Jamira Carter Q2 media fluency

The definition of a good slide isn’t just with good information- It’s with good qualities. One of the first recognizable things in a slide is color, which is why chose a bright orangy-red color. Then I kept the slide plain and simple with a couple of  words…In a big font so it is able to be read from across the room. The fonts are also colorful and contrast with the background color ,another reason why it is able to easily be read. I added one picture just for design as well. The overall colors help with the meaning of the slide because it is bright, and represents brightness and happiness.

http://www.slideshare.net/hiratufail/how-to-make-good-presentation
tech

my slide

http://zachholman.com/posts/slide-design-for-developers/

i used the website above to help me with my slide. i used the rules from the page to make my slide better. i didnt crowd my slide , i added a all black background ,  & 2 imporant pictures that describe what i'm talking about.
when i was 5 i did dance and one of my classes were balett. i chose a black background to make my pictures POP out more and stand out. i chose the shoes and a dancer because i felt as though it was imporant for the reader to see what am about and the things i like to do. below is a sneak peak of my slide !
Screen Shot 2011-11-29 at 11.33.41 AM
Screen Shot 2011-11-29 at 11.33.41 AM

This I Believe:hateing my friend

The last few years I have been described in ways that contradict each other. My mom describes me as very logical but my friends love how random I am. My favorite classes are computer science, pre-calculus, and physics but I love making abstract art and am always making up imaginary worlds and people. These two sides of me wouldn't seem to mix but I don't think that things that seem to contradict have to be in different places but can thrive together.

One way I have seen this the most is in my friendship with Keriann. When I first met her in third grade I hated her. She was loud, she talked to much about things I had never heard of, and would joke about things that would hurt my feelings. I was quiet, would rather talk to someone who was not there then have a real conversation, and would easily get upset and cry. The only reason we even met was because a lunch lady made us spend recess together because nether of us had any friends. Keriann needed someone to talk to even if I was never paying attention. A few years later we were best friends. She did all the talking and I would learn not to take anything she says seriously. No looking back at it I know that I would had have a lot less fun and a lot more emotional trials if I had not become friends with someone who I still hate today.      

This I Believe: Working It

I'm a doer.

When there is a task set in front of me, I tend to waver for a seconds before I sit down, plug in my headphones and just get it done.

My mindset: Get it over with and you never have to look at it again.

But then, there's that teenage section of me that wants go out, raise hell and ignore all possible signs of commitment and learning for the rest my days. It's this compelling plague, almost like a raincloud that follows me wherever I go. Something I can simply not turn away from because it's always, always there.

While being here at SLA, I have maintained grades that will probably land me in a good university. This is junior year, the time where scouts look to to see whether or not, these students are worthy of wearing their insignias on their chests. And so, I know I have to try, harder than I ever had before. Classes upon classes, benchmarks line up against the papers, and I sigh.

I know I don't want to do this, but I have kind of choice do I have really?

A couple years from now, I'll be graduating from college, trying to keep up with bills and maybe have to worry about a family. The ideal taxpayer with my degree, being the adult that I have engraved in mind from a young age.

But, I'm sixteen.

Young, foolish, stupid, with the constant idea of making mistakes. Time waits for no one and I understand that. Scholarships and SAT's are just around the corner, but I still wish I could live in the now.

So, I choose to. Usually, you can find me doing work although, not for every second of the day. I kid, laugh, giggle and do stupid, stupid things even when I know the consequences but it's worth it. I don't want to look back and wish of what I could have done, I plan to have fun with all the time I have left to spare.

Because I'm a doer. Sometimes.

