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Disabled Animals Round 1

What happened to those animals that were unable to walk? Think of a person that doesn’t have an arm or a leg, imagine how hard their life is?

How difficult would our life would be without our leg?

One of the exploration I took this year was to spend seven weeks working on the Disabled Animal project. It is a class that intentionally targeting the disabled animal and try as hard as we can to help them to have a better life.

So what did we do in this exploration?

Problem statement: the need for artificial limbs of disabled animals to restore function.

Mission: to create an alternative or a prosthetic animals limbs + Small Animals

During our discovery, we found different organizations in the city that work in the same field. We were able to communicate with them and went to there place to learn about the animal they host. One of the places we went was PPAWS, a veterinarian clinic in Phnom Penh. They worked with dogs and cats. There are a few dogs that were unable to walk. After this trip we sees the potential to help those disabled animals. Although our help might not be as big , however,  it might be as big for the animal that was adversary from the suffered.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue to the next round of the project which was to build the prosthetic limbs through 3D design platform and implementing it onto the animals leg. But something that I learned from this exploration, is that there’s a need to help even for the animals, life is uncertainty and we never know what really will be happen. Therefore, while we are having time, spend it wisely and help those who need our help because our small help can change their life to be better. 

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Critical Teen Issues Round 1

What do you think are the critical issues that teen faced?

Imagine yourself into teenage’s shoes!

Well let me introduce you to a stressful problem that has been faced during teenagers life which is PRESSURE under the question statement of healthy relationship!

How can we tell whether it a healthy relationship or not?

Discussion has been made among the members in the class, some said: 

  • When people give big trust to each other.
  • Forgive each other when they make mistakes.
  • Give each other chance to speak.
  • Listen to each others problems and needs. 
  • Happy for each other achievement.

This is a type of discussion whereas people can based on their personal experience or what they see from the society. The result from this discussion help us to analyse that it is an uncertainty to tell what a healthy relationship is. 

We can’t really determine what a healthy relationship is, however we divided into four big position to describe the relationship. 

  • Relationship with Pair
  • Relationship with Partner
  • Relationship with Parents
  • Relationship with Society

This is a project that will go school-year long and different round will be cover different topics, like this current round we are focusing on healthy teen relationship. We did many discussion towards this idea and have surveyed junior students and senior students at our school to see their experience on teen relationship with the four positions. 

Junior’s RESPONSE

 

Senior’s RESPONSE

 

By the end of the first round we are going to organize a workshop talks about healthy teen relationship. We will be doing it with our school at the first stage, and soon we will further discuss about this with the ministry to implement this into learning curriculum in the government school.

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Nora Stanton Blatch Barney

Nora Stanton Blatch Barney (Civil Engineer + Architect + Women’s Rights Activists) 

PAST – CHILDHOOD

Nora was born on the 30th of September, 1883 in Basingstoke, England. She was a child of William Blatch and Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch, a Women’s Rights Activist. At the age of 87, which was on the January 18, 1971 Nora had passed away. As the daughter of Women’s Rights Activist, she was able to follow in the same path and continue to speak for the rights of women. Nora was known as Civil Engineer, Architect and a Women’s Rights Activists. She went to Horace Mann School in New York to learn about mathematics and Latin during the 1897. Her family then moved into the United State five years after.

PRESENT – ADULTHOOD

Nora was a great example of British and American women’s movement to show the society of the women’s power during that period of time. She was one of the very passionate women to study civil engineer. And because of that in 1905 she became the first American woman to graduate from Cornell University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Her family was a very supportive source that pushed her to continue to pursue in that field, and because of her hardworking it had paid off which she became the first female member of the American Society of Civil Engineer. She then further went into engineering career and worked for the American Bridge company and for the New York City Board of Water Supply. During 1908 she was married to a guy named Lee De Forest, an electron tube inventor. She quit her job and went to help him discover and invent stuff like radio equipment.

The first female junior member of the American Society of Civil Engineer was also worked as a draftsman in the Catskill Mountains. She helped the team to build a tunnel boring machine(TBM). One of the world’s most advanced tunnel excavators(TBM) that spent about thirty million dollars was dubbed as “Nora”. It is a 470 feet long that able to pump 2500 gallons of water per minute. The reason that people named the tunnel as Nora because when she was working at the New York City Board of Water Supply for the city’s landmark water supply, Nora led the team while also worked to fight for the women’s rights. It represent the courage and the positive attitude that she gave during working and because of that action people named the tunnel as “Nora” to indicates and provide considerable inspiration as they were repairing the New York City water supply in history.

