Hi guys! We would love to hear what you thought of our presentation! Let us know by posting here!
Erin
5/18/2011 05:21:25 am
Hey Laura and Jamie,
Congratulations, you guys did a fabulous job! You clearly had a lot to say and the information itself was very intersting. I think that the way you divided the information was also really great. It was nice how both of you talked about each slide and knew your information well. I also thought that your music was well picked, and I loved the books you chose as well. You both seemed very comfortable speaking and I really enjoyed your examples in family expectations. I had no idea that there was a third Manning child! I just wanted to say that I thought that it was very brave of you, Laura, to be able to talk about your father's death and I thought the connection between that and the expectations that come with it was impeccably done. I also really loved Jamie's personal, and it was nice to hear about the other side of the story (since I am the older sibling). Overall, your presentation was AMAZING and I know that the whole audience would agree.
Ally Perry
5/18/2011 05:56:30 am
Laura and Jamie-
Like I have already told you, your presentation really raised the expectations for everyone else!! Like Erin, I agree that the fact that each of you shared the information for each slide made the pace overall presentation perfect and kept the audience alert and wanting to hear more throughout the entire presentation.
I especially loved all of your content--the many connections you made were brilliant, and you tied Expectations into different areas that I would have never thought of before! I really liked the psychological point of view--how you kept bringing up the different ways to look at the world (pessimistic and optimistic) and how you told us about the thought process that each type of person went through.
The idea of putting a Tiffany box under some chairs with an unexpected item inside incorporated the audience into your topic and helped everyone experience different expected and unexpected things while in the room! The idea of having the unexpected oreos inside the cookie and the unexpected fortunes inside the fortune cookies enhanced your project and created a very fun ending for the audience!
The different song selections you chose--especially the ones that were so modern and well-known by us all--was a smart way of getting everyone so excited at such an early period! (especially I Gotta Feeling)!
I could go on forever: everything about your experimental, including your amazing website, was flawless! Your presenting skills, wide range of content, and well-designed, informative website all made for the perfect experimental!
Jonathan F.
5/18/2011 06:18:12 am
Great Job Laura and Jamie. First, both of your personals were great. The use of your music and film was integrated into your research. The Tiffany boxes and the surprise in the food added to the overall presentation. Your art gallery sign was genius, as you were expecting people to come look at the art. I learned new information to share with my family from your presentation.
Allie Giller
5/18/2011 09:33:05 am
WOW! All along, I knew you guys were going to have an amazing experimental, but today's presentation went above and beyond what I expected. In all honesty, every aspect and connection the two of you made kept me so interested every step of the way. You guys did not spend too much time on one topic, and your timing couldn't have been better. On top of that, each of you did a beautifully job presenting. Both of you spoke extremely clearly and at a good speed that made it so easy for the audience to listen and follow along. I liked the way you guys incorporated your survey questions throughout the presentation, there were great questions! The music, movies, and literature the two of you connected too was so insightful as well as entertaining. I cannot think of one thing bad about your presentation, it was beyond impressive! Also, I love your website! It's so easy to navigate and I like the setup of each page. Jamie and Laura, you both really did an unbelievable job today and you guys should be extremely proud! You couldn't have done it better. Hopefully you guys can breathe again, congrats and great job once again!
Gabby Pollack
5/18/2011 11:50:31 am
YOU TWO COMPLETELY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! Jamie and Laura, your experimental was unbelivable with intriging facts, interesting personals, and really cool decortations. For starters I loved the book the "Tiger mom" that you related your topic to. I often find my own parents to be strict on me, but this made me realize that all parents have different expectations and standards for there kids to live up to. As Allie pointed out, both of you spoke with such clarity it was easy to be interested and follow what you were saying.
Laura your personal allowed me as well as others who know you closely to see a different side to you. The way you were able to connect your fathers death to a tragic event was so memorable and very heartfelt. It let me see that when people are greiving there not always as strong as they seem to be. Jamie, I loved the way you created a "new identity" for yourself, one which breaks through the expectations people have of you in relation to your sisters. Being the older sister myself, I already see my younger sister being expected to do exactly as I have done, but in time you do need to create that new identity.
