Adelina (FC)

At the age of five, I was entrusted with Adelina, my first pet, a turtle. Adelina taught me how to take care of others whether it was a pet or a human; and as the years passed by I became a more responsible person. The biggest thing I learned while taking care of Adelina is patience because if theres anything you need to take care of a turtle is a lot of patience. I had so much fun playing and talking with her; she was always right there when I needed a friend. Adelina didn’t make a lot of noise or cause trouble, she was just like me

Math (PB)

Math has been my favorite subject for as long as I can remember, but math became my passion in the sixth grade because that is when I knew that I wanted a career in math. Being able to solve problems through numbers and knowing which equation to use it just amazing to me. Math is like a game of chess it requires patience and understanding. When it comes to math you have to stop and just think what, is the best way to solve the problem, and the fact that it makes you think is definitely my favorite part of the subject.

I love to test myself and the harder the math got the more passionate I became about the subject. Math is just one of those subjects that I just get, I am able to understand it. I went ahead and became a teacher assistant for the math teacher down at the middle school in order to challenge myself because I figured that if I understood math so much then I should be able to explain it and teach it. Not only did I help the middle school students, but I helped myself become a better math student because now not only can I show my steps but I can explain them.

O'Melvany Scholarship (FC)

A year ago I applied for the O'Melveny scholarship, I wrote the essay and I gathered all the materials I needed in order to apply that was easy, but then came the hard part. I had to do an interview, if you're as shy as I am then you know that interviews are like a nightmare. It was bad enough that I had to do an interview but then I found out it was a group interview. I was sitting there nervous just waiting my turn, and as the time for my interview got closer the more nervous I became. It was finally my turn, my hands were sweating and my legs were shaking. The interview started and my nerves just got worse; everyone was staring but I couldn't stare back, all I could think was that I needed to get out of there. I wanted to just walk out and never come back, but I came back and I'm actually glad I did. The interview was pretty bad but I don't care because I sat through it.

Government (ID)

In government we are watching a movie called Wag the Dog. In the movie Wag the Dog, the media plays a very important role in what the people’s opinions are. In the film the president was caught in a scandal that involved a little girl, and in order to get people’s mind off of that they made up war. The president had a person, known as a spin doctor, working behind the scenes to divert attention from the president’s scandal. The spin doctor did this by making up a war; they filmed a scene where it looked like an explosion happened, that was broadcasted all over the news. Even though the war was fake people still believed it because they saw it on television. Not only did they constantly broadcast the war but they completely stopped reporting about the president’s scandal. The president was being accused of something very serious but because it wasn't reported enough people just forgot about it. The media played a huge role in helping the president gain the votes he needed to win the election.

The media has the same effect on us today. Anything that is displayed in the media is portrayed to be true. As a nation we have not been taught to question the government; we've been taught to trust the government because they are only doing what’s best for the nation. We need to learn to question these things we hear in the media because most of it is just what the government wants us to hear. I think that what the government is doing is a subtle form of propaganda. The media isn't there to inform us, it is there to tell us what we should believe. We need to always keep in mind that not everything we see is true.

I just want sleep! (FC)

Last year began the downward spiral that is my life. Since last year the most sleep I've gotten so far is about 6 hours. Last year was so intense mostly because of AP chemistry and US history, those two classes killed me. I would come to school on barely any sleep, and even on absolutely no sleep which is just complete misery. This year I get a little more sleep but not enough, and I have noticed how it has negatively affected me in school. I find myself forgetting a lot of things that I wouldn't have forgotten two years ago. This especially worries me in math because that's what I want to do with my life, and it requires memorization. Not only is it affecting my memory but it's affecting my ability to pay attention. I might think I'm paying attention, but when it comes down to the work I realize that I actually have no idea what the teacher said. I think that maybe I should work on better time management skills, so that I can get the right amount of sleep.

What it's like to be the problem (ID)

In my leadership class we read about W.E.B. Du Bois and when he realized he was different; when he realized the true difference between his skin color and "their" skin color. Being an educated black man Du Bois had to deal with a lot of criticism from the "other world" as he liked to put it, and it really opened his eyes to the harsh reality of what being a person of color really means. Along with this realization came a very important question every minority has to face, what is it like to be the problem? Du Bois had no response because he did not know how to answer this question. How exactly is someone suppose answer this question, how is one suppose to feel knowing they are a problem? In my opinion it depends what kind of problem you are. Being the minority we are automatically viewed as a problem, but you can choose whether you want  to be a good problem or a bad problem. Someone who chooses to go down the wrong path and just waste their life on the streets will become a bad type of problem. Someone who chooses to do something with their life and takes advantage of opportunities to become the best at what they do will become type of problem. I consider this a good type of problem because you are being viewed as competition which means you are standing at the same level or maybe even at a higher lever than your white competitor. At the end of they day you are a problem, but it's up to you to decide which type of problem you are going to be.

Freebie

This is my freebie week for marking period 2