Monday, May 17, 2010

Re: Robert's Overholt

Robert I would have to agree with you. This year has felt like that fastest year ever, and definitely the fastest semester this spring. I also remember walking into the room not knowing really what to think of the school, the people, the teachers, or my new classes. It was all new and ready to be discovered. This year I also have enjoyed watching everyone come closer together. Whether it be old friends from middle school, high school, or new friends everyone has come together. I especially agree with Robert with the unique situation that John's Creek offers. As upperclassmen, basically anything we want to do is open to us. Just the other day I walked into senior class council not knowing what I might get into and left a part of it. I think many people don't realize how many opportunities are truly open to them; just waiting to be taken up. It is a truly unique situation we have.

junior year

After going through another school year in my life, I would consider my junior year as a mostly successful one. In my decision to come to Johns Creek High School from Chattahoochee, I had many friends from both Northview and Chattahoochee that were going to the new school so I figured that I would take a chance at a fresh start and migrate somewhere else. I am not going to lie to you after the first couple weeks I was regretting my decision of coming to Johns Creek and even thinking about going back to Chattahoochee. There was no school spirit at all because of the lack of tradition. Also, the freshman and sophomores severely outnumbered the number classman by a ratio of around three to one. However, as traditions started to develop and the school year went on, I settled in and started to begin to like Johns Creek better than Chattahoochee. It feels like as an upperclassman at a new school, you have more freedom and power because the faculty wants you to make new traditions and show the younger classman how high school should be.

Football season was alright for the first year. We finished 6-4 although we did not play a region schedule. We played seven varsity teams and three junior varsity teams. It was not a bad start to the football tradition and Johns Creek High School however if we want to compete in a region schedule next year and win games, we are going to have to work I extremely hard in the weight room this summer and on our speed. I am looking forward to next year’s football season because it is going to be the last year of playing football in my life as of right now. I plan to make an all region team whether it be first team or second team at wide receiver.

Baseball was extremely solid for the first season. We beat many 5-aaaaa teams and finished the season with a winning record by seven or eight games. Many people thought that our record was not going to be good for a first year school but our freshman class stepped it up and contributed to our success. I think that we will definitely make playoffs next year and I plan to make it deep into the playoffs. The baseball team will definitely be the best sports team in the school next season in my opinion. A lot of talent lies in that rising sophomore class and a couple of experienced rising seniors such as myself will lead the way into the playoff race.

As for colleges, I hope to raise my SAT score ten points to make it a 1300 and then I am going to apply to Georgia and Georgia Tech so that hopefully I will get into one of those schools. I would love to go to the University of Georgia because I think the college experience as a whole would be the best and most affordable than any other college. Well, so long Mr. Glenn and I hope you are successful in whatever you choose to do after your teaching career comes to end.

Junior Year

Where do I begin? My junior year was something that I had not seen coming. It was completely different from my previous two years in high school. Like everyone else, I was heavily influenced by the change in schools. I guess I tried out a couple of new things at this school. For one, I tried out online courses. Well, I sort of regret taking them because of the amount of time they require. I also tried out classes that I never thought I would take. For instance, Music Theory. That class was something that I was not expecting, and I just entered the class hoping for the best. I think my wish came true, and if it did not, then it was very close to the best. I also tried theater with Mr. Glenn. It was super, duper, extreme fun. It’s so sad that Mr. Glenn (that traitor) is going to be leaving us.

Besides the new things I tried out, I also met a lot of new people. On my first day of school, I really did not know where to sit. I did not want to sit with Brittany and Steven because I wanted to meet new people. However, I did not know where to start. Despite the fact that the cafeteria at this school makes feel claustrophobic at times, I felt lost on the first day. I decided to sit down by myself for a couple minutes to see if there were people to sit by. All of a sudden, a kid came up from behind me and sat next to me. He asked me if I was Korean, and when I said I was, he gave me a big smile and said he was Korean as well. He said, “My name is Eugene. Let’s be friends.”

I know that there are a lot of outgoing people out there, but this one just caught me by surprise. Even more, when he started to tell me about himself, I found out that he was actually from Bolivia and that he was new to the country. Talk about taking the initiative. That lunch period ended with Eugene and I learning more about each other (but we eventually found ourselves at Steven and Brittany’s table unfortunately).

I made a lot more friends in all of my classes. I became friends with the valedictorian of our senior class, Rebecca Kim, and I became friends with one of the stupidest people that I have ever met (I’m not going to give the name). I became friends with an Indian freshman in the theater, and I became friends with an Asian senior that sang the National Anthem at the Awards Night. I became friends with a lot of different people. Back at Northview, I did not have a lot of choice in the type of friends. There were many, many Asians, and although I love my people, too much of anything is bad. Not only that, but Asians are also one of the most mob-minded people that I know. If I walked down the halls at Northview, I would somehow find myself in a slowly growing crowd of Asians. Even here, when I try to make new friends, I find that a disproportionate amount of my friends are Asians. Well, that’s a discussion for another day.

I meet a couple of my Northview friends from time to time, and we just hang out. A lot of the times, something feels different. I think it has to do with me being away from the group for such long periods of time, but I think there might be another underlying reason as well. My friends and I have become more mature, I think. Back at Northview, my friends and I used to have fun doing the most immature things. Now, when I see people doing immature things, I just want to punch them in the face, especially if they acted like I did back then. Perhaps it is not my friends who are more mature, but it is just me. After all, I know for a fact that one of my closest friends when to Northview on snow day and drew large inappropriate figures in the snow. I sort of miss being immature. It was easier to laugh back then. Now, I have reservations before I laugh, and I think to myself, “is it really okay to laugh at this?”

I guess that is one thing that has changed about me here. I guess I have become a bit older. I don’t say that just because I laugh less at crude jokes. I’m saying that because I can tell that my outlook on life has significantly changed. Sometimes, I’m not too sure what my outlook on life is, but I know that it is a whole lot different than the one that I used to have.

Johns Creek has made me feel a bit angrier, too. I guess that is a negative thing about this year. Back at Northview, I was one of the medium students in the socioeconomic levels. Now, I’m sure I am in the bottom 5 percent. I know that I should not feel this way, but it’s sort of an automatic human thought. I control it most of the time, but sometimes I want to punch the spoiled kids in the face (not every rich kid is spoiled, by the way. I only think the ones that brag about what their dad bought them are spoiled.)

Reflections for next year? I know that I am going to be staying at this school. Maybe, it’s better for me to go back to Northview, but I don’t want to give up on something that I just started. I came to this school because I was worried about regrets I would have later on in life if I didn’t come. Despite coming here, I still have many, many regrets. Next year, I’ll make sure to tackle my life even harder and make sure I don’t have any regrets at all.

