I believe in determination. Determination is how you act when you really want something to be done. If you are having trouble doing something, you try not to get frustrated, keep trying, and keep doing your best. Determination is a powerful and an extremely important trait. With a little determination and perseverance, you can do almost anything.
It was a blazing hot Sunday afternoon in 2011 when I was ten years old. I was with my soccer team, the Shooting Stars. We were playing in the championship of the Atlanta Fire United tournament. There was less than two minutes left and we were down by one point. I was tired, overheated, and very disappointed that our team had come so far only to be defeated. When I had finally given up and braced the fact that we were going to lose, I raised my hand for a substitute. One of my coaches, Coach Rosanne, shook her head and told me to keep playing. Frustrated and determined not to lose, I yelled for the ball. “I’m open!” The ball was quickly passed to my feet and I was running down the field. I was so tired that all I wanted to was sit down, chat, and drink ice cold water with my friends. I only had one shot at trying to win this championship so I kept running as the time kept ticking and my heart kept beating faster than ever. I had no idea how much time was left, but I guessed it was only about thirty seconds. Suddenly, I saw an open shot. It was really far because I was still outside of the eight-teen box, but I took it. I put all my strength into that kick and watched in awe as the ball sailed into the corner of the net. I jumped with delight and I turned and saw the crowd cheering. I had done it. I had actually scored. I was so happy and still exhausted. My teammates ran up and hugged me, but this game was still not over. We went into overtime for ten minutes and the score remained one to one. Finally, the referees decided that it was time for penalty kicks. My team had never done this before so we were all really nervous. Everyone on my team had been so determined to beat this team and had given their full effort. No one had completely given up even when we were losing and that is what matters. The crowd went crazy as our fourth penalty kick went into the goal and we won the championship game against Cherokee Impact 01 Gold. This moment of accomplishment and joy will remain in my mind forever to remind myself to never give up and to use determination in everything I do.
This is just one example of how determination can change the outcome of anything. If you just believe in yourself and refuse to give up, you will be happier and more successful in your life.
Posted in Uncategorized May 15, 2012
To me, MacBook Airs are fun, useful, and extremely light. I have one computer at my house and it is a regular Mac Desktop. My dad always needs it when I am on it and I always need it when he is on it. This is what really makes me excited about getting my own computer (that will always be open for me) even though it is a big responsibility. One things I will especially enjoy is the organization of all my homework. It will always be saved into my folder just in case I loose it. One thing I wont like is the temptation to spend too much time on it. Because it will always be open, I could spend as much time as a want on it. I will have to use self control and hopefully this year I will achieve my goal of becoming exceptionally good at making movies on iMovie.
http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/28/apple-new-macbook-air-models-q1-2012/
http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/imovie/
Posted in Uncategorized May 8, 2012
I picked this photo because of how I felt about it. When I look into the eyes of this baby I am curious, but at the same time a chill runs down my spine. Sometimes, I wonder what the earth be like with robots who made your breakfast or played cards with you. Would robots have a positive or negative effect on the world? Those questions keep me wondering and wanting to know how the robot works, but when I look closely at the robot, his blank stare creeps me out. As pale as a vampire with eyes as yellow as a black cat’s, I don’t think it looks like a friendly or happy child.
http://www.gossiptongue.com/?p=485
Osaka University, located in Japan, created this robot child that learns just like a human child by watching and interacting with other humans.
Posted in Uncategorized April 30, 2012
Some people might think that texting is cool and more fun than talking, but is it really? Personally, I think that texting is dangerous and it is bothersome when people keep looking down at their phone. If people are texting, than there must be some benefits about it, but do they overpower the benefits of talking?
When you actually talk to someone you can multi-task, whereas when you are texting your eyes and hands are occupied. Multi-tasking when you are texting is much harder, so communicating by typing on your phone while you are driving is not such a good idea. There are 24,000 car accidents per year caused by people texting while driving and it is eight times more likely you will get in a car crash if you are texting while driving. Also, texting causes people to constantly look at their phones. People then become oblivious of the situation around them and can come across as rude by running into someone or not answering a question. Lastly, talking is more efficient than texting. While talking is completely free and always unlimited, texting costs money. You have to buy a phone and sometimes a plan for how many minutes you get. If texting can be dangerous, cost money, and make you look bad, why would people even want to text?
