My Essential Question

I would like to learn through an assessment of research: Which treatments do doctors use to help cure or treat cancers in pediatrics?

Why did you select this as your essential question? What excites you most about finding the answer to this essential question? Do you feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that you have to find out more about this topic?

I selected this as my essential question because cancer in children evokes my desire to want to learn about it, as well as other diseases or illnesses that affect children. I really desire to learn as much as I can about diseases in children, especially cancer because of the way it can affect their life as well as the lives around them. The thing that excites me the most is being able to see how doctors nowadays treat cancer in children and later on in life be able to compare it to how those treatments evolve, if they do. Also, just being able to understand more about how treatments affect a child or help the cancer in a child’s body excites me as well, because learning how diseases and their treatments work vastly interests me. I do believe that this topic reflects a desire I have to find out more about this topic. I believe this because I have such an interest in cancer and how it works, especially in an adolescent body. I have already posed questions to my mentor to see what information I could find out, thus leading me to learn that Leukemia is a cancer that is found more commonly in children. Due to my questioning of my mentor, I also found out that in order to find more information on cancers in children that I need to do some research on my own. This realization led me to be deeply interested in researching and learning more about the topic on my own. I have also been very interested in child cancers since I was younger doing things for St. Jude’s to help children with cancer. Through my own desires and exposures previously to knowing about cancer in children, I have thus felt led to want to expand my knowledge about the topic.

"The Many Colors of Poop"

I mentor in a pediatric office where I am enjoying everything I can about young people, especially babies. In babies there are different things that a parent must watch for. One of the things that should be watched in a baby is the color of their feces. In an book written by Laura A. Jana, MD, and Jennifer Shu, MD, the many colors of feces and what to watch out for is described.
Once a baby has bowel movements enough to get rid of the tarry meconium, acceptable feces colors are yellow, brown, and even sometimes green. For a baby who breast feeds, the normal color is mustardy yellow. For babies who take formula, the color is yellow-tan with hints of green. A changing in color is not uncommon and will happen when the baby is introduced to new things such as solid foods or experience a snotty nose cold. New introductions can cause a change in a baby's feces. However, red, black, and white are colors that you would want to take to the attention of your pediatrician. When red presents itself, it can mean that blood is in the baby's feces. This should not cause a parent to panic because during delivery it is possible for the baby to swallow some blood and it present itself later; however, this is something that should be brought to the doctors attention. If the feces is black this can mean that there is old blood due to blood turning from red to black over time. However, it must be remembered that seeing black feces does not apply to a babies first meconium bowel movements because seeing black and tarry feces is fully expected. If the feces is white, it should be brought to a doctors attention as soon as possible because this could mean an underlying liver problem which could be very bad. Although change in a babies feces is fully expected, there is need to watch it in case there is a bad change in the color that could tell you vital information about your babies health.

I really thought that reading this excerpt was interesting because even though I have been mentoring with a pediatrician, I did not know that color changes comes along with an introduction of something new, nor did I know what a color change meant. Due to my interest in learning about babies, how they work, and their diseases/illnesses, I think that this information helped to further my knowledge.

Works Cited:
Jana, Laura A., and Jennifer Shu. "The Many Colors of Poop: Book Excerpt from the Authors of Heading Home with Your Newborn | Simply Being Mommy." Simply Being Mommy | Texas Mommy Blogger. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. .

My Mentorship

I mentor with a pediatrician. At my mentorship I shadow the doctor while seeing patients and doing work in the office. I have also shadowed the nurses to see the other side of what goes on in the office. I have seen both sides of what is done in the pediatric office that I mentor at. I have heard the questions a nurse asks, watched immunizations, saw charts be filled out, and asked questions to help further my knowledge. I have seen an infected ear, a person's throat who has been diagnosed with strep, tubes in a child's ear, and much more. From listening to actually seeing, I have learned so much.

I have learned very valuable information about the pediatric field such as information about check-ups, sicknesses, diseases, treatments, medicines, and much more. I have seen medical books that have helped further my knowledge about the pediatric field. I have seen different parts of the body where sicknesses arise. Through this amazing mentorship, I have learned so much that has really made me think about what I want to pursue as my life long career.