5/17/10- My Junior Year

I didn't really know what to expect coming into this year to be completely honest with you. New school, new people, new teachers; anything could have happened, but thankfully, I had a very successful inaugural year at JCHS. It seems like yesterday I was walking into first period on the first day of school doing the get-to-know-your-classmate games and what not. At first, I was unhappy about my schedule because originally I wanted to stay enrolled in Spanish, but having so few students taking that class, the school only had one period of that, and it conflicted with my math class. I had to drop Spanish and take personal fitness and P.E. which I didn't really mind because my day included four AP classes so a little break was definitely necessary. I thought the AP classes I was in were going to be unbearable, but as the year went on, I found out that it really wasnt too bad as long as I paid attention in class and did assignments when I was supposed to.

In all honesty, this might have been the fastest school year I have ever experienced and I'm looking forward to our two week lengthened summer. I was never because everyone always warns you that junior year is the hardest and most important year and I agree completely. However, when I look back at my classes, it really wasnt as excruciating as I expected it to be. At times yes, I'll admit I was extremely burdened but on the average day, I just had a lot of reading to do and that was about it.

Soccer was a huge part to my junior year both in and out of school. At JCHS, the team was brand new and no one really knew what to expect. While we weren't the best soccer team ever, we had a pretty decent inaugural season and I think next year we will just continue to improve. We were just under 500 on our record and lost a close game in the playoffs to Druid Hills in PKS. Next year we will have a much older team and I think we have the potential to be able to do some work on teams. On my club team, we won our league, Region III Premier League which gave us an automatic bid to regionals in Baton Rouge this summer. I can't wait for the trip and to just relax some this last summer before I have to start preparing to go to college. Its so weird to think that I am a senior now when I feel like I was just starting high school as a freshman. I can't wait though to move on and start a new chapter of my life. Overall, the year was great and I'm really happy about how I ended up performing in all my classes and on all the AP exams. I hope next year is equally as fun (though hopefully not as hard) and that it goes by just as quick as this year.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

My Junior year

It seems like everyone else loved their junior year. Even though I can’t say I hated it, I definitely wouldn’t say it was any different than my other years in high school. And when I hear all of these people talking about how much they’ve changed from freshmen year to graduating from high school, it really makes me feel as if I’ve missed or am missing the whole “high school experience”.

Overall, I am glad I went to Johns Creek instead of staying at Chattahoochee. For one, I felt the academics here were soo much easier than in Hooch, where if I had decided to take four AP classes like I did this year, I would’ve been swamped. Here, I thought it was relatively easy to get good grades in all my classes allowing me to slack off like I usually do after the first month or so and leaving time for other things like hanging out with friends. Speaking of friends, one thing I really liked about Johns Creek was the fact that I met so many new people. By the end of the year, I felt like I knew pretty much everyone in the junior class since it was so small and all.

One problem with going to Johns Creek however, was the fact that throughout the year, I felt so incredibly bored at school– boredom which for some reason, I did not feel as much as at Hooch. Maybe it was because the junior class was relatively small or maybe it was due to the fact that since I decided I would take 4 AP classes, most of the people in most of these classes weren’t very socially or maybe it was because of the class sizes themselves (there were 4 people in my AP Chem class and 7 in my AP Calc class). Every day at Johns Creek felt the same as the last – same people, same schedule, same occurrences. I know this seems to contradict what I said earlier – about meeting new people – but looking back almost all of these new friends were ones I made outside of school. Even now, I get the feeling that if I had chosen to take for example, all on level classes, then I feel like I definitely would have met even more new people in school. Anyway after awhile, I would have to say this got really annoying even though I would also say that this perpetual boredom allowed me to come to the conclusion that perhaps in college, I would try to study abroad because after 12 years of living in the exact same place (Johns Creek) I am so ready to experience new places and new people.

Overall, though I would have to say that this was a beneficial year both academically and socially even though throughout it all, I always felt like something was missing. I am glad this year is finally coming to the close especially with the recent pressure of AP Exams and I can’t wait until the start of summer. I look forward to Senior year and I hope it’s a little more interesting in-school than junior year was for me.

Junior year is perhaps the year that I would want to redo. Not because it was a disappointment but because there were just so much more that I could have done. Looking back at things I think my ideal junior year in Johns Creek High School is one that incorporates things like getting more involved in starting up the school, having more time with friends, and making more friends. Of course, all of these things are stuff that are desirable for every year, but I think what is unique about my junior year is that I was not only going to a new school, but I was also an upperclassmen of a new school.
Those are all very dry, uninteresting stuff I mentioned up there. Well on the brighter side, my junior year was very enjoyable. I believe that the faculty at this new school was very supportive, and they helped me out a bunch with the transitioning to the new school. I also think that this facility is awesome and the fact that it is so close to my house means that I get more freedom because I could choose to walk home on days that I decide to stay afterschool. I also made a bunch of new friends around the school and got to know a lot of the faculty members. I also like the fact that there aren’t as much juniors in this school, which allows for more personalized attention from the faculty. I also enjoyed Mr. Glenn’s APLang class. I think those discussions we have in class were awesome (although sometimes the discussion itself goes bad, but those topics and questions are very well thought out). Other than that I think most of my classes were just mundane. Except 6th period which is basically a free period.
Okay I really don’t have much more to say about my junior year other than stuff about debate. I think debate dominated most of my junior year. I’ve travelled to I forgot how many different states for tournaments. We started a great foundation for the future of our debate team (like winning second in states etc).
Well since there isn’t much more to say about my junior I guess I could dedicate my next 200 or so words to those who made my junior year as awesome as it was (no order of importance).
1) Mr. Glenn – thanks for making language arts an enjoyable subject (that is actually a really hard fleet). Your audacity to argue against almost anything and everything makes you quite an awesome teacher. Good luck with whatever you are doing. I am sure everyone in the inaugural JCHS AP lang class will miss you.
2) Mr. Spiegel – Who is probably one of my favorite teachers of all time. Without him, there would be no JCHS debate team (which happens to be where most of my life is). He is always fun and supportive.
3) Nick Jeon – My debate partner, who had the patience to sit through my speeches. Indisputably a great guy to have on your side. We will kick ass next year.
4) Brittany Liebenow – Probably the closest friend I have coming to JCHS. Glad to see you enjoying new company and congratulations in advanced (I can clarify this later)
5) TAG office – A group of awesome teachers who I hang out with at 6th period. They are very supportive and friendly.
6) Counseling department – very supportive and will listen to my complaints/ questions. I couldn’t have done most of what I did this year without them.
7) The debaters – a new set of friends who are fun to be around, we all come from different backgrounds and have different preferences, but it is that diversity that made debate practice and debate tournaments amusing.
8) New friends – Julia, Elizabeth, Sarah, Sally, Sydney (and other people who are not in the class and will thus not read this), thanks for making this year bearable and enjoyable.
9) Everyone else- I know this might have defeated the point of making a list in the first place, and I know I might not like everyone in the school, and I know I might not even know everyone in the school, but I guess everyone played a part in making my junior year what it is so I thank them for that.