Myles, a current fifth grade student stated that texting was a lot more fun than talking. He also declared that is was really nice how you could easily shorten or abbreviate words and people still get the same message. “Smiley faces are so cool and way better than just simply talking and it’s kind of awkward when you call a friend and you have to explain to their parents why you are calling. Texting is simple and private.” Myles quoted.
Emily, also a current fifth grade student, disagreed with Myles. “Texting hurts your fingers and you can’t show emotion. Some people say that using a smiley face on your phone is how you show expression when you text, but why not just use the face you were already given to talk? I understand that some people like how you can send a message without someone having to answer, but I still like talking better.”
Texting may be enjoyable, but if people continue to do it at the wrong time, it could become a big problem.
Posted in Uncategorized April 23, 2012
Trinity School in Atlanta, Georgia arranged a buddy program years ago, where older students act as mentors, learn to be leaders, and take on bigger responsibilities, while the younger students begin to feel more comfortable and get connected with the school. Once every month, students meet with their buddies to complete enjoyable tasks such as making Valentine’s Day cards, writing letters to the U.S military, or decorating pumpkins. There is even a special day, arranged by Trinity’s Student Council, dedicated to celebrating buddies called Buddy Day. During Buddy Day, students participate in exciting relays and challenges with their buddies.
The question is, what does the program mean to students and teachers? Four students in Miss Caroline’s Pre-Kindergarten class at Trinity School, Trevor, Ansley, Carter, and Emerson, agreed instantly that buddies were very fun and enjoyable. “We are so glad we have buddies!” they all exclaimed. Ansley’s older buddy, current 5th grade student Alyssa Abraham, quoted “Buddies are a really fun and cool way to get to know and interact with younger students. Hanging with the big kids really breaks the little kids out of their ‘shy shell’. I just wish I had more time with my buddy because I enjoy spending time with her!”
Most Trinity students would give you that same answer if you asked them. They’d say buddies are fun, but they wish they had more time. Even some teachers are enjoying watching the students bond so much, they’d like to meet with their buddy class more often. That’s why Trinity’s Student Council is trying to think of fun ways to have students spend more time with their buddies.
Although, the program is exceptional and outstanding, everything always has room for growth. Ms. Honick, a fourth grade teacher, quoted “The buddy program is a great program, but it is very difficult to fit it in and plan it because there are so many other things to get done. I think maybe a school event such as buddy day could even be a little shorter, because by the end of the day the little kids seemed worn out.” In coming years, the buddy program will continue to change and improve based on student council’s decisions.
Even though this program has room for improvement it is still one of the most enjoyable aspects of Trinity School.
Marcus and Madeline
Posted in Uncategorized March 30, 2012
Last week, I went on exciting trip to Florida and stayed at a nice resort called Club Med. Club Med was just like a camp. It had sailboats, paddle boards, a volley ball court, and even movies to watch. At Club Med there was a river instead of an ocean.I decided to go for a ride on a paddle board because the weather was so beautiful. When I was about 5o yards out in the water I started to notice a bunch of jellyfish.
My Mom was very fascinated by the boats and the weather, but I was busy leaning over my board trying to find a huge jellyfish. They were all very small, about the size of an apple, and they shimmered in the light. It wasn’t until the very end of my adventure that I found what I had been looking for, a giant jellyfish. It had streamers and everything.
All the jellyfish made me feel really interested and a bit uncomfortable. I loved looking at them and noticing how they shimmered as they glided at the surface of the water. They were so cool, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if I fell in. I’d always heard that jellyfish stings hurt really bad and it gave me the idea that jellyfish were kind of mean. After this experience, I realized that jellyfish aren’t mean, they are beautiful and wonderful creatures. They only sting in an act of defense against danger. I just wonder what would people think of jellyfish if they had no reason to sting and what is the main thing that scares jellyfish so much that they sting people?
