Sunday, December 6, 2009
sen10r year.
So I've been doing alot of thinking, and I just realized that i only have five months and two weeks left of high school. I'm really excited about being done, but once the end comes there is no going back. I'm going to have to leave the only environment I've known. Frightening and yet exhilarating. As of now I have no futher thoughts of this situation.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Kite Runner Study Guide
1. Women: In the novel, women were not seen as equals to men. They had to keep themselves conservatively dressed with their faces covered.
Betrayal: Amir and Hassan were raised together. They were breast fed from the same women. They were raised as brothers aside from the fact that Hassan was Amir's servant. Hassan always stood up for
Amir, but when Hassan needed Amir to save him Amir simply ran like a coward. This caused the end of their relationship.
Brothers: Although Hassan and Amir are raised almost like brothers, they never realize thats what they truely are until towards the end of the novel. Hassan never finds out the truth about Amir being his blood, but Amir does. Amir knowing this makes him regret his decisions on how he treated Hassan.
Guilt: Amir suffers with hidden guilt after he sees Hassan gets raped because he did nothing to stop it. Hassan's rape doesn't stay hiddin forever though. Hassan tells his father the whole story, and they both leave. This sort of comforts Amir because he knows someone knows his secret, but Amir's father is still in dark as to why the man who was his servant, friend, brother left.
Redemption: After Amir learns Hassan is dead, he becomes determined to bring Hassan's orphaned son to America to live with him. By doing this, Amir feels set free of the guilt he felt built up toward Hassan.
Exodus: When the Russians invaded Amir's country alot of families, including Amir and his father, leave to find safety. Amir and Baba smuggle themselves into a nearby country, and then leave for America.
Fathers and Sons: Amir and his father are a direct representation of patriarchal society. Amir strives to please his father, but always falls short. His father is always a little bit disappointed that Amir is not like him.
Class distinction: Amir and Hassan were always persecuted becauses of their relationship. Hassan is Hazara, and Amir is Pashtun. Also Hassan was Amir's servant and in those days it was not common to associate with those of different beliefs and different class ranks.
2. Parallelism: Hassan and Amir's friendship can be seen as parallel with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians. Their country begins to go downhill while they live together. When they boys friendship reaches its breaking point because of Hassan and Ali leaving, shortly following their country is invaded by the Russians. Character Foils: Amir and his father, Baba, were complete opposites. They were so different that they even questions if they were father and son. Amir wasn't an athlete; he was more interested in writing. He also didn't stand up for himself because he wasn't a fighter. His father was an athletic man. He had power and always stood up for what he believed in.
Forshadowing: In the book, Hassan's first word was Amir, and Amir's first word was Baba. This forshadows Hassan's loyalty to Amir and Amir striving for the approval of his father, Baba.
Flashbacks: Amir always has constant flashbacks of events that occurred with Hassan. He tries to forget about Hassan so his guilt won't surface, but he doesn't accomplish this.
Positives and Negatives: The novel was absolutely great. It really opened my eyes to what the Middle East was like. The author accomplished this without using too much fancy and over-decorative writing. The one downfall of the novel was the grafic scenes it contained. They did need to be written, but once I read them I had to put the book down for awhile.
3. Settings: Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1933-1970s Fremont, California in the 1980s
The role of women in America vs. the role of women in Afghanistan, Pashtun vs. Hazara, Afghanistan under monarchy rule vs. republic rule, Afghanistan before and after the Russian invasion,
4. Minor Characters: Rahim Khan was Baba's best friend. He also understood Amir and helped him with his problems. Ali was Hassan's 'father'. He was also Baba's servant. Baba saw his as a brother; they were both raised together. Ali was the one who took Hassan away after he found out about the rape. Soraya is Amir’s wife. She brought love back into his life, and she covinced him to return to Afghanistan to get Sohrab and bring him to live in the U.S. with them. Sohrab is Hassan's son. He is the key to Amir letting go of his guilt. Assef was the leader of the bullies that tortured and raped Hassan.
5. Symbols: Baba's House symbolizes protection and security. Flying kites was the thing to do in Afghanistan. Kite fighting was hard, and often people were left with scars. Even though people went through alot of pain and hardwork, winning was always worth it. The kite symbolizes endurance. Hassan's slingshot skills were amazing. He used it to save Amir, and Sohrab saved Amir with a slingshot, just like his dad. The slingshot symbolizes courage. The pomegranate tree shows Hassan and Amir's relationship. They carved their names into the tree and it produced fruit. When Hassan died the tree still existed but no longer produced fruit. Sohrab was a symbol of the good that Amir wanted to have in his life.
Betrayal: Amir and Hassan were raised together. They were breast fed from the same women. They were raised as brothers aside from the fact that Hassan was Amir's servant. Hassan always stood up for
Amir, but when Hassan needed Amir to save him Amir simply ran like a coward. This caused the end of their relationship.
