Self Assesment

Self-Regulation
I feel like during this whole semester, my attendance has been pretty good. I am usually on time, sometimes I come in early and drop my backpack, then go to the bathroom or go to my locker for something. I have missed a couple of classes but that was due to being sick or having doctor/dentist appointments. Whenever I do not come, I always ask Anisha what we did so I can start it at home. Whenever we are allowed to use our devices, I try to stay on task, but sometimes I can’t help it, and I start to check twitter and etc. During the class, I always sit beside Anisha and I feel like my seating choice is right. We both work well together and we do try to complete the task that is given. But like any other pair of friends, we do get off task, but we always complete our work. My assignments are usually on time, but sometimes I get stuck with a lot of homework and tests to study for, which results in my assignments being a little late. But I try to finish it as soon as possible so I can post it up. All my assignments are done though, and they are all posted on my blog. I am always respectful when talking to someone, and never use a tone that I wouldn’t want someone using with me. I was always open minded when others gave their opinions, and if I thought differently, I would try to make them see from my point of view also. I feel like I am a hard worker, though at times I get lazy. I try to finish my assignments to the best of my abilities, and try to read others work so I can find new ways to improve mine and make it better.  For self-regulation I give myself 29/33.

Communication skills

I know some of the literary terms but not all. So I need more practice in memorizing the new ones that we got this year. For my writing assignments, I usually didn’t put a link to a website in my work because most of them were my own thoughts and I didn’t get them from a website. But one essay that I did, which was called “Definitely Lust, Not Love,” I did go online and get some ideas. I did use citation and gave credit to the person who gave me the ideas for the essay. I didn’t really know what the difference between informal and formal essay writing was, but after watching a couple videos, I learnt it. One example of this would be the Romeo and Juliet essay I did. (Definitely Lust, Not Love.) I think I’m not too bad at analyzing the content that we read. If I re-read something a couple times, I can usually figure out what the theme is and etc. I have completed all the assignments that we have got during this semester, and I have them all posted on my blog. When I am finished a writing assignment, I do try to go over it for any mistakes. But sometimes I get tired, or I’m just not motivated to do it so I don’t look at it as carefully as I should. But before posting, I always make someone else reads it so they can tell me what I can add to make my writing piece better. One thing that always helps a writing piece is making personal connections, and that’s what we had to do this semester. In my “Teenager” post, I talk about how I feel about being a teenager, and the things that we have to go through at that age. A creative assignment that I did this semester would be the story I wrote called “Uninvited Guests.” While writing stories like these, I have many ideas but I don’t always know how to put them down on paper. But I tried my best to make my story original and different than others.

The three PLO’S I chose are A1 which is interact and collaborate in pairs and groups.  I feel like I did do that, because even though I didn’t talk as much in front of the whole class, I did talk in the small group that I used to sit with. With the person beside me, we would talk to each other and come up with ideas or help each other on the assignment that we were working on at that moment. Or if there was something that I didn’t understand, I would ask the person beside me or with the group I was sitting with. My second PLO is C1 which is write meaningful personal texts that elaborate on ideas and information to: experiment, express self, make connections, reflect and respond, and remember and recall. Through some of my writing pieces, I feel like I do express my feelings and opinions. For example, when we did the news article assignment, I clearly expressed how I felt about the couple being mistreated. I wrote about how our society needs to grow up and start accepting people for who they are. And I gave my opinion on how I thought the relationship between Romeo and Juliet was not love.  I also expressed my feelings toward Romeo and Juliet dying for each other. My last PLO is C14 which is use conventions in writing and representing, appropriate to purpose and audience, to enhance meaning and artistry, including: grammar and usage, punctuation, capitalization, and Canadian spelling, copyright and citation of references, presentation/layout. As I mentioned previously, if I had ever taken ideas from a website, I did cite the website in my writing work. I do look over my work for any spelling errors and make sure I use capitalization when I need too.For this second pillar, I give myself 29/33

