"I Believe Speech"

I believe that love can fix anything. It's a bond that can help out a person no matter the situation. My family has always made sure that I feel loved no matter what, I've always felt that emotional attachment between us.

          There was a moment in my life where so much pressure was on me. I had to deal with school, sports, a placement test, and outside of school activities all at the same time. I felt like I wouldn't be able to get anything done. My family began to notice that I was stressed out, so they decided to help me out. They helped me with some of my homework and they helped me relax. 

           I realized how love can really change a person. My family loved me and wanted to help me out. To be honest, it made me feel much better. 

          If I didn't have that love from my family, I probably would've had to deal with all that pressure myself. Love can really fix anything and without it we are nothing. As Morrie Schwartz once said, "Without love, we are birds with broken wings."

End Of The Year Reflection Blog

1. What are the three most important things you learned this year?

           The three most important things I learned this year is the importance of living life, the holocaust, and having empathy for others. The book Tuesday's With Morrie taught me that you have to live life to the fullest because you never know when your time will come and then you won't be able to live anymore. I learned the importance of the holocaust this year. At the beginning I didn't really know anything about it besides the fact that it had to deal with Germans and Jews. I learned how the Jews were so mistreated by the Jews and all the different ways the Germans killed them (hanging them, shooting them, the gas chambers, etc). This class taught me to have empathy towards others. You always have to see things from people's point of view to understand them better.

2. What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
          Something that I will remember for the rest of my life is the class itself. We are all nice to each other and we have all had some nice memories in this class. We might get off topic a lot but the class can be pretty fun sometimes. Like when we have one of those class parties and everyone is enjoying it. Everyone seems to get along with each other so I'm really going to miss all these people.

3. What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

            The nicest thing someone in this class did for me is helping me out with the homework. Everyday that I missed school my classmate's helped me catch up on all the work I missed on. Yareli is one of the student's whose helped me out this year. She's been so nice to me this year. She's helped me out on the homework when I don't understand it or when I'm absent she helps me out. She's one of the nicest people I know. Thank you so much Yareli!

4. What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

          Something I taught my classmates this year is to do their work on time. Our class really struggles when it comes to doing our work on time. I've taught some of them that it's better when we all do our work on time and with quality because what's the point of not doing it when you already know what to expect? It's better to do your homework earlier so you don't have to worry about doing it later, be organized and use your time wisely. If you don't you'll just end up behind the whole class and you'll have to make up even more work.

5. In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

          In an area that I think I've made biggest improvement is probably grammar. I used to write fragments thinking that they were sentenced. Those mini lessons we had on grammar really helped me out. The commas lesson we had helped me out a lot too. It made me realized that I put too many commas in the wrong places. It also gave me a reminder on FANBOYS and how to use them. My writing has really improved from the beginning of the year up to now. In the beginning I used to be really shaky on my writing since I didn't really remember much from last year. Though, the TIQA format and the grammar lessons we had really helped me. I think I really improved on my grammar and writing. 

6. What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

           The most challenging part of this year for me was probably the argumentative essay. It was probably the hardest thing for me because I'm really used to writing from first person point of view. It was complicated not using the words "you" and "I". I had to work on having my essay not sounding bias. Though, the lessons Mrs. Larson gave us really helped out because it gave me ideas on how to make my essay better than before. Though, I really improved and now I think I'm a better m writer than last year. 

7. What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
          The best piece of writing I did this year was probably my speech. I think this because it's a piece of writing where I really get to express myself and use my own style of writing. I really get to express myself and say what I value in life but the time restriction we have really blows it off because I don't get to say everything I want too. My speech is pretty short because of the time restriction but if their wasn't one then it would be way longer. I think this is probably one of the best pieces of writing I've done this whole year. 

8. Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

          Out of all the books we read this year Tuesday's with Morrie is my favorite. I really enjoyed reading this book because of all the things it teaches you. I would really recommend this book. It taught me a lot about life and society. It taught me to enjoy life at it's very best because you never know when you'll time will come and by then it will be too late. It also showed me how lucky I am to have this life and be this healthy because their some people out there who aren't able to enjoy life like me. It could be because they have some certain disability or are very sick. It showed me that not everyone has the opportunity to live life fully and the ones who do just take it for granted. I would really recommend this book to anyone. It's such a great book!

9. What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

           Some advice I have for the students who will soon be in this class is to be organized and manage your time wisely. Always have some kind of notebook where you can write your assignments down because if you don't you'll just forget all the homework you had and fall behind. If you keep forgetting your homework you're just going to create a bigger hole for yourself which will be harder for you to get out of. Just be an organized person. Keep all your work for each class in an specific folder. Don't mix all of your papers in just one folder because then it will be harder to find your homework and your assignments. You might end up thinking that you didn't finish an assignment when you just mixed it with your other work. Also, manage your time wisely. Don't spend too much on an assignment when you could've finish two during that same time. Put your phone away and focus on your homework. Manage your time wisely and don't get distracted too much.

