Something New; Something Memorable
Write two paragraphs, one for each topic, one for "something new" and one for "something memorable." You may mention multiple examples or expand on one example. Your paragraphs should be a minimum of 150 words and maximum of 200 words for each topic.
Be specific and detailed in your writing. Use your best sentences and proofread carefully. Work is due before class time on Wednesday, January 16. Post here and bring a copy, properly formatted, to class to hand in that day. Thank you everyone.
My comments will follow yours and will be posted before the end of next week.
21 comments:
Something New
This was my first time in a class setting in 10 years. Brad is a very different teacher than my old High school teachers. I experienced a lot of new things in this English 12 class. There are two I find the most interesting. The poem “Here I Am” was one. I really enjoyed writing that poem because it made me look deep inside myself and really think about who I am. It’s a poem I will continue to revise in the future. Second were all the new friends I’ve made. When I first walked into Brad’s class I saw a variety of students with different nationalities and different ages, so I didn’t expect to make new friends, but I have. I learned that Martha (even though our 8 year age gap) is going for the same career as me and applied to the same college. Also, Sia and I have brothers the same age, in the same school. There are also many others I have met that I will continue to talk to outside of class. My advice to the future students is to keep an open mind to new things.
192 words
Something Memorable
Brad’s English 12 class as a whole was very memorable. He always had us laughing at something and taught us in a way that was not boring. One of the most memorable moments in the class was when we watched the “Temple Grandin” movie. I have a big passion for mental health and I’m always trying to learn more. This movie is so inspiring that as soon as I got home, I told everyone about it. I also watched in a few more times. It had me in tears with the message that people with mental disabilities can become someone important and do amazing things. I recommend everyone watch it. One other memorable thing about Brad’s class was his homework. He gave us very clear instructions, but he would also do the assignment with us, so we could see an example. That made it much easier to do the homework, and I suggest that the future English students read Brad’s instructions and examples careful, so you have a better chance at a good grade.
174 words
Something New:
The extraordinary journey of our life starts from the day we open our eyes to this world and no one knows when it will end, time goes by and we learn new things each and every day. Being a student in Brad’s class was something new for me. I studied different languages in different countries, there was a big difference between the Russian teaching style and the German, but nothing was same when I entered Brads English 12 class. He has a specific style of teaching second language students and knows how to improve the skills of writing. For me, the newest thing was writing poems and my first poem is unforgettable for me. It demonstrates that Brads teaching skills are strong enough to help a person like me “who really dislikes poetry”. With Brad, it was easier to get the poem done and earn a good mark. I learned that nothing is impossible in life if we try hard and study hard. Brad is an excellent assist to finish an English 12 class and graduate, as long as he is at this school a lot of students will enjoy his way of teaching.
Something Memorable:
What will you think if someone would tell you that the next assignment for the class is “Here I am” I was a bit surprised, I mean I was there in that class, then why would I write about “Here I am” I was puzzled but when I read the instruction I understood what kind of a storm was coming towards me. Standing in front of the whole class and presenting yourself, more or less, wasn’t the easiest thing, but there is another story that I will never forget. The assignment for “A Note” was a good challenge for me. The night before class, Farzad and I were at my house and we had a good time laughing about some weird facts of life. The next day standing in front of the class and presenting the poem, was memorable for me. When I started reading I was really concentrated and focused, until that second when I looked at Farzad and he did that “grimassen” funny face. That second I totally lost my line, I didn’t know what I wrote and how to read, I even said out loud “I can’t read what I wrote” I had a total blackout. That’s something memorable for me.
Total Word Count: 402
Something New
New challenge is hard. English 12 was another obstacle to find myself as confusing who I was. One of the new challenges was a presentation of the images. From selecting a photo to presentation to writing paragraphs, it’s hard to share my story because I should’ve understood people’s mind of complexity before, and presented effectively to deliver my connection. Learning the “wag the dog” was the other. Unlikely entertaining satire film, after watching a propaganda video clip during the 1991 Gulf War, I was struck by confusion of the truth that I had heard. It was an alert to me how easy to be convinced by media! Biggest challenge was to write an essay (a standard five-paragraph) on the test at first time through English 11 and 12. Since I had written only paragraphs until then, it was nerve-wracking, but one year’s paragraph practices turned out to be a foundation for me to write a better essay. A challenge is always new, and English is always my challenge; however, I enjoy myself seeing my English improvement through all the challenges.
