Reflection

            This year I have finally learned how to write! Previously, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to write an in-depth essay analyzing a speech. I wouldn’t have been able to write three essays in two hours. I wouldn’t have even known how to identify logos, pathos, or ethos. However, now I can finally say that I know how to write. It is essentially easy for me to tell how much I have improved. I love that I can write an entire essay without over-thinking it; then I can go back and edit it ten times. My grades and satisfaction with my essays has improved, too. In August, I took a practice SAT, and I got a score of four out of twelve on the essay. Last month I took the real SAT, and I received a ten out of twelve. This goes to show that I have learned how to write many different types of essays, but I can apply similar techniques to all of them. I have truly improved an enormous amount this school year in the realm of rhetorical writing.

            One of the first assignments this year that helped me become more comfortable writing was the journals. Having nine minutes to write about anything I wanted scared me at first. Then, after a few sessions, I got used to it. It has helped me be able to write an entire essay without over-analyzing every sentence. It is much easier to get all of my ideas onto the page, and then go back and edit instead of editing while I wrote. I have also learned and been inspired from my classmates. There are some incredibly talented writers in my class, and when they read just a few sentences of their essays, I am in awe. They motivate me to do even better, and they give me ideas of how I can improve my writing. The only aspect of the class that I think could still use a little practice is the multiple choice for the exam. I believe that if we had begun taking practice multiple choice sections earlier, I may have felt  more confident about them at this point. This year has been an incredible learning experience for me, and I know I will use the skills I learned in this class in college, for my career, and in my life. 

Online Journal Project--#6

   Now that we are ending the school year, it is time to start studying for finals. The other day, I was talking to some of my friends who go to another school in Fulton County. They excitedly told me that they can exempt their finals this year. Let's just say I'm a little jealous. The only criteria is that you have to have above an 80. It seems like practically the whole school should be able to exempt! So my question is: why, at Chattahoochee, do we have to wait until second semester of senior year to exempt finals?
  Finals week is tiring and stressful seeing that we have tests for every subject all within 3 days of each other. Also, finals can practically make or break your grade in a class. If you are borderline for a certain grade, the final can tip you way to one side or to the other. Students who have a solid grade that they are happy with in the class should not have to go through this stressful week. The finals are sometimes pointless, too. If a student is fantastic in a certain class and has never made below a 95 on any assignment, then there is really no reason for them to be taking a final. It most likely wouldn't change their grade at all anyway. For those people who insist on taking a final, they should be allowed to take it. However, the students who feel that they don't need to take the final and are happy with their grades, should not be forced to take it.
    The point of a final is to assess the students knowledge of the coursework for the semester. Is it not possible, then, to assess the student's work throughout the semester from their grades? Finals should not be necessary for all students, no matter what age. If a grade is above average, then students should have the choice of whether or not they would like to take the final. Teachers may believe that finals help a student's chances of improving their grade. This is not true for most students, however, because there will be a correlation between how the student has done all year and how they do on the final. If the student hasn't done well all year, there is practically no chance that they will be able to significantly increase their grade just from the final. The ability to exempt finals would be an ultimate stress-reliever for many students and would give students more of a responsibility to their grades.

Online Journal Project--#5

   My last blog was pretty horrible, so I really hope you didn't read it Ms. Smith. If you did...all i can say is I am sorry. Let's hope this one is a little better!
   Anyways... I think that most people in the world are usually a combination between an optimist and a pessimist. There are some people, however, that have a personality that is extremely to one side of the spectrum. An example of this is my sister, Zoe. She has the most positive outlook on life, and she is only 8! She is always smiling, so if she is crying, we know something pretty bad must have happened. Whenever I'm upset or in a bad mood, I just go talk to Zoe. Within minutes, I am laughing and talking to her like nothing upsetting ever happened. She's also open to doing just about anything. She has done gymnastics, ballet, tap, soccer, art, tennis, and the list continues. Many kids try a lot of activities to see which they like best. The thing is, though, that Zoe literally likes to do everything. She would be happy swimming, playing at the gym, or sitting in a doctor's office. She can have fun in any circumstance. To make these activities more fun, she makes friends everywhere she goes. We could be at the beach, and within five minutes, she will be playing with 5 different kids of all different ages. For example, my dad brought Zoe to the gym the other day. When he picked her up from the kids area, she was saying bye to some girl. He asked who the girl was and my sister replied that her name was Hannah. She then explained that she met the girl that day. Next, she revealed that they had exchanged phone numbers. Another thing is that my sister is in second grade and the girl was in sixth. Not saying that they can't be friends, but it just seems a little strange. Zoe then added a few more facts to the story making it a little more strange sounding. After my entire family began cracking up for ten minutes, my dad had to explain to her that we don't give our phone number to strangers. Zoe immediately began protesting saying that Hannah was her friend (although she had known her for about an hour). This story really shows Zoe's ability to become best friends with someone at no time at all while not even realizing what she is doing. To sum this up a little, Zoe is pretty much a perfect child. She's always smiling, does what she's told, and never has problems at school.
    I really aspire to be just like Zoe. She has such a great outlook on life and it never wavers. She makes friends in minutes. She loves everything she does. She does what she's told. She can cheer someone up just by smiling. It's not that I have a bad outlook on life; I just get upset pretty easily and by unimportant things. I try to channel Zoe's happiness throughout the day. Additionally, I find it kind of awkward to go up to people I don't know, but Zoe does it without even thinking about it. She isn't afraid that they won't want to hang out with her or that they will be mean; she just takes a chance and talks to them. When I was younger I would get bored of my activities pretty easily. Unlike Zoe who could play tennis for three years while still wanting to do one hundred more activities in addition. Overall, I just think that everyone should strive to have Zoe's outlook on life. She's fun, happy, and crazy which makes her who she is. I would be so grateful to have Zoe's joyous attitude for a while!