xoathleteox

What is the most precious item in your life? The one thing that you cannot do without. The thing in life you value the most. This question does leave some room for interpretation. There is no wrong interpretation. Please answer with what pops into your head first. Please do not over think it!

Well, because it said the first thing that popped into my head, I’d have to say, track and field.  Though it may sound a little weird, I can’t imagine my life without this sport.  It’s just something I absolutely love to do, and in many ways, it’s brought my family closer together.  I know my sister will always be there to tell me to “use my hips” or to “get my head up” while throwing, and I think that the companionship that I’ve formed with my sister is what makes me value the sport so much.  I know it’s something I couldn’t live without because when I’m on vacation, or just haven’t thrown in a while, I have a strong want to throw.  I suppose it’s because it calms my nerves, and because I’m good at it. 

If you could give three words of advice to Presidential candidate, what would they be?

For my three words assignment, I decided that I using the phrase ‘A Better Tomorrow’.  When we actually have a new president, their ideas and beliefs will differ from those of our current president.  Judging by the  ideas the presidential candidates have for the upcoming term, we will truely have A Better Tomorrow.

For this blog post, I commented on Kara’s blog, from Austrailia, asking her what she thinks when she hears the words “The United States”.  I also asked her what she would use to symbolize the United States.  I’m still waiting for her response. 

* To get to Kara’s blog, simply click on her name in the sentence above, or click here.*

high school –noun

So says dictionary.com, but ask any 8th grade student what they believe High School is, and you’d be surprised at how big the difference of results can be.  Some may say that high school is nerve racking, and they don’t want to venture up that rather large hill and into the “real world” next year.  Others can hardly wait to get out of middle school.  I interviewed a close friend of mine, and they had this to say:

“I’ve applied to private schools, haven’t heard back from them yet… so I don’t know where I am, or what I’m going to do yet.  To be completely honest, I think high school is a waste of time, and I don’t want to go.”

Their answer really got me thinking, why do we go to high school?  I mean, other than the fact that we need an education.  High school, in my opinion, is where our limits are tested.  Where you’re pitted against your fellow students for higher marks, or the last slot on the varsity basketball team.  Whether you’re into sports, or you’re into music, it’s all the same, competition  is essential for our learning.

 I’ll be honest, I have absolutely no want to go to high school in the fall.  Call me a baby, call me a chicken, I’m just downright, scared.  Scared I won’t make it to class on time, scared I‘ll get lost, scared the teachers will hate me and I’ll have no friends in my classes.  Though my two older sisters assure me that none of that will happen, they had each-other in high school.  My sister, who is a senior now, always tells me “If you can find the weight room, you can find anything.”  Which, is pretty much true.  I guess the thought of being with so many people at one time in a learning environment freaks me out.

Throughout my entire school career, (my eight years of wisdom) I can honestly say I have never been so independent as I will soon be next fall.  Say goodbye to line leaders and nap time.  I thought my transition from 5th to 6th grade was difficult, but I was able to pull through it.  Now I find myself filling out course selection sheets for high school.  In all my anticipation and nervousness, I’ve failed to recognize that good that comes with venturing off to high school.   Sports are a huge part of my life, so I’m pretty excited about the variety of sports they offer.  I will also be able to challenge myself more academically, and a new school always means new friends. 

I guess high school is just what you make of it.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

As I’m sure you know, every year on Janurary 21st, no child attends school.  This is due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  This is not just a school holiday, it signifies so much more.  On this day, we remember one of the greatest heroes in the Civial Rights Movement.  We celebrate this day to honor Dr. King and to honor his memory, for he was the man that spoke out about segregation, discrimination and hate.  He also stood up for Afrian-Americans and poor people.  I believe that the staying in school would not help celebrate because when celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., it should be spent with your family, and your loved ones.

For a complete biography on Martin Luther King Jr. check out this source- http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkbiospot.html

 Quotable Quotes from MLK Jr.- http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Martin_Luther_King_Jr./

Outside of your parents, who has influenced your life more than anyone else; who had an impact on your life and what was it about that person that meant something to you?

