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Journal #43

Today we have to write about John Coltrane's song "Blue Train", which is a jazz song from the Modernism period of writing. This song shows a lot of different feelings and emotions in it through the tempo of the song and the range of notes that they play. In the beginning, the music starts out very slow, and it makes one really get into the music. I can picture the person in a small jazz club, playing their instrument with the drums and the piano in the background. I can see all of the people slowly closing their eyes and swaying along with the music. It quickly picks up speed, and the picture in my mind changes to a picture of people that are in rags for clothing all being together and celebrating something so they are dancing to the music. They are all extremely happy, and the beverages are definitely flowing. They have some people sitting on the side and just watching, but most of the people are dancing in the middle. They are being swung every which way, and their feet are moving at incredible speeds. The music then slows back down, and after a while the piano is the instrument that can be heard the loudest. This makes me feel like I am at an elegant party where the music is there on the side and everyone is socializing and talking to one another with flutes of champagne in their hands. The women are wearing beautiful dresses and the men are dressed in tuxedos. The music then speeds up again, but the piano is still the most easily heard. It is incredible how the transitions from slow to fast come so easily to them, because many people would not be able to make everything sound so smooth. Their group must have practiced this piece quite a bit, because it sounds absolutely perfect. They must have practiced incredibly hard when they were younger, and it definitely paid off.

Realism vs. Modernism

Realism and Modernism are both alike, yet also have many differences. Realism tried to be very realistic about what they were portraying. They wanted things to be seen they way that they were, and they did not try to make anything seem better or worse. Meanwhile, Modernism was often disillusioned, or showed signs of disillusionment. They enjoyed showing how people at the time had believed in so many different things like the government, society, and even their families, that all in the end betrayed them. They showed how there were many things that were happening at that time to cause them to second guess everything that they had believed in their entire lives. Realism, however, did nothing of the sort. They continued to discuss things realistically as they were, and did not try to put hidden meanings or motives behind it. Realism definitely worried more about what was happening here and now. They wanted to talk about what was going on in their lives at that very moment, and they were not really worried about their past or about their future. Modernism was much the same way, because they were more worried about what was happening to them right at that second. Sometimes they may look to the future and try to make some plans, but for the most part they were not really worried about it. They worked very hard to make do with what they had at the present, so they did not necessarily try to think about what they would have to come up with to survive the next few weeks or even days. Modernism involved things that happened at that time, such as the Great Depression, World War I, and the rations that many of them relied on for food daily. Realism was concerned about being in the moment, but they were not worried about it, because they had nothing huge to worry about. They may have had day-to-day worries, but it is a lot less likely that they had huge things to think about like the Modernists did. Realism also had many different aspects that can change the way that we think of it. We can think of it as Regionalism, which is a ton different than normal versions of Realism. Regionalism is nothing like Modernism. Regionalism is all about certain regions of the United States. Regionalism was more boasting about what a certain part of the United States had to offer than it was about different problems that Americans were facing at the moment. Regionalism and Modernism really are not alike at all, and that is just one more way that Realism and Modernism are so different. While both can have many advantages and disadvantages, they are both enjoyed by most people that read them. It is hard to compare the two because they can be so alike, but at the same time, it is possible to tell the difference, because they involve different topics that are both necessary. Realism and Modernism can be alike in many ways, but they also have vast differences that allow us to make them different things.

Job Shadowing

I job shadowed a teacher named Mrs. Petit from A-C Central. She taught a class of first graders that were really fun. There were only fourteen of them, but that made the day a lot easier, because I had less names that I needed to learn. The children were adorable, and very fun to be around. Some of the day was mildly boring, because I just had to sit there and listen. While I know that is what I am supposed to do, I would have loved to have been able to actually take part in helping to teach the children. I got to see them do many different things, such as music, physical education, computers, and library. It was fun to watch them all do many different things, and it helped give me a better feel for the different areas of teaching. I also got to see different reading levels, and that also helped me to realize that the children are not all at the same level. One of the young girls was a fantastic reader, but she had a hard time paying attention, so she ended up being put in the slow reading group because her mom requested it. This all helped me realize that teaching can be complicated, and working with parents on different topics is just as important as working with the children. I will need to be organized and engaging, and that will make everything go a lot more smoothly. I can definitely see myself teaching, and this experience only added to the knowledge that I am trying to gain to get there.