– 180 words
Something Memorable
English 12 was very special for me because of interactive and supportive my classmates, and my teacher. When I was struggling after my marks were up and down, Lisa and I started talking after school in a hall way one day. The more than two hours conversation with her became a valuable time for me to decide stronger how to make my life after all. Also, thanks to the active group discussions, familiar classmates, and young men’s gentlemanship or their energy, I could keep up to finish the course by them. Meanwhile, I have found myself, still scribbling a poem like “Here I Am” or “A Note” I did, and whenever seeing a child with autism, it reminds of an autistic scientist’s great discovery I learned. Moreover, these days when watching Idle No More protests on T.V., I observe them, thinking about propaganda I learned. Thus, I was given many issues to think about in a diverse or critical way. English 12 was just my personal goal before, but with my teacher in English 11 and 12, I was blessed by a fulfilled memorable journey to move on to my future.
- 191 words
Something New
The first thing I noticed during my first day of English 12 class was the teacher’s way of teaching. Brad’s method of teaching was something new to me. I would describe his teaching style as innovative, creative, and challenging at the same time. And in that way, he manages to engage everyone in the class, and makes it fun while still keeping it a class, not a game. One of the things that were completely new to me was the blog homework. I had never done it before, and it was challenging because I got a little bit intimidated thinking that others were going to read it. It took me a little while to conquer my insecurity but it was easier after my first assignment. Another new thing for me was the “Here I am” assignment. In this assignment we were challenged to introduce ourselves in a short piece of writing sharing our experiences in life as well as our point of view about it. Once again, I got nervous at the time of the presentation but I felt better when I saw that other students were experiencing the same. Despite the challenges, I certainly have enjoyed this class, and I believe that the new students are going to enjoy it as well.
-210 words
Something Memorable
The picture presentation was the most enjoyable and memorable assignment for me in this term. This was actually my favourite assignment. It was fun to walk around the city looking for a picture for my assignment. It also allowed me to meet new people! Also I really enjoyed watching the Temple Grandin movie based in a real life story. I didn’t know about Temple Grandin until I watched the movie during class this term. It is very inspirational! It inspires us to think in pictures and to reach for our goals in life the same way as people with special needs do. Writing my own poem was challenging and memorable this term. This assignment was really frustrating because I was lacking inspiration. It took me a week to finish it and even in the end, I was not happy with what I wrote. The lecture about global warming “Why I must speak out about climate change” by Dr. James Hansen is something that always comes to my mind whenever I watch something related in the news or in the newspaper. I personally agree with Dr. Hansen that humans are responsible for global warming, and it is up to us to stop it.
-202 words
Something New
During my time in English 12 this term, there were several new things I learned compared to English 11 last term with Brad. I especially enjoyed watching Temple Grandin and Wag the Dog. I enjoyed them because they were very informative on two subjects I knew virtually nothing about – Temple Gradin introduced me to the world of autistic children, and Wag the Dog taught me a valuable lesson regarding the manipulation of the press by the government. Another experience I had this term, which was also something new for me, was receiving three assignments with NM (no mark). Figuring out what I did wrong and correcting my mistakes in order to complete my assignments was a new experience, but I saw it as an opportunity to improve my understanding of the topics, and I learned to stay focused when I am trying to express myself. I feel I was fortunate even to get a second chance to complete my assignments enabling me to get half marks instead of a zero. This course has widened my horizons and I appreciate the knowledge I have gained. 184 words
Something Memorable
A memorable moment for me this term was finding the poem “Locked Out” on the Internet for one of my assignments. Finding a poem about my favorite sport, HOCKEY, during the NHL lockout was something that both surprised me and put a smile on my face. I found this to be one of my most memorable moments because I really enjoyed the poem since I could easily relate to it. Another memorable experience this term was meeting and getting to know the new students in our English 12 class. It was fun seeing some old friends from my English 11 class; however, it was even better making new friends because their comments and insights were invaluable to me both academically and personally. They opened my eyes to new ideas and different perceptions on a wide variety of topics. I know I will keep in touch with some of them, and all of these things would not have been possible without attending this class. 163 words
Something New
All the teaching techniques used by Brad were new for me, but there were two outstanding things I found most remarkable and interesting in English 12. Writing our own poems, reciting them in front of our classmates, and discussing the writing process were among the many new things I learned in Brad’s class. We wrote three poems, but “Life is the Only Way,” was one of my favorite poems in English 12.The rules given are clear and easy to follow; now your task is to describe life using your own words. Your performance is evaluated on how successful you are to keep your audience active by direct eye contact while you glance back at your notes. In order to attain higher marks you have to discuss your writing process effectively and explain anything that contributed to your writing. This method of Brad’s has helped me to overcome my glossophobia (fear of public speaking). Thanks Brad. Second, the articles used were life-based (In Other Rooms, Other Wonders), this article from encountering diversity has helped me to understand how life is in other countries as people try to change their life situation. There are many new things that I didn’t mention, be prepared to join an amazing teacher with unique styles of teaching.