I loved your presentation overall and your website. As Allie said, "You couldn't have done it better" this experimental was so good and obviously very thought out! Congratulations and awesome job!
Mali Zaken
5/19/2011 05:27:48 am
After seeing your AMAZING experimental I was worried I couldn't follow such a great presentation two periods later!!! YOUR EXPERIMENTAL BLEW ME AWAY. I really loved every connection you made to your topic, expectations. All the movies were perfectly chosen, my favorite was the Blind Side. My favorite part was definitely your connection to the future and the song the Year 3000. It was also really cool to hear what people thought the future would be like! Your creative survey was intriguing and thought provoking. Both your personals were INCREDIBLE. Laura, your moving and inspirational story really changed my perspective on grief. It really showed that you are such a strong person. Jamie, your personal was something that I think a lot of kids in that room related to. I loved how you didn't give in to everyone's expectations and that you know you are a different kind of "smart" than your sister. The food was a great addition to your project, I loved the unexpected oreo in the cookie! Your presentation was overall incredible and I think you did a phenomenal job in every aspect of it!!
Tiffany Truong
5/19/2011 07:53:54 am
Your experimental was very well done. I really enjoyed every part of it. Your presentation looked amazing! I like the music you picked and many of the songs in your presentation I never thought would be related to expectations. The song "More" by Usher is a song I hear all the time, but I never thought about it as a song about expectations. However, after that slide, I realized that that was true. Your personals were both very heartwarming. I'm sure you rehearsed your presentation a million times, because both of you spoke clearly and loudly. It really seemed like both of you knew your information very well. Congrats!
Gary K
5/19/2011 02:45:58 pm
Congratulations Laura and Jamie. Your experimental was awesome and amazing to watch. You guys including so many things in your experimental and the food their was amazing. I loved the chocolate chip oreo cookies. After watching your experimental, I could see how much hard work and time you devoted into your experimental. I loved how you guys included "The Blind Side" in one of your slides. That is one of my favorite movies. I have to say when say, like everyone else that attended your experimental, I was shocked at the end. You guys exceeded my expectations with ease.
5/19/2011 10:27:15 pm
WOW. You guys just completely blew me away with that presentation. It really raised the bar for all of us and inspired us all to step it up. What I really liked was how the movies you related expectations to all had very good connections.
I kind of get it now. You guys purposely made your presentation awesome so that you can raise our expectations of what a phenomenal experimental is ; ).
Daniela Czemerinski
5/19/2011 10:28:59 pm
Jamie and Laura,
AMAZING JOB!
Going into your experimental, I didn't know what to expect. To start it off, I loved the connection that you guys made with the Tiffany box, raising people's expectations, until they opened up the box and were disappointed because of the high standards they had set for the gift. Following that, the presentation was flawless. Your connections to course literature and movies. The connection to Firefly Lane, one of my personal favorite books, truly showed the friendship between the two girls. Both of your personals were moving, and I feel that you each got a lot out of doing your experimental.
Great job!
Chelsea P.
5/21/2011 05:07:40 am
CONGRATULATIONS JAM AND LAUR! Your experimental presentation was absolutely AMAZING! (not that I expected anything different) From the beginning, I knew that expectations was a great topic, especially for the two of you. You both showed how comfortable you were speaking about the topic of expectations. Your personals were fantastic and really related to your topic wonderfully! Laura, you really showed your great amount of strength and became a role model for many! Jamie, you got your points across very well, and showed that aside from your wonderful family, you are your own person. You both spoke with not only poise, but with a ton of confidence. I loved your selection of movies and songs! The Blind Slide was a great trailer to include and your songs all fit in perfectly with your presentation! I liked how your survey questions portrayed the many different types of expectations people set for themselves and others. It really made me think about what type of person I am. Do I set high, low, or medium expectations for myself? You took your topic and used it in so many fantastic, interesting ways that were enjoyable and amusing to hear about. You were both great! Congrats again!!