The Last One

This is the last blog of the year. With it comes a time to reflect and ponder all that has happened over the last year.
Junior year, Junior year...where to begin. How about the BEGINning. Coming into this year I didn't really know what to think. I was not one of those kids that came to JC hating their old school. I liked Northview and the friends that I left behind. Walking in on that first day was kind of weird. I was unsure of myself along with being completely lost. It did not help that the map we were given was wrong AND the homeroom s were all changed at the last minute AND there was more kid than chairs. But that is just what you have to go through as a first year school. Although there have been some rough patches in getting the school started, overall I think the administrators have done a great job.
Now let's talk about the school work. early in the spring semester of my sophomore year I was beginning to put my schedule together and figure out which AP's to take. As I learned more and more I began to dread the upcoming year more than anything. I had heard before that junior year was the hardest year of high school and they are absolutely right. Sophomores beware, it is more terrible than you can ever believe. As I came into the school year I didn't know what to think about AP Lang, I knew AP US was going to be hard and all my other classes should be fine. Now at the end of the year I can see that Honors PreCalc was the most dreadful hour of my life and both my AP's were much more enjoyable than I would have believed. As a sophomore I had decided that I didn't want to take more than two AP's. Looking back it feels like I went through three of them. The only other class I was considering taking was AP Physics. I'm happy with the classes I chose but I feel that I would have been able to handle taking AP Physics. Anyways, the difference between sophomore year and junior year is so great when it comes to effort required. I can only remember a few times when I did any significant work on the weekends sophomore year. As a junior, I remember MOST weekends with tons of work to do, just to barely stay above water in all of my classes.
As I look back on this year I see much hard work and much great memories. It was definitely a good time. Coming to a new school was risky but I have loved meeting and becoming friends with new people. With only one more week left I cannot recall a time where I wanted to get to summer more. But I also can't wait to be a senior and enjoy all the benefits of being at the top. "It is finished."

my school year

At the beginning of the year, I regretted leaving Chattahoochee. I was extremely annoyed for the first week of school, because I was somehow scheduled to take classes that I didn’t sign up for and wasn’t scheduled for classes that I did sign up for. The worst part was the fact that my scheduling mishaps could have easily been solved with a quick trip to the counselor’s office. Unfortunately, many other students also had schedule problems thus I was not able to visit the counselor for a week and a half.
And once I was finally able to visit the counselor, I found out that ap chemistry was not going to be available that year. Even more annoyed, I decided to take ap physics instead which turned out to be a pretty good class. I do not think that I have learned more material in any other class than I have learned in physics. I suppose that is one benefit from the initial scheduling problems.
Looking at my school year as a whole, I think it is fair to say that I have not only internalized the material in my math and science classes, but that I have somewhat improved my writing and reading comprehension. Before the year began, I knew that my writing was mediocre and my attention span was next to nothing thus making reading incredibly difficult. Through multiple timed writings and countless multiple choice practice, not to mention the many books we read, my writing abilities have fairly improved and my reading attention span has increased.
One thing that greatly improved for me this year is my work ethic. For the first two years of high school, I was incredibly lazy, but now that I think about it, that probably applies for the entirety of my schooling career. Anyways, I found out to no surprise that a consequence of taking four ap classes is that the workload will be greater than if I were taking zero ap classes. Fortunately, I slowly adapted to actually putting forth effort to do all of my homework. I guess I never realized how little effort it takes to finish my homework earlier than later. However, despite saying that, I still procrastinate a ton.
Leaving Chattahoochee to attend Johns Creek was definitely tragic. I say this mostly for some seemingly small details that really bother me. Raising the prices on multiple food items is an excellent example. I know a new school needs more money, but if that is the case, why is there a brand new television in addition to a brand new costly smart board in every single room. Seriously, it makes no sense to place a smart board in every single room; do they really believe that every teacher will maximize their new personal expensive smart board’s value by frequently using it? I also am annoyed with the fact that students cannot visit the media center during lunch without a pass. What does this accomplish exactly, besides frustrated students? But if these are the things that I am complaining about, then I guess I can call this school year a success.

05.16.10 Last Entry

This is the last blog entry for the AP lang class! First of all I am so happy to be writing the LAST entry, since I had to stress out every Sunday night, after having a busy weekend, in order to write on the blog. But I do think writing a blog entry every weekend helped me write faster and longer essays. In order to write quickly so I could go to bed, I learned how to change short simple sentences into complex wordy sentences. I still have a long way to go for writing, thou...
I do not remember whether if I am supposed to write about the overall junior year or just this class, so I will write about the broader topic. Everyone gasped when they heard that I am a junior; they would look at me with a look of sympathy. “The hardest year of high school, huh?” What stressed me the most was that: people telling me over and over about how stressed out I should be as a junior. No I did not lack sleep or have hard time with every class. Maybe that is because I did not work hard enough, but to me the junior year was no different than my sophomore year. Unlike other people, I did not stress out about my grades and activities. I know I will regret sometime for not giving my best on the most important year of high school, but too bad it is already over. Beginning of the year I was going to give my best effort and give my best tries; I know that did not happen. I feel like I should have worked harder and once again, I decided to work harder next year.
I was very nervous to be attending a new school, since nothing is known about the school; it was like an adventure in some aspect. I think I made a good decision. I had to be in a new school anyway since I moved from Iowa, so coming to a brand new school was a good choice. Since it was a new school and not many people knew each other, it was easier for me to make friends and get used to the school. The teachers were mostly nice, and thankfully none of my teachers were the mainly complained teachers of the school. My classes were not the most difficult subjects and I did not have trouble with the location of my locker. I did have some trouble with my schedule but everything else went fine for me. Looking back, this year was not a bad year after all. I think my positive thinking is showing off here again.
Now I am going to be a senior! For me senior year will be harder since I am taking many more challenging classes compared to this year. I will also be busy writing college applications and I will be able to see which colleges I can get into. I am nervous for next year but I am ready to do whatever I have to in order to make it the best year of high school :)

Being Chased by a Possum

Brittany Liebenow

Last Blog Entry (Sniff Sniff)

16 May 2010

Being Chased by a Possum

I suppose my junior year was a lot like this one time I got chased by a possum. Being chased by anything scares you a little and pushes you to move faster than you may enjoy. But possums also cannot run very fast, and it is fairly evident that even though you are being chased by something, the threat is taking its time to get to you. That is how my junior year felt. Overall, I felt like I never had enough time to do anything: study, fence, hang out with my friends, sleep. On a day-to-day basis, however, I felt like the days dragged on for the better side of forever. Just to get through school weeks, I had to give myself something to look forward at the end of each week.

