Essay 3 Revisions

George Hernandez

04/22/14

English 002

Professor Ankney

                                                 

                                                                Entering a new world

Imagine entering a new world that feels unfamiliar to what you've experienced your whole life. A world that feels familiar, yet unknown. This is how it feels to enter high school while coming out of middle school. Entering high school can feel a bit apprehensive especially considering how it’s a new culture you are unfamiliar with since you've been used to being in middle school. When entering high school culture, you should be open to entering any school activities that might appeal to your interests and hobbies while also trying to build relationships with your teachers and classmates.

In high school, I tried to find school activities that fit my interest by searching through the hallway for flyers for an after-school club. A club is a great way to find new friends who can help you better get better used to your new school life. I know this because I joined the gaming club which was filled with nice people who shared my interest in playing video games. Club activities can help build relationships with students who can help you get better used to your new cultural experience. Whether it’s something like the video game club or even something like the book club, you’ll be given the opportunity to surround yourself with other classmates who can relate to your appeals. This way you’ll be able to build new relationships with people who can share your passion of something like gaming or reading which will make coming to school feel more comfortable.

If you don’t know how to start looking for club activities, there’s no need to worry, there are usually information posted on various clubs you can join on the schools bulletin boards or even the schools website. Another way to find an activities to join is to pay attention to the school intercom for updates on new or already existing clubs looking for new participates to join them during lunch or after school. This was actually how I joined the gaming club in my school when I was a freshman. Being a freshman with little to no friends to interact with was frightening, but it wasn't until I heard of a group who took in interest in video gaming through the schools intercom announcements that I decided to join their club. This group of video gamers (who were sophomores) was passionate about what they enjoyed and was kind enough to provide freshman’s any information about the school. This club was filled with the love of gaming I've always enjoyed and coming after school to play and learn the mechanics of multiple games gave me a reason to look forward to coming to school. Once you join a club that fits your interest, you’ll not only feel right at home with people who can relate to your hobbies, but you’ll also be given the chance to look forward to coming to school.

Adjusting to your new lifestyle certainly will be challenging, but you can make your experience easier if you find a companion you shared your middle school years with. This way, you’ll feel comfortable toward exploring your new high school culture. I wasn't given the chance to experience high schools culture with a friend I knew. When I was a freshman, I was unfamiliar to my surroundings because of how the school I entered wasn't the one I originally planned to enter. Unfortunately, the school I wanted to attend had their deadlines done early, so I couldn't enter it and be surrounded by my old friends. This meant that when I entered high school, I went without knowing anyone from my previous school to interact with which made things difficult for me. It wasn't until I joined the video game club that I started to make new friends and feel adjusted towards my new high school culture. The best thing you can do to fit into this new culture would be to find any possible old friends you can interact with to make things feel easier for you. If you have multiple friends you recognize then try to share each other’s class schedules to see what classes you will be sharing together. If I was able to enjoy my year as a freshman with new friends than you should be able to enjoy it with friends you've made in middle school.

Once you've read and understood your class schedules go to class prepared to interact with your teacher. Once your teacher starts to make his or her introductions, try to pay attention to the possible stories they’ll bring up about their life and teaching career. Once they have given you a background on their history, try asking questions or commenting on what they have told you. This will start to build an early relationship that will help make interactions in future classes feel more comfortable. It also helps to come by their classrooms during lunch (if possible) or after school to discuss any concerns you may have with the class. This is also a great way to help you in any troubles you have with any assignments you are given to the class. It’s important to remember that things get more difficult in high school than middle school, but if you’re willing to interact with your teachers about your work than you’ll have a better chance of succeeding in the class.

Entering this new world can be fearsome, but once you start to put in the effort to get used to your new culture then you’ll feel much more at home.  Obviously, things won’t start feeling easier right away, but with time you’ll feel more comfortable with the culture surrounded by your school.   Your experience through your freshman year up to your senior year will feel more comfortable once you open up to the idea of entering an afterschool activity that you could enjoy while also trying to create new bonds with your teachers and classmates. 

Essay 4 Thesis Draft

George Hernandez

4/9/14  

English 002

Professor Ankney

Thesis: The quote from the show Naruto shows me that protecting something truly special will unlock the strength you need to care for the friends you make and the family you have. 

Edited Run-ons

George Hernandez

2/26/14

English 002

Use a comma and a coordinate conjunction

1.I found it interesting how a child like me could create such a creative acrostic but our teachers would have trouble finding a method to help us easily remember our cardinal points. 