Posted in Uncategorized March 12, 2012
Homeless Bird is a book written by Gloria Whelan, about a girl named Koly living in India. Koly is thirteen and marries a sickly boy named Hari. Koly’s Sass treats her very harshly. Over time Koly finds out that Hari only married her for the dowry. After many months of planning to run away Sass leaves her in Vrindavan. She is shocked, homeless, starving, and scared, but she must find a job and shelter before her few rupees run out. A boy named Raji manages to find her a room at a widows’ home. She gets a nice job and teaches Raji how to read. At the end of the book Raji proposes.
1. In this book Koly has to adapt to many things. The first thing she has to adapt to is living with her cruel Sass, living in a crude home, and doing her endless chores. She learns to only share her thoughts with her sister-in-law, Chandra. Over time she realized that she wouldn’t have friends while she was living with her Sass so she found some joy in taming the bandicoot and playing with a pariah dog. When Sass brought home the tickets to New Delhi and told Koly it was time to pack up and leave she shows that she really had adapted to living with the Mehtas and living in their sloppy home. She says “As unhappy as I had been in my Sass’s house, a thorn of sadness pricked me when it came time to leave.” Also, when Koly was left in Vrindavan she had no choice, but to quickly adapt to her surroundings and do what she had to do to survive. She uses her money wisely, she takes every bit of food she can get, puts herself before others, and keeps the doorstep to herself. Koly has been in many diverse situations so she can adapt to different things quickly.
2. I think the theme for Homless Bird is to never lose hope. Koly never lost hope. When all seems lost, you’ve made a big mistake, or everything goes the wrong way don’t lose hope! If you believe, even in the darkest times, hope is always there. An example from Homeless Bird is when Koly runs out of rupees in Vrindavan.“My rupees were nearly gone, and all I had was the doorstep and the bit of food tossed out by the hand of someone I had never seen.” Koly was just about to lose hope so she went to the railway station. She was walking around when she saw the boy with the rickshaw named Raji. She told him about her problems and Raji found Koly a widows’ home to stay in. This shows that if you always have hope something good will come from your woes. The second theme is trust yourself and be brave while doing so. If you think you should run away, then run away. Believe in your thoughts and go with what your mind tells you to do. A big example of this is from Tagore’s Poems.“There was a flock of birds flying day and night. Among them was one homeless bird, always flying on to somewhere else.” This explains how even if it makes you stand out you should trust yourself. Don’t settle for what the crowd does, settle for what you think you should do. Koly demonstrates this when she hides the earrings and she does her chores badly. Koly is headstrong and follows her gut. In order for Koly to do these things she had to be very brave. There is the easy choice and the right choice. Sometimes you have to be brave to pick the right choice.
3. Gloria Whelan uses many literary devices throughout the book. Literary devices are things such as similes, metaphors, personification, etc. that make the language come alive. Mostly, Gloria Whelan uses comparisons. Comparisons are literary devices that compare one thing to another. Some of my favorite comparisons in Homeless Bird are:
“The mustache is like a mouse’s tail.”
“I shuddered, feeling no better off than the chained monkey and the miserable birds.”
“The thought had been waiting like a scorpion at the edge of my mind. Now it stung me.”
“She was very plump, as though she had been put together with pillows.”
“You wallow like pigs in mud.”
“Maa Kamala stirred us up like a pot of rice.”
“Lying nearby were other widows, their soft sighs and turnings like so many doves fluttering around me.”
Posted in Uncategorized February 7, 2012
Are you looking for an exciting new book to read? I come across this problem many times. There are so many different books to read, which one will I like best? I have found that reading a series is best for me. When I read a series of books I can stay connected with the same character or topic for longer than just with one book. I have read many different books, but here are a few descriptions of my top 5 favorite series.
The Hunger Games: Written by Suzanne Collins, this book is a violent, but extremely exiting book. The Hunger Games is filled with action, adventure, and surprises as Katniss Everdeen fights for her life in the hunger games. If she won, fame and fortune was promised. If she lost, she would certainly die a painful death. As Katniss faces many challenges she can only hope for it all to end. May the odds be ever in her favor.
