Clowns to the Left of Me Jokers to the Right, Here I am Stuck In This Middle School With You

When looking at the average life of a teen or...almost teen in my case, one must consider what they do most of the week. SCHOOL! School is one of the most important parts of the average weekday. After all we spend six hours a day five days a week and that's where we learn everything. Today I would like to take a look at the average day of a middle schooler keeping in mind that not all of these opinions are fact, anyone can think differently. I guess we start at the beginning of the day (A day to be all neat with things going into the first 2 periods of B day) I start with science. I as an aspiring scientist love science, especially with the Hyla woods field trip that just happened, it's all been so fun!

Next up we have French or language class. I do love french, I have always loved french. I think it is an awesome language I have always loved speaking french and so I love the classic french. My favorite part of french is at the end of each unit when we do the end of the unit project. I always think those are very cool and creative things to do.

After French and Science comes cultures. This project of a class is just that...project after project after project. At least we had a little leeway into FAME.  But I enjoy all the projects, I enjoy doing all those activities at your own speed, it's a neat way to teach. At the same time it can be a little tiring. As much as I enjoy working on the projects, it can get to be a lot but it is about equal on both fronts.

Then we have PE. PE is fun, not as fun as lower school PE which was all fun and games but it is still fun nonetheless it is still fun. With the new fitness unit coming though it will be cool to use all of the equipment. That's really all for PE for me. (Hey that rhymes)

Now onto Arts. I happen to be taking studio and we are doing portraits in it. Now I can easily say that the black and white drawing was so much easier than the color drawing, but maybe it's just me on that. I have so far done woodshop and drama for arts but off all of them drama was my favorite. There is just something about drama that clicks with me. I LOVE IT! I enjoy acting and everything like that. I LOVE IT.

Now to English. English is interesting on one hand you have a lot of repetitiveness (membrane) and on the other hand you have cool projects (Inde reading). It's kind of a cross between good and bad which is...good it's healthy to have a comb of both.

Now finally math. Math is not my best subject. I used to be good at math and then it got hard or something like that. It just used to come so so easy and then when I hit pre-algebra and algebra it got so hard. I have been doing better though and I'm finding my love for math again.

So that is it, that's my life from 1st period to 7th period (not including life, and break, and lunch, etc...) it's some inside coverage and whatnot I thought it was a good idea for a topic and I hope you did too.

Sources:

Science Pic:

https://www.google.com/search?

q=science&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=619&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjs-TxkdjKAhVCy2MKHXDvC58Q_AUIBygC

French Pic:

https://www.google.com/search?q=french&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_8OWZltjKAhUC0WMKHYVMA4EQ_AUICCgC&biw=1280&bih=619#

Cultures Pic:

https://www.google.com/search?q=cultures&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=619&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt-ozhmNjKAhVS62MKHd6PDrQQ_AUIBigB

PE Pic:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pe&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo5-iXntjKAhVL2mMKHXc3CG0Q_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=619

Drama Pic:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pe&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo5-iXntjKAhVL2mMKHXc3CG0Q_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=619#tbm=isch&q=drama

English Pic:https://www.google.com/search?q=english&biw=1280&bih=619&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix9c3AoNjKAhULzGMKHUuoCA8Q_AUIBigB

Math Pic:

https://www.google.com/searchq=math&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj77__eo9jKAhUD62MKHe_WBf0Q_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=619#imgrc=Afk9wRwKzYbstM%3A

The Way I Learn Best

Terin Snyder

Cultures Blog post #1

The Way I Learn Best: Maps

For cultures I was responsible for learning European Countries, capitals and geography. I have travelled with my family to Europe and I thought I knew a lot, but it turns out the European landmass is much more complex than I thought. This was challenging to learn a wide range of countries and specifically their capitals, but it was a rewarding challenge. I realized I learn best by using a specific process. I am a strong visual learner and find it helpful to have the maps as visuals.  My personal connection to some of the countries I visited were really helpful in remembering names, capitals and locations.  My processing is slower than average, so using my method below was helpful in creating a successful outcome without driving myself crazy.