This I Believe

This I believe

I believe that every one makes mistakes.  But every one learns from there mistakes in a different way.  Like last year my attendants  at school sucked because I would some times tell my parents that I didn't have school or I don't have to be in school till a later time and they believed me because they thought I would never do some thing like cut school.  I knew what I was doing was wrong a mistake but I didn't stop doing it or learn from it. Until this year when One day my mom wrote Mister Reddy to ask him a question and Mister Reddy wrote my mom back how is Joe doing.  My mom was unsure what he was talking about because for all she knew I was fine so she asked him what he was talking about. He said that joe has not been in school for the last two days I thought he was sick. My mom was so mad when she heard that. She was screaming at me.  She took my phone my games I wasn't aloud out side for a month. And all of this because I didn't feel like going to school.  But not only did I learn from this that cutting is a serious thing I learned that my parents wont be here for the rest of my life they won't be here to give me money when I need it and put a roof over my head and give food to eat and clothes to wear.  So if I want to make something of my life I got to go to school and get into a good college and get a good job so that I won't need my parents to put a roof over my head and give me food and buy me clothes and give me a bed to sleep in.  I can do it on my own.  I believe that we not only learn from our mistakes but each mistake we make it helps us grow and become more of an adult

This i believe: the difference between being smart and having a good report

i believe that not every one with a good report card is smart.i realize from a personal expareuse. i remember one day when so students and i were talking about our report card. we came to the conclusion that i had better grade them everyone else. than one of the student made a smart comments towards me, that it was funny how i'm grades are better than theirs but they are smarter than i'm and also told me that just because i got good grades does not mean i'm smart. i was hurt by the comments but i also thought they were kind of funny because i realize i never actually said i was smarter than them or anything like that. that's because i know the student was right. the only reason why my grades were better than their is because i worked very hard for them and did my works. i knew by me getting good grades do not mean i'm smart because deep down inside i knew I'm not smart. my grades just means that i do my work.

This I Believe: Stop being a hater. Love is love

Nowadays people are talking about how a man and a woman can only get married and have a relationship. That there's no such thing as man to man and woman to woman marriage. In my opinion, why are you being a hater? If I'm right there's no law where it states that only a woman and a man can love each other. Like, come on! We live in Philadelphia too! The city of brotherly love. Well I guess thats a double meaning kind of phrase. 
A person can love whoever they want to fall in love with. A person can get marry to whoever they wanted to marry. Love is love and there's no gender, kind, or type. If they are not bothering you, why are you going to bother them? All they wanted to do is love. Who doesn't want to fall love anyway? For them loving someone who's the same gender as they are doesn't make them less of a human. Actually, people hating them are the people who's degrading themselves. They're not the problem, the haters are. 
People sometimes say that I'm Christian but I like gay people. Yes, I am Christian and yes, I know how to treat them. I treat them equally. All of us are human beings so I am not going to treat them like trash. I believe what I believe and they believe what they believe. I respect whoever they wanted to be in a relationship with. I am not to judge someone. They love someone and I know the pain of someone going against it. I don't want them to have those feelings and neither should be the haters. 

I dont think you're going to like it if I stop you from loving someone, right? Treat people the way you want to be treated. In other words. STOP BEING A HATER. 

This I Believe: Originality What?

"Be Yourself" well, what if one cannot? Trends and "what's in" is constantly being built off what was "in" before. From 1980's and 1990's, snapbacks were the popular accessary and was apart of the people of that time's attire. As of 2011, teenagers are bringing back snapbacks as if they created something new. Fashion is recycle by the minute and are based on old trends to create new ones. 


Clothes are not the only thing that is recycled in this generation. Slang words such as "dope" which was started in the 1970's is being used and abused by most teenagers in this generation. Famous rapper, Drake, came out with an album titled "October's Very Own" and on that album was a song called "The Motto". Throughout the song, Drake explains that his motto is "YOLO" which is an acronym meaning "You Only Live Once". Teenagers are using this acronym as if Drake created this new rule to live by when he only simply took an old quote and made it into his words. 

This generation of teenagers are known to follow and take in what everyone else is doing. The fact that they follow is not their fault because everything that is out now has been recycled from the past. Before one says, "Be Original" they should first think, "Well,How original am I?" 

Lazziness

Vacations are quite necessary to life. Normally I'm not one for taking a break at all but they do and need to happen. 

I guess you would say I'm not one for stopping, but when I do I can't stop stoping. For instance, during the school year I'm the student who does all/most of the work, no breaks and continues to critique and revise. Almost constantly working and if I'm done that I'll go make something, or practice guitar. Which it's not technically school work but it still feels sorta like work. Sometimes it doesn't but thats a whole different story. 

