I Believe In The Power of Impact

"Purpose"

Have you ever experienced a time in which you had to help someone, because you've been in that situation before? I remember being in a position where I wanted to help lower-income students receive school supplies. I recall staring at my computer screen, five months after my thirteenth birthday, reminiscing upon the time where I had to use back to school rally supplies, and wear hand-me-downs.

I felt like I could relate.  

Fast forward a couple of months of collecting donations for the students, when my family, friends, pastor, and I delivered those filled backpacks. Kids my age were just so happy to receive something that was finally, theirs. Parents were approaching me with expressions of gratitude for providing their students with a chance to better their education. I felt satisfied with my life. I felt, meaning. I understood my purpose was to help others in any way I could. 

I saw the impact I had on those boys and girls. I couldn't understand how amazing helping others made me feel. I felt like I could do anything I set my mind to. I didn't think about how young I was, or how some of the kids were older than me. 

I believe in purpose. I believe in impact. I believe purpose and impact go together: hand-in-hand. And I believe that one person's effort to make a ripple in the pond, can make a wave in the ocean. And it doesn't have to be a person as well known like Malala or Ghandi, anyone can make a difference. You could be nine, or you can be fifty-nine. Every contribution can make a change. 

End of Year Reflection Blog 18.05.16

Wow. I can't believe in 10 days, we will be officially done with middle school. Our 'What Does it Mean to be an Eighth Grader,' and halloween party days feel so long ago. As I was trying to remember things that happened this year, I couldn't believe we were in eighth grade for that long. Time didn't go by so fast. It feels like it was ages ago when Sebastian ripped his pants, or we did our plays. 

The most important thing I have learned this year is perseverance. There was so many times I had wanted to quit, this class and school in general, but I kept working at it. Of course, I did it with the help of God and my family. The second most important thing I have learned this year is time management. Time management has to do with literally EVERYTHING! I never realized how much time plays in life. Literally, everything in your life is based off of time. What time you go to sleep, what time you wake up. It all goes back to time. The last thing I learned that was very important, was to enjoy life because life is never promised. I learned this while reading Tuesdays With Morrie, and To Kill A Mockingbird. In TWM, Mitch learned that life will never be promised, and It was represented by Morrie. He wasn't that old, or well old enough to die. In TKAM, the theme was put into effect by Tom Robinson because he was a young man and certainly didn't deserve to die. 

One thing we did this year that I will never forget is most likely when Sebastian ripped his pants, twice. It was really funny and just so random, that you wouldn't expect it to happen during class. I was glad that we were able to have a laugh about it, and that he didn't really get offended or embarrassed by it. 

The nicest thing someone has done for me this year was when I was in and out of a sling, and my friends helped me put my chair up or carry my books. Even though sometimes, I was being stubborn and didn't let them put my chair up. 

I can't really think of something I taught my classmates. Maybe something like helping others or being kind to each other. I know I helped a lot of people this year, and I hope I taught my classmates to help others in any way possible. I think if I did teach this to someone, that'd be really cool because I would have had somewhat of an impact on them. 

I think I made my biggest improvement in writing argumentatively and identifying where a comma goes.  I was reading my old Diary of the Wimpy Kid journal, and it was atrocious. Like the most simplest words were spelled incorrectly, and my grammar was terrible. I can see the difference in my writing skills/grammar skills from when I was younger, entering middle school, and now that I'm graduating middle school. I also feel that I made a big improvement in my argumentative writing. I learned how to cite my sources in multiple ways, and also how to write without sounding bias or informal.

An accomplishment that I was really proud of was receiving the grades I received. I worked really hard in this class, and I was glad the hard work paid off. I was also very proud about the essays I had completed for the different units. One particular essay was the argumentative essay, because I put a lot of work and effort into researching and writing. 

The most challenging part of this year for me was most likely when we would read books together. More specifically, To Kill a Mockingbird. It was really stressful to have to read, annotate, answer questions, keep up with the chart, and also finish the rest of homework from other classes. But I'm very delighted that I was able to get over the very stressful period, and be able to relax afterwards. I'm thankful though, for Mrs. Larson giving us that amount of work, because I feel it'll prepare us for high school. 

The best piece of writing that I have completed this year is my 'This I Believe' speech. I believe this is my best piece because I learned how to get the point across in a concise amount of words, and also how to show emotion through my writing. I was/am really proud of how I was able to explain what I believed in, and also provide an example of how I portrayed my value. 

