Houston, We Have A Problem

So, as you all know, I've been very, very, VERY inactive on this blog for a long time and there is an explanation for that. I'm simply unmotivated to do what I need to do in this class. One of the reasons is that I'm still in regular high school mode and I'm pretty sure that I always will be. By "regular high school mode" I mean I'm used to having teachers have a lesson plan before the day even begins and the students just do what their told and they're told how to do it. We have specific guidelines. My brain has been wired like this due to all the years of schooling and I don't know how to work for myself when it comes to school. It's hard to do your own thing when you're so used to someone doing it for you. With all of that said, I'm not saying that this class isn't helpful for other students ir that it's not the collets class ever because honestly, it is. I love sitting in class and listening to everyone's opinion and their different outlook on certain situations because it opens my mind to new thoughts, but for some reason it's difficult for me to do work outside of the classroom. After being in this class for a whole school year I have also realized something else about myself. I'm terrified of rejection and that is not a great quality to have, especially in this class. Because of that fear, I have gotten way behind on my work and I don't know if I can get out of the grave that I have dug for myself. All I can do now is work as hard as possible and hope for the best.

Vocabulary: Spring list 1

1. Adumbrate (v): to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.
2. Apotheosis (n):the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.
3.Ascetic (n):a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
4. Bauble (n): a showy, usually cheap, ornament; trinket
5. Beguile (v): to influence by trickery
6. Burgeon (v): to grow or develop quickly
7. Complement (n): something that completes or makes perfect
8. Contumacious (adj): stubbornly perverse or rebellious
9. Curmudgeon (n): a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.
10. Didactic (adj): intended for instruction

The Choice

1. What is the "choice" referred to in the title?
The choice referred to in this title is whether or not the girl want's to take the "poison" by herself, or if she wants her parents to force it down her throat.

2. Is it a real choice?  Why/why not?  What is the alternative?
I believe this is a real choice because as a 5 year old, I'm sure you don't want to be taking medicine every single day of your life, but I'm sure you wouldn't want your parents to have to force it down, therefore, you MUST make the choice. The easy way, or the hard way. There is no alternative. If you take it, you're that much closer to survival, but if you don't, you're that much closer to death.

3. Why does the author use the word poison in the first line?
I believe the author uses the word poison in the first line because the medicine is like a poison to her. The little girl is forced to take it and apparently it tastes awful. The medicine is also slowing killing all sorts of cells in her body. Good or bad ones.

4. The author's daughter wants to play with a toy that is intended for older kids.  Why?  Do you agree with her?  The author's daughter wants to play with a toy intended for older kids because she truly in her heart does not believe that she will live to be 8 years old. I agree with her 100% because if I thought I wasn't going to live to see my 8th birthday, I would want to play with all the toys in the world.

5. If you thought you might not live to the age of 30 what would you want to do right now?
As crazy as this may sound right now, speaking that I'm so young, I would want to marry my girlfriend. I would want to spend as much time on this earth with her as possible. I would also want to try to get involved with wildlife, like, to become a zoologist.

6. Under what circumstances does it make sense to endure discomfort--or even force it on a loved one-- in service to a greater/more important cause?
If you are trying to help a loved one out for the better, then I believe it would make sense to endure discomfort, if need be.

7. Is suffering a necessary condition of life and love?
I believe suffering is a necessary condition of life and love because if you don't suffer, how are you going to better yourself? How are you going to make yourself stronger? Suffer causes pain and hurt and hurt can lead to a learning experience. 

8. Most readers don't share the author's circumstances, but we feel an emotional response to his words.  Why?
We feel an emotional response in his words because we can sense and feel how sad this poor father truly is. He has to watch his daughter go through agony every single day because of this medicine. He knows that his daughter knows that she may not live a long life and that is truly devastating.

Vocabulary #5

Adroit: Skillful and/or clever
Amicable: Friendly, peaceable
Averse: Having a strong feeling of opposition 
Belligerent: Aggressively hostile
Benevolent: Desiring to help others
Cursory: Going over something rapidly, without noticing details
Duplicity: Speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter
Extol: To praise highly
Feasible: Easy
Grimace: A facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval or pain
Holocaust: Any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life
Impervious: Impenetrable
Impetus: A moving force
Jeopardy: Peril or danger
Meticulous: Showing extreme care about little details
Nostalgia: A sight, smell, sound that reminds you of a former time in life
Quintessence: The pure and concentrated essence of a substance
Retrogress: To go backward into an earlier and usually worse condition
Scrutinize: To examine in detail with careful or critical attention
Tepid: Characterized by a lack or force or enthusiasm 

No Child Left Untableted

As of June, every student and teacher in the18 of the 24 middle schools in Greensboro, N.C., received brand new computer tablets. A total of 15,450 tablets. Do you believe that students should be able to use tablets at school? Well, I believe they should be. Having the opportunity to use open source learning has opened my mind up to the internet. If used correctly, the internet can be a very educational tool. It makes it easier to look up information for projects or essays. As long as the students don't abuse the opportunity to have the tablets. Now, I believe that students should have a time for class. It's very easy for kids to turn into robots. I know when I use my phone/iPod in class (for educational purposes or not) it is VERY easy to get distracted. There should be a rule on when they get to use them and when they cannot. I would hate to see this world turn into something like a scene from Wall-e. Every teacher should be able to have the option on whether or not they want their students to have these tablets. As long as these tablets are used for what they are supposed to be used for, I believe in this method 100%.

