My Number One (Not) Since Day One

Looking back on my life, I've truly been blessed by the number of people who have been an inspiration to me. They include my mom for her endless love and sacrifice, my dad for his hard work and perseverance, my two closest friends from home for their genuineness and faith in God, my two closest friends in Connecticut for their persistence and selfless attitudes, and some of my teachers for their passion for teaching and caring nature, to name a few. The list goes on and on, really, but there is one who has stood out the most: Mandy, my club gymnastics coach from age ten to eighteen.

When I first met Mandy, I was ten, and I was trying out at a new gym. The first day she was my coach, she made me do backhandsprings on the high beam by myself, which I was absolutely terrified of. It's safe to say I hated her after that first day. But I obviously got over it because I continued doing gymnastics with her as my coach for eight years. Since the first day, we've come a long way; she's become a second mother to me and a friend I couldn't imagine living without.

Mandy has been there for me through everything since I was ten. In terms of gymnastics, she's the one who ultimately got me my college scholarship. Without her exceptional coaching and help in the recruiting process, I don't think I'd still be doing gymnastics. My life would undoubtedly be different if I hadn't have met her. Mandy has also pushed me to become a better gymnast, to be the best one that I can be. She believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. She never gave up on me, no matter how hard it was for her to coach me. She always knew the right words to say when I was having a bad day in the gym; she could without fail make me smile and laugh when I was crying. She truly cares for every athlete she coaches, and I hope that someday I can become half the coach that she is.

As much as Mandy's been there for me inside the gym, she's been there just as much outside of the gym. She's looked out and cared for me like I'm her daughter, especially since I've gone off to college and am 16 hours away from home. Before I left for my freshmen year, she told me that if I was going through a rough patch and needed her for whatever reason, she'd absolutely drop everything and drive up here to be there for me. Besides my parents, there's no other person in my life who would do that for me. She doesn't judge me, and she's one of the best people at giving advice, so I go to her about literally anything and everything. She lets me live my life and be independent, but will always be protective of me. I know she wants the best for me, and she's told me more than once that I push her to be a better person. For that, as well as the many other things she's said and done for me, she's my greatest inspiration. I hope I can one day change someone's life as much as she's changed mine.

United We Stand

As much as I love history, especially American history, it was difficult for me to come up with one moment that I could label as my favorite. America's history is rich in great moments, from the Emancipation Proclamation and voting rights for women to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, America has also had its fair share of horrific moments, such as the burning down of the White House during the War of 1812, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and activist Martin Luther King, Jr., the attack on Pearl Harbor, and, more recently, 9/11. The moment I chose as my favorite in history came on the same day as the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The great nation of the United States of America was attacked on September 11, 2001, which is a day I'll never forget. I was in Mrs. Glavin's second grade class. Every TV in the school displayed the news coverage of the attacks, especially the burning twin towers that eventually collapsed. Mrs. Glavin explained to us what had happened, and I was in complete shock. Getting to leave school early that day didn't even suppress my feelings of utter devastation and surprise. I didn't understand how anyone could do such a horrible thing. Nonetheless, America came out strong, which is where my favorite moment of history comes into play.

Hours after the twin towers in New York City had collapsed and the smoke had finally cleared, three New York City firefighters raised the American flag near all the debris. What a powerful statement! Amid the devastation, sadness, and anger the attacks caused, this action of raising the American flag showed that we,  the American people, are one, are strong, and would not let terrorism win. We are the United States of America, and, therefore, united. Although many lives were lost, families became broken, and the whole nation was shaken in a matter of seconds, we still stood. We rose out of the debris because we are the United States of America, the greatest country in the world.

"I Wish that I Could Be Like the Cool Kids"

Adolescence is a time in a person's young life that, for lack of a better term, sucks. Puberty strikes, fights with parents ensue, friends come and go, and there's a constant struggle between being yourself or being someone you're not to fit in with the "cool kids." To an adolescent, being a part of the popular group can make them feel accepted, wanted, and valuable. However, is it worth sacrificing who you are to fit in?

Growing up, I was never one of the popular kids. Ever. First of all, I was too smart for that. I had my own little group of friends at school that I was perfectly content with. They planned sleepovers, movie dates, shopping sprees, etc. around my crazy gymnastics schedule, and there was no way I was going to sacrifice such caring people for the sake of being known as one of the popular kids at school. I also had very strong moral beliefs, and still do. I wouldn't have done half the things the "cool kids" did because it went against what I stood for. I never cracked under the peer pressure.

Today, just like when I was growing up, choosing between being yourself or doing what the cool kids are doing is a conflict that many adolescents are faced with. Some kids will do absolutely anything to be liked or accepted, whereas others couldn't care less, like me. The peer pressure to do something to fit in with the popular crowd exists for all children, but not all children react to it in the same way.

Teachers need to realize that this conflict of being yourself versus fitting in is one that a majority of adolescents will encounter. Teachers should take note of who's friends with who and observe any changes. For instance, a rejected or neglected child in school who suddenly is hanging out with the most popular kids during the school day may be engaging a dangerous activity, such as doing drugs. Teachers need to explain to their students that being different is a good thing, and that you shouldn't have to sacrifice who you are for someone to like you. In fact, if you're sacrificing who you are for someone to like you, that someone doesn't even like your "real" self because you aren't being your real self; you're being fake to fit in.

My Fictional Hero

 

To be honest, I can't recall ever having a fictional hero that I looked up to. Maybe I did when I was young, but I don't remember now. However, now, as I'm thinking back to the books I read growing up, I would have to say that one character that I probably really looked up to as a child was Marty Preston, the protagonist from Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. 