Anyway, during the school year I constantly do things to keep me busy. But when summer comes I'm either the same or flat out wear the same pj's for three days person. Which is a pretty stark divide but it's difficult to get out of that routine. This summer wasn't so much the case there have been others. This summer we took a rode trip into Canada to see Niagara Falls and Toronto. 

To me vacations combine work and laziness. You sleep in a bed that's not yours, wake up extra late and feel like a guest where you're at. Wake up, open your rooms blinds and you see a giant waterfall. Pretty relaxing. But you can also explore a new place you were you never had the chance to. Seeing a lake so big you couldn't see the shore of the other side. Experiencing a city that's very clean compared to Philadelphia, not to degrade Philadelphia at all. 

The most important thing is when you are on the road back and walk through your front door. A different outlook is present on about your couch, the rug and even a ceiling fan. Getting out of your surroundings helps develop a new feeling about home and the different things I took for granted. It showed me a smidgen of appreciation for things I use everyday. Sometimes that's just it.


This I Believe: Nothing is Scarier than my Epilepsy

There is nothing scarier than my epilepsy. Most people don't understand what exactly epilepsy is. To lose control of a body part is one of the most terrifying things that ever happened to me. My first seizure was the scariest since it was what would be classified as a Grand Mal Seizure which is the biggest and worst type of seizure known to humans. Through my epilepsy I have lost all fear of other things in my life. 
To witness and/or experience an epileptic seizure is something that can scar you for life like it has for me. My first seizure I ever had was a Grand Mal seizure, the worst and biggest of all three types of seizures which go from smallest to biggest: Partial Seizures, Complex Seizures, then Grand Mal or sometimes referred to as Tonic-Clonic Seizures. Grand Mal seizures include the loss of consciousness. 
The night I had my first seizure, I was sleeping and my mom suddenly woke me up panicking. In my head I was asking, "Why is she waking me up and freaking out?" Then I realized I felt something wet on my bed and I looked and I had thrown up. When I realized I had thrown up I tried moving my right arm to get up out of bed since my left arm was broken but I couldn't move my right arm at all, it was like as if the nerves in my right arm weren't receiving the messages from my brain to move and help me get up. As I realized I couldn't move my arm, my mom was telling me, "Tyler get out of bed so we can go to the bathroom and clean you up." I tried talking and telling my mom, "Mom whats going on? My right won't move no matter how much I try moving it." but all that came out of my mouth was gibberish since I wasn't able to put words together right, it was like as if I was a baby again saying random words. While I tried talking I realized that I was drooling and I couldn't focus very well like as if I was still sleeping. 
My mom realized that I couldn't move my right arm and that something was very wrong since I couldn't talk and was drooling so she said, "Tyler hold on let me get your dad. MICHAEL COME HERE QUICKLY, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TYLER, I THINK HE HAD A SEIZURE." My dad came rushing and helped my mom get me out of bed and change my shirt since it had throw up on it. I was still out of it at the moment after my parents changed my shirt, they brought me downstairs to the living room and laid me down on the couch and then my mom said, "Michael go call 911." My dad went to the phone and dialed 911 and told them, "My son just had a seizure and needs to be taken to a hospital." Within 25 minutes the ambulance came and took me to the hospital and doctors were examining me and when they were done they told my parents and me, "Your son has Epilepsy, specifically Benign Rolandic Epilepsy. From how he was drooling and couldn't put words together, his seizures seem to be focused around his mouth."
That is all I remember from that night. But since my first seizure, I have never feared anything besides the fact that at anytime I could lose control of my mouth and it could start twitching out of control. Just the thought of losing control of my mouth and not being able to talk for at least 20 minutes terrifies me. One good thing that came from my epilepsy though is it made me stronger emotionally and mentally. Thats why I no longer fear death or any other kind of fear people have. 

This I Believe: Laughter can go a long way.

The worst part about knowing a friend with lots of other friends? Getting to know theirs. ​Meeting new people can be stressful. To some, it can come so super naturally. To me... eh. Actually, this time it wasn't so bad.