Edited Run-On: I found it interesting how a child like me could create such a creative acrostic, but our teachers would have trouble finding a method to help us easily remember our cardinal points.

Use a semi-colon to connect two sentences

2. The globe helped us learn where these countries were located the acrostic helped kids remember their directions. 

Edited Run-On: The globe helped us learn where these countries were located; the acrostic helped kids remember their directions. 

Rewriting Sentences

George Hernandez

February 18th, 2014

English 002

                                                               Rewriting Sentences 

Before a coordinating conjunction joining two sentences:

- Continuing on from trying to learn about the first two World Wars and the events of slavery, our teacher would use a globe to physically use and a map projected at the screen to visually analyze. 

Introductory phrase:

- Teaching a child about directions isn't the easiest thing someone can do

Use with coordinate adjectives:
- My teacher described Never Ever Smoke Weed as an easy, memorable acrostic for children.

Adjective clause:
-  So long as the device is simple, it’ll not only become easier to understand, but easier to remember as well.

Appositive:
- My middle school teacher, who teaches Geography, uses the acrostic Never Ever Smoke Weed to help her students better memorize their directions.

Parenthetical Expression:
- Never Ever Smoke Weed, as my teacher noticed, works to help children better memorize their cardinal directions while still being self aware about drugs such as weed.  

Absolute phrase:
-  Sharing the acrostic Never Ever Smoke Weed was helpful to the class, it's simplicity is what makes it easier for kids to remember the device.

Words expressing contrast:
- Unlike other devices, Never Ever Smoke Weed is purposely made short to make it simple for everyone. 

To set of a quotation or a direct address:
- “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” says famous Buddhist monk, Dalai Lama XIV, in his novel "The Compassionate Life"

Michael's EN002 Blog

George Hernandez

February 7th, 2014

English 002

                                                  

                                                         Learning Cardinal Directions

                                              

 Teaching children about directions isn't the easiest thing someone can do. This is because children tend to have problems remembering which way certain directions are supposed to go. I know this because I suffered through the same issue as a kid. Growing up, I had trouble remembering where my left and right was and when my elementary school teacher would talk about where certain countries where with North or West, I would have trouble remembering where each was exactly. Since I had trouble distinguishing where north and south were, me and my friend, Ernesto, came up with the acrostic Never Ever Smoke Weed.

At the time, we've always heard the terms North, East, West, and South, but having to remember where they were was challenging for a child like me who was at elementary school at the time. It felt as if schools (such as mine) didn't put much effort in finding a way to show children what directions go where. Instead, it felt as if they chose not teach a method since that’s not the lesson being taught in class. Though, it could have been that teaching this was a challenge for them to find an easy method of teaching children cardinal directions. This is just speculation, however. I can’t determine why our teacher would avoid teaching us an easier method to understanding

As i grew up, I’ve noticed how my friends and classmates would struggle on differentiating between West to South or even North to East. Originally, I thought this was only an issue between a select few, but it felt as if it was common for kids my age to find it difficult to remember where each direction went. There was a time during my middle school days where my geography teacher would talk about the events of both World Wars and tried to use a globe to help us locate certain countries. Using a globe to help us learn where these countries were located was helpful, but I felt like there were still others who were having trouble remembering where exactly each country was located.  So to help out my classmates, I raised my hand and suggested my teacher to use the acrostic Never Ever Smoke Weed to the rest of the class. To my surprise, it helped the class out a lot more.

After class, my teacher spoke to me about how effective Never Ever Smoke Weed was in the class and was curious to know how I came up with such a simple device. I told her how the device was made in elementary school when my teacher would talk about history in where she would bring up the events of slavery and point to us different countries and states involved, but would always use cardinal directions to show us where each country involved was located. However, she didn’t teach us a method of remembering where each location was, so that’s where the acrostic was born. Surprised, my history teacher was wondering why she never thought of such a simple device. It was then I told her that the device could be used for her other classes as well. So long as the device is simple, it’ll not only become easier to understand, but easier to remember as well.

Even if you're already aware of the concept of Never Ever Smoke Weed, then creating acronyms like this benefits those who have trouble remembering or even understanding its device. The acrostic allows for you to understand how you can understand your cardinal directions, but it can also help you create your own device to help others understand various ideas. When Ernesto and I came up with Never Ever Smoke Weed, we created this to help us better understand something we couldn't properly remember, in this case the cardinal directions. If two children can create something as humorous and helpful as learning the difference between North, East, South, and West, then imagine the possibilities you can create.

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