Writing Ability

In terms of my writing abilities, my skills have changed drastically over the past four years. I always have my mother look over my papers before I submit them and this year there hasn't been nearly as much for her to comment on. I may not have done well on my essays in AP English last year, but I was able to take critique and improve. This year, my average essay score has been a 7, a number that I have never come close to obtaining on any AP essay in high school. I'd like to think that part of the reason for the change is better writing ability on my part, but I also think that I genuinely enjoy reading my outside reading and independent reading books and coming to conclusions on a topic after reading. I feel accomplished every time I find a point that was never explicitly stated. Reading is one thing I've always been good at, even in elementary school. I think reading and writing are closely related even if I love reading, and absolutely hate writing. As my reading level has increased so has my writing ability. I've appreciated the literature that we have been assigned to read over the course of the year, and reading these novels has taught me which areas of writing I need to improve.

Time Flies

It doesn't seem real that the school year is almost over and all of the seniors are about to graduate. Time flew by over the past four years of high school just like it did in elementary and middle school. I remember being in sixth grade and thinking that I was half way through my public school education. Now, I'm at the end of my time in high school, but I'm more than ready to leave. I've enjoyed my time in Lexington, but I don't think there is much left for me here. The past couple of months all I've been able to think about is Memphis. I'm going to be living in a big city where I won't know anyone and I couldn't be any more excited than I am. When you've been surrounded by the same people for fours year or longer, you kind of lose the ability to change because people have already placed you in your own little box where you're expected to stay. I went to work at a camp this summer and everyone thought I was hilarious and outgoing, two words that my classmates would never use to describe me. I'm hoping that Memphis gives me the opportunity to be myself and expand my horizons. At the beginning of high school I was so thankful that I had four years to figure out where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do in college. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm going to end up majoring in or what career path I will choose, but at least I know where I can call home for at least four more years.

Topic of Interest Book

I just started reading my final book for my topic of interest. I know it may seem like I'm starting on it really late, but I've found that once I pick up a book I can't put it down until I'm done with it. If I start too early, I'm done a month before the book is due and I tend to forget the small details that would benefit my essays the most. Last semester, there was one book I read before the deadline was even set for our independent reading essay and I ended up coming into school one day and being told that I had to write an essay. I had completely blanked on the day it was due and hadn't worried about it because I had been finished with my book for such a long time. The last book for my topic of interest, I read the weekend before the essay and it was probably the worst essay I wrote all year, not because of the time constraint I put on myself, but because the book didn't offer as much information about my topic that I thought it would. I'm actually a lit bit nervous about finishing my current book because it's almost 1000 pages, but I know I'm going to get it done because not getting it done is not an option. I'm decent at coming to conclusions based on what I've read, but if I didn't finish the whole book it would feel like telling a lie because I would know that I hadn't gathered all the information possible. Anyways, I'm really excited to get into the book. I'm happy I chose gangsters as my topic of interest because I find their lives fascinating and completely unlike my own.

Eight Questions

Some of these questions are really dumb, but somehow Blogger sent me to another ladies blog instead of my own and this was the first post that she had at the top of the screen. I figure it's the end of the year and most people have no idea how I would answer these questions, because I haven't even thought about them myself. I think it's okay to have one blog that wasn't a blog suggestion or something about our poem unit. 

1. If you could have an unlimited shoe budget or purse budget which one would you pick?

I never carry a purse, and I'm obsessed with shoes so I would have to go with an unlimited shoe budget. If it was possible I would fill my entire closet with shoes instead of just a small wall of cubbies that is already overflowing onto the floor. It is going to be a miracle for me to choose which shoes to take to college and which ones to leave at home because I wear them all so often. 

2. If you could change lives with one person for a day who would it be?
If I could be anyone for a day it would be Julianne Hough. Ever since I saw Safe Haven, she has been my favorite actress. I know absolutely nothing about her and I haven't seen any other movies with her as part of the cast, but I love her hair. Someone told me I could never in a million years pull it off, but if I was Julianne Hough then I would definitely by pulling off the short, messy hair look. 

3. What is the one place you haven't been that you want to visit before you die?

I would love to travel to Italy before I die. When my dad was in college he was able to travel to Venice with some of his buddies because his best friend is actually from Italy and his parents still have a house there. I want an Italian meal around the table with an Italian family so that I can have the full experience. From what I know, family is very important and dinner is a time when everyone comes together to have a large meal. It is entirely possible that that is a stereotype, but I sincerely hope not, because it is one of my dreams. 

4. What is your most unrealistic fear?

My unrealistic fear is no longer a fear because my brother is now bigger than I am, but I was always scared he would get kidnapped whenever we stopped at a rest area or a gas station on vacation. I am one of the most protective sisters and I would probably go crazy if I ever had kids of my own because the fear would return and my children would hate me. 