I really enjoy going to my mentorship because no matter what, I always seem to learn something new. Also, the people that work in the office are really caring and nice and always help me to learn more. I am so thankful for being blessed with such an amazing opportunity such as this. I hope that everyone has an amazing week! :).

My Sentence

Hello everyone, this is my sentence that I thought of.
I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Experiences

A little over three weeks ago on, September 14th, I began my mentorship at a pediatrics office. On the first day I jumped right in seeing patients the entire time I was there. I got to look into the throat of a patient to see what it looks like as well as look into the ears of a patient to see the tubes that are placed in most childrens ears to help with ear infections. I have been seeing patients ever since. I have learned symptoms of strep, information on check-ups, information on other diseases, as well as information about what takes place in the office. I also have followed around the nurses a few times to see what it is like for them. Then with the same patient I observed the nurses on, I would observe the doctor on as well to see both sides. I also learned why as children you should eat all different color of vegetables and fruits because each color does something different for your body. You can see some examples in the pictures below. I also saw a baby a week after it was born and it was extremely cute. It is interesting to watch the different check-ups because with age they get different with the different questions asked and with the shots. Through this amazing mentorship I have already learned so much information. The doctor and nurses are very sweet and help me to learn all the time. I also learned about some cancers in kids such as leukemia. Below is a picture of the leukemia cells. Hearing about the children who are diagnosed with that disease made me feel blessed to still be alive today because some children lose their lives with that cancer fight.



Last week was our homecoming week at school. We had tacky day, twin day, mathlete/athlete day, 70's day, and blue day. Although I only dressed up for 2 of the days it was still really cool to see how everyone else dressed up. I had an awesome week as my last homecoming week, as well as an awesome time at at the dance Saturday night.
I am scared about applying to colleges because I am afraid that I will not get into the college that I desire to attend. However, I know that I have done my best in school and can only hope for the best when applying to colleges. A good website to use to help you when applying to colleges is very easy to access. It is http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/index.html. I have found it useful.

Although I do have struggles, I know God will never give me more than I ca handle and I am so thankful the the experiences I have been given through this mentorship as well as in life. I hope that everyone has an amazing Friday and weekend!

My Mission Statement

From my mentorship experience I hope to gain better knowledge of what a Pediatrician does. I also hope to see the best way to deal with kids who are sick or their health is in danger. I hope to become a better rounded person so that I can further prosper in the future. I hope to be taught any and everything that can be learned through my mentorship. I hope to further expand my knowledge of sicknesses, surgeries, medicines, and just the typical workplace of a Pediatrician so that I can use it in the future.

Getting to Know Your Mentor

When you enter into an internship you should introduce yourself to those around you so that they can know who you are as well as you know who they are. You should dress professionally, be respectful, listen so that you can further your knowledge and understanding, ask questions, as well as talk so that way you can learn more and you can get better at communicating with others. Although this is only a short list of things to do to be a good men tee, you should always keep these things in mind so that you can look as well as be professional inside a workplace.

Motivation

Today I took a test to determine what kind of drive that I have. After completing the test I was shown that I have Motivation Type X. These type of people are fueled more by extrinsic desires than intrinsic ones and that concerns itself less with the inherent satisfaction of an activity and more with the external rewards to which that activity leads.I do believe that this is true in myself because I love the satisfaction that I feel when I help someone or get a job done right. However, I also believe that I am somewhat Motivation Type I because money or praise on something does not motivate me to get the task at hand done. The way I feel at the end of the day knowing I helped someone through a rough patch or just through school work as well as completing my own to the best of my ability are what I strive for everyday.

My sentence is "she strives to give others joy and hope in life." This represents me because I try to put others before myself and help them in their hardships that they encounter in life because I believe that helping others will come back to benefit you. I also get a joy when I help others because I feel like I could have changed their mood that day to prevent them from doing something they would have regretted because you never know what is going on inside someone's mind.