Brothers: Although Hassan and Amir are raised almost like brothers, they never realize thats what they truely are until towards the end of the novel. Hassan never finds out the truth about Amir being his blood, but Amir does. Amir knowing this makes him regret his decisions on how he treated Hassan.
Guilt: Amir suffers with hidden guilt after he sees Hassan gets raped because he did nothing to stop it. Hassan's rape doesn't stay hiddin forever though. Hassan tells his father the whole story, and they both leave. This sort of comforts Amir because he knows someone knows his secret, but Amir's father is still in dark as to why the man who was his servant, friend, brother left.
Redemption: After Amir learns Hassan is dead, he becomes determined to bring Hassan's orphaned son to America to live with him. By doing this, Amir feels set free of the guilt he felt built up toward Hassan.
Exodus: When the Russians invaded Amir's country alot of families, including Amir and his father, leave to find safety. Amir and Baba smuggle themselves into a nearby country, and then leave for America.
Fathers and Sons: Amir and his father are a direct representation of patriarchal society. Amir strives to please his father, but always falls short. His father is always a little bit disappointed that Amir is not like him.
Class distinction: Amir and Hassan were always persecuted becauses of their relationship. Hassan is Hazara, and Amir is Pashtun. Also Hassan was Amir's servant and in those days it was not common to associate with those of different beliefs and different class ranks.
2. Parallelism: Hassan and Amir's friendship can be seen as parallel with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians. Their country begins to go downhill while they live together. When they boys friendship reaches its breaking point because of Hassan and Ali leaving, shortly following their country is invaded by the Russians. Character Foils: Amir and his father, Baba, were complete opposites. They were so different that they even questions if they were father and son. Amir wasn't an athlete; he was more interested in writing. He also didn't stand up for himself because he wasn't a fighter. His father was an athletic man. He had power and always stood up for what he believed in.
Forshadowing: In the book, Hassan's first word was Amir, and Amir's first word was Baba. This forshadows Hassan's loyalty to Amir and Amir striving for the approval of his father, Baba.
Flashbacks: Amir always has constant flashbacks of events that occurred with Hassan. He tries to forget about Hassan so his guilt won't surface, but he doesn't accomplish this.
Positives and Negatives: The novel was absolutely great. It really opened my eyes to what the Middle East was like. The author accomplished this without using too much fancy and over-decorative writing. The one downfall of the novel was the grafic scenes it contained. They did need to be written, but once I read them I had to put the book down for awhile.
3. Settings: Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1933-1970s Fremont, California in the 1980s
The role of women in America vs. the role of women in Afghanistan, Pashtun vs. Hazara, Afghanistan under monarchy rule vs. republic rule, Afghanistan before and after the Russian invasion,
4. Minor Characters: Rahim Khan was Baba's best friend. He also understood Amir and helped him with his problems. Ali was Hassan's 'father'. He was also Baba's servant. Baba saw his as a brother; they were both raised together. Ali was the one who took Hassan away after he found out about the rape. Soraya is Amir’s wife. She brought love back into his life, and she covinced him to return to Afghanistan to get Sohrab and bring him to live in the U.S. with them. Sohrab is Hassan's son. He is the key to Amir letting go of his guilt. Assef was the leader of the bullies that tortured and raped Hassan.
5. Symbols: Baba's House symbolizes protection and security. Flying kites was the thing to do in Afghanistan. Kite fighting was hard, and often people were left with scars. Even though people went through alot of pain and hardwork, winning was always worth it. The kite symbolizes endurance. Hassan's slingshot skills were amazing. He used it to save Amir, and Sohrab saved Amir with a slingshot, just like his dad. The slingshot symbolizes courage. The pomegranate tree shows Hassan and Amir's relationship. They carved their names into the tree and it produced fruit. When Hassan died the tree still existed but no longer produced fruit. Sohrab was a symbol of the good that Amir wanted to have in his life.
Friday, November 13, 2009
asdfjkl; my week!
So along with having to teach at dance team try-outs, this week ended up being...different. I went on a field trip with my unified pe class to practice playing basketball at GC&SU because we're getting ready for special olympics. Also after school i had fashion show practice while I was supposed to be at dance! Thursday finally came and it was time for the fashion at school. Well while we were having a dress rehursal someone decided to steal my phone! Of course I had everyone and everything searched until it was found. Luckily it showed up in someone's bag; I honestly don't care if it was them who took it, i'm just glad I have it back. Otherwise the fashion show was AMAZING. I had a total blast being apart of it. Friday finally came and I was looking forward to having my first normal day this week, but that didn't go as planned. I totally missed first period, I thought it was a Thursday lol. Then we had a drug bust during second period!!!!!! So after it was finally over I was on my way to third period and I turned the corner and ran into two huge police dogs! Now i'm pretty sure we've discussed my fear of dogs so my reaction was absolutely rediculous to say the least. And finally when I made it to my class we we're even allowed to go teach at the pre-k because we wouldn't have had enough time :/ Then I go to body sculpting when the bell rings but my teacher shows up 20 minutes into class and tells us to change back into our clothes because we weren't going to work out. This is when we discover a classmate's phone got stolen while we left was in the locker room. So the whole class got searched and I missed a few minutes of lunch (but that wasn't a big deal). Finally my day returns to being somewhat normal and dance try-outs are held. Then finally drive off to my house to regroup lol.