5. If you could compete in one Olympic sport, which one would you pick?

I would love to compete in swimming and do well. My mother and father were swimmers when they were younger and my brother is now swimming, therefore, I am the only one who has not been a swimmer and never will be. When I was younger I had so many ear infections that I had to go to speech therapy for a couple of years to learn how to speak because I wasn't able to understand sounds. I had tubes put in twice and eventually, my eardrum developed a hole. After many surgeries, I was left part deaf and unable to swim at large depths or do flips. The pain I experienced every time I played in the pool with my friends was unbearable, turning me away from the sport of swimming. If by some miracle I was able to swim and swim well, I would want to compete in the Olympics.

6. What was the last book you read and did you like it?
The last book I read was Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano for our independent reading. It was a 400 page book that I read in the weekend before it was due. I loved the book, but it didn't have a lot of the information I was looking for on gangsters, posing a problem when I sat down to write my essay and realized that I hadn't completely answered my question. 

7. What song best describes how you are feeling this moment?
I can't think of any song to describe how I'm feeling, but I am listening to "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line. They played the song at Young Life club on Monday and afterwards one of our leaders gave a talk that has to do with Travis Gaines. The next day, Florida Georgia Line tweeted Travis. It was awesome. 

8. Who is your role model?
My grandfather was my role model. I looked up to him and continue to admire his positive attitude after being diagnosed with lung cancer. While I was volunteering at a Young Life camp this past summer I received a letter from him telling me how proud he was of my accomplishments and he also shared with me that he was going off of chemotherapy after praying about the right path for him to take. He told me that he had been very sick due to the chemo and was sleeping for most of the day every day. He explained that it just wasn't living. That is probably my favorite thing that he ever said to me. He knew he was going to die, but he lived each day like the man in "The Loveliest Trees." He continued to be part of the KIAC basketball community because that is what he loved to do and I think I made more memories in that year than I had in the previous seventeen. He wasted no time. 

Bullying

I don't think bullying in any form should be taken lightly. There shouldn't be a set definition of the word because it doesn't matter what one person believes it should mean. In the time that someone sits down to decide what "bullying" should encompass, there are children that are being hurt either physically or emotionally. It seems that adults are the people worked up about the issue, even though children are the victims. Why should someone, who is merely an observer, be allowed to decide the difference between teenage drama and bullying? I believe that the two are equivalent to one another. If someone is constantly involved in conflict with their peers, they are slowly beaten down until they have no fight left in them. If someone wants to actually address the issue, they should stop bullying at the source by providing positive interactions between students. There was a show on TV a couple of years ago that brought a group of people into schools with major conflicts between students, and made them all sit through a day of group discussions and activities that allowed them to get to know one another. The students learned about the backgrounds of peers that they may never have had contact with before, allowing each person to understand that before choosing to make a rude comment or to push someone aside in the hall, they should think about how that person may be affected. It is easy to hate someone when you don't know them, but it is impossible to have any negative feelings towards a person when you begin to realize why they are the way they are. Why are adults so worried about defining bullying when they could be doing something about the conflicts?

Reading

Although I don't get the opportunity to read as much as I would like, reading is one of my favorite outlets when I'm having a bad day. I might say I have outgrown the teenage love stories, but occasionally I slip back into reading them to help cheer me up. Sometimes, after you've watched a good movie with a happy ending, you have a feeling of elation surge through you. In my case, I lose sense of reality for a little while. I know what is real and what is not, but I begin to think that certain parts of the movie are part of my own life, or perhaps a better way to put it is I imagine some aspects of my life and that of the character’s life are shared. I get the same feeling when I read a teenage love story. Some people may find the stories depressing to read because when they finish they wish their lives could be the same as the fantasy lives that the author created, but I live through the characters and find satisfaction in their happiness. It is more relaxing to sit down and read a novel than it is to watch a movie, because you have the ability to imagine the characters’ appearances. Each person reading the novel will make different interpretations, while in a movie the same freedom isn’t available. While the feeling I get from watching a movie and reading a novel are the same, I prefer reading the novel because of the chance to use my imagination.

Spelling

Proper spelling is essential in life. It should be a complete embarrassment to any high schooler or adult that cannot spell. In elementary school, I missed two words throughout my five years and even when I missed those words I was ashamed and crumpled up the paper to throw it in the garbage. Maybe I was just a perfectionist, but looking back, it amazes me that students were okay with missing words week after week. The best solution to this problem would be to test the words again on the kids who weren't successful the first time through. The only issue I could see with that is time, but if a teacher refuses to try to help their children learn then they aren't very good teachers. During senior seminar the other day, we had a discussion about the current way that public schools are being run. When students miss words on a spelling test it isn't likely that anyone is going to hold them accountable for knowing those words in the future, resulting in a problem later in their educational career and even into their jobs after. This is true for any subject. In math, the students that get 95% on their tests are still missing 5% of what they have learned and this continues to build to the point where they may struggle later in higher math courses. Spelling, along with any other material should be mastered by the students before the teacher continues on to a new spelling list or subject matter.