Ahmad Khanzada
5/22/2011 04:27:39 am
-You two sure did go above and beyond my expectations. Your experimental was just fantastic. Expectations was such a well chosen experimental topic, I was actually thinking about doing this until you two finalized it as yours, therefore I chose something else. Expectations fit both of you very well considering that both of you have older siblings and probably have such high expectations to reach in the eyes of your family and friends. With expectations being your experimental topic, you two probably knew that exceeding the minimum demands for the experimental assignment was a must. Still it is quite clear how well both of you worked as a team because your website seems very informative and your presentation was very entertaining too. The level of entertaining clips and multimedia throughout your presentation was above and beyond what was asked for. These clips and songs coming up every so often kept the audience alive and entertained simultaneously. Jamie I have a few classes with you so I can tell and I have seen how hard you have worked on this experimental. You were so serious about having a good experimental so let me assure you that your experimental was not good, it was better than great.
-The amount of literature throughout the presentation was also presented well. Literature expresses the theme of expectations to a great extent so it was good that you guys added these books like Tiger Mom for example. I also loved the food you guys had. I know you were a bit worried because both the fortune cookies and Oreo cookies were done the day before. Still, believe me when I tell you I thought nothing less of your idea knowing it was already done. Both of your cookies were tasty and all the audience members loved this free food on the way out. So good thinking to add these treats guys.
-The way both of you broke up the public speaking was pretty professional. Each of you were aware of when you would have to speak so when you were speaking to the large audience, both of you seemed pretty comfortable. You were both aware of your lines therefore spoke nicely with a good volume and no stuttering either. So let me just compliment both of you on your excellent public speaking abilities.
-Both of your personals were special in your own way. Jamie, with your sisters being so successful in school, I am sure that your parents and all who know you have great expectations. Still, expectations are not always to be met, just to add guidance and to create a sense of internal urgency to succeed. Though many kids don’t like expectations, I am sure that these expectations lead to the person achieving more than possible without expectations. Laura, your personal was very touching too. I was sitting right behind your mother and siblings so I can tell how proud they were of you. Both of you guys had good personals and the montages coming on the slide as you two spoke were put together excellently.
-Expectations is not an easy topic to do an experimental on because with this topic, you are faced with having to go above and beyond the expectations. You two seemed to work very hard as I personally have been able to see whenever I sat next to Jamie in Spanish. Overall, it was a job well. Congratulations on completing your experimental with a great deal of success.
5/22/2011 05:20:58 am
Great job guys! I loved your presentation. The number of connections you made to songs, books, and movies was astounding. You did a good job of tying many different areas all back to expectations. You made me realize how often expectations play a role in my life. Jamie, your personal really hit home for me because I have a younger sister. It made me question if she felt the pressure of expectations and sparked an open and enlightening conversation between us. Your survey added a nice element of fun and youth to the room. It's funny to think back to what I might have put as a 2nd or 4th grader. You both had great presentation styles and I was able to clearly hear and understand everything you said. You used your time efficiently, which I know was very tricky for my own experimental. I was looking forward to seeing your presentation, but you guys completely exceeded my expectations! Good work guys!
5/22/2011 10:50:55 am
Jamie and Laura, your experimental was really good! It was well planned out, and you did a great job! You had a lot of research, and you did a good job of explaining all of it. Your room decorations were really nice, and your presentation looked well-organized. Jamie, your personal was so good. You had a nice slideshow, and the way you timed what you said with the pictures was amazing! It was a really good connection. Laura, your personal was also really good. It was very touching and also well planned out. The whole presentation flowed nicely, and it surpassed my expectations!
