Angus’s English Blog

  Prompt Response:  One time, I read a story about a cat and it's journey through life. It showed me that cat and how it perceived life. The moral of the story was to not bully others. I learned that you can apply this to your own life and not be mean to others. Before hand, I used to be mean and I called people names. After I read this story, I had a whole new perspective on how I operate.  Summary:  Today we finished our cultural identity masks. Reflection:  I learned more about my identity through drawing on my mask.  

  Prompt Response:  I have enjoyed meeting new people as well as understanding new topics such as gender and cultural identity. Right now were making our cultural identity masks. I have done a good job at managing my time well and making sure that all of my work gets completed in a timely fashion. One thing that I need to improve on moving forward is giving my full attention to the teach in class. Sometimes I find myself talking with friends a lot more than actually paying attention. Summary:  Today we worked on making our cultural identity masks. Reflection:  I learned more about myself and others about my cultural identity.

  Prompt Response:  I feel that my cultural identity of loyalty travels with me. I always side with my family and I feel that my responsibility is to make sure that I always have their back. Also I try to be kind to everyone in hope that people are nice to me as well. When I travel to different places, I try to use good manners when I go out and meet new people. Summary:  Today we read a CommonLit about understanding different perspectives of a story. Reflection:  I learned to try to see everyone's side of the story. 

  Prompt Response:  I enjoy when we talk about what we are learning as a class. This is because I don't have to write as much and I can hear other people's opinions. I enjoyed when we talked about the stereotypes of certain groups of people. Some stereotypes were that women can't drive, all African Americans season their food, and that all white people are racist. Summary:  Today we read a story called, "The Myth of the Latin Woman." We also filled out a worksheet connected to the story as well. Reflection:  I learned more about my identity through completing the worksheet.

  Prompt Response:  One time I was making food while I was on a FaceTime call. I showed the person that I was making some grilled chicken. My friend proceeded to say because I was white the chicken was going to be bland and that I would probably boil it. This made me realize that some people are just in the world being mean so I dropped my friend. Now I have good friends who I treat with respect and who treat me with respect. Summary:  Today we wrote down different stereotypes about different ethnic groups. Reflection:  I learned how certain people feel about the stereotype of their culture.

  Prompt Response:  One gender expectation that has been hard for me to navigate in my culture has been hiding my emotions. When men show their true emotions, they're considered weak. This expectation is hard because it forces you to bottle your emotions up. Bottling up emotions can lead to depression or other mental illnesses. Summary:  Today we read a story called "Girl" and we took a quiz over it. Reflection:  I learned that I struggle with certain expectations place upon me due to me being a makle.

  Prompt Response:  The inspiration behind my poem is that I play lots and lots of basketball. When I play pick up at my local rec center, usually people underestimate me or judge me because of the color of my skin. I am actually pretty athletic and fast. Despite what most people think. Summary:  Today we got up in front of the class and presented our poems. Reflection:  I learned that many people feel judge for the way that people treat them. Or they feel like people don't actually know them because they just assume things about them.

  Prompt Response:  One time when I did something out of the norm was when I tried to join chorus. I didn't wan't to but my mom forced me to. I wasn't happy with her decision but it ended up turning out good. I made lots of friends and they were people that I have connected with since. Some of my friends made fun of me but it was worth it. Summary:  Today I read a story called "Why I Want a Wife." Reflection:  This story that we read today thought me how different stereotypes can affect people and how they act.

  Response:  One time when I felt completely lost was when I went to White Water water park. I was with my cousins and we were waiting in line to go on a ride. I looked away to see how long the line was and when I looked back, they were gone. I panicked and ran towards the center of the park because I thought that is where they would have been. Thankfully I was smart enough to talk to a life guard and they helped me reunite with my family. Summary:  Mr. Rease went over a slide show about gender and sexes in society. Reflection:  Today I learned that there is a difference between gender and sex.

  Prompt Response:  I've adapted to the demands of this course by making sure to complete all of my work before going home. When I make the most of my time, I am really efficient. Also, I am very attentive during class time and add to conversations. Also making my poem let me see how my cultural strength lets me be who I am and I don't have to be something that I'm not. Summary:  Today we read the poem "I, Too" and we had a discussion about it. Reflection:  I learned a new perspective on how different cultures feel about racism.

  Prompt Response:  If someone tried to understand me only using my race, they would miss that I don't have the same cultural values and the race that I have. Most things that I do aren't mainly white culture. Two things that distinguish my cultural identity is my involvement in basketball and my family. My family is very involved in music and they have picked up many cultural values from different bands and groups. Summary:  Today we watched videos on cultural identity and discussed people that had interesting stories about their cultural identity. Reflection:  I learned that some people identify as something different from the color of their skin.

  Prompt Response:  I think that my culture has been heavily influenced by the basketball community. I see things in different ways than I would if I played baseball or another sport. Also certain experiences such as being brought up in a White family household has shaped my culture and the way I act. A part of my identity that influences the person I am today is my athletic ability. This is because I am always exercising and doing athletic things. Summary:  Today we read and talked about a poem called "A Korean Dream." Reflection:  I learned some good lessons from reading this poem and I will use these lessons and values in my daily life.

  Prompt Response:  One meaningful family tradition that is unique to me is that I go to my grandparents house in Scotland and we have a large family dinner. It mirrors with the cultural identity of being with family and having values of loyalty and family bonding. I have dinner with my immediate family as well as my cousins and my grandparents. I love spending time with them because I can connect with my British side of my family. Summary:  We learned about people's names and what culture is. Reflection:  I learned that culture is a large part of our lives. Everything that you do belongs in some culture and especially in my life, there are many cultures prevalent.

 Three goals that I want to achieve this year are to get a college offer to play basketball. This would make me very happy because I love playing basketball. Another goal I have for myself is to graduate towards the top of my class. I think I am smart enough to achieve this goal. The last goal that I have for myself is to have a winning season for Lakeside Basketball. The team this year at Lakeside is looking promising and I hope we will do well.