I did, however, feel like my junior year went by unfathomably quickly. Summer starts in a week and, to be honest, there are reasons I am a little upset about that. Of course I won’t miss the excessive amounts of work I endured this year, but I will miss seeing my friends and some of my teachers every day. Especially Mr. Glenn and AP Language and Composition.

You know what Mr. Glenn? My Microsoft Word program still won’t add in apostrophes anymore because of that The Road assignment for summer reading. The one where we copied the style of The Road? I left out so many apostrophes I changed the program to not add any back in. It seems too soon for that to be a whole school year ago.

I do feel like I had a good year though. I grew a lot as a person, and I met a lot of great new people at our great new school. I am very glad I decided to ditch Northview for Johns Creek because I really do like it better. I am happy that I was able to experience the things I experienced even if at times they made me frustrated and angry. I feel as if those things made me a better person in the long run.

Fencing went well this year, and my coach opened up her new club. I competed very well, and I am now a coach at the Olympic Fencers Club. I love that club, and it really makes me happy to be there.

Schoolwork and grades were schoolwork and grades, but they did teach me something about myself. I learned that I have at least a little bit of writing talent, and I learned how to push through obstacles to obtain my goals. I learned that, although I am not so great at math, if I put my mind to it, anything is possible.

I also feel like, even though I am still not so sure about who I am and what I want, that I have a better idea about where my life may be heading. I feel like I am slowly becoming who I will and should be. I feel like I am finally letting go of the things that held me back as a person before, and I feel like I am starting to become real Brittany again.

The fact that my junior year is over scares me a little bit. I am so ready to get out of high school and go to college, but at the same time, I am uncertain about how ready I am to do that. I will miss this year, but I am happy I have experienced it. And I can’t wait for the summer. Don’t forget me, and maybe look for my book—I mean novel—in the future.
First of all, LAST BLOG EVER! Kinda sad.So that is the only reason I chose to color my text. Wanted to do something special. Anyways, ohh junior year, so much has happened over the span of the school year. Gains and losses both took hold of my life this. Now, moving into the final stage of my high school career, the inevitability of growing up and moving out takes another leap closer.
Most say junior year is the most important year of high school. Now that it’s over, a bitter-sweet sense of accomplishment overcomes me. Over the course of this year, I have learned so much from all of my teachers, actually only like two of them. But still, that’s more than I usually learn. I surprisingly feel like I have come away from this year with more knowledge. Normally, everything about the year is forgotten as soon as the test is passed. This year however, I have retained most of the information from our language class and also I have remembered most of what I’ve learned in U.S. history. I actually feel a little smarter. Happily, the year wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be either. When entering the year, I was told by an older friend that I would most likely be locked in my room studying every day to struggle through the classes. This really did not appear to be the case seeing as I was out every weekend and at least once during the school week. The only speed bump in this path was A.P. Stat. I severely regret taking this class. It drastically lowered my GPA and caused many mental breakdowns. Sadly, it took control of my life for a little while. Luckily, I pulled through though and survived the class.
Although the school year academically was relatively low stress, my social went through some turbulent changes. Mistakes, regrets and loss were placed sporadically through out the course of the year. Friends were lost, gained and lost again. One case in particular stands out very clearly in my mind. Now, not naming names, but after this year I can say I’m relatively glad this one particular friend was lost. My life became so much less dramatic with out this person. After many conflicts, I can safely say I’m completely done and now relieved that it’s over. My regrets consist mainly of letting others influence me and the guys I chose to affiliate with. However, it could have been a lot worse and everything ended up working out for the best.
This year stands out in my memory as one of the most changing. With many new, close friends to replace the lost ones, I find the new growth refreshing and has allowed for more personal realization to occur. The year closes with a sad sense of loss as I move forward into the unknown of final year of high school. Taking the steps to the last level of normality is a frightening concept. The number of my days at home grows shorter and the looming prospect of going out into the world draws closer. Though slightly scared to face this new change and sad to leave all that I have grown to love behind, I can not wait to see what the next year holds for my future.

SAG:LHAS:GLHAS:GHAS:HLG

            This year has warranted more crying, smiling and laughing than ever before. Maybe that’s the problem. There is always too much of everything. It can be overwhelming, astonishing, heartbreaking and surprisingly scary. I learned that sometimes people are surprisingly fragile. Even those I always saw as having an impenetrable exterior and a self-confidence that demanded worship are those that I actually found to have the most powerful emotions. The silent suffering that took place for each of them was worse than that of my friends who felt the need to voice their emotions.

            Trust, and who I should confide that trust in, was a major theme of this year. I seemed to start the year off completely wrong, trying to hold on the friendships that were better off extinguished, and in a relationship that should have never been started. However, I’m quite positive I met enough wonderful people this year to overcome the embarrassment of those I mistakenly trusted.

            More surprisingly, I was shocked to realize how selfish people truly are. Never before had I been subjected to watching my friends destroy their lives for sex, drugs, or their reputation. Never before I had I thought I would do the same.

            Overall, would I do things differently? Perhaps. I feel that while my relationship with my boyfriend seemed to reinforce simple life lessons again and again and again and again, a year was much to long to spend with him, and I should have ended it before school even started. Thinking it over though, there were times as recent as this afternoon when the enjoyment I received from his company merited reconsideration over whether he was worth it. It was all the wonderful sushi and exciting car rides, I swear!

            Through it all, my best friend Nick was there to offer what he called “constructive criticism” and sardonic commentaries of my life. He has single handedly proven that, in spite of their scarcity, there are people who consistently have the compassion and patience to be there for another, always telling the truth and then putting up with me when the truth is ignored.

            All and all, there were several others that have influenced or inspired me in subtle but life changing ways. Sarah, somehow, is the most generous person I can seem to find. She’s repeatedly taken the time to discuss what’s going on in my life while offering wonderful advice and unending support. Ciara and Rachel may be the most genuine friends I’ve ever had, and it’s incredible that I met Ciara this year and didn’t become close with Rachel until this summer. Tad has also become one of my most trustworthy friends and has introduced me to at least a dozen people that I absolutely adore and Allison seems to be the most grounded, stable, brutally honest person in our class.

            This year has been hard, but it’s nothing compared to what other years will bring. I know I’m not prepared for senior year or the looming aspect of college, but we will endure. We’ll all make it through regardless of how many afternoons we must spend dissecting our lives lying out in the soft sun-kissed grass, napping to Death Cab For Cutie and Bright Eyes.

 

 

I mean. Unless we all die or something from rancid skittles or cyanide laced tennishoes. 

