Goodbye to Junior High

Every Sunday night when I sit down to write my blog I dream about the last time I will ever have to brainstorm an idea and write 500 words about a topic. Now that it's here I feel like bawling my eyes out like a baby. Saying goodbye is so much harder than I anticipated. It's crazy to think that these last three months or so I haven't been able to contain my excitement about leaving junior high and going on to big, bad Davis High. I didn't ever really think about saying goodbye to the things I would be leaving behind. I always knew from the beginning of junior high that I would have to say farewell to my fellow Falcons that were going to Layton. It didn't hit me until Friday night when I had some friends over at my house, and a few of them are going to Layton.

While we were having such a good time and bonding together I thought, "Will it ever be the same after we split and say goodbye?" Just thinking about this makes me really nervous. My very best friend since seventh grade is going to Layton and I know we will stay friends because we spend every weekend together. But then there are those who I don't see very often, but I've gotten used to see them in the halls on the way to my classes. I want to keep seeing those people, but who knows if I ever will? Hopefully, I will make an effort to keep in contact with those amazing friends with whom I have shared so many memories.

Now I would like to say goodbye to those people who are in Honors English. I am so happy that I chose to take on the challenge of Honors English. It's turned out to be more of an enjoyable experience than it has a burden to be a part of this class. When I heard that we would have to write 500 words every week, I thought I was going to die. But it looks like I've made it out in one piece without any horrible scars and bruises. I've gotten to know a lot of people that I wouldn't have met otherwise through this class, and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. Thank you everyone who helped me become a better writer from the beginning of the year. So many people helped me stay up with everything and I appreciate it so much.

I loved the books that we were assigned to read throughout this year. I can't even pick a favorite. A Tale of Two Cities was quite a challenge for me, but I made it work by reading 11.5 pages per day. I am so proud that I stuck with them and never gave up even when I wanted to rip my hair out.

I agree with Brigitte about continuing to write our weekly blog entries. I think it will help us stay in touch as we go on to high school and get busier. I also think it's fun to have a place where I can write about anything I want, whenever I want. My writing might gradually go down hill if I quit writing over the summer, so I plan on continuing with my blog entries.

It has been such an honor to be a part of this class, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this great program. I've loved sharing this experience with all of you. And most of all, thank you Mr. Thompson for spending all the time and hard work to make this class a joy and a great learning experience. Good luck to everyone in the future! I am glad to say that Honors English and the whole experience of junior high have "changed me for the better," and I thank you all for that.

To Kill a Mockingbird Review

To Kill a Mockingbird is a young-adult fiction novel, but it is loved by all ages. It is written by Harper Lee and addresses some issues of prejudice that were happening back in the depression era in Georgia. It is a great read for anyone who is willing to open their heart and try to learn from the great messages that the book teaches.

This story is told by a 5-year old girl named scout who lives in Maycomb County, Georgia. She and her brother Jem play all day long and love to tease the man who keeps himself locked up in his house named Boo Radley. Their father named Atticus is chosen to defend an African-American man in a court case where the man has been accused of raping a white woman in town. Scout and Jem learn from their father as he defends this man and teaches them what is truly important in life. Scout's understanding of the world around her and the people in it improves as she experiences different events. The main theme that is developed throughout the book is that we can learn so much as kids about the morals that we need to know later in life. These morals include treating everyone equally and not judging someone before you know them.

This book had so many lines that resonate and make the reader think very deeply about their own life and the way they are living. I felt like I knew Scout and Jem personally after the first few chapters of the book. I would've loved to walk outside and play in the Georgia sun with them. They become so real, and their father Atticus is someone I would want to go and talk to in time of trouble. He teaches his kids so many valuable lessons and the reader gets to learn these same important life lessons. One example is when he tells Scout, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Atticus also tells Scout and Jem, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." He is telling them that they shouldn't harm those things that don't do anything bad to them. They should just leave them alone.

This book reminded me of "Walk Two Moons" because it shares experiences about growing up and what it's like to be a kid. I liked it because it is told from the point of view of a little girl, and it made me feel like I was in her shoes watching the world around her. I also liked the morals that it taught about racism and the judging other people. Another thing I liked was that I learned a lot more about the depression. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something that will make them think and wants to learn some valuable lessons about life.

Obituary

Since it's the end of the year, in our Yearbook class we have started to write stories. We have done many different types of genres, and this week the category was an obituary. It kinda freaked me out, so I used dates that were a long time ago. I also didn't include names of a husband or kids because that was a little creepy. So here is my obituary that I wrote about myself...hope you enjoy.

Kendall Diane Sargent

Birth: April 9, 1897

Death: Setember 23, 1984

Living a long life of 87 years, Kendall Sargent died peacefully in the night with her three children right by her side. She was in her favorite place in the world which was with her family at their cabin in the Uintah Mountains in Utah. She was very healthy as an old woman and didn’t have many medical problems, but died of old age.

Kendall was born to two amazing parents named Kathryn and Steve on September 23, 1984 in Arlington, Virginia. She was brought into a loving family with parents and siblings who cared so much. She was the third oldest in her family of six children. As a child, she listened and danced to music all day long and was full of energy from the moment she was born. Moving back to Utah was a change, but she lived there from when she turned 3. She loved school from the moment she went and attended Burton Elementary, Sam Morgan Elementary, Fairfield, Junior High, Davis High school where she loved getting an education. While in school, she played both volleyball and tennis. Taking third in state in tennis and being a state champion in volleyball, she was quite an athlete. She was always a fun person to be around and loved to organize get togethers with friends.

She found the perfect man at age 23 and fell in love with him. They were married on June 26, 1920. Before they had any kids they were world travelers for about 2 years. They went all over Europe and Asia and even spent a week in Tahiti. She got a Masters degree in U.S. History at Stanford University. She taught her favorite subject of U.S. History at a college on the East Coast. Her kids were raised in Georgia, and their family enjoyed the warm weather together. She had three beautiful children who loved her and cared for her till the moment she passed away. As an older woman, she was the grandmother of 13 grandchildren, and she had 27 great grandchildren before she died. Her family was her greatest joy in life and always brought her happiness.

All throughout her life, she was a very faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There wasn’t a day in her life when she didn’t do some type of service for another person. She was a great mother to her children, and they learned so much just by watching her example of being a good person. Her family was sad to see her go, but they know that they will see her again someday.

