Activity 3 "Reel Works"

http://reelworks.org/videos/work-in-progress/


I really enjoyed this digital story the most of the ones I've watched. Mercedes Ortiz gives her thoughts on dropping out of high school, as well as her mother's comments, images, and poetry to explain her story.  I learned through Mercedes that high school is even more difficult to contend with than it was when I was young. I also found that it is true that the more people put you down, the easier it is to believe it. i was surprised at ho derogatory and condescending her mother/caretaker is being toward her. Maybe if Mercedes had positive reinforcement she wouldn't view high school as such a waste of time; although I was happy to hear her say that she may not graduate on time, but she will graduate. Mercedes has a very strong voice in this video. She does not hold back on telling exactly what she thinks about the education system. She is a very intelligent young lady & gives hope to other youth that even if you can't finish high school on it's terms, you can still finish high school. I do believe that Mercedes has a good grasp on her culture; she shows exactly what it feels like to struggle with parental angst, the social acceptance struggle through her deconstruction of her appearance, and her own struggle with an education system that does not seem to meet her needs. These stories are a fabulous idea to give our youth a chance they may not otherwise have to share their unique voices and opinions. Although Mercedes is a latina, inner city youth, I doubt that her story differs much from even the most rural of white kids'. I think these stories a re a healthy way of depicting what struggles face all cultures. Some tend to think that certain struggles are only faced by certain ethnicities, but I chose this story because I think it tells a universal story:  adolescence is a struggle.