Fin

This year I learned that I am apart of something much bigger than myself. Before this year I had always believed it but now I know it. I left not only a school but a family when I chose to make the transition to Johns Creek. I left an entire life behind to take a risk I wasn’t sure would be worth it. However, I can say without hesitation that this year has been the best year of my life. I have evolved into an entirely new person and if it weren’t for the people I’d met this year I am not sure who I’d be right now.


It’s funny because the first part of this year was excruciatingly hard at times; I would find myself alone in my room working on homework only to realize that I was really alone and that my sister, the only person who’d been with me through everything, wasn’t around. It didn’t help that everyone I knew felt betrayed when I left and at first wouldn’t talk to me. I didn’t have a friend in the world my first few weeks of school and I thought I’d made my very first mistake. It wasn’t until I was cast in Eleemosynary that I once again thought my life had any meaning; during Eleemosynary I met five other people with whom I could at least call acquaintances and later one that I can call a friend. It was Eleemosynary that gave me the chance to grow as a performer and a person. By being cast as Dorothea I was given a new sense of confidence in myself and a new outlook on life. I learned to be okay with the person that I am despite the fact that there are people that don’t like me simply because of who I am.


Yet, even with the existence of people that don't like me there those that do. People that love me for who I am and desire to know me. It was from those people that I learned how to stay close to people I don’t see everyday. For the first time in my life I stayed closed to friends that I’d left behind. For me as a person it’s easier to leave and forget the people I leave so as to move forward with life and not to think of the past. Yet, my best friend Rachel is still a very current part of my life. Without her I would probably go a little crazy, it was her phone calls and frequent visits that help keep me stable especially when I was feeling lost or worried when it came to the future. If it hadn’t been for Rachel to remind me of what love is I’d probably have made some pretty poor decisions and it’s because of my best friend my sister that I am confident I can handle any curve balls life throws my way.


Curve balls that seem to take multiple forms; the most recent one being the news of Mr. Glenn leaving. I’m not really sure how to write what it is Mr. Glenn has given me. I almost don’t want to simply because nothing I put forth will really be exactly what I mean. I’ve rewritten this paragraph more times than I care to admit when all I simply want to say is thank you. It is because of Mr. Glenn that I had a reason for coming to school everyday and it’s because of Glenn that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. For most people in this class Glenn is only their english teacher but Glenn was and is my director, my fearless leader, my tech teacher, and most recently my counsellor. I don’t think I know the words to express what it is I’ve learned from him. He is a special person that has taught me by example what it looks like to captivate an audience, what it means to keep calm under stressful situations (sort of), and what it sounds like to speak with purpose. Mr. Glenn has educated me and because of him I have learned more than most people learn in a lifetime.


A lifetime I can know I am ready to handle and enjoy because this year has been a lot of things and though I’m not sure what many of those things mean I know that I’ve learned the skills I need to conquer any hinderances that I encounter. I know this because most of all I learned to have confidence in who I am.

Its Overrrrr

What a year.

This year has been the fastest year of my entire life. I know everyone always says “whoa I can’t believe how fast this year went,” but this year was legitimately the fastest year ever. I feel like it was just last week when I walked into Mr. Glenn’s first period class skeptical of whether or not I had made the right decision to come to a school of unknowns. I scanned the room looking for familiar faces. The majority of kids I had known from either Middle School or Chattahoochee, but there were some new faces that I wanted to get to know. Some turned out to be my good friends, others simply new acquaintances. The day continued in a similar fashion. Everyone was quiet that day, as they did not know what to expect from new teachers as well as new students. I remember entering my AP Statistics class for the first time…

I entered the classroom with Jay not knowing what to expect. I did a quick look-around to see where I wanted to sit, but I didn’t really see anyone that I knew well, so I picked a seat next to an unsuspecting Asian kid, who turned out to be the stud writer and multiple- choice- answerer we all know as Nick. As it turns out, Nick and I had language arts and stat together, so I decided to take a seat. That period took forever. I remember also watching my current girlfriend of seven months check out Zan Draney. She insists that she didn’t but I saw it with my own two eyes. At first I thought she was into that type…turns out she isn’t at all. Funny the way it is…

As the year went on, names and reputations started to attach themselves with faces. I now knew who was who at these other schools and I was getting to know a lot of new people. New groups of friends were developing out of old groups. People were finding themselves. The few who did not find anyone to get along with wound up back at the original hell-holes—Chattahoochee and Northview. The rest of us grew closer and closer and became good friends. One of the best parts of coming to Johns Creek was reuniting with my middle school friends. Chase, along with others, and I have become better friends now than we ever were in middle school. Everyone seemed to just pick up where they left off at eighth grade graduation. It was really cool to see some of their reactions to seeing me, too, because I was so short in Middle School. I had the reputation of being “little Robert” throughout middle school, so it was satisfying to be bigger and stronger than all of those who used to call me small. What now people.

Junior year was full of many unexpected bonuses, many the result of the environment at Johns Creek. At my previous school, roles were already established. Basketball players only played basketball. Student Council was established and in stone. People did not venture off into new activities. At Johns Creek, I was able to be a co-captain on the basketball team, I was on the lacrosse team, I was on the student council, and I was on National Honors Society and BETA club. Many of those things I would have NEVER done at Chattahoochee, especially lacrosse. Moreover, I was able to step up to become student council treasurer and National Honors Society Parliamentarian for next year. All of this would have NEVER happened if I was still at Chattahoochee. I would still just be a single dimensioned basketball player.

I would like to personally thank all of Johns Creek for giving me the opportunity to explore these new things. Johns Creek has given me the opportunities as well as the motivation and inspiration to embrace these opportunities. I am a converted Gladiator, and am proud of it.

Junior Year

Junior year in its’ entirety. Where to begin?

This year was a little bit of a whirl wind for me. The first day of school started off horribly. It was awkward being in a school with teachers I had never heard of, lockers that did not open, and kids I didn’t used to see everyday. It was frustrating not being able to really make the situation better and it did not make it any easier that everyone else was in the same life-hating boat, or so it seemed. As the week went on, things eventually got some what better but I still wanted to go back to Northview where I had been comfortable. I thought I liked change, but after that week I was beginning to look at myself a little differently. As more weeks continued to pass slowly, I started to appreciate my surroundings a little more. I noticed the little things that made Johns Creek a better place for me to be. Even things such as the wall color made a difference. Being away from my best friends was really starting to get to me. However, I still had Jessie which made it a lot easier. She has been there for me through thick and thin this year and I really could never thank her enough for being the best friend anyone could ask for. This year made us grow individually and also as best friends. I don’t think I have ever known more about someone than I know about her, but I also still have so much to learn. While things with my best friend were always lifting my spirits, there were also a lot of negative occurrences this year. Two people with whom I was very close died. I had never really experienced death of a loved one before so that definitely challenged my strength. This year I learned one of the biggest lessons in life the hard way: people don’t always turn out to be the way you originally thought. I lost a lot of good friends this year through this realization and ultimately one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Whether it was losing someone through death or just disagreement, I grew a lot through these experiences.