Step One: What do I know?

I start by seeing what I already know by taking the test and not caring about the speed or accuracy the first time through. For example, I thought I knew many European capitals, but realized I know more country names than capitals. This is my starting point for Step two.

Step Two: Elimination

I use process of elimination to narrow down my options for those answers I don’t know. I can usually find a combination that works by using my knowledge from the first step.

Step Three: Finding the right answers

I use resources available to me to figure out the remaining answers I need to know. For example, I use Google to locate a country if I don’t know it. Sometimes I use a parental unit to quiz me first before I take the quiz again. When I do feel confident, I take it until I improve as much as possible.

Step Four: Final Product

For my final product, I get focused and feel confident. I fine tune my answers, do the best I can and turn in my final results.

My process is effective for me. If you have a hard time memorizing or working under time pressure, you might find these steps useful. May the odds ever be in your favor!

Best Sport Ever!

The Best Sport Ever Lacrosse!

Lacrosse, have you heard of it? If you're thinking of the sport with baskets mounted on a pole and you try to score a ball in the net goal thing. Then you're right! That's basically what it is. But there are many verity so between the ways genders and countries play it. I love the sport because of many things such as its a team sport and you get to throw a ball. I lost love how it is played.

What is lacrosse you know it's a sport with a basket on a pole and you try to shoot goals with a ball, but what else is there to it. Girls lacrosse is a graceful sport of stick skills, speed, and agility. Here is a clip of a middle school girls game http://youtu.be/JYLKmw6WxCA. In the video it shows you some of the game and what there is to it. This is not my game.

Boys                                Girls                                                    Both

Boys and girls lacrosse are not the same game. Boy lacrosse they wear helmets, mouth guards, and shoulder and upper body pads. Whereas in the girls game there is only mouth guard and goggles that look like the ones above. There is one more part of the gear that is different that is the sticks the girls have medium length stick that go about up to the waste and that have shallow or not very deep pockets, whereas the boys have deep pockets and varying sticks from the position you play, defence long sticks, offence or attack short sticks, and midfield middle sized sticks. You know the gear is different but what you did not know was that the game is played differently too. To start the game the girls start in a draw which is when the ball is placed between the backs of two sticks and is held there until the whistle is blown and then the ball gets popped in the air and everyone tries to catch it in there sticks. The boys don’t start with a draw though they start with a face of which is the same as a face-off in hockey. The reason all the boys were all that padding is also because they do a lot more checking which is in simple terms hitting others stick and body. Here are some girls rules http://www.playsportstv.com/girls-lacrosse/articles/1921/10-important-girls%E2%80%99-lacrosse-rules-for-beginners

and here is the boys ones http://www.playsportstv.com/boys-lacrosse/articles/1909/10-important-boys%E2%80%99-lacrosse-rules.

My sport is the girls game. I love the skill and grace needed and not the rough and toughness of the boys game. To me the girls game is the better one because it is not about how hard you hit but about your mind skills and you thinking fast not waking fast. Even if I was to where all that padding I would still be scared of getting whacked by a stick or whacking others. Like with many other sports though skill does not come from anywhere it comes from practice. In my lacrosse practices we are play 3v2s and passing with friends and also just practicing little tricks to ourselves. After a few days or so of practicing we have a game or a tournament. In the games we prove we can be great and play hard. Winning is really fun and awesome but it does not happen all the time so when we do win we glory in it and when we don’t we try harder to win the next one.

Works Cited

“Google Images.” Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <https://images.google.com/>.

Middle School Girls Lacrosse Clip. Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYLKmw6WxCA&feature=youtu.be>.

“10 Important Boys’ Lacrosse Rules.” PlaySportsTV. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://www.playsportstv.com/boys-lacrosse/articles/1909/10-important-boys%E2%80%99-lacrosse-rules>.

“10 Important Girls’ Lacrosse Rules for Beginners.” PlaySportsTV. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://www.playsportstv.com/girls-lacrosse/articles/1921/10-important-girls%E2%80%99-lacrosse-rules-for-beginners>.