The three principles values that helped Nora to reach her goals were: first, never limit the opportunity just because of the gender you have. Nora demonstrates that even though society only value men in the field of science and engineering, however Nora prove that even if she is a woman, she was able to learn in civil engineering and even becoming the first British and American women’s civil engineer. Second, always have a positive attitude and courage for whatever field you’re working in; part of life, things not going to be perfect and result well all the time but we have to keep going, keep following and keep trying for the thing that we love. Nora demonstrates that her attitude and courage resulted a positive outcome. People saw her determination and optimism during working and because of that she got her name dubbed onto a world most advanced tunnel excavator. Last but not least, understand that society need you and it is important to deal and perform the ability that you got. In her life, her actions and attitude depicts her hard working and how she had proven that women are capable of doing science and engineering. Women is a part of helping the nation to grow, just like her experienced because of her ability as women in the civil engineering industry shows the government that women can think , design and invent just like when she helped her husband and at her workplace.

FUTURE

Back to the late 1800s education were mostly available and accessible for men. Topics like Science and Engineering wasn’t a popular subjects that women would want to learn and expect to do as well. But Nora, was the first woman to prove how woman can really do it. One of the most valuable thing that she’d accomplished was the motivation for women in this generation to stand up and follow their passion and going to college or university to get a degree that they love learning in. Her action inspired new generation to continue on and follow their dream.

Sources:

www.energy.gov, news.cornell.edu

www.britannica.com, www.thefamouspeople

www.researchgate.net, link.springer.com

Ethw.org, medium.com

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A Long History of America – Poem

As a final assessment for my literacy class this term, I wrote a poem about the American history through different articles that I read in class. I hope you enjoy reading it 🙂

It started off with one rhythm

Americans Citizens

They experienced love, scarcity, depression, success

They tried to fight for their liberty or else for death

“Give me liberty or Give me death”

Patrick Henry a man with kindness

His rousing speech resolved huge stress

Persuaded his country to battle for what is best

It took a while to escape this mess

Strictly bound under pressure from the British

That’s why they asked for either freedom or death

A year later, they received liberty and began their life with faith.

 

1781 the story of Native Americans

The story of unfairness has yet to end

Thomas Jefferson a cunning man

His four letters were all intense

He wanted the Indian to give up his land

Like getting rid of the dirty shirt that stuck with stain

His tone started off nice but blaming at the end

He used rhetorical devices to convince Ben

He was acting very gentle but he actually pretend

However assimilation did not happen

And all Indians keep fighting till the end.

 

Here comes the Civil War, 1861

Split Southerner and Northerner bond

The South needed slaves to work upon

Such growing crops like wheat and corns

The North was anti-slavery and they held on

“Climate was the roots” that split the one

Laws have been made and spread beyond

This whole nation and its phenomenon

Black Africans became the target that the US want

They became property to sell and were put-on

The auction block to be bought

And shipped them out, to the place they did not belong

Fiercely manipulate the Black Africans upon.

 

Then the immigration was discussed

The U.S. worked to exclude certain immigrants in the past

They need to be physically strong, healthy and fast

The U.S. immigration laws were strict and was difficult to pass

29 probing questions is a difficult task

It’s not like when students playing bluff

And those immigrants have to determine that they can climb up this massive mast

If they make it, their life will be better compare to their past.

 

And this is just a small part of America’s history, that I learned in class

United States has changed so fast!

 

AMERICA a country of GROWTH and CHANGE!

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Unit One: Working as a Chemist

Chemistry!!! Yea….

First of all, how would you define Chemistry?

Well according to the definition Chemistry means, “the branch of science that deals with the identification of the substances of which matter is composed;” Generally, people would describe that chemistry is the study of chemical substances. 

Our class began with learning about strategies that the chemist do to complete their work.

