Cyber Days

Doing cyber school every day is really a big change for everyone. Everything was once normal and we went to school every morning had all our activities and were very busy. All a sudden we are told no more coming too, all sports and events canceled, and we have to do school work at home. It was definitely pretty hard to start online learning. I didn't know what to expect or how I was supposed to do things. Eventually, I figured it out and learned how to manage my time. I have learned when I need to start, what classes I should do first depends on the due date, and how to treat this like real school. For most, it has probably been difficult to treat this like a real school and do your work well every time. I knew that I needed to keep my grades up and finish on time although I have had some late grades because I forgot that the assignment was due at 3. But overall I think I am doing okay with this transition. I do enjoy being able to wake up later and do stuff on my own time but without a time limit like a class period, you may spend more time than needed on something especially with distractions. While this is a challenge for students I'm sure it is also a challenge for teachers. They now need to start communicating more with students now that they just can't tell us it. They have to think of new ways to teach, ways for students to do assignments, and how they will be turned in. I'm sure having to change all these ways has made us appreciate being able to go to school. Some teachers are trying to find ways for us students to take a quiz or test. They are setting time limits or using certain websites. No matter what they do temptations will be strong for students to cheat, or copy work off the internet or each other. It's very hard to resist knowing that you could easily cheat but we need to remember that we are still in school, just a different setting. We shouldn't let these circumstances change who we are or what kind of people we are. We need to be honest and resist the urge and just try our best. We aren't perfect but we can try to be with or without a crisis going on. I don't know but I'm sure teachers have some of the same problems with slacking off because yes, they are humans too. They may assign very little meaningless work to get grades in. They may not explain material well and just expect the student to figure it out on their own. Then they may not really check over the student's work for correctness which can be a problem if the student is teaching themselves the work. They could be teaching themselves wrong and the teacher won't look at the work hard enough to let them know they are wrong. The student could go being wrong and not know. So hopefully teachers aren't using this time at home as a break and still trying to teach us correctly. Everybody is having struggles, maybe we can all address them and try to change. Maybe in this hard time, we can come together, support each other, do our best work, and finish out the week strong before the break. Good Luck!

Athens Disease vs. Covid-19

The disease that hit Athens during the Peloponnesian War was Typhus. This plague was when all the people of Athens had to stay inside the walls. Pericles told everyone to stay inside and couldn't have known disease would break out. He was just going to let Sparta destroy everything outside the city walls and the walls were very strong so they wouldn't get inside. Everyone was trapped together and one day they got a shipment in from the port of Piraeus of supplies. There was one extra thing that came with it, and it was a disease. They were all very close together inside the walls so this disease spread very fast and it couldn't be stopped. It killed 1/3 of the population including Pericles. The Coronavirus started in China and spread very fast because of all the people. Some people didn't know they had it and they traveled all over the world spreading it. It made its way to America and everyone was still going places, going to work, grocery stores, and going to school. It spread more here and some people again didn't know they had it and it spread again. If we still went to school now and someone got the Coronavirus it would spread very fast just like it spread inside Athens walls. We would all be stuck inside the school not knowing someone had it. So the virus' are both similar because they have both been spread quickly throughout large groups off people and cannot be stopped.

Who is Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great, and Darius III

Phillip II of Macedon was born 382 BC, in Pella, Greece. He died 336 in Vergina, Greece. He was an accomplished King and military commander. He is mostly known for being the father of Alexander the Great. He set the stage for his son with his victory over Darius III and the conquest of Persia.

Alexander the Great was born July 356 BC in Pella, Greece. He died June 323 BC in Babylon. He was the King of Macedon after succeeding his father at age 20. He was also a member of the Argead Dynasty. The of him started an era known as the Hellenistic Age. She showed the Greeks a new way of fighting, showed the Persians to a Greek way of life, and created the phalanx. He fought in many battles in his lifetime. He won four great wars and defeated King Darius III. Unfortunately, he died at age 32 from possible alcoholic liver disease or typhoid fever.

