PANYC, September 2000

What concerns or questions do you have about yourself?

Students read through the following groups of questions and came up with these themes and key words for each. The themes have been paired (horizontally) and grouped (in columns) here, in order to suggest even broader categories. Students will compare these themes with those that come from their questions about others, New York City, and the world.

Click on a theme to go to the questions listed below that led to that theme.

1. Themes: Identity, Why me? Girl's or Boy's concerns

Key Words:

1. appearance, how you look
2. I
3. what others think
4. Who am I?
5. about me
6. different people
7. hair

1. Why am I so skinny?
2. What makes me a Colombian?
3. Why do I have brown eyes?
4. Why do I have to eat food?
5. Why do I have to drink?
6. Why do I have long hair?
7. What do people think about me?
8. What do people think about me?
9. What do people think about me?
10. What are the others thinking about me?
11. What do teachers think about me?
12. Why do I care what other people think?
13. Why do people always talk about how you look?
14. Why am I so nice?
15. What am I going to wear tomorrow?
16. Why was I born in Colombia and not in some other part of the world?
17. Why was I born in the year 1985?
18. Why do I have such a different life?
19. Why don't I smoke?
20. Why don't I smoke?
21. Why am I a girl?
22. Why do I have black hair?
23. Who am I?

2. Themes: Health, Getting old, Appearance, How will I be in the future?

Key Words:

1. health
2. future
3. life
4. aging
5. appearance
6. different

1. Will I die young or old?
2. Will I be healthy all of my life?
3. What will I look like?
4. How will I look?
5. What will I look like when I'm older?
6. What will I look like in the future?
7. How many years will I live?
8. What age will I die?
9. Will I live long?
10. For how long will I live?
11. How old will I be when I die?
12. What will I look like when I get older?
13. What will I be like when I'm older?
14. How am I going to see myself in the future?
15. What am I going to think when I get to the age of 85?
16. Will I be different?
17. What will I look like when I'm older
18. What will I look like in the future?
19. What will I look like when I'll be older?
20. Will I die from my heart?

3. Themes: Family, Fighting with people in our families

Key Words:

1. family
2. fighting
3. problems
4. parents, grandparents
5. sister, brother

1. Why do I fight with my sister?
2. Why do I fight with my brother?
3. Why do I fight with my brother?
4. Why do I always fight with my sister?
5. Why do I have fights with my sister?
6. Why do I always fight with my brother?
7. Why do I fight so much with my brother?
8. Why do I have a sister and a brother?
9. Why does my sister act like that?
10. Why don't I have a brother?
11. Will I see my family again? When?
12. Will I have any sisters or brothers in the future?
13. Why do I have so many brothers?
14. Why did my sister get married so young?
15. Why do we have parents?
16. Why don't my parents think the way I do?
17. Why do I like to buy things that my mother doesn't like?
18. Does my mom really know me?
19. Why do my parents scream at me when they have no reasons to do it?
20. Why do I have to live with my father?
21. What do my parents want from me?
22. Why don't I have a dad?
23. Do I miss my father more than what I think?
24. Why am I in a foster home?
25. Why don't I have a good relationship with my mom?
26. Am I going to live separate from my family?
27. Will I have my own house or live with my mom and dad?
28. At what age am I going to leave my house?
29. How long will my parents live?
30. Will my parents be alive when I get to be 30 years old?
31. What am I going to do when I don't have my parents to protect me?
32. Why do I have problems with my grandma?
33. Who are my ancestors?

4. Themes: Kids in the future, Making a family

Key Words:

1. kids
2. future
3. marriage
4. family

1. Will I have kids?
2. Will I ever have kids?
3. If I get married, how many children will I have?
4. How many kids will I have?
5. Am I going to have children?
6. How many kids will I have?
7. How many kids will I have?
8. How many children will I have?
9. How many children am I going to have?
10. How many children am I going to have?
11. How many kids will I have in the future?
12. Am I going to have 2 children?
13. When I get married will I have children?
14. How many children will I have?
15. Will I have kids?
16. Will I have a family?
17. Will I ever get married and have kids?