Competiton Dance
Our dance team has a competition season; but during football season we lost alot of girls so we needed more in order to compete. This week we held try-outs for anyone at school who was interested. For the try-out routine we taught our hip-hop dance. They also had to learn fundamentals (splits, heel-streches, pirouettes, etc.) and one set of kicks. It was alot to teach, but in the end we found what we were looking for and i'm very happy for those of you who are now apart of our dance team! I'm sure we'll exceed in the season to come.
senior week:)
so every year the last home football game is called senior night. Every senior who participates in a fall sport is walked out by a loved one during pregame and recognized for their talents. Well before the football game during school a pep rally is held. I'm on the dance team so I got to perform during the pep rally. One dance I participated in was very simple; all of the football cheerleaders, competition cheerleaders, and dancers danced and stunted together to a UDA track. Also the senior dance girls were told the week of the pep rally to create a dance/kick routine to perform. It turned out to be amazing :) My girls are completely amazing. All turned out well except for the fact that we lost the game and it was freezing cold; but we still walked out with our heads held high!
Monday, October 26, 2009
City Life Vs. Rural Life
In the movie "Mean Girls", Cady Heron, a fifteen year old girl, spent most of her childhood living in Africa. She was home-schooled, and didn't have that much interaction with others her age. Her idea of fun was working and playing with the different animals in the country. Then her parents decided to leave their zoologists jobs in Africa in order to relocate back to the United States. Now Cady had to enter into the world of city life, which was a total culture shock. The city had malls, parties, places to hang out, and public schools. She had to deal with the cliques of teenagers like the jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds, the outcasts, and the mean girls. She went through her journey of finding out where she belonged. Even though this is just a movie, it's plot portrays the reality that there is a difference between city and rural living.
What ever town or city a person calls home, most of the time there will be conflicts that occur. In order to keep the peace, law enforcement is usually in place. In less populated counties crime seems to happen less often. A typical Jones County newspaper will cover the local high school sports, upcoming events in Gray, Ga., and a few names of loved ones that have pasted in the obituaries; but every once in a while a robbery, drug bust, or domestic violence case will appear on the front page.
While living in the city, crime is to be expected. Alot of big cities are tourists sites and have many attractions for them to visit. Thiefs and muggers tend to prey on the visitors because they're easy targets. Most tourists do not know their way around the new area and can become careless about how they carry themselves. Also gang involvement contributes to the higher crime rates in cities. There are multiple gangs like crips and bloods who only agree on disliking and hurting others who don't agree with their gang. They're full of hatred toward one another which brings on the frequent fighting, stealing, and killing. This violence begins to tear a riff in the community.
In order to get around town, some kind of transportation is always needed. Cars are the most common in this century, whether a person is in a city or in a rural area. In most towns, a car will be your best friend. Some towns might not have all of the stores, industries, or facilities a citizen would want to have access to; because of this drives to near by cities are called for. In the town i reside in now, if i wanted to continue taking gymnastics classes year round i would have to drive to Macon, Ga. Its only a thirty minute drive, but that may be an inconvience to some. There are no city buses, and it's rare to find a taxi on the roads. Though there are school buses for students who do not have their own way of transportation, having a car would be the best decision for those living in a rural area.
Most who live in the city are always on the move, which is to be expected because the city never sleeps. There are so many different buildings and attractions that city dwellers come across everyday. For them to reach their destination, multiple ways of transportation are available. City's often fund a transportation system. Atlanta's government provides the Marta for its locals and visitors. This is a subway/bus systems that goes through different parts of the city, dropping off its passengers at designated spots. There are alot of pedestrians walking through the city. This is because some distances are not very far from one another. Also the taxi business does better in the city because of limited parking, weather, and other circumstances. A local might have decided to walk to work one day, but when it was time for them to leave rain began to fall causing him/her to catch a taxi. Although cars are still the most popular way of transportation in the city, people have other options which may help them avoid traffic.
What ever town or city a person calls home, most of the time there will be conflicts that occur. In order to keep the peace, law enforcement is usually in place. In less populated counties crime seems to happen less often. A typical Jones County newspaper will cover the local high school sports, upcoming events in Gray, Ga., and a few names of loved ones that have pasted in the obituaries; but every once in a while a robbery, drug bust, or domestic violence case will appear on the front page.