  Contribution
This term, I did a lot of my commenting with Anisha on her account. Both of us would state our opinions and thoughts on the class discussions that we had online. One thing I need to work on is commenting on my peers’ blogs. I commented here and there but not nearly enough as I should have. Sometimes I got so caught up with my own homework that I would just forget to comment. When Anisha and I were commenting, we did comment back stating a question in hopes that the other person would reply so we could have a conversation going on. When we had to discuss and share ideas within small groups, I was always more comfortable and more willing to contribute ideas. But when it came to the whole class, I was a bit quiet, because I didn’t know if what I had in my mind was right or not. I feel that as I get older, I’ll be more comfortable in sharing my ideas with a large group and I’ll stop fearing that my opinion may sound stupid if I say it out loud. When we did the poetry unit and we had to look up the authors and do research, I loved that. I just found it cool to find information which would make us understand the poem better, and I did state whatever I had researched in the oral group discussion that we had going on then. The assignments that we got this semester were not hard, but if there was ever any confusion I would just say it to the group I was sitting with. Whoever knew what they were doing would come and help. Whenever there was a discussion going on and people were giving their opinions, I would listen and try to understand where they were coming from. But I would also state my opinion in a respectful tone if I felt the need. Most of my assignments were done on time, but some I posted up a bit late. Sometimes I would have a lot of homework and tests to study for, and I would just forget to post up my assignment and it would be just sitting in my drafts. If someone did tell me to fix something on my blog, I would do it. For example, on my Romeo and Juliet essay, Mr.Neufeld told me to state the Act and Scenes of the lines. I feel like I was a positive vibe in this classroom because I was always very friendly to anyone who talked to me, and I was always willing to help anyone who needed it. For class contribution, I’d like to give myself 29/33.

With all three pillars added up the total is 87%. Like I said before, in the beginning it was a bit difficult to get used to the idea of everyone reading your work online and etc. But now as the term is ending, I feel like I am more comfortable with it, and I am a bit more open then I used to be. I also think my writing has improved. From reading Sukhleen’s work, and looking at the variety of words she uses in her assignments, it motivated me to use different words rather than use the same one over and over again. This class was surprisingly very fun! 

Thesis statement: “Pressure can burst a pipe or pressure can make a diamond”

Different people react differently to pressure. Some people take that as motivation, and some people let it destroy them.

    As the alarm goes off, I put the pillow over my head and try to drown out the noise. I hate waking up early, especially for school. As I hear my mom yell my name for what seems like the 100^th time, I finally decide to get up and get ready. I hate school. I hate dealing with the high school drama, fake friends, rude teachers, the stress, and etc. Same old crap, just a different day. People assume that I get it so easy because my parents are rich and I am naturally smart, but it’s the complete opposite. I have to work a hundred times harder than any of them because of my parent’s high expectations. My mom and dad both expect me to get straight A’s, and anything lower than that is basically failing. Now with our SATS today, I’m under even more pressure. They will decide if I get into Harvard University or not. Ever since I can remember all I’ve heard my parents say is that once I graduate high school, I will go into Harvard just like how they did, and handle my dad’s business. If I don’t get in, I will never hear the end of it.

  

     I rush out the door without bothering to grab a bite to eat and start my journey to the school. I park my car, and start my walk to my classroom. As I enter, everyone is already seated with their pencils and erasers on their desk, ready to go. As I sat in my seat, I could feel the butterflies swarming in my stomach. My hands were sweating, and my heart was beating fast. I couldn’t do this. It feels like anything that I had learned in the past couple months went flying out the door. I couldn’t remember a single thing. As our teacher walked in, he placed a test in front of each of us and told us to start. I flipped through the pages trying to find a question that I knew the answer too, but there was none. My head felt like it was going to explode from all the pressure I was feeling. I nervously look around the room to see if the others knew what they were doing, and then I look back down at my paper. I pull at my hair in frustration, but everything was pointless now. I just couldn’t do this anymore.

  

    With a quick move, I pick up my bag and I’m out the door before the teacher could even finish saying my name. I run to my car and desperately search my bag for my keys. Once my hand touches the cool metal of the key, I race out the parking lot without looking back. Once I’m far away from the school, I pull over to the side of the road, and just cry. I sit and cry for what seems like forever. I messed everything up. All that time I spent studying for the SATS, all gone to waste. My future is nothing now.

Some people do their best work when under pressure, but for others, the pressure can be too much and they just cave.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

The novel has been very interesting so far. In all the books I've ever read, the main character has never had autism, and until I read this book, I honestly didn't know what autism was. I think it’s cool that we get to read it from Christopher’s point of view and we get to see how his brain works and how he thinks, and why he reacts to things the way he does. I’ve never dealt with a person who had autism, but from what I learned from reading this book, it seems hard. It must be very difficult for Christopher’s dad because if Christopher is having a bad day, he shuts everyone out completely and the dad can’t even hug him because he doesn’t like to be touched. Christopher‘s main goal so far in this story is to find out who killed Wellington. Wellington was a dog owned by Mrs.Shears, Christophers neighbour. My guess is that Mr.Shears killed the dog because he knew that Mrs.Shears loved him and he did it for revenge. When Christopher’s mother died, Mrs.Shears used to stay the night sometimes and maybe she developed a relationship with his father. After finding out about this, Mr.Shears was angry and he left her. But to get the ultimate revenge on her, he killed the one thing he knew she loved a lot which was the dog. I think as the story goes on, we will learn more and more about their lives, and hopefully by the end we found out who the killer is. The book is surprisingly enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more!