5. Theme: Love

Key Words:

1. staying who I am
2. virginity
3. love
4. girlfriends, boyfriends
5. relationships

1. How am I going to loose my virginity?
2. Am I making a mistake wanting to get engaged, even married?
3. Why do I fall in love with people who don't love me?
4. Will I ever find real love?
5. Why do I love someone so much?
6. Who will be my wife?
7. Will I ever forget my ex-girlfriend?
8. How many girlfriends will I have?
9. What will my girlfriends look like?
10. Why don't I have a beautiful girlfriend?
11. Will people love me for who I am?
12. Will people love me for who I am?
13. Will I find the love of my life?
14. Why don't I have a girlfriend?
15. Why don't I have a girlfriend?
16. How come I'm shy with girls I like?
17. Why did my boyfriend break up with me?
18. Will my boyfriend and I be together again?

6. Themes: Future family, Marriage

Key Words:

1. marriage
2. wife, husband
3. future love

1. Will I get married?
2. Will I get married?
3. Am I going to get married?
4. When am I going to get married?
5. Will I get married before my sister?
6. Who will I marry?
7. Who will I marry?
8. Do I know the person I will marry?
9. Who will be my wife?
10. When am I going to get married?
11. When am I going to get married?
12. Who am I going to marry?
13. What kind of wife will I fall in love with?
14. Will I have the patience to live with a husband and agree with him well?
15. Why do I have to wait so long to get married?
16. How old will I be when I get married?
17. Where will I live when I get married?
18. Will my parents still be alive when I get married?

7. Themes: Friendship, Relationships between friends, Success

Key Words:

1. friends, friendship
2. school
3. people
4. hate
5. feelings

1. Why did my best friend have to go to so far away in New Jersey?
2. Why don't I have more friends?
3. Why do dome people hate me?
4. What is my relationship with other students?
5. How can I find a really good friend?
6. Will I find friends?
7. Why don't I have enemies?
8. Will I remember my friends from high school?
9. Will I have some of the same friends in the future?
10. What do people think of me?
11. Will anybody like me when I grow up?
12.   Do I know the people around me well?
13. Will I still be friends with my friend?
14. Will my friends want to be with me always even if I go to live in another country or if we split up?
15. Why do my friends not want to transfer to this high school?
16. What kind of friends will I have in high school?
17. Will I have any friends at all?
18. Am I too straight up with people? Do I hurt them?
19. Will I ever make a best friend like I lost when I left my country?
20. Will I have lots of friends when I get out of school?
21. Why can't I be friendly when I want to be friendly?
22. Who are my real friends?
23. Why do I get along with grown-ups better than I do my peers?
24. Is there someone like me?
25. Does anybody hate me?

8. Themes: Achieving goals in the future, What do you want to be in the future? Being successful

Key Words:

1. future
2. goals
3. successful life
4. dreams

1. Do I know what I really want in life?
2. What am I going to do in 10 years?
3. Am I going to change in 10 years?
4. What will my life look like next week? (I have a lot happening.)
5. What will I be in the future?
6. What will I be when I grow up?
7. What is going to be my life in the future
8. How am I going to do in the future?
9. How will my future turn out?
10. What is important in life?
11. What will I do in my future?
12. What will I do in the future?
13. Why are my dreams so far away?
14. Will I make my dreams come true?
15. What is it that I really want?
16. Will I become a famous person?
17. Will I go to space?
18. What are my dreams?
19. Will I reach my goals?
20. Will I be successful?
21. Will I be successful?
22. Will I be a success?
23. Will I ever have the success I have dreamed of?
24. What has to be my priority?
25. Will I be an important person in this world?
26. What am I going to do when I'm 23 years old?
27. Will the world change?
28. Will I be famous?
29. Why am I here?
30. Why was I born?
31. Will there ever be better technology?
32. Will aliens ever live in our world?
33. Will I be in a museum as a skeleton about a thousand years from now?

9. Theme: Feelings, Health, Being happy or not

Key Words: Feelings and health

1. life
2. feelings
3. health
4. sad, happy
5. Am I _____?
6. obligations
7. lifestyle

1. Why do I always feel so bored?
2. Why do innocent people suffer a lot when they are nice?
3. Why do I suffer so much?
4. Whey do I have to be so nice when people are not?
5. Why is life so difficult and easy too?
6. What will make me happy?
7. Will I be happy?
8. Why can't I hate the people who were bad to me?
9. Why am I so nice?
10. Why am I going through so much pain?
11. What would I do if I got a problem?
12. When is my life going to be normal again?
13. Why do I have to clean my house?
14. Why is my cousin dying?
15. Why d o I like to fight?
16. Am I satisfied with the life I lead?
17. Am I sad?
18. Am I happy?
19. Am I strong?
20. Do I do good things or bad things?

