Course Improvements/ Suggestions

As English 12 is quickly coming to an end, it's easy to reflect on what I liked and what I wasn’t too fond of during the year. I’d have to say that my favorite unit was reading “Tuesdays with Morrie”, I actually enjoyed reading it and the life lessons that were talked about really hit home. It was all very relatable. I also enjoyed the Speak Truth to Power Project. Although my group was the only one that really went all out with it, I’m glad we did because it was such an important topic and it caught everyone's eye. Especially with all the attention we got for it, it was a good feeling to be proud of an English project you have completed. I never thought I really needed extra help in English and I was confused as to why I got placed into a class with two teachers but it wasn’t something I needed to complain about. The projects for me were very easy so I didn’t spend a lot of time stressing over them. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the survival unit. Personality I felt like it dragged on. It would’ve been okay to do it just on the bigger books we read like Unbroken, but I felt like after we finished something the next thing was about survival again and it felt like it was never ending. My overall experience in the class was a good one! Every other day walking into a class with two over the top, bright, smiling teachers made me feel very welcomed. Even if i was in a bad mood, which was most of the time due to the classes I’ve spent all day in, both teachers still understood and treated me with the most respect and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Survival Unit

The survival unit entailed reading several different stories relating to survival. First, as a class we gathered essential survival skills we thought that was important. We all thought that knowledge was the most worthy of being in first place. Some examples included, determination, adaptability, patience, risk taking, resourcefulness, and social skills. We read “The Old Man and The Sea” and we recorded traits that we thought illustrated the characters. Santiago was a very determined man, he set a goal to catch a fish and he fought to make that goal. Moving on into the unit, we got to pick between 3 different books to read. Every few classes we watched episodes of Survival Man. Each episode was picked to relate each setting of each book. I picked Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I was required to read a selected amount of chapters each night and fill out different worksheets according to the information in the book. Unbroken was about a boy named Louis Zamperini. He was a boy that was always into trouble. His older brother wanted to help him turn his life around. He got Louie into running, at first he did it to stay out of trouble but then he grew a great love for it. He later qualified for the Olympics. When World War II breaks out, he enlists in the military. His B-29 crashes in the middle of the pacific. He survives days on a life raft to be captured by the Japanese and held a prisoner in a POW camp. Besides the length of the book, I honestly enjoyed it. For once, I can say the book was better than the movie.

Speak Truth to Power

My Speak Truth to Power Defenders were Elizabeth and Patrick Shores. I got introduced to them through Mr. Currin. Reflecting back on the project it was an overwhelming success. I learned how to compose a stop motion video. It was really time consuming but it was completely worth it. I cut up letters and pictures and I recorded it fully through. I uploaded it into IMovie and I cut my hand out of each shot. The amount of attention I got for this video was an awesome experience. Elizabeth even wrote me a letter of recommendation. After submitting the video to the Speak Truth to Power contest, it received a gold honorable mention. I got the opportunity to present my project do the Alden Board of Education. The project was on the Human Right of diminishing supply of water in countries. Overall I learned how much of a serious problem this subject really is. Elizabeth and Patrick has invented a water purifier to give countries the opportunity to clean water. They have traveled to numerous different countries giving everyone another chance. The speeches Elizabeth has given are so inspiring. In the video I created I incorporated many different things including, a voice over, pictures, videos and many other things. After I completed it and got all the attention I wished I could’ve made it better and improve the quality of the video. Later after the video was finished we had to compose an essay on the different ways this human right effected specific concepts.  This project was a huge success and this is something I really will remember. I really enjoyed putting this together, I took a huge interest into it. I also put a lot of time and effort into it.

Veterans History Project

My Veteran was Mr. Peter Reader. I got the opportunity to travel to his home to interview him for a story I covered in Wacs News. Mr. Reader was full of so much pride and emotion when he was telling us his story. Peter Reader served in World War II.  Over and over he repeated how he really wished he could've graduated high school. It stood out to me. After everything he has accomplished in his life, all he wanted was a High School Diploma. After an annual Veterans Day assembly, he was presented his very own diploma. Tears were definitely shed in the audience. It was more than a successful project, it was one project that really touched me and truly meant something to me. His time during World War II was insane. He told us how as soon as he walked onto a beach bullets flew everywhere and he fell to the ground. His friend Stacy told him that he would go get help, and he never returned. Mr. Reader was in a hospital for four months then went back into duty. He’s traveled to many places I’ve never been to and the way he described his experiences were heartbreaking. At one point in the interview he even began to get teary eyed.  After the war ended he later joined a Veterans group in Marilla NY. He ran into Stacy again in Alden a few years ago and when they saw each other they both broke down in tears. To meet Mr. Peter Reader was something I will always remember.