Same Love

The owner of a bar on Montreal's West Island has apologized after his manager kicked out two young women for kissing.

Jess Goldberg was kicked out of a bar on Montreal's West Island for kissing another woman. (Facebook)

Jess Goldberg and CarolynShaughnessy, both in their early 20s, were out for drinks at LeManoir in Pointe-Claire last Friday.

Goldberg says they were approached by the manager and told to stop after they shared a kiss.

But Goldberg says that about two hours later, when they kissed again, they were asked to leave.

"I think I had my hand on her leg and she kissed me, and he came over even more frantic than the first time," she said.

Goldberg reacted by posting a complaint on Le Manoir’s Facebook page and on her own.

Jess Goldberg received a flood of online support after she posted this complaint on Facebook. (Facebook)

“This type of discrimination is repulsive … They kicked us out for being gay,” she wrote.

The bar’s page was soon flooded with support for the couple and calls for a boycott.

Goldberg says this would have never happened to a heterosexual couple.

"This has never ever happened to me in my life. I've been to bars downtown, in different cities and different countries and I've never been treated like this."

Le Manoir has since posted an apology on its website.

Le Manoir owner Peter Sergakis posted this apology on the bar's Facebook page on Monday. (Facebook)

Bar owner Peter Sergakis told CBC on Monday that his manager overreacted.

"If they were kissing as normal, two people kissing one another, it's unacceptable to tell them to leave," he said.

Sergakis also owns the Sky complex — one of North America’s largest gay bars — located in Montreal’s Gay Village.

Sergakis says that the way his manager behaved does not reflect his values, and his bars are open to all members of the LGBT community. 

I am connecting this article to the song Same Love because the song talks about being gay and hiding who you truly are. This couple shouldn't have been kicked out of the bar just because it was two girls kissing. If it was a boy and a girl, the manager wouldn't have cared and he would have let them do as they please. They shouldn't have to hide their true feelings, if they want to kiss or hold hands, they should be allowed. Our society needs to grow up and learn how to accept people for who they are. Not everyone is going to be like how you want them to be because everyone is different. Just because someone prefers a gender that is different then what you like doesn't make them any less important. A boy who likes a boy, or a girl who likes a girl, are still human beings who have feelings and should be respected. People throughout the world have made it uncomfortable for people to come out as they truly are. A lot of them hide their feelings because they know they will be judged. But we need to learn to have a open mind and accept people as they are, and not try to change them.

Definitely lust, not love.

    Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the most famous plays ever written, and it tells us about love at first sight. How Romeo and Juliet meet each other one night at a party and a few days later they are so captivated and in love with each other that they are ready to give up their own lives. But there is always one question that arises when we talk about their relationship, was it truly love or was it just lust? No one can define love because everyone has a different perspective on this subject. The definition of love to one person can be different from what someone else thinks. But Romeo and Juliet’s relationship was definitely just lust, it was never true love.
    

    Just before crashing the Capulet party, Romeo was talking to Benvolio about how he “loves” a girl that doesn’t love him back, and about how he is really sad over it. “Out of her favor, where I am in love.” “Yes, this is what love does. My sadness sits heavy in my chest.(Act 1, Scene 1)” He tells Benvolio about how he can’t even look at another girls because they remind him of her. “By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties.,”(Act 1, Scene 1) says Benvolio. “ 'Tis the way. To call hers, exquisite, in question more,”(Act 1, Scene 1) replies Romeo. Benvolio learns about the Capulet party, and convinces Romeo to attend because Rosaline will be there. But as soon as they enter the party and he sees Juliet, he forgets all about his former lover, and is intrigued by Juliet’s beauty and starts to question if his heart ever did love someone before this moment. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear, Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.”(Act 1, Scene 5) Just minutes before meeting Juliet, Romeo was so heartbroken over Rosaline. But the minute his eyes spotted Juliet he forgot all about his past lover and started to say that he thinks that he has never been in love before this moment. He hasn't even talked to her and doesn't even know her name, but he is already starting to talk about being in love. He is only attracted to her because of her beauty. He has learned nothing about her personality, for all he knows she could be rude and very arrogant. A person “in love” doesn't change their lover in one day. When you truly were in love with someone, it takes a long time to get over them and an even longer time to imagine yourself with someone else.
 
