Online Journal #28

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

Of everything we've done this year, the blogs have always been one of my favorite things to grade. I love to see what you think when you don't have to worry about saying it out loud in class. Oh, the freedom anonymity brings! Your online responses have allowed me to see your dreams, plans, values--your THOUGHTS--and it has been amazing. You all are a bunch of talented, creative, intelligent, and introspective people; and I hope you continue to write--for yourselves--for many years to come.

So, for one last online journal entry, I want you to tell me something you have enjoyed in this class this year. Something we read that stands out in your memory or an activity you enjoyed (something educative, not "that one time you and your friend ..."). Of course, you have the option to say "you've enjoyed nothing," but know that that is equal to the amount of points you will receive for it as well!. I have enjoyed this year--and getting to know you all--more than you know. Thank you for being the wonderful, insightful people you are. Have an awesome summer and an Incredible Junior Year!!

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life. ~Norbet Platt

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

Online Journal 27

"Shakespeare is the happy hunting ground of all minds that have lost their balance."  - James Joyce

Shakespeare!  Our last unit of the year!!  I am so excited!  Possibly because I love literature, both reading it and teaching it, and possibly because I am beyond excited to be done with testing for the year!  :)  However, I know that my enthusiasm for the Bard is not shared by everyone.  So for this week's online journal entry, tell me:  What subject do you love?  During the last couple of weeks, I have discovered we have several creative and talented poets in our midst.  Do you also love literature or some type of creative writing?  Or do your interests lie in other subjects altogether?  What is your favorite subject here at school, or what is one thing from one subject which captivates your interest?  Ooh, one last thing:  What is your opinion about Shakespeare going into this last unit?  Has Romeo and Juliet been your only Shakespearean encounter thus far?  What do you remember?  What did you learn?  What obstacles impeded learning, in  your opinion?  Why have his works been studied over and over for over four hundred years?!  Wow, that is really two different prompts, isn't it?  Better make your answers twice as long then!  No slacking!!  ;) 

Online Journal 26

"No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves."
~Amelia Earhart

As we have been studying poetry, this week's blog is a little more complicated. Archibald MacLeish once said, "A poem should not mean, but be." Similarly, this week, you are not going to sit and think, but get up and DO. So, your blogging assignment is go out and perform a random act of kindness--a kind act for the benefit of someone else which brings no profit or honor to yourself. Then come back here and tell us what you did, how the recipient reacted, and how you felt after you did it. Make a difference to someone today, then see if it makes a difference in you!

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. ~Barbara De Angelis

EOC on Monday April 23!

'High-stakes tests develop a love of learning?'  Okay, maybe not.  But these EOC Exams do give you a chance to show off all the analytic and comprehension SKILLZ you have learned this year!  As this week is already high-stress, there will be no blog due this Friday.  Just do your best on the test!  After all, as Gandhi once said, "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment; full effort is full victory."  If you read every passage and try your best, you are already a SUCCESS regardless of your score.  Words to live by!!  :)

Online Journal 25

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. 

~Alexander Graham Bell

EOCs.  They are on our minds and seem to be completely dominating our instruction time.  But really, we're not doing anything any differently from what we've done all year.  It is just in more of a review format right now, as the exam is only days away.  So while we are spending every moment in class practicing and preparing for success on the test, tell me this:  When is a time you have had to spend days or weeks really working hard to get ready for something?  Maybe for some type of performance or game?  Maybe for your driver's test, or for getting a job you wanted?  How about an occasion when you spent a great deal of time and energy creating something new--an assignment for school or something for home or a friend?  For this week's entry, describe a time you had to practice and prepare for something important to you, and then tell us how it turned out.  Did all your hard work pay off?  Did you realize you should have spent a little more time practicing instead?  Let's take a break from practicing and just relax, reflect, and write for a while!  :)

Online Journal 24

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm. ~Colette

The month of April has blown in with bright sunshine, warmer temperatures, and a myriad of April Fool's Day follies!! The thrill of the end of winter is upon us, and many seem to have some extra energy to unleash upon the gullible. So in light of all that, what is the best April Fool you've ever experienced:  a joke you've pulled or one you've fallen for? Did you see any good ones this year? How do you feel about practical jokes in general? Does it make a difference if you are the joker or the one getting duped? What do you think?

One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late. ~Jack Handey

Online Journal 23

Sports is human life in microcosm. ~Howard Cosell
Lately, it seems like there has been Basketball every place you look: TV, newspapers, even facebook! Everybody's got a team, an opinion, a prediction of who deserved to win it all! Now, basketball may not be your thing, but write a journal entry describing what IS your favorite sport (or game of any type) to play? How long have you been playing it? Who taught you to play? How do feel when you're out there? What sort of things do you learn from pushing yourself and competing in general? Is there a sport you love to watch, whether or not you play it yourself? A favorite team you follow, perhaps? Tell us all about it! And, by the way, bonus points to anyone who writes down the definition of microcosm, and turns it in to me in class! :)