I thought that English was pretty fun this year, especially because we didn't have a huge ten page paper to do or something similar to one. Having the options for the essays and projects was great as not only did it allow us as students to better express ourselves, it made it much more interesting when we got around to presenting the projects. The poetry project was sort of boring in this regard as everyone's was pretty much the same thing. The choice reading on Fridays was good and I think most of the students read at least one more book this year than they would have usually read. The book clubs along with the discussions were alright and I liked how we could choose what book we read (but I wish I didn't read Blindness as the book was really weird and the ending was garbage). For the poetry project I wish that we got to pick from all of the names by choice at the start because some kids may have not really liked their poets that much, but that would be problematic as some students might want the same poet. The presentations were pretty boring (mine included) as the rubric for the project really only allowed us to write an original poem (of which I think literally no one read out loud). These problems might be better attributed to the class being first period and no one really being awake yet.
I very much enjoyed reading on Fridays as it was relaxing to come into school and start it with reading something I wanted to read, rather than having a test or something. I also liked reading Hamlet, but I think I might be alone among my classmates on that. I wasn't really that big of a fan of Oedipus or Antigone, I could follow the books fine, but I think that they were just kind of boring reads. Although you did make the projects for them pretty fun so I don't know how you could make reading them not boring.
With the choice reads and the book club meetings (and me having an AP European history class) I think I read more this year than I did last year (I only read two books in English last year, Gatsby and the Crucible). To be fair, we did spend most of last year writing a big research paper on Gatsby and over analyzing something for that long will make almost anything get stale pretty quick. At least last nowhere near as bad as when we had to read the House on Mango Street in middle school and spent more than half the year on a book that is about one hundred pages long. I didn't feel like any of the books we read this year got to much time devoted to them to the point that they got boring so that's good.
I liked the blogs and some of the essays we wrote like the one comparing Oedipus to another tragedy. Which I compared to one of my favorite games that being Warcraft III. I thought that was fun and talking about something you like is authentic in my opinion. This reflection is also authentic as it is practically just one big opinion piece.
I felt like letting us choose our Friday reading book, our book club books, topics for essays and topics for projects made it so everyone's English experience was different this year. The personal choice definitely made it feel like there was more personal control over what we were learning this year and the variety of choices we had made presenting projects more interesting, as they were usually on different topics of were different projects. I certainly think I am probably the only students to have written one of their essays on WarCraft III ever (out of curiosity were there any other years when a student wrote that essay on something that wasn't a book like I did?) Reading Laughter in the Dark went down well with the class and everyone seemed to like the book, the Friday reading sessions also went well as I don't remember a time when people were talking or doing other homework during one of them.
I can think of two things that would have made English better this year. One would be having the period happen later in the day (but you can't really do much about that one) and the other would be to have a better variety of book choices for the book clubs. Three of the book club books were dystopian fiction, and the others just seemed kinda depressing from what I saw from the other group's projects. You could have a survey or just talk to the class about this, but I would recommend having a horror book and a fantasy/science fiction book next year for the sake of variety (and more variety is usually more fun). While reading a book like Blindness was interesting, I was mostly just grossed out by it, which is something I'm not looking for in a book that I'm reading for fun. I would much rather read a more fun book about a less depressing topic for my book club book, but maybe that is just me. I do think that most of the people in the class that read Blindness agree that the ending was terrible, so maybe next year you could try to look for books that have interesting or more thought provoking endings to them.