A wonderful funeral service was held for her in Salt Lake City, Utah where most of her family lived. So many wonderful memories and stories were shared about the great life lived by Kendall Diane Sargent. She is one who will be missed and was loved by so many.

Thank you for reading.

Singapore

          Imagine being able to retire at the age of 55 and spend the rest of your life in total bliss living on a warm island where the conditions are perfect. The city of Singapore is a model society to the rest of the world. Singapore is an example of a good society because it is very organized and clean, it has a good schooling system, and it has a very strong economy.

          First, Singapore is a model society because it is very orderly about keeping the city in the best conditions possible. The streets are kept perfectly clean with flower beds lining the roads. It is so tidy because if anyone is doing anything that could cause any harm to the environment then they will be fined. There are very high fines that people are required to pay if they do anything out of line. This way, Singapore is kept as clean as possible. The city is a very safe place to be because of the excellent patrolling systems. Singapore keeps its transportation organized with many different ways to get from one place to another. The traffic laws are very strict, so it keeps the city safe. The crime rate on the island is very low because if anyone commits first degree murder, armed robbery, or selling drugs then they will suffer the death penalty. Not only is the island a safe place to live, but the schooling system is one of the best in the world.

          Next, Singapore has very strong educational programs that help them to become a better city. Their schools are patterned after the Japanese model. The system divides the students into different groups depending on how well they perform in class. The smarter kids go to "superschools" where they are trained for professional careers. All students are required to learn English. This makes it easier for everyone on the island to communicate without confusion. Since they all know the same language, Singapore runs very smoothly. This good system of communication helps the city to have a very strong economy.

          Last, Singapore is a model society because it has one of the best economies in Asia. The people have a very high standard of living, and only come in second to Japan in all of Asia. The average income is very close to that of the United States. The unemployment rate in Singapore is under 5%, and most of the people in their society own their homes. They have social security which helps them borrow to buy a home. Their strong economy allows most people to retire at the age of 55. The government of Singapore helps keep up this economy by having a tight hold on most business activity and industries. The government controls wages which makes union strikes very scarce.

          As stated above, the city of Singapore is a model city because it is in good conditions, it has a great education system, and it has a powerful economy. Singapore is a great place to live, and many other countries could learn from the ways they run their society.

Symbolism of Seedfolks

          The garden in Seedfolks, which was once a vacant lot, brings a neighborhood of people together that are all different races, religions, and have different ideas about life. Even though none of them speak the same language, they all learn a universal language that brings them together as one. The garden invites people with its warm welcome that symbolizes hope for a better life.

          The garden symbolizes a few different things, and it changes for each person that tends to it. Overall, the garden represents hope for a better life to all those who plant their seeds. Many of them believe that their lives will grow stronger as their seeds sprout up from the ground. They want to see a change in their life, and their plants help remind them of hope for the future. The garden almost became its own club because it was a place where everyone could be a part of something. Each member of the neighborhood felt like they belonged. Even Maricella, who explains herself as an outcast, tells that she felt that she belonged to something. "She said how it wasn't some disgrace to be part of it. She said it was an honor." (page 57)

          Vegetables aren't the only things that grow in the garden. Friendships begin to grow and develop as the people get to know each other. Seeds are planted, and they become stronger the more time they spend together. Certain people looked down on others before the garden was started. They begin to see that they are all more alike than they thought. Sae Young tells about an experience of the garden, and how it made their friendships stronger, almost like a family. "Next day, thunderstorm. Cans almost full. Little girl there, very proud. Someone bring three old pots to scoop water out of cans. Hard to pour into narrow containers. I put one by each garbage can. That day I see man use my funnel. Then woman. Then many people. Fell very glad inside. Feel part of garden. Almost like family." (page 39)

          The main theme that is developed throughout the novel has to do with people coming together despite their differences. It is shown that people from any race, ethnicity, or culture can come together through the garden that grows in this neighborhood. The people that spent time in the garden became less prejudiced and judgmental as the garden grew in size. They also made many friendships that helped them as individuals. People performed many deeds of kindness through the garden, and they used it to help others. They began to understand each other even though they had different backgrounds, and they didn't speak the same language.

          The end of the book shows the power of the garden, and the promises it held inside its walls. "But the garden was still empty. I was disappointed. I suppose it was still too early to plant. I began to wonder if anyone would come. Maybe no one was interested. Or maybe the city had shut it down, or sold the lot. I was worried. Then one day I passed it--and someone was digging.

          It was a little Oriental girl, with a trowel and a plastic a bag of lima beans. I didn't recognize her. It didn't matter. I felt as happy inside as if I'd just seen the first swallow of spring. Then I looked up. There was the man in the rocker.

          We waved and waved to each other."

         

          This garden that was started by one small Vietnamese girl brought together a whole neighborhood, and it grew much more than fruits and vegetables.

Walk Two Moons Book Review

Walk Two Moons, the winner of the Newberry Medal is a story that takes you through the life of a young girl from Kentucky named Salamanca. It is a fictional novel written by Sharon Creech for young-adult readers. The story shows the ups and downs of being a young teenager and seeing a problem from different points of view. It is a great book that is full of life lessons that all of us need to learn and use in our lives.

Salamanca, called Sal for short, is a thirteen-year old girl that is on a road trip with her Gram and Gramps to the place where her mother was last seen in Idaho. Sal's mother had left a few years earlier, and her father decided to move up to Ohio to ease the pain of the place where his wife had left. While on their trip, Sal tells the story to her grandparents of her friend named Phoebe Winterbottom where she finds her own story hidden underneath. She explains the whole story of her move from Kentucky to Ohio and the changes she had to face. The main theme that is developed throughout the story is that every story has many sides to it, and there is never just one point of view that is right or wrong.

While listening to Sal's story about growing up it makes the reader think about themselves and if they have ever been too quick to judge a situation without any details. The line that shows up again throughout the book is, "don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."

Each character had a very different personality which added to the effect of seeing things from different points of view. The main character, Sal, is trying to deal with the disappearance of her mother while she is moving into a new town with many different people. She makes a connection with her best friend, Phoebe, when they start to deal with some of the same problems. Sal's father and his new friend named Margaret add to the story with their personalities and make it more exciting. There are many other characters that give their input on the issues discussed in the book that make it more interesting and give the story different angles.