Kristin's Table Of Contents

It's not all about winning

  During my time as a two-sports athlete I have learned skills for both ice hockey and baseball but also for life.  A message that was almost always said to me was "It's not all about winning."  I almost never got this through my brain without thinking "Why do I play sports then if it's not about winning."  Looking back on this I realize that at ages 6-9 playing recreational soccer with my friends I  shouldn't have been worried about winning at all.  In physical education class, I used to get mad at what I thought were "bad calls."  About midway through sixth grade, I started loosening up in P.E. and, to my surprise, started having a lot more fun.

(I had to blur the logo)

       In 5th grade, I got average grades and I was happy with them.  I don't know why but when I transitioned to Middle School and 6th grade I used the competitive nature I learned from sports and started doing well in school getting better scores on assignments and tests.  I also started having better time management because I had to balance year-round baseball, hockey, and the seemingly never-ending pile of homework from 6th grade (which is almost nothing compared to 7th grade).  When I transitioned to 7th grade I had to be even better at managing my time because of the increased homework load.

       One of the main things that I have learned is to always know that someone is better than me.  Whether it is in school or sports.  When I came into this baseball season I thought that my throwing motion was really good and that I threw hard.  I started an arm care/velocity program and saw some of the other kids on my team that threw 5 miles per hour harder than me.  When I got a 98% on a math test last year I thought that I had the best score but someone got a 103% (they got handicap points) the reality hit me that someone is always better than myself.  

My Passion of Heights

My Passion Of Heights

Every since I was little, I have absolutely loved climbing things. A lot of people are afraid of heights, but I find them delightful and exhilarating. I feel like I am on top of the world and can do anything. So in 4th grade, I started rock climbing and am still doing it.

When I am attempting a new wall, I first survey it. What is the level of the wall? Where are all of the holds? What different body positions and grips do I want to work on? I always try to do levels of walls that are challenging and I have to really calculate all of my moves on. But at the same time, I do not want to climb a wall that is overwhelming and I waste my strength on.

When I am trying out a new move, I first try it on a easy level climb and practice it a lot. I sometimes feel embarrassed if I slip and fall when first attempting it. So I try it out away from people and humiliation.

Sometimes at the rock climbing gym, I feel peer pressure to do a certain climb that I am not comfortable climbing. Especially with bouldering. Bouldering is a type of rock climbing that you do not wear a harness on. Usually I will say, “Sorry that climb is a bit above my level. I will try to work up to it,” or I will give it a go and ask for someone to spot me so I don’t fall and hurt myself. I never like refusing a climb that someone recommends because I feel like they are disappointed in me.

Once, when trying out for a rock climbing team, I broke my knee in the middle of a very hard climb and started crying. I asked for a break and the belayer tightened the rope so I hung in the air. I took a shaky breath and looked down. My friends were giving me the thumbs up. If I was lowered down, I would not make it on the team. I was determined to finish this climb. But how? My vision started going blurry and I was panicking. Focus. Survey. Formulate a plan. But I had to get through this. I swung back onto the wall and started hopping up the wall. Before every move, I looked up and down to get footing. After 5 more agonizing minutes. I reached the top. I pumped my fist. I did it! The belayer lowered me down and she said,” Congratulations."

Rock climbing has become a part of my identity. It’s who I am. I hope to continue rock climbing as I get older. Rock walls are like life. As you ascend through it, there will be challenges and bumps. But eventually, you make it to the top.

Interesting Links:

http://cis.oaklandcc.edu/pxraviku/FA2010/s306/public_html/history.html

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/103301385173927375/

Sources:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d4/a0/dc/d4a0dc66716bd6a501d85531b107feaa.jpg

http://maxxelli-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1920x1080.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e0/4e/96/e04e963217dd4f1322e71d7149daaa41.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a6/37/c0/a637c04c299a5b661b4efcfbc1e075ad.jpg

http://www.skringers.com/good-wallpaper-high-quality-resolution/good-wallpaper-rock-climbing/

Link to Table of Contents

From Hawaii, Here.