While living in the city, crime is to be expected. Alot of big cities are tourists sites and have many attractions for them to visit. Thiefs and muggers tend to prey on the visitors because they're easy targets. Most tourists do not know their way around the new area and can become careless about how they carry themselves. Also gang involvement contributes to the higher crime rates in cities. There are multiple gangs like crips and bloods who only agree on disliking and hurting others who don't agree with their gang. They're full of hatred toward one another which brings on the frequent fighting, stealing, and killing. This violence begins to tear a riff in the community.
In order to get around town, some kind of transportation is always needed. Cars are the most common in this century, whether a person is in a city or in a rural area. In most towns, a car will be your best friend. Some towns might not have all of the stores, industries, or facilities a citizen would want to have access to; because of this drives to near by cities are called for. In the town i reside in now, if i wanted to continue taking gymnastics classes year round i would have to drive to Macon, Ga. Its only a thirty minute drive, but that may be an inconvience to some. There are no city buses, and it's rare to find a taxi on the roads. Though there are school buses for students who do not have their own way of transportation, having a car would be the best decision for those living in a rural area.
Most who live in the city are always on the move, which is to be expected because the city never sleeps. There are so many different buildings and attractions that city dwellers come across everyday. For them to reach their destination, multiple ways of transportation are available. City's often fund a transportation system. Atlanta's government provides the Marta for its locals and visitors. This is a subway/bus systems that goes through different parts of the city, dropping off its passengers at designated spots. There are alot of pedestrians walking through the city. This is because some distances are not very far from one another. Also the taxi business does better in the city because of limited parking, weather, and other circumstances. A local might have decided to walk to work one day, but when it was time for them to leave rain began to fall causing him/her to catch a taxi. Although cars are still the most popular way of transportation in the city, people have other options which may help them avoid traffic.
Friday, October 23, 2009
exam week!
Wow..1/4 of my senior year is already gone! It's definitely a bitter sweet moment. My exams are finally over :) Even though I only had to take an exam in three of my classes, the week was extremely stressful. I wasn't worried about my physics exam and I didn't know I had a test in unified PE either. So it was just my AP statistics I need to study for. In the end my unified PE exam ended up being the HARDEST test I've ever taken. I know you're probably laughing and thinking how can a PE test be hard, but unified PE is different. My class works with the special needs children that attend our high school. The special needs students are the athletes and we're the partners. We go to special olympics to compete in softball, basketball, bolling, and soccer. It's the best class I've ever chosen to take. Anywho..lol our exam was basically self-assement, which sucked because you can't study for that type of test. We had to think of a sport, it couldn't be one of the ones in which we compete, create adapted rules for the atheletes, and make a lesson plan. Then we had to identify how that sport would help our class. We also matched up every partner with an athelete and state why we matched those people together. Finally we named teachers who could handle teaching or substituting our unified class and say the qualities we thought they posessed to do the job. It was absolutely a brain cruncher lol. Well it's over now, so on to the next part of my senior year!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Reflection:)
My example essay has finally been turned in. Overall i would say this essay has been the easiest so far. I think i feel this way because i really enjoyed writing about my topic. It made me think of things that were obvious, but no one wanted to admit. Finding example to write about wasn't the hardest thing to do. My challenge was finding a good order for them, making sure they flowed together, and stayed on topic. For anyone else who might be writing an example essay, i would suggest that they pick a topic they enjoy writing about and make sure all of your example compliment each other.
Ummm...this whole blogging situation has been interesting. When I'm using my blog for posting my paper and giving and recieving comments I don't reallly enjoy it. Don't get me wrong i love that people can read my paper and give me critques, but ALOT of the commments I get are don't have any substance to them. Also when I read others papers it sometimes makes me doubt my own writing abilities. When I blog just as a rant i really do get off topic and end up wasting alot of time lol. I think my blog and I just have a love-hate relationship at the moment!
Ummm...this whole blogging situation has been interesting. When I'm using my blog for posting my paper and giving and recieving comments I don't reallly enjoy it. Don't get me wrong i love that people can read my paper and give me critques, but ALOT of the commments I get are don't have any substance to them. Also when I read others papers it sometimes makes me doubt my own writing abilities. When I blog just as a rant i really do get off topic and end up wasting alot of time lol. I think my blog and I just have a love-hate relationship at the moment!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
asdfjkl;
Ahh..this week has been super crazy! So as many people know, im extremely terrified of dogs. If one touches me, ill probably have a panic attack. YESSS, its that bad. My brother, Cedric, got a pitbull awhile ago and now she just had nine puppies. They all stayed at his apartment, but he got annoyed that they kept pooping everywhere. Now they're staying at my house, which is a huge problem. My neice got poop all over most of my shoes, and idk why she even tried to wear my shoes she's only ten! The puppies whine all night long. Whinnie, the momma dog, scares the crap out of me, but my mom is making me stay at home!!! But thank the lord im going to Atlanta today. I'll finally get a break from all of it. AND this weekend i'm helping out at cheerleading competition and going to Special Olympics :D
THIS WEEKEND IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!!
