This I believe speech

"Being Good Won't be Good Enough"

I don't consider myself to be the best. I think that knowing I'm good at something will only make me narcissistic and also prevent me from wanting to improve. Therefore, I believe that you can always grow.

Last year in the spring, I had just received my first main role in the district musical, which I was very proud of. Flash forward to this past November when I auditioned for a school called Chicago High School for the Arts. I had confidence because of my past role in the musical, however, when I got there my confidence began to fade because of other student’s talent. At first I was afraid, but after awhile the confidence came. The next thing I knew, I found myself standing in front of four judges auditioning.

As of now, I am proud to say that this fall I will be attending ChiArts.  I now know that I am not the most talented person out there in the world nor am I the worst. However, I do think that with the right training I can turn my goals into a reality.

I think that with hard work and determination that I can grow, but I will never be done growing. With anything we do we can always improve; it just takes determination. Growing won’t always be easy but you have to always make an effort. I believe we can all grow, it just takes determination to do so.

Final Reflection

Prompt:

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

The three most imprtant things that I have learned this school year are how to try your best. I learned this mainly because at first I thought I could just float by without trying. I later learned that I can't do this because this class requires a lot of thinking and I now realize that I have to try. I think that another important thing was that when talking try to use vocab words. This method really helped me learn vocab words quicker. The last thing I found really important was to read a lot more. I realized that I had to read more over break and at first out of laziness I wouldn't. Once I was maybe 40 pages into a book I found the need to continue reading the book.

Something we did this year that I will definantly remember for life would probably be the To Kill A Mockingbird feast. I will remember this for a while because the class as a whole was able to try different foods and we had fun. I will remember this because it was the first time I had ever tried collard greens and I liked them. Another reason why I will remember this is because it was a huge reward from reading everyday at times 30 pages while annotating. I made a really good friend at the feast (Mariza) so this feast will definantly be remembered throughout my life.

The nicest thing someone has done for me this year was keep me posted on what was going on in class. The person who kept me posted was Rebecca. Rebecca really helped me the week of the musical because I was gone and she made sure to remind me of what we had for homework. I really appreciated this because not only was I able to complete my Tuesday's with Morrie project but I also knew what we had for homework and I had general idea of what we did in class.

Something the class taught Mrs. Larson was what "Salty" meant. If you don't know what it means is it's when your basically angry or jealous at someone or something.

I feel like I made the biggest improvements in vocabulary this year. I feel like I made the biggest improvement in this section because for the most part I received mainly threes and fours. I personally think that vocabulary test have been really easy this year because I study everywhere, for example the park. What I do to do this is pullout out my phone and use quizlet to study. I think that quizlet is what helped me and I use this to study for any test because it's really easy to use. I am proud that I was able to accomplish my goal of growing a lot on my MAP scores for reading. This really goes to show that if you focus in class you can grow and improve.

The most challenging part of the year for me is definantly writing. This was challenging for me because when I write I tend to not re-read what I wrote so instead of checking for run-ons I leave them behind. I will definantly start rereading what I write that way I can ensure I am making sense. I now know that for future I will definantly be rereading anything I write to check for spelling errors etc.

The best piece of writing I did was the Argumenitve research paper. This was the best piece of writing because the paper was very professional sounding and I used good sources to help support my claim. I think that this piece of writing did have flaws and it wasn't perfect however I'm proud to say I wrote it. One problem I had with the paper was the citation section so I have to make sure for future pieces of writing that the formatting is good.

Of the books I've read this year my favorite book would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird. This is my favorite book mainly because the book taught me life lessons that are very relevant today in our society. Another reason why I really enjoyed the book is because the characters were very funny and just the storyline was very interesting. I think that the characters were relatable in different ways. I think I can relate to the most would have to be Jem because he looks after his sister a lot just like how I look after my younger cousins.

Advice that I would give students coming into this class next year would probably be to do your work. I  give future students this advice because if you don't do one assignment on time your going to have hard time doing the rest. Another piece of advice I would give future students is to manage your time wisely. If you get home at 3:45 I would suggest doing your work right away. I think that once you get your work done earlier the more free timre you have to do things you like out of school. My last piece of advice would be to have fun. Your in this class because Mrs. Larson sees you have potential to do great things and I know the class is stressful at times but trust me it pays off. The amont of work Mrs. Larson gives us is the help prepare us for high school and it will pay off. Finally since this is my last blog that I will write on this account I would like to say, good luck to anyone who has the class.

