Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Hurricane Blog responses

Like many of you, the images of Hurricane Katrina still haunt us to this day. Why wasn't more done before, during, and after the hurricane? I visited post-Katrina New Orleans, LA, in March of 2009 and was still amazed at the work still left to be done.

Working with Shawn Bell, a 7th grade science teacher from Farmington Middle School, we developed a space for students to share their comments regarding the impact hurricanes can have on a community. This assignment was only one part of a larger project.

There were two resources the students had to read and to listen to before they could write their responses. The first was a podcast from NPR and the second was a poem. The link is provided below, along with the poem. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments as well.

Coin Drive

by Janet S. Wong

There’s a coin drive going on at our school

for children hurt by the hurricane.

Teacher says, “Handful of dimes is fine.

But only give if you want to share.”

Momma says, “Those people should have known.

Should have done more than they did to get out.”

Poppa says, “Look how those people stole.

Criminals. Animals, them. Their kind.”

I saw the pictures, too, myself.

People with nothing, no cars, for sure.

Swollen old ladies could barely walk.

Crazy boys with stolen guns,

but also daddies grabbing bread.

I saw the pictures, too, myself.

So many bodies floating, dead.

Waiting, water creeping up,

up past neck, past mouth, past eyes.

How long did they wait for help?

I feel proud for the fifty cents

I put today in the coin drive jar.

I feel proud that I can say:

I saw the pictures for myself.






50 comments:

  1. Blake and Levi thought the poem was devastating, and believable. It was sad.

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  2. Austin and Tanner period one group one-thought that the poem was very deep because the hurricane can affect the lives of people that have been caught in them and it destroys all of their homes and it can affect their lives.it was truly groovy!

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  3. Logan and Savanna period one group one thought this was groovily awesome. We thought it was sad because all the these people had a terrible time after this hurricane, everything was destroyed.

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  4. Morgan Lackey And Zack HicksMarch 17, 2010 at 6:29 AM

    Morgan Lackey and Zack Hicks, Group 2: The poem was intense. I thought it was really touching and heartwarming. Zack thought it was depressing and very gloomy. It showed us that we're very fortunate and we should be lucky for all the things we have. It showed us what they had to go through.

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  5. Anna and Flint period one, group four. This podcast changed my perception on hurricanes a lot. It made the situation a lot more realistic to me after hearing about all the damage and sadness it caused. If I was a person who lived in a hurricane area I would not be strong enough to keep on living in the place in which it happened like the people that do.

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  6. Blake and Levi thought that the poem ,again, was very real. It was really awesome. We thought it was sad because of all the people who lost their homes and their lives. Imagine if you were in this devastating storm! You would have no hope or help if needed.

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  7. Carlee Lee, Matt Wilson, and Savannah JenkinsMarch 17, 2010 at 7:03 AM

    Carlee Lee, Matt Wilson, and Savannah Jenkins-Group 2-period 1:
    The poem was depressing. It showed us what people went through during the hurricane. It also showed us how hard of a time families had through during the hurricane. The poem showed that people do everything the possible can, even steel, to protect their families and try and get everything they had back. People sometimes go crazy when trying to keep their families safe.

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  8. Alex Caselman thought that the podcast did change my perception on hurricanes. It made me realize how devastating all the hurricanes are and how just one storm can ruin a persons life forever. The poem and podcast made me feel like i was seeing everything that was going on and i could feel their sadness. Our responses as citizens is to help by giving money and donating food and clothes. I thought both the poem and podcast were sort of a wake up call on what is really happening. They were sad and intense.

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  9. Sara and Jessica period 1 group 1 thought the poem showed how their lives were already bad and the hurricane just added on to all the problems they had. After the hurricane their homes were destroyed and people were injured. In the podcast it showed that some people would rather deal with the hurricane rather than leave like all the other people did. People would do anything they could like stealing. It makes us realize how lucky we are to live in a state with no risk of hurricanes.

