Homeroom

Since the 10th graders were doing their demographics (I believe), the other grade groups went to their homeroom instead of 4th block. Not that I am complaining.

Interactive Oral Report #3

Friday marked the third group presentation, but before that nonsense, Mr. Rease bestowed upon us the honour to play Kahoot! The game was about his life, and considering I do not stalk my teacher, I was not able to win. It was rigged, rigged I say! Still, it was a pleasant surprise and I had a fun time. After that, it was time for the presentation, though it was not as interactive as the previous ones. I assume the class was simply tired or did not care much for that particular chapter. I was tired.

Interactive Oral Report #2

With another day comes another oral report by another group. Like yesterday, it was fun because I had a chance to interact with the class and hear what my peers had to say without the threat of being cut off by Mr. Rease. Most of the time. Today's chapter was not as eventful as the previous one, but it was still pleasing to have a neat time and not have to do a lot of work understand the book more with the critical thinking questions.

First Interactive Oral Report

The day arrived for the first group in the oral project, and things were not a complete train wreck! This group was mostly organized, and the presentation was fun for all participants, including critical thinking questions about the book Wild and about oneself. It was definitely a great chance to laugh at discuss the opinions of both chapter eleven and the personal reflections. Wednesday's presentation gave me hope for my group now that I have some standards and a guide to look upon; to fail this group project is something that is simply inconceivable because of how easy it is to do the work and talk to the class. I am grateful the class is comprised of people I have known since ninth grade or higher, as I would definitely struggle talking to random classmates!

Reading

There was no huge assignment, thankfully, because most of class was spent reading in the groups and delegating roles. The first few minutes of class, however, there was a prompt to do before we read; it required me to state when I knew it was over, which is a vague enough prompt for anyone to do. It could be something deep like one's childhood, or the day one knew it would be the last day of existence for that quarter pounder in the fridge. In my answer, I discussed something personal and positive, which is a feat since I am often negative. Baby steps. After that tidbit, I spent the rest of class blissfully reading, scolding a certain group member for their shenanigans, and wondering how on earth everything will turn out.

Group Project

I was both elated and horrified to know the moment I stepped into class that there would be a group assignment at play. To have my most valued friend in the group with me is relieving, but I never liked group projects, especially those that extend for days. There is always one who slacks, one who is absent, the grade is equally shared, I have no liking of group projects. However, Mr. Rease gave his pledge that it will be fun, so I will take his word! The assignment revolves around an interactive oral report where each group is assigned a chapter from Wild and must give a summary, among other things. Am I lucky that the chapter I received is the one where the protagonist has explicit intercourse? I... wish I knew. I only hope things go well and I can have great fun with the class!

A Day Gone, A Day Loved

Well, since I had to attend a choir performance today, I did not attend class today and received no assignment. I know only that there was a quiz to take on chapter nine of Wild, which I intend to make up next week. To attend the performance was certainly a nice treat to end my Friday with, I only have a small level of regret -- despite the fact I technically had no choice to go, but one could see why I would regret missing class outside of the pleasure of being away.

Wild Dreams

In the beginning of class, the topic of discussion was about dreams, which took me by surprise, but I was still eager to participate. The assignment revolved around defining the American Dream, then saying what my dream is, which is the simple desire to be happy in life. I have no true need for wealth or fancy cars, a shred of serotonin is all I need! After watching two interviews by Oprah Winfrey to Cheryl Strayed, which I enjoyed as Cheryl delved deeper into the meanings in her story Wild, the class transitioned to discussing both chapters seven and eight of the aforementioned book. It soon became apparent why I was told to begin with dreams, as the book implies, and Cheryl herself states in her speech not to let dreams ruin one's life. How could a dream ruin a life? Well, one could lose individuality or the reality of life chasing idealistic fantasies; that is what I interpreted from the video I watched and the book. The day was certainly insightful and smooth.

Connection To The Roots

Today's endeavor was definitely unexpected as the class veered from the subject of discussion since last week to analyzing poetry by Langston Hughes. I was able to read "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", and I admired the use of first person to encapsulate the entirety of the black race. Reading the lines, I felt as though I transversed through history on a raft amongst the rivers, smoothly traveling with time! There was a reason behind reading this poem, to learn about ethnicity, nationality, and race. I, unfortunately, have little clue of my true roots other than assuming I am of African descent, and I had little idea of ethnicity as a whole. It is something I wish to look into more, so I will not contaminate anyone with my naivety.

Do not mind this, this is an assignment I did today, just trying to get credit for it. Carry on~

Test Wild

I would make this entry longer with embellishment, but all I did today in class was take a test on Wild. I am very grateful that we could choose which chapter of the book the class was tested on at least, as I could not finish the final assigned chapter. With the amount of assignments in my other classes, reading has unfortunately become a chore when I have to cram chapters in before a test because I was, and still am, too busy to actively read. If Wild had been uninteresting, I would have burned the book a long time ago! Not really, please do not arrest me.

Thesis Statements

I was familiar with the typical three-pronged thesis statement, but today I was smacked in the face by what I was also unfamiliar with. Have I ever heard of the umbrella thesis statement, or the fact that a thesis and a thesis statement are different things? The answer to that question is a thick, fat no. I received insight that the umbrella thesis is useful for using more than three points, which is greatly needed in college when I must type twenty or so pages. Instead of being direct, it alludes to what the author is trying to establish, usually summarized in one word in its implications. I still need assistance with that as a whole, but I am glad to learn from it. The next was the thesis alone. I just blindly thought a thesis and a statement were the same, but it turns out the thesis is more or less in the statement, not the statement itself. For example, let's say a thesis like... tea is a healthy beverage. That is a thesis. Tea is a healthy beverage because it relieves stress, provides vitamin C, and prevents the risk of heart attacks if drinked casually is a thesis statement. That is what I gathered from today's lesson, and I hope to understand it more in the future. Essay writing, here I come! 

