has been done but I can

try and make her move on. On the day of her

fifteenth birthday she will not wake up and she will

not die but she will be in a slumber for thousands of

years until the last prince wakes her up with a kiss”

The Kingdom was astonished. What had

happened would affect the future generations. The

King and Queen dreaded the day of her fifteenth

birthday with fear and sadness. Rose-Mary grew up

to be as beautiful as the first light of the world, as

wise as an owl and with the voice of a cherub. She

was marvelous and everyone valued her because she

was perfect. It so happened that the day came and the

festival was held. The day started with music and

wine. A huge breakfast and dancing was enjoyed but

the kingdom fearfully anticipated the princess‟

moment to turn fifteen.

She had been only five years old so she never

remembered it. She was never told of the curse that

was placed on her. It would‟ve only frightened her

and the king and queen wanted the best for their only

child. The music and the reveille served as a

distraction for the king and queen who at that

moment closed the chamber in which she slept with a

lock and went to dance to celebrate despite the

deathly slumber of their only daughter. The sun

shined on the youth who slept and by the time night

came, her curse had begun. The Festival of Dreams

was held all day long and for the next five weeks they

only remembered the beautiful princess who died in

her sleep.

For many years, hundreds, the chamber was

protected by the animals of the forest. The squirrel

would wrap the princess‟ body with a safe mantle

made out of leaves. The owl would watch that the

mice wouldn‟t eat her bit by bit and the little bugs

would protect the innocent princess in a cocoon that

would save her body for times to come. As for the

kingdom, it was demolished. The princess‟ chamber

was protected by the magic of the Esteemed Women

who cautiously guarded her body from time to time.

Princess Rose-Mary became a tale and from

that tale she became a legend. People talked for years

about the princess.

An adaptation by Emmanuelle Alejandro

22

September, 2011

No one had ever seen the chamber and no one had ever

seen the kingdom. And so the kingdom became a prestigious

town and the town became a city and for many years as

tradition they would celebrate the birthday of the Princess who

patiently waited to be brought back to life from the kiss of the

prince who could see the chamber in which she lay.

Time passed as naturally as it‟s supposed to. The City

of Princeps Dormiente became a reknowned place in which

tourists would come to celebrate the Festival. A thousand years

had come and it was the year 2023. The Esteemed Women

were still alive due to the promise they had made to watch over

the princess until the curse was broken. “We must make sure

that the prince is officially born in this time. We cannot wait

much longer. Our magic is due for a thousand years and if the

Most Admired One of All is still around, she eagerly waits for

the spell to be broken so she can kill the princess. We must

search for the one whose lips haven‟t been kissed and are

formed like a full heart. “

For reasons of fate and for making this whole legend

faithful to its story, a boy no older than sixteen came to visit

the city of Princeps Dormiente with his family. His name was

Hunter and he was a rebel teenager who always looked for

trouble in all the right places. So his rebel heart brought him to

the city which at night celebrated the Festival of Dreams

Millennium. Hunter told his parents he would go away for a

while and would meet with them at night. Just in time to eat.

He walked around the city and he even walked inside the forest

and so on until night caught him inside and he couldn‟t come

out. As of now, Hunter did not know about the legends of the

city nor did he actually care to find out about them. He was

indeed a teenage boy looking to defy his youth to get himself a

little adventure. By chance or destiny, Hunter was brought into

the tower in which Rose-Mary slumbered and so he got in. It

was dark inside; one must say it was actually the darkest place

in the world due to the lack of technological advances. Hunter

took out his cell-phone which gradually lit up the whole

staircase using an application. He walked and walked until he

reached the last stair. There was a door that was protected by

the magic of the Esteemed Women who appeared in front of

him that moment and asked him: “Are you aware of the

treasure behind this door?” The boy, confused, answered: “I

don‟t but I am dying to know now”. The Esteemed Women

circled Hunter and saw in him the blood of a prince. “You are

the chosen one. From now on you must not tell anybody about

what you have seen if not you may wake up from a dream a

year later with no memory of who you are. Can we trust you,

young man?” The boy shook hands with the Esteemed Women

and made a pact with them.