(209 words)
Something memorable
I have several things I remember when I flashback to my English 12 class with Brad. However, the movie titled “Temple Grandin” was my favourite movie that sunk into my mind. We all have different goals to achieve in life. Eventually we have to travel along curves and corners to arrive at our destiny. In this movie I learned determination is a key to success, and having people who believe in us is also an important aspect for us to achieve our goals. Temple’s mother was such an inspiring and tireless woman who helped Temple to accomplish her ambition. She never gave up on Temple no matter how stubborn the daughter was, instead focused on her future. Second, the image presentation is one of the memorable events in our class. Explaining why I chose this image and its significance to my community was a memorable moment. The moment was full of life and learning new things from my classmates. I enjoyed being in Brad’s English class to the fullest. Remember, the road to a success is not straight; there are curves, ups and downs before you reach your destination. But if you have determination and a supportive teacher like Brad, trust me; you will definitely arrive at a place called success.
(209 words)
Something New
A very new experience occurred during my study of English 12 course. I wrote a poem for the first time, and it was in English. Me? Writing a poem? I had never written one before, not even in my native language. It was definitely something new to me and new to my studying experience in our class. To be honest, I rarely try to read any English poem because I find it very difficult to understand them. The distance between their meaning and my understanding of them is very large. This is not only a language barrier, but also beyond my imagination to understand the poems. However, this changed for me after I wrote my first poem in the class. “Here I am”, a poem about myself. For the very first time, I learned how to use metaphor and simile to describe things in my poem; I learned how to make the words rhyme by using the correct words in each sentence and so on. In one word, it was an experience I will take with me beyond my time in our English 12 class. Now that I have written my first poem I have learned the beauty of English poetry, enough that I have even started reading them outside of class.
---214 words
Something memorable
I have experienced so many memorable moments in our English 12 class. To me, the most memorable experience has been the group discussion time, especially the time that we voiced our different opinions on the characters in the story titled “In other rooms, other wonders”. Most of the people in our group had similar opinions about the main character Husna, a young and innocent, greedy and ambitious girl from a poor family. At the beginning I had a very negative image of this character. I thought she was very materialistic and ambitious girl. However, during the group discussion I found that my opinion about Husna changed quite a bit. One of our group members was from the same country as the character, and the world of the story was similar to the life her grandparents experienced. She explained the causes of the events that changed her country and the effects they had on her family during that time. Thanks to this, I started to look at Husna in a different way. My anger and disgust with Husna started to change into sympathy. It was a very positive group discussion experience and I felt so lucky and appreciative that we had someone in our group that could show us the background behind the story that was impossible to see before.
---218 words
Something New
This term, there was an assignment that I had never done before - “Capturing an
Image.” We had to take a digital photo of something interesting in our own
community, present it in the class, and explain the connection of the photo to the
community. Usually, our homework requires reading, thinking, writing, and
talking (discussion or presentation), but this one required more. I had to search
for an image, not from the internet, and photo it. I looked around each time I
went out. All are familiar things. What should I photo and talk about it? How
could I make it interesting and connect it with my community? One and a half
day before the due day, I finally got an idea. My daughters’ school was
celebrating its centennial. The school is normal, but its centennial is special and
connects with our community. All the presentations were very interesting. There
were more than 25 photos, from a Bus Stop to the foot of chairs in our classroom,
no same images. We captured the images with our unique visions and presented
them with meaningful connections. I enjoyed this new and fun experience.