Walk Two Moons somewhat reminded me of Because of Winn-Dixie. The two stories are told from the perspective of young girls that are trying to deal with similar problems, and they are trying to learn about seeing things from different points of view. It is a fun book to read because while you're reading about the story of Sal and Phoebe you are reminded of similar experiences that you have been through. Many of the problems they face are just a part of growing up and learning about the world.

Some things that I liked about the book were the two different stories going on at the same time. There is the story of Sal traveling with her grandparents, but at the same time she is telling the story of what happened back in Ohio with Phoebe. It was fun to switch back and forth between the two stories being told. I also liked how it explains what has really been happening at the end of the book, so it all makes sense.

I would recommend Walk Two Moons because it shares so many important life lessons that most of us fail to remember because they seem so childish. It is a good reminder to always walk in someone else's shoes before judging a situation. It is a fun story to read about growing up and the many different lessons we learn from our mistakes.

Fahrenheit 451 Book Review

This science-fiction novel takes place in a mysterious future world created by Ray Bradbury. It discusses some very interesting problems about a society and what is wrong with this city that has a different way viewing the world. It is written for teens or young adult readers. The book was written in 1953 and addresses some problems that could possibly happen in the future. The future world that it explains in some ways relate to our current world. It is a book that makes the reader think about what happened in the story after they finish the last page and close the cover.

The main character named Montag is a fireman who doesn't put out fires, but starts them. His job description is to burn books because they are a problem and cause trouble in their society. The people of Montag's city focus more on television rather than literature and things of substance. When Montag meets a 17 year old girl named Clarisse who looks at things a little differently, he realizes that something isn't quite right about the way he is living, and he decides that he wants to see what it's like to live with a purpose. He faces many obstacles throughout the story that changes the way he sees things. Some of the themes are about the importance of literature and books and how they can set our minds racing with good and bad.

It was an intriguing story because it raises so many issues that are applicable in our society today. It makes us wonder if we are forgetting the importance of literature and wasting all of our time watching TV. The main character, Montag, sees this problem, and he tries to find some type of solution. By the end of the book, you feel like you know the characters personally. Montag's wife, Mildred, and his boss, Beatty are both interesting characters, and they see the world in such different ways. A young girl named Clarisse is the voice of sense in this novel because she sees the world for what it really is. An old man named Faber sees what is wrong with the society, but he is too afraid to try and make a change. This book reminded me of the Hunger Games or Uglies because it has a different setting and it takes place in a future world. I liked how it made you ponder if our world is really wandering too far from the world of literature, and we are forgetting how important it really is to us. I also liked the metaphors throughout the book because it created a clearer picture of what was happening. When Bradbury would describe something he would add great detail to give the reader a perfect image.

I would recommend this book because it makes you think about what's really important in our lives, and if we are payng attention to the direction our world is going. Also, it makes you wonder if our society is leaning away from books for the better or for the worse.

Surprises of Utah Weather

In the last week, I have spent the majority of my time in a place where the sun shines almost every day of the year. The temperature is about 60-80 throughout the different seasons. I had a volleyball tournament in Anaheim this past weekend, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was shining every day, and there was a slight breeze so it didn't get too hot. We spent as much time outside as we possibly could. Then after my tournament was over, my family and I stayed for a few more days to hang out at the beach. It was even warm enough at the beach that I was getting hot so I got in the water to cool off. In the beginning of April! This trip was so much fun because we got to escape from the never ending winter that lingers in Utah.

I have to say that it was one of the biggest disappointments I have ever faced to come back to a blizzard when we hit Salt Lake on the drive home. I bought sunglasses in California for the beach because the sun was so bright, and then we came back to a place where I definitely won't need them. It doesn't seem right that there is a thick layer of snow in my  backyard, and we're supposed to be out of school for "Spring" break. I guess the people who planned the school year out misjudged when spring would come around by a bit.

Our tradition is to go camping down in Southern Utah over Spring break each year. We didn't do that this year because of my volleyball tournament. But I remember it being really warm when we would come back home.

If I remember right, when Punxsutawney Phil came up out of his hole on February 2, he told us that there would only be six more weeks of winter. Back then, that seemed very far away and like it would never end. If only I knew that was just the beginning. If his prediction was true, spring should have started in the middle of March.

Also, Easter is coming, and it would be so sad to have a rainy, cloudy Easter Sunday. In all of the pictures that you see, Easter is a day where children search for eggs in the green grass on a sunny day. I surely hope that's the way it will be this year. It would be a disappointment to many if it was a gloomy day on such a happy occasion. I don't remember ever hunting for eggs in the snow, and that better not change.

Now I know this blog may sound a tiny bit annoyed, and I am getting pretty fed up with this wacky weather. I really need to stop complaining because there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I'm pretty sure that no matter how hard I try, I will never be able to control the weather. I'll try to hold my tongue for the rest of this endless winter, and then I'll show my excitement when the sun finally shows its face.

My Newly Discovered Love for Reading

When I first learned to read just before I started Kindergarten, I was enthralled with it. I picked it up really quickly and really enjoyed it. Whenever we would have visitors come over to our house, I would say "hi," and then I would say, "can I show you how I can read?" I was very proud of my newest accomplishment and wanted to show it to anyone possible. This habit went on for about two years. By the end of the first grade, I had read nearly every single Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House book there was to read. After this, I think I became bored with reading, and it wasn't quite as exciting. It seemed that there wasn't ever a book that was entertaining enough to capture my attention. I wouldn't ever finish books all the way through for a while. This went on from about second grade to about seventh. This is really devastating because I missed out on so many great novels that I wouldn't even give the time of day.

Then the summer after seventh grade, this bad attitude towards reading started to change. Three of my cousins that live all over the U.S. had a little trip with my grandparents at the end of the summer. We did all sorts of things like hiking, swimming, crabbing, and even white water river rafting. My grandma and grandpa thought it would make things more fun if we all read a book and then discussed it on our trip. All four of us are girls, so they thought it would be fun to read something dramatic like Gone with the Wind. I wasn't too happy about this idea at first because I took one look at the size of it and wanted to give up. The whole thing cover to cover is nearly 1500 pages. In the beginning, I thought that every second of the book would be painful, so I had to make myself a chart that said I would read 35 pages every day to finish by the time we had the trip. It turns out that I didn't need the schedule at all. The second I picked it up, I was completely in love with it. I would lock myself up in my room for hours and read 200 pages straight. It has the most capturing story line that keeps you guessing throughout the whole novel. I fell in love with the characters because they were so complex, and it was a mystery to see what they would do next. I learned a lot of important lessons from that book, and I am grateful that my grandparents challenged us to read this classic novel.