THIS WEEKEND IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Are They Really Like Jesus? (example essay)
A present day Jezebel resides in the Christian community’s mist. Well at least that’s true according to Reuben Armstrong’s opinion. Armstrong is the author of the book Snakes in the Pulpit, which discusses the mistakes and schemes of multiple prominent leaders who claim they’re delivering God’s message to the people. In chapter seven of his opening quote says, “A wise woman once said, remember how you got your man: that’s the same way you are going to lose him.” This is what he uses to introduce his skepticism about ‘Jezebel’ Juanita Bynum. Throughout the chapter he goes in detail about her non-characteristic acts of a Christian. “She confesses her sins before everyone and goes in depth to describe her sexual appetite and her carnal craving in her message “No More Sheets.” She also believes that God doesn’t allow her to wear make-up, pants or outfits that show her figure because if she did so her ungodly ways would appear again. Bynum also has a failed marriage due to abuse, both physical and mental. She is now remarried to another Christian role-model. After her new marriage, she hosted a marriage conference; but the speakers who she scheduled to preach were both divorced from their marriages. Armstrong voices that he feels if the conference was for married people how could a divorcee preach to Christians about a successful marriage. In 2 Timothy 3:5, King James Version, the bible says, “They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.” Clearly some of Juanita’s actions would make someone question if they should stay away from her.
Big time prophets, preachers, and singers aren’t the only ones who make mistakes or pretend to be with walking with God. There are plenty of local Christians who do the same thing. At Real Life Church, their old youth program used to be called Relevant, and the youth pastor was Chris Dorrity, better known as Big Papa. Dorrity was always advertising the youth program and the events he had planned with the church. Then things began to change little by little. Big Papa’s advertisements became more and more about him instead of about Jesus, and more billboards of him appeared through out the city. Also allegations of child molestation appeared on Chris’s character. Now matters have died down. The youth program at Real Life has a new pastor, and it’s now called Elevation. Chris Dorrity has started a new place to worship, Grace Point Church. He has created a website to advertise his church. On the website across the majority of the home page “No Perfect People Allowed” is printed in large bold letters. If this is true, then Jesus would not be allowed in his new church. Since Jesus came down to earth and lived a perfect life as man, then died for our sins so that we could have the opportunity to strive for perfection in Christ. Jesus says: “watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ' I am the Christ,' and will deceive many” (King James Version, Matthew 24:4-5). With some teachings, we as Christians have to ask God what is His word and what's not.
Growing up as a child in the bible belt, church was always apart of my life. Every Sunday I went for the service and Sunday school, on Wednesdays I tagged along with my mom to bible study, Thursdays I watched her practice with the praise team, and on Saturdays I was rehearsing with the children's choir. If there was any event at church I'll bet I was there to participate. In doing all of these things, I came to assume that I must have been a Christian; I mean I was always in Christ's house. As I became older, my involvement in church continued, so I still assumed I was living a Christian life style. During the time I happened to be off church grounds, I didn't act like I knew what a church looked like. I gossiped, lied, used profanity, and didn't even consider repenting or changing my hurtful ways. All of these things I knew weren't acts of God but I didn't know that a real Christian actually applied what was taught in church and strived to be like Christ.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than swimming in the ocean makes you a fish. People go to church for many different reasons. For some it is a scheduled activity in their week, it simply becomes habitual not meaningful. For others it's an obligation or a ritual that is expected of them; some sort of penance for trying to atone for their bad deeds. They are simply going through the motions. God can still meet and impact those people's lives even though they create obstacles to His blessings.
People who go to church to learn more about God, to worship Him and fellowship with other believers are in a different category entirely. Does this mean that they are better than other people? No, it just means that they are forgiven of their sins and are trying to live life in His grace and with His help. Christianity is a day by day, moment by moment, choice by choice life style. As Christians, we are open to more critical judgment and a higher level of scrutiny.
The church is composed of a wide variety of people who are members for many different reasons. Depending on why they go and how they live their lives affects only their relationship with God.
Big time prophets, preachers, and singers aren’t the only ones who make mistakes or pretend to be with walking with God. There are plenty of local Christians who do the same thing. At Real Life Church, their old youth program used to be called Relevant, and the youth pastor was Chris Dorrity, better known as Big Papa. Dorrity was always advertising the youth program and the events he had planned with the church. Then things began to change little by little. Big Papa’s advertisements became more and more about him instead of about Jesus, and more billboards of him appeared through out the city. Also allegations of child molestation appeared on Chris’s character. Now matters have died down. The youth program at Real Life has a new pastor, and it’s now called Elevation. Chris Dorrity has started a new place to worship, Grace Point Church. He has created a website to advertise his church. On the website across the majority of the home page “No Perfect People Allowed” is printed in large bold letters. If this is true, then Jesus would not be allowed in his new church. Since Jesus came down to earth and lived a perfect life as man, then died for our sins so that we could have the opportunity to strive for perfection in Christ. Jesus says: “watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ' I am the Christ,' and will deceive many” (King James Version, Matthew 24:4-5). With some teachings, we as Christians have to ask God what is His word and what's not.