So, its a warm fall day, and my friend Jael is moving into my cousin's apartment. My friend Amanda and I get there, and she's already all moved in. We laugh in the car, and then we see a whole bunch of people sitting on the porch eating pizza. Moving truck is gone, and we're just sitting there. Extremely awkwardly, we walk up to the porch and I do my "Heeeey guys... whatcha doin'?" They all laugh and say hi. We hug the ones we know and talk to the ones that we don't know so well. Already the group is in such a good mood.

We all decide to walk to the park, and I see this guy in the back talking to two of my friends. I make a witty joke, and they laugh... Then I introduce myself to the new guy. His name is Humberto. Cool. I got a new friend.

I think it's kind of funny how just cracking a joke can allow you to open up the road to make new friends. I'm hardly the person to just go up to someone randomly and say "Hey, what's your name? I want to be friends, because you seem like a cool person. Oh, I can also make you laugh." No. That's weird, and people don't do that. Unless, they do, then that's cool too. However, I'm not really one to do that. I think that when you're around people who can make you laugh, and you can do the same, its easy to open up and knock the barriers down that way the cool new people you're introducing yourself to can feel comfortable without even knowing you that well.

I made a new friend that day, and that night, I made even more. I think it's fun knowing when to crack a joke. Laughter can brighten people's days, and it can influence them to make a joke, and maybe they can meet someone new. Exploring new horizons is a part of life that can sometimes be boring. But, when you spice it up with some laughter... you never know what you might get. Laughter is an essential part of daily life. Laugh at yourself in the mirror, you might see something you never saw before. Laugh at someone else, they might be your new friend. Laugh at the world, and you might conquer something new. Laughter can go a long way. I learned how, it's your turn now.

This I Believe: Sexuality is Based off Attraction

I believe that from the time you have enough common sense to know the difference between gender's, you develop an attraction to one or the other sex, or both. No one ever thinks about when people choose to be straight. Everyone thinks that it's a choice to be gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender. It's not a choice, or something you know within the heart and mind of a person. If it's a choice to like the same sex, then it must be a choice to like the opposite sex.

From the time I was a little kid, I've always felt an attraction to the opposite and same sex. I've grown up and came to terms with the correct terminology, and what it means to be Bisexual, I realized I never made a choice. I just knew I was. It comes from the belief that god has our life planned out for us before we are born. Obviously he choose for me to be this way, so I'm not gonna change it because I like the way I am.

I believe that the world should be accepting of LGBT people. Judging us won't change our sexual orientation, and physically abusing us won't change it either. Grow up and move on. If you don;t support us, get on with your life. Life goes on and doesn't revolve around you, so get over yourself.

I'm growing up and I have a new attitude about life. I'm moving forward, and no one can change me.



This I Believe: Woman Should Be Classy

I believe that woman should be classy. When I was younger, I used to live in Camden, New Jersey. One of the worse place to live. There's so much negativity and people who are trying to fit into the crowd. Of course, everywhere is like that, but from what I've experienced, Camden has to be the worse. Everywhere I looked, I would see girls walking down the streets half naked, girls who are loud and obnoxious, girls who would do anything for some sort of attention from guys, girls who thought they were the business when they had a big crew of friends, girls who thought that they were better than other people. I can go on and on for days about girls doing things to get attention. But I won't. I wouldn't want to bore you just yet.

As I've gotten older, I began to realize what these girls were doing and why they were doing it. I came to a conclusion that girls do these certain things because they want to to get some sort of attention. For example, recently, I went over to my friend Eddie's house. He had some company there. There was one particular girl who was very pretty and she had a nice body. This was the first time I ever met her, and right off the bat, I didn't like the way she presented herself. Every time she walked, she would poke her butt out and every 5 minutes, she would put on lip gloss. Not only that, but when she talks, she's really loud and ghetto and her head would go in a side to side motion. She would suck her teeth while she talked about someone else. It's just not classy to act like that in front of other people. Basically, she thought she was the business, but in reality, she was making herself look like a fool. That's like seeing a mom on the Maury show getting all hype because she "believes" that they guy she had sex with is the father of her baby. "That's my baby daddy Maury. I'm 100% sure!" While these mothers are saying that, they're clapping their hands and moving their neck from side to side. It legit looks like they're about to break their neck. Yikes. Not a pretty view.