Ever  since then, I decided that I would give books another try. I promised myself that I couldn't stop after the first 20 pages. This was one of the best choices I have ever made. There are so many great stories out there that I had no idea even existed. A big chunk of the last year or two has been spent reading in my window sill and making up for lost time. There isn't anything quite as enjoyable as wrapping up in a blanket and having an adventure by diving into a book. I have loved the books that we have read for Honors English, and I plan to take Honors English throughout high school. I am so happy that I decided to give reading another shot, because there are so many great things in my life that come from the wonderful of books!

"A Tale of Two Cities" Passage Analysis

            A Tale of Two Cities takes place in 1775 at the start of the French Revolution in Paris, France.  The book follows both the lives of people who are at the height of the aristocracy as well as people who are starving French peasants.  Against the backdrop of this time period, Dickens explores many different themes, one of which is revenge.  The following passage about a woman named Madam Defarge, a French Revolutionary, illustrates how revenge is an evil that can completely consume an individual's whole life and mindset.

          "There were many women at the time, upon whom the time laid a dreadfully disfiguring hand; but, there was not one among them more to be dreaded than this ruthless woman, now taking her way along the streets.  Of a strong and fearless character, of shrewd sense and readiness, of great determination, of that kind of beauty which not only seems to impart to its possessor firmness and animosity, but to strike into others an instinctive recognition of those qualities; the troubled time would have heaved her up, under any circumstances.  But, imbued from her childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress.  She was absolutely without pity.  If she had ever had the virtue in her, it had quite gone out of her.

          It was nothing to her that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefather; she saw, not him, but them.  It was nothing to her that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live.  To appeal to her, was made hopeless by her having no sense of pity, even for herself.  If she had been laid low in the streets, in any of the many encounters in which she had been engaged, she would not have pitied herself; nor if she had been ordered to the axe to-morrow, would she have gone to it with any softer feeling that a fierce desire to change places with the man who sent her there." (Book the Third, Pages 365-366)

            As shown in the passage above, Madame Defarge is a woman who has absolutely no pity for anyone or anything.  As a child, her sister was raped and her brother killed by the Marquis St. Evremonde.  In this part of the novel, she is walking down the streets of Paris on her way to denounce Lucie Mannette Darnay, wife of Charles Darnay, the nephew of the Marquis St. Evremonde.   Lucie's husband, Charles, has been accused of being an enemy of the Republic, arrested, and sentenced to the guillotine that day.  Madame Defarge suspects that Lucie will be at home grieving for her husband, and it will therefore be the opportune time to arrest her.  She plans to use the excuse that Lucie is grieving for an enemy of the republic and is therefore guilty of treason and should be sent to the guillotine.  Madame Defarge is determined to exterminate as many Evremonde family members as possible.  She has completely lost her mind, and all she cares for now is revenge against the Evremondes.  She will do anything in her power to get back at the family that made her life miserable as a child.

          The imagery in this passage is so clear that the reader can picture her "great determination" as Madame Defarge moves down the streets of Paris.  Dickens describes her as a "tigress" stalking her "natural enemies and her prey," the aristocratic Evremondes. She is depicted as being "ruthless," having a "shrewd sense and readiness," and an "inveterate hatred."  These powerful adjectives demonstrate to the reader her evil character.  She is a heartless woman whose virtue "ha[s] quite gone out of her."

          This lack of virtue is also portrayed in the dark tone that Dickens uses in this passage.  His harshly descriptive words and phrases convey an overall sense of cruelty and viciousness.  Through Dickens' tone, the reader feels the brutal nature of Madame Defarge's desire for vengeance.        

          Though these two paragraphs are but a small part of A Tale of Two Cities, they represent the theme of revenge.  Dickens seems to suggest that not forgiving another can tear a person apart.  Failing to forget past mistakes can become more than just wanting revenge.  In the case of Madame Defarge, this lack of forgiveness becomes the purpose of her life.   Her character conveys to the reader the all-consuming nature of spite.  As demonstrated in this passage, Dickens' novel seems to warn the reader against getting caught up in the need for revenge.

Romeo and Juliet

I've always loved learning about Shakespeare. When I was in sixth grade, I had the opportunity to be a part of a play at my elementary called,"Snippets from Shakespeare." Each class in the sixth grade performed five different scenes from Shakespeare's plays. I played the part of Laertes in the "Hamlet" fight scene. Back then, I remember I really enjoyed reading Shakespeare's works. It's really fun to decode the complicated writing figure out what it means in modern day English. When you first look at a passage from his writing, it looks so deep, and you think that there is no possible way that you could ever understand it. Then if you use your brain a little bit, and figure out all of the metaphors in the writing, it isn't too hard to decode. Shakespeare has so many great things that are written in his plays, and once I could understand what in the heck he was talking about, I learned some really cool things.

One of the days while we were reading Romeo and Juliet, we looked at many different quotes for our "Quote of the Day" in Mr. Thompson's class. Almost every little saying had some great advice that we should all learn to follow. One of my favorite ones said, "A light heart lives long." You wouldn't think that something this simple could have so much truth in it. There were many other great quotes that gave good advice about honesty and other life choices.

I feel like my writing has gotten much better since we started reading Shakespeare. His plays make you realize that you can create a masterpiece with words that we use every day of our lives. Of course, there are also some really great insults added into his writing. It can be difficult to make it rhyme at times and to make the words fit just right. After a lot of rearranging and changing up some words, I wrote a sonnet for my wiki assignment. I decided that I didn't want to write a letter or a journal entry because I knew everyone would do that, and I wanted mine to be different. Once I made a word pool of words that rhyme, I chose to speak from Friar Laurence's point of view, and I got the general idea of what I wanted to say, it wasn't so hard to put the words down onto paper. So, here is my sonnet that I wrote from the point of view of Friar Laurence about trying to decide whether or not to marry Romeo and Juliet.