My all-time favorite book has to be The Outsiders. I read it this year, and I really enjoyed how easy it was to connect to the characters and their situations. I fell in love with the author's writing style, and also the character's sense of loyalty to each other. The main character, Ponyboy, reminded me of my brother. Vince, like Pony, is really smart. But sometimes, in certain situations like Pony, they can both be out of line and do something that can get them in very big trouble. 

Another book that I really liked reading this year was That Was Then This is Now, also by S.E. Hinton. The book crosses over a little bit with characters from The Outsiders, and I was really enlightened by finding out a little of their future. I felt like I could relate more to this book than The Outsiders, because it dealt with half-siblings, and that's something I'm like an expert on. 

Students, make sure you listen to every single direction Mrs. Larson gives you because otherwise, the class will be a very big struggle to be in. Also, make sure you manage your time wisely. With the time management, it will save you a lot from stressing out. I also advise you to take this class seriously, because like I said before, the class will help you in high school. My sister came home one day and we literally had the same vocabulary words, and were learning the same basic things. 

Aphorism Project 06.05.16

Aphorism: "once you start running...it's hard to slow yourself down." Page 136

The aphorism, "once you start running...it's hard to slow yourself down," founded on page 136, is during the process of Mitch and Morrie's conversation about how rushed life really is. I believe this quote is not based off of any type of athletics, the saying is underlining the emphasis of how busy and stressful life can become. Sometimes you become so wrapped up in life, there is hardly a time to sit there and notice the joys or new things in life. It could be as easy as being caught up inside work, chores, bills, or just a 'busy' life in general. Once you being thinking, 'I don't have enough time,' you drive your body into overdrive. It makes it too hard to shut yourself down and to take a break. 

I also really believe in what Morrie was saying before Mitch said the above quote. In short, Morrie was talking about having a purpose or meaning. Morrie believed people with a meaningless life wandered around, in a hurry to find that certain feeling to make their life complete or have the sense of purpose. The person begins to try fulfilling their life with equally meaningless things such as a fancy sports car, or all of the Michael Kors purses a person can have. You become so entangled in a mess of all of your 'fulfillments', but it somehow doesn't give you a sense of purpose. In fact, you feel more meaningless and empty inside. I think that's what Mitch was trying to get at, that you go around life trying to find purpose in things you don't really need. You become warped into thinking you need the newest gadget or design to breathe, and you never slow yourself down. 

I  can connect the aphorism, "once you start running...it's hard to slow yourself down," to a song. I feel as if 'Breathe' by Jonny Diaz is a good relation off of Morrie telling Mitch, "...everyone is in such a hurry..." In the song, Diaz sings, "It’s off to the races everybody out the door/I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life." The lyrics from Breathe express the hurry Morrie is describing people being in. The chorus of the song tells the listener to 'just breathe,' expressing to take a breath and slow down from their busy life. I believe once you take that breather from all the stress and business in your life, you will be able to find fulfillment and meaning of your life. 

I strongly agree with what Mitch stated because if you do use the aphorism as a metaphor, think of it as running. You're building momentum as you increase your speed and time in running right? Once you get to the finish line, it's hard to slow down because you're going at such an increased rate of speed and your momentum is building up as you run, that you have to begin slowing down before you can completely stop. After thinking of the metaphoric way this aphorism was stated, I began to relate to different things in my life such as before winter break; you're struggling to get everything done, it's so hard to just breathe. 

I think my own aphorism would be 'helping is healing.' I came up with this idea as my aphorism because in my own personal life, helping spread awareness about bullying has helped me accept myself and heal the wounds from my own bullying issues. Such things as helping other people with their school supplies has also helped heal me from feeling bitter about growing up with a low income, because I realized that people have it worse than me, and I should always be appreciative. This aphorism can be applied to certain topics and such, but it's a general truth. Helping others can help you heal from past wounds or open sores you are currently struggling with.

Final Tuesdays With Morrie Reflection 04.05.16

Prompt:

Book: Tuesdays With Morrie

The past three socratic seminars have influenced my thinking because the different viewpoints people mention, are totally different than how I looked at the topic myself. For example, Sam and Lilly brought up the idea of being number one as the best, but I didn't view that portion of the book like that all. In fact, I agreed with the idea of being number one is just the same if you've tried your hardest, like Paolo mentioned. However, Mariza proclaimed the idea of being the best as our culture. 

