NEGOTIATION! The Mock Senate. I totally forgot to mention that. Mary, you were there, and you saw what was going on. Everyone talked about their problems, people assessed other people's problems. I thought that there was a very healthy aura about the whole assignment. I felt like people were really taking it seriously, and negotiating for the greater good of the entire UN. Though the assignment was a great success as a whole, there were groups that were quite challenging. The group that my country worked with was very stubborn, and you could really see how the lack of negotiating skills could hinder improvement. Yeah... Mary, you saw that one, too. Anyways, there's my blog about Negotiation.

Another relation to Ben's class. This time I'm dealing with Diversity. Today's class we started to talk about language. I don't remember what got us on that topic, but we got there, somehow. Anyways, we started talking about languages and someone asked how different languages are formed. I know a handful of biblical stories, so I raised my hand and told the story of the Tower of Babel. It amazed me to see the different looks on people who heard Ericka and I finish (she helped elaborate during parts). Some people had never heard the story before, whereas some were very well versed with it. One person in particular actually threw the story aside and stated that "you'd have to be stupid to think that." I just thought it was crazy that there was such a wide range of reactions, because I'm used to being around people who simply 'accept' and do not question. Yeah.

Active Listening: Girl Talk

This might sound a little cheesy, but whenever I talk to girls (my ex-girlfriend, or just girls in general) I sort of cheer them on. If I don't do things like rephrase what they've stated or show them I'm listening, I feel like a bad friend. The thing is, I CAN TALK... A LOT! But when I'm talking to my friends, girls especially, I try not to talk about myself too much. I notice myself actively listening most when there's a problem or something bad 'in the air'. For example, just last night I was talking to my ex-girlfriend about little things (how are you? school? etc.) and she seemed really down. I encouraged her to open up, and that's when she started talking about her problems with school and boys. I don't want to get too specific, though. I don't know if I do this because of AOD, or it's something I just do... but I've noticed myself doing it ever since I started Mary's class.

Creative Conflict: Ben's Class

So I guess this one's a far shot, but I made a connection between History and AOD today in class. We were talking about a primary document that was assigned the night before... I don't remember exactly which one it was, though. It was the Petition to the House of Commons, or something along those lines. Anyways, it was a petition from the Virginia House to adress the taxes being imposed by the british. Well, I made the connection in class, and spoke to Ben about it directly. I guess this was a creative conflict in terms of they didn't fight about it, they got their opinion out there and sort of let if float. In the long run, we have to fight for our freedom, I know, but this is a step that America made positively to Parliament and the King. They were very respectful... they really put the ball in the King's court... That's how I connected today's lesson to creative conflict.