Darius III was born 381 BC. He died July 330 BC in Bacteria. He was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. Legends say that Alexander killed Darius' chariot driver near Issus. He thought he could kill his driver then get to Darius but he fled on horseback. After Darius fled, Alexander cavalry was close behind him, but he was killed by his cousin Satrap Bessus. Satrap returned Darius' head to Alexander as a tribute.

Alexander the Great and Bucephalus

When Alexander the Great was a boy around 344 BCE, age twelve to thirteen he received a horse by making a wager with his father. Philonicus the Thessalian, a horse dealer, offered Bucephalus to King Philip II for a high amount of 13 talents. He named his horse Bucephalus after a branding mark that looked like an Ox's head on his haunch. The horse was a Thessalonian, they were used in Greek and Roman cavalry, they are now extinct. Apparently, the horse was afraid of its own shadow, so to mount it Alexander had to turn him towards the sun so his shadow was behind him and then climb on. Alexander and his horse were inseparable from the day they met and only Alex can ride him. They rode into every war together. From conquests of the Greek city-states and Thebes to Gaugamela and into India they were always together. After they defeated Darius Buelphalus was horse-napped while Alexander was away. When he returned and heard what had happened he said he would lay waste to the countryside and take down every tree until he got his horse back to him. Eventually, he was returned. The horse eventually died, most say from old age after the Battle of Hydaspes River in 326 BCE. Alexander was devastated and in mourning, he named a city Bucephalus after his horse.

Cyber Week Review

This week has been overall good. Doing school at home isn't the worst but it's not my favorite thing. One good thing about it is that I can sleep in a little later, I am getting up at nine instead of 6:30, so that means I can go to bed a little later which feels more natural. I also like being able to do my classwork in the order I want to, which I like to do the easier classes first when I wake up. Another thing about doing work is that I can take as much time or as little time for an assignment, and I can go at my own pace.  I don't like that I have to do all this work and I can't even see all my friends every day. Some classes will be very different than normal because you can only do so much like this. Waking up all week and doing work at home has made everyday feel like a Sunday where you wake up and do your homework all day and then you have free time at night which is nice but you have to wake up for school the next day, I find it annoying when every day feels like a weekend but it's not. So this week hasn't been all that bad and I am sure next week will be the same as this week.

Another Video Question

Socrates and Protagoras would start questioning traditional beliefs at this point because after seeing the sailors come back that have won a war for the people, and being put in jail made him realize people are changing again. They have no real leader and they aren't thinking correctly. Socrates is deciding to think for himself and not believe what his city believes in. You are supposed to believe and follow your city but Socrates won't because it's wrong. Then they put those sailors to death for not going back and getting the people that fell out of the boat. Now that they are dead it will be harder to win another war. Socrates will have to branch out again with his own beliefs.

Ancient Greeks: Crucible of Civilization video

The Spartans were invading Athenian territory so Athens needed a plan. They were burning all the farmland around the city and all the people could do was watch from inside the city walls. The Athenians were anxious but Pericles got them to stick with his plan. He knew they could rely on their fleet and shipments from overseas. Pericles didn't know at the time that this fleet carried another threat. After a year of war shipments of grain were brought in and so was the plague. Pericles could have never predicted this and it would destroy Athens. With everyone behind city walls, the disease spread very fast. The city was filled with a terrible smell, dead bodies everywhere, and terror. People realized that no matter if you were good or bad you could die, so what's the point in being good. Plagued killed 1/3 of the population of Athens. Then Pericles caught the plagued and battled it for 6 months before finally dying. Then everyone did whatever it took to gain power. Athenian democracy could end up turning into mob rule. It would now be very hard to fight in a war.

First Cyber Day: Textbook Questions

Assignment #1
Read p. 134-139 in your textbook. Write a paragraph (in your own words) that answers the following questions:

1. Who was Pericles, and what were his goals for Athens?

Pericles a wise statesman who led Athen during the golden age. He stayed popular for 32 years and was a politician, speaker, and general. He was in charge of the life of Athens from 461 to 429 BCE and it is referred to as the Age of Pericles. He had three goals for Athens and they were: to strengthen Athenian Democracy, to hold and strengthen the empire, and to glorify Athens.