On a different note, through all the loss and challenges of this year, I found out more of who I am. I understand the kind of person I am and also who I want to be and what I want to achieve. I set goals for myself and really started to apply myself this year. I discovered my passions and ambitions in all aspects of my life. I learned to stay true to myself and not let even the worst people or situations influence who you want to become. Although I am fully aware I am not even close to discovering everything about who I am, this year really opened my eyes and let me get at least a hint.

To sum it all up I can truly only describe my junior year with one word: transpiration.

Reflections on Junior Year

When I look back on junior year all I can think about is how happy I am I switched to Johns Creek as opposed to staying at Northview. This year was by far the best one yet. I am so thankful for all the friends I made this year that came from Chattahoochee and other schools. I will definitely cherish the relationships I made this year for the rest of my life. This year was difficult academically but so rewarding in the end. Never have I worked so hard to get straight A’s and though I wanted to pull my hair out at times and give up on school, I was able to pull through and excel in areas I never thought I would be capable of excelling in. I’m excited that school is coming to an end and summer is quickly approaching, but at the same time am a little sad that next year will be my last with all the new friends I made this year. I really wish I could have started out high school as a freshman with our junior class because I love how our small size enables us to get to know everyone.

I definitely can’t wait to be a senior but I can’t help but remember when I was a freshman wishing that I was junior because of how cool I thought the juniors were. It’s surreal knowing that I’ve already finished my junior year. This was the year I was dreading academically, but now that it’s over I’m so glad I was able to overcome the stress and overwhelming hard work that made up my year. I’ve made so many good memories this year at Johns Creek and as a senior I hope to make many more! This year really flew by and I’ve learned and grown so much as person and I’ve participated in many experiences that I would have never predicted myself to be apart of. Comparing myself to how I was freshman year is really weird because it’s almost as if I have become a whole different person. I have broken apart from many old friends and have made new ones, I have learned many of my passions and strayed away from things that hindered them, I’ve learned the impact of hard work and compassion, and I’ve have experienced how change can produce success. I can only wish that senior year will be just as great and I think that it will be if not greater.

This year I’ve gone through quite a catharsis of emotions. Whether it was stressing over my ACT score after three times of taking it, to laughing for hours with my best friends, to crying over Mr. Gabel’s physics class, and to many other feelings I can’t begin to explain. I’ve learned so much about who I am as a person through the people I’ve met and the teachers I’ve come in contact with this year. I’m so happy I moved over to Johns Creek and I can’t wait for another great year as a senior: Let’s go class of 2011!

Junior Year

Overall, my junior year was decent. There were times where I loved it and times where I woke up dreading it. As of right now, I am over school, over the people, and over the stupid, petty drama that consumes the hallways. Honestly, people need to grow up. We are not in middle school anymore. All of us are sixteen, seventeen, or even eighteen. Next year we will be seniors, then college. Are you seriously just going to act the same way? What ever happened to being mature? I know that I am not always mature, but I still do not go around purposely trying to put others down.

Everything seemed to start crumbling around two weeks before Thanksgiving break. This was the time where I learned who my REAL friends were. I am sick and tired of the backstabbing hypocrites that believe that they are better or smarter than everyone else. Seriously? Get over it. Thankfully, things have turned around for me and things are getting better. Anyways, I have gotten closer to my friends that I had left behind at Northview, as well as the new people that I got to meet this year. I love the fact that I was able to meet new people and still keep my old friends. I have drifted from some of my friends at Northview, but it is their fault too. I guess I just have to try even harder this summer to reconnect with them.

Overall, I am so happy with my decision to switch over from Northview to Johns Creek. At Johns Creek, the administration is so much friendlier than the administration at Northview. Everything was more relaxed and the teachers were so much better. The only issue is that my grades were lower than any other year. First semester kicked my butt, but second semester, I buckled down and studied. All my grades were sufficiently better this semester; I am so close to having straight A’s. This was the first year that I really struggled to keep my academic life alive. I am glad that I learned what study skills to use in order for me to actually learn the material.

When I first came to the school, I felt like I had traveled back in time to middle school. It was so strange when I had classes with kids from Autrey Mill. It was surprising how some kids stayed the same while others changed completely. I also enjoyed how the kids from Northview interacted with the Chattahoochee kids. At first, Johns Creek did not feel like a school; the rivals still existed. Eventually, everyone got passed that and started to bond. Now, I actually feel like Johns Creek is a school, not just a holding ground for the high schoolers. Senior year is going to be great next year since the school spirit will actually exist.

The year is winding down, summer is almost here, my friends from college are home, and my neighborhood pool is open. I want this year to end so badly. I need summer right now. I need to spend a day to sleep in, go to the pool, and do some pilates. All junior year has accomplished is that it made me realize how ready for college I am. I am seriously debating on if I should graduate early. I just need to get of high school, but I have a feeling that I should just stick with my senior year.

Junior Year

I would say that my junior year was pretty eventful. I moved here in the beginning of the year and chose to go to Johns Creek High School for a couple of reasons. The first is that it was a brand new school so I wouldn’t be the only one who was confused by the building and room numbers at first. The second is that, since the school was brand new, everyone would be meeting new people and making new friends. I thought it would be easier for me to find a group of people to be friends with. My last reason for choosing to come to Johns Creek High School is that the environment of this school is very similar to that if my old school. I’ll never know if I made the right choice or if I would have been happier at a much larger school because I’ve never had the experience of going to a large school before. I think the best thing I could have done at that point in my life was to keep everything pretty similar to avoid freaking out too much. That’s what I did. This year actually exceeded my expectations. In the beginning of the year my goal was just to find someone I could eat lunch with and get along with well. Now, at the end of this year, I have much more than that. I have a circle of friends I get along extremely well with and like being around. I feel like I can talk to anyone at school comfortably and easily. I feel well-liked. It’s never been a huge concern of mine to be well-liked, but you don’t know how great it felt to come to a new school, knowing absolutely no one, and realizing that you’re well-liked after only a month or so. I feel like socially, this year was a complete victory. Academically, this year has been the most challenging of any year of my schooling. I think that this is a good thing. Even though I wasn’t particularly happy about all of the work I had to do, because I’ve never really had to work hard at school before to get good grades, I think that I got something valuable out of it. I’m glad that I figured out how to work hard and study properly this year instead of having to figure out how to do all that in college. I also feel like this year was valuable academically because I learned more about my likes and dislikes. I have been considering majoring in engineering in college, but now I’m not so sure. This year, I learned that I don’t particularly care for calculus and I hate physics, and those things are essential to most types of engineering. I haven’t completely given up on engineering, but now I’m thinking I might want to do something biology related. I certainly don’t want to do anything that involves too mush physics. Also, this year I got to be a part of the JCHS swim team, which was great. I was the only junior on the team, and there were no seniors, so I kind of stood out as a leader of the team. I enjoyed that because I’m a pretty natural leader anyways. I’m so happy that I got to be a part of the first Johns Creek High School swim team. Overall, this year was great and not as miserable as I thought it would be. I’m glad it’s almost over though and I’m so ready for a vacation.

