End of Year Reflection: 7th Grade Year

The three most important things I learned this year are time management, being ready to be called on at all times, and to finish your work no matter what (even if the quality is subpar.) In reading we have a lot of homework and it's in our best interest to finish everything or face the consequences (usually in the form of falcon fouls). We have to plan out time and make room to finish our homework with time and quality. Something is almost always better than nothing. If you finish your homework you'll be ready to be called on at all times. It's better to mentally be thinking about how you'll phrase things, then you won't look like a fool. If you are prepared and your called on when momentarily distracted you will at least know what to say. Not everyone gets a round of applause for saying one word.

I have a lot of moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. One of these moments is sadly not lessons, but the parties and the food. These memories stand out to me because it is unique from other teachers. Other teachers don't usually have small parties like this, except for celebrations with pizza after basketball season. One of my favorite things about this is how everyone collaborates together and happily brings things along. Even if people don't bring food they bring games (board games) and good attitudes which is very important. I love how this class is like a family and we work together well. This memory is something I will remember. 

The nicest thing anyone has done for me is unfortunately, let me copy a few things off of them. I have to admit, sometimes I don't do my work. As I said before, something is better than nothing. So, I asked a classmate to help me out with a few things. Of course, I made it up later on and never needed their help again. Another thing that's nice is when they help me pick up my things. I'm a clumsy person so I drop my things a lot. I feel really grateful when people help me pick them up. These are some of the nicest things people have done for me in class.

I have taught my classmates and teachers that if you try hard enough and don't look for short cuts all the time you will reach a good balance of quality and quantity. It is very hard to have enough time to do perfect in everything, but as long as you follow directions it'll be okay. If you think about things a little more you might see that the answer was actually right in front of you and not impossibly difficult. All it needs is a little effort. With a bit of hard work and perseverance you will reach the requirements and even more. 

I think I have made my biggest improvement in writing and thinking patterns. I have accomplished many things this year. Some of these are the argumentative essay, spine and found poems, and the Lady and the Tiger continuation. I am proud of these things because they show how much I have improved so far this year. As for thinking patterns I've gotten a more responsible attitude towards homework and work in class. A positive attitude is one of the most important things you can have. These are my biggest improvements. 

The most challenging part of this year was time management in second quarter and even a little bit in third quarter. I was unprepared, sleepy, and late almost twice a week. Being unprepared in class hit me hard. I almost got close to a detention and couldn't follow along in class. When the teacher called on me I was unprepared and nervously making things on the spot while embarrassing myself. It was a bad time but I got over it. 

My best piece of writing this year is my "C Poem". The poem is about living day to day life without passion and dreams. It's not the longest thing I've written but I think it has a certain quality to it. I think it's the best poem I've written this year because it has many themes which are embodied in it. Three of the themes are loneliness, dreams/hopes, and freedom. These themes are the most important themes in my point of view/perspective. Everyone has their own views and problems but these are the ones that can be interpreted in the most ways. They are relevant to all people as we all face difficulties with this. This is my best piece of writing in my opinion. 

Of all the books I read this year my favorite was Ender's Game. Ender's Game is a book about Ender Wiggin and his siblings as they deal with different problems. Ender is dealing with alien invasion and inner battles about morals. His siblings are dealing with politics and their secret online identities. It is my favorite because it I really like the sci-fi genre as well as school based themes. I really like the way they portray Ender as a genius because they don't make him all powerful, he also makes mistakes and thinks about things in the wrong way. It has universal themes about love and war as well as how to deal with tough situations that are forced on you. Another reason why I love it is because it has sequels and continuations. If you aren't satisfied with book one there are many sequels and different take on the novel. You can also compare it with the movie, even though in my opinion the book it infinitely better as the movie portrays things differently and leaves out important events. Ender's Game was one of my favorite books this year. 

School is tough, and everyone needs a few tips on how to survive. Somethings I would advise the students next year is to finish your work, respect the teacher, don't be afraid to admit you weren't paying attention or you don't know, and always be prepared to be called on. If you finish all your work you'll have a better relationship with your teacher and if you do your work you will know what to say when you are called. The most important advice we can give is to follow all directions said by the teacher. The teacher tells you to do things for a reason. Whenever you get free-time don't waste it and do your work. You can have full free time later. This is a part of time management. Basically, listen to your teacher and follow all directions. Also, if you don't want to be called on blow your nose, or drop a pencil, or make the sneeze face, and if the teacher looks at you don't look away because it'll be suspicious. (This goes for all classes and teachers, however don't overuse it.)

