Ashley’s English Blog

 My most unforgettable meal was on my 15th birthday. I was having a terrible day as school had gone horribly, and like most other teenage girls, I cried on my birthday. My mom had told me we were going to go out to dinner that night with just our family, but I wasn't that excited and was in a crummy mood. I was reluctantly getting ready when I saw a bunch of cars pull into my driveway, and I went downstairs to see what was happening. I saw then that my mom had invited my best friends over to come to dinner with us as a surprise. They brought me gifts and we had the most delicious meal I've ever had. In class, we took a quiz on "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." I learned how to work with my groupmates to do well on our quiz. 

 One time, I had to write a DBQ the next period, but I had forgotten to do the prep work, so I was completely unprepared. I decided to have my mom call me out right before the class, so I wouldn't have to go and write the DBQ. I took the DBQ the next Thursday, and I did really well on it because I had studied and was prepared. This made my life easier because I had less stress going into the test, and I was able to take my time with studying, rather than writing it without any background knowledge and failing it.  In class, we finished our short story and answered questions on it. I learned how to answer the questions using evidence from the story and what I read. 

 I have encountered many homeless people before but one time was more memorable. I was at a gas station with my friends late at night, and there was a young homeless man sitting next to the door asking for money. We bought him some snacks and water and we even talked to him for a little bit. At first, I was kind of scared of him because I didn't know if he was crazy or dangerous, but after talking to him, I realized he was just like us and he loved to joke around and have fun. Today we read a new short story and answered questions on it. I learned how to connect the setting of a story to character traits of a character. 

 I am thankful for everything in my life, especially the people I am so blessed to know and love. I am so thankful for my family and friends and teachers, along with the people who challenge and educate me. I am thankful for all of the opportunities I have been given in my life and all of the challenges that have helped me grow. Most of all, I am grateful for the gift of life that I have been given and of the paths I can choose to take. We did vocabulary lesson 3 and the activities. I learned new vocabulary words like perspicacious and relegated.

 One time when new information changed my perception of a person was when I found out that my friend was depressed and had an eating disorder. This changed my perception of her because she seemed like the happiest and healthiest person ever, and she showed no signs of struggling.  This reshaped my understanding of everyone because I found out that you never know what is actually going on in someone's mind or at their home. It made me think deeper about all of my loved ones and to make sure I would check up on them. In class, we took a quiz on the story and then watched a movie of it. I learned how to work with my group to figure out the right answers. 

 The craziest news I ever heard was when Donald Trump won his second term. I was in 10th grade, and everyone was completely shocked that he won the presidency. People at school were both happy and sad that he won, which showed the political diversity of our class. However, a lot of students only formed their political opinions based on what their parents had told them, and most of them didn't actually know what they were supporting. In class, we finished our short story and did a characterization sheet. I learned how to use quotes to support character traits. 

 One place that holds deep memories for me is the garden outside my house. My dad and I planted the bushes, trees, and flowers when I was a toddler and I have watched them grow with me. The yard shows how much I have grown and matured, and the plants have blossomed and filled the yard. I go in the yard often, and I like to think about how it looked when we had just planted it. Today we read a short story and answered questions on it. I learned how to connect ideas from a story to my personal knowledge. 

 One word that I have heard before was serendipity. I had heard it from the movie called "Serendipity." This movie was about two strangers who met by chance and fell in love. It helped me know the meaning because the two meetings were a complete accident, but it resulted in something good. The word also has a lot of whimsicality behind it to me because I associate it with romance and falling in love.  In class, we did Vocab Lesson 2 and finished our projects. I learned many new words like stentorian and donnybrook.

 Generally, my dad has been the strictest parent. He tries to put a lot of rules on my sister and me, but my mom usually talks him out of it. I think he is extra protective because we are girls, so he feels a natural urge to keep us as safe as possible. His tough approach to discipline had benefited me. I make good choices and protect myself and my feelings, and he has taught me to not take any shade from others. Today we continued talking about "The Rockpile." I learned how to dig deeper into the story and find its elements.

 One thing that my parents didn't allow me to do when I was younger was have sleepovers at a friend's house. I was told that it was to protect me because you never know what will happen if you are stuck in someone else's house. This seems totally okay to me now, although I was upset at this rule at the time. My parents cared about my safety, and they did eventually remove this rule when I got older and more mature. Today in class, we read the story "The Rockpile." I learned how to recognize symbols in stories, such as the rock pile. 

 One thing that helped me become a better writer was learning the difference between juxtaposition and paradox. Before, I did not understand either term, so I wouldn't utilize either in my writing or be able to identify them on a test. Once I learned what they are, though, I was able to use more literary devices in my writing and understand the structure of writing better.  Today we did an activity on new vocabulary words. I learned new words such as equanimity and lugubrious.