Monday, May 8, 2017
A Heartbreaking Account of Sexual Slavery
Divya Arora
Sold
By Patricia McCormick
"Ugh, honestly can't wait for next vacation. Can't wait to graduate and get out of this place!" says every privileged student including myself. But in some parts of the world, there are kids who don't get a chance to complain about what a drag it is to go to school. Even when they really want to, they're not able to. Correspondingly, Lakshmi, the protagonist, is a 13-year-old who lives in a small village in Nepal. After the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all their family's crops, their poverty strikes them even harder. As a result, her father asks her to support her family by getting a job "as a maid in the city". But little does she know, she's been sold into prostitution as she reaches India with a stranger. She's forced to live in a brothel ruled by a woman named Mumtaz, who eventually drugs Lakshmi to make her customers happy. Since then she gets raped multiple times, by poor, rich, white, dark, indian, old, young, nice, and vicious men who pay her after being satisfied. Mumtaz is a cunning, selfish frightener who has instilled fear into all the girls of "Happiness House" (the brothel). But throughout this torturous journey, only one thing keeps Lakshmi alive: courage and determination. She doesn't give up. She decides to educate herself with the help of a boy, and sacrifice her body as much as he can to pay Mumtaz up so she can go back to her beloved mother.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all teenagers and older. It deals with reality and what goes on around the world. I feel like every teenager should read this and familiarize themselves with this account of sexual slavery as it exists now. Sold is not only inspiring but also thought- provoking, as it informs readers particularly teenagers, what other kids, who are the same age as them, are battling against issues they wouldn't even know exist just in different parts of the world. At times, McCormick can get a little too graphic, which I think should not be a bi deal since there are several TV shows, movies, and Netflix series that provide the same amount and even more details and insight into these "sensitive" matters. For example, after Lakshmi was stupefied with a drink, she was forced to sleep with a "Habib" who is "on top of me (Lakshmi) and something hot and insistent is between my (her) legs"(120). Her stepfather is paid a small amount of money when he trades away Lakshmi's life, dignity, self- respect, and her soul. I feel like readers need to read this book to connect to this on a personal level. This is a true story, and therefore should be more important than fictional TV series which affect young adults more.
In addition, theme of education has been highlighted in the book. Lakshmi has always shared her keen interest in reading and after being sold into this place, she begins stealing books from a boy. She describes " While the other girls are downstairs watching the TV, I take his brightly colored storybook and make it mine...I pretend I'm in school... and I am the number one girl in class again" (154- 5). I express dissatisfaction everyday towards school and then I read about this girl who has been taken everything away from her but she still finds herself in books. Education matters the most to her and kind of reminds us how privileged and fortunate we are. Even though I can't relate to her personally, i can definitely connect to her. I was moved by the way McCormick every detail because I was born in India where there is a fear in every parent to protect their kids from being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Sold is a tear-jerker at times, especially when she portrays her helplessness and sometimes it can be frustrating. For example, the author focuses on cruel deeds of Mumtaz when she shoves a mixture of chili pepper up a girl's vagina. It's a meaningful read and an unflinching look at sex slavery. Again, I would recommend this book to young adults and older and people who are or choose to be a little ignorant of what's going on around them simply because they are not involved.
Sold
By Patricia McCormick
"Ugh, honestly can't wait for next vacation. Can't wait to graduate and get out of this place!" says every privileged student including myself. But in some parts of the world, there are kids who don't get a chance to complain about what a drag it is to go to school. Even when they really want to, they're not able to. Correspondingly, Lakshmi, the protagonist, is a 13-year-old who lives in a small village in Nepal. After the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all their family's crops, their poverty strikes them even harder. As a result, her father asks her to support her family by getting a job "as a maid in the city". But little does she know, she's been sold into prostitution as she reaches India with a stranger. She's forced to live in a brothel ruled by a woman named Mumtaz, who eventually drugs Lakshmi to make her customers happy. Since then she gets raped multiple times, by poor, rich, white, dark, indian, old, young, nice, and vicious men who pay her after being satisfied. Mumtaz is a cunning, selfish frightener who has instilled fear into all the girls of "Happiness House" (the brothel). But throughout this torturous journey, only one thing keeps Lakshmi alive: courage and determination. She doesn't give up. She decides to educate herself with the help of a boy, and sacrifice her body as much as he can to pay Mumtaz up so she can go back to her beloved mother.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all teenagers and older. It deals with reality and what goes on around the world. I feel like every teenager should read this and familiarize themselves with this account of sexual slavery as it exists now. Sold is not only inspiring but also thought- provoking, as it informs readers particularly teenagers, what other kids, who are the same age as them, are battling against issues they wouldn't even know exist just in different parts of the world. At times, McCormick can get a little too graphic, which I think should not be a bi deal since there are several TV shows, movies, and Netflix series that provide the same amount and even more details and insight into these "sensitive" matters. For example, after Lakshmi was stupefied with a drink, she was forced to sleep with a "Habib" who is "on top of me (Lakshmi) and something hot and insistent is between my (her) legs"(120). Her stepfather is paid a small amount of money when he trades away Lakshmi's life, dignity, self- respect, and her soul. I feel like readers need to read this book to connect to this on a personal level. This is a true story, and therefore should be more important than fictional TV series which affect young adults more.