C Poem

“C” Poem:

The sun sets

confidently in the sky

causing all the shadows to run

but chains keep them stuck to us,

a burden we must carry,

I am my own shadow,

and there is no escaping,

not when the sun isn’t strong enough

to erase my burdens

so I walk as a prisoner

and every morning I wake up

and live like a zombie as

every and any other day, routinely

like a puppet without will,

then the sun disappears

and my shadows unchain

In nights I dream

of truly living

Of Mice and Men (Book and Movie), Comparing and Contrasting, Section 1 and Section 4

Right from the beginning of the movie we see immediate differences. For example, "the incident in Weed" is shown in the beginning instead of starting with the pond like in the book. We see a woman in a red dress running away from Lennie and George. Lennie and George then hide in a pond under long pieces of grass until the search party leaved. In the book the incident in Weed is only mentioned out of George's mouth when he speaks to Slim and Lennie, as well as Candy, and not described in any other way by the narrator. I think the director choose to show it this way to explain their suspicious behavior and why they are on the run. This changes the story because it gives us  insight on what happened to make them run instead of making us wonder like in the book. We can understand their actions better and get a better idea of the atmosphere and mood of the book.

In the film there is a reason for everything. The reason why George is first shown in the train embodies the theme of the movie and the book. The theme is loneliness. George is shown alone in the darkness and later on in the story there is another reason. When George kills Lennie he returns to the train. The train scene foreshadows what will happen later in the book. The director is telling us about the loneliness that will go into his lives.

One of the most important characters of both the book and the story is Curley's Wife. She is the catalyst for the problems on the farm, the fight between Lennie and Curley and the search party for Lennie at the end. She has to embody innocence as well as "tartness." I think the casting choice was great. She showed innocence while having flirtatious whiles. She looks similar to how I imagined her in the book however I thought she had  blonde hair and blue eyes. I don't think a lot of people could replace her however I think it would be Chloe Grace M. or Amanda Seyfried.

I really liked Of Mice and Men. This was because of the themes of loneliness and friendship. Thy were portrayed in a manner that I could understand. Something that impacted me was the friendship between Lennie and George. It made me think about my life and what I would do in his situation. I would recommend this book to anyone. This book is a favorite to both adults and children due to it's universal themes.

Conflict Blog

In every story there has to be some kind of conflict, in Mice and Men the conflicts all vary in degrees. One example of conflict in the story is the fights between Curley and himself. This type of conflict is man vs self. Curley keeps starting trouble for himself due to his temper. He thinks that everyone is sleeping with his wife and that big guys automatically are his enemies. In the book it says, "He hates big guys...Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy." Page 26. Later on in the book he confronts Slim about his thoughts that his wife is cheating with him. He started the fight for no reason and then continued it even when Lennie was saying, "Make 'um leave me alone, George." Page 63. He caused the fight and broke his hands for no reason. His boxing is now in jeopardy.

Another man vs self conflict is Lennie having problems controlling himself due to his mental problems. In the beginning we can see how he harms himself by not having the restraints of common sense. The book says, "he wants to touch ever'thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress..." it also says, "... that girl rabbits in an' tells the law she been raped." This shows that he has a problem controlling himself. Another problem is how he is forgetful. In Of Mice and Men George says, "Don't tell nobody about it. Jus' us three an' nobody else." However Lennie forgets and tells Crooks all about it. He says, "Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'." and he even goes as far to say, "an' you can ast George." He might ruin things for them if Crooks tells anyone. He trusts everything and everyone, which might turn out to be a problem in their situation.

In the beginning these conflicts were different. Curley used to be nicer or less of a brute before he started to, "impress his wife". He started conflicts before however they weren't as big and didn't lead to so many injuries. In Lennie's case his disabilities were not as big as a problem when his body was actually of a child. To add to this he was also being taken care of by his aunt. Once he got older and his aunt died he gained responsibilities which he couldn't deal with and started getting in trouble. These problems changed over time in this way.