    For Juliet, it’s neither lust nor love that attracts her to Romeo. Romeo was just her escape plan from the life her family had planned for her. Without even a discussion, her father gives her hand to another man who is much older than her. Even though he tells Paris that he needs her permission, later on you can see that Lord Capulet had already made up his own mind and is enraged when Juliet refuses to marry Paris. Just before the party, her mother comes in to talk to her and tells her about the marriage proposal. She says she hasn’t even dreamt of being married, but if that is what her parents want, she would consider it. No child wants to get married at the age of 13, and even though she said yes, she couldn’t have been too happy inside. During the party, she meets Romeo who is obviously very good looking, very drawn to her, and most importantly he was not Paris.  Juliet could have an attractive man all to herself who fancied her a lot; she wouldn’t have to marry the man that her parents had chosen for her which meant that she could get out of the marriage proposal. So it was a win- win situation. Surely though as their relationship developed, it became lust. And even after she found out he was from the family of their enemies she decided to stay with him because she knew that would anger her parents. That could be her form of punishment for them for making her marry so young.

    At the end of this tragic play, we see that Romeo and Juliet both kill each other. Romeo feels the passion of lust just as strongly as one feels love. So when he sees Juliet “dead”, he is completely heartbroken and in that moment thinks that he can never get over her so he decides to end his own life. For Juliet, she ended her life for a different reason. She didn’t kill herself because she thought she would never be able to get over him, she killed herself because Romeo was her ticket to a happy marriage. With him gone, she would have no choice but to go back to her parents and marry Paris. So she picked the easy way out and took her own life. To some people, them committing suicide over each other is really romantic, but it depends with what you agree on. If you feel that they were really in love then it could be romantic. But if you feel like their relationship was purely lust, then no. Them committing suicide over each other was simply foolish and stupid. The idea of death is not romantic, even if it is someone that was truly in love who commits suicide. Taking your own life because you can’t be with the person you love is a very dumb thing to do, not everything is going to work out. Even if you think that you will never be able to love someone again, you have to just put up with it and move on. You have to force yourself to be happy because time stops for no one. All wounds are healed as time goes on.

    “Love isn't something that happens in 5 minutes. It’s when you are attracted to someone and then when you get to know them over a period of time, you start to become infatuated with their every small detail. You overlook their flaws simply because you can’t imagine your world without them.”-Sam. As mentioned previously, no one can really define love. Peoples opinion on this subject differs from one person to another. There are many different kinds of love, for example the type between you and your parents, between you and your siblings, between you and your pets, between you and your friends and etc.  The play displays different kinds of love too, like for example the love between Mercutio and Romeo. Romeo loves and cares for Mercutio in a completely different way than he does with Juliet. No one love is more valuable than the other, they are all important in their own way. 

    So its easy to see that their relationship wouldn't have lasted because it was never true love.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100301231157AA2SYQ2

    

Pressure

                                                             "Perfect"

Falling a thousand feet per second, you still take me by surprise.
I just know we can't be over, I can see it in your eyes.
Making every kind of silence, takes a lot to realize
Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie.

And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong.

I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

Making every kind of silence, It takes a lot to realize
Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie.

And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong.

I know that I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

When you're caught in a lie, and you've got nothing to hide,
When you've got nowhere to run, and you've got nothing inside.
It tears right through me, you thought that you knew me, you thought that you knew..

I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?
I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my, just myself?
Just myself? Myself? Just myself?

I'm not perfect, but I keep trying.

Midterm

A) 22/25%- My attendance is pretty well, but I have missed a few classes due to being sick and doctor appointments. If I am late it is usually because I had to talk to a teacher or get something from my locker, which is on the other side of the school. During class, I am usually on task but there are days when I get distracted and decide to socialize. During the small tasks we have in class, I usually get them finished on time if I am not distracted by someone. If anyone asks for help, I do my best to help them with their problem. I always try my hardest to stay off my ipod if someone is talking, but there are days when I get too tempted and I decide to check my messages and etc. But I am going to make sure that I don’t do that anymore. I always try to have a positive attitude and open mind when coming to class.

B) 24/25%- I have all the assignments completed but some might have not been completed on time.

C) 20/25%- I try my hardest to finish each assignment to the best of my ability’s, but I am not the most amazing writer in our class so my writing piece may not be the best compared to some of the other people. I put in as much effort as I can, and I hope to improve more as the year progresses. One of the things I can do to improve is read other peoples blogs. For example, Sukhleen’s work is always very detailed and whenever I read it, I always learn from it.

D) 19/25%- The one thing I need to work on more is participating in class discussions. I sometimes answer a question or two, but I usually listen to what others have to say. Like I said before, I am always willing to help if anyone needs it, and I myself ask for help if I need it too. For example, when we were making our personal pages I was very confused but I got help from a classmate and learned how to do it. I don’t comment as much as I should, but I am going to change that. Whenever I do comment, I try to be helpful by commenting something that will make their assignment better. But I don’t always feel comfortable giving criticism. The comments that I have screenshotted are recent comments, because I couldn't find old comments that I really liked.