Based off of Mariza's comment I thought of how many other topics and beliefs our culture influenced on young people. Such as it may not be cool to do well in school or care about your education, or that money is power. Key categories that pertain to such a great involvement in our life, tend to 'brain wash' young people and even older people as well. And I don't mean literal brain wash, like you spend every waking moment of your day addicted to the category. As I mentioned brain wash, I meant such things like love. Now a days, TV shows are constantly pouring into our brain about different Hollywood romances or fictional romances. Our culture influences us to believe that love, like a boyfriend or girlfriend, is everything. But I beg to differ because there are cultures were a family's love is worth more than a boyfriend/girlfriend. Where children aren't even allowed to date, until they know what love really is. 

My trends from the previous three socratic seminars were very downhill. The first socratic seminar I was apart of, which was seminar number two, I talked a few times, most likely once or twice. Then  during the third, my second, I didn't really talk as much and I spoke once. My personal goal for each seminar was to be an advocate for myself and try to speak as much as possible, but that goal didn't work out so well. From the first to the last, I didn't  complete my target, as much as I tried to work up the nerve to speak, I don't do well with public speaking. 

Our group session in the first socratic seminar, we mainly focused on the book, and some people tried to bring others into the conversation. There wasn't a lot of 'white noise' during the first talking, because everyone was trying to put their input into a very important topic, and people were metaphorically trampling over everyone. Sometimes our sessions remind me of a heard of angry bulls. In comparison to our second talking, the group as a whole really focused on making connections to the real world. There also was parts where emptiness began seemping in, because I think we talked about a heavier subject, such as fear and helping others, than we have before. The last group talking we had on Wednesday, was filled with white noise because I feel that we didn't have much talking to. 

I believe topics that helped hinder a specific seminar, seminar no. 3, was the relations to the real world. Based off the connections from book to world, the group was able to grasp the severity of our actions and how being selfless could really change an entire incident. From this conclusion, I think the fact connections were in relation to Morrie's words, it really helped bring up different questions, connections, or just general statements to help prompt others to speak out, without literally calling a classmate out.

The Fifth Tuesday/ We Talked About Family

Pages - 90 to 99

I believe the most impressional chaper of Tuesdays With Morrie, is the fifth Tuesday when Mitch and Morrie talked about family. One thing that really stood out to me was, when Morrie said on page 91, the fact is, "there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family." I thought this was really interesting because, you hear about money buying happiness because you can get all earthly possessions you want, like a house or a cool car, but that's not really true. I know this for a fact because, in my own family we're not the richest, but we're still really happy. We have fun together, and we know that money isn't everything. We do everything we can to get by, and when we want something we can't have, we share what we do have to make up for it. Family is the foundation, and without a foundation you'll stumble. 

Another quote the Morrie said that really got me thinking was when he said, "if you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you give my family, you don't have much at all. Love this is so supremely important. As a great poet Auden said, 'love each other perish.'" I found this quote really fascinating because, like I said above, a family is the foundation, and without a foundation you'll crumble. If you don't have your family, you're missing a very important part of life becasue family is always there for you if you need help. I also found what he quoted Auden on really truthful. I mean, everyone loves someone at one point in their life. And if you don't, then you become a hardened shell that will just perish or slip away. 

On page 92 Morrie says, "without love, we are birds with broken wings." I'm really focusing on love throughout this blog, but love is intertwined with family. They go hand in hand. And if you family is your foundation, love is your house. Without a foundation, you cannot build your house, therefore without family, you cannot have love. I mean yeah, you can feel love from friends and boyfriends, but I believe love from a sibling or parent is the most important love. Although, any type of love conquers. 

'Tuesdays With Morrie' Bucket List

20.04.16

Tuesdays with Morrie

Thus far, Tuesdays with Morrie is a very though provoking, and intellectual book. Morrie's thoughts and philosophies really make my brain think about my own life, and also think about the concept itself. One philosophy that made me question Morrie a lot was when he said, "don't assume that it's too late to get involved," (18.)  This statement that the elderly man stated made me question what he was doing while he thought of this. Also, whose life this idea pertains to, (who inspired him to create this concept.)

While reading page 21, I thought it was really interesting on how Morrie said, "I decided I'm going to live- or at least try to live- the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure." This was really riveting to read because when you hear a story, for example like Hazel in The Fault in our Stars, she was really bitter and depressed because of her cancer. I mean, it's not really rare for me to hear someone not being depressed because of death, I know a lot of people like that who don't identify with their disease. I believe the shocking and engrossing idea of his statement was because when he was diagnosed, he was kind of helpless. But, I think that would be normal to hear you have a time limit.