Gregor The Overlander: Gregor was a normal boy with a normal life. The only unusual thing about his family was his dad. One day he had just misteriously vanished. Gregor knew his dad didn’t run away, but everyone else thought he did. When Gregor’s younger sister, Boots, falls into another world he can’t help but wonder, could his did be there? Gregor makes friends and enemies on his expedition to find his dad. These exciting books about Gregor’s journey were also written by Suzanne Collins.
I Am Number Four: The I Am Number Four series was written by Pittacus Lore. Like The Hunger Games, this book is filled with fighting, action, and many close calls. When 9 aliens barley escape from their planet and arrive at earth they are to stay hidden and keep low profiles. The destroyers of their planet are searching the earth for them. With their special legacies it’s hard to stay hidden.
Harry Potter: Harry Potter, written by J.K. Rowling, is a very clever written book. Harry Potter tells the story of a boy who lives in a cupboard. When he is told that he is a wizard with powers he more that thrilled. Harry makes new friends, learns about his past, learns that a powerful wizard wants to kill him, and that he is a hero he doesn’t know how to react. This series is one of the best you will ever read.
Percy Jackson: Why were so many weird things happening to him? Where was his dad and what happened to him? Percy was always different. Failing at school was the least of his problems. Recently, mythological monsters have been coming right out of his textbook and into his life! This couldn’t be normal. Percy is over whelmed with surprises; Greek gods are real, Greek monsters exist, the monsters want to kill him, and Zeus, the Greek god, has sent him on a challenging quest. This amazing series is written by Rick Riordan.
If you have read any of these series which one is your favorite? Why?
Posted in Uncategorized February 3, 2012
Every year for Christmas I always ask for a dog. My mom is allergic to dogs that shed and my dad says they are too much work so I still haven’t gotten one. Over our holiday break we were challenged to give the gift of time. I chose to spend my time collecting items for the Atlanta Humane Society. The Atlanta Humane Society has kittens, dogs, and puppies. They work only on donations. For almost the entire break I was out of town so I decided to collect items from my cousins neighborhood in North Carolina. I collected items such as newspapers, plastic bags, dog bowls, money, the inside of paper towel rolls, old towels, batteries, laundry detergent, treats, and dog toys. I got a lot of things and yesterday I took all my things to the Humane Society. The manager took a picture of me and the things I got and he let me hold a lot of cute puppies!
Posted in Uncategorized January 4, 2012
My friend and I are both really interested in nature. We like to learn all about animals and what goes on in the woods. Sometimes, when she comes over to my house we go down to my neighborhood creek and katch tadpoles and minnows. The other day we had a sleepover so we went down to the creek ready to observe nature. We were not only surprised to find the creek polluted, but I felt ashamed. How could a world so beautiful turn to this? It was because of humans. All the innocent animals would suffer because someone was too lazy to walk over and put their trash in a trash can or someone didn’t know where to dump their oil.There was trash littered all over the forest floor and you could find puddles of shimmery water. Now that this creek was becoming polluted not only will the animals be affected, but this creek eventually flows into the Chattahoochee, so it will be affected too. As humans continue to pollute the earth nothing good comes from it. There is global warming, animals becoming instinct,water will become limited, sickness from dirty water, acid rain killing plants and animals, and many more problems. There is only one thing we can do to save our earth, STOP POLLUTING IT! It’s a lot easier said than done. And even if we completely stopped polluting the earth right now there would still be damage from what we have already done. The first step to keeping our earth clean is to fix what we have already done. Picking up trash, helping clean water, recycling, taking quick showers, and turning the water off while you brush your teeth are all things you can do to help the earth. One person makes a difference, but they can’t do it one their own. The Trinity 5th graders were recently given an assignment to give the gift of time over their 2011-2012 holiday break. Weather you have been given an assignment or not I challenge you to give the gift of time to the earth and help clean it up!
Below are some pictures of the pollution in my neighborhood.
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Posted in Uncategorized December 10, 2011
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