2. How is a direct democracy run?

Direct democracy is a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives. Male citizens, born of citizen parents, at least 18 could serve in the assemblies that established all the important government policies that affect the polis. Laws were voted on and proposed directly by assemblies of all citizens. There were no attorneys, only one day trials, and no appeals.

3. How did the Delian League work?
The Delian league was created by Athens after the defeat of the Persians. Soon after Athens took over leadership of the league and dominated all city-states within it. Pericles took the league's money to make Athens have the strongest Navy in the Meditteranean Sea. The Navy helped strengthen the safety of the empire. The Athenian military might have let Pericles treat other members of this league as apart of the empire. Cities in Peloponnesus resisted Athens and formed their own alliances. 

Last Day Before Cyber Days

Today was our last day in school before cyber days start on Monday. We had a regular class schedule but they class length was 40 minutes. The classes went by so fast and so did the day. It is already the last mode and I'm off typing this. I can't believe we are actually going to be home for two weeks. Just last week and even a few days ago Coronavirus was just a joke and something not that real. It was just something happening in other places, not really here in Maryland until someone got it in Harford county. Then they decided to close schools so a bunch of people didn't get sick at once and flood the hospitals. If a lot of people all came to the hospitals at once there wouldn't be enough supplies for everyone. Having to cancel school for this long isn't good because they are having to cancel everything like ring dance, sports games, and other activities. The seniors are missing out on stuff for their last year in high school which is really unfortunate. When the juniors got their rings parents, family, and friends couldn't attend. They couldn't shake hands with the principle they had to do an elbow bump. This is just a really unfortunate situtation.

Corona Virus discussion

Today in class we had a discussion on coronavirus. My teacher Mr.Schick went through many different topics about this and told us all the facts he knew and tried to inform us. He told us about some things he does and we can do to try to prevent germs spreading. He showed us the proper way to wash hands because a guy on the news showed all of America how to do it and he did it wrong. He then told us about things we can do like put hand sanitizers on when we leave and enter a classroom. We can also leave a little bottle in our car to. He also tried to show us that this virus is pretty bad and it might not seem bad to us because it's a new strand so we haven't seen exactly what it can do. It is also bad because if a bunch of kids are sick with this virus and go to the hospitals there is less room for the elderly who have it worse. So this is why shutting down schools is better.

Finishing episode one of Ancient Greece: Crucible of Civilizations

Today in class we finished the first episode of three on Ancient Greece: Crucible of Civilizations. We took more notes. Here they are:

• they traded wine and fish for silver and gold from Egypt
• created vases out of pottery and covered them with designs
• potters were the lowest class, the poorest of all people
• Pisistratus died 527
• his son Hippias came to power and reigned with tyranny
• 514 his brother was murdered, behavior worsened, killed many people
• Cleisthenes vs. Hippias for who would come to power
• Olympics were open to all people rich and poor 776
• boxing, wrestling, chariot racing, and running
• the winner received the crown of olive branches and admiration of all others
• games were more for males
• people came from all over Greece to see games
• when Cleisthenes gained power he found people turning against him
• Pythagoras knew he had to do whatever it takes to become ruler, went to places outside of Greece for help
• Athens rose up in revolution against him
• was trapped atop an acropolis for two days, surrendered on the third
• Cleisthenes was put into exile and was told to come back and he created a democracy
• used black and white pebbles to vote on issues, everyone could vote
• a new threat came from Persians
• had a troop of 30,000 men to attack Greece

Video

Today in class we watched a video on Greece. He said it was so we got a break from listening to him speak and so we could have something different. There are three episodes and they are about 54 minutes long. We started the first episode and watched about half. It's about Greece and a lot of what we already know just expanded and with visuals. It is called Ancient Greeks: Crucible of Civilizations, Episode I: Revolution. Here some notes I have so far.