Please allow me to introduce myself- Junior Year :)

There is no possible way to sum up how I felt about this year in just words. There have been various ups and assorted downs, achievements and let downs, and new friendships along with the endings of them. The one word that I would use to describe (the negative sides of) this year would be stranger. I chose to come to Johns Creek this year because I received the opportunity to be an editor on the yearbook staff. At Northview, this wouldn’t have happened for me. This isn’t because I’m incapable of performing the tasks, but because Northview’s yearbook staff is extremely set in its ways and some people are already predetermined to become an editor. Only having a semester of experience, I pretty much didn’t stand much of a chance. So there is the 98% of the reason why I came to Johns Creek. The other two percent is because I truly felt that I wasn’t experiencing High School the way most people do. At NHS, people are rigidly bound by academics. Having success in that area, I was craving something new. I wanted to have an exciting high school experience, not a mundane one. Did I get exactly what I wanted? I wouldn’t say so, but the choice of coming to the new school was definitely a good one. I wouldn’t say I regret it.
But back to the whole stranger thing. Everyone at a new school is virtually a stranger to everyone else. Nobody quite knows everyone else and what they’re about. It was a weird experience for me the first couple of weeks to walk through the hallways and not see the familiar faces of all of my old friends darting through the hallways to come say hi to me. The first few weeks were actually pretty fun for me. I thought the school year would be the best one yet. But around my birthday, I started to really feel… school-sick? There was nothing more that I wanted than to see all of my friends every day and talk about the usual: school, boys, weekend plans, and the occasional allusion to Harry Potter wasn’t uncommon. (That sounds really nerdy.) My very close friends at Northview talked to me every day and we hung out every weekend as if I had never even left. But then there were a few, well more than a few, of the friends that decided I was a complete stranger to them. I suppose that they assumed that when I ventured off to Johns Creek that I was suddenly foreign to them; I was living a different life that they were suddenly shunned from. They were, of course, extremely wrong. I’m still the same person that I was, but I just decided to be in a different location during the school day. Finally realizing that not all of my friends were going to make an effort, I faced some hard times. Why would someone do that? Well, it’s pretty much because they suck. It seems a little harsh, but it’s an accurate description. That, I would say, would be the only negative part of this year.
Everything else was great. I’ve met so many awesome people and made really great friends. I’ve challenged myself when it comes to Academics a little more than I have in the past, and everything came out alright (except AP stat was a little rough… haha). I proved to myself that I am perfectly capable of handling change and can overcome whatever I choose to overcome. Oh, and I learned that I’m quite capable of a semi-clean room.
I really don’t know what to write. Everything aforementioned is an attempt at getting all serious about the year. But, I’m not very good at serious stuff. So, let’s see what I can add in here. Mr. Glenn is probably one of the best teachers I have ever had in my entire life (and I’m not just saying that because he’s eventually going to read this), I’ve bought about three cars since last year, this is the longest I’ve kept a hair color, I’ve realized that my fish living eight months is quite the accomplishment, cacti actually do need water and sun or else they will die, eyeliner is very hard to get out of the carpet, Starbucks is a little sketchy on Friday nights when all the college students are home making drug deals, waffle house actually has good waffles, target is the best place to go when there is nothing to do, jet-skiing is a good way to get tan legs, owning a truck doesn’t mean that you’re a hick, never speed 20 miles an hour over the speed limit on the way to Athens because a cop on a motorcycle WILL pull you over, never smile at a middle-aged man when passing him in the parking lot because he will follow you for about five miles to smile at you again and then make a U-turn back to the mall, twelve year olds in malls with shutter shades think that they’re studs, don’t give your number out to people who will potentially stalk you, if you leave your friend on the beach and your phone dies, make sure you have a room key, the iHop waiters are a little flirty at 11:30 at night, your friends will have creepy boyfriends at some point, and talking in southern accents makes everything more interesting. Everything may not work out perfectly, but the imperfections are what make everything more meaningful in the end. Have an awesome summer everyone :-)

Junior Year

So my junior year has been quite eventful actually compared to other years, and just all around more exciting. I actually have this feeling of not wanting it to end. People were right when they said junior would be your hardest, but your favorite. I do not think that I have ever been as stressed out as I have been this year. Grades took on a whole new meaning and I actually had to work to keep them on an acceptable level. I had never received a B before and I emerged from first semester with four of them. It almost killed me, and my tutor told me to not let that happen again. I constantly had school on my mind and the stress that I was not going to get it done, or I needed to bring my grade up another x amount points in x amount of time. On the other hand I absolutely loved junior year because of the people I had around me. School was nothing like this at Northview and I thank God everyday I switched to Johns Creek instead of staying at Northview. No one who went to Northview will ever tell you that they want to go back, it really sucked, but the weird thing is that Chattahoochee people loved Chattahoochee, gosh that is a long word to spell, but anyways and they all wanted to go back. But coming together as one school with some about half and half from Northview and Chattahoochee was not as hard as I thought it was going to be, I think we all combined pretty well. I actually like the Chattahoochee people better than the Northview people, probably because my boyfriend came from Chattahoochee. I mean even he would have gone back to Chattahoochee if it had not been for me. The one thing about this is year is how extremely fast it has gone by. I feel like we should just be walking into the school for the fist time, still excited to see what it looks like. I remember being so excited about meeting new people. That is the one thing I wanted out of this school: new friends. I was so tired of my ones at Northview. Senior year is next year and I don’t really know how I feel about it. I am probably one of the few who is actually going to miss junior year, but senior is going to be so different. Even though it will be exciting and fun it is just going to be different and kinda sad knowing that it is your last year, but for some that might be the highlight. I feel like I should be a freshman again This first year to the school was very successful in my eyes, and I only hope that each year gets better and better, and we can grow as a school, start new traditions, and continue Johns Creek’s good name. These four years fly by faster than you can ever imagine. Just make sure you make the most of every moment.

Junior Year

This is hopefully the last 500 word blog entry I will ever have to write. According to my calculations we have done about a million of these and I don’t really remember enjoying any of them. Anyways, the year is winding down and it is time to reflect back on the times I had, the friends I made, and the adversities I faced.

Last year when I heard there would be a new high school opening up in the area I began to think if I was truly happy and content at Northview. There were so many people at that school that it was hard to meet new people and the people there weren’t very welcoming in my opinion. I needed and wanted a change that would allow me to have a fun high school experience that I was missing out on.