The door was slowly opened and in the door a young

maiden covered in silk with her long hair intact slumbered. The

animals slowly departed from the chamber and watched as

Hunter got on his knees to kiss her. The tower began to crum-

ble and midnight was sooner than later coming. The boy kissed

her lips and out of nowhere a light shined over her eyes waking

her out of her dying sleep. Rose-Mary woke and bowed to

Hunter. “Young man, I do not know, you have wakened me

from my sleep and you have been honest to your word up until

now. Would you care to be my prince?” Hunter looked at her

and he was dazzled by her beautiful looks and her way of

talking so he said yes.

On his way out, the tower slowly decomposed and so

he walked with her through the forest towards the city. When

people looked at her they were so amazed by her beauty that

they all went in a daze. She presented herself as The Maiden of

Dreams, Rose-Mary. Everybody looked for the princess of the

festival who yearly was named the most beautiful young girl of

the feast. What people didn‟t know is that she was actually the

princess of the legend. When Rose-Mary was about to be

crowned princess, the Most Admired One of All interrupted the

ceremony. Out of shadows and the darkness of daybreak she

shrieked and said: “You shouldn‟t be alive. How is she that she

is still alive after all these years?” Rose-Mary ghastly

responded that she was in a deep sleep for a thousand years and

that she was awakened by the kiss of the true prince.

“If he is brave and dares to confront me in battle, step

in and meet your nightmares come true” The Most Admired

One of All transformed herself into a three-headed lion with

wings of an eagle. She flew across the whole city‟s sky burning

and killing everything she saw in her way. Hunter was shocked

and felt that he needed to save the city and most important,

Rose-Mary. Out of the darkness of the sky, the Esteemed

Women showed up and blessed Hunter with weapons of the

medieval times. The strongest sword which was wielded by the

greatest knight of the time and a shield that could hold fire were

administered to him.

The Princess and many of the remaining survivors

including Hunter‟s family hid inside a tavern that was left the

same way it was hundreds of years ago. Hunter ran to one of

the buildings and got on top of it. He screamed to the Most

Admired One of All: “Are you ready to die by my blade?” The

Most Admired One of All attacked Hunter and tried to devour

him. Hunter skipped so she missed him. It went on for quite a

few shots until the whole city was burned down and only the

survivors hid in the basement of the Tavern. The battle

continued until the next day when Hunter was already too tired

to strike. He did not fail until at once she grabbed him with her

paws and from the back he stabbed her. The Most Admired

One of All growled and transformed herself into a human

again. As she bled she tried cursing Hunter but he cut her head

off and her body vanished forever.

The sky finally changed back and the Esteemed

Women appeared and with their last powers they rebuilt the

city making it impenetrable by evil. Throughout the whole city

there was a special glow. Rose-Mary and Hunter stood together

in a reformed castle and they shared a kiss to seal their life to a

never ending happiness and an ever after life.

23

24

Y O

U R

25

Forget about text messages or facebook

comments. Send anything to anybody through “The Spot”.

Be love!

-Angelique

“Don't you remember the first time

When I smiled at you and we both started

laughing There I said I

am a man of fortune, I am a man that is free That life without you keeps hunting me.”

(Robi Draco Rosa) -José

My favorite quote: “A day without music

is a waste of day.” (Myles Kennedy)

-Urayoán

Puerto Rico

also loves

KPOP

Add us on

FACEBOOK

-Kirstie

It is not how

quick you get

recognized,

but how slow

people forget

about your acts

-Bryan

Accepting that something is

wrong is the first step towards making it right

-Juan

Lizmarie,

you are my

beautiful

princess.

I love you!

-Michael

To all my fellow TCs I wish that

you have a wonderful practice

and stay motivated! -Aníbal

Life is a long shot

just be sure to aim

right -Luis J.