Wild Test

Friday at last, truly the day of freedom! I took a test on chapters three and four of Wild, which took up a good portion of class. As in, more than half of it. I was perfectly content with that. After an hour or so, Mr. Rease went over the acceptable answers, and by then it was time to escape go home. It was an easier day than most, which was greatly appreciated at the end of the day. Compared to my previous teacher's method of tests, this day fared far better for me.

Wild Critical Thinking

With chapter one of Wild more or less done in class, today a good half of the agenda was filled with students asking their three critical questions they were assigned to think of for homework. It was mildly fun, I could say! One of my questions asked why Cheryl was so defensive of her mother's condition, and it was neat having my peers answer. After the questions, I was able briefly go into chapter two with the class, jumping through paragraphs and pointing out certain key things. The title of the second chapter is "Splitting" and within it Cheryl stated she was splitting in two. Reading about a woman having multiple affairs with my morals in place is... somewhat disturbing to say the least, but I greatly enjoy the text nonetheless! It is unadulterated, it is almost raunchy, each sentence is almost like a slap to the face when you think things cannot get any worse. Oh boy, I wonder what the next chapters will hold. Besides heroin.

American't, Is This A Rant?

This day marks both a dark and united day of American history, the day the Twin Towers fell and many lost their lives. The lesson for today was meant to delve into that, perhaps watch a video or write a reflection, but the class got sidetracked. Worry not, we were on topic the entire block! The teacher asked questions such as what it meant to be an American, who is my American hero, what does it mean to be a hero, and things of that caliber. With the class each having something to say along with their reasons, the actual lesson for today ran out of the window and got a career in reality television. I was alright with that. Though regarding those questions, it was somewhat difficult to answer -- I have no true hero, I have no true way to answer what it means to be American, not without making an ironic joke about always having a gun and bald eagle in our pocket. It was nice hearing everyone's answers (even if most included rappers and had me confused for a bit) and learn about America in different American's eyes.

Discussing The Wild Side

My beloved teacher returned for this day, so the schedule was back to normal, oh joy! The class quickly went to work in taking out Wild and discussing both the prologue and the first chapter. Before that, however, we watched the movie prologue of the book that was beautifully portrayed by Reese Witherspoon! Alright, back to the lack of theatrics. Over the course of reading, the class took note of certain quotes with deeper meaning as well as asked questions about the text. Was it fun hearing my esteemed teacher say the swear words in the text? Oh yes. Yes it was.

My Rease's Cups Are Gone

My beloved teacher was not here today, so there was no true assignment. If there was, the class and I sure did not see it! Fret not, we all occupied ourselves by collectively reading from the first chapter of Wild by Cheryl Strayed, decided that was horrid, and later allowed one leader to play the audio book. The class discussed, took notes, and highlighted things within the book together. It sure was a treat seeing swear words in the book, and even more so when the audiobook narrator said them; the day was peaceful with everyone relaxing and reading in leisure together without stress. Like a book club!

Wild... bears

Today Friday, the class did an assignment listening ten things that are crucial to a hike -- particularly a thru-hike, which is a hike lasting for days, weeks, or months. One of my choices was a knowledge of one's limits, which I think is crucial to prevent easily avoidable death. After discussing everyone's choices, we went on the track of describing bears, how dangerous they are, and what to do if we encountered one. I sure hope grizzlies do not enjoy a chicken bone like myself. Afterwards, we watched different videos, one on Nat Geo Wild showing how strong one grizzly was against a metal cage. The bear's name was Bruno, and I love him. Next, we watched a movie scene of a man being brutally mauled by a bear (that was painful to watch), and lastly we watched a Go Pro biker be chased by a bear. Ooh, that had me on the edge of my seat! The entire ordeal was meant as an introduction to the book I will be reading, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. That was a nice, and scary day.

Argument Issues

Arguments have more components than just the reason behind it and one person eventually submitting, there exist issues. What are these issues? It boils down to blame, values, and choice. Who ate my toaster strudel? Is it bad for me to dropkick a child? Should I do this blog now or later? These elements help steer arguments toward a proper conclusion once one recognizes which issue is happening. In retrospect, a choice issue is the best form of argument, as it rarely leads to defensive or offensive reactions. Any blame or value issue can be shifted to the more suitable by changing the tense. Tense, as in past, present, or future. It was interesting overall to learn more ways to effectively argue, but I could certainly still use help. Here is to hoping the morrow will bring said help!

Multiple Choice Extravaganza

Multiple choice questions usually give me a burst of relief because I have something to choose from rather than think of something that will probably be correct. I never know why I think this, considering multiple choice questions have the same odds, only the answer is in my face and I must figure it out. What gets me most of the time is finding the answer when the directions state to find the best answer. I always read that, but never heed that. Until today, hooray! Today, I was able to learn the aspects of most multiple choice questions and their possible answers, ranging from completely incorrect, sort of off topic, a good answer, and the best answer. How do I recognize this? By process of elimination and focusing on the best one in the end. My habit of seeing them as all fully incorrect except one singular answer definitely caused errors for me, but this lesson helped! I could still use some assistance finding a proper technique, but I am glad to be on the right track.

Arguments vs. Fights

I always thought arguments and fights were the same thing - there's a disagreement, there's a quarrel, someone ends up eventual "losing" whether by words or by fists. However, today I learned there is a fine difference between them after looking through "Thank You For Arguing" in class. Within the book, I learned how to utilize rhetoric to persuade someone, how fights differ from arguing, and how to seduce your partner with roleplay. You know, typical class things!