Blog #1 Topic Discussion

1. Grading Scale (Caleb's Idea)
Some of the causes are the pressures put on students to get a good grade so they're willing to cheat and do whatever it takes to get the grade.  By doing so, they fail to actually learn the subject being taught.
I think this makes perfect sense.   Grades tend to turn us into fiends.  I believe grades are the reason so much cheating goes on in schools.
This impacts the school because I know first hand and have seen the pressures students are under to get good grades.
To take action on this, we could educate the school board on the harms of using a grading scale.

2. Smoking (Adrienne's Idea)
Some of the causes of smoking are stress, peer pressure, and the image.  Some people feel the need to smoke in hopes to relieve stress. Some are pressured into smoking a few times and become addicted.  Some people smoke just because they think it looks and then they become addicted.
I think it's important to combat this issue because children are starting to smoke younger and younger.  If we raise awareness of the problem from a young age, we may be able to reduce the amount of (to be) smokers.
This impacts the schools, community, nation, and world. People smoke all over.
To take action, we could make presentations to present to the middle school students at OMS.

3. Stimulant Abuse (My Idea)
Some of the cause of stimulant abuse are fatigue, studying, and lifestyle.
I think it's important to combat this issue because stimulants can cause nerve damage and even kill you.
This impacts everyone.  Stimulants are as common as caffeine and nicotine all the way to aderall and cocaine.
To take action, we could make presentations on the dangers and addictions of common stimulants as well as illegal ones.

Blog "hashtag" 6 Persuasive Brainstorm

Topic 1: Gun Control ( I like guns)
Topic 2: The N-Word
 For gun control i'll talk about situations where guns come in handy.  Situations where guns could have saved lives.  I'll also mention instances from history where guns were good.

The N-word is a controversial topic.  I'll talk about the history of the word.  Modern day use of the word.  And i'll talk about whether or not it should be used today or not.

Blog #5 Informative Brainstorming

I have chosen to write an informative essay on why music is important in schools. Music helps children with memorization.  Studies show it also helps develop language and reasoning. Studies also indicate kids in music do better on their act scores. It is also a good way for kids to develop discipline.  It is important to keep music in the schools.

Blog #4 Informative

Ever ran out of gas and not known how to fill up your tank with more.  Here are easy steps to putting gas in your vehicle.  First you must go to a filling station.  Popular ones include: Casey's General Store, Shell, or BP.  While at the gas station, pull your vehicle up next to a pump.  Keep in mind that your vehicle must be facing a certain way for the pump to reach the tank.  A very important step before getting gas is to turn off your vehicle and extinguish your cigarette.  Explosions may occur if you skip this step. Next, you must hit payment option.  You can either pay at the pump via credit card or inside via credit card or cash.  The choice is yours.  After that, you must put the nozzle in your tank and squeeze the handle to begin pumping.  Once tank is full, remove nozzle from the tank.  Put the cap back on, and you're almost ready to go.  Make sure you don't forget to pay though.  Theft is very bad! And that is how you put gas in your vehicle.

Pre-writing for personal narrative

Over the summer, I took care of two autistic children.  My whole outlook on life changed after that. It was a very beneficial experience.  My mom and I even took them to a special needs camp for a week.  By doing so, I saw many people who aren't quite "all there." After seeing that, it made me appreciate how I am much more and have a better appreciation for people with special needs.

Another life changing experience is when I went to New Orleans, Louisiana.  I went to help the less fortunate.  It was a nice experience because it opened my eyes to poverty in this country and how good I actually have it. The city was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was dirty and smelled and the people were dirty and smelled.  After the trip, I've been more appreciative for what I have here at home.

Blog #2 Summer Experience

This summer, my band played in Davenport, Ia at Rally On The River.  That was by far the biggest stage we played on and we all had a great time.  The day wasn't all fun though.  The morning was filled with problem after problem and we didn't know if we'd even be able to play.  Overall though, it was a great time.

Everytime we play a show, I don't stay out too late the night before and like to get rested up.  Our guitar player on the other hand, had a very late night and slept in.  When he eventually did show up to set up we were almost completely done.  After we got the trailer all packed up, we took off for the west end of Davenport.  We ended up going into the wrong entrance at Centennial Park.  After awhile we got everything squared up.  We were set to play at one o'clock so of course we arrived over an hour early to set up.  Come to find out, the headlining band hadn't done sound check so we waited and waited and waited.  I started to get irritable but finally we had our chance to set up.

Our slot time was originally from 1-1:30.  We didn't end up going on stage until after two. We had to cut down on songs for the time limitations but at least we still got 45 minutes worth of playing time.  Even though we had some troubles at first, that was by far one of the best shows we have ever played.  The sound was good, the crowd enjoyed it, and it was just a damn good time.  

After the show, I was walking around Rally On The River.  I walked past the "Hell's Angels" tent when a senior member approached me.  It was pretty cool because he had nothing but good things to say about the performance and other club members agreed.  I too ride a motorcycle so biker gangs are even cooler to me.  I'm glad we got the experience to play on a huge stage in front of a diverse audience.  I hope next year at the rally, we will be invited back.

My able-ities as a right-er

It's been awhile since I have had to write.  Those past few months were nice. In Honors English III last year, writing took a toll on me.  I had to hammer down and actually work hard compared to other classes I was taking *cough* Intermediate Algebra *cough.*  Semester one and two's portfolios really made me hone down my creative and writing skills. I would consider myself quite creative.  That in itself can be a strength when it comes to not only writing, but many other aspects of life.  I'm so thankful for all the great English teachers that have shaped my writing.  A big shout out to Professor Lister.

I'm curious to find out what kind of topics we will write about in English 101/102.  I feel as if this class will drag on but that's okay.  I find Non-Fiction easier to write about because of the unlimited amount of resources to pull information from.  Fiction is harder because you have to tap into your inner psyche and use your creative side.  I'm hoping to learn better time management skills this year.  I sometimes feel like I have ADD because I tend to get distracted very easily.  Hopefully this year, that will change.  I know the importance of this class so I'm going to take it very seriously.