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At the beginning of this year I was given an idea about a descriptive essay. In order to be descriptive you have to study the object or scene and say each part using the five senses. This year in general has been a great experience it helped me figure out that everything is not handed to you. You have to earn what you can’t have. In order to be accomplished in life you must work. My teacher Mr. Block is both my english and history and he helped me understand a lot about both courses.

Throughout the entire year my work has been hard to understand. I wasn’t able to comprehend the new information that I was learning. So through the months I used deeper analysis. This analysis allowed me to  help understand things that we never thought were possible. Later in the year we learned about the renaissance, we has to discuss renaissance art and one statement I remember is, "Art existed just not on paper". This quote shows that If you think about art, art is something you can explain deeper than you thought you could. Even though a person could name colors or what’s on it, you can say how the person feels you can relate the picture to something in real life. An assignment that also stood out was Lord of the Flies. Leadership had a lot to do with the book. “A leader can only be one person but you need people to help you further”. Basically this quote shows what a leader is. A leader can not be multiple people. There could be different Leader(s) with an s. The reason why I say that there can only be one leader is because it does not consist of more than one person. The other people that you may feel is in power could be assistants but not at the same rank as the LEADER.

A lot of my work has been expressing how I feel. In order to express how you feel you need to know what you feel and telling that is  a challenge. Expression is used to show how a person feels without saying it. It’s like reading the mind but this time you read the body. This means expressing yourself without words could be stronger than expressing yourself with words. I wrote a letter to my parents about how I felt at times. "Certain things you say to me hurt my feelings throughout the day". This was to show i felt, but this was stated in words when I could have showed it. Certain are not meant to be shown because it makes situations worse. Anytime you express your self make sure it is meaningful so it makes a change. Back when my class did the French Revolution Role Play we began to thing people were cruel and that they showed respect for the cruelty. “he showed honor”. Honor, the way honor is expressed it to be bold out going showing your boss that you could do what no other man/ woman could ever do. To show honor means that you give respect not to earn but because you honor that person. it is possible that you look up to that person. The more honorable things you do the more respect it given.

Mr. Block taught me a new way to write and speak and I think the effort that I put into the work really helped me. The only thing I had to do was try. Trying new things allows the person to feel accomplished after doing what they thought they couldn’t. In the beginning of the year we did some trial work like a court case and I quote that I have picked up from it is "But we would have also been imprisoned". Speaking on this quote, this could have been a new thing tried. Not everything your friends do is something that you have to do. It could get you in some trouble that you are able to get yourself out of. Back in 2011 Mr.Block gave us  a paper to do and it was the Language Auto Biography. I knew this was new to me because I actually got to discuss where my mom is from and how she speaks. “you feel the rhythm in the words coming out of your mouth”. This quote shows that you notice new things to. If you have never written about a different accent or dialect try it because it makes you want to speak in a way that everyone could understand. The only way to do that is to feel that rhythm in the words that are coming out of your mouth. Then you have to remember that rhythm.

A normal class for us began with us writing a journal entry. Mr. Block would write a prompt or question on the board, and we would answer that question, or use that prompt to write something in our journal. Almost always, these journals would relate to what we were learning in class that day. After that, we would discuss what we wrote. The discussions we had in this class were some of my favorite parts of the class. We would read our journal entry to the class, then people would respond to what we said. Often, people would disagree with one another, and we would have a small debate. Our teacher would rarely talk during these discussions, except to call on another classmate, and we would only ever have to cut the discussion short because we were running out of time, never because we ran out of something to say. After our discussion we would either read something new about the topic we are studying, or work on a project. The projects we did throughout the year were very rarely a simple paper about what we were studying. Every one of us wrote a complete play, and submitted it to Philadelphia Young Playwrights. We made podcasts, and then made a radio show with similar to This American Life. We even created a site-specific dance piece and performed it to an audience during Art in the Open. Even the papers we wrote were more complex than simply analyzing a character in a book, or responding to a question about the book. We would take a larger theme or idea, and use the book to support our opinions about that theme or idea. For example, in my Lord of the Flies thesis, I talked about how power can affect people.