10. Themes: Style of life, Future material success, Will I be rich?

Key Words:

1. car
2. money
3. house
4. poor / rich

1. What car will I have?
2. Would I have more money in my country?
3. What pets will I have?
4. Why don't I have a car?
5. Why don't I have a car?
6. Why don't I have a house?
7. What kind of car will I have?
8. What kind of car will I have?
9. What kind of dog will I have?
10. What kind of house will I have?
11. What kind of house will I have?
12. Will I be rich?
13. Will I be poor when I die?
14. Am I going to be rich?
15. How much money will I have?
16. Why don't I have much money?

11. Themes: Education for the best future, Planning education for life

Key Words:

1. school
2. homework
3. education
4. teachers
5. college

1. Why am I coming to this school?
2. Why do I come to this high school?
3. Why have I come to this school?
4. Why have I come to this school?
5. Why do I have to come to this school?
6. Why is it important to go to school?
7. Why do I have to go to school?
8. Will there ever be better schools?
9. Why are teachers mean?
10. Will I graduate?
11. Why do I have to study?
12. Why do I have to study?
13. Why do I have to do homework?
14. Why do I have to do the homework?
15. Why do teachers give us homework?
16. Why do teachers give us homework?
17. When will my sister finish high school?
18. When I finish college what will I do?
19. Which college will I go to? Will I go to Harvard?
20. Will I go to a good school?
21. Will I go to college?
22. Will I go to college?
23. Will I go to college?
24. Will I go to study in college?
25. Will I ever finish college?
26. Should I work or go to college?
27. Am I going to college?
28. Am I going to college? Why?
29. Why do I have to come to school?
30. Why do I have to go to school?
31. Why do I do my homework?
32. What am I going to study in college?
33. Why can't I speak English very well?
34. Why don't I understand English?
35. Why do I have to write stories?
36. Why don't I like to act?
37. How much education am I supposed to have?

12. Themes: What will I want in the future? Future careers

Key Words:

1. jobs and money
2. sports
3. fantasies
4. careers
5. education

1. What should I become, a lawyer or a teacher?
2. When will I get to earn money?
3. What do I have to do to get a job?
4. Why do I have to work?
5. What can I do when I grow up?
6. When will I find a real job?
7. Will I have a lot of money?
8. Will I be a professional?
9. What kind of job will I have?
10. What job will I have when I'll be older?
11. Will I get a good job?
12. Will I have a good job and life?
13. What job will I have? Will I become a doctor?
14. Will I be a doctor when I grow up?
15. What job will I have?
16. What kind of job will I have?
17. What kind of job will I have?
18. What career will I have?
19. Will I have a career?
20. When I get older will I have a good job?
21. Will I become an archaeologist?
22. Am I going to be an engineer in the future?
23. Will I be a computer engineer?
24. Why do I like to play soccer?
25. Why do I like soccer so much?
26. Will I be in a sports team?
27. Will I make the football team?
28. Will I ever go to the Olympic games?
29. Why do I like watching T.V.?
30. Why do I like going shopping?
31. Will I ever meet Steven Spielberg?
32. What will I do when I meet or see an alien?
33. Am I ever going to be famous?
34. Do I have any special powers?
35. Where am I going to work in the future?
36. Will I have a better job when I'm 20 years old?
37. How much will I be making if I have a better job?

13. Themes: Where will I live in the future? Coming to the U.S.A. / Leaving the U.S.A.

Key Words:

1. U.S.A.
2. New York City
3. future
4. native country
5. coming and going

1. Why did I have to come to the U.S.A.?
2. Why do I have to live in the U.S.A. when I want to back to my country?
3. Why do I live in New York City?
4. Why did my family want to come to the U.S.A.?
5. Why have I come to America?
6. Will I ever go back to my country?
7. What if I hadn't come to this country?
8. What do I feel about living in America?
9. Why can't I travel to the country I want to?
10. Will I be happy in New York City?
11. What was my neighborhood like before?
12. What's going to happen to my neighborhood?
13. Where am I going to live?
14. Where am I going to live when I get older?
15. Will I live in New York City when I'm older?
16. Where will I live?
17. Where am I going to live when I grow up?
18. Will I go back to my country?
19. Why can't I go back to my native country?
20. What country will I live in in the future?
21. Where will I end up living?