Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Goodbye and So Long, Sophomore Year!

Dear Alyssa,

 I am so proud of you for getting through this rough year! How you did it is a complete mystery to me.  I know that you had to teach yourself in two subjects because the teachers were too lazy.  It must have been really aggravating because most informational websites are too confusing to comprehend.  I am so sorry about that, but look at the bright side.  At least you won't have to have the worst one next year! That teacher is the laziest of them all.  She makes you watch boring documentaries on the days that she doesn't feel like 'teaching'.  I don't blame you one bit for hiding behind the guy in front on you while you read during those videos.  Also, you can actually learn something next year from the other teacher.

From watching observing you, I've learned that you have had an overwhelming load of homework.  Throughout the whole school year, I think that you've had maybe a handful of nights with no homework.  It is completely ridiculous that your teachers overload you with homework and quizzes.  As a fellow sophomore, I agree with you that teachers don't understand what us students have to do each night; mine don't either.  They use the excuse that this is nothing compared to what we have to do when we get to college.  That is valid to a point; however, the classes would be spaced out so that you could have time to do the work.  Therefore, the teachers should really rethink their excuse for giving a loads of homework to do in one night.

Although you have obviously had your busy and bad days, you have also had highlights during the year.  Remember when your band won all of those awards during competition season? You also had those times when you laugh for most of the day.  

Overall, I think that we can say," Goodbye, good riddance, and so long, sophomore year!"           

Thursday, May 9, 2013

One-Word Essay: Delight

1. N joy: great enjoyment and pleasure
2. N; somebody or something that brings somebody great enjoyment and pleasure
3. V; to give somebody great enjoyment and pleasure

The basic definition of delight is something/someone that brings joy and pleasure.  The delights in my life are my family, friends, volleyball, Bruno Mars's music, and reading. 

My family gives me delight most of the time.  When my family isn't loud and embarrassing they are quite enjoyable.  They make me laugh and put me in a good mood because they tell hilarious jokes.

My true friends give me joy all of the time.  I can honestly say that I never get annoyed with them.  I love how they make me laugh every day.  Also, they are some of the few people that truly understand my problems.  My friends listen to me vent and cheer me up when I need it.  Every day I look forward to seeing them because I know they will make my day.   

I love playing volleyball because I am very competitive.  Although I love to win, I'm not a sore loser.  Personally, it's fun to see how other players show their competitive drive.  I literally grin when I'm on the court.

Bruno Mars's music brings me great joy because the majority of his music is about love.  His lyrics are so sweet and his voice makes me melt.  Listening to one of his songs makes me float on a cloud.

Finally, I enjoy reading because I love how I can get lost in another world.  When I need to escape my problems, I grab a book and immerse myself in it.  Reading is my best inanimate friend.  

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Inside My Head

 
 
 
This is a picture that I drew of what's going on inside my head.  I didn't have enough room to list all of them, so I selected the main events and ideas. 
 
In the center of my head is a picture of Bruno Mars with a harmonica (just to make that clear). He takes up almost half of my thoughts because I'm a huge fan.  Whenever one of his songs plays on the radio, I start bouncing and grinning.  His songs have the power to make my day.  I could listen to his music all day and love every second of it. 
My family and friends are in the front of my head because they are overall the most important to me. 
My future depends on my grades.  This fact makes my grades very important, so I worry about them all the time. 
A thought that puzzles me is my purpose in life.  Why am I here?  What am I meant to do?  I guess it's too early to know what my purpose is. 
My family issues bother me a lot.  I have an awkward relationship with my dad because he cheated on my mom, thus the separation.  It's really awkward when he comes to pick up my siblings and I every first and fourth weekend.  Apart from that, I don't have a good relationship with my brother and sister.  My brother has an infuriating personality that only family members can see.  People outside of my family don't truly understand what he's like.  Somehow, my sister looks up to him even though it's apparent that he's going nowhere.  Also, she picks up on his annoying tendencies.  As a result, I have to deal with a mini-me version of my brother. 
My religion is very important to me because I know that I need to have a good relationship with God to get into Heaven.  
 
The thoughts placed at the very back of my head are the ones that I try not to think about.  Along with tons of other fears, I have a fear of dying at a young age and not getting to have a full life.  I know a lot of young people that have been killed by car crashes.  I used to like to sleep during a car ride.  However, I hate the thought of possibly dying from a wreck while I'm asleep, so I try not to sleep in the car. 
Although I want to have a full life, I'm a bit hesitant at growing up and taking on all of the adult responsibilities.  
Lastly, I worry about how dangerous and evil the world is getting.  Innocent people are killed every day.  I wonder how I can help make it better.  Hopefully, I figure out the answers to my questions soon. 
                       