I feel as though that people should have to be all ghetto and obnoxious in order to get attention. At the end of the day, people aren't laughing with you, they're laughing at you. When you act like that, people don't have any respect for you and you're just making a fool of yourself. Keep it classy ladies.

This I Believe: Everything Is All In Our Head

​Heh. From the slightest physical feeling, to the strongest emotional break down... we allow ourselves to feel those things. From my fear of zombies eating me alive.. or the feeling of someone walking behind me as I go up/down the stairs. It's the approval of us giving our brain the "ok" to agree with those feelings or fears. Whenever I walk into the doctors office to get blood drawn, I know deep down I would rather not have a little needle stick into my skin. The single pinch freaks me out. But all my life I have lived in something called my "bubble", where I am NOT apart of reality. Where I can physically and emotionally step aside from my human feelings and allow an action to take place with no regard or thought about it. Ignore it's existence. It's not an easy task. It's not like someone can just become inhuman? We are all human. We all have to fear something and care for something. 

I use this tacit a lot when it came down to my father. For endless nights.. hours on hours.. he would lecture me about who I am. How bad a daughter I was, how I'd never succeed.. MY GOODNESS IT WENT ON FOREVER. Homework was never able to get done in my house. Over time.. I stopped caring. I had to force myself to care less about my fathers opinions or emotions. Especially because I thought I was a pretty amazing person. Every time he would try to get emotional with me, I would give him a goofy smile and swing my finger around in a circle.. indication " Woooh best conversation ever!" Oh, how that would piss him off. 

My bubble comes in handy a lot when it deals with emotional fights with people, physical pain I don't want to feel, sickness, laziness to do things... It comes in handy for everything! Instead of thinking too much about a situation.. just act on impulse. I have learned to believe life is a lot more enjoyable when you don't worry about the little things and just go. Go, go, GO. Go, don't think, don't feel.. do nothing that would make you connect with yourself. 

Though.. there are those days when I sit in my bed.. and everything hits me. The moment I step back into reality... E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G hits me. It's not easy being heartless forever. I still need to show love to my best friends, my family, and my self. 

My bubble: Optimistic 
Reality: Downer

:) Happiness is greater. Much is also leaves you emotionless. 
It's just what I believe. 

Do You Regret Your Decision? Welp I Don't =]

I believe that everything happens for a reason and you should never regret what you do or say.. One day I'm sitting on the bus and i was just thinking of the way i chose to do certain things. like if i would have just sat there in the car with my grandmother and would have never responded to her last question i would still be living with her. i would have to pay my own phone bill and i wouldn't be on punishment, but at the same time i would have never met some of my friends. the fact that i see that i control and make the choices that affect everything that happens after kind of freaks me out.  every single time ou do or say something there is a reaction to it from both sides weather it is good or bad.

There is always something else you could have possibly said differently. my grandfather came into the house and gave me and my cousins and brothers all ten dollar. my grandmother was like if you wanna spend that then go ahead to the store but you should save you money. so me and my cousins go to the store and get into a fight and end up at the police station. if i had stayed in the house i would have never been in the fight. i would have never lost ten dollars. i would have never been at the police station.

At the same time i would have never met my therapist who help me out with a lot of things and i would have never got sent to this other place where i met another women who is really cool. but in that i got ear of the school i am in now. so what i am saying is the decision you make play on later events and affect who you meet and what you end up doing. im pretty sure that many people can look back and say "damn if i only did this the other way i would have..." but at the same time you say "but then i would have meet..." or  "i would have done..." and say well i don't regret that decision because something good came out of it.

