christina's english blog

A conversation that changed me was one time I was complaining to my dad about an unfair grade when he just said, "The world doesn't care if it's fair." He wasn't being mean, just blunt and honest. It made me realize that being angry wouldn't change the outcome, only my attitude toward the next challenge. After that conversation, I stopped dwelling on the past and started focusing on what I could actually control. Today in class, we worked on the writing evidence assignment. 

 When I was younger, I had an elf on the shelf named Peppermint, and she always came around during Christmas time. Each night, I went to bed with Peppermint, and when I woke up, she would be somewhere else in the house doing something silly, and sometimes she'd even bring me gifts. However, a few Christmases ago, Peppermint left me a note saying she would have to return to the North Pole forever. I was sad that I would never get to see her again. Now, a couple of years later, I know that it was actually my mom who was controlling Peppermint and giving me the gifts, but when I was younger, I totally believed it. Today in class, we completed our vocabulary lesson. 

 A fear I have overcome is the fear of the dark. When I was younger, I used to be so afraid of the dark, and I had to have a nightlight or the glow of the TV light on for me to sleep. I was more scared of what could be hiding in the dark rather than the dark itself. However, as I've gotten older, I was able to overcome this fear. Today, in class, we completed an identifying claims assignment.

 As I grow up, an issue/ topic I think I will have to debate in the future is the state of society. Today in America, I think that we are very divided, specifically in politics. I wish we could all come together and agree, but the reality is that it will never happen. Therefore, I will have to stand up for what I personally believe in and what I think is right, instead of conforming to a corrupt political party. Today in class, we learned about the different types of claims.

A truth I was afraid to accept was that I was the only person truly in charge of my own life. For years, I secretly hoped that a mentor, a lucky break, or some outside force would magically appear and guide me to success. It was a painful realization that no one was coming to rescue me, and that my future was entirely up to my own efforts. That truth forced me to stop waiting and start acting. Today in class, we learned about Pathos, ethos, and logos.

 A time I was judged unfairly was when I was once labeled a slacker because I was quiet during a group project, but in reality, I was the one working late to finish everything. It was a harsh lesson that people often judge what they see, not what’s actually happening. Today, in class, we reviewed the ways to write an argumentative essay.

 If I were learning about Hispanic heritage culture for the first time, I'd be most curious to know about the food. I love food from Hispanic cultures. I would be eager to learn the recipes and secrets on how they make everything so delicious. Also, I would be interested to know about their different celebrations and the meanings behind them. Today in class, we made a cluster on overrated things, and we learned new methods to write a thesis statement.

 After viewing my classmates' poem posters, one presentation that caught my attention was Time Is a River by Anna Burrus. I liked her unique perspective on time, as well as the visuals on her poster. I also could relate to the theme of the poem, which was that time flows fast like a river. Now I'm a junior in high school, but it doesn't feel like it all. Next year I will graduate, and soon high school will all just be memories. It reminded me to cherish these moments before they're gone. Today in class, everyone presented their poem posters. Overall, I loved everyone's Posters; they were all so creative and unique. 

 A time I felt like an interloper was when I transferred schools. I've transferred schools a couple of times, and sometimes I can feel out of place because people at school often have grown up together and have their own friend groups already formed. At times, I felt hesitant to make new friends because sometimes people aren't open to change or accepting new people into their circle. Today in class, we read a CommonLit article called "The Interlopers" by Saki, which was about Ulrich and Georg and how they view each other as interlopers or intruders on each other's land and lives, and then we answered questions about it.

 Of today's 15 words, I think the words agape, amorphous, and aesthetic will be most useful in my speaking and writing this semester. I think these words will be beneficial to me because they are new, descriptive words that can add to my language as well as my writing to help convey and describe things differently. I can use the word agape when something shocking or crazy happens. I can use amorphous to describe when something is vague. I can use the word aesthetic to describe something as nice and pleasant to look at. Today in class, we reviewed how to write an essay and different brainstorming methods. I wonder what our first essay topic will be.

 The thing I love most about being a part of the Lakeside community is the diversity among the students and teachers. I show off my school spirit by participating in dress-up days during spirit week. My favorite homecoming tradition is the big football game. Unfortunately, I was absent from class today, but I believe we completed a quiz. 

The learning method I enjoy the most is usually handwritten work, when the teacher walks us through the activity. I personally feel like this is how I learn best. For me, I feel like when I handwrite things, it sticks better in my head rather than when I type something. Additionally, I learn best by hearing how to do something step by step. Today in class, we finished writing our poems, and we started our poem posters. 

 The aspect I enjoy most about creating a poem is the freedom of expression you have. There are so many ways to express your feelings and ideas through a poem. Finding the right words to say and the correct rhymes to use is like a puzzle. Similar to the poem we read yesterday in class, "Constantly Risking Absurdity," being a poet is a very intricate and tedious process, and every word you say has meaning. Today, in class, we began writing our poems. 

My most absurd personal experience was one time, it was after school, when my friend and I decided to go to church that evening. Also, around this time, I had a strange addiction to eating cornstarch. I just liked the texture, and I liked the taste. Anyway, I had my friend taste it, and her parents came to pick us up to take us to church, and we weren't ready, so we rushed to get out the door, leaving the box of corn starch open. We went to church and enjoyed the service. After the service, there was an ice cream truck outside, so we decided to get some. As we waited for her parents to pick us up, a young man approached me offering a prayer. I accepted, and these 2 people started praying for me and my friend. At first, things were normal, but they started to get weird. Before I knew it, 5 people were all gathered around me, praying for me, speaking in tongues. I didn't know what to do. It was crazy. After that, her parents arrived and drove me home. My friend came inside to get...

 If I had to choose one song to describe my life right now, it would be Lock In by Destroy Lonely because I've been locked in. Whether that be completing all my schoolwork and assignments on time or going to work to make some extra money, I've been working hard. Despite this, I still have other goals I want to achieve, like consistently studying for the SAT every day and going to the gym at least 3-4 times a week. Sometimes it's easy to put things on the back burner, but I just need to make those things a priority. Today in class, we took a quiz on Emily Dickinson's poetry. I thought I was doing a good job comprehending her poetry, but seeing my score, I guess not. My score will help motivate me to gain a deeper understanding of her words and their different meanings. 

 If I were to compose a poem about one aspect of my life, I would write it about my childhood, and the message would be to not try to always live in the present. Now that I am a high schooler and have a job, I'm so busy and I always feel stressed, but when I was younger, I was able to just hang out with my friends and goof around. In my poem, I would write about fun experiences from my childhood, and the directed audience would be younger children, just advising them to enjoy their childhood and not rush growing up! Today in class, we analyzed Emily Dickinson quotes and finished up our soundtrack. I wondered if Emily listened to music when she was alive, and if so, what kind did she listen to?

 So far, this class has been going well. Over the past 4.5 weeks, I've been able to adapt to the demands of this course and understand what my teacher expects of me. Usually we do an assignment, then complete our blog posts. Sometimes we complete projects, either with a group or by ourselves.  Today, in class we read 3 Emily Dickinson poem's and started the Dickinson's soundtrack assignment. I wonder what songs, i will pick for my assignment that will connect to the poems. 

 Something that makes me different from others is that I'm a very empathetic person. I care so much for others and their feelings. I feel like it's a blessing and a curse. I say this because I'm grateful for my good heart, but I feel like sometimes people take advantage of it. Today, in class, we analyzed another Emily Dickinson poem, and we also continued working on our heart assignment. I wonder why Emily Dickinson began writing poems. I hope I can figure this out through reading more of her writing.