Shiloh is a Newbery Medal-winning children's novel about Marty and an abused dog, Shiloh. Shiloh is owned by Marty's neighbor, Judd Travers, who abuses the dog. When Marty finds this out, he steals the dog and hides him away, concealing his secret through lies. However, his theft is soon discovered, and Marty must return Shiloh to Judd. Not long after that, Marty catches Judd hunting deer outside of hunting season, and blackmails Judd into selling Shiloh to him. Because Marty doesn't have enough money to pay for the dog, he works for Judd. In the end, Judd doesn't keep his promise of giving Shiloh to Marty, so Marty is faced with the decision of stealing Shiloh or allowing Judd to abuse him.

As a little girl, I grew up watching shows like Animal Precinct on Animal Planet, quivering at the sight of the abused animals. I couldn't understand how anybody could be so cruel to sweet, innocent animals, who couldn't do anything to protect themselves from the abused they were receiving. Thus, my passion for animals was sparked. When I read Shiloh, I was comforted by the fact that there still are people in the world who don't just watch abuse happen; they do something about it. I admired Marty for standing up for himself and taking action, especially because he was just a young boy. He knew that dogs, or any animals for that matter, weren't supposed to be treated like that. Marty showed me that no matter what your age, you can make someone's life better. (Even if that someone is a dog.) I also learned from Marty the importance of never giving up, of persevering. If you really want something, you'll do anything to get it, regardless of the pain, frustration, etc.

Video Analysis

This assignment really took me out of my comfort zone. I'd much rather explain myself in an essay than orally through speaking. It took me about five tries to finally produce a video that I was somewhat satisfied with. This is definitely not my best work. Although this assignment took me a good bit of time and I didn't really like it, I felt that it was beneficial. By having to turn my thoughts into words, I was able to see what I understood from the articles and what I was confused about. In other words, by having to orally discuss the articles, I was able to pinpoint exactly what I was sure of and which things I needed to go back and read further. I just wish I had more background knowledge on the Common Core State Standards before participating in this activity. I felt it hard to talk about things that I wasn't necessarily familiar with in the first place.

Children's Literature and the Common Core

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards brought with it advocates as well as opponents, neither of which are shy in voicing their opinions. Jaclyn DeForge and Kathleen Porter-Magee are two of these people who openly share their thoughts on specific literacy aspects of the Common Core.

Although never explicitly stated by DeForge, it seems that both her and Porter-Magee support the use of complex texts in the classroom. However, DeForge has a problem with the list of titles the authors of the Common Core have recommended for utilization in the classroom. In "A More Diverse Appendix B," she states that many of the titles are old books, and by or about white people. In order to meet the criteria of the Common Core, teachers are using those books from the list in their classroom libraries and instruction, meaning that their classrooms focus little on diversity. When constructing a classroom library and selecting books for instruction, DeForge writes that "(1) Students should have an opportunity to to be exposed to both classic and contemporary literature as well as nonfiction texts, and (2) All students should have the opportunity to see themselves reflected back, as well as to be exposed to cultures that may differ from their own, in the literature and nonfiction texts we study." As a result, she constructed her own list of complex texts which reflect her thinking.

As an inhabitant of the United States, I support DeForge in what she has done. Our society is becoming more and more diverse as I write this sentence. School classrooms are filled with children of many races and backgrounds. In order for children to become accepting of people different than them, books should be introduced that celebrate the many races, cultures, religions, etc. Early intervention in this sense may limit ignorance and stereotyping in the future.

Unlike DeForge, Porter-Magee explicitly states she is pro-Common Core literacy standards because of three things: "(1) The emphasis on building knowledge to improve comprehension, (2) The focus on close reading and using evidence to support answers and analysis, and (3) The push to give all students regular practice with complex texts." It is this third piece about complex texts that Porter-Magee focuses on in "Implementing the Common Core with Struggling Readers." By attending a literacy training workshop, she learned from Doug Lemov that it is not necessary to provide struggling readers with easier, less complex texts. Rather, teachers just need to provide more help to these students in terms of analyzing complex texts. Teachers should create lessons about skills and strategies that are necessary to know when reading a specific text. Additionally, teachers should construct text-dependent questions, while taking into account the barriers these students may face, that guide the struggling readers as they are reading and enhance their understanding.

By analyzing the claims Porter-Magee has presented in her blog post, I have come to the conclusion that any student, no matter how poor they are at reading, can read the same books as the average student; all they need is a little extra help from the teacher. This means that all students in a particular grade could be reading the same book at the same time. The struggling readers would just be more dependent on the teacher than the average or above average readers.

Original Poetry

Below is a poem that I wrote for my Honors 231 class last spring. We were given specific instructions to include an aspect of Native American life in the poem, so I chose to focus on the Native American belief of reciprocity. In terms of health, this means respecting the universe. If you were to do something like cut down a tree (nature was a huge part of Native American beliefs), the universe would retaliate by making you sick.


The Key to Staying Healthy

I woke up as early as the sun one winter morning

And knew right away the day would be boring.

So much for the exciting plans that I had made

To go with my friends to Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

While they would be out having fun,

I’d be lying in my bed having none.

With no energy to move, all I could do is sleep,

And dream about leprechauns and cloverleafs.

After a week of bed rest and meds, I still felt the same

And wondered how much longer it would take me to get back in the game.

I thought I had been doing everything right,

But this sickness was putting up a damn good fight.

I then finally remembered what the Native Americans once said:

Reciprocity is key; no need for meds.

In this sacred world, respect all things,

And you will not catch what sickness brings.

Now I know I will never forget

To treat everything like you would want to be treated,

And sickness will always be defeated.