During my year, I learned many things. Along with learning about the history of the French revolution, and the Industrial revolution, and other events; I also learned some things about the world in general. One of the things I learned about the world from studying history and literature is that inequality is the main cause for conflict in this world. The majority of the world’s problems can be linked to inequality. If you look at the many wars and conflicts in our history, you can see why this is true. In the French Revolution, the royalty and clergymen and had almost all the power the in country, and two thirds of the voting power, so they rest of people, about 98% of the population, could not have any control over their country. They were poor and hungry, while the King bought very expensive jewelry for his wife. Because of this, they revolted, in one of the bloodiest revolutions of all time. Another example of this is the Arab spring. The people in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, were unhappy with how their dictators could just torture and kill their people for very little reason, and how the government abused their people. They were unhappy with the way that the government and the dictators had all the power, and the people had none. They revolted, and kicked out their dictators, and while there are still problems in some of these countries; they are on their way to the democracy they fought for. It is interesting how the revolutions in the Arab spring took much less time than the French revolution. This leads to the second thing I learned about the world, which is that social change can be made more powerful through peaceful protest. The French revolution lasted about 10 years, and the revolutionaries used weapons and simply fought the King to take control of the country. In the Egyptian revolution, for the most part they simply protested and demonstrated, and there was very little fighting, except for military or government people attacking protestors. The revolution in Egypt lasted 18 days until the Mubarak stepped down. What this shows is that peaceful protest is much more effective than violent conflict. There are multiple reasons why peaceful protests are more effective. One reason is that when the government kills and attacks protestors who do not fight back, it turns the protestors into martyrs and victims. It makes their cause look better in the eyes of the world, and it makes the government of that country look evil. It also will make it so that if the protestors eventually win out, the country they inherit is not a warzone, but is more or less in the same condition as when they started. In the revolution guidebook that I made in History, I talked about what makes a revolution successful. While you can’t see exactly what I said, because the majority of this project was a presentation, you can see my bullet points about the subject. I learned many other things about the world in English and History class, but there would be too many to list here. Overall, my year in English and History was a very unique learning experience for me. The emphasis was not on grammar and spelling, or memorizing historical dates; but on our world and how we can make it better place.

I’ve learned that hard work can make you stay up the entire night perfecting something, but when you get results you realize that it was all worth it. I worked so hard on the autobiography and my results weren’t just in a grade, but also I had a result from myself. I used to be afraid to put so much about myself out for someone to judge, but maybe it’s a good thing to put all my emotions out in my writing. From doing that in the paper I got the amazing opportunity to present it at University of Penn, where the adults had nothing but great things to say about mine and my peer’s work. I also got my quote put onto the mural my school did, so now in my work I don’t hold back anything.

We did a podcast project where we interviewed someone in our life and tried to get a story out of them. That was the most stressful project of the whole year because since I interviewed my little brother (10 years old), it was very hard to get a story so I had to edit it to make it into a story. I felt like it was not good enough but then when I got feedback it was all good so I realized that sometimes I am too hard on myself. From that I learned that in my work to take a step back and try to look at my work as if I wasn’t the one that created it.

At Science Leadership Academy we publish a lot of work so we have to take things more seriously because then there becomes no room for mistake. With the help of Leah Stein and her dancers we participated in the Art in the Open Festival.  We were split into six groups and told to find a location four blocks away from the school to prepare a dance. If we were not going to be performing for an audience, I feel like the performances would not of been as strong because then there would to a place for people to be able to make mistakes and play around a little more.

From the year we also wrote journal entries, ending the year with more than 100 combined in our English and History class. From these, they were not as stressful and we didn’t feel like they had to be perfect, until we were told to publish 3 of our favorites. It taught us that even if we don’t want to do something or take it seriously, there is always a reason that we still sound. My entries that are my favorite can be seen here, here, and here. They talk about art, life, and leadership, one of my quotes from them are,“​I learned that groups make decisions by leadership and strength.” (Journal 11).