In order to finish a lap report a chemist need to follow this steps: 

  • Observation/Problem: Something that you have notice and you wonder.
    • Qualitative: No data or number involve
    • Quantitative: Measured with numbers
  • Hypothesis: Statement that we believe it’ll happen in the experiment.
  • Experiment: Testing/Set up
    • Data: #Result
    • Conclusion: Analyse and conclude the testing result.

We also learned how to set up an experiment:

  • Control variables: factor that being controlled
  • Independent variable: factor that being tested 
  • Dependent variable: factor that being measured
  • Control group: does not get independent
  • Experimental group – same as control but gets independent variable.

Personally, chemistry is a very hard topic but I will try my best and work hard in order to achieve and complete this course successfully. 

 

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America – Literacy Unit

America? 

Part of English literacy class this year we started off learning the history of the United States. U.S. got a long story to talk about in their history. The history involved sadness, awfulness, happiness, victory, racism, discrimination etc.

We read various articles every week to learn about different stories of the America and answered some questions about the articles:

  • Give me liberty or Give me death
  • Causes of the American civil war
  • Thomas Jefferson writing on the American Indian
  • America’s shifting views on immigration
  • Excerpt from the jungle (Meat Packaging Industry)
  • The Great Depression

Highlight of my response about the Meat Packaging Industry: 

Back in the 1900s, the meat packaging industry would use various ways to cover up the spoiled meat. Based on The Jungle-“meat that was taken out of pickle would often be found sour,”-therefore they bound it up with soda to remove the smell because when the meat got spoiled, the factory can’t used it for anything else besides – “chop it up into sausage.” They then would use, “a machine consisting of a hollow needle attached to a pump; by plunging this needle into the meat,” so they could stuffed – “a ham with pickle in a few seconds.” “To pump into these the packers had a second much stronger pickle which destroyed the odor,” meaning in order to get rid of the bad smell and cover up the spoiled meat, the packers then have to carry on ways that being mentioned to cover up the spoiled meat in the factory.

This unit, especially reading the excerpt is very challenging for me but I will work hard and try my personal best to reach my goal. It is not just about my comprehension skill but it also but my writing skill. It is important to get the ball rolling and find a better way that I will be able to become a successful English learner.

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Preparation for upcoming REAL SAT Test

As mentioned from the previous post, the start of our school year was doing two weeks of PSAT bootcamp. In the bootcamp we learned some new strategies to solve math problems quicker than we thought we would do. After the bootcamp we continue to work on areas or topics that we were less confident about. Some of the topics that we went over in the class were: unit circle, circle function, circle theorem, circle equation, trigonometry (SOHCAHTAO), imaginary numbers, complex number and last but not least functions of equation. 

Those topics areas were found to be the hardest areas for the students. We went over all of those topics together with our facilitator. After reviewing the topics once again, everyone including myself were seems to be more confident and better understanding about it. One of the topic that I really like about during class was learning about the unit circle with trigonometry. 

I learned that –>  cos(x) = sin (π/2 – θ).

By using the unit circle to find the sine and cosine for right triangle will help us efficiently finish the question faster and easier. 

cos (2π/ 3) = -1/2

 sin (3π/ 2) = 1       
sin( -120°) =-√3/2  tan(3π/ 4) = -1 

We also used Khanacademy as the tool to help us practice our SAT and those areas that we confused about. Everyday, our facilitator would spend about the first 30 minutes to explain or go over problems and the left over of 25 minutes we would spend our time working independently on topics that was going over earlier in the class. Using Khanacademy and being able to ask my facilitator when I have questions is very helpful. As we are preparing for applying to college we need to take the SAT test to prove the school about our English and Math. Therefore, I need to keep practicing and pushing myself to at least score higher by 100 points by the time I’m taking it which will be on the October 6th. 

 

 

 

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PSAT Bootcamp

On the 6th of August of 2018 we started our school year with 2 weeks of PSAT bootcamp. Amanda and Kim was our mentors. Over the two weeks that we’ve worked with them, they taught us so many strategies regarding to the categories of the SAT.  Reading and Language was found to be the hardest subject that prevent the students to received a high score when they took test for the second English learner.

Everyday when we start our class, we wrote down a commonly confuse words:

  • Already (a.v) – when thing got done before
    • ex: I already finished my homework.
  • All ready – all prepare or set
    • ex: We all ready for our trip.
  • Allusion (n) – is the indirect refrence
    • ex: Some people would make an allusion when they are wanting something.
  • Illusion (n) – a trick
    • ex: Magician would use an illusion to make people trust in their show. 