          

Morrie's Aphorisms - Final Project 5/9/16

Prompt:

1- Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

2-     Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

4-     Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic.
5- Include your own aphorism regarding life.

"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves . And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."

          The message Morrie was trying to give us with this aphorism is that our culture will always judge us and try to make us be all the same, but you have to be strong enough to avoid everything they say and be different. Our culture has a thing of always judging people on their looks, decisions, etc. and nothing will ever stop them from doing it. It's just how our culture works. They will judge you in every aspect they can but you have to be really strong to say stand up for yourself and ignore all of their comments, be proud of yourself and ignore what other people think about you. It doesn't matter what they think, you are perfect the way you are. Our culture wants everyone to be the same an will judge you for being different but that's not how it works. You don't have to be like the rest. Everyone is different and that's okay.

           I can relate to this to a personal experience I've had, other people can probably relate to this too. There was a point in my life where I used to get judged by people, though it wasn't bullying. It was just that they made comments on the things I did and wore. I won't say who they were but you could say they were sort of judging me. They were always making negative comments on the things I did and that really put me down. Then one day I thought to myself, "What if I stop caring about what they say about me? They aren't me, they don't tell me what to do." That's when I began to stop caring about what other people said about me because they don't know who I am and they don't tell me what to do. Everyone is different and no one should feel bad for being themselves. 

            I agree with this aphorism. I agree with it because it really shows how our culture wants us all to be the same and will judge us if we try to be different or be an out stander. Not everyone has to be the same and it's okay. No one should feel bad for not following the crowd and making their own path. On page 42, right before the aphorism it's talking about the O. J. Simpson trial. The book says, "They didn't know O. J. Simpson... Yet they gave up days and weeks of their lives, addicted to someone else's drama." This quote really demonstrates how a lot of people wasted their lives by watching the O. J. Simpson trial. They didn't even know who it was, yet, they wasted their life by watching the trial every time it was on only because the rest of the world was doing it. You don't have to follow the crowd just be yourself.

My own aphorism: "You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

Socratic Seminar Reflection Blog 5/5/16

Prompt: Explain how the past four Socratic Seminars have influenced your thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general.

What trends did you notice with yourself and your personal goals for each seminar? How did your personal goal(s) change and what did you actively do to change throughout our last four discussions?

What trends did you notice with the class for each seminar? What did you notice that helped or hindered a specific seminar?


          The past four Socratic Seminars have really influenced my thinking about Tuesday's with Morrie because it made me realize tiny details that happened during the book that I hadn't really catched. They changed my point of view on some parts of the book. In the second Socratic Seminar we touched point on the topic about family and, it made me realize how much Morrie would have been different if his family wasn't there for him. His disease would have been much worse because he wouldn't have the love and support from his family. He really depended on his family, and without that support his disease would have been more difficult for him since he would just be alone. He wouldn't have made it this far with the disease without his family. The Socratic seminar really helped me realize how Morrie's life could have been much different.

            A trend that I noticed with myself is that at first I wouldn't really talk and then I slowly began to comment more and more. I'm not much of a talkative person so in the beginning I would just sit down and watch everyone else do the talking, but then I realized that I had some things to comment on so that's when I began to talk. I realized that I needed to put my opinion in too so I began to comment. My goals went from talking more during the seminar to bringing in more people to the conversation. I think I made a big improvement on participation.

          A trend that I noticed with the class during each seminar was the participation. At first no one really wanted to participate and we had many of those awkward silent moments. As we had more of these seminars we all began to talk more and get more into the discussion. In the first Socratic seminar we had many silent awkward moments where no one said anything and we all just stared at each other. Then during the third Socratic seminar we got so into the conversation that we weren't even talking about the book anymore. We were talking about real life situations such as no one standing up for each other. I think that really shows our progression as a class with the participation.

Tuesday's with Morrie - What 'Tuesday' Has Inspired You? Blog 4/28/16

Prompt: Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book.

          The Tuesday that has had the most impact on me is the Fifth Tuesday, which talks about family. It has really had an impact on me because it really shows how important family is to a person. It made me think how much my life would be different if I didn't have my family. All of my support would be gone because they are the one's who support me the most. They have always been there for me when I'm down and they help me move on with life. My family has taught me so much throughout my life and honestly I don't know what I would do without them. Even when they aren't around me sometimes I know that they will always support me. My family is really a big part of my life. 