Growing up as a child in the bible belt, church was always apart of my life. Every Sunday I went for the service and Sunday school, on Wednesdays I tagged along with my mom to bible study, Thursdays I watched her practice with the praise team, and on Saturdays I was rehearsing with the children's choir. If there was any event at church I'll bet I was there to participate. In doing all of these things, I came to assume that I must have been a Christian; I mean I was always in Christ's house. As I became older, my involvement in church continued, so I still assumed I was living a Christian life style. During the time I happened to be off church grounds, I didn't act like I knew what a church looked like. I gossiped, lied, used profanity, and didn't even consider repenting or changing my hurtful ways. All of these things I knew weren't acts of God but I didn't know that a real Christian actually applied what was taught in church and strived to be like Christ.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than swimming in the ocean makes you a fish. People go to church for many different reasons. For some it is a scheduled activity in their week, it simply becomes habitual not meaningful. For others it's an obligation or a ritual that is expected of them; some sort of penance for trying to atone for their bad deeds. They are simply going through the motions. God can still meet and impact those people's lives even though they create obstacles to His blessings.
People who go to church to learn more about God, to worship Him and fellowship with other believers are in a different category entirely. Does this mean that they are better than other people? No, it just means that they are forgiven of their sins and are trying to live life in His grace and with His help. Christianity is a day by day, moment by moment, choice by choice life style. As Christians, we are open to more critical judgment and a higher level of scrutiny.
The church is composed of a wide variety of people who are members for many different reasons. Depending on why they go and how they live their lives affects only their relationship with God.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
looking back..
So this first paper was challenging to say the least. Writing and i just dont get along at all, but im trying to work on getting better at it. Um..to be honest im not quite sure what was the most difficult task for me. In the beginning i had a couple of topics in mind, but i knew i wouldnt be able to fully elaborate on some of them. So i as i opened my notebook to see what time class was over, it just came to me that i should write about my schedule. Lucky me :) Once my topic was out of the way, getting my whole paper started was a major tough one..i still dont think i did as well as i could have, which is a total bummer. Im really disappointed about that :/ And the last challenge for me was my conclusion! I felt so burnt out i didnt have a clue on what to write...but hopefully i pulled this paper off.
Some of the other essays i read really helped and encouraged me to keep writing. I saw that i wasnt the only person having trouble getting my thoughts down on paper, and other papers gave me ideas on how to communicate what i needed to say. I love getting critiques from others!!! If im doing something wrong or if there is a better way to write something, i would want to know so i can improve myself. Sometimes i dont always agree with the comments i recieve though, but i do take them in to consideration and try to look at their point of view. The comments i recieved were very uplifting..but i just wish i got a some more critiques. I felt that people didnt want to be too negative, but thats okay! I kinda felt rushed..but i think thats only because i didnt know what i was getting myself into lol.
Some of the other essays i read really helped and encouraged me to keep writing. I saw that i wasnt the only person having trouble getting my thoughts down on paper, and other papers gave me ideas on how to communicate what i needed to say. I love getting critiques from others!!! If im doing something wrong or if there is a better way to write something, i would want to know so i can improve myself. Sometimes i dont always agree with the comments i recieve though, but i do take them in to consideration and try to look at their point of view. The comments i recieved were very uplifting..but i just wish i got a some more critiques. I felt that people didnt want to be too negative, but thats okay! I kinda felt rushed..but i think thats only because i didnt know what i was getting myself into lol.
Friday, September 11, 2009
asdfjkl;
Ahh! Its friday:) Finally the day that i've been waiting for. This whole week has been flying by!!! I'm sooo looking foward to this weekend. I really need some time to re-group. Lately i've been majorly slacking off with my work. But im goin to start trying to do a little better. I guess that means ill have to stop procrastinating :/ lol.
So i'm waiting, in first period, to get my paper back from Mrs. Aiken. I'm really curious to see what advice she's going to give me. And im kinda scared at the same time. Ugh...i hate the suspense, its killing me! hahaha. But other than my extreme insecurity about my writing, college english has pretty cool. Although i dont think ill ever get used to waking up so early lol.
WELL..i guess ill start thinkinig of ways to improve my paperrrr!
So i'm waiting, in first period, to get my paper back from Mrs. Aiken. I'm really curious to see what advice she's going to give me. And im kinda scared at the same time. Ugh...i hate the suspense, its killing me! hahaha. But other than my extreme insecurity about my writing, college english has pretty cool. Although i dont think ill ever get used to waking up so early lol.
WELL..i guess ill start thinkinig of ways to improve my paperrrr!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
peer commenting.
so i still cant comment on some of my assigned stories...
but hopefully i will be able to soon
but hopefully i will be able to soon
Saturday, September 5, 2009
High School Scheduling
High school, the place that every teenager looks forward to and dreads going at the same time. There’s always drama you can’t avoid, although you soon make friends to keep you from going insane. But there is one thing your friends can’t save you from. The entire reason for school: Classes! If you desire to graduate, you have to take them, especially the mandatory ones. You need four math classes, three science, two foreign languages, four social studies, and four English courses. Also a total of twenty-two credits are required. But I wouldn’t stress out too much; you have four years to get it done. That’s just about six classes a year.