Vocabulary #4

Accede: to give consent, approval, or adherence
Brandish: to shake or wave, as a weapon
Comprise: to include or contain
Deft: nimble; skillful; clever
Destitute: without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
Explicit: fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated
Extirpate: to remove or destroy totally
Inopportune: inappropriate
Ironic: using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
Musty: having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold
Officious: objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice
Ominous: portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening
Pinnacle: any pointed, towering part or formation
Premeditated: done deliberately; planned in advance
Rampant: violent in action or spirit
Solace: comfort in sorrow, misfortune, or trouble
Stately: majestic; imposing in magnificence, elegance
Supple: bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed
Suppress: to put an end to the activities of (a person, body of persons, etc.)
Venal: willing to sell one's influence, especially in return for a bribe

Will Study For Food!

So, I don't plan on going to college right after high school. I actually plan on joining the Army. Hopefully I will be able to enroll soon. One of the main reasons why I'm joining is because it'll pay for college, so I don't need a scholarship (obviously). After the Army, I hope to go to college at UCSD to study zoology. I've always wanted to work with zoo animals, especially lions.

Vocabulary #3

Accomplice: a person who knowingly helps another in a crime or wrongdoing, often as a subordinate.
Annihilate: to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly
Arbitrary: subject to individual will or judgment without restriction
Brazen: shameless or impudent
Catalyst: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change
Exodus: a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people
Facilitate: to make easier or less difficult
Incorrigible: not easily swayed or influenced
Latent: present but not visible, apparent, or actualized
Militant: vigorously active and aggressive
Morose: gloomily or sullenly ill-humored, as a person or mood.
Opaque: not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.
Paramount: above others in rank or authority; superior in power or jurisdiction.
Prattle: to talk in a foolish or simple-minded way; chatter; babble.
Rebut: to oppose by contrary proof.
Reprimand: a severe reproof or rebuke, especially a formal one by a person in authority.
Servitude: compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals
Slapdash: hasty and careless
Stagnant: not flowing or running
Succumb: to give way to superior force

Vocabulary #2

Obesity: excessively fat or fleshy; corpulent 
Accumulate: to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees
Mass: a body of coherent matter, usually of indefinite shape and often of considerable size
Disease:  a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
Diet: food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health
Prevalence: widespread or current 
Stigma: a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.
Prevent(able): to keep from occurring
Adolescent: growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful.
Cardiovascular: of or relating to the heart and the blood vessels 
Excessive: going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree
Mechanism: an assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion, often being part of a large machine; linkage.
Sedentary: characterized by or requiring a sitting posture
Predispose: to give an inclination or tendency to beforehand
Syndrome: a group of related or coincident things, events, actions, etc.

This is Phat!

Most of our temptation to eat fast foods comes from ads on television. I found an article that helps teens advert themselves away from fast foods and commercial ads and what could be healthy alternatives.

http://fit.webmd.com/teen/food/article/fast-food-advertising

Vocabulary #1

Expository: Detailed description
Composition: Combining parts or elements to make a whole
Assuage: To make a negative experience less severe; relieve; ease
Decadence: The act of falling into an inferior condition or state
Hackneyed: A word lacking significance due to over usage
Coalition: Alliance of a combined action, especially a temporary one between persons, faction, and states
Transcend: To rise above or go beyond limits; overpass
Meritorious: Deserving an award or praise
Lurid: Gruesome; terrible in intensity; glaringly vivid or sensational
Petulant: Sulky or bad-tempered

Reflections on Week One

Q1: Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation in this class? Access to a computer? Mobile/smart phone? Transportation? Family/friends schedule?

A: I don't believe that there are any factors that would affect my participation in the class (negatively that is). I always have access to a computer. If it's not a computer, then it's a cell phone or an Ipod. I would most likely never show up late to class, due to the fact that I get to school during 0 period and I don't even have a 0 period. That gives me plenty of time to get to class.

Q2: Think of an awesome best ever learning experience that changed you. What did you learn? Where were you? What happened? Who else was there? Did it teach you anything about how you learn (or pay attention... or remember, or think?) How did you know what was happening?

A: A great learning experience for me was actually from my junior English teacher who I have grown to know and love, Miss Bronkey. She was always so passionate about literature and about her students excelling in the classroom. One thing I specifically remember was the time when she was talking about how she got to where she is today. When she was all alone, had no financial aid, and was working day and night to make some money to be able to live off of. With her ambition alone, she made it possible go to school and get her bachelors degree at Cal Poly and her masters' at Chapman University. Sure, she could have gave up on her hopes and dreams and done nothing with her life, but that would have been easy. Miss Bronkey knew what was best for her , so she put all of her power and time to get to where she wanted to be. While she was telling us about this, I had to take a step out of myself and really think about my life. So many people go through their hard times, and believe me, I've been through mine too, but why give up so easily? Miss Bronkey taught me that no matter where you are in your life, if you have enough passion and hope, you can be and do anything that you want.

Q3: What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning?  How do you think it can/will make a practical difference in your life?

A: The thing that I'm most concerned about is being the only one in class or in a group to actually give input on what we're supposed to be doing. I already experienced this once when we were talking about "The Right to Your Opinion" and I hated the feeling. If everybody participated, I would be much more comfortable in class and with public speaking.I look forward to being about to pick about a story or a text and being able to understand it better. I am also looking forward to becoming a better writer.