• This starts at 508 B.C.
• 570 B.C. Cleisthenes was born, into one of the richest families in Greece.
• Herodotus - first Greek historian
• aristocrat - a member of the ruling class
• acropolis - an outcropping of rock in the center of Athens
• life expectancy at birth was 15 years in Athens
• Hellots - slave class in Sparta
• Heroic Ideal - promote individualism, be the best at whatever you decide to do.
• Pisistratus - became a leader because he made people think he found and knew the real Athena and brought her to a city and said that she thinks he should be the leader and they believed him.
• reduce taxes, provide free loans
• used olives for oil, food, soap, lubricants, and good for trading.

Last of the Notes on Greece

Today we have no seniors in the school and lots of teachers out, so it shouldn't be too hard or busy of a day. We had a pop quiz I got 8/10 correct and it was 20 points total. I'm at 90% so hopefully, it doesn't bring my grade down. I will have to do well again on the next test so I finish the quarter with all A's. We took notes on the last two slides of the PowerPoint. Aristotle: student of Plato. Helped foster the idea of Athens as an intellectual destination. His school- the Lyceum - focused on cooperative research building on knowledge gathered from all over the world. He did dream of having the sum of mankind's knowledge easily accessed in one location. Wrote extensively on topics such as logic, physic, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, motion, theatre, poetry, metaphysics, psychology, and dreams. He tutored his son Alexander the Great. After these notes, we worked on our blog and did whatever else we needed to do for the rest of the class. We will probably have a test soon maybe next week.

Textbook and slideshow notes

Today in class we took notes from the textbook on three philosophers. Socrates believed standards did exist for truth and justice. Encouraged Greeks to go farther and .question themselves and moral character. At 70 years old he was brought to a trial for "corrupting Athens youth and neglecting the city gods. Socrates' apprentice Plato wrote down the conversations of Socrates. He wrote The Republic. His ideal society would fall naturally into three groups: farmers and artisans, warriors, ruling class. The person in the ruling class with the greatest insight and intellect would-be philosopher-king. His writings dominated for 1,500 years. Platos apprentice questioned the nature of the world and human belief, thought, and knowledge. He invented a method for arguing according to the rule of logic. Basis of the scientific method. He used the method in fields of psychology, physics, and biology.

More notes on Greece

Today in class we took more notes on Greece. Fighting the Spartans: Greeks were certainly a warlike people - especially the Spartans. Spartans are known for toughness, ruthless infantry: soldiers who fought on land. Spartan boys trained from the time they were seven. Athens Naval Power: Athens had a great infantry, too, nothing could compare their navy. Most effective weapons were trireme. It was the fastest ship in the world at the time, rows up tot 170 men on 3 levels, could be used as a battering ram, agile, fast, technological marvel. Phalanx: close rank, a dense grouping of warriors. Armed with long spears and interlocking shields. Soldiers would advance slowly toward the enemy until they broke through rentals. Persian War: Greek Army: iron weapons meant ordinary citizens could arm themselves. Foot soldiers (hoplites) trained from an early age. Armed with spears, swords, shields.

Tests back and Gods/Goddesses

Today in class we got our tests back and I did so much better than I thought and it moved my grade to an A. I got a 95 out 100. I'm so happy with my grade and now I have an A in all my classes. Then we took notes on Greek gods/goddesses. Poseidon (god of the sea) interfered with Odysseus trying to return home. Aphrodite(goddess of love) had lovers of both god and men. Dionysus (god of wine) son of Zeus and of Semele (human princess). Zeus is the ruler of heaven and earth; father of Athena; god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. He has a temper and known to hurl thunderbolts. Athena (goddess of wisdom), skill, warfare (and peace), intelligence, battle strategy, and handicraft. Born from Zeus' head fully formed and armored. Special patron of heroes - such as Odysseus. Patron of Athens (a city named after her)