Bryan, Aníbal,

Urayoán, and

Luis José:

I LOVE YOU

ALL!

-Bianca

http://www.famouswhy.com/Born_Today/Month/12.html

Word search puzzle

GUESS WHO?

I initially wanted to be a writer, but

eventually became a psychologist and

one of the leaders of the behaviorist

movement. I rejected the concept of free

will, instead suggesting that all

behaviors are conditioned.

Who am I?

I am known for my concepts of the

unconscious, id, ego, and superego.

Who am I?

Did You Know?

-In Finland they call November “marraskuu”

which translates as “month of the dead”

-Willa Cather, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears,

Christina Aguilera, Ozzy Osbourne, and

Walt Disney were born in December!

The word "set" has more

definitions than any other

word in the English

language.

26

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t80.htm

http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/pychologist_quiz.htm

http://www.ahajokes.com/eng004.html

http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/random/november-trivia-weird-facts/

Twelve words from the Glossary of The Content Standards and

Grade-Level Expectations Document (63-66)

ACROSS 2. student‟s narrative writing form of

what they have learned in each subject area

3. objects or activities used to relate

classroom teaching to the real life

especially of peoples or events studied.

6. a specific graphic organizer that

students complete using three columns

to reflect what they know

7. the ability to break words into

individual syllables.

DOWN 1. a collection of student

work that shows growth

over time.

3. the guide used to score

performance assessments in

a reliable, fair, and valid

manner.

4. doesn‟t replace instruction

from master teachers nor

does it work in isolation

and it is meant to enhance

engagement, accelerate

learning, and benefit the

total learning process.

5. Prose, or writing, that is

based on true facts and

designed to explain,

describe, or persuade.

Crossword Puzzle

27

Open

Hou

se!

ES

A M

emb

er a

nd

BA

Rep

rese

nta

tive

M

etal

Tro

ph

y A

ward

for

win

nin

g t

he

figh

t an

d f

or

“su

bm

issi

on

of

the

nig

ht”

Challenges and Achievements on the Education

of Children With Disabilities

Shakespearean Litera-

ture Workshop by

Prof. Luz I. Vega

28

Spelling Bee

Ora

tory C

on

test

NOVEMBER

ESA Calendar

29

DECEMBER

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 BOD Meeting

11 12

13 14 15

16 Spelling Bee

17

18 Oratory Contest

19

20 21 22 23 24 Academic Recess

25 Academic Recess

26

27 28 29 30

This is for you to track the current and next ESA activities!

Check out what we’ve planned so far (subject to change), and remember to add the new activities.

“Retos y Logros…”

“Vidas que Inspiran” theater activity

Open House!

Holiday

Academic Recess

Last day of class!

Enrollment week Enrollment week Enrollment week Enrollment week Enrollment week

Finals

Finals Finals Finals Finals

Due date to hand in the magazine’s stuff

Next semester’s practice students’ meeting

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year!

Birding with a Purpose at the Northern Río Piedras Botanical Garden

ESA-Mart satisfying your last minute cravings.

Save yourself a walk and support the association

buying some sweet snacks, cool refreshments, useful

school supplies, or printing out your numerous

assignments in the Letras‟ Building at the ESA„s

office.

Snacks

From 10¢ to $1.00

Copies 10¢

School supplies

from 25¢ to $2.00

Beverages

From 50¢ to 85¢

30

The English Students’ Association

BOD Members

Michael Sosa (president)

Joseph Lance (vice-president)

Wilnelia Morales (secretary)

Leyci Caraballo (treasurer)

Kanisha Rosario (editor) Angelique M. Colón (co-editor)

NEW!

Contact us!

787.850.9337

ESA UPRH

esa.magazine@yahoo.com Website: www.uprh.edu/esa

CALL BOX 860, 908th RD 00792 Humacao, Puerto Rico

When you finish with the magazine please recycle it.