---191 words
Something Memorable
Once, Brad asked us to write a paragraph of describing a person. I wrote about
my father who is a jack-of-all-trades in my eyes. I recalled his skillful works in my
memory and arranged the unusual ones in time order. I enjoyed the process, for
it was the first time that I put these specific memories together and wrote them
down. I was satisfied with my paragraph when I finished it. Later, Brad let each
of us read another classmate’s piece and write down our comments and
suggestions on that paper. When I got mine back, I saw there were many neat
handwriting words all over the paper in the space. The two classmates who read
my piece told me which sentence could be brief, was unnecessary or effective.
They also told me other good things in my piece and the character traits shown
the readers. I was so appreciated for what they wrote for me. They really did the
work by heart. Both of the memory of my father and the precious notes from my
classmates make this piece the most memorable for me.
--- 186 words
Something New
Brad’s English 12 is a bundle of knowledge. He taught us through movies, short stories, lectures and poetry. Learning through the use of movies was a new path for me. The movie Temple Grandin changed my way of thinking. It gave me a new vision about those minds that are different from us. In this term our class got a chance to respond a different story “other rooms other wonders.” An interesting group discussion held after reading this story. It was fun because I was familiar with the culture and got the advantage to understand better. Infact, it was a new experience for me to listen other group members different opinions about the character. Similarly, Brad showed us another movie “Wag the Dog.” I found this movie very interesting because I learned that the people belong to high authority can easily manipulate public mind with the help of media. I found this class informative and filled with interactive activities. Thanks Brad for all the hard work you put in for us.
Words 172
Something Memorable
Memories are our treasure and we all like to dwell in our past from time to time. Similarly, in English 12 class, Brad designed this course with his unique strategies that makes this class memorable for me. Writing different poems, “Here I Am”, “Note to myself,” and presenting them in front of the class including process was exciting. After each presentation, a round of applause was given to appreciate the presenter that was a very supportive gesture in our class. More importantly, I got a chance to know myself as poet and credit goes to Brad. Every class is a combination of facts, information, descriptions and communication. Sometimes writing annotations and use of literary devices puzzled me, but Brad’s instructions and given examples on the blog made my life easier. Time flies and we are close to the end of this term with this hope to save these precious memories in my mind forever.
Words 158
Something New
The innovation of teaching English was performed throughout my English 12 classes.It surprised me when Brad asked us discussing about “group work” in groups in our first class.I realized how important it was after several “group work”.We shared our ideas and experiences together, and we finally got the exact answers by Brad’s summary.The most important was that we experienced getting ideas from sharing without pressure. When we learned “In Other Room,Other Wonders”,we discussed about the characters, the setting, the conflict, and the meaning of the story. It was the first time that I knew what was “upper class, middle class, and lower class” in Pakistan after my classmate explained it in our group. In the last class, we discussed the story “Joy” in pairs. My partner shared his annotations with me, and I got the ideas about the main character’s strange behavior which I could not understand before.The unique “group work” corrects my misunderstanding and benefits me all the time. It is a very effective method of teaching and learning English.
-186 words
Something Memorable
English 12 is memorable because of the excited moment.I can’t forget my classmate whose hands kept shaking when she presented her first poem “Here I Am”. In spite of taking a deep breath before I stood in front of my classmates, my heart still jumped and my face burned when I presented my first poem.I totally forgot how to comment on my poem at that moment.I got experiences from the first presentation, and I was confident when I presented the second poem. Although my face was red again, I focused on my comments on “A Note To Myself”.I was proud of myself when I read my poem aloud as if I was a real poet.I loved this poem so much that I sent it to my friend to share. The most significant was that I chanced to ask myself about my life because of writhing “Here I Am” and “A Note To Myself”. What I have learned from Brad will help me doing better both in my English and my life in the future.