Taylor Kaminsky
5/23/2011 07:56:53 am
Laura and Jamie~
To start off, that was definitely one of the best experimentals I have ever seen! As I have been telling you both since the day you presented, it was seriously incredible!! I literally loved every single thing about it, there was not one that I would change. As both of you know, I am not the kind of person who likes to sit through long lectures about random topics. However, I truly enjoyed learning all about expectations. The way you presented the information is definitely what kept me interested! I really liked the way that you switched off almost every line. Usually, listening to long paragraphs can be extremely boring. Also, it made it seem like the two of you were having a conversation rather than just reciting facts. Your room decorations were great, and you know I absolutely love those cookies with the oreos inside! Great choice! Another thing that I really liked about yours was that the music and movies were very current. They were songs that all of the kids knew and enjoyed listening to. Although I was amazed by the entire presentation, your personals are what blew me away. Jamie- I know that you do not like talking about your sisters achievements and hate it when people bring it up to you. For other people that watched the presentation, it may have seemed like you were used to talking about the topic, but I know it really means a lot more to you and has effected your life. The way you presented the fact that you should not be measured by your sisters achievements was really incredible. It also made me think about the standards that I set for my younger sisters. Laura- I was honestly amazed with the you spoke about your dad. I know that it is a topic you don't often bring up and I have so much respect for you knowing that you had the courage to talk about it in front of tons of people. Knowing your perspective on how to deal with a tragedy definitely changed my view. I have not really been in a situation like yours, and you did a great job explaining what it feels like. I particularly loved the line when you said that you will still laugh every time you watch Spongebob and cry every time you watch Marley and Me. This just proves that you really are the strong person that I know you to be. I am so proud of both of you for discussing these deep, difficult subjects. Throughout your presentation, I loved how every single slide really did connect to expectations. Sometimes, experimentals go off on a branch which can be confusing, but you did a great job keeping everything focused on expectations. Overall, you guys were incredible and absolutely loved your presentation!! I wouldn't have expected anything less! Congrats!!! -Taylor
Yuval Hananya
5/24/2011 08:52:13 am
I did not expect anything less from a duo like you two, has that joke been used before? I hope not!
So overall, you both presented beautifully and loudly and your slideshow came out awesome. I know how hard you both worked on it and I really do think it came out well. I loved how you guys shared the spotlight by switching off and it really added to the experience. Rather than tedious paragraphs upon paragraphs, we got to hear a fresh voice every once in a while. Both of your personals were beautiful presented and explained in great detail, both obviously tying in greatly to your topic.
Your cookies - These cookies were a perfect way to show us the "expect the unexpected" aspect of your presentation, while filling up my stomach with deliciousness.
Your literature, especially Tiger mom, really explained one of your aspects of your topic very well. Another one of my favorite parts was the college expectations. So often, people are expected by their parents to attend the top colleges, but not everyone wants to meet these expectations.
Jamie - I really like how you tied it in with your family and how you feel as though you are expected to be like them, but sometimes don't follow the same paths as them
Laura- I really did like how you tied in your personal. I never really saw it that way, but I kind of always felt it that i do kind of expect certain things of those who grieve, but you shed some now light to me on how to think about things like that.
Overall, you guys were wonderful, but coming from wonderful people, what less is there to expect.
Chelsea D'Ambrosio
5/25/2011 01:30:04 pm
CONGRATULATIONS!!! The two of you put together such an amazing experimental, one that people will be talking about for many years to come. One of the reasons your word will be remembered is because it is one that is relatable to everyone no matter what the age or where they come from. People from the time they are born, are held to certain expectations by parents, friends, teachers, and so on. I really liked the section about parenting and the different results of parent’s holding their children to high expectations. From your presentation I learned that it is important to find the happy medium where you do not want to be stressing your child out too much but you do need to make sure they are on the right path as to where they plan on going with their life. Children often think that their parents really have no place getting involved, but I now have a better understanding of the fact that parents need to get involved to a certain extent. Both of your personals illustrated different types of expectations which I think was a perfect way of setting them up. Jamie - your’s being about your sister’s impact on what your parents expect of you introduced me to a whole new side, given that I am the oldest child. I really appreciate my sister’s standpoint now and often put myself in her shoes. I also really liked how you stressed that despite whatever expectations your parents or anyone else may have you, you remain true to the amazing (tennis playing-Moe would be proud) person that you know you are. It is not easy to remain true to yourself when you feel as though you have so many pressures around you and I give you an immense amount of credit for being able to do so. Laura - your personal was absolutely beautiful and had my crying from the very first sentence. Your interpretation of how people should view someone who is grieving is a lesson I will take with me always. It is very true, you can never expect how a person will react to any sort of traumatic or devastating event, you can only be there for them for support and as a friend. Both of you spoke clearly and were obviously very well rehearsed. Your extensive amount of research and preparation really showed. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN! IT WAS AMAZING!