Two essential strategies for reading passage are: 

  • Annotation – Circle/underline important part of info about the passage
  • Write paragraph summary ( 4 – 5 words)

We took three PSAT over the two weeks practice and personally, I can see the improvement I made through out the time I learn the strategies on how to take the test. Furthermore, for math we learned to use quicker strategies in order to divide exponential factor. 

Out of all,  they both inspirational people, they shared us their stories and we share our day together when they were here with us. I hope to have another boot camp to better prepare for my upcoming SAT test on October.

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“The Network”

Over the last seven weeks before the end of school year started to emerge, I was pleased to be apart of the member of the acting exploration. “The Network” was the play that produced by Christian Kiley and was used to be our theme for performing. 

My role in the exploration was a producer, somebody whose is in charge of marketing and finance team. It was a challenge role, I believed it was difficult the first time I started it  but after I found my way out and work with my teammates, I can see improvements have been done. 

About three weeks later during exploration, I got an exciting news that I could become one of the important character in the play. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn and have that acting experience. I was enrolled as A, a character that combined both outside world and internet world together on the network. I figured out that A is a character that under manipulate by one other character in the play. If I were to compare between this play and the real world, I would say many of the people living on Earth whose used internet now are experienced in it. 

Internet have taken everyone attention and drawn everyone in a social media world. But it have help both in positive and negative aspect. An example from my writing prompt activity was: A time that technology has impacted my life was when my dad got into an accident. Way back then, I posted an old picture of me with my dad with apologizing words. I wrote a sorry caption plus and emotional emojis. On that same week I received many sweet and motivates comments and messages from different people. And because of those texts, it have helped me to feel so much better with lots of love from friends and family members from far side. In that situation, The Network have helped me and my family to feel so much better after.

Besides working on producer job, Everyone got to participate in many acting activities. One of my favorite acting activity is bus stop station. This is when each person got a line of who their character or person is and then they will be going to the bus stop and act out who their character is without telling the audience but after everyone done we would guess each character. This experience some how teaches me ways to be able to become a better actor.  

So by the end of the exploration, we finally got to show our first full-length play to Liger, many other international schools and expats in Phnom Penh. The play was performed at Department of performing arts. This experience lead me to better understand the important of acting and being a producer, I learned to be flexible and become a better actress. 

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Year Six_Changing Cambodia

I began my new year with a book and a pencil stood at my desk at home in the province. I was unsure; but I remembered – I was ruminating about my next school year plans. I was certainly worried; however, I have to be headstrong, in order to take the agency over my knowledge. By stepping out toward another year with missions, I already knew that there was already another pile of challenges was waiting for me. I was stunned by what I have accomplished way back a few years ago and still – I want to keep doing it! “Be the change you want to see in the world,” Mohandas Gandhi stated, this quotes got introduced to me during the very first day of my literacy class by my facilitator Cara Shelton. New year, old-me – I planned on to continue to contribute something new, something that aren’t many Cambodian have ever experienced: it is the spirit of Frisbee. In order to get this mission going it will work by raising awareness through the Cambodian youth.

If you never taste the soup, you will never know how it actually taste like. In life, although there are part of something people are able to explain but they will never know the actual taste if they never taste it; that’s like saying a Khmer idiom which declared through generations- even though you heard everyone talking about it thousands and thousands of times but it won’t make you feel any less real when you’re able to see and and be able to experience it one time.

 

Frisbee is a new sport to Cambodia. Although it has been introduced a long while ago, not many Cambodian have or actually played this sport at all. And that’s because Cambodian are still lack of human resources to spread the words and the awareness throughout its society.

Change doesn’t became possible if nobody started it…

Frisbee now, became one part of my life in such that it’s now called my favorite sport. It was hard at the start of my first training but as I continued to practice, I am now able to play, but not just a “play-play” but also I am able to teach others. Frisbee is like a flat ball sport – however one facet that I like about playing this sport; Is playing in a mixed genders team. This sport allows anyone, at any ages, to involve and to play together; It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, “sexes is not required”.