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  10. group1 period2 caitlin emery
    this poem and podcast showed you what all of the people in the hurricanes went through and how they had to struggle to survive and how lucky we are and how just everybody pitching in with a few cents even helps

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  11. Cooper S. Period two, group two. This poem and podcast were very moving. Being in a hurricane would be absolutely horrible. The podcast completely changed my perspective of a hurricane and being in one. The people were terrified. I felt like I was there experiencing the ordeal myself. If we live in an area affected by hurricanes, we should be quick to help the most needy people in the area. From the poem, I believe that the mother and father were both incorrect. They were blaming the people for staying and not doing enough to get out of the city, but they didn't realize that there may have been something valuable to the people that didn't leave. The father was accusing the people of stealing, but they were desperate. This poem is believable and shows the horrible experience of living through a hurricane.

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  12. Cody Wilson and Jason May, Group 3-period 2:We thought the poem was depressing and sad. It made us think more about the severity of hurricanes. The podcast made the situation just as personal as if you were right there with the man talking.If we were the citizens we would be very scared and probably move. Now we have a different perspective on hurricanes.

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  13. Jenny Martinez period 2 said...
    The poem was depressing because it changed my perception about hurricanes because I have never been in a hurricane and it must be very hard.The people around you panicing.It made it more real to me because i read about how people felt.Our responses are that we are proud that we helped those people with whatever we could.

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  14. ZoeG. HeavenlyR. group#2 2nd

    Well we have always known that hurricanes are bad and many people have suffered but it makes us to think a little more about the people and what they had to go trough. It told us that the people in the pictures were suffering from what had happened. I think that if i lived in a town that has hurricane activity i would move or watch the weather all day.

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  15. Tiffany W. and Shenia M. Group 1
    It was a really moving story and poem. I felt so sorry for the helpless man. The poem, no words can say how we felt as we read it. The story was even worse. As me and Shenia listened to it no true words we passed because we were just lost in the story of the poor man who was so helpless and no one could help him or the others that had to face the horrible storm. I just wonder the thoughts that would be gong though your head if you were in a history making storm like that. I am pretty sure that the thought that would be going through my head would be "Please help us, were going to die." I can't even begin to think about would be going through there heads. Thank god I don't have to dell with storms like that.

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  16. Chris A and Chance B period 3 Group 1
    The podcast and poem wer both reaching out to the readers, and they changed our perspective for hurricanes.The podcast and poem made it more real to us, it also explained to us that if our family were impacted it would be more personal. We think that the people that live in the tropics should be prepared for more of these deadly tropical storms.We are now more aware of all the death and heart brake that the victims have to deal with.

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  17. Trystyn and Derek period 3 group group 4

    We thought the poem was interesting and life changing.It was not a average day fairy tale.It was very powerful.We think those people should not steal though that was are only problem with the whole entire deal.I just wish those hurricane survivors luck because I bet their memories are scared for life.

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  18. Period:3

    Jeremy Mueller and Kentrell Blackburn

    We believe that hurricanes are very real and aren't just small storms, but actually affect the lives of the people who go through them. Reading the poem and hearing the podcast made hurricanes seem more realistic. To me they just seem like bad storms, but not devastating storms that affect the lives of other people for the rest of their life. It seemed like in the poem that his parents had more of an affect on his preception than he did himself. This podcast and poem changed our thoughts on how devastating hurricanes can actually be.

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  19. Collin B. and Micheal I. Group2 class 3
    The podcast and poem changed our perspective on Katrina and the damage it had the potential to cause.

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  20. Katelyn Solomon and Hayden Edwards thought the poem and the podcast was tragic. We both always thought hurricanes were devistating but to here personal stories is still heartbreaking .Katelyn thinks they should eveacuate but i think diffrently..... I think people ;have the right to stay home though you want them to evacuate for safety they have lived there most of their life maybe and maybe they belive what must happen will happen and maybe if GOD wanted them to go they would. GROUP#3 3rd PERIOD

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  21. Travis Yocham and Nick Lockhart says this is emotional this is also very true. Hurricane Katrina was a very tragic time for new orleans. It was very sad because many people died in this storm or injured brutally so be think ful for what you got yo. because we know there are thankful for what they got and and thankful that the storm is gone yo.

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  22. EvanG. RustonD. BrandonP. group#3 3rd
    The poem told us just how DANGEROUS hurricanes are. It changed our perception about them. The poem did make it more real and personal. We don't really have much activity although we might get rain from hurricanes. If we did live in a hurricane place we might think even more about the bad storms.