While growing up high school has always been the same here in Jones County. A typical school day would start for a few students who chose to start their day by attending a first period, which begins at 7:45am. The bell rings fifty minutes later at 8:35am, which ends all first period classes and begins the busy day for the remainder of the students and teachers. Everyone pushes their way through the halls in order to make it to second period by 8:41am. This class also last fifty minutes just the same as every other class except for fourth and sixth period. Fourth period is a short fifteen-minute class called advisement. It could be considered ‘freebie’ time. Sixth period is grub time. Jones County High School operates with two lunches. Some students will go to lunch first and then their sixth period, while the other half of students will report to their sixth period class first followed by lunch. Sixth period is also twelve extremely long minutes extra than a normal length class, in order for everyone to watch channel one news. Aside from the two different class times every other class is fifty minutes long. Also there is always six minutes in between every class, second through eighth. Once the bell rings at 3:15pm, eighth period is over and the academic part of the day is over.
Going through a schedule like this can be overwhelming. Students have at least six classes to worry about everyday. The most frustrating dilemma is that homework can accumulate so fast and before you realize you become swamped with a list of assignments. But there is a bright side to the many courses. With the more classes you take, the more people you come in contact with and befriend. Also that precious free time in between each class allows students to collect and prepare themselves for the next class. When it comes to sixth period there are definite ups and downs. The obvious benefit is it’s lunchtime, which is everyone’s favorite part of the day. Lunch is the only time meant for eating, relaxing, and socializing with friends without any disturbances from teachers or schoolwork. Of course with lunch there is always a sixth period class that work has to be done. This can be the most dreadful part of the day because of the extra amount of time in class. Overall the events of the day keep you moving at a fast pace all of the time.
Now days a change has come to the little town of Jones County. High school courses are being taught through blocked schedules on certain days of the week. Blocked scheduling allows students to attend just three courses per day and spend an hour and a half in each class. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days with fewer classes but extended time. Although first period classes never times. They still begin at 7:45am and end at 8:35am. On Wednesdays students go to their even period classes: second, sixth, and eighth. Second period still begins at 8:41am, but its new ending time is at 10:12. In between second and sixth period there is now a ten-minute break (this gives students time to walk around after sitting down for so long). At 10:22am sixth period starts and finishes at 11:52am. After this class period first lunch begins. If students do not have first lunch then they report to their fourth period for a forty-five minute advisement, which is still considered ‘freebie’ time. After first lunch and advisement is over, the students who were at lunch go to their advisement and the other students who went to advisement attend second lunch. Second lunch ends at 1:37pm. Once the bell rings at 1:37pm, students have eight minutes to get to class, which begins at 1:45pm. Eighth period is the last class of the day. It’s finished at 3:15pm, and then the school day is over. On Thursdays the time schedule is the same though the classes are different. Third period comes first, then fifth period. After that students still go to lunch or their advisement (fourth period). Then the students who went to lunch go to fourth and vice versa, just the same as on Wednesdays. Following second lunch, seventh period begins. This ends the school day and all of blocked scheduling for that week.
Switching to block scheduling was meant to ease the load of work given to students on a daily basis. Attending fewer classes a day allows teenagers not to have to constantly keep their minds racing about multiple assignments and lessons given by different teachers. But a major possible problem with this class scheduling is how long students are kept in the same exact classroom. The truth is only a handful of teenagers can sit in one class for an hour and a half without becoming distracted or losing interest. This causes the teachers to have to spice up their lesson plans to keep their students paying attention. That might call for more hands on learning activities, such as projects or experiments. Ultimately the better lesson plans could improve the students participation and grades, which is a very rewarding aspect of the program. Also lunch period is a plus. Instead of having to stay in one of your boring classes for twelve extra minutes, advisement (your ‘freebie’ period) is whom you go to lunch with. So now with extended advisement time, homework can be completed, socializing with others can be done, or just having some relaxation time is possible. With blocked scheduling there are fewer circumstances to be stressed about.
There is always change that happens over time. Even when it comes to how school are teaching classes. The block schedule came as a shock to the faculty and students of Jones County High School. Complaints may have been made; we cannot criticize anything unless you’ve tried it. The only way to know if an idea works is for the idea to be tested. We know the flaws in six classes a day: too much work and not enough time. Now as we use the block schedule, the time problem is eliminated and less work has to be done outside of school. So far the good that blocked scheduling produces out ways the bad. But the change will take time to adjust to.