                                                      Friar Laurence's Sonnet 

"He's mad," thought I, when Romeo first crossed my door,
Real love? Is it conceivable whilst meeting but last night?
Could Romeo without his Juliet consider himself poor?
In the sight of God, could the love they share be right?
One from the house of Capulet, the other Montague,
Their young love discovered, would not their parents please.
If conjoined in matrimony, lethal would be the feud.
Young lovers, their minds held captive, do not think of things like these.
I could believe this love is true, but how with endless woes?
Doth youthful passion possess the power to overcome such strife?
The Montagues, though warring, must accept the House of Rose,
Or else this life-long prejudice could turn them toward the knife.
Though Juliet is but a girl, and Romeo just a young boy,
Perhaps the union of these two could bring about some joy.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

In Mr. Carter's class, we are learning about the Middle East. It is a little coincidental that we are learning about it when there is all of the conflict happening over there right now. There are so many problems in Egypt, Libya, and of course there is always trouble happening in Israel. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on ever since 1948 when Israel was officially made a country, and the Jews were given the land. Both groups of people believe that the land rightfully belongs to them, and there are definitely two different sides to the story. The Israelis believe it is theirs because they were promised the land as the promised land. The Palestinians don't believe it is fair that the Israeli people can come and take over their land after they have been living there for centuries. There is always conflict between the two groups over the tiny little country of Israel. There have been many attempts at how to solve the problem, and there have been many different ideas about how to end the fighting. This is my paper that I wrote about the solutions to the conflict.


                
                Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

There have been so many attempts for peace for the tiny piece of land in the Middle East. There has been fighting going on for more than 60 years for the country of Israel, when it became a country in 1948. The Israelis and the Palestinians both believe that the country belongs to them. The Palestinian people have lived there ever since the Diaspora. Then when the United Nations created the country of Israel, they told all of the Jews that they could come live there because it had been promised to them.

        The two groups of people both have reasons to believe that it is rightfully their own land. It seems obvious that if both of these people are fighting over the same piece of land, they should just split it right down the middle and give half to the Israelis and half to the Palestinians. This method of splitting the country in half is called the "two state solution." However, it is not quite that simple because both groups cherish the city of Jerusalem and do not want to give it up. This is one solution that could possibly work for solving the conflict.

        Another way that they could solve the problem is by moving one group completely out of the country. This would be a very difficult solution because it would nearly be impossible to move an entire group out of the country. It is not likely that any of the surrounding countries would be willing to let the Israelis or Palestinians come in and invade their land. All of countries that surround Israel hate the Israeli's guts, and it is not likely that their opinion will change anytime soon.

        There have been many different ideas for ways to solve the conflict over the tiny little country of Israel. It would be very difficult to make both groups of people happy, but maybe there will be a time when the issue will be solved. It would be hard to make it fair for both sides of the conflict.

The shrieking sounds that are often heard at the Sargent household

It seems like whenever someone asks me to write anything about a certain person I always end up choosing my little sister Kate. I remember in English at the beginning of the year, Mr. Thompson asked us to write something about an interesting person that we knew well. Kate somehow pops into my brain when I think of people that are interesting and definitely unique. Then again she came into my thoughts when we wrote poems in English about a month ago. I made the decision to write my poem about my uncommon sister that I have the opportunity to spend time with each and every waking hour. I spent some time coming up with words that rhymed, and then wrote it out into poetry form. My dad helped with some of the rhyming patterns one night, and Kate came up and asked us what we were doing. Don't worry, we were pretty sneaky, and I don't believe she suspected anything, and she probably never will. That's just the kind of person she is; once she know that is has nothing to do with her, she's not interested and completely checks out and clues back into her own world. She is very adorable at times, but you will now see why she can be a tad difficult to share the same space with this little girl.

My deafening little sister Kate,

 You could never call her a bore.

She's been shrieking every second

Since the moment she was born.

Kate is weeping and she's wailing

About every little thing.

Since she's making noise so often,

Simply, we've stopped asking.

She roars when she if full of rage,

At times she weeps in sorrow;

No matter what the crisis is,

It won't be fixed tomorrow.

What to expect from a 7-year old?

She rarely thinks rationally;

Sometimes things make sense in her head,

If not, she's heard nationally.

I would cry too if I dropped my spoon

 Well doesn't it make sense?

"She doesn't shriek when it's time to eat,"

 It's been said in her defense.

Although she often causes problems

And stirs up a mess each day;

Her blonde curls and blue eyes are charming

And in your heart she will stay.

Not only does she shriek about a lot of things, but she can also be heard around the house while she is singing to her High School Musical. She loves to exercise her strong vocal cords especially with her beautiful singing voice. I'm convinced that she will be the next Hannah Montana with her voice and acting abilities. 

As I'm writing this right now, what do you think she's doing? You got it, she's yelling at the top of her lungs at my sister, who still hasn't heard her after five minutes of constant shouting. However, even though she can be the biggest pain in the world at times, I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. When she isn't busy whining about something, she is so sweet. She leaves me darling little notes all around my room that brighten up my day. What can I say, our family just wouldn't be the same without Kate.

Revenge

After answering the discussion question about revenge this week, I kept thinking about revenge and the awful things that it can cause. I have now finished "A Tale of Two Cities," and there are so many great examples of revenge in the book. The character of Madame Defarge becomes so caught up in repaying the aristocracy of France that she turns herself into an evil, bloodthirsty woman who cares about nothing else. The want to have revenge on the noblemen completely overtakes and consumes her to the point where she only wants to kill everyone that has anything to do with that class of people. I have found some great quotes about revenge and what can happen if we do not forgive. After each one I will explain what they have to do with Madame Defarge and and what the price of revenge can be.

 “Revenge is sweeter than life itself. So think fools.”
-Juvenal

  Throughout the book, Madame Defarge tries to convince herself of this statement and that her life will be happier if she takes revenge on the aristocracy of France. She is turned into a fool by thinking this is true.

“There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.”
-Josh Billings

 This quote is so true, but Madame Defarge is too proud to realize that forgiveness might be a better option for her bitterness. She has buried herself so deep into the revolution that she thinks it is much too late for forgiveness now. She is not willing to forgive the children of the people that were awful to her family. Even though Charles Darnay is innocent, she can't see past the fact that he is a descendant of the Evremonde family.

