I have to say that I watched a documentary today and I confess. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Waiting for Superman is a film that focuses on several kids across the nation and their family's odyssey to getting education in their city. From New York to Washington D.C, this film exposes an age-old system where the field of education has its many flaws and halts which ultimately affects the kids who have to go to them. The film follows these kids in their pursuit to have the best education that is offered to them and do what they have to do for it.

This only scratches the surface of the documentary. It is also the un-scathed process surrounding teachers and the way school districts, committees, and communities treat problems that hide within the schools that affect everyone. It treats a very round about reminder that these problems do escalate and hurt our whole society eventually when left untreated. When it comes to give the best education for children, America does not hold the highest interest because this intricate system leaves many people stumped to solve the problem when they cannot change the ways the schools have operated, which have stayed and worked for years, and make them relevant to the rest of the world.

But one thing that struck me the hardest was how it allowed me to re-evaluate my life when it came to education. Education for me was pretty good. I came from California from a reasonable suburban town. I was able to get the best that I could in a middle class setting. In my fourteen year old mind, I remember thinking that I was the poorest school in town because I was in a band program of fifty and was lucky to even think of competing against other schools who were bigger and had better instruments available to them. They were usually bands that were bigger than us but now that I am"more" grown up, I think that I was still lucky with what was handed to me. From band to honors programs, I think that I was able to get the education I needed to be able to be accepted into a four year college and graduate with a degree. For most students , this is a dream that they have and I was able to achieve it.

When I watched this film, this is what almost all the kids talked about and inspired to do. They all had problems where they had to be put in lotteries to have the opportunity to go to these charter schools because these were the best, most valuable options available to them. The reason students and families turn to these charter schools in the first place was that they do not measure against school standards that could stunt their growth. Another reason to turn to them is for things that are way beyond their control and give the best instead of having the best education for all.

To have all your hopes, your parent's, you family's hopes into a big drawing was the most disappointing thing for me to witness. Getting an education should not be a contest in the year 2012. Yet in this film, from various schools, at a school with thirty spots for a charter school, over seven hundred families will put their names in hope that they will be chosen and have the best chance for their children's education. It was very disheartening to watch children's faces have to be scarred in fear and worry, wanting to have their dreams come true when it came a lottery. That was the hardest to stomach. Because all the adults halt their chances for true education, how does that look for adults who want to fix it and make it better? What do we have to do to make it stop? When we try to put efforts into solving these problems to a system, identify the problems, assuage it, and still have problems, how do we keep going?

The only result from fighting and trying to help is that it all comes down to the children. The students are always the ones who suffer and have to face the problems thirty years from now. One conclusion that will still haunt us, reflect on what happened when we were in the classroom ,learning from a teacher, and ask ourselves: why are we still stuck this way?

Dear Internet,

Last week was exhausting. I have never been so exhausted my whole life. I was roleplaying two different lives for a week and I never want to do that ever again. On Sunday, my family came over and they were quite something. On each day, they wanted to do something while I tried to attend school. It was hectic. Something I hope I never have to do for a while.

First day, I drove everyone through the chaotic streets of Utah all by myself. I picked them up and drove off to eat at Spaghetti Factory. It was delicious but regretful. I got to try this beautiful Garlic Mizthrathi spaghetti. The garlic dripped in my mouth from the delectable lines of noodles in my mouth. But the problem about this story is that I left it in the car too long and it was dead the next day:(

On day two, I have looked through my archives of pictures to discover the most attractive photos of mine that exist between me and my family. They were quite frightening to look at again. But we just relaxed at their hotel because I was tired from doing homework late at night. It required heavy duty reading, which I have not done yet right now to avoid!,  because I am a first class procrastinator!

I know the next day I shopped heavily at this big donation store called Deseret Industries. It is owned by the Mormon Church and has the best deals I have ever seen with used clothes. It makes me excited to say thatI found so may great deals from this store that I should just keep shopping from it and make my own clothes hauls to show how great it is! Seriously, I now am a proud owner of a once possessed dark violet sweat jacket from American Apparel. If you know this store, it is the most effing expensive clothes brand I have ever seen. But at the DI, the nickname of the store, I found this lovely prized possession for six bucks. I bargain a college kid can afford guaranteed!

But I also know the next day I was finally able to see Brave and it was the most amazing Pixar experience yet. I didn't know what to expect with a princess and a fairytale. I am a hard core Pixar and Disney fan. I know a fair amount of knowledge about animation, the artists behind them, Walt Disney, and anything dealing with animation. I enjoy knowing things and odd facts from films but I tried to stay away from any spoilers from this film and I was happy.

It was very poignant with relationships. If you are in need for the return of family, you should watch this film. Although, I know that everyone has forgotten about Brave by now or has seen it. But I think it is still worth every damn minute of your time. Though the Dark Knight Rises is coming, it is coming .....

But the last days of the week, I was able to enjoy three separate trips across Utah. The first was going to the Zoo. I love going to the Zoo because I got to see so many animals that only exist within a picture on a screen or in a book. But when you meet the actual physical thing in front of you about a few feet from you, you are breathless because it is an odd thing to know they are real.

Then I went to the Prairie town-esque Park. It has people all over Utah to come and work these old past time traditions within the town. I was able to see more animals on this day too! I saw goats, pigs, cows, reindeer, even some ponies that didn't look like ponies to us. But one thing I truly appreciated from this trip was that these traditions: pioneers, native Americans, and cultures that occurred over a hundred years ago was still able to thrive in this one place. I admit that it was quite beautiful to know how people were able to come out to this state and use their resources around them to survive and allow us to come to this country.

Discovering those traditions was recovering something I wish everyone could find. I wish that people would realize that a lot of our cultures are dying around us and we do not even know it. I am studying how the American culture affects us and I saw it as very relevant to now, even as I saw Native Americans,

I think I appreciate more of what is waiting out there because of this. Those experiences you feel and see before represent a canvas of what you as an individual will erupt and create as you grow older. And that is more than enough to sustain me for now.

Natalie