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  23. Cj Tull and Autumn Rieff said

    At first we thought hurricanes were just like a rain storm.But then we knew that they were more than just a rain storm.Thats when we heard about hurricane Gordan.When we heard about hurricane Gordan we felt really sad. But God was the one who did but he didn't want to.

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  24. Kayla U. and Darian C. period 3 group 3
    The poem & the podcast changed our perception about hurricanes a little. We thought seeing it from someone else's point of view didn't really change how real or personal hurricanes are. We don't live in hurricane areas but we should help clean up the destruction of hurricanes. The dad. Those hurricane survivors are lucky to survive the bad hurricane unlike some of the other victoms.

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  25. I think that the poem was great, and sad. I feel sorry for the people who had to go through that or any thing like it.It was a terrifying, and many people were killed. hurricanes like Katrina destroy not only homes, but also lives. even if they are still alive. Mostly because of the loved ones that they lost and all of their homes were gone and there were so many people were left homeless I almost cry when I hear things like this because it's so sad.

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  26. j.t.s. period 6 group 1
    i think that the poem and podcast were sad, yet great. i think that as the thoughts were shared by all of the people, either in poem or podcast, it was helping them to talk about what they experienced when the hurricane hit. it was telling us more about what happened in Katrina, and what to prepare for in case of any more hurricane. i think that everyone who died or lost something should be helped. it made me fell sorry for all of the people who got hurt.

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  27. Danni and Turner in Period 6, Group 3 say...
    We think that the podcast showed us that the hurricane already added on to the busy, stressful life that these people already had. We also think that we should help people going through this, not because we get this pizza party if we raise so-and-so money. These people need our help and we should do our best to help them. The podcast changed our perspective on the whole natural disaster subject. I'm glad that these people gave us a peek into their lives and what happened to them. It shows us that not everything will always be okay, but it'll clear up over the course of time.

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  28. Lauren N. Period 6 group 1: I thought that both the PodCast and the poem were very devestating and depressing. It defanatly makes me think more about things that happen throughout the world every day and how fortunate i am that these things dont happen to me. Though Some things could,they dont and for that i am very thankful!

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  29. Shawna L. and Sierra R. period 6, group 3
    The poem and the podcast changed our perception of people who go through hurricanes. We thought that a hurricane was just a big flood and no body gets hurt. We should think of others that don't have everything we do and we take a lot for granted. It is sad and we can help by donating food and stuff.

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  30. Maria M. Morgan L. and Laney D. period 6 group 4 said....
    The podcast changed our point of view on how a hurricane doesn't just destroy the place it hits, but it also effects people who have lived through one mentally just as it would physically. The poem really got our attention and it was also very sad yet true. It showed us that many people are effected by hurricanes and people all over the country really do try to help the people who have lost their homes and other important things because of a hurricane. Especially ones like Hurricane Katrina.

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  31. Halsey Salmonson period 6 group 1
    The podcast changed my perception about hurricane in major ways. The podcast and the poem did help the situation seem more personal and real. It was very intense and i could just imagine the woman with the baby and the dead bodies floating in the water and laying everywhere and the swollen old ladies walking around. My response to the hurricane would be as if i was in a depression.

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  32. tyler said....

    I thought it was heart braking. I thought it was sad it was like a nightmare that i would not wakeup to and that is what i say a bout that story

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  33. Cody C. said...

    I thought it was heart-breaking and so sad. I just liked i ,too.It was a nightmare & DANGEROUS. Its really great and touching. These hurricanes
    are really DANGEROUS.

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  34. Antony G and Blake D, period 7:
    So sad! I can only imagine being there! I have seen a tornado, but this is heartbreaking! Just terrible for those people. My ideas of Hurricanes are different now. I now see the destructive power of a hurricane. I feel horrible for those who live in the face of a hurricane, mostly Florida. :-(

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  35. Emilie L. Bailey W. Chas T. Kendall C.
    period 7 group 1.

    We thought it was sad... What the person in the poem thought was very deep...
    The podcast was depressing but had a good point both of these taught a good lesson about doing a good job and sticking with it... (:

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  36. Destiny Nicklas and Desirea Fletcher, 7th period..
    We thought it was heartbreaking and dangerous. It touched us and we can tell that it impacted a lot of lives. It changed our point of view because we used to think "oh it's just a hurricane... it's not going to affect us.". Now we know that it kills a lot of people... they have almost nothing left. I feel really bad for these people..

