Rachael+M.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?


 * What __really__ makes up your identity?
 * There are quite a few things that make up my identity. Things from my family and friends, to my beliefs. I believe that a poem I wrote may explain it best:

**__ All That I Am... __**  // Rachael Martin Ray //

I am history I am foreign lands  I am the oppressors and the oppressed  I am the North, the Union  I am the South, the Confederate  I am American Pride

I am a loving family I am family get togethers  I am Martin and New combined  I am the youngest child, the baby sister  I am Sunday morning church  And Sunday dinners

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am the 4th of July <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am the one present on Christmas Eve  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">And country ham and biscuits  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am the Saturday after Christmas  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am “I love you”  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">And “I will always be proud of you”

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am a wife <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am claddagh  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am February and August  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am 3 years  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am 1 & 1/2yrs  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am the goal of forever

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am a lifelong friend <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am hours playing with Barbies  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am inseparable  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am strawberry patches  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am football games and Marching Band  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am Friday and Saturday

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am poetry and reading <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am learning  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am inspiration and motivation  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am self confidence and inner strength  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am perseverance  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am strong faith

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am all those who came before me <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am those who love me  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am those who support me  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am those who depend on me  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am the way God wants me to be  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">I am me.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">What __really__ makes up your sense of place?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">What makes up my sense of place is who I keep around me. I feel the most like myself, and like I belong when I am surrounded by my family (my Husband, my Mama, my Daddy, and my older Brother) and my Best Friend. I have physical places that I identify with, because of memories that are attached to them. The memories are associated with each of the people that I mentioned, such as the home I grew up in, my granddaddy's home, my Daddy's home, etc.. My sense of place is wherever I can be with the ones I care the most about and be happy with them.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">I am a very confident and self-reliant person. I enjoy being a part of a group and working hard. I am loyal and faithful to a fault. When I feel like I belong and I am a part of something I work twice as hard towards the common goal. I know that this comes from being raised by such a strong, loving, loyal and supportive group of people. However, I also know how to stand on my own two feet.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">When working with a group, I work hard to be a part of the group and work collaboratively with others. I believe in constructive criticism. I believe that everyone should participate and be a part of the group when working together. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">I believe that everyone works their best when they are in a positive and determined environment. I enjoy finding the positives in everything that I and others do, and finding ways to keep the momentum going. I am very flexible and determined; when I have a goal to accomplish I am willing to work hard to find a variety of ways to accomplish it successfully.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">I have not been active enough within Raleigh to be able to answer this question about my current area, but I can think of a local problem where I just moved from. While teaching 5th grade, I believe the noticeable problem was a lack of parent involvement in their children's lives. This theme popped up in a variety of ways throughout the school year. Most of the students with low grades and little motivation, as well as most of the students with discipline referrals had parents who were not very involved in their lives both in and outside of school.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">I know this is a problem that is very difficult for us to solve, and for some parents it is a problem that we may never be able to solve.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">One goal at the school that I taught at was to increase the parent involvement. We realized that we could get more parents and more families involved if we offered them something in return. I worked in a very poor county, where many parents worked hard just to try to make ends meet. As a school, we began offering parent nights, study nights, conference nights, fall fling, etc during the later part of the evening after most parents were off work. We would offer incentives both for the students and the parents if they attended such as dinner (spaghetti, chicken, etc), baked goods (cakes and cookies), coffee night, drawings to win prizes ranging from a pretty painting to a TV or mp3 player (Tickets were $1, prizes were donations to the school), etc. These nights gave many of the parents a chance to relax, socialize, and not worry about going home and cooking, all while learning about their children and how they were doing in school. It was not a solution for all of the parents, but it was a step in the right direction.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt;">First and foremost = **COURAGE**. I have always said "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that something else is more important." Next a person must have **FAITH**. Faith in themselves, the people they are working with, and what they are working towards. Third, **PERSEVERANCE**. A person must work towards what they believe is right, in the face of any obstacles before them. And finally an **OPEN MIND**. With an open mind a person can not only see the goal that they are after, but they can see how it fits into the grand scheme of things. This allows a person to see when their perseverance is needed, and when its time to stop following the path and begin on something new.

Phase II: Sense of Place

media type="custom" key="12681696" width="160" height="160" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My Sense of Place: Nature, Country, and History

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My sense of place is where Weddings, Walks, and Relaxing are all done in the outdoors. The trees out number the people and the buildings. My sense of place includes Farming, Families, and Bonfires. A harvester on the road during the day, and the family around a fire at night is a common occurrence. My sense of place is full of Respect, Remembrance, and History. Uniforms are a regular site, sacrifices are honored and history is kept close to the heart.

Use these questions to help you determine which picture shows someone else why your “place” is so special to you.
 * ** Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has? **
 * Yes, they show the beautiful scenery.
 * ** Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has? **
 * Yes, two of the pictures are from my wedding. Another picture shows the honor guard in a local Veteran's Day parade.
 * ** Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique? **
 * The last picture is of the Fayetteville Market house which is tied strongly into the city's history.
 * ** Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location? **
 * The picture of the honor guard shows the strong value placed on the military. Fayetteville, and surrounding areas, are military towns because they are located right outside of Fort Bragg Army Base and Pope Air Force Base. Military is highly honored and respected throughout the area.

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a travel package that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What is your local issue? **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Lack of parent involvement within their children's lives. More and more parents are relying on TV, computers and video games to raise their children. They are allowing their children to behave the way that they want, and roam around where ever and when ever they want. The parents then want to blame everyone and everything else for the way their children are both at home and in public.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What can you do to be address the issue? **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a teacher I can appeal to my parents to become more involved. I can try to find easy suggestions for things that the parents can do with their children and for their children to help them out. I can talk with them about the impact their attention or lack of attention has on their students and try to get them to see the possible negative parts. I can treat my students with the respect that they deserve and talk with them about ways to behave appropriately at least within the school hours.


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What is the global impact of your local issue? **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Un-monitored and unruly children are growing up to be come disrespectful adults who have a harder time succeeding in their lives. Divorce rates and domestic violence rates are climbing, job turn over rate and unemployment is increasing. These things may not be strongly correlated, but I believe they are related.

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues