Comments on: Model Assembly

By: Stephanie-East House

Stephanie-East House — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:44:59 +0000

i’m still not sure if i really did enjoy model assembly. there were somethings i thought seemed pointless and not structred properly but then there were times where i got really into it. i remember in like november, i was trying to explain the whole process to a co-worker and to me it didnt seem like a big deal but at the end, she was like, “WOAH! THAT SOUNDS HARD!” and i told her that it wasntand it was kind of tedious but it was whatever. i also remember explaining it to my dad one time and he was like, “I LOVE WHAT THIS SCHOOL TEACHES YOU GUYS! YOU GUYS KNOW SO MUCH MORE THAN MOST ADULTS!”. and after hearing it out loud and actually looking back on it, we did do a lot and SO MUCH more than any high school does. it was fun understanding the rules afterwards and using them during the actual simulation.
if there was anything to change, i think is to find a way not to make the first few months rather “pointless”. i know that it all makes sense in the end but find a way to apply all that other stuff in the beginning. and find a way so that our actual city matters because i was upland and i dont know when i ever used that except for the 1st project[the poster].
our bill was never presented so it never got to the last day which was kind of disspointing. but hearing everythig else was amazing because we all worked really hard to get what we believeed in passed and get others to think so too.

it was very i-poly of us.

By: Taurean

Taurean — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:21:05 +0000

Model Assembly was alright it seemed drawn out and dull in the beginning. However, i think it was because that most people were figuring out how to use the rules properly and prepare for the big show on friday. The fourth day of model assembly was way better than all the previous days because we actually got to do the real thing and it was interesting to see all the different responses and opinions. What i recommend for the next set of students that do this is to come well prepared to defend every aspect on your bill. Also be sure to reseach other peoples bills because you want to know as much as possible when you are asking questions or attacking them. An improvement to model assembly would be the process in which it is run by, maybe there should be an extra day for like research or something. I don’t think that party platform was necessary in the simulation because it really didn’t affect anything.

By: Rosa Pena

Rosa Pena — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:36:04 +0000

Model assembly was a crazy experience. You had everyone attacking each other even when it wasn’t time to. I sincerely did not like this project. I think it needed to be way more organized by the teachers and I did not respect how certain chair members had to silence many people that had important opinions on certain bills but would let other people speak for a long period of time when they weren’t really saying anything resourceful, just trying to get a grade. Different strategies were a good thing, for example how we as republicans passed notes to each other to inform to not vote for any democratic bills so they would loose by majority. For improving model assembly I suggest that the teachers allow a certain time span for each bill for example see how much time there is available, see how many bills there are and equally divide the time so that each bill can be represented. This way the class 09 does not spend hours on one bill n seclude the other bills from having the opportunity to be discussed on the floor. To better understand the legislative process there should be more practices of how the actual model assembly is discussed. The class of 2009 should make sure that they have pinned down the weak member of the opposing side and make sure to ask that certain person the most challenging questions to sink the whole bill down. Also make a pack with friend in your side to sink down certain bills of the opposing side just to give your bill more opportunity. Although I did not like the model assembly experience I appreciate the knowledge I gained from being inside the Republican Party and seeing how the Democratic Party tried to sink us down. The cutthroat environment really makes you get into the mood of being an actual politician and shutting people bills down.

By: Ciku G.

Ciku G. — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:10:29 +0000

For me the most positive experience was the 2nd day when we had to speak in our committees to get our bills passed. My unfortunately failed, but I loved delivering my speech as to why gay marriage should be legalized because I believe it was a passionate, organized and well-written speech. Of course it was not passionate, organized or well-written enough to sway enough votes.

We were the first bill to go up, so that might have been apart of it, but I also think that same-sex marriage is an issue that many already have a stance on and one speech, not matter how good, can’t change people’s attitude on such a controversial topic. I did however get one vote that I didn’t even dream of getting and I won’t say names, but I was pleasantly surprised and returned the favor by voting for her bill. She was of course the ONLY bill I voted for that day because, I must admit, I was extremely bitter, which hurt a bill in my party at the end.

I had no problem with the sponsors or the idea of the bill, I just wanted to prove the point that a party needs to work together because at the end, passing bills boils down to “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

This leads me to my advice for the upcoming seniors. Strategize before hand, making it clear which bills you will and will not vote for, instead of realizing it half-way through the committee day. Especially if you’re the MAJORITY! By planning it out, you avoid bitter people choosing not to vote (i.e. me) and create more leverage for your party on the final day.

By: Ralph Hernandez

Ralph Hernandez — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 05:35:17 +0000

positive experience, well for me i thought that learning more about what the republicans and democrats do is pretty interesting. I never really cared about politics just because i never cared what happened. But during model assembly i noticed how much effort and work it takes to get bills through. So that people can get what they want. In the beginning of model assembly i thought it was ridiculous making us work so much for nothing. But at the end i learned something. Which was also that being able to come up with speeches to convince people to do something is really interesting.
What i suggest is probably give more time or probably find a place to go where its not hard to find , because for me and some other students that have told me was that it was very difficult to find and that they didn’t know where to park. So maybe you should decide and easier place. thats mainly everything that was wrong.