Not many sport that people knew about are able to play with different groups of mixed genders but in this sport, it enabled for anyone to be apart of it. It’s slightly two years that I’ve been trained and went out to international tournaments such as: Philippine(AOUGCC), Vietnam(Mekong Cups), and Malaysia(Grizzly Bear). And those experiences means a lot to me. I learned new strategies when I got to a new places;  And because of that I want to take this as an opportunity to be able to spread and promote the spirit of this sport.

Living as human on this planet allowed us to take things for granted and as part of sharing life on Earth; I decided to be a part of my Bee-Force Cambodian Woman Ultimate team; Part of it was doing lots of physical training, practicing on my running skills and more; however, it is also about how we can spread this sport out to the people over there, whose doesn’t know; So I have now volunteered to help distribute this sport into the places at a rural side of Cambodia which is a few weeks in a while at Camkids which located in Kampong Speu province, approximately two hours drive. This sport mostly known by many citizens living in the city such as Phnom Penh but not many of those whom lived at the rural part have ever heard about it.

Being able to share this experienced to the kids is one thing but something that I want to see change being made is gender equity. Cambodian, still have that stigmas and myth that girls shouldn’t play sport with guys; But, that’s not true. This idea have to be change; girls are allow to do what they wish to do.

Part of my life is traveling; going to places and learning about something new. Back in the year I went to Battambang for my dinosaur project; On the last day we got to visit a government school and our team got to introduce different projects to the kids. I asked the director of the school to teach the kids on how to play frisbee. She was surprised and excited for her students because she said those kids like to play sport but the thing is, they don’t have that much of opportunity to learn it. So one of my friends and I taught them the throwing strategies and explaining how the game work. After a 30 minutes of throwing and 10 mins of explaining the game, 20 students who joined us have now understand and knew how to throw and are able to access this sport. That was one of my biggest achievements in the year, I could see those students’ smiles on their cheeks and I was very impressed that I was able to help them learn new sport.

Mission still continues…

Later on in the year, my team traveled down to Camkids, a school which provides students whose are living in the rural part of Cambodia to access to the education. I was pleased to see their happiness during our training. They were surprised to see something that was flat but can throw very far. A memory that I will never be neglecting; That was when one of the girls came to me in the middle of the training session with a shied and wondered looking reaction on her face; she said, “ខ្ញុំអត់ចេះគប់ទេបង!” which means, sister, I don’t know how to throw it! I looked at her right at the moment and smile at her. “That is the same feeling that I got the first time I start playing it.” I told her. After our short conversation, I started to give her instructions and grabs one of her hands to feel the frisbee and finally, she made it! She knew how to throw, catch the disc and she is now able to play after a three hours training. Before we left, we kept four frisbees for the school and we told them, “Please take care of it but played with it! Everyone are allow to play and don’t be afraid to play it.”

Everything starts from small steps.

This experienced have shared to 60 rural community students and 20 in a government schools in Battambang but this will continue to spread when those 80 speaks to one another then it’ll add up 160 then all of them speak to one another, it’ll make up 320 and this numbers will continue to rise up more and more and that’s mean those single one of the first 80 are apart of as change agents that helped everyone in this country to have skill on this new sport. For instant, this isn’t just a throwing or how to play lesson but it has taught them the spirit of the game and one important life lesson. Girls and boys are allow to play together – everyone are equally have the same rights

If he can play, that’s mean she can play!

Keep doing, keep playing, keep motivating, keep the energy, keep the strong force/moment and keep continue on walking towards it. I believed gender equity is the main and an essential key that I like about this sport. If we don’t start changing it, then who will change it?

My whole school year isn’t just about learning and training frisbee, it is just  ⅛ or maybe only 10 percents of my school life proportion. I have many others things happened in the school year but by I thought if I can start to change it then the next person will help me to spread the spirit of this game. This sport have influenced me and taught others to be strong and keep moving forward no matter what happened.

Part of being a Cambodian citizen and as change agents, I want to keep spreading and contributing more and more new experience, because this will help me and help my country to better know and catch up with the rest of the world. Frisbee changes me to understand the definition of gender, that’s mean when others start learning it hopefully they will learn this significant aspect as well. Remember, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” Mohandas Gandhi mentioned.

And lastly, if I never take a step forward, I will never understand that front floor. If I never talk, nobody is going to hear! So missions will begin when my hands and mouth are ready to execute it.