I have moved many places. But one of the most meaningful move was when me, my mom, and my dad moved from hawaii to Portland Oregon.

Almost everything was different about Portland. The weather, the people, the school, and just the place in general. At the time I was just beginning my 13 years of goodness and my sister Olivia was still not born. My parents, as I later learned, also had a hard time moving the jobs as teachers at punahou school in Hawaii. The school had been really the only thing I remember today. I remember running around in the playground and looking through the windows of the classrooms, thinking: "oh no, I'm next!" Our friends in hawaii, named Kalial and Noah. They were my best friends and I missed them a lot.

I have returned to see hawaii and our friends once and that was one of the most memorable trips of my entire life. I remember everything we did from beginning to end. i remember going to the house of Kalial and Noah, and they had this huge inflatable mattress in the middle of their room. There was a bunk bed in one corner and a mess of toys and a computer in the other. The same day we went down to the water where we surfed for a good long while and ate dinner, where I lost a ball we had been playing with to the sea but Noah's dad jumped in and returned with the ball in hand. After two days of play we went to punahou and it was like returning to our old house. We went back to the playground that had been so fun those many years ago and I jumped in a little pond they had there scraping up my knee.

After all these years I still remember our house and our school. And I love thinking that that was the place that I was born. And it makes me feel more open, more different. And I hope that I will be able to return some day again to relive those memories.
Alec Murray

From Jumping to Layouts

From Jumping to Layouts

     Ever since I was eighteen months old I have enjoyed the wonders of a Gymnasium. It all started out with my dad holding my pudgy little hand and guiding my clumsy self over to my first class. Little did I know that this would be the place my whole life would revolve around. But back then I would remember it as the place I learned the joys of a trampoline. Bend and push! It can't be that hard right? Well you assume wrong. Learning to jump was one of the hardest things for me when I was little. I just couldn't understand the concept. When you think about it now, jumping is a second nature to you. Just bend and push. That is kind of like me and Gymnastics, except there is a whole lot of in between. From playing Cinderella in the chalk bucket with your fellow teammates to becoming a Junior Olympian in the sport you love, this is the backstage tour of Gymnastics.

      The joy of winning first place in a gymnastics meet is something irreplaceable. It means all the sweat and tears you have put into this sport has finally paid off. Gymnastics has been a emotional roller coaster of a life time. One moment there is a steep uphill and you don't know what is going to happen next, and then in a second you are going at speed so fast towards the ground you don't know anything else to do but scream. 
     When you begin the steep climb, you learn the feeling of joy and excitement of learning a new skill. The moment when you finally go for the skill you have been putting so much effort into is the thrill of a lifetime. What happens if I split the beam? What happens if I over rotate? What happens if I peel? These are all some of the thousands of questions that race through your head while standing up there trying to prepare for the skill, and at some point in everyone's life the will experience these pain and terrifying falls. Adrenaline starts to pulse through your veins, making your heart pump at a million miles an hour. As you begin to refocus on the skill, determination begins to overflow your mind, allowing you to attempt the skill. No matter the out come, you are so relieved to have finally done it and know you can do it. Just as you feel you have started to master your skills and routines, around comes competition season.
     This is where your downhill descent begins. All the time you thought you had now turns into only a couple of weeks. Fear, frustration, and panic overrun your mind and you begin to freak out. Believe me, I know this from lots of personal experience. In our gym, we call this pre meet syndrome (PMS). It happens to everyone, just at different times. Maybe it is right before your first meet, or just before the biggest meet of your life. At some point you feel as if you want to climb into a hole and not come out. This is where everyone who loves and supports you come in. They help begin the next steep climb, and encourage you to dig yourself out and continue on the ride to success. As your first meet rolls around, you are quaking with fear. But as the meet goes on you realize this is why you do this sport. You do it for the thrill, the challenge, the victory, and the love from your teammates. 
     This is where you begin to enter the looping stage. You start to have fun, and love yourself. You enjoy the excitements of away meets, and the pressure and cheering from your teammates. You laugh at how your routine went, and place bets on how high your score is. You start to enjoy yourself.
        In the end, it doesn't matter how well you did in the meets. It matters how you think you did, and had fun doing it. When you look back at your summer, you laugh at all the times you started to over react, and think about how much you dreaded meet season, when deep down inside you actually know it is your favorite part. It just needs a little support and help for you to get there. Without my my fun loving caring teammates, I don't know where I would be. I can't imagine going through this journey with anyone else. But most of all, through this crazy roller coaster of a ride, my parents have always been there for me. I will never be able to thank them enough for what they have done for me. As you pull into the station, you realize they all have made this crazy roller coaster ride we call Gymnastics fun.