 
 
 

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Knowledge

If somehow all knowledge was destroyed, and only one sentence could be passed on to the next generation of people, what one sentence should be given to them and why?

Without law and order, there can be only chaos. 

I think that sentence should be given to them because a civilization can only survive with a set of rules to be followed.  If everyone were allowed to do whatever they wanted, then there would be chaos.  Crime would be everywhere.  People would steal, kill, and do all sorts of things if they felt like it.  With a set of laws, the future generation would know to set boundaries of what they could and could not do.  From the sentence that I chose they would also know to choose people to make sure the laws are followed.  They would then figure out that they would need a penal system for those that didn't obey the laws.  The future generation would know that they would need to establish people to look over others to make sure that they're doing their job.  If the next generation of people could only receive that one sentence, then they would know to establish a set of rules to live by and people to make sure that they're followed so that their generation could flourish and be successful.     

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Teens Stress Too

What is the number one problem facing teens?  Some might say that it's drinking, smoking, or one of the other classic answers.  However, many people do not take stress into consideration.  It is the number one problem facing teens because it is the source of most of the other problems.  For example, too much stress can cause teens to smoke, drink, or participate in another inappropriate way to relieve the stress.    Some even avoid trying to deal with their stress.  This causes feelings to build up, thus causing more stress.  Teens try to relieve stress their own way because most don't want to ask for help.

                                Boys
  • 25% avoided or refused to deal with their stress,
  • 23% sought ways to distract themselves away from their stress,
  • 17% sought support, and
  • 35% actively tried to reduce their stress.

  •                                 Girls
  • 19% avoided or refused to deal with their stress,
  • 14 % sought ways to distract themselves away from their stress,
  • 22% sought support, and
  • 45% actively tried to remove or reduce their stress

  • These statistics show that girls and boys deal with their stress in different ways.  Boys have a tendency to avoid dealing with their stress while girls have a larger tendency to actively reduce their stress.  As said by TeenHelp, girls' stress stem from their relationship with boys and friendships with girls.  Most boys' stress tend to stem from authority figures. 





    Many things cause teens to have stress.  According to Johns Hopkins, school is the number one cause of stress in teens.  The two graphs above support this statement.  It's understandable when you factor in the pressure of getting good grades, planning for your future, and achieving the extracurricular activities required for college.  In the top graph, it shows that girls tend to stress about school, friends and family more than boys.  The graph shows that boys have a habit of stressing about work more than girls.  In the bottom graph, it shows the top ten things that cause teens stress.  School, family/parents, friends, work, and sports cause stress the most. 

    How can this problem be improved?  A solution to this problem would be to have schools do something to help teens release their stress at least one day a week.  The P.E. classes could take one day off and let the students do something that they enjoy for the class.  This way, teens could take a break from their stress at least once a week. 

    http://www.teenagestress.org/

    http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-stress/stress-statistics.html

    http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent-health/_includes/Teen_Stress_Standalone.pdf 

    Sunday, February 17, 2013

    Carpe Diem

    What makes me come alive is helping people.  Everytime I help people, I get a surge of pride and happiness.  No matter how little the task is, it still makes me feel good.  Just to have someone say "thank you" after I held the door open for them means a lot to me.  When I was a little girl, I would volunteer to help my family, friends, and some strangers because I thought that if you could help someone, you should do it.  I think that's why I want to be a doctor when I get older.  If I got to help people everyday, it would feel like my life had a purpose.  If I became a doctor, I would enjoy helping people to feel better.  I could probably even save someone's life.  It would mean a lot to me if I could apply something that I love to a career.  I would be able to feel alive everyday.      

    Monday, February 11, 2013

    The People That Help Make Me Who I Am

    "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn

    I think that this statement is mostly true because I can see characteristics that are similar to people that I'm mostly around.  It's not completely true because I'm not like two of the five people that I spend the most time with.  The five people that I spend the most time with are my mom, sister, brother, my grandma, and my grandpa.  I admit that I sometimes act like my mom, grandma, and even my grandpa. However, I don't act like my brother and sister.  I accept that I have my mom's ability to save money, her attitude and sassiness, and her facial expressions.  The qualities that I got from my grandma are her quiet nature, her respect for God, and her love for hugs.  A quality that I got from my grandpa is his competitiveness for games.  I'm pretty sure I got my When I think about it, I can't find any characteristics that relate me to my brother or sister.  I don't act like my siblings because I tolerate them.  I really don't like the way that they act like towards people.  Because of this and their other tendencies, I choose not to behave the way that they do.  Overall, I think that these characteristics make me a better, more interesting person because I know when to keep my mouth shut, but can also be fun.  I like that I respect God, am quiet when needed, and can save money.  Apparently, people think my facial expressions are funny so I guess that's a good thing.  These traits make me similar, but different from two of my favorite people.