 “By taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it, he is superior.”
 -Unknown

This quote tells us that we can be the bigger person if we forgive and forget the wrong things people have done to us. Madame Defarge is not in the least bit willing to forget the things that the Evremonde brothers for the pain that they caused her to suffer as a young girl. She would rather become even with her enemies by causing them to die rather than become superior to them by forgiving them.

 “Those who plot the destruction of others often fall themselves.
-Phaedrus

There isn't a quote that could come closer to resembling what happens to Madame Defarge at the end of the book. She is so caught up in causing other people to fall that she never thinks twice about the fact that she could be killed herself. She is consumed with taking revenge and so like this quote says, she falls herself from being shot by Miss Pross.

Reading "A Tale of Two Cities" has really helped to see how revenge can kill just as strongly as a gun shot. The revolutionaries in the book want to take revenge so badly that they are driven by repaying the aristocracy, and they can't think about anything else. The French Revolution is an event in history that I hope we can learn from, and that we won't be so bloodthirsty for revenge that it will take over our lives. 

For Good

          Last November, my mom, my sister, and I took a girls trip out to San Francisco to see the Broadway play, "Wicked."  It was not only a really fun trip because of all the fun things that we got to do, but it seemed that after walking out of the theater, I felt changed in a way. The whole play has many different lessons that it teaches us, and I learned a lot of things while watching it. I have to say that there is one song it particular, "For Good," that taught some very important lessons.  The lyrics have some very important messages to share. I found them and have now copied them down onto this page:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good


It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you

Because I knew you
I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good

I have thought about these lyrics over and over again in my head. It isn’t just about the similes, the rhyming words, and the bitter-sweet phrases that it contains. This song tells us many important things about choosing our friends and how to treat them if you want to keep them. At the beginning, it has some important lines, including the following, “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn.
And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them,
and we help them in return.”

          I believe that certain people are put into our lives for reasons. A lot of those people are here to teach us the lessons that we need to learn in life. This may be true, but I think that it’s hard for us to realize that these people are here to help us. We may get annoyed by these individuals who want to make us better and teach us what we should do, especially when those people are our parents. It also says in those lines that we will only grow if we help those people in return. I think that we all could do a better job of realizing what people do for us each and every day and giving back to those who sacrifice for us.

          I also like the very last lines that read, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” These words have so much that they can teach us. I hope that we can all try to do a little better at being nice to people and helping them out. I know that I want people to be changed for the better because they knew me. I think that we can all want to be better each and every day, so that we can change other for good. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco and see this amazing musical because it reminds that I can be better every day.

Biology Essay

In my wonderful biology class, one of the options for our term projects is to write four essays on scientific magazine articles. This option sounded better to me than finding science comics and writing a paragraph about each. It also sounded more enjoyable than reading a book about a disease that made people have giant sores and gaping holes everywhere on their bodies. This sounded like the best option to me, so this is one of my fantastic science essays that I have written. It may not be perfect, but then again my biology teacher will take one glance at it and if it looks like it has five paragraphs, I will probably get a perfect score.

October 2010                  

Amber Angelle

Hurricane News

            Can you believe that the wind can travel over 150 miles per hour? All over the world, places get completely destroyed from these winds that come from the sea called hurricanes. Hurricanes can be extremely dangerous and can demolish hundreds of miles of our earth's surface. Scientists have been studying the ways that hurricanes start, what happens while they are happening, and possibly some of the factors that cause hurricanes to start.

            The scientists that have been researching this topic of hurricanes have found many different things. They have learned about the eye, which is the center of the hurricane and is in the middle of everything that's happening. The next part outside of the eye is called the eyewall. The eyewall is actually much more powerful than the eye itself because the eye is in the middle and does not carry much force. The eyewall is full of heavy rains and extremely fast winds. Scientists have also been studying whether the temperatures of the earth have any affect on how frequently hurricanes occur. They have found that heat will not cause more hurricanes, but when they come they will be much more powerful than normal.

            I believe that it is very important that we have recorded some of these facts that will help us to learn more about the danger of hurricanes and how serious they are. This information could help us with safety in the future when hurricanes are going on around us. If we learn more and more about them, then it will be easier to protect ourselves and fight against them. There are some very interesting things that have been found in this research, and some of the stuff is things that we should know.

            There are things called Cyclone Cylinders that are found in the eyewall and they stir the hurricane up to be bigger and more powerful. It gives the winds an energy-boost and when Cyclone Cylinders are helping the hurricane, the storm can be intensified to become a category 5. It is very interesting that the eye of the hurricane isn't the strongest point, but that the eyewall is much more powerful and can do more damage to the area that it is destroying. I hope that we can use this information and learn even more in the future.

             This new information from scientist's research can help us immensely with our knowledge about hurricanes. We can't stop these terrors from coming, but now we know how they work and what their plan is. 

Computer Tech Essay

I decided to take Computer Tech during the second semester of this school year. I thought I should do this so that I don't have to take it at the end of my senior year because I completely spaced it in previous years. The class isn't too bad except for the timings that we have to complete by midterm and the end of the term. We did a timing at the beginning of the semester to see where we stood. I wasn't thinking about how we had to improve, and so I went as fast as I could. I now have the problem of not being able to boost my words per minute. I hope I can solve this problem by practicing typing at home. In Computer Tech, we study computer programs in sections. Right now we are doing the Computer Basics unit. For extra credit, we could write an essay on a person who has changed the world of computers. I decided to do this, because I am assuming I will need the extra credit later on when I don't improve on my timings. This is my essay that I wrote about Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple.

Steve Jobs

          Think about waking up every morning and knowing that you have millions of dollars from your accomplishments. Steve Jobs wakes up with this feeling every morning. Steve Jobs has made endless contributions to the world of computers and technology. He has made his mark and will never be forgotten. He is the CEO of the Apple Computer company, he has participated in Disney Animated Pixar, and he has received many important honors for his accomplishments.

          First, Steve Jobs is the Primary Chief Executive Officer of the Apple Company. He was one of the co-creators of the company starting back in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, he and his co-workers created the Apple II. This Macintosh, created by Apple, was a huge breakthrough in the computer world because it was a mouse-driven computer. He left Apple in 1984 because of a struggle with the board of directors. The company was bought out, and this brought Jobs back into the company.