In addition, theme of education has been highlighted in the book. Lakshmi has always shared her keen interest in reading and after being sold into this place, she begins stealing books from a boy. She describes " While the other girls are downstairs watching the TV, I take his brightly colored storybook and make it mine...I pretend I'm in school... and I am the number one girl in class again" (154- 5). I express dissatisfaction everyday towards school and then I read about this girl who has been taken everything away from her but she still finds herself in books. Education matters the most to her and kind of reminds us how privileged and fortunate we are. Even though I can't relate to her personally, i can definitely connect to her. I was moved by the way McCormick every detail because I was born in India where there is a fear in every parent to protect their kids from being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Sold is a tear-jerker at times, especially when she portrays her helplessness and sometimes it can be frustrating. For example, the author focuses on cruel deeds of Mumtaz when she shoves a mixture of chili pepper up a girl's vagina. It's a meaningful read and an unflinching look at sex slavery. Again, I would recommend this book to young adults and older and people who are or choose to be a little ignorant of what's going on around them simply because they are not involved.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
2016-17 English Class Review
This year in English has been a year that I won’t soon forget. The ability to choose what we make of certain projects, coupled with the atmosphere of discussion and learning how to articulate ideas on the spot, while also learning more about ourselves, has been a great experience for me, and surely for others as well.
What I loved about this class is that it dedicated time to reading, which many people, including myself, don’t have much time for outside of school. It gave me the opportunity to work on my reading speed, which is going to be essential for me next year, and in college. It also helped me learn to enjoy reading. Once I am finished with senior year, with all the concerts, shows and tests, I will finish the book, 1984, and I will likely move on to another Orwell novel, like Animal Farm or Keep the Aspidistra Flying. I think that reading several books at a time has pushed me to try to appreciate the books I choose. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the assigned reading, though, as I really got into the story in Oedipus/Antigone, and I especially enjoyed Laughter in the Dark. However, the experience overall made me see reading in a new light - not just as something I should do, but as something I can do. My experience this year will absolutely get me reading more in the future.
I enjoyed that, aside from reading, the writing/revising experiences made me feel like I was a real author. The way I got to choose my assignments, like the psychoanalysis paper, was really cool in that I got to write what I wanted to write about, not just what is assigned, something a professional author would do.
I do feel like I had control over what I learned from this class. I learned some interesting things from the psychoanalysis paper that I had actually been thinking about before entering the class. I also learned how to defend my point of view when the class disagrees with me (on who the tragic hero was in Antigone). One thing that really went well was the book review project on 1984, as I learned how to make text to world connections, and how to spot signs of a possible semi-totalitarian uprising.
Overall it was a great year, but I think it could have been enhanced by having reading days once a week all year, or if that is not possible, at least once every other week. It is nice, with such a packed school schedule, to be able to just take some of the day to read.
English 12 Review
Ty Campana
I feel that the choices given to us in this year of English influenced my experience in a positive way. I liked having the choices because I find that I have a lot more motivation to do work when I am genuinely interested in the topic. Throughout the year we got to choose from different types of books which I liked because I got to choose the genre that I was most interested in and could connect to the most. I am the type of student that puts out my best work when I am interested in the topic that I am reading and the choices that were given to me really helped that.