Morrie Aphorism Project

Prompt:

1. Explain the Aphorism in Detail. What was Morrie's main message?
2.Relate the Aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experince, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the Aphorism.
3. Evaluate the Aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.
4. Take a picture of your Aphorism to use as your graphic.
5. Include your own Aphorism regarding life.

The Aphorism "Once you learn how to die you learn how to live" (P.82) is a message that basically says once you realize that you are dying you start to care more about your life. Morrie was trying to express to Mitch that to start appreciating things in life because once there gone they are gone forever. I think that Morrie was trying to express to Mitch that since Morrie knows he is going to die that now he is appreciating things more and is trying to live his life to the fullest that he can.

I can relate this Aphorism to when my mom and I moved out of my grandmas house to our own. This event is similar because when my mom and I moved out my grandma renovated the house and so when I look at photos I realize how I miss the old house. I think that if I had known that  my grandma was going to have the house renovated that I would start to cherish the house more because I essentially grew up in that house.

I personally agree with this Aphorism mainly because I think that if we knew we were going to die I think we all would try to live our lives to the fullest with the time that we have left. On page 82 it says "...no one really believes they're going to die." this quote to me is expressing that at times we think we are invincible and that we can do anything. To me this shows how we are so caught up in the news and whats in that we forget to even try to live our lives to the fullest.

My Aphorism:

"Every day that you are living is a day closer to your death"

The message for this Aphorism is that to live your life to the fullest while you still can. I think that everyday that you don't do something that you enjoy or that makes you happy is a day wasted. I think that if you aren't living a happy life then you should change that because in the end its up to you to change your life. Most people would think that because of this Aphorism that I am a very sad person but I mean this in a good way because if you were spend your last day on Earth sitting down and making a puzzle for example would you be happy with how you ended your day. I think that unless you really liked making puzzles then you would be pretty unhappy because why would you want people or yourself remember your last day on Earth doing something you don't enjoy.

Socratic Seminar Morrie Reflectiom

Prompts:

*Explain how the past four Socratic Seminars have influenced your thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general.

*What trends did you notice with yourself and your personal goals for each seminar? How did your personal goal(s) change and what did you actively do to change throughout our last four discussions?

*What trends did you notice with the class for each seminar? What did you notice that helped or hindered a specific seminar?

The past four seminars have influenced my thinking on life from reading the book Tuesday's with Morrie, mainly because the lessons are useful and relatable in ways. Some lessons that were useful were lessons on how to live a better life and to not take things for granted. The Socratic Seminars really helped me think more on certain subjects such as death and love and it really made me think on how if I'm not happy with my life then I can make a difference and try to make my life better. The Socratic Seminars really made me think about how to live a better life and to appreciate the things I have because you never know when it is your turn to die.

Some trends that I noticed throughout the Socratic Seminar is how throughout all of the Seminars we talked about death. Death is a very morbid subject however the life you live before it should hopefully be influential to others. I noticed that throughout all of the seminars that one of my goals was to draw other people in the conversation and I did this once. I didn't really accomplish this goal because I would find it very awkward to draw someone else in. Another reason why I did not accomplish this goal was because I didn't want to look like I was putting them on the spot. Instead for future seminars I will try to draw others into a conversation by asking them how they felt or their initial reactions to something that happened in the book.

A trend I noticed with the class is that with each Seminar we made connections to other pieces of literature such as, To Kill A Mockingbird and A Child Called It. I think we made these connections because different characters relate to certain people or ideas in the novel. Another trend that was brought upon throughout the novel was how strange Morrie's behaviors were. We all mainly thought that Morrie's behaviors were strange because throughout the novel Morrie kept a positive attitude. As a class we discussed how we would react if we were in his place and how we differ from him in different scenarios.

Inspirational Tuesday

Pages Read: 0-152

Prompt:Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book. 

Throughout the book Tuesday's with Morrie one of the most inspirational "Tuesday's" so far has been the one about feeling sorry for yourself. This is one of the most inspirational Tuesday's so far mainly because throughout the chapter they talk about how it's natural to feel bad for yourself, it doesn't necessarily make you egotistical. I think that I tend to feel bad for myself mainly because it's only me and my mom. I know it's natural but sometimes I say wow I hate my life but do I really, yes/no. I think that sometimes we say these things just to help compensate for the things you lost but in the long run life moves on.