As my junior year began, I didn’t really know what to think or expect from this year. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the hallways from middle school and it made me feel very comfortable. The first thing that I got involved with this year was softball. The season started a few weeks before school did because of tryouts and other things. It was nice being able to get to know the girls on the team before school started because we all quickly became like a family. The softball season as a whole was a great experience for me. All of the girls became very close and we had a very successful first season. With the help of our sole senior, we established a tradition for success that we will continue for a long time.

After softball season, my schedule quieted down and I focused on school and my friends. I have made a lot of new friends this year and became closer to ones that I had in the past. I reconciled with many people that I had been friends with in middle school and I also met many people I had not known before. I really like the fact that our junior class is so small that you can pretty much know everybody in your grade.

I have gone through a lot of hardships this year. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in November and we have been battling that for almost the whole year. It has been a very difficult time for me because I have seen my mom in the worst state and conditions. At the beginning of the year I had a really good friend that was always there for me and she helped me get through some difficult times. I become a much stronger person inside and I have learned to never take anything for granted.

The second semester of this year was a lot different than the first semester. I felt like I lost a best friend this semester but I also became closer to other friends I had. I had a very good track season this year and I accomplished many great things. I got 7th place in the discus at the state meet, which was a huge accomplishment for me.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my decision to come to Johns Creek. I have enjoyed pretty much every moment and never regretted it for a second. I will miss all of the senior friends I made but I look forward to having an awesome year next year.

Abortion

First off, I have to say that there is no definite way of knowing when something has a conscience. Therefore, I think that trying to persuade the other side about when a fetus is living is unnecessary. Instead, my argument will focus mainly on how much influence society and government should have on the decision-making of mothers.

Many are advocating Medicaid-funded abortions. They believe that abortion is acceptable and that the government should be held responsible for the well-being of pregnant women. Some believe that the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment should be justification for this action. This is preposterous. The Equal Protection Clause is there to ensure that people are equally protected against the government. Handing out free abortion would not be in line with the thesis of the Equal Protection Clause. The Equal Protection Clause does not give out rights. Forcing the government to pay for abortion could backfire. If people have the right to be protected from the chore of parenthood, then don’t people have the right to be protected from illnesses like AIDS and cancer? Not only that, but this policy would also define fetuses as something akin to a disease. Even if one believed that abortions should be completely legal, they should not represent an unborn baby as a sickness. Some people argue that abortion is inevitable. Even if there are no abortion clinics, there is always a ready supply of coat hangers. They argue that abortion should be government funded because that would at least allow women to have safe abortions. Even if that is true, that still does not evade the right’s moral issues with government-funded abortion. Also, there is sure to be an outrage from the conservative citizens, and they will argue that their tax money should not go into this. Allowing Medicaid-funded abortions would definitely be opening Pandora’s Box.

Let’s look at a case of no government intervention. Roe v. Wade held a women’s right to get an abortion during a certain period in her pregnancy. This seems like a decent compromise. The government would not support abortion, but it would not be against it. Some people on the far right would argue that this still legalizes abortion, which is a terrible sin because it is the exact same as murder. Some people on the far left would argue that Roe v. Wade is nowhere near close enough to the rights that a woman should have, and that this is just a governmental ploy to quiet the liberal women. Both sides might be right. After all, I already said, there is no definite, concrete way of knowing which side is correct. However, the key word here is might. Since there is no real way to know which side is right, the government should take a neutral stance. It should not interfere with the activities of the citizens if there are too many people on both sides of an issue. Like mentioned earlier, if there are many people who are against it, it is not the government’s job to use their tax money against them.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Re: Stephen Marcopolis' blog

Let me first start off saying that I realize that everyone has your own opinion, and probably anything I say will not change your view. But, I also think the point of these journals is to stir up new thought and simply agreeing with someone is not as productive. This blog had no comments so here I go!
This blog has severe discrepancies in the statistics used. I do not believe the argument of abortion is a case of murder vs. not murder because murder is such a harsh word. Yes it is true that most(75 %) of abortions occur during the first trimester. But, it CAN "be identified as a baby". That hyperlink in fact is a picture of a 11 week fetus and it looks like a human to me! It DOES have eyes(week 5), legs(week 5), ears( week 5), heartbeat that is different from its mother(day 22), yes all things that to me, are human characteristic. You might say that you could identify a human by them. So yes the statement "Abortion stops a beating heart" does apply to all abortion after the 22nd day.
Now for the 2nd paragraph, which deals with the quality of life of the aborted child. Yes many situation in which abortions there are people in lesser financial situations(42% of women are below the poverty line). And yes many times they do not have the time to take care of the child. But, there are approximately 500,000 families in the US that ARE willing to take care of a child. These families are usually higher in income and a traditional, nuclear family. All of which produce a better living space for a child. But even IF they decided to not give their child up for adoption, it is ludicrous to believe that stopping that killing that child( Because as you may recall is it a human child during the first trimester after examining some facts above.) is better than allowing them to live in a lower condition of life. This is America for crying out loud! Not Uganda out in the bush. These children that would have a "bad life" are still much better off than a considerable percentage of the world.
The final paragraph is the most truthful of any of them. the statement "these adults save themselves from true hardship" is what the issue truly is. As long as the life of the conceptors( parents don't kill their children) is not interfered with it then its ok. That is what the media pushes for even though these ARE humans, they ARE alive, and they DO feel pain(week 12) during the abortion. There we have it. Take it or leave it. In the end we will all be judged by God for the choices we make.

Abortion

Abortion is a very controversial issue in the United States. People who are pro-life usually argue that abortions kill unborn babies, so it is murder to get an abortion and it should be illegal. People who are pro-choice usually argue that it’s a woman’s choice to decide what to do with her body and what’s in it. I personally believe that abortion should be legal and that it should be an option that women have for several reasons. Abortion is necessary in certain circumstances. Sometimes, a growing fetus can hurt the woman carrying it. This circumstance can sometimes escalate to the point that the woman carrying the fetus may die if the fetus is not aborted. In situations like this, abortion is safer than childbirth. Also, I believe that abortion should be an option in other circumstances, such as rape. A woman does not choose to be raped, and if she is then it was not her choice to become pregnant. I also believe that abortion should be an option for people in regular circumstances too though. Roe vs. Wade decided that abortion was solely a woman’s choice and that the government could not interfere with that choice until after the first trimester of pregnancy. I support this decision because I do not believe that life starts at conception. I believe that it would be more accurate for people who are against abortion to state that they disagree with the termination of a potential life, not the termination of a life. This is not a matter of someone deciding who lives and who dies because in the first trimester of pregnancy, a fetus cannot be considered completely alive yet. There are no nerve cells at this point and the fetus is not a conscious human being. While there may be signs of life, the fetus