On belay? Belay On.

First off, I'm a rock climber. That's one thing that won't change about me. It's been my passion since I was eight years old.
             It all started in August 2013, at a seemingly monotonous summer camp. It was noon, and I was nearly bored to death, we had been swimming all day, and were now in the middle of working on coloring books. I was coloring in a ballerina, which was my current sport. Suddenly, the counselor, Alex, called out: "Who wants to go climbing?" At those words, my little blonde head snapped up. I was tired of coloring a tutu that by now, was so pink it was less of a garment, and more like a deformed pink highlighter. I followed him and the two other boys to the gym, and the rest was history.

This is my story. Every time someone says, why do you climb? I always start with this story.But why is it that I climb? Even I don't really know. I'm not really an adrenaline junkie, but I love the feeling of wind on my face, and nothing but air under my feet. It's amazing how once you get on the wall, you can just forget the world around you, and focus on the route. It's truly an amazing feeling.

           A question I often get is, don't you get scared? The answer is yes. All. The. Time. The trick is not letting the fear get to you. For example, if you're afraid of falling, then don't fall. Use your fear as initiative to get you up the wall. I know this isn't always the case, but it helps to get you to reach your goals. Just yesterday, I was at practice, and I was lead climbing, when my coach told me I had to down climb. It's a form of endurance where you do the route backwards. Thing is, I had never done such a thing on lead before. All I did was take a deep breath, and take it one step at a time. It's that easy.
           Sometimes, it doesn't always work out like that. Climbing is every part as physical as it is mental, and every once in a while, you can get stuck. Just ask anyone who partakes in this sport. It almost always will result in the telling of some trouble they had. That's actually the best part. Because they're so many people who love this sport, you can get help tons of people. Be it a coach that you've known for years, or a random stranger that's willing to lend a hand. I've been to so many gyms in my lifetime, and have not once been denied help. I'm not saying that I always ask for it, but when I do, there's definitely someone willing to give advice.

          I guess that's why. I climb not only for the rush, but because it's such a powerful, graceful, and intense sport. Because the culture that surrounds it is so diverse and has so many devoted participants that it is in a way some kind of religion. One that accepts all people. My religion

From Horse Power to Horsepower

In the 19th century, transportation was a problem. Horse pollution was like the modern pollution we face with cars. Yet everyone relied on equines for their basic needs and for transportation. Living standards skyrocketed from 1800 to 1900. US per capita GDP rose from $1,100 to $4,600 (in 2000 dollars). This meant greater trade, and virtually all goods were, at some point in their journey, transported by horse. In ten major US cities, the number of teamsters rose by a whopping 328 percent between 1870 and 1900, while the human population as a whole rose only 105 percent. So everyone relied on horses, but the pollution was becoming unbearable.

One aspect of horse pollution that contributed to the growing need for a new system was manure. Experts from that time estimated that each horse produced between fifteen and thirty pounds of manure per day. New York and Brooklyn had a combined horse population of between 150,000 and 175,000 horses in 1880. Between three and four million pounds of manure were deposited on city streets and in city stables every day. Each horse also produced about a quart of urine daily, which added up to around 40,000 gallons per day for New York and Brooklyn. Vacant lots across the US were piled high with manure. In New York these sometimes rose to forty and even sixty feet.