By: Lily M.

Lily M. — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:52:52 +0000

It was a crazy ride. I can truthfully say that I learned a lot about fighting for what you think is right. Another hugely positive thing for me, was the fact that it put new people out in the spot light. For instance, I can be really quiet and I think having a bill that I believed in really got me to speak up and defend what I thought was right or wrong. It helped I Poly kids become better writers, better speakers, and give them more confidence. It prepared us for similar debates that we will probably face in our future college years or in our careers. Model Assembly was the kind of push that many I Poly kids needed to do things and participate.

There were a few things that might have been improved on. I thought that there was a LOT of repetition. The third and the party platform were a lot alike. In many ways we were just introducing out bill for the fifth time and debating the exact same topics. I also thought that squishing all that activity into the 4th day was really hectic and confusing. We tended to run out of time on a lot of bills.

Over all, though, I think that Model Assembly went all right. It could defenitely use improvement. But it was kind of fun arguing and learning more about the state in general.

By: Arpa Hachadourian

Arpa Hachadourian — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 04:25:05 +0000

Model Assembly was an interesting project. I did not quite get the concept up until the first Party Platform. Many people had the same feelings. But know i have a really good grasp on how bills are passed. Model assembly was a great way to test a students understanding of the concept.
A aspect positive about Model Assembly was that every student had an equal chance to participate. Not one person had an upper hand on the situation. Model Assembly forced people to speak more.
Another positive thing is that my bill was the first to pass in Committee. There where many bills prior to mine but mine passed with 91 votes.Something that I could say to do next year is to make sure that the research coming in has somthing to do with the title.Maby if there was some essay componant due once evry two weeks. Maby there needs to be an emphisis on teaching the students on what to look for in research. I was researching without realizing that I needed to mark it in my working bibliography. The next class should be informed so that there bills would be suitable for both parties. We didn’t pass the first few bills on the final day of Model Assembly because the parties were not cooperating. This will be a huge problem if it continues over to next year.

By: Joshua Robles

Joshua Robles — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:35:10 +0000

To answer question one I think it has to do with a change in the way people thought about what passing a bill meant. Each different day of the simulation was meant to look at a bill differently. I think many people were confused on this fact. For the best example, when some of the first bills did not pass on the last day of simulation there was enough money to spend for each of the bills left. I was extremely disappointed that people spent much more time on these than necessary. We could have passed a lot of bills but delegates in each party did seem willingly to compromise. I think the class of 09′ has to think like a real legislature would and be much more willing to compromise. In a situation where so much more could have happened, more bills could have passed, many that had little fault, there is no excuse besides the unwillingness of each party.

To answer question two I think it is obvious what I feel is the most positive action of MA. I remember that we were really having a tough time voting any bills. I had personally told Jordan and Robert that either Republicans were going to start voting fairly or they were not going to get a single vote from a Democrat for the rest of the day. I believe it was Mike who cam up with the idea to move up a Republican to show that the Democrats were the ones that were going to compromise. I did not want to do this but I eventually agreed. So I feel that Mike, Judson, Ameen, and Jay had the most positive experience of the entire simulation that I saw.

I would personally like to thank all those who helped out during the 4 days.

By: analy

analy — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:16:40 +0000

I thought model assembly was okay. At first I thought model assembly was really going to suck and it was going to be really confusing but, it didn’t end up that way. I just got tired of repeating and repeating myself that by day 4 I was out of it. Passing a bill is such a hassle! What really bothered me is when people would ask the most unnecessary questions. However what I liked about model assembly is that now I finally get the whole process of passing the bill. I used to think that passing a bill was as easy as school house rock explained but, its not. There’s so much more that goes when passing a bill. First you have to write it, do research on it [a lot], know your research, and know the rules. I suggest to the class of 09 to get a bill that both parties would support and that doesn’t cost much. They should try and stay away from bills that are major issues like abortion. Also I suggest that the parties don’t go against each other, it would save them time. The thing that stood out the most for me on day four was, when the parties went against each other. The democrats even went against bills that were democratic bills. In the end I’m just glad that we passed bills once everyone stopped going against each other. As a CA legislator if we want a bill to pass we must really understand the process of passing a bill so that we know what going on. And when I say understand, I mean not only read and understand the process but also, sit there and watch before you actually attempt passing a bill.

By: Mike-West

Mike-West — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:20:29 +0000

Model Assembly was a very interesting project that no other school probably does not have a chance to do. The project helps you to understand how a bill is made and passed through the legislative process. By doing this whole project many of us should now know how to get legislation passed. I now understand that it takes a lot of hard work and patience to get a bill passes and you also have to know what you are talking. If you don’t know what you are taking about and so you will look like and idiot, therefore your bill would not pass. I suggest the class of 09 to not listen to what their friends think or if one of their bills does not get passes in the beginning to vote down the opposing parties bill because that will get you nowhere. During this simulation I got to see the different sides of people that I never knew could stand up for something they believe in . I would suggest to do more research checks, because I think that most of forgot to get the 4 audio-visuals until the very end, so you could probably do an addition research check before the final check.