Overall, this year has taught me a lot academically but also about myself.  I’ve done some great pieces of work that I never thought I could accomplish things and be so proud of my work. I learned about how my writing style is, which is that I like to do fact based papers compared to creative writing. Finally, like I stated above, I learned that going all out on my papers is not a bad thing. I feel like before now I didn’t like writing all that much because I was always holding back things that I wanted to add because I didn’t know if I wanted to take a risk and make things personal. 

Some other pieces of work from my year…

Pipeline Monologue

Descriptive Essay

Lord of the Flies Thesis Paper

This year has seen me grow considerably. My ideas have matured a lot from September to June. Over the course of the year, I feel as though I’ve come across three general understandings that I feel are significant. They show that I’ve grown significantly this year.

            My first general understanding is something I’ve learned a lot about in history. I’ve come across many examples of how conflict is required for social change. Though I’ve realized that this conflict is most successful when violence is not involved. "The French revolution was a revolution in the way that it was carried out, and because of the results of the uprising. It was not however, much of a change for the better. The government in France changed but the difficulties did not end." (French Revolution Reflection) I wrote this after completing the French revolution unit in history. It seemed that the French ultimately didn’t gain anything meaningful after the uprising. My next example comes from my project How to Start a Revolution. I found many examples of successful social change in history that was mostly nonviolent. "There are many different methods of nonviolent protest. An effective one would to have women and children at the front of a demonstration, this would discourage any military force brought up by the dictator from attacking. Another is to humanize the military force by talking and interacting with them. This shows both sides that they are all part of the same country." (How to Start a Revolution) My last example comes from a journal entry I made pretending to be Galileo during his in-house arrest brought on by the church. I feel that he ultimately succeeded by complying and not getting himself killed. "I've resigned to comply with the Church. I’m tired of fighting this fight; it is better for me to reject my work then to die. At the very least I’ve contributed to the scientific community. Even if I’ve not enlightened the public, at least I can say that some benefit from my work."(Galileo Journal Entry)

            My next general understanding comes from a mixture of my classes of English and History. After out many discussions about the issues we covered I feel that the discussion helps me see the full issue. Discussion helps me see all sides of the argument. My first example comes from my Servant Point of View piece. My role was to see the issues that came along with the French revolution through the eyes of one of the lowest members of society. But as we discussed the issues at hand, I learned about all of the higher rungs on the ladder. "I'm just a servant, no one important cares about the likes of me. I just go about my day making sure the palace stays completely perfect. Everything around me costs more then I will ever make in my entire life. The royal family is a group of pigs! They make all the decisions so that they'll always come out on top." (Servant POV) My next example comes from my reflection on the Sweatshop trial we had in History. I realized after the trial was over that I’d begun with a very biased opinion on the matter. It was only until after it was over did I realize that I’d been ignoring half of the points that were made because they were made against my group. "I think that each group that participated in the trial did a good job of representing their organizations. It is especially difficult to do a trial like this when there are no clear victims or groups at fault. All groups defended their positions with relative success, even when they were more clearly at fault in the situation." (Reflection on Sweatshop Trial) My last example comes from my roles as Pope Urban the second during the religious role-play. I feel like the lesson from the French revolution role-play where driven home during this unit. "Hello, I'm Pope Urban the second. I became pope in March of the year 1088" (Religion Role-play)