With a lawyer you have different people who are motivated differently. Some lawyers are in the career for the money and others are there so that they can help people. However, with my mentor I believe that the person possesses both motivation types. Motivation type X is at hand because money is an issue in this economic time which pushed people to do or stick with higher paying jobs. Motivation type I is possessed because in being a lawyer I believe that you have to have some drive to help others get out of their situations that they are in, otherwise the job would be no fun. My mentor possess the the drive to help people and represent them to the best of their ability but money also comes into play, especially in our rough economic times.


Throughout my life and school career I have faced challenges from school work to figuring out what to do about a problem at home. This year something that I have really had a rough time with is my AP Literature class. In this class we write times essays and do tough multiple choice questions in preparation for our AP Exam in May. However, for me those two tasks have been extremely tough. I have become frustrated when I do not understand something causing me to only be confused more and do worse. Fortunately, on my last essay I finally got the point and escaped from the plateau of horrible grades. I was so thankful because now I feel like I have a chance at passing the exam. I have also gotten better on my multiple choice even though the practice tests we are doing now are really hard I have still moved up then what I have been before and I am learning more about what I need to look for in the questions. For me this has been the hardest class I have ever taken making me want to strive more to do better to raise my grade and actually pass the AP Exam. Developing the analytical thinking needed to posses for the essays and multiple choice questions has helped me greatly in my school career as well as life allowing me to being to relate to things in a different way than before.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their life right now and just remember to make the most of what you have.

What will the future bring to my life?

Hello everyone! I hope that everyone is doing well.

This past week we had a meeting at the Board of Education and took a test to find out what our personal colors were. My colors were blue and yellow. Blue people follow their heart and not their head and are stressed by conflict. Yellow people have a clear direction of where they are going and are responsible, loyal, structured, orderly, and consistent who like routine and are stressed by chaos. I do believe that both of these colors better suit me out of the four. However, being blue and following my heart does sometimes cause for me to be hurt easier in situations. I think that being orderly really helps me keep up with things in life and not get behind.

At my mentorship and through other attorneys I know I have been questioned as to why I want to do the job because you are basically working all the time because you have to practically constantly be on call in case someone needs you for a case. When I think about it sometimes I do wonder. However, I know am pretty sure that this is the job I want. I love helping people as well as arguing with others and winning. Since I have been a child I have wanted to be a lawyer and my family and friends agree with that career choice for me. I strive for so much and I really want to accomplish my dream job.

In my mentorship I have learned so much new stuff as stated in my last blog and I continue to learn more each day.

Just this past week I went to the court house with my mentor on a last minute run on Friday and got a bond order signed to get a man released from jail for Easter weekend. Even though he is being trialed as a criminal you are innocent until proven guilty and it felt good to know that I was a part of getting that man released.

I really think that helping people in life will give me great satisfaction within my own personal life. Helping others and seeing their joy just makes my heart happy.

Even though I can not predict the future and only time can tell I really hope that i stick with my dream of being a lawyer and get into Harvard Law School.

I hope everyone else achieves their life goals and makes the best of what they have.

My Mentorship

Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a great week and that the GHSGT went well for all juniors.

For my mentorship, I am at a Criminal Defense Attorney's office. I absolutely love it there! I have learned so much in such a short time period. My mentor has made sure to ask me everyday if I have any questions and when I do he answers them so well so that I have a better understanding of what is taking place. He is such an influential person and has really helped me to learn a lot.

Last week I went into a calendar call and saw what they did as far as that goes. It was very interesting for me to see what actually takes place.

During my afternoon hours there I get to read over cases and what they involve and also learn about criminal offenses. Fortunately,clients have no problem with me sitting in on their consultations and meetings and I am very blessed for that because just by sitting there and listening I have learned so much.

Throughout my time there I have been introduced into so much information that is new to me. I have learned about the business side if you own your own practice. I have also learned about Temporary Protective Orders, hearsay, court cases that have been established into books for attorneys to reference, the different levels of homicide, child abuse and other things such as that. I feel like my mentor has enriched my knowledge of the law and helped me to grow more intelligent when it comes to being an attorney. I thank my mentor so much for everything that he has done for me and I look forward to the time that we have left.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their mentors and that every single one of you is learning as much as I am.