This I believe: Smallest Things

I live in a city where a lot of things go unnoticed or ignored. When I was little I used to not care about the world. It was all about me. I didn't care what people ever did for me, I just knew that people did it. Now that I have grown up my belief that everything should be noticed. No matter how small the action it should be acknowledged. 
When I was younger my family and I would visit my grandparents every sunday. My grandparents are not rich, they live in a comfortable home, but they are not poor. When I was younger I used to just toss any loose change I had, if it wasn't a dollar bill I did not keep it. One day I was with my grandfather and I threw a penny up in the air. My grandfather father started yelling at me saying "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!". I immediately turned around and said "It was just a penny". He then said "Even the smallest amount will eventually equal something". This struck me because I knew it was true yet I never thought about it. 
When I went home and thought about what he said that night I never let go of it. Eventually pennies will equal to dollars. Ever since that day I thought never ignore the smal things. That includes small things people do for you. Such as encourage you, cook for you, help you with an assignment, hand you your things you just dropped, anything. Now that I'm older I went back and thanked anyone I could for doing the things that they have done, my mother, my father, any siblings, and especially my grandfather for teaching me this lesson. still to this day I will thank everyone for anything they do for me because I feel if they go through the effort to do these things how hard is it for me to say "Thank you". 

What I believe cool is!

I believe that people that do things that are commonly looked down upon do it for attention and to be cool. For example people that smoke cigarettes in high school I think that it is done for the pure reason to be cool and to look cool. I came to this belief because when I was in eighth grade the coolest kid in our school was considered a badass because she did things that weren’t like what normal teen would do. She would do all these things that were just not appropriate for young teens and she would share her stories. Everyone but me wanted to be like her because they thought she was cool, but I don’t believe that doing bad things is what makes a person cool because obviously the majority of cool people would be like in jail or a drug dealer.

            Once when I was on a school trip we went to the beach and on the boardwalk, some of the guys thought if they stole something that they would look cool in the eyes of the women and be the spotlight of the trip, which they were. No, they did not get caught but when everyone looks back on that day we all think how much more stupid could one get? Now that we are in high school the idea of cursing to be cool and doing bad things to be cool are still around but people have learned that it is not cool to do bad things, except for the few who fall into the trap and have become a follower.

            If a young adult were to look at everything they did through the eyes of an adult they would probably do about 50% of the stuff they did differently and think it through. A lot of the things I do I think of what the consequences would be if you do them and what you get out of not doing the things.  I am a free person and can make decisions that could definitely ruin my future for good, but if you look through the eyes of an adult would it be something that they would do?

            What makes an adult cool? I’m not exactly sure what makes an adult cool because I am not one yet but I know that I have many adult like ways of approaching stuff compared to my colleagues. I believe want makes an adult cool it their sense of humor their wits/wisdom and their person interests such as what’s hip or something like following a sports team. Men do take risks as adults such as going to the bar and getting wasted and maybe having sex with someone but it’s nothing they would do to look cool it just what they do. Don’t make your self do things you don’t want to look cool.

This I Believe: People over the age of 60 should NOT drive.!

I remember one summer afternoon when i was nine years old. I was outside playing football with the rest of the boys on the block, and a few of my cousins.We were playing football in the big alley across the street from my house. When i was in elementary school i got out of school at 2:00 so i was out of school before a lot of older kids. So we were playing football for a little while. Then before we knew it, it was 3:15 and we saw the kids from turner high-school walking over the bridge. My grandma was across the street watching us, but when she noticed that the turner students were coming over the bridge she told us to come back across the street to my porch. She knew that they were typically delinquents, and probably wanted to start trouble. So we all decided to race across the street. We said " Ready, Set, GO.! Then we all took off and then out off nowhere a car came flying around the corner. All we heard was skuuuuuurt BOOM.! Everyone around me realized that i was hit. It took me awhile, but i managed to open my eyes, while i was crying and noticed that there was blood everywhere. The ambulance eventually came and so did the cops. I left with the ambulance, and the man got multiple tickets. The main one was driving with an expired license. The reason he hit me was, because he claimed he didn't see me running across the street. I strongly believe that once you turn 60 you should never control a motored vehicle again in your life. By the way the man was 62. I think that old people senses and motor skills are significantly worst than average age people, and it should be illegal to drive once you turn 60. Most older people have to wear glasses and or hearing aids, take medication, and don't pay attention to well.Now he has no license, so he should not be driving. 

This I Believe: Talking About Death

In the last week, death keeps coming up at work. Not because anybody has died, or is close to dying -- because I keep casually bringing it up. 

I should mention that I'm a high school English teacher, so each situation has involved me talking to a bunch of teenagers about death. And they don't like it. When analyzing a funeral scene in a novel, I was getting a lukewarm reaction from the class, so I appealed to their personal senses of mortality: "You guys realize that you're all going to die, right?" 