Another reason why this Tuesday has inspired me so much is because in the book it says "I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life." (P.57). This quote to me really inspires me because instead of always focusing on the negatives we should focus on the positives. There are so many negative things in life that we begin to focus on them only when there are so many things we should be happy about. 

One more reason why I think that this quote is really inspiring is because if you focus on negatives more you start to become a negative person. Once you hit that people wont really like you because no one likes negative vibes. I think that the more kind and positive you are the better and happier your life will be. However I think that it can be hard to be a positive person at times because sometimes life is hard but it is up to you to try and make it better.

Tuesday's with Morrie

What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist? You can write a paragraph leading up to a bulleted list of what you would like to do/accomplish in your life.

In the book "Tuesday's with Morrie" the main character, Mitch, visits his old teacher Morrie who has ALS. Morrie throughout the book so far seems to be very calm and seems to not care that he has ALS. Morrie does it like to think of the negatives so in the book he is trying to make the best of the time that he has left. Morrie seems like a very happy guy which surprised me because if I had ALS I think I would be very sad because not only do I know that I'm going to die but I will be leaving people behind. In the novel Morrie has lost total control of his lower body so he is reliant on people to take care of
 him. Something that I really liked was how Morrie likes to teach his about life. In the book on page 31 Morrie says, "You can play all the lovely parts of life that I'm to old for now." To me thus quote really shows how Morrie likes to help others and how he likes to stay positive. 

Morrie in the books seems to not like to take things for granted because of his disease so he try's to make the best out of his life with the time that he has. Morrie was said to be a very happy person prior to him being diagnosed and he loved to dance. Something that really shocked me was how close his relationship is to Mitch. This really inspires me to one day hopefully have a really good friendship with someone. Another things that shocked me was how laid-back Morrie is. In the book when Morrie was being interviewed he swore and was completely honest which I really liked. I really liked this because Morrie wasn't acting fake or putting tons of makeup on as if he was trying to disguise himself.

Reading about Morrie trying to live his life to the fullest really inspired me to try and live mine to the fullest. The following things are goals I wish to accomplish in my life.

Education Goals:
Graduate High school in the top of my class
Graduate College with a bachelor's degree in Musical Theater
Get a masters degree for Musical Theater
Attend NYU

Life Goals:
Make it on Broadway
Become famous
WIN A TONY AWARD
Perform on the Gershwin theater stage
Live in a apartment near the city of New York
Have kids (2)
Get Married
Have an organized closest

FUN GOALS!
Become and organized person
Go to Coachella
Go to Lollapalooza
Go to see Halsey
Go to see Lana De lRey
Go to see Melanie Martinez
Go to see Marina And The Diamonds
^ I know I'm such a fangirl!

3rd Quarter Reflection

3rd Quarter Reflection

4/8/16

I think that one of the biggest improvements I have made this quarter is reading a lot more and being more proactive. I think that this is one of my biggest improvements because I have read four books this quarter versus last quarter two books. I think that this is very beneficial for the future because I have been understanding books more and looking for things such as theme. This will definitely benefit me in the future because I am getting a head start on future things that I will be doing in high school.

The books that I have read this quarter include, "Girls Drums and Dangerous Pie", "Oliver", "After Ever After" , and "The Green Glass Sea". The book "The Green Glass Sea" I read at the library in one day so I'm pretty proud to say I finished that book because it's a decent sized book.

Something that I have accomplished that I am proud of is reading 20 books this year. I am really proud of this because it's means I'm half way to accomplishing the 40 book challenge. I think that this goes to show that if you want to accomplish something you just have to put your mind to it. Throughout the process of reading 20 books I have started to find new writing techniques, and I have expanded my horizons because believe me if I could only read John Green books I would. However instead of doing this I found new books and started reading different genres and finding new authors that I really enjoy reading from.

The most challenging part of 3rd quarter for me would probably be time management. Time management was a huge problem for me because at times I would want to read for battle of the books however I had to go to practice etc. In the end I was able to read my books however I did this in a bit of a hurry. Sometimes I would say "Oh I will do this tomorrow and hold it off for a week. This was really bad because I held back my team a bit however I broke out of the habit because I realized I was only making it worse for myself because I'm building up stress the more I hold it off. My goal for next quarter is to be more persistent with my reading and to not procrastinate which is hard to do but with some dedication I think that I will be able to overcome this challenge.