Have a great weekend!

Capital Punishment/Death Penalty

Hello. Today I have a research blog to be read. My topic is close to me in whether or not I support it or not and should be thought about by criminal lawyers. My topic is capital punishment.

According to dictionary.com Capital Punishment is defined as a punishment by death for a crime; death penalty. Some people argue whether or not capital punishment is cruel and unusual. I believe that if you do the crime and are put on death row then there is a reason for you to be there; therefore, you deserve the punishment.

A brief chronological history of capital punishment according to The Death Penalty begins in 1792 when the guillotine was developed by Dr. Joseph Guillotin. Up until 1972 states abolished the death penalty and restored it and abolished it again until 1972 when the United States Supreme Court ruled the "capital punishment laws, as enforced, were unconstitutional." However, the Supreme Court re-instituted the death penalty. In 1982 the first death by lethal injection took place in Texas. From that time on people were sentenced to death row and put to death all the way until today and will continue to be in the future.

In the Bible it says, "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death" (Chapter 21, Verse 12, Exodus).

According to a www.clarkprosecutor.org there are five ways of execution: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, and Hanging.

Lethal Injection (www.amnestyusa.org)

--The Process

-The prisoner is bound to a gurney; two needles are inserted into the prisoner's veins and a saline solution is injected.

-Sodium thiopental, an anesthetic, is injected to put the prisoner to sleep.

-Pavulon, or pancuronium bromide, is released, inducing paralysis and stopping breathing.

-Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. This chemical can cause excruciating pain if the prisoner is still conscious.

Electrocution/Electric Chair (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)

In this kind of death the person is usually shaved (head) and strapped into a chair with belts that cross his/her chest, groin, legs, and arms. Then, they apply a metal skullcap shaped electrode over the scalp and put saline on a sponge and put it on your forehead. They also moisten with a conductive jelly and placed onto a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved in order to reduce the resistance to the electricity. After that the prisoner is then blindfolded. Once the execution team is out of the observation room the warden then signals the executioner, who then pulls the handle to connect the power supply. This causes a jolt between 500 to 2000 volts to go into the body for about 30 seconds. Once the electricity is turned off they wait for the body to relax. The doctors then wait for a few minutes until the body is cooled down so that they can check the prisoner's heart beat to see if it is still beating. If the heart is still beating another jolt is sent through the inmate's body and that process is repeated until the prisoner is dead.

Lethal Gas/Gas Chamber (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)

In this method the prisoner is strapped into a chair inside an air tight chamber. Underneath the chair is a pail that contains sulfuric acid. Usually a long stethoscope is attached onto the body in order for the doctor to pronounce death. The room is sealed once everyone has left the chamber. After that the warden then gives the signal to the executioner who then flicks a lever that releases crystals of sodium cyanide into the pail below the inmate which causes for hydrogen cyanide gas to be released. In order for the process to go faster the prisoner is instructed to breathe deeply. However, most prisoners attempt to hold their breathe and some even struggle. The inmate, however, does not lose their consciousness immediately. When the inmate does die it is from the cutting-off of oxygen to the brain. After the prisoner is dead precautionary measures are taken so that only the deceased suffers from the poisonous gas.

Firing Squad (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)

In this method of execution the prisoner is usually bound to a chair with straps across his waist and head in front an oval-shaped canvas wall. To absorb the blood, the chair is surrounded by sandbags and a black hood is pulled over the prisoner's head. A doctor locates the prisoner's heart and then puts a white circle cloth target over the heart. Five shooters armed with .30 caliber rifles with single rounds stand in an enclosed area 20 feet away with one of the shooters have blank rounds. The shooters aim their rifles through a slot in the canvas and then they fire. The prisoner dies due to blood loss caused by a rupture heart and if the heart is missed then the inmate bleeds to death slowly.