This did no go over well. To try and improve the situation, I pointed out that I planned on dying before they did. They were equally dismayed by this statement. 

Same thing when I made an off-hand remark in the office about a weekend activity: "So-and-so's got it all planned, so if I die before Saturday, everything will still run smoothly." I got a few surprised looks. "Why would you say something like that?"

I don't really mean it, of course. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. But I usually meet their reaction with a shrug. Why not talk about death like any other topic? It happens every day, all around the world. It has affected each of us in some way, and is the guaranteed shared experience that accompanies life.

When I told one class about my experiences this week, a few students agreed with my viewpoint. "I fear the moment of death, but not the fact that my life will end." A few people nodded their heads in agreement. I thought about all of ways our discussion could go on this subject: what happens after we die? what makes a good death? how should we honor the dead? 

Another student reflected on the fact that she felt like she might be wasting her life sitting at home and playing video games, when she should be out making memories. "Life is short... I'm almost seventeen." 

I know many adults would laugh at that statement -- but I think most grown-ups are trudging towards death with far less awareness than the students in my class. If we can acknowledge death, even in the background, then I think we can live a better life. 



This I believe; My Dear Cioci Stella

​I believe that influences from other people play a big part on who you are today. Who you knew or know and spend a lot of time with will unintentionally leave a little bit of themselves with you. When I was younger, my great great aunt Stella was still alive. She was what made my Christmas most enjoyable. Sure I would get excited for all my presents but I would be most excited to watch her open up her presents and watch her smile. After the Christmas was over at my grandmother's house, I would sleep over my aunt Stella's house. She was 95 years old when she passed away and I remember her last Christmas. She would wait for everyone else to open their gifts, then slowly open hers. She loved puzzle book and music boxes. She got the same things for Christmas ever year but was still so happy looking at all of the gifts that were simple and cheap, but so meaningful to her. Christmas was not about who spent the most or who got the expensive gifts, it was about the thoughtfulness and just happiness of being together and smiling. My family loved to watch aunt Stella smile and talk because she was always so happy. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she always told us stories about growing up during the great depression and how when her sisters were bad, her mother would put orange peels in their stockings. These Christmas stories and her presence was what brought me joy on Christmas. We would also crochet together after dinner and continue our conversations. Aunt Stella was so happy all of the time and made me appreciate the little things in life that sometimes, we don't notice. She made me realize that Christmas is not all about gifts or spending, it was about spending time with family and enjoying each other's company. I'm so glad that I can remembrer her last Christmas with us because I can still see her smiling, sitting on her little blue rocking chair watching everyone open up their gifts. Aunt Stella taught me many life lessons that I will never forget, I will cherish the memory of her for the rest of my life. 

This I Believe: The Different the Better

Walking through the hallways in class you can tell that no two people are the same, but why are so many people judge for being so different. Whether someone dresses out of the ordinary or just they aren't afraid to be themselves everyone looks at it as a problem. I look at it completely different.
I strongly believe that people should dance like no one is watching, sing like no one can hear them, live like it's heaven on earth, and to love as though you never been hurt. In order to do these things you have to be yourself. 
I remember at the start of wanting to come into high school I was nervous about whether I would be accepted or if people acted the way I did. As i went through my first week of high school I realized that no one is going to act the way I do, laugh the way I do, or in all just be me.
I learned that it is fine for me to be that different person, because with everyone being so different it makes the world go round. I was looking at a show The Fairly Odd Parents and remember a specific episode were Timmy wished that everyone was exactly the same so he could stop being bullied.Through out the show he was enjoying the fact that everyone was the same, but as time went on he started to realize how boring life was for the fact that everyone wanted to be the exact same. 
America is made up of billions of people with no two people the same. People who have different opinions on the same topic, enjoy different types of music, or may be from the same culture and eat a different type of food. I look at it as though if someone has to change the way they are just to fit in a crowd they aren't being true to them self. As the saying goes rather be loved for who I am then who I'm not. Fitting in may same like the easiest thing to do but as life goes on I have learned the different the better. 