While growing up high school has always been the same here in Jones County. A typical school day would start for a few students who chose to start their day by attending a first period, which begins at 7:45am. The bell rings fifty minutes later at 8:35am, which ends all first period classes and begins the busy day for the remainder of the students and teachers. Everyone pushes their way through the halls in order to make it to second period by 8:41am. This class also last fifty minutes just the same as every other class except for fourth and sixth period. Fourth period is a short fifteen-minute class called advisement. It could be considered ‘freebie’ time. Sixth period is grub time. Jones County High School operates with two lunches. Some students will go to lunch first and then their sixth period, while the other half of students will report to their sixth period class first followed by lunch. Sixth period is also twelve extremely long minutes extra than a normal length class, in order for everyone to watch channel one news. Aside from the two different class times every other class is fifty minutes long. Also there is always six minutes in between every class, second through eighth. Once the bell rings at 3:15pm, eighth period is over and the academic part of the day is over.
Going through a schedule like this can be overwhelming. Students have at least six classes to worry about everyday. The most frustrating dilemma is that homework can accumulate so fast and before you realize you become swamped with a list of assignments. But there is a bright side to the many courses. With the more classes you take, the more people you come in contact with and befriend. Also that precious free time in between each class allows students to collect and prepare themselves for the next class. When it comes to sixth period there are definite ups and downs. The obvious benefit is it’s lunchtime, which is everyone’s favorite part of the day. Lunch is the only time meant for eating, relaxing, and socializing with friends without any disturbances from teachers or schoolwork. Of course with lunch there is always a sixth period class that work has to be done. This can be the most dreadful part of the day because of the extra amount of time in class. Overall the events of the day keep you moving at a fast pace all of the time.
Now days a change has come to the little town of Jones County. High school courses are being taught through blocked schedules on certain days of the week. Blocked scheduling allows students to attend just three courses per day and spend an hour and a half in each class. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days with fewer classes but extended time. Although first period classes never times. They still begin at 7:45am and end at 8:35am. On Wednesdays students go to their even period classes: second, sixth, and eighth. Second period still begins at 8:41am, but its new ending time is at 10:12. In between second and sixth period there is now a ten-minute break (this gives students time to walk around after sitting down for so long). At 10:22am sixth period starts and finishes at 11:52am. After this class period first lunch begins. If students do not have first lunch then they report to their fourth period for a forty-five minute advisement, which is still considered ‘freebie’ time. After first lunch and advisement is over, the students who were at lunch go to their advisement and the other students who went to advisement attend second lunch. Second lunch ends at 1:37pm. Once the bell rings at 1:37pm, students have eight minutes to get to class, which begins at 1:45pm. Eighth period is the last class of the day. It’s finished at 3:15pm, and then the school day is over. On Thursdays the time schedule is the same though the classes are different. Third period comes first, then fifth period. After that students still go to lunch or their advisement (fourth period). Then the students who went to lunch go to fourth and vice versa, just the same as on Wednesdays. Following second lunch, seventh period begins. This ends the school day and all of blocked scheduling for that week.
Switching to block scheduling was meant to ease the load of work given to students on a daily basis. Attending fewer classes a day allows teenagers not to have to constantly keep their minds racing about multiple assignments and lessons given by different teachers. But a major possible problem with this class scheduling is how long students are kept in the same exact classroom. The truth is only a handful of teenagers can sit in one class for an hour and a half without becoming distracted or losing interest. This causes the teachers to have to spice up their lesson plans to keep their students paying attention. That might call for more hands on learning activities, such as projects or experiments. Ultimately the better lesson plans could improve the students participation and grades, which is a very rewarding aspect of the program. Also lunch period is a plus. Instead of having to stay in one of your boring classes for twelve extra minutes, advisement (your ‘freebie’ period) is whom you go to lunch with. So now with extended advisement time, homework can be completed, socializing with others can be done, or just having some relaxation time is possible. With blocked scheduling there are fewer circumstances to be stressed about.
There is always change that happens over time. Even when it comes to how school are teaching classes. The block schedule came as a shock to the faculty and students of Jones County High School. Complaints may have been made; we cannot criticize anything unless you’ve tried it. The only way to know if an idea works is for the idea to be tested. We know the flaws in six classes a day: too much work and not enough time. Now as we use the block schedule, the time problem is eliminated and less work has to be done outside of school. So far the good that blocked scheduling produces out ways the bad. But the change will take time to adjust to.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Descriptive essay draft
so my essay rough draft is finished but i can't figure out how to get it up here without having to re-type the whole thing..bummer:/
So our first assignment for this class is a descriptive essay. Overall my paper has been coming along slowly but surely. Life has just been super stressful with dance, college eng, and ap stat.. so i seem kind of all over the place lol. But my paper should be posted by the tonite if not definitely tomorrow. So you have to read it and give me some pionters. PLEASE and THANKS:)
Confusion
ugh! This whole blog concept is way more difficult than i thought i was going to be.
Hopefully i'll get the flow of how this site works soon!!!
Hopefully i'll get the flow of how this site works soon!!!
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