When we were reading Laughter in the Dark I really enjoyed reading because not only was it was somewhat of an easy read but I really liked the plot of the story and it kept my attention throughout the novel. I also really liked that we got to read whatever books that we wanted on Fridays because I had the freedom to choose my story that I wanted to read.
This year I defiantly feel like I read a lot more both in and outside of school this year. We were reading multiple books at a time which I did find a little bit difficult. I usually don't really read outside of school but this year since not only was I reading a book that interested me at all times, I also had to write a blog post about it which really encouraged me to read more.
I think that the blogs that I posted were authentic because it was a book that I was submerged in and all you really told us to do was say our opinion on it which really gave me the freedom to say my true feelings about the book.
I do feel that I had some control over my learning experience in the classroom this year because in past years teachers assign us a book and a project and make us follow very detailed instructions. This year not only did we get to choose our books most of the time but we also got to choose our projects. Even when we had to do a project on an assigned book we got too have the freedom to choose what kind of project we wanted to do which I really liked. If I had to choose one thing that went well in the classroom this year I would choose the whole Laughter in the Dark unit again because I really enjoyed the book and loved doing projects on the characters in the book. I also really liked how we were a very close class and I feel like that is partly due to how you always make everyone comfortable to share their thoughts, I felt like nobody was afraid to say anything at any times which I really liked.
If there was one thing that I would have done differently I would say that the participation grade was really heavy and I felt like I was obligated to share a thought because I didn't want my grade to go down even if I didn't necessarily have anything to say on the topic. Overall I really enjoyed English this year and I feel like I have learned a lot of valuable things.
I feel that the choices given to us in this year of English influenced my experience in a positive way. I liked having the choices because I find that I have a lot more motivation to do work when I am genuinely interested in the topic. Throughout the year we got to choose from different types of books which I liked because I got to choose the genre that I was most interested in and could connect to the most. I am the type of student that puts out my best work when I am interested in the topic that I am reading and the choices that were given to me really helped that.
When we were reading Laughter in the Dark I really enjoyed reading because not only was it was somewhat of an easy read but I really liked the plot of the story and it kept my attention throughout the novel. I also really liked that we got to read whatever books that we wanted on Fridays because I had the freedom to choose my story that I wanted to read.
This year I defiantly feel like I read a lot more both in and outside of school this year. We were reading multiple books at a time which I did find a little bit difficult. I usually don't really read outside of school but this year since not only was I reading a book that interested me at all times, I also had to write a blog post about it which really encouraged me to read more.
I think that the blogs that I posted were authentic because it was a book that I was submerged in and all you really told us to do was say our opinion on it which really gave me the freedom to say my true feelings about the book.
I do feel that I had some control over my learning experience in the classroom this year because in past years teachers assign us a book and a project and make us follow very detailed instructions. This year not only did we get to choose our books most of the time but we also got to choose our projects. Even when we had to do a project on an assigned book we got too have the freedom to choose what kind of project we wanted to do which I really liked. If I had to choose one thing that went well in the classroom this year I would choose the whole Laughter in the Dark unit again because I really enjoyed the book and loved doing projects on the characters in the book. I also really liked how we were a very close class and I feel like that is partly due to how you always make everyone comfortable to share their thoughts, I felt like nobody was afraid to say anything at any times which I really liked.
If there was one thing that I would have done differently I would say that the participation grade was really heavy and I felt like I was obligated to share a thought because I didn't want my grade to go down even if I didn't necessarily have anything to say on the topic. Overall I really enjoyed English this year and I feel like I have learned a lot of valuable things.
Reflection
Melissa Nicolas
I feel that any class that encourages individualism and independence through guidance and teaching is a classroom that will positively impact any student in some way. Being that I am generally a student that likes to work alone and likes complete control of what I am doing it was relieving a number of opportunities given to me to choose the direction I was going to take my work. For past years I always believed English was my worst subject because I am a very concrete thinker and in the past, I would have trouble thinking abstractly when it comes to finding symbolism and alternative meanings in literature. I found myself having a more positive experience in English through the discussion based activities and independent reading on Fridays'.