Reading of Morrie's journey, and how he is making his last few months positive and optimistic, it's got me thinking of how I want to live my life to the fullest like Morrie. Here are a few things on my bucket list. (Some may not be as thrilling as others.)

1. Go to Honduras. 
2. Attend a One Direction concert, (or meet them:)  
3. Impact someone's life. 
4. Change the world. 
5. Graduate college. 
6. Meet Lech Walesa. 
7. Buy my grandma a house. 
8. Go horseback riding. 
9. Volunteer in Honduras, (#1). 
10. Visit a waterfall. 
11. Swim with sea turtles and dolphins. 
12. Meet Malala
13. Open my own animal shelter. 
14. Pay for my parents to go to Hawaii. 
15. Go hiking in a forest. 
16. Make my house into an orphanage. 
17. Learn to play drums and guitar. 
18. Meet Pastor Saeed Abedini. 
19. Visit Ireland
20. Hold my neice
21. Adopt children from Honduras

3rd Quarter Reflection

08.04.16

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

-Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why?

Woah! Third quarter flew by fast! I can't even remember where second quarter started and ended! Just to think that only in a month we will be graduating and will be off to summer vacation. Over the course of third quarter, I have wrote an argumentative essay, learned about the Holocaust, and also have read a memoir by a Holocaust survivor. The new topics and things I am learning are astonishing, such as genocides and politics. 

I have completed so many books this quarter, it's getting too hard to track whether I read them in the third or second quarter of the school year. Throughout the collection of books I've read, I have to believe my favorite book thus far has to be Travel Team by Mike Lupica or The Fault in Our Stars by the famous John Green. Travel Team was a book I had read during Battle of the Books, and it was a very interesting book. It is basically about a boy who doesn't make the travel team because of his height. Lupica, the author, revolved the book around the underdogs of Indiana, which was interesting to focus on instead of the top, best team. The Fault in Our Stars was also a very interesting and mind capturing book because of the way it is written, and the thoughts Hazel and Augustus discuss throughout the book. The book itself was not a higher educated book, just the concepts and diction used throughout the entry was very thought provoking. 

I believe I made my biggest improvements inside my grammer and vocabulary. Although I don't use a grandiose vocabulary, I have noticed my writing is very verbose and uses a more educated vocabulary while completing an assignment. Sometimes however, being too verbose is a bad concept, and I try my hardest to stray away from that confusing habit. My grammar has also improved a little bit from first and/or second quarter, and obviously from when I was younger. And I still make a lot of grammar issues, because I'm clearly not perfect, I just used a conjuction to start a sentence for example. But while learning grammar, I've learned how to fix sentence fragments and how to tell what type of voice I need to narrate a paper. 

During this quarter we have worked hard and long to finish projects such as the butterflies each student constructed or to finish reading the last chapters of Night. But throughout all projects and papers we have completed, I believe I am most proud of my butterfly that I worked on to express my poem "Terezin". I am most proud of this project because it was a lot of work to paint and to print the pictures, based off of similes assembled in the poem. It was am little difficult at first to understand what Hachenburg, my author, was trying to express by using the concept of dreaming as a comparison. After I established what the author was trying to compare his Holocaust experience to, I was able to fabricate the butterfly with every part of the body and decor to act as a façade to the ugliness the Holocaust truly was. This is why I was so proud of my creation, even if it was messy and not that easy on the eyes. 

I believe the most challenging part of the quarter was reading Night by Eli Weasel. I think this was the most demanding part of the quarter, because there was a lot extra work that was added onto reading the book. The work was demanding in understanding of Eli's ideas and views of the Holocaust, as well as religion. His views were riveting to read because he was so young while experiencing labor camps and pain, that you couldn't even imagine what it would be like to undergo such a terrible time in history. The author's thoughts were sometimes very remarkable, but at the same time very unapplicable towards your life, that you had sometimes had no idea what he was talking about. These snippits in the book would make the questions extra hard and sometimes very difficult to answer.

Third quarter was a quarter of hard work and fun times. Including our class parties, and spring break:) I can't wait to see what fourth quarter has in stored for me and what new challenges I will come face to face with. But throughout all challenges faced in and out of Mrs. Larson's class, I can't wait to tackle them head on with my God at my side.