Flies were another problem that came with horses. Manure is a favorite breeding ground for flies. It is estimated that three billion flies hatched in horse manure per day in US cities in the year 1900. Flies spread disease and filth. Studies have shown that outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases like typhoid and infant diarrheal diseases in the nineteenth century can be attributed to growth in the fly population.

Horses also are prey animals. Busy city streets provided many opportunities for horses to spook and scare at things. Stampedes and scared horses killed a substantial amount of people. Horse-drawn vehicles were far more fatal than their modern counterparts. In New York in 1900, 200 people were killed by horse-drawn vehicles and horses. This contrasts with 344 automobile deaths in New York in 2003. The fatality rate per capita in the horse era was roughly 75 percent higher than today. Data from Chicago shows that in 1916 there were 16 horse-related fatalities for each 10,000 horse-drawn vehicles; this is nearly seven times the city’s fatality rate per car in 1997.

So horses posed a big problem for the cities of that time. The invention or the automobile could have been said to save the people from the horrible pollution that was crowding the streets of cities. The car was actually not something that caught on very quickly. Like the electric car of today, people thought that horseless carriages were fad, and would pass with time. People would say “get a horse!’ and cartoons depicting people jumping out or the way of horseless carriages started appearing. Maybe we just need another solution like the car to help us overcome our modern day global warming and car smog problems. Our growing world needs growing ideas, so maybe the world’s next big solution could be right around the corner.

Sources:

"From Horses to Horsepower: A Rocky Transition." MNN. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.

"Introduction: The Ostrich And The Eagle." America at the Dawn of a Global Age Promise and Peril (n.d.): 1-21. Web.

Morris, By Eric. "From Horse Power to Horsepower." From Horse Power to Horsepower (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Table of contents

Capturing the Superb Moment

I love walking around a gorgeous garden or a colorful town with my camera in my pocket so I can pull it out and snap something flashy at a moment's notice. When I am on a trip, with school or with my family, I usually take multiple photographs. I take pictures of my friends and the greenery around me. I also take shots of buildings and animals scurrying around. I have taken pictures in Portland, Black Butte, Arizona, Canada, Paris, and best of all the Oregon Coast.

I’m not one of those people who spend an hour just trying to get the perfect angle or most magnificent view of the image I want to capture. When I take pictures it’s usually because there is something beautiful that catches my eye or an object that I want to be able to show my friends and family who aren’t with me to share the moment. So, I don’t wait for the perfect time but alternatively the perfect time finds me.

I have a small charcoal Lumix camera that I carry around whenever I am someplace new, and I have gotten so used to taking pictures with it that if I used anything else I probably wouldn’t know how to go about it. When I am home from my trip or I fill up the space on my camera, I upload the pictures to my laptop and there I can fix up the little mistakes. I don’t do big fixes but sometimes I enhance the picture, crop, or straighten it depending on what it looks like. My great grandmother gave me the camera about two years ago for Christmas and I have been joyfully taking pictures with it ever since even though some pictures can be blurry because I am always moving around.

I really like taking pictures at the beach in particular and that might be because I think the beach is the most beautiful place on earth, but I also think it’s because I can capture the ideal image at the right moment. I also love how the sun hits the water making a sparkling effect and the bubbles that are on the waves when they break. The tropical feel and sandy taste make it feel like a dream and preserving that moment makes it one to come back to.

When I went to Paris, I grasped some great images and beautiful scenes because it is such a lovely place to visit, and taking pictures was fantastic because I could show my family and friends back at home. I loved taking pictures when we went up the Eiffel Tower because I had the whole view of the city and the pictures look fabulous when they were taken from higher above. I also liked visiting all the gardens and I loved taking pictures while riding on a boat on the Seine river.

New Team, New Life

So far this year, I've already joined a new soccer team. My first game with them will be in Las Vegas. After that, I'll be traveling to Dallas for another tournament. It's already more traveling than I did with my old team. Playing with the best team in the state is scary, but they are all normal kids.

Soccer thrills me. I love the feeling of adrenaline running through my body. I love running. It makes me feel free and wild. When I play soccer, it gives me a goal. It makes me want to score, to not let any goals in, to win.