At the very least I enjoyed reading one time a week. I say this because I greatly appreciated the opportunities Fridays gave me to explore various books that I enjoyed. There were multiple times a year when we would be reading several books at once but if I was ever discontent with any of them I knew ob Fridays I could always fall back on a book that I did like because I was given the chance to read what I wanted. Fridays were my break from any stressing assignments or difficult books I was previously paying attention to.
I definitely read more books this year than I have in previous English classes. I think at most, we would have to read three to four books throughout the entire year. I think in English this year we used our time wisely and were able to read a multitude of books while reading any independent reading book on the side. Often I would find my independent reading books so interesting I would read them before bed sometimes if I was truly curious to see how it ended.
I can't imagine describing my writing and revisions in this class labeled as anything less than authentic. Most of the time we would be given an assignment and most of the time it was up to us which direction we wanted to take it. We were allowed to develop our own opinions and defend them in our writing, Our rubrics were meant to give direction on stylistics of our writing. When asked to write a blog post of our independent reading books, we didn't have to follow the guidelines of a traditional essay following a 5 paragraph format. It could be as long or as short as we wanted as long as it encompassed our true feelings and opinions towards the book.
A prime example of when I had some control over my own learning in English was through our book club projects. It was left completely up to us to convey our knowledge and comprehension of the book in a creative and organized project. It could be anything we wanted, and as you looked around the class not one group had the same project as another. Our book was Their Eyes Were Watching God, we chose to set up a video presentation of a cooking show describing a primary character in the book as ingredients to a pastry, followed by a brief discussion of the book.
There isn't much that could be done differently with this class. I personally didn't find it incredibly challenging, my favorite parts of the class were anything that had to do with group discussions and debates. I think participation and discussion were highly encouraged in this class and those can be some of my strong suits at times.
I feel that any class that encourages individualism and independence through guidance and teaching is a classroom that will positively impact any student in some way. Being that I am generally a student that likes to work alone and likes complete control of what I am doing it was relieving a number of opportunities given to me to choose the direction I was going to take my work. For past years I always believed English was my worst subject because I am a very concrete thinker and in the past, I would have trouble thinking abstractly when it comes to finding symbolism and alternative meanings in literature. I found myself having a more positive experience in English through the discussion based activities and independent reading on Fridays'.
At the very least I enjoyed reading one time a week. I say this because I greatly appreciated the opportunities Fridays gave me to explore various books that I enjoyed. There were multiple times a year when we would be reading several books at once but if I was ever discontent with any of them I knew ob Fridays I could always fall back on a book that I did like because I was given the chance to read what I wanted. Fridays were my break from any stressing assignments or difficult books I was previously paying attention to.
I definitely read more books this year than I have in previous English classes. I think at most, we would have to read three to four books throughout the entire year. I think in English this year we used our time wisely and were able to read a multitude of books while reading any independent reading book on the side. Often I would find my independent reading books so interesting I would read them before bed sometimes if I was truly curious to see how it ended.
I can't imagine describing my writing and revisions in this class labeled as anything less than authentic. Most of the time we would be given an assignment and most of the time it was up to us which direction we wanted to take it. We were allowed to develop our own opinions and defend them in our writing, Our rubrics were meant to give direction on stylistics of our writing. When asked to write a blog post of our independent reading books, we didn't have to follow the guidelines of a traditional essay following a 5 paragraph format. It could be as long or as short as we wanted as long as it encompassed our true feelings and opinions towards the book.
A prime example of when I had some control over my own learning in English was through our book club projects. It was left completely up to us to convey our knowledge and comprehension of the book in a creative and organized project. It could be anything we wanted, and as you looked around the class not one group had the same project as another. Our book was Their Eyes Were Watching God, we chose to set up a video presentation of a cooking show describing a primary character in the book as ingredients to a pastry, followed by a brief discussion of the book.