-193 words
Something New
I was surprised to find out that no course outline would be given to our English 12 class. My schooling experience is total almost 20 years of my life. During my college, high school and even elementary school years, I knew what the teacher’s plan was for the school year in terms of assignments, dates of tests, and the last day of class. However, this is the first time I didn’t have a course outline given to us as the class began. For the first few weeks, it was hard for me to adjust to going class not knowing what I was going to learn that day and exactly when our test days would be. I am sure that Brad will remember that I was the only student that kept asking, “When is the next test day? Are you going to hand out the course outline? When is the last day of class?” However, as time went on, I became more relaxed and I was able to concentrate in class without knowing what was going to happen next. Now finishing this class, I appreciate the way that Brad teaches because I think he tried to modify the course outline he had used in the past to fit our specific class to respect his students’ uniqueness.
– 215 words
Something Memorable
“Wow, did already Brad assign us to different discussion groups?” Throughout the English 12 class, it is interesting to recall my feelings when Brad wrote each student’s name on the white board assigning the students to different groups for group discussion. For me, to express my ideas or opinions smoothly in a group, who I am grouped with is important. With certain types of people, I have a tendency to be more conscious on their response of what I say rather feeling free to say what I think. Or with certain other types of people, I feel secure enough to say what I want to. Because of this, I found myself watching the whiteboard as Brad wrote down the names of group members. This was very memorable for me. Since Brad seemed to assign the students to a different group each time, I wondered who would be in my group for that day and I found myself either hesitant or excited depending on who was in my group. However, at the end of each group discussion, I felt that the group work went well even though different ideas from the different students, both negative and positive, were shared.
– 186 words
Something New:
For all my life I have been studying in different countries, from far east “Malaysia” to the Middle East “Iraq” and now in the very far West “Canada”. I thought I knew all the teaching techniques. But when I start with Brad in English 11 and 12 I found out that I was wrong. In Brad’s class there is always something new, new techniques, new videos, and new poems. It covers everything Politics, Climate Change, even Autism and Persuasion. I never imagine that I will read about all these subjects in one class until I entered Brad’s class. Every class was like a new experiment. Each day we had a new subject and a new method. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend few classes due to my work and other responsibility but the class was my top priority. When I started my classes in Pearson ALC it was just to finish it as fast as I can and to go to college or university, but when I get to English 12 Brad made me change my mind. I start to enjoy coming to school and be in his class.
Something Memorable:
It is hard to mention anything that I will remember from this class because all the class was memorable for me. I’ll try to mention few things from a long list that is curved in my mind from the English 12 class. For sure I’ll remember presenting my poem “A Note”. Before that poem if anybody told me to write a poem I would never do it. When Brad asks us to write that poem I didn’t know how to start and what to do. But with his instructions and examples it became easier. When I present it I felt like I own the place, like am in the top of the world. I get high five from every student was on my way when I was going back to my seat. The other memorable thing that will not erase easily from my mind is when Brad brings his keyboard and mouse and come to the middle of the class. This happens almost in the end of the class. When Brad do that it time for discussion and debating. We get amazing feedback for every subject that we discussing. I felt like we are in a community not in class. I learned what “Tommy Texter” means from these discussions.
-400 words
Something New
Needless to say, English 12 class was enormously worthy and knowledgeable for effective learning. More importantly, group discussion is one of the best tools of Brad’s class to generate skills for divergent thinking and analytical approach as they are required to understand the short stories deeply. Not only group work helped me to figure out the cultural differences, but I also learned some other angles to consider on the same topic. For instance, I had an interesting conversation on a short story, “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders,” and together we discovered a strange behavior of the society. I strongly inspired by Temple Grandin─ an autistic person, who taught us to respect and care for our pets. In addition, I have never thought about this way of persuasion as shown in the movie “Wag the Dog” to divert the attention from serious issues, and how the propaganda is exaggerated to achieve the political agenda by using absurd material to fool the nation. Overall, Brad’s variation in teaching English was quite fruitful at the end. To be very honest, I found everything new and versatile in English12.
