2/8/08

How does this class seem different from other English classes you've had in the past?

    Normally, when you think of an English class, you think of writing long papers and doing tons of other homework that everyone says will help you in the long run. This class on the other hand, is really interesting. I've never made my own website before, so this is a great new experience that I probably will use sometime in my life.  The thing about this class is that I'm not just learning all the stuff that you would normally learn in an English class, but also stuff that you might learn in a computer class, something I've never even thought of.

2/15/08

Why is it important for you to have created and maintain a web page in school?

    It not just teaches us how to do it but also how to maintain and organize a large group of information and files.

2/22/08

If an outsider visited your site, what would you hope he or she would think about it?

    If someone were to visit my site, I would hope that they would think well of it because of the work I put into it. If they read the writing, I think they might be impressed by the way I write despite the fact that I'm only sixteen. My site could probably use a bit of work at this point as some things on here seem a bit boring, but hopefully I'll get around to changing that eventually.

2/29/08

Even though you are too young to vote, it won’t be long. You should be aware of what is going on in the world and in our country. So, I want you to write a five paragraph journal entry explaining who you would vote for for president if you were able to, and give three good reasons why. In case you don’t know, the people still in the race are Republicans John McCain and Mike Huckabee and Democrats Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.

    I'm not exactly a big political person. As much as I probably should care about the countries next president, I haven't really thought about it. I've never really chosen a side as to be republican or democrat because each side has such different opinions about life and I agree with a few from both. The one thing I do know is that just the sound of Hilary Clintons voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me and the way she looks doesn't help much. If I had to choose, I think I would like to have Obama in office because I love the way he speaks. He seems to be mentally stable enough for the responsibilities and if he can keep his two little girls happy AND run such a great race, he's gotta be good.
    Obama has shown time and time again how great of a public speaker he is. The way he says things is just amazing. I can't honestly say that I have watched enough debates to know exactly his standing on different things, but the way he talks is just enough to deliver it. The people love him, and I myself think he's really got what it takes to lead this country.
    From watching Obama a few times and seeing a few interviews with him, I think he's a pretty level headed person. His ideas aren't completely radical and he seems to be the kind of guy who doesn't make a promise he doesn't intend to keep. He's not even close to uptight, but at the same time is extremely serious about what he's doing and what he wants to accomplish. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can keep serious about a serious task, but at the same time, show that he knows how to have some fun.
    Obama has two kids. Not just two kids, but two girls, two little girls. The fact that he's not insane is amazing. Even better is that he keeps them happy AND is running for president. Not only is he running for president, but he's running a great campaign and doing it without having to destroy his opponents. My point? The man's a saint.
    Anyway, I don't know anything about politics. I just calls 'em as I see's 'em.

3/06/08

What steps have you taken to revise the work you have published on your web? Why did you decide to make these revisions?

    I obviously don't do perfect work. Even when I finish most of my work, I'm not completely happy with it. If I don't like it so much to the point that it actually bothers me, I'll change it. Most of the time that has to do with changing certain words to more descriptive words. Other times its as simple as making things just make more sense.

4/28/08

Do you feel more confident now than you did at the beginning of the year about any of your skills: computer? writing? reading? Explain.

    If nothing else, I've never really lacked self confidence. All the same, while being in this class, it has just seemed easier to write. I'm not sure if it's that I'm "more confident" or what but writing has just seemed to come to me easier. I really like most of the stuff I've written so far so I must be doing something right.

5/09/08

Writing collaboratively can be challenging and rewarding. Write about your experience writing with another person.

    It's never really been that I don't like working with people, because I love being around all kinds of people. To me, writing has just always been something I do on my own. Most of the time it takes longer to write something because there's more than one opinion you have to take into account. Yes, that does make it a little more diverse, but if I do write something, I kinda like it to be something I've written, not a bunch of people including me. Again, it's not that I'm antisocial or anything, I just want to be able to say, "I wrote that," not, "I helped write that."

5/16/08

End of the Year Reflection

    Well, this is it. This is the last Friday I will ever have as a sophomore here. In some ways, it's an exciting thing. Then I remember that I have to work tonight an come back here on Monday. So, as usual, my feelings are somewhat split. Bitter-sweet just about explains it perfectly. Not only is this my last Friday, but also my last mandatory journal entry. Normally, people would put in some kind of "Oh I'm gonna miss you diary!" crap, but that's just not me. I'm more of a realist. It's over and it really was great while it lasted. One thing's for certain, I can't say I didn't learn anything.
    Learn, learn, learn. That's what school's always been about. That's probably what it always will be about. In my opinion, you can't just run into school and expect to learn everything. Some people just don't learn the same way as others. I think I got very lucky with getting into this class. Sure, maybe it wasn't as hard as some other sophomore comp. classes, but I think I learned just as much, if not more in this class. I look back at the semester, and I think I've written some interesting work. I'm certainly not complaining as you can definitely tell that it's me writing the stuff. I've always had a very strong point of view on most things, and I think I speak that loud and clear in my writing. No, it's not always the most orthodox way to do things, but I still get things done. If only some of the other kids in my class could figure stuff out. Some of the guys are just plain stupid and have no idea what they're doing (most of the time). Then some of the girls just won't shut up. Kind of blunt, I know, but that's just how I am. At the same time, it probably sounds like I think I'm better than everyone else. Which is certainly not true, because I know there are areas of life that I still need work on, but I'm not going to just quit because it requires some work.
    Going through this kind of class you really learn things. When you can learn something, then associate an actual thing or idea with it, it will just snap into place, so to speak. Maybe it's just me, but writing on the computer has made things somewhat easier to write. Everything I think of, I just put into words and it normally turns into something intelligible. I think what has changed is that now, I write what I think, while I think it. As a kid, I was always taught to think things through before I actually write them. It would work for a little while, but you can only think so much on a certain topic, which I have learned time and time again throughout my endless thought processes. But that's besides the point. The point that I'm actually trying to make is that, no matter what you do, you have to be open to change. If you're not open, there's no point in doing something. You have to go into something wanting make something worthwhile. With that kind of thinking, everything will just be easier. Please excuse my use of cheesy clichés.
    I suppose I should probably just finish this, as I have all of ten minutes left of class and this is starting to get a bit long for a journal entry. Hopefully everyone that has read anything throughout my site has learned at least one thing from my writing. Then again, who knows, this may never be read by anyone but my teacher and my mom. Regardless, hopefully everyone has learned as much from my thoughts on things as I have in this class. Mrs. Schulze truly is a wonderful teacher, and I'm glad I was lucky enough to take one of her classes before she leaves. Next year, she will be sorely missed.

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