Hanging (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)

In this method of execution the prisoner is usually weighed the day before their execution and a rehearsal is done with sandbags that match the inmates weight in order to determine the length of the drop so that the death is quick. The rope and knot must apply to certain regulations so that the death is done right and quickly. Right before the execution the prisoner's hands and legs are secured, the inmate is blindfolded, the noose is placed behind the neck, and the knot is placed behind the left ear. A trap door is opened and the inmate falls through causing the execution to take place. The weight of the inmate should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation of the neck, although immediate death rarely ever occurs. If something goes wrong then bad things happen to the inmate.

Most states only use one of these methods and certain methods are only used by a few states.

According to Capital Punishment statistics show the between 1977-2005 584 white people, 339 black, 67 Hispanics, and 14 of other races were executed. Other statistics show that between 1977-2005 persons executed in Texas were 35%, Virginia was 9%, Oklahoma was 8%, Missouri was 7%, Florida was 6%, Georgia was 4%, North Carolina was 4%, and all other states were 27%. From 1973-2005 35% of prisoners sentences or convictions were overturned, 13% were executed, 4% died of other causes, 4% had their sentence commuted, and 44% still remained on death row. Statistics were also provided of how many years prisoners were on death row before execution along with many other statistics being given as well.

Today arguments are still made about the death penalty and how it is used. I believe that these arguments and opinions will always exist but that you have to decide for yourself as to how you feel about it.

This topic is very personal to me so I can assure you that the information I used is valid and accurate information that was used from internet sites, books, as well as the Bible. I hope that the information helps you to learn more about the death penalty as well as help you decide as to how you feel about it.

Works Cited

"Capital Punishment | Define Capital Punishment at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. .

"Descriptions of Execution Methods |." Death Penalty Information Center. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. .

Evans, Kimberly Masters. Capital Punishment: Cruel and Unusual? Detroit, Mi.: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Gottfried, Ted. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century, 2002. Print.

The Holy Bible. Glasgow [Scotland]: Collins, 1989. Print.

"Lethal Injection." Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. .

"Methods of Execution." Welcome to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Web. 08 Mar. 2010. ethods.htm>.

Life

Hey! I am Dalyn. I am in Honors Mentorship Program. I am currently interning with a Criminal Defense Attorney and I absolutely love it! I look forward to going everyday and I have already learned so much! Last semester I interned at a Civil Law Firm and realized I want to be a lawyer in the Criminal field. I am so excited about what the rest of this semester has in store for me!

A quotes that sums up me and who I am and my philosophy on life and how to deal with it.
"Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.
Laugh when you can. Apologize when you should & let go of
what you can. Take chances. Give everything & have no
regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy. You have to take
the good with the bad. Smile when you're sad. Love what you
got & always remember what you had. Always forgive but
never forget. Learn from your mistakes but never regret.
People change & things go wrong. but always remember, life goes on."
-Unknown


Last Tuesday at Lapdog I learned so much! Experiences I had will never be forgotten. I learned a lot about myself as well as others.
1)I learned to have confidence in others to be leaders and do what they are supposed to do. Even though some people seem like they are not leaders, they still can be great ones.
2)I learned that I am a observer and like to watch what other people do and/or say before I just in and state what I think.
3)I stepped out of the box and realized that doing different things can really help me learn a lot.
4)I learned to be tolerant and patient. Sometimes you have to wait for other people to figure things out on their own so that they may learn just like you did.

Synergy is the coming together or two people or a group of people in order to accomplish a task in a better way possible than with just one single person making the effects greater. During Lapdog I saw synergy during the PVC pipe activity. We all had to come together in order to get the pole down to the ground rather than just one person attempting to get it down to the ground on their own. We all learned to come together and listen to one another in order for us to accomplish the task at hand.

From my mentorship experience I hope to gain better knowledge of what a Criminal Attorney. I also hope to become more well rounded as a person so that I can further prosper in the future. I hope to be taught any and everything that can be learned from my mentorship. I hope to further expand my knowledge of courts and lawyers.