Scoring goals used to be a thing for me. I once scored four goals in a game! I was the leading scorer for the season. After that season, I started feeling down. I wasn't very excited when we won or sad when we lost. I didn't try hard because I hated my team. I blamed everything on my teammates. Even when I played badly, everyone said "good job!" That made me mad. I wanted people to be honest to me. I didn't want them to lie to me. I wanted to quit but then the opportunity came up and I sprang. I started playing more. It was more fun and I started to get the wild feeling again. I started getting better, and I started loving soccer again.

 I have always been more of an active guy.  I hate it when I am stuck in one place for more than two hours.

I started practicing with them in September. Finally, all this hard work is going to pay off! Believe it or not, this team is actually easier to play with! My old team was never open, and I felt like I had to do everything. My parents said I regressed while playing with my old team. I can tell I'm getting better every time I go play with my new team. I was embarrassed when I said I played for my old club but now when people ask what team I play for, I can answer with pride.

This is truly a new life.

The Younger One

I have lived my entire life with an older sister. From the moment I was born until now and forever, I will be the younger one. Being the youngest of two has it's benefits such as  getting to do almost exactly what I want and being able to control my sister because I could get her in trouble. However, it also has some downsides like not getting all the attention, (more when I was younger) or having to share just about everything. Yet still, not having a sibling of some kind would just get boring eventually because until you were old enough to actually have friends, you wouldn't have anyone to do anything with or talk to.

For my parents, raising a boy and a girl with little age difference is interesting. They try to not insert traditional gender roles(girls wear dresses and like dolls, boys like cars and guns) in their parenting. My sister never really had a Tomboy phase and always liked dolls and dresses. But although I liked to play with trucks, cars and other "boy things", because I was younger and kinda did what my sister did, I was happy and willing to dress up with my sister. When I was younger I would model after my sister because she was the older one and knew more and so on. Also, my dad has always been extremely protective of me and my sister but he says he has always noticed himself being more rough and tumble with me--more than he ever did with my sister. By dad wanted a boy and a girl, but a girl first because he was worried about a big brother being overprotective and not letting the baby sister express herself. But he was still excited for both me and my sister.

I've loved growing up with my sister and always will. And for anyone else who has a sibling, you should cherish it.

  

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The Large Shoes to fil

The Large Shoes to Fill

(This is the Catlin Gabel Middle School)

Isabel (my older sister) has always been a great role model. From sports to school she is a very good leader. She is a top notch student that almost all teachers like. Temperament wise she is shyer and more calm. I am the second born wild child that is loud and rambunctious. Don’t get me wrong, I am a very good student, but I tend to be more of a handful than my relaxed sister.

Many siblings are like the Hatfield and the McCoys, battling and feuding over the smallest things, but I have always been very close to my sister. Maybe it is because we are 3 years apart, or maybe we are just a better fit than other siblings. Although not always.

I have gone through many of the same classes as her, with almost all of the same teachers. When I made the transition over from Lower to Middle school, I was greeted by many "Isabel fans”.

I like the way I can have instant teacher allies without even moving a muscle, but  it can be worrisome. I feel that sometimes the people who are "Isabel fans” are not really judging me for who I am, but for who she is.” I have many stories about these experiences, many of what I am not going to tell, but I would like to share one particularly interesting moment in which I am judged by who my sister was.

    The first story takes place in 5th grade. My class was taking a tour of the middle school. There were two teachers that looked vaguely familiar. Both 6th grade teachers. We were walking to our on campus apple orchard. I asked one of them a question, and the first turned to the other and whispered, “Did you know that is Isabel Larson’s younger sister?” I was filled with pride that they recognized me, but looking back I realized that they were only judging me by my sister. They didn’t know me. They didn’t know if I was a horrible, rotten, monster child. They had no idea. 

      Even though I have an older sister, I have learned how to form my own identity. It is not like the inequalities that I am learning in math called the OR statements. It is more like the ANDs. I can be my own person AND be my sister's sister. Although I am related to her, I am not her, I can be my own person in the middle school and in life. 


 

 

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