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  37. Tarren P. and Dakotah H. Period 7 Group 2
    As we listen to the podcast and the poem we realized that hurricanes are totally different when we herd the real life stories from people who have experienced it. Hurricanes destroy home and take lives faster than we realized. People who have experienced this were scared and thought that each night could be their last. In our area we do not think anything about hurricanes but hearing the podcast and reading the poem has changed our way of thinking.

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  38. Emma Clary and Brianna Center period 7th group 2
    Thinks that people my not think hurricanes are that big of a deal, but yet they can affect and harm many of the surrounding environments and people. We also thought that the podcast helped make the situation realistic and heart breaking.

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  39. Savannah C. period 7 group 2

    I could tell how sad that it made the people who experienced the tragedy of hurricane Katrina. He mentioned that parents were stealing food to feed their children, and it made me sad to think that actions like that were necessary.

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  40. Derek t., Natalie H Tristan S, and Kaitlyn J
    It was hard going through the hurricane Katrina . I feel horrible that everyone lost all or close to all of their things. I feel very sorry for all the people that where in katrina.

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  41. Kendis W. & Cole M. & Tyler C. period 8 group 4 said......

    We thought that the podcast changed our perception in a big way! The podcast and poem made us realize that people and their families are being effected by these hurricanes every single year. We need to contribute to the relief efforts. Even though we weren't directly effected by it we should still help out the relief efforts. This will help to ease the pain of the devastated families.

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  42. Darren Parry
    I feel sorry for the people that went throw a hurricane. People who lost there lives in a hurricane should have a wall that has there names on it.
    I hat hurricane. Hurricanes kill allot of people every year. If you get told that you need to leave because of a hurricane you leave it will kill you or injure you.

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  43. Simon h. marco f. devin k. darren p.period8 group 2
    Thinks that hurricanes destroy people and people think that hurricanes are nothing but can really hurt someone or any thing . i feel sorry for people in katrina dont laugh about those people.

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  44. zac buttry I feel bad for the people in hurricane katrina becuase they lost family members and most of there belongings

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  45. keith demuth. 8th
    millions dead. people losing loved ones
    chaos.watching anything like the hurricane katrina aftermath cant compare to any other natural disaster. I feel bad for people who survived the hurricane. Not that they need someone to do it for them.

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  46. Payton P.
    Seeing hurricane Katrina unfold was horrifying. But to me the most hard thing to see was seeing all the homeless unprotected animals out in the strom. I can't even begin to tell the pain that people were feeling in this unexplainable tragedy. The worst part of the storm was the eye for me. Because knowing that the worst was yet to come was torture.

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  47. Travis M. Chris A. Taryn E. period # 8
    We did not realize how bad a hurricane really was and listening to what people where going through. It changed the way we saw how bad it was. Yes it made hurricanes seem more real and deadly. Our response is to tell them to evacuate as fast as possible. It is like his child.

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  48. Jessica B. and Shianne W.
    While listening to the story about the hurricane i feel very bad for those people who had lived there it must had been very terrifying for them to be in that situation we feel horrible for those people.

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  49. Devin K. period 8 group 2

    The podcast and poem, I think, did change my perception about hurricanes, yet at the same time, it didn't. I have already learned so much about this, and the things that people lost (everything), I've seen pictures and small videos of people trying to survive, but the podcast did change my view a little bit, because I have never heard someone actually talk about their experience of a hurricane. I do believe that the podcast and poem made the situation a little bit more real and personal simply because these are REAL and PERSONAL perceptions of other people. I think that as citizens living in areas with hurricane activity we need to be prepared for whatever the weather will bring us. I think we should have a plan for a hurricane, like an extra food source, or a special plan for getting out of the area. I think that we should deal with the people who are living in the areas like the child. Some/most people living there could not get out of the area, even if they wanted to. Also, it is always good to help those in need, it not only helps their situation, but it also makes us that better of a person (clean conscience).

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  50. Simon /Marco period #8
    Yeah it changed my perception about hurricanes. And yeah it made the situation more real and personal. lots of people were hurt very bad. And no its not like that.

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