Kate's English Blog

 Response- My perspective changed on one of my best friends in sophomore year. She was always allowed to go out and have no curfew, so i assumed her mom was chill and wished my parents were like that. We had been friends for 4 years but as we got closer I found that her mom was always going out and not taking care of my friend or her siblings. She would not come to school for weeks because she would have to take care of/parent her siblings and take care of things around the house. I felt ashamed for assuming she had it easy, and all I really can do is be there for her. Ever since then I haven't judged anyone based off one or two occurrences. Summary- We spent the whole class working on our culture identity masks. reflection- I learned that we were going to have a reflection on the masks and present our masks on Thursday.

 Response- I feel pretty good about this class so far, I've been doing all my assignments and being more engaged. Im definitely less shy from last year, and not falling asleep in class anymore since it's not the 2nd period. I just need to make sure I keep up the good work because last year towards the end of the semester I started to slack off. One challenge was doing some blog posts last minute, but in my defense my Chromebook died on Friday and I couldn't login until resetting my password. Summary- In class we watched a short film and got a mask paper to draw/write our identity on (things that make up who you are). Reflection- I learned that theres more then just your religion and culture that make up a person.

 Response- I feel like I always carry my mom with me. It sounds silly but it's always been me and her even though shes joined a new family. She influenced me so much and shaped me into the person I am today. You could say im like a mini version of her, a lot of people say we act exactly the same. Summary- In class we had a sub and worked on common lit work. Reflection- I read ¨The Danger of a Single Story¨ and learned that different experiences can shape your understanding/ perspective of the world.

 Response- I like filling out worksheets as a class/class discussion. Personally I've always learned better with class discussions because it helps me see things from a different viewpoint. I like to see other peoples perspectives on a topic or when Mr Rease says something to make the class think outside the box. So I mainly enjoy class discussions If I had to choose just one learning method. Summary- In class we read ¨The Myth of the Latin Woman¨ and did a worksheet on it in partners. Reflection- I learned new stereotypes society set for Latina women.

Response- Off the top of my head I can think of a time when someone assumed I listen to Taylor Swift because im white. It was kind of funny but annoying and it was on the first day of school this year. We had to introduce each other and answer questions about each other to the class and i was introducing someone else and a guy was introducing me. One of the questions was ¨what is something interesting no one would guess about you¨, and I told him that I was born on valentines day. When it was his turn to introduce me we both stood up and he started lying about everything saying the complete opposite of what I told him including saying I was a switftie fan. It was kind of funny but I was annoyed and had to announce I didn't listen to Taylor Swift. Summary- In class we filled out a form of stereotypes. Reflection- I learned new stereotypes society has set for certain cultures and genders.

Response- Most of the gender expectations for women in my culture have been to have manners and be ladylike. Specifically not being loud which I had trouble growing up. I had always been shy but when with my family I was very talkative and sometimes couldn't control the volume of my voice. I would always get in trouble for speaking out too much if we went out to eat somewhere public. But it's valid because who wants a 10 year old talking loud and being inconsiderate of others. Reflection- I learned how some cultures have some bizarre expectations for women/young girls. Summary- In class we read GIRL by Jamaica Kindaid and did a 10 question quiz on it.

 Response- The inspiration behind my poem was my job. I work in buck head and most of the people over there are really difficult to deal with and just hate in general, I wrote my poem to show Im a hard worker and Im not gonna let the hate get to me. Reflection- My experience presenting the poem to the class was pretty straightforward. I explained my inspiration and recited my poem, and the class clapped for me.

 Response- Something I did that was out of the norm for me was showing up to work an hour early. I went early to see if I could clock in an hour before and get a break. It was during a rush and they were actually low on staff so my manager was grateful and asked me to clock in early. I ended up getting a break and worked for 6 hours.  Reflection- i learned about gender roles and how much women are expected to do in society's eyes. summary- In class we read a poem about why i want a wife.

Response- A time I felt completely lost was my freshmen year. I didn't know where any of my classes were and i didn't know anyone. I had a hard time finding any of my classes for a full week, it's funny looking back at it now. I also was very shy and didn't have a lot of friends. Reflection- Something I learned was how gender roles can be taught. Summary-In class we did a worksheet about male and female gender roles.

Response- Im used to the expectations of this class because I had the same teacher last year, but I still need to work on posting the blog posts for each day. Its hard to post it sometimes if i dont finish in class because i usually work night shifts after school. Another weakness is presentations, im not excited for that on Monday because Im shy. I couldn't think of a strength but I can say I learn better when Mr. Rease argues with the class (more like debating). Reflection- We read a poem then analyzed it and at the end of class everyone created their own poem. Summary- I learned how to analyze a poem and understand what each part of it meant.

Response- Some people have thought that i was mean or stuck up based on my appearance. I feel like people would miss that Im a kind soul, and hardworking. A lot of life experiences have helped me be more mature and careful about things and how I act. Those are the main things that have influenced me as a person (my culture identity).  Summary- In class we watched videos about biracial people who didn't look their actual race and we answered questions about the video in writable. Reflection- I learned that some people can choose to identify as a race even if they have a small percentage of that race.

Response- Growing up i lived in a Hispanic area and I think that probably influenced my identity. Some of my best friends are Hispanic and I've always been around their culture (Eating their food and family parties). I've never been pressured or felt like I had to change myself to fit in, I've always just been me. There have been some times in my life where I did question myself but I've always known who I am. summary- In class we learned about a girl who posed as being black who was actually white. reflection- I learned about the girl Rachel who chose to identify as black and got canceled because people found out she was white from a leaked photo of her as a teenager.

 Response- A family tradition that runs in my family is Christmas. Every year me and my family celebrate Christmas in December and it represents my religion Christianity. It's part of my culture and my religion, and today it is very widely spread and celebrated. Summary- In class we presented our name origin assignment and learned about culture identity. Reflection- I learned the seven elements of culture.

Response- Three goals I want to achieve by the end of the year are graduating with a 3.4, saving all my money from work, and getting into college. I want to at least make A's and high B's in my classes in order to bring up my GPA. Im also planning to save more than half the money i make because i want to have enough money in the future and I also have a bad spending habit so im hoping to achieve my goal. I visited Georgia state and Georgia southern this summer and im aiming to attend Georgia state. I hope I end up achieving my goals by the end of my senior year. Summary- In class Mr. Rease taught the class how to set up a blogger account and what format to use.  Reflection- In class I learned how to make my blogger account and how to do a post again.