Words--185
Something Memorable
I experienced a couple of presentation in English 12, but let me admit that self-consciousness in front of the crowd was more than ordinary anxiety─ the feeling which I can’t describe. Waiting for my turn was always tough moments to tolerate my stomach cramps. I remember how relieved I felt after this daunting task. Furthermore, I noticed some admirable things in my audience were: listening speakers with concentration, giving a positive impression to build up their confidence, and appreciating them nicely at last. On the other hand, I learned the rule of using simple and short active verbs from “William Zinssers” to make my writing well organized and sophisticated as he says, “your best tools are short and, plain Anglo-Saxon verbs.” I like the idea of words count in every assignment that makes me realize to use concise words to express my thoughts. Furthermore, to see myself as a poet is an astonishing feeling for me, though I had never imagined in my life that I could write any poem─ it was unbelievable! Now, it has become believable and memorable forever.
Words--181
Something Memorable
Writing poem and presenting it in front of the class was something that I never thought about it. With Brad’s instruction I found it easy to write my first ever poem in a second language. Even though, I didn’t get the full mark and I’m still happy, proud and thankful of Brad. In English 12 before presenting my second poem, “Note to myself” I felt a little nervous because I finished writing my poem twenty minutes before class. I didn’t prof-read and recite it well before class presentation. Luckily, everything went well and the next day’s assignment was about choosing favorite line from the poem, Brad chose from my poem “Tommy texter” which was a new word for Brad. Before writing my final draft I was thinking to change that word and luckily I couldn’t find the alternate word on that time. I am glad that I did a little pay back by adding one social networking word to Brad’s dictionary. Although we had good memories during whole semester but the poem one is my favorite. The word that I wasn’t sure to write turned out into Brad’s favorite line.
-192 words
Something new
In every term or every class, there is always something new. Having Brad for the second time in English 12 was a great experience. In this class the movie we saw, “Wag the dog” was something that I haven’t watched before. The whole movie is about faking a war in order to hide a presidential scandal and the power of the media and its ability to manipulate the country. The theme of the movie stuck into my head for two days after I watched it. I was amazed that how the media influences on people and catch their attention. Changing people’s idea with a false news. After watching this movie, now I see the media from a different aspect. Despite the movie, In English 12 I made many new friends from different countries and different cultures. I am thankful of Brad that he comes up with new exciting and useful methods and technics.
-155 words
Something New
No matter how many times you do something, you always discover something different and learn something new and that is how I feel about taking class with Brad for the second time. Although, in English 11 and English 12 my teacher was same I have to say it was a different experience in both classes. In English 12 I have got more experience and I felt more comfortable than in English 11 and also the most important that surprised me was the marks. Although, in both classes Brad was teaching, but in English 12 he is stricter with his marks than in English 11. This semester I felt more comfortable than before because I already knew Brad’s rules and perhaps I had learned a little bit more about him as well. In this I enjoyed watching the movies “Temple Grandin” and “Wag the Dog” although I had watched these movies in the past, but never paid attention to the details like I did in this class. It was all a new experience and I appreciated it.
[176 Words]
Something Memorable
In this class there were a couple of unique memorable things. First of all, it was meeting awesome, wonderful people and making new friends. I also learned about their personalities and their culture. I enjoyed spending time together in group work, sharing our ideas, helping each other, and the most important thing making it fun and having something to laugh about which kept us happy and energetic. The other memorable thing is presenting my poems and the photo we were assigned to do which was also new to me. Before standing in front of class and presenting my poem “NOTE” I felt completely comfortable, but when I got up there in front of class I totally lost myself and read it so fast that I surprised myself. I guess that was a good lesson and a great memory of English 12 that would help me to improve in the future.
[150 Words]
Something New
It is my fortune to have Brad as my English instructor because of his unique teaching style. He inspires students by not forcing them to memorize countless facts but encouraging them to solve questions with their own thoughts. In the blink of an eye, the class is almost finished. Throughout the whole term, I found Brad’s teaching new and interesting as he insists questioning students’ issues. Why is there an issue? Why are things acting like that? What are the challenges when people come across these problems? While students argue Brad’s questions, they usually have already developed an answer in their mind. Moreover, Brad also questions students’ answers to bring these responses to a deeper level. Why is the answer like that? What are the supports of the answers? As students brainstorm, students are frequently able to take the subjects to a higher understanding. Personally, I love to keep the method of questioning to improve my thinking style. I can learn more than I used to learn, and I really enjoy it.