Of Mice and Men Dream Poem

They walked in grey clothes and with zombie steps on straight lines,
their hearts were still and their minds in binds,
they were chameleons of behavior,
all blending in without flavor,
their sky was still and covered,
by grey and heavy crying clouds,
the raindrops fell and caused a splatter,
but their hearts were already shattered,
the sky was grey and colorless,
and the only way they told the time was when they stopped to dream,
but the only thing they dreamed was screams,
Until one day when she appeared,
they stopped and started in wonder,
and the thunder of their hearts woke them up,
her name was Hopes and Dreams,
she was filled with color schemes,
bright yellow, pink, and red,
she cheered and asked them what they wanted,
until they were all daunted,
the sound waves changed their bodies,
their hearts started to beat,
their feet were released from the chains,
and determination, strength filled them,
color returned to their lives,
Hopes and Dreams came back to them,
so they no longer screamed

Of Mice and Men Blog

In the start of chapter 2 we are introduced to the setting of George and Lennie's sleeping quarters. The setting is, "The bunkhouse was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted." It seems to be a an old big cabin, which says a lot about the depression and how migrants lived. The atmosphere is different from the setting in which it is the feelings in the place not what it is or how the place looks like. Due to the characters having conflicts about power, as shown by Slim being more respected, “There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.” Page 33 Meanwhile Curley is more tolerated,"He just don't give a damn. Won't ever get canned 'cause his old man's the boss." They even insult him with the vaseline rumor.

All characters in the story are important however when introduced they are all showed differently. George and Lennie's appearances are directly stated in the book, “-small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined:small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.”, and “-a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders;and he walked heavily-” Page 2 However like most of the other characters we are left to interpret their character though their actions and mannerisms, like George's foulmouth and anger towards Lennie or Lennie's forgetfulness and dull manner. Some characters like Carlson are introduced very briefly, “A powerful, big-stomached man…” Page 35 and then left vaguely until the next chapter. Carlson's wife is an exception to this and is explained by other characters, specifically the gossipy old man Candy. He is the one who reveals her "tart" and "tramp" actions without even having her being seen or introduced by us. They are all introduced differently, but every character is still important to the story and the way it develops.

Curley's wife, in my predictions, will have an influence on the conflict of the story however she has no name. I think that John Steinbeck is trying to make a point of her eyeing other men by stating that she is Curley's wife constantly. In the book they mention her as a "tart" a "tramp". All descriptions except of her beauty all have negative meanings. They even go as far as mentioning she has the eye in page 28. By not giving her a name they can enhance the connotation the name brings. When I think of her I think of Curley's flirtatious wife.  Another reason is the possibility that Curley's Wife could be based off of one of John Steinbeck's past relationships and the name is kept that way due to secrecy. 

3rd Quarter Reflection

The Five People You Meet In Heaven is about an old man named Eddie who works and has worked his whole life at the fair despite hating the place. In his last day of life he saves a little girl from being toppled by a ride. In heaven he meets five people who influenced his life and caused him to head down the path he did. The Five People You Meet In Heaven is my favorite because it tells the message that all our lives are connected in many ways, some people affecting your life more than others. It isn't the most challenging book by far, but it has rich messages about life and death and especially forgiveness.

My biggest improvement this quarter is my reading speed and summaries. In the beginning of the year I could only read a 300 page book in 4 hours, now it's been halved. You might say that reading too fast could be a problem but my understanding of books and their messages has improved to match my reading speed. My increased understanding of this has been improved and this has helped me in many ways. For example I can now write better summaries that get to the point.

In this quarter I am most proud of getting into art and sketching. During my elementary school days I used to draw all the time. But as I got busier in middle school I haven't had the time to get to it again. But after being done with everything I got back into art again. I am proud of being able to draw good enough and for getting back in it.

One of my biggest struggles this quarter was getting up and reaching school. I have some problems sleeping and I always have to turn on at least 10 alarms to get to everything in time. I also live far from school and I have no way of getting here and back other than walking. It takes at least 15 minutes, if I run, and for me that just means I have to wake up 15 minutes earlier. Another problem is the weather. I have to walk and somedays, like today, it rains. A way that I can solve this problem is by asking friends for rides or pay $2.00 to take the bus. Since my dad is here now, when he doesn't work I might also be able to ask him.

I am not a stranger to blogs since 6th grade but after around a year and a half I have to say that I've gotten better at writing them. For example in the past I used to get to the point quickly without showing descriptions but now I can describe things with a little bit of work and no problems. Another change is the length which goes hand in hand with better and bigger descriptions. But another thing would be word choice and understanding their affects in different mediums. I've gotten better at this thanks to practice in ELA.

In the past I never had any exposure to other countries except for the rare news channel or movies, which are very biased and exaggerated however after researching things I learned many new things. I learned these things because of new research skills. For example after verifying the website's expertise I can learn more accurate facts about many different countries, like Pakistan, no matter if its for personal interest or projects. I verify websites by checking if they are .com or .edu or .org. Sites with .edu are much more safe and informational. Some things I've learned about Pakistan is it's relationship with other countries, especially neighboring ones. I learned that Pakistan and India hate each other and have had many wars against each other. All these things are changes in this quarter.