There isn't much that could be done differently with this class. I personally didn't find it incredibly challenging, my favorite parts of the class were anything that had to do with group discussions and debates. I think participation and discussion were highly encouraged in this class and those can be some of my strong suits at times.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Final Blog Post
Maxwell Waters
The past poetry project was completely on my own, I researched a topic and was able to research about my poet Thomas Hardy. In my opinion I really enjoyed English this year, if there was to be anything I would like to change it would be managing all the projects and books we were reading. There was a point where I was reading Hamlet, and two independent reading books at the same time which I thought was stressful.
The choices made throughout the year in English class influenced me in a positive way. Never have I ever had an English class so innovative. Typically my classes have always been so teacher centric, but this year the focus was more on the students. I was able to choose my own books.
I enjoyed reading my group independent reading book Marcelo in the Real world by Francisco X Stork. The novel was so interesting, and between my partner and I we were able to have quality discussions based on what we read during the book club meetings.
This year opened my eyes to reading more outside of school, on my own time. Before reading always seemed as a homework assignment where there were specific pages, and homework due dates, but these independent readings allowed me to choose.
Editing my work I felt like it was authentic because I felt like anything that I revised was not effecting my content, however the style of how I wrote something had changed. My writing this year was more about how I should write a piece, rather than fixing ideas.
Yea there were a lot of moments I had control of my own learning.When I was reading Hamlet my group and I made a fake instagram poster, which I enjoyed very much because we got to relate Shakespeare to a modern day form of social media.
The past poetry project was completely on my own, I researched a topic and was able to research about my poet Thomas Hardy. In my opinion I really enjoyed English this year, if there was to be anything I would like to change it would be managing all the projects and books we were reading. There was a point where I was reading Hamlet, and two independent reading books at the same time which I thought was stressful.
2017 English Class Review
Hallie Melville
I appreciate the choices that we had available in English class this year because I was able to focus on subjects and genres that I found interesting. I was able to enjoy reading most of the time, especially with the books Laughter in the Dark and Marcelo in the Real World. I enjoyed Oedipus and other plays when we read aloud in groups, but not so much when we had to independent read because I found it difficult to follow what each character was saying in my head.
I definitely did a lot more reading than I normally did in any other English class because we were usually reading multiple books at once, which was overwhelming at some points. I would not have it any other way though, because I always had a book to fall back on if I did not like one of the ones we were reading. One of my proudest moments in this class was my Reviving Ophelia essay, I felt that it was well organized and true to my feelings.
Throughout the year, most of my learning was set but I definitely had some wiggle room to choose topics that I found interesting, with the Friday independent reading in particular. I do not mind having what I learn chosen by the teacher because that is what I am used to. For me, I will find anything exciting and interesting if the teachers excitement shows through their teaching. A classroom activity that I enjoyed would have to be the "agree" and "disagree" survey before we read Hamlet. I liked giving my opinion and seeing how it compared to others. Overall, I found this class fun, interesting, and fairly easy as long as I did my work.
I appreciate the choices that we had available in English class this year because I was able to focus on subjects and genres that I found interesting. I was able to enjoy reading most of the time, especially with the books Laughter in the Dark and Marcelo in the Real World. I enjoyed Oedipus and other plays when we read aloud in groups, but not so much when we had to independent read because I found it difficult to follow what each character was saying in my head.
I definitely did a lot more reading than I normally did in any other English class because we were usually reading multiple books at once, which was overwhelming at some points. I would not have it any other way though, because I always had a book to fall back on if I did not like one of the ones we were reading. One of my proudest moments in this class was my Reviving Ophelia essay, I felt that it was well organized and true to my feelings.
Throughout the year, most of my learning was set but I definitely had some wiggle room to choose topics that I found interesting, with the Friday independent reading in particular. I do not mind having what I learn chosen by the teacher because that is what I am used to. For me, I will find anything exciting and interesting if the teachers excitement shows through their teaching. A classroom activity that I enjoyed would have to be the "agree" and "disagree" survey before we read Hamlet. I liked giving my opinion and seeing how it compared to others. Overall, I found this class fun, interesting, and fairly easy as long as I did my work.
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