This I Believe; Everything Happens For A Reason

Ever since I was little my mom has always said "everything happens for a reason." This quote has always stuck with me. It makes it easy to fall back on. 

About 3 years ago my grandma passed away. This was a hard thing for everyone in my family to deal with. My family is on the small side, with about 10 close members. So losing my grandma, which was the first person in my life to die, it was extremely hard. My grandma died on July 7. The last holiday we all spent together as a family was July 4th and we made sure it was special. From the day we found out she had cancer and that the cancer was slowly just going to kill her, we made every day amazing and with her. 

My grandma had been on oxygen tanks for as long as I could remember and basic everyday tasks were a big struggle for her. She did a lot of sitting and eating and asking us to get her things from around the house. When we went out I use to roll her tanks around and everyone watched her close to make sure she was doing okay and wasn't straining herself. I know she had a hard life.

The doctors told us she was going to live for about 3 more months but within the following 3 weeks she got extremely sick and passed away, and she passed when she was alone in the room and soundly in her sleep. I know she was a strong woman and held on as long as she could. 

She meant so much to us, and dealing with this is still hard to this day, but as my mom has always said, "everything happens for a reason." We try to keep this mind set when dwelling on the lose. It was time for my grandma to be put out of her suffering and to relax. God had called on her and wanted her to come home. The death of my grandma was suppose to happen and it had been planned from the day she set foot on this Earth that on July 7, 2009 she would part from us. 

This lose is still hard to deal with, but knowing that this is how things are suppose be and that she is happy and enjoying herself, it makes me able to bare with the absents of her. I know one day I will join her and so will everyone in my family; we will, one day be a whole family again. 

And that day I know is planned out and I will wait for that day to come. 

This I Believe: Harry Potter

I spent my mornings in second grade sitting in line reading Harry Potter. I had just moved to Philadelphia and had no friends. I would sit and read getting sucked into the story until the sounds of kids shouting and footballs being thrown would disappear and be replaced with the beating of owl wings and the chorus of voices in the great hall. I was an only child, going to a brand new school. So Harry Potter became my friend, and then more and more book characters began to come into my life to make me see things in a new light, to let me into their stories so I could see everything they were going through. I would often get in trouble for reading under my desk that year. 

This thirst for books never died, I still spend most nights reading. When I am really sad or need to escape the world I grab a book and let myself slip from reality into this land of magic, or maybe into the ocean, or I can even explore the future. In the time that I am reading the book though I am free from the things that weigh me down daily. I can thank Harry Potter for that, for being there when I needed him and still being here when I want to go back to Hogwarts.

As I was in the theater with my mother surrounded by other Harry Potter nerds, watching the final movie I cried, I actually did not stop crying until I got homem because to me Harry Potter had always been there, had been my friend had been my first exploration of a world different from our own. Harry Potter had opened up my love for reading, and as I watched the last movie I could not help but feel like I was growing up and leaving my childhood behind me. 

I believe in Harry Potter


This I Believe: Girls and Boys

I believe that girls and boys can be just friends. Nothing more than that. They can keep it on that level. Many people think other wise but I never have.
When I was a kid my mom had a friend and her friend had a son. This little boy and I grew up together. He was the first one to know everything about me. My first pet. 
My first kiss. My high school acceptance. My family problems. Everything. But somewhere along the line we started getting comments about us being a couple. We understood where they were going but we never went out, frankly we were to much like brother and sister to even think about that. Then once we reached our high school years we really were getting drilled with comments. People would tease us all the time. He's had girlfriends, none of them liked me because of the friendship that we had. 
Out of this, I don't think I would be the way I am around guys if I didn't have that friend in the first place. I think you need to have a friend of the opposite gender to really be able to get to know other ones. Honestly, I think boys are a lot more fun. With girls there so much competition and its not worth it. Boys are so much more comfortable to be around, not for the attraction, just to have fun with. 
One  of my other best friends, who is a girl, never really had a guy friend. She's 16 years old and she's practically afraid of the male gender. But if you think about it you could actually understand why she would be like that. If you aren't exposed to something then you most likely going to avoid it. 
I still do talk to my first boy best friend. He is probably one of the closest people to me. I believe that everyone should have someone of the opposite gender to talk to, and to understand.