            My last general understanding comes from the beginning of the year in English 10. I realized that writing out the stories of my life and describing my experiences gives me a fresh view. My first quote comes form my very first assignment. It gave me a vague idea of what I would be doing for the first part of the year. All I had to do was describe myself in a journal entry. "I'm 15 years old, born in Philadelphia/ Spanish is my second language, after 10 years, I'm fluent/ I play soccer, defense, and I work hard. In sports, and everything else/ I have a brother and a sister, I'm the oldest one." (Theme for English 2) Our next assignment that year was to write a descriptive piece about a painting in our house. I was given a new look at the painting after having to describe it in detail. Every time I walk past it in the hall I think of the assignment. "In the foreground, waves rock the two boats as they approach their prey. The men are experts, standing in the their positions, ready for action" (Description of a painting) To finish up the unit, I had to write a whole descriptive essay. In this essay I had to describe several different memories in detail. I think that describing them has helped me remember them more clearly. "As I sat inside, I heard my brother talking animatedly to my sister, to him this is a fun family-bonding treat. He smiles as he runs back and forth, helping the rest of us in the small ways he can" (Descriptive Essay)

            My growth this year has been gradual. But I can see it clearly just by looking at my work in the beginning of the year. My initial reaction is to laugh at myself from a year ago, or to feel embarrassed. But in the end I’m proud, because it shows how far I've come.

The NFL’s History 

Sara Nesbitt

English

Poem

9-6-11

 Who am I?

Since I’m in a new class, a new environment, I’d like you to get to know me.

I’m Sara Nesbitt

My favorite things are my friends and softball.

I work hard in school always trying my best.

I have amazing friends to spend my time with, and a great family to come home to.

I love winter; it’s my favorite season.

I used to be a competitive gymnast.

I’m an only child.

I care way to much about everything.

I don’t like pictures.

I’m only 14.

And, my biggest fear is spiders.

But don’t worry my life is much deeper than that.

I love my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Friends? Couldn’t ask for better ones

School? Best in the world

Life? It changes everyday.

I have many memories I will keep with me forever.

One memory I have is when my parents took me to gymnastics competition and I ended up winning first place. It was such an accomplishment; an amazing experience and it only pushed my determination more to work harder.

Also, one of my favorite memories is meeting one of my closest friends. It was first day of freshman year, I was a tiny little freshman that people mistaken for a shadow, I didn’t know anyone. But when I go into the bathroom I meet this tall blonde girl that hated Justin Bieber. Now, I can’t go a single day without talking to her and she’s the best friend you could ever have. We understand each other, relate to each other and I couldn’t ask for anyone better.

All of those things make up me,

the loves, hates, memories, and fears.

I’m Sara Nesbitt, and that’s who I’ll always be.

Sara Nesbitt

English

Poem

9-6-11

 Who am I?

Since I’m in a new class, a new environment, I’d like you to get to know me.

I’m Sara Nesbitt

My favorite things are my friends and softball.

I work hard in school always trying my best.

I have amazing friends to spend my time with, and a great family to come home to.

I love winter; it’s my favorite season.

I used to be a competitive gymnast.

I’m an only child.

I care way to much about everything.

I don’t like pictures.

I’m only 14.

And, my biggest fear is spiders.

But don’t worry my life is much deeper than that.

I love my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Friends? Couldn’t ask for better ones

School? Best in the world

Life? It changes everyday.

I have many memories I will keep with me forever.

One memory I have is when my parents took me to gymnastics competition and I ended up winning first place. It was such an accomplishment; an amazing experience and it only pushed my determination more to work harder.

Also, one of my favorite memories is meeting one of my closest friends. It was first day of freshman year, I was a tiny little freshman that people mistaken for a shadow, I didn’t know anyone. But when I go into the bathroom I meet this tall blonde girl that hated Justin Bieber. Now, I can’t go a single day without talking to her and she’s the best friend you could ever have. We understand each other, relate to each other and I couldn’t ask for anyone better.

All of those things make up me,

the loves, hates, memories, and fears.

I’m Sara Nesbitt, and that’s who I’ll always be.

For my project, I researched a lot of different aspects of Dr. Seuss, such as his books, his background, and his style. I collaborated with both my mentor and a daycare teacher. I, then, created a book of SLA and how I grew through SLA in the style of a Dr. Seuss book.