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Something Memorable
During this semester, I found many performances in the class to be unforgettable, such as: The Christmas party, the presentation of “Here I am”, and the presentation of an image. One out of many memorable events that I enjoyed the most is the presentation of an image. The sweet and bitter feelings I encountered when I was preparing the presentation will never fade away. I am glad to do such a project because it not only helps me to remember my past experiences, but it also assists me to overcome some barrier I had with my preselected pictures due to my increased knowledge. In addition, the stories about the picture I told in front of the class forced me to face my obstacles. Fortunately, the applause from the students encouraged me greatly. It calmed my nerves and under weighted my feelings. The moment I was able to speak about my experiences as stories, I knew things have changed. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present,” says Alice Morse Earle. People should live well today as they have many supports from their classmates, parents, and other beloved ones.
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Something New
As I reflect on my previous teaching experiences, I have never come across such a unique style like Brad’s. The use of group work, shared homework on the blog, and class discussions draws parallels to the software development world. Conventional wisdom says to do everything in-house, and people attempt to create their own “secret sauce” to become the best. Conversely, Brad came up with a “bazaar style” development process, where it is more decentralized, but creates a better end product through the sharing of differing views and opinions, letting the best ideas float the top. The benefits of the “bazaar style” revealed itself to me when we read and analyzed the story “Giving a Clock” by Frances Hwang. The class debated on whether the narrator’s story was just her reality, or rather a mere dream that was misinterpreted. Realizing that we don’t all share similar conclusions, even from the same story, different views and mindsets dictate what we make of it. As I look back on the past semester, I appreciate that Brad has given us a set of tools to tackle the various challenges throughout life. How and if we use them is up to us.
-197 words
Something Memorable
While there were some good and some bad times throughout the semester, three memorable moments really emerged above the rest. Firstly, the class discussion about Husna from “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders” was unique in the sense that while her intentions were good, her methods were not so widely accepted, which split the class into two groups. I enjoyed those moments when we, as a class, figured out the underlying meaning that the author tried to send. The poetry section as a whole stood out, especially while listening to the poem “eggs” by Kay Ryan, and “Nothing’s a Gift” by Wislawa Szymborska. After hearing each poem, I pondered, “How many struggles along this journey of life has the poet come across?” and “What event made them decide to write down a universal truth like this?” Likewise, I quite enjoyed doing the “A Note” assignment, as it gave me the opportunity to reflect on what do I truly enjoy, or makes me genuinely happy. It allowed me to realize who I am, and produced a greater sense of self awareness. Years from now, perhaps I will still remember these moments, and appreciate them more than I imagine today.
-197 words
Something memorable
Our English class poem presentations about “a note” were memorable to me. On that day the students shared with everyone a genuine and powerful human experience as they overcame the difficulty of expressing themselves and their stage fright.Everyone's presentation was moving,vivid and eloquent. We were all able to connect with each of the presenters. Each contributor wanted his/her voice to be heard and that desire led the entire class to wholeheartedly listen to what was being said. I still remember the cheerful and supporting applauses and honest attention in that class. We were experiences a deep communion. Despite the student’s individual weaknesses in public speaking and their lack of mastery in poetry writing, we were nonetheless able to reach each other’s heart. I completed a couple of English twelve classes before, but I never went through the same poetic experience as in the current class. I enjoyed the class ‘presentations and through them I have learned more about myself and others than I have in other English classes students’ poetic’ presentations. The note’s presentation was indeed memorable.
175 words
Something new
Finding something new was not an easy task. I had completed English twelve twice before and everything I could possibly write about I have already covered previously. However, if there is something new, that would be my wish to share more about my ideas, understandings and feelings, with a larger audience. I lived a mesmerizing experience with my classmate when we were listening and sharing “a note”. And although I always knew of similar and greater poetic group experiences, I only experienced a few of them. I am now convinced by the note’s presentation that I will enjoy similar situations. Of course I know of difficulty in poetry writing, the arduous pressure of expressing emotions and ideas and the quality one should possess for being a great presenter. But At the note’s presentation I understood what make such an experience possible, the communion. The deepest desire to share with others one’s heart and the respect we give to them, when they are presenting. I want more of that communion. Therefore I will pursue the goal of being a great presenter.
178 words.