          Next, Steve Jobs has also contributed his talents to the world of Disney. Pixar made many great movies in the 1990s and the early 2000s, but in 2004 Pixar's contract with Disney was almost up. Steve Jobs stepped in and Disney ended up buying Pixar for $7.4 billion dollars. Jobs is now Disney's biggest shareholder with 7% share in stocks. He continues to help with Pixar's movies, and he earns a lot of money from his contributions to the company.

          Last, Jobs has won many great awards for his accomplishments. He was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine. He also received the Nation Medal of Technology by the president Ronald Reagan along with the co-creators of Apple. Jobs was named person of the year by Financial Times in 2010. Jobs has earned many awards for his great contributions to the world of technology.

          Steve Jobs is an extremely intelligent man when it comes to technology and computers. He has made many discoveries and helped the business of computers grow. He will always be remembered as one of the people who made it possible for us to use computers each and every day of our lives.

Teachers vs. Athletes

Every A day I come in early to see my math teacher Mrs. Corry, to ask her questions about the homework. Mrs. Corry is always willing to help me with anything I don’t understand. I deeply appreciate the time she spends with me and all of her students in need. It makes me sad to know that she will be paid less money throughout the whole school year than some professional baseball players will make in one inning. This pay difference is a problem in our world that needs to be changed. Professional athletes should be paid less money, and school teachers should be paid more.

            There are a few reasons why this should change, but the first reason is that teacher’s pay should increase so that more qualified and gifted teachers would go into the field. There could be so many more great teachers if it was a higher paying job.  It’s as simple as this: if you want good teachers to teach, then pay them more money. Many qualified teaching candidates feel they cannot choose teaching as a career because they can’t support a family with a teacher’s salary. For example, my dad is great at teaching and would have loved to be a law teacher. However, there are six kids in my family, and so my dad had to choose a different career to support our family. While some teachers have financial problems, athletes are making more money than they can spend. It was reported that at one point, Michael Jordan was making $160 per second, which means that he was paid about $78,000,000 that year. If you compare this to a teacher, who makes about 43,000 per year, there is a drastic difference. Can you imagine how many amazing teachers would choose this as a job if they could make $78,000,000 a year?

Even though the pay is low, some teachers still choose this career, but they have to become qualified by going to college. The second reason that teachers should be paid more is that teachers make a financial investment to become teachers. They must pay for the training and education in college to qualify them for their job. Professional athletes, on the other hand, rarely spend any money on their college education (if they go to college), when they begin their professions, professional athletes make millions while teachers make relatively little. There is a saying that tells us, “You’ve have to spend money to make money.” In most cases this is true; however, teachers spend the money to go to college, but are paid much less money than those athletes who didn’t spend a penny. Not only are teachers giving up their money, but they also spend four or more years of their time in college. Since athletes don’t need anything but skill to qualify them for their jobs, they don’t have to put any time into college.

Although people may say that athletes play a big role in children’s lives, they don’t contribute nearly as much to society as teachers. School teachers spend time with children every school day teaching them math, science, English, and history. They are educating them and helping prepare them to be contributing members of society. On the other hand, professional athletes are not usually good examples to children and don’t teach them good principles. If teachers are contributing to the betterment of society while athletes are merely entertaining us, shouldn’t we pay teachers more than professional athletes?

As shown above, teachers should be paid more money, and professional athletes should be paid less. More good teachers would go into the field, teachers make a time and money investment by going to college, and teachers contribute more to children’s lives than professional athletes. Teachers play a big role in our lives as students, and I hope that more of our world can understand this so that by the time I go to college; I can choose to be a teacher like I would love to be someday.

"Salary for All K-12 Teachers." Payscale. Payscale Report. 2010-2011. Web. 1 Jan. 2010-2011. <http://www.payscale.com/research/US/All_K-12_Teachers/Salary>.

The Clasroom of Carter

          "Smup, cuss, splain, HDIC!" The language you just read is called Carter, and it is only spoken in one place around the world. That place is in Mr. Carter's classroom at Fairfield Junior High. Mr. Carter is my favorite teacher and has changed my life throughout junior high. There is no one else who can be quite as unique or as clever when it comes to Mr. Carter.

          Each day that I have Geography, I look forward to going to school because I get to go to class with Mr. Carter. He is one of the only teachers I know that can have the perfect balance of learning and fun. He lectures the whole class period, and we take notes on what he says. You would think that after just listening to the same man for an hour and a half it might get a little dull. This is not the case because he will always do something that will catch you off guard, and it will make you ask, "Is there something wrong with him?" Whether it's singing, dancing, or scaring you with a blow horn, Mr. Carter always has a way to keep Geography interesting.

          Mr. Carter not only keeps class entertaining, but he is very clever as well. Each day when we go to class there is what he calls a "Carterism" up on the board. A "Carterism" is one of Mr. Carter's words that he changes up the meaning a little bit. For example, in his class, the term Utter Destruction is referring to a female cow that got stuck on a fence, and a crowbar is known as a pub for black birds. As I mentioned before, the words smup, cuss, splain, and HDIC all mean something as well. "Smup" means to pass 'em up, and he tells us this when we need to pass our assignments up. "Cuss" means to discuss, and "splain" means to explain. "HDIC" stands for the Head Dude in Charge. This is referring to the president or leader of a country.

          In Mr. Carter's class we learn new words and funny jokes, but we also learn a lot about Geography. Last year, he was my teacher for U.S. History, which is my favorite subject. I love learning about the Civil War, and I already knew a lot about it. I couldn't believe how much more I knew about the Civil War, and everything else in U.S. History by the time the year was over. This year in Geography we are learning the location of every country in the world, the major rivers, cities, and mountain ranges. This is a great skill to have, and I am grateful that he is putting us through the pain of learning all these places. We also learn some very important life lessons and just some crazy trivia that nobody knows except for Mr. Carter.

          When I think of amazing teachers, only a few names come to my mind, and Mr. Carter is definitely at the top of my list. He is a fabulous teacher because he makes learning fun, I have learned a whole new vocabulary, and I have learned a lot about history and Geography. Looking back on Junior High, Mr. Carter has definitely made his mark in the my life, and the lives of many students.