(to see the rest, email me: sbeattie@scienceleadership.org) 

English Journal #49:

Respond to the quote: 

“If memory helps us to survive, forgetting helps us to go on living.” - Elie Wiesel 

This quote really makes you think. I think that forgetting bad things can help us move on and not dwell on the past. However, remembering may help us survive because you will not want those things to happen to you. If you forget, you will be happy but may not survive long. If you remember you may survive but not live. 

History Journal #10: 

~What is religion? 

Religion is where someone believes something that has to do with something spiritual. 

~Has religion helped the world more than it has hurt it, or hurt the world more than it has helped it? 

I think that religion has helped the world just as much as it has hurt it. Yes, religion can make people not like each other and even start wars, but it has also helped many people personally. For example, the wars in Iraq have been caused by religion as well as other things. 

English Journal #6: 

Write a paragraph starting with this phrase:

“I am always seeing…”

I am always seeing the wind blowing things all around me. My hair, the leaves, the branches, and the birds soaring in the wind. I am always seeing the clouds moving. I am always seeing the people walking. I am always seeing the world around me… but what do other people see? Do they see the world the same way I do? I am always seeing. 

"The White Man's Burden" response:

Take up a woman's burden by Maria Latorre

Take up the White Man’s burden.

With there self seen world

That no a woman can take away

Show no woman love

and spit on there face

because they an't smart

so better then a white man's burden

Take up a woman's burden.

Take up a woman's burden

who are strong but weak

how slaves over a stove to cook for her family

who works and go to school

while taking care of a kid

not like a white man who only can start a war

Take up a woman's burden

no of a white man

cuz weman don't care about skin

but about heart

cuz weman know how to love

and show kindness

even if they don't want to.

Take up a woman's burden

one that cleans all do

one that baleaves in freedom

one that know that all types of man

are dangerouse.

Who will never try to burden other

Or be Judgment of their peers.

Throughout the year mr. Block has constantly introduced me into themes I would never have looked into. He has made me realize that the world’s problems aren’t so easy to solve and that everybody is a little responsible. For example I would always ask why do things like sweatshops still exist. Mr. Block brought it to our attention that there is a system built around these horrible acts and that the honest answer is because you cant give it up. So I looked towards the workers and came to my own conclusion that ”The only way was to stop the process is if the whole country committed to not working at these places. But the reality is that these horrible, long hours, and low paying jobs are all they have.”- Sweatshop trial. 

I have also learned to look at people more equally and understand that freedom is a state of mind. In Finding Freedom by Jarvis Jay Masters it is easily arguable that he was more free incarcerated then ever before in his life. He found himself a new man and a buddhist while in prison. Upon meeting a lama of his religion he said to himself “Here’s a guy who can take me out of prison even as I remain here.” He also began to separate himself from his environment by meditation, as he attempted in “Seeking Silence” a chapter in the book. A negative example of this is the story “Wildwood”. Before she ran away, the girl lived with a mother who she couldn’t stand. In reality, she was free to do whatever she wanted but living with her mother she felt imprisoned and not free todo anything. 

I also learned about leaders and responsibility needed to maintain such a role. I found out that a title means nothing if respect isn’t held in that title. When studying the “Lord of the Flies” unit I theorized that “Authority doesn’t always depend on who is labeled as a leader, but more who is respected the most.” based on the leadership problems in the text. That theory is constantly proved with protests around the world. Those protestors(the people) are being lead by those who they respect and agree with as opposed to who is labeled as their leaders(their government). I was able to reflect on how responsibilities in my childhood can change my character in the future. “Certain responsibilities as a young teen can further Impact your life once you understand the values incorporated.”. 

This course has also taught me the importance on being able to view a situation through multiple vantage points, or “lenses”. We did a project on the book “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” where we took a scene out of the book and portrayed it through either another character’s point of view or a general lens(feminist, marxist, etc.). This skill that I acquired has not only helped me with other assignments in school, but also helps me to understand other people’s feelings and ideas. I found multiple units interesting, and a few of them topics that I would research myself. I feel as though I learned a lot this year and acquired a few skills that will continue to help me throughout life.