Morgan Littman
5/26/2011 08:04:33 am
YOU WERE BOTH INCREDIBLE! I was not sure what to "expect" (as corny as that might sound) from these experimentals but you two, being the first one I saw, really set the tone for how high the bar is this year! It would be impossible to say that anyone else's went more smoothly than yours between timing, slide transition, and simply your audience learning the knowledge you were teaching made the experience absolutely wonderful! Your personals were also incredibly important. Jamie, sibling rivalry is much more serious as some people present it to be. I understand the emotion behind how you feel when you say people might expect you to be one way because your sisters are and compare you. Your personal taught me just how important individuality is! And Laura, I'm not quite sure where to begin on your personal. I guess I'll start by saying that you demonstrated the most courage I've ever seen out of anyone. I really respect you for that and everything you've had thrown at you. What I found particularly touching was the way you went about your speech. You spoke motivational and inspiration words teaching me a very important lesson. Love you and I'm very proud of you, hope you areas well! Also, structurally speaking, the layout of your slides was very clear and concise. You were also both easily audible and understandable within your script. You did an amazing job and CONGRATULATIONS!<3
Robert Berman
5/28/2011 02:21:51 am
Coming into the expectations experimental, I was expecting just another experimental. However, after walking out, I should have expected the unexpected. What stood out to me the most was the way both of you chipped in on all of the slides and kept the flow of the presentation at a great pace. This showed me that you both knew what you were talking about and you were able to compliment each other.
Great job on a fabulous experimental!
Jamie: Having an older sister, I was really able to relate to your Personal. Too often, I set the bar extremely high by trying to completely match what she is doing with her life. However, I agree that their is a definite advantage to having an older sibling in that you are exposed to things such as work expectations earlier in your life. A sibling also gives one a role model that they can personally relate to besides their parents.
Laura: While not being able to personally relate to your personal, coming from someone as intelligent as you, I definitely understood where you were coming from. Too often, people have their own set of ideas as to how someone should act when a tragic event occurs in said person's life. That person should just be able to act how they feel and not feel as if they have to act on other peoples' so called "expectations"
Matt Black
5/30/2011 06:47:53 am
You guys truly created a great experimental. The presentation was excellent, and along with your strong stage presence and decorations it all really came together. The cookies that you made were really unexpected and also tasted really good. I thought that both of your personals were great and tied in well with your topic. I can personally relate to yours Jamie and having older siblings really does cause people to form expectations. My favorite piece of literature that you used was Tiger Mom. Many parents form expectations of their children that are unrealistic and demand hard work. Overall, your experimental was truly amazing.
Lambert Chu
6/1/2011 05:37:49 am
Congratulations on completing a very memorable experimental! I was really impressed by how both of you analyzed the ways in which the theme of expectations can tie in to so many aspects of our daily lives. I was surprised to learn that one reason why Denmark is the "happiest country in the world" is because they do not expect much from themselves and their country. At first, I wondered how a country that has lost every single war over the past few centuries could have such happy people. However, after this example I picked up a completely new train of thought; lower expectations may not always be such a bad idea. I, personally, have always believed in setting very high expectations as part of my goals, even if accomplishing them is not always possible. Up until your experimental, I never even took time to consider the advantages of low expectations, such as greater happiness when a task is achieved.