Child Soldiers Essay

 

Sarge P4

Child Soldiers

            It is estimated that right now, at this very moment there are 300,000 children under the age of 18 fighting all over the world. These children are taken from their homes in the cruelest and unusual ways to fight for a cause that they don't even believe in. Many of the children are forced to kill their parents when they leave their homes, and then later they are commanded to shoot their personal friends.

            Imagine being one of these poor, helpless children who are dragged into this misery at such young ages. Here in America, all we are worried about is if our outfit looks cute, or what we're having for dinner. On the front of my scrapbook there is a boy, and the quote says, "And in America, violent video games come with an R rating." This shows us that we have no idea what these children go through every single day of their lives. These kids have nothing to think about but fighting and death. They wake up every morning and wonder whether they will stay alive that day, or if they will follow many of their friend's fates. These poor children have no choice where they go, or what cause they are fighting for.

            It is not right that the children are taken and mistreated in such ways. It is awful to think that many of the young girls are raped, and they become pregnant. They are still used to fight even in such circumstances. The children are used as cooks, spies, laying explosives, and in serious combat.

            You might ask where these awful things are taking place. The answer is almost everywhere in the world. The most common places are Rwanda, Uganda, The Congo, and many places in Asia. Children are taken thousands of miles away from their homes to fight and most of them will never return to their mother and father.

            Will they be forced to stay in the army for the rest of their lives? Sadly, the answer is usually yes. This doesn't mean that they will always be called child soldiers. Once a teenager turns the age of eighteen, they are no longer considered a child of war, and their past is completely forgotten.

            There are very few wars right now where children are not participating in the fighting. When you imagine war, you probably think of lines of men they are in camouflage dress with guns. This is definitely not the case for most places in the world. Children are a big part of the fighting, even though many of them don't know how to use the weapons. Thousands of children die from the misuse of weaponry each year. Many of them also die from disease and infection.

            We have many great resources that are trying to stop the use of child soldiers. The symbol that represents this groups is a hand with a small child holding a gun inside. These groups are helping to make people aware of the dangers and horrors of child soldiers. Their job is to inform the public about the awful things that are happening around the world.

            As you can see, the use of child soldiers is a very big issue in our world today. I hope we can all be more aware and do everything we can to help these children who have no choice but to kill, or they will be killed.

My Biggest Fear

We as human beings fear a lot of things. Sometimes it's spiders, sometimes it's a big math test that's coming up at the end of the term. We are all afraid of many things and for many different reasons, but I'm guessing that most of you aren't afraid of your volleyball coach. This may sound really funny to you, but for the most part it is true that I am scared of her.

I have played club volleyball for quite a while, and I have had a range of different coaches. Some of my coaches were too serious, and they never focused on the positive. Another coach of mine had troubles with getting upset and telling us what we were doing wrong. My coach now is very different than anything I have ever experienced.

I have practice twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday night. I carpool with some girls on my team, and we talk about our coach on the way. We have all agreed that we get this sick feeling before volleyball. I don't know what it is but it's this little voice nagging at you all day saying, "You have volleyball tonight." Once I get there it's completely fine and normal, but the whole day makes me nervous.

Although she yells at me, and scares the living daylights out of me, she is by far the most amazing coach I have ever had. I have already improved a ton so far, and I am in way better shape now. She is so motivating, and she makes we want to be better at everything, not just volleyball. On the court, she is nobody's friend. I repeat, nobody's friend. She works us so hard until we can hardly breathe. She keeps on reminding us that, "No one has ever died from playing volleyball, so you can do this!" But the second you step off that court, we don't talk about volleyball, and I can tell that she cares so much about me.

This probably sounds like a really weird situation, and I'm guessing that she sounds a bit bipolar. But she definitely knows the game of volleyball and loves to play. She wants all of her girls to improve, and so she is willing to put them through the hardest practices ever to make them better players. I really do come home from every practice just feeling exhausted. My body just feels like it needs to lie down for a while and wake up in few days.

We had our very first tournament this weekend, and we did really well! All the hard work now feels like it has paid off, and that we get to show how much work we put in. She always reminds us that, "when our team is practicing, we're getting better, and other teams aren't as hard as we are." This definitely rang true this weekend when we showed what we put into practice. She tells us that we work hard at practice, so matches will seem easy. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I get to be on this great volleyball team with such an amazing coach. Even though she scares me to death with her penetrating eyes and when she yells at me, she is making me a better person, on and off the court.

New Year's Resolutions

This week for our discussion question, we were asked to tell what our New Year's Resolutions are going to be. I thought that I would expand and go into more detail about my goals for this upcoming year.

First, I would like to start keeping a journal. I shoot for this almost every year, but this year I would really like to start getting in the habit of doing it. My plan to help me do this is to set apart time everyday to write in my journal, so that it will become a habit. I love reading my parent's journals, so I try to write down a few things that I think will be important to my kids.

Next, I am going to try and be more organized with school. I have a planner, and I sometimes take it to classes with me. I just forget to write things down in it, so I just stop using them. All of my friends that use them say that it helps them to keep up with their homework, and they never miss due dates. I come home a lot of times thinking that I don't have any homework, and then I will remember when I get to school. This forces me to use my homeroom time to finish up assignments, when I really need the time to read. Procrastination is my biggest weakness, and I am really trying hard not to put things off until the last minute. For example, this break I waited to do all my homework until today. I have been really stressed today, and it would have helped if I had spread it out over the two weeks. I know that using a planner, and not procrastinating would help me in school, and I hope I can really follow up on this goal for the rest of the year.

Another thing I would like to get better at is being more positive about things that happen to me, and always trying to look on the bright side. I wouldn't call myself a negative person, but sometimes I find that I make things seem so horrible when there really are many positive things about the situation. Being more positive would help be a happier person, and that is what I am shooting for.

I have a giant list of books that I would like to plow through this year. I am hoping that I can make it a habit to read for at least a half hour each day. I love to read, but often times I save it for right when I go to bed, and I fall asleep. Maybe this year, I could read for a while directly after I get home from school. This way I wouldn't be too tired to read. I want to finish up the Harry Potter series, and read more Jane Austen books. I am liking Pride and Prejudice so far, and hope to finish it up here pretty quickly.

I hope that I can follow up on these New Year's Resolutions, and really make them happen in throughout the year 2010!