Something new for me was learning about the techniques of persuasion. After being given a broken down list as well as watching a TED video, I really got to understand more of how to persuade someone, like using a simple solution to hook someone’s interest and possibly getting them on board with the idea being talked about. When I was assigned to watch James Henson’s TED talks lecture, at first I was learning about the facts about global warming and it’s possible outcomes, but when I watched it again, this time with the sheet of persuasion techniques, I noticed that Henson used a number of techniques while he was talking in his video, like how if we could all pitch in to reduce carbon gasses, we could save the monarch butterfly from climate changes that it would not handle and become extinct (which does follow as a scientific fact to persuade someone). I found learning about how to persuade people and having the list real helpful for now and the future when I want to try to get my point across to be given a fair shot to be heard. (190 words)
Something that I found to be the most memorable was watching the movie about Temple Grandin. The movie was very interesting to me because of how we get to see through the perspective of Grandin that has autism. What I get to find to be my favorite part of the movie was how Grandin can do calculations in her head that we also get to see her mental drawings to construct her squeeze machine that turns out to calm herself down when placed in it, just like how cattle get relaxed. After seeing how Grandin can calculate and do all the mental drawings in her head, I enjoyed how she furthers that towards a career, and I did sympathize with her through all of her struggles that she had to overcome or deal with. It the end, I did very much like the movie and would definitely watch it again. (150 words)
Something New
Teaching takes energy. A lot of it and, this term, fatigue sometimes made teaching harder. A classroom like ours is a hive of activity. Students come late, need to be brought up to date on an activity or have forgotten assignments and need my advice on catching up. It is never dull, but sometimes I felt a little less effective some days this term. You never know exactly how well a class will run. Will the class’s mood affect the plan that day? How will students react to the new story? In other words, how much energy will it take to get through the day is something I can never really know. And, depending on how my personal energy stores are stocked that day, it can be easier or harder. I walk out after teaching two long classes on Wednesday and Friday, muse on my day in the car (while watching out for my fellow drivers) and begin the process of unwinding the day. Students occupy a teacher’s thoughts; plans percolate along in the background, too, and the trick is to make the lessons work for the class as it is composed this term. I am mostly happy how it went, after all, but wish that I could transport my current knowledge about teaching well back into my 35 year old body!
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Something Memorable
The 12s were a force of nature this year. I had more younger students and lots of youthful energy. The human brain isn’t fully mature until age 25. I’ve noticed it in my own children: how much they changed on or around that magical date. Mostly a bit calmer, thankfully, but don’t get me wrong—I liked the energy but also got frustrated enough to post a show-the-adjective piece at the blog in order to draw attention to the state of things in the classroom.
The 11s were a serious, hardworking and attentive group this term. It scared me sometimes when you hung on every word I said in class in silence so quiet you could have heard a mouse tiptoeing across the floor. You had lots to learn, knew it, and dug in and got the job done. I am very grateful that your calm and supportive atmosphere followed on the heels of my dynamic and energetic 12s.
—159 words
Something New
I learned a lot by attending this English 12 class. Writing a poem is totally a new thing to me. I had no experience on writing a poem and had never thought of that I could write a poem. Following the teacher’s direction, step by step, it is amazing that I finished my poem finally. Of course the process of writing a poem is a long and hard time for me. To begin with thinking about the theme, I tried hard to find the words which fit in the rhythm and also work for my theme. However, I enjoyed the feeling of getting a good line done. When reciting my poem to the whole class, I was nervous but excited. Giving a presentation is a challenging work, but the challenges create energies. After the poem section, I feel more confident in my English and more interested in English poems. I hope I can keep reading more English poems and write my own poems after I graduate from English 12 class.
--170 words
Something Memorable
There are lots of things in the class coming up to my minds when I think about “Something Memorable”, such as the humorous teacher, the enthusiastic classmates and their vivid presentations, the group and whole class discussions, the interesting movies, and the intriguing fictions. We have learned in the class not only the language skills in English, but also the common topic of human life. I remember when we learned persuasive techniques, at first the teacher let us watch a funny lecture, and then we carried on the discussions to analyze the techniques used in the lecture. One of my group members happened to bring cookies made by herself to the class that day. During the group discussion, when she asked one of us to taste her cookie, she said, “It is from my grandmother’s recipe!” We grasped this persuasive example to discuss the techniques she used. We laughed and we learned.
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