  

          Morrie made me realize how important my family really is to me because there are some people out there in the world who have lost all of their family members or their family is getting separated. It's made me realize how lucky I really am to have such a loving family because without them I would be nothing. On page 91, Morrie said,"If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern you get from a family, you don't have much at all." I agree with this quote a lot because if you have the support and love from a family then you really don't have anything at all. Money will never buy you the support and love a family will. I really find this important because some people put money before love and family, and I honestly think that's a huge mistake.

           Another thing that Morrie made me realize is how I have that "spiritual security" from my family. Even when my family isn't around me I know that I will always have their love and support no matter what. On page 92, Morrie says,"This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there's someone who is watching out for them... what I call 'spiritual security'- knowing that your family will be there watching out for you." I can really connect with this quote because as I've said it before I feel that "spiritual security" between me and my family. I think it is really important for everyone to have that because it will help you know that there will always be someone looking out for you and willing to help you out. Everyone should have that "spiritual security" with their families so that they never feel alone when they aren't with their families. 

Tuesday's with Morrie - Bucket List Blog 4/20/16

Prompt: What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist? 

           My initial reaction to what've read so far is that the book really seems interesting. In the beginning I thought it was going to be one of those typical books where it's a young kid being mean to an old man and then they begin having a friendship. Then later on the man dies and the kid regrets being mean to him. I was completely wrong. This story really seems interesting. It seems really painful to be living with ALS. You start to slowly lose your own life. Your body is dying and you feel it but your soul is still alive. I feel so bad for the people with that condition. I can't even believe that this story is actually based off a true story.

          
           Another initial thought I had was that I have never seen such a teacher and student relationship be so close. Most student and teacher and relationships are close but they aren't like Mitch and Morrie's relationship. Their relationship was so close that Morrie actually cried when Mitch left and graduated. It surprised me that after Mitch graduated he just went along with life without ever talking to Morrie again. It's sad that when such a close relationship can fade away just because of the distance. I was very glad when they finally reunited after sixteen years.

           Just by reading the beginning of the book makes me realize that no one should take their life for granted. You were given this life for a reason and you should live it up to the best of your advantage. You never know when it will be taken away or when you will become very ill. It makes me think of all the things I want to do in life. Here are some:

My Bucket List:

• Get a German Shepard or a husky
• Travel to Europe and Central America
• Graduate High school
• Graduate college 
• Get married
• Have 2 kids 
• Meet Luis Coronel
• Get my own house
• Get a job
• Get a driver's license 
• Work at Google or Apple
• Meet Neymar 
• Meet Luis Montez
• Go to prom
• Do something to my hair (such as cut it short, dye it some crazy color, etc.)
• Meet German Garmendia 
• Meet Steph Curry
• Go to Japan
• Have a six pack
• Visit at least 25 states

3rd Quarter Reflection Blog

Prompt: 
- *In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts? 

- What strategies have benefited you?
- *What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of?
- *What has been the most challenging part of 3rd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

          The areas that I think I made my biggest improvements in is probably punctuation and in writing. Punctuation is a big improvement for me because sometimes I forget how to correctly puncuate titles and books. I keep mixing up the correct punctuation of a title with the correct punctuation of a book. The mini lesson that we had during the quarter really helped me out and throughout the  quarter I've been taught on how to correctly punctuate titles, books, movies, etc. Now I know which punctuation is for each. I've also made a big improvement in my writing. The TIQA method is still a strategy that has benefitted me. Last quarter the TIQA method helped me improve my writing a lot. This quarter I've learned to write using the TIQA method but with a smoother flow to it. Last quarter I began using the TIQA method in my writing but sometimes the sentences didn't go that well together. Now I'm able to write more smoothly than before.

          Something that I've accomplished this quarter that I'm proud of is my Holocaust butterfly and my argumentative essay. I'm really proud of how my Holocaust butterfly ended up looking like. I put a lot of effort into annotating and interpreting what my poem's meaning was. Then I spent around 10-11 hours buying the supplies I need for my butterfly and creating it. Another thing that I'm proud of making is my argumentative essay. I worked really hard on researching my topic and creating it. I think I made a huge improvement from last year's argumentative paper to this one. I've learned a lot this year which has helped me more as a person and as a writer.

          The most challenging part of the third quarter for me was that I'm not up to date on all of my reading. This quarter for some reason I haven't really been reading a lot. There's many books out there that I want to read but I haven't had the time. Now that PARCC is here, I now have the time to read after I finish my test. I have to work on organizing my time so I can at least spend 20 minutes reading a book.