I felt that both of your personals were very touching moments of the presentation. Jamie, you displayed your affection for your sisters and their positions as the role models of your life, but you know that you must still follow your own path in life. I can relate to this, since I have a younger brother that looks up to me but succeeds in completely different fields as I do. Laura, you showed tremendous courage in talking about such a sensitive topic, and that accomplishment alone has exceeded everyone's expectations.
In conclusion, your website is very organized and informative, and your brilliant presentation has left a lasting impact on all of the audience members. Once again, I congratulate both of you on a wonderful experimental.
Melissa W
6/1/2011 09:31:56 am
Congrats on an awesome experimental!!!! I loved it. All of your connections were great. I loved the part about Denmark being the "happiest country in the world." It was a very unique idea to bring that in.
Jamie: I loved your personal. It was a great connection! I can definetley relate to you, having an older brother with many of his own accomplishments. Coming to Wheatley, I was expected to be a math/science kid just like him. However, after a year or two, I am finally recognized as a completely different individual. Your montage was adorable and the whole personal was very inspirational. Great job!
Laura: Your personal was incredibly moving and inspirational. It took a lot of courage to get up there and talk about such a sensitive situation. I loved your montage and you raised a great point: people expect you to be strong and to get over a loss when sometimes, you just can't. It's hard to deal with a loss and I can agree that you don't ever get "over" it. Fantastic job.
Your presentation was wonderfully put together and you should both be so proud of yourselves! Great job!!!
Matt Rothstein
6/1/2011 11:16:11 pm
You guys did an amazing job and as many people said, your experimental exceeded my expectations. Your presentation was definitely one of the best this year. You were able to connect your topic to so many different fields of exploration, songs, books, and movies. I loved how you included the Blind Side into your presentation. This is one of my favorite books and contains such a powerful message. Both of you were able to talk clearly about your information and remained calm throughout the entire presentation. Your experimental was very smooth and well timed. I truly learned a lot of new information in only forty minutes. Both of your personals we amazing. Jamie, I loved how you connected your topic to you and your sisters. In my family, I am the oldest of three kids. I have a younger brother and a younger sister who looked up to me similarly to how you viewed your sisters when you were younger. They did everything I did and followed me everywhere. They were expected to do everything as well as I did. As they grew older, they began to establish their own identity, just like you did. As Gabby said, I think it is very important that everyone has their own identity. Laura, the way you talked about your loss was really inspiring. I don’t think I would have had the courage to do what you did. Personally, I have never experienced such a tragic loss, but after listening to you speak, I realized how hard it must be. During my research for my experimental, I learned a lot about how people recovery from a loss. I have to say that you handled the situation much better than most of the people I read about. You definitely had the one of the best personals of the 2011 experimental season. Great job! Your decorations around the room were great, and I loved the fortune cookies. My new fortune helped me to expect what was to come in the future. Overall, you both did an amazing job!
6/3/2011 03:06:54 am
Expectations- Jamie and Laura
You guys did amazing! I was so surprised by the amount of actual factual you guys had! I definitely learned the most from your experimental. You guys also seemed so comfortable up there, unlike me…but the way you guys talked was so intriguing and really kept my attention. Looking back at Lamberts post reminded me of you Demark piece- which I absolutely loved. They keep they’re expectations low so they could achieve more not expect too much from themselves and their country. The video also really worked great with that piece- connected perfectly.
Personals:
Jamie- I’ve always wanted an older sister my whole life, and seeing your relationship with them made me want one even more! Even though you explained the down side to having older sister you also explained the up side in a very positive way. It seems to at some times be a disadvantage for you at times, but then think about all the advantages you get from having them around
Laura- your personal was absolutely amazing. It was so inspirational to hear you talk about something like that. Even though at times I had to hold back the tears- I was really impressed with the courage you had to talk about something like that. I never really thought of your death in the way that people expected things from you and of you after the death. It was really just so intriguing to hear you speak about what people expected.
Overall, you guys did so amazing! Congrats on a really successful presentation.