  I thought about this question over and over again, simply because I couldn’t pick one person to write about.  Eventually, I came up with someone, and I decided to write about my sisters.  My sisters, have always been there, I mean obviously, they are my sisters.  But when it comes to school, sports and problems my sisters are my major influences. Because of them, I’ve tried things I never would have tried. I look to them because I know they’ve already been through what I’m going through.  I have no idea what I would do without them in my life.  They get me through so much; there is absolutely NO WAY I can ever repay them.  I guess that’s the whole reason behind having a sister… being there for your sister and having your sister be there for you in return.  As I stated already, I can’t imagine my life without them and I’m so thankful they’re in my life.  Sure, my sisters and I fight, but we wouldn’t be sisters if we didn’t.  Although I can’t imagine my life without them, for almost a year, I’ve had to live without one of them.  She went away to college in January of last year.  I did see her at Thanksgiving and it showed me how much I really do miss her.  When you’re sisters, you share a special bond that you could never have with your parents or you friends.  My sisters are my best friends.

comments:

http://cjr08.learnerblogs.org/2007/12/11/my-twinny-bo-binny/#comment-48

http://agr08.learnerblogs.org/2007/12/10/my-older-sister/#comment-36

I wonder… two words I often use a lot, but not too much.  I wonder why no matter what you do in life, there’s always going be someone better then you.  Everytime you try to do something, you end up getting ”shown up” in the end.  You can find this anywhere in your everyday life.  I’m pretty much a prime example.  I try and try, and give it my all, but it’s still not good enough in the end.  That gets me wondering as to why I try at all.

I also wonder, if I should try saving friendships that are too long gone anyway.  Meaning we don’t speak anymore etc. etc.  Why do our teenage years occur this way?  Does it all have to be drama all the time, or is there a way we can actually get along with eachother?  No one is better than someone else just because their grades are higher, or they have more expensive clothes.  Whether we agree to it or not, we are all connected.  I wonder why no one else understands this….

 Comments:

http://ghbs08.learnerblogs.org/2007/12/03/i-wonder/#comment-20

http://lvs08.learnerblogs.org/2007/12/05/why-is-everything-unfair-i-wonder/#comment-41

What are the things that you think are so essential in the classroom that they can’t be outsourced to a virtual space?

My Comment:

Wow, this blog post really interested me because I feel that having to travel to and from school each day is a waste of our time.  I think we should be able to stay at home and learn our lessons from the computer, but what happens if our computer crashes?  Or what do we do if we have a question for the teacher?  I also agree with you when you said that debate cannot be done online.  Debate deffiniltey keeps each class interesting while in school.  All in all, I think home-learning is a good idea, but our technology is not developed enough for it yet.

We all want to change who we are sometimes…. and this is what I want to be.

New rumors each day, your best-friend becomes your worst enemy, and you never get away from the drama. 

Yes, this place does exsist, infact we all deal with it in our lifetimes.  It’s called middle school.  Sure, we will deal with all this later on in our lives, but is it fair to be dealing with it now?  When we’re young, we’re supposed to be having fun… not watching our back to make sure our friends aren’t talking about us.  I just recently went through all this drama and I couldn’t take it.  Let’s just say, people turned out to be very different from who I thought they were.  Thankfully, I was able to work it out, and I didn’t lose a strong friendship.

Although you can be mad at someone, you shouldn’t hold a grudge.  You’ll probably need this person to help you out in the long run and it’s better to have a few real friends rather then a large amount of fake ones.  Quantity isn’t really what you want in this case… you should be looking for quality.  Nothing can state my point better then the golden rule.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  And if someone feels the need to say things about you that are obviously not true, they aren’t a good friend, and it just makes it worse when it’s behind your back. 

When you talk about someone, you can’t say that you never thought the person would hear it.  If you didn’t want the person to hear what you said about them, you never would have said it.  Just because people can promise that they won’t tell, it doesn’t mean they won’t.  Sometimes the promises are just as fake as the person making them.

Then there’s another type of friend.  A ‘friend’ that claims to be there for you, and stick up for you, but all they do is tear you down.  I have friends that do this too.  Although the things they say bother me, I don’t let them get to me.  That’s probably the best advice I could give to anyone.  If you know what they’re saying isn’t true, then don’t sweat it… things will blow over in time and you won’t be the bad person.  The person who started the rumors will.

All in all, I don’t think it’s fair for all this to be going on.  Friend pitted against friend each day… it’s dog eat dog here in middle school.  Your parents will always tell you “Oh… it’s not that bad…” but they’re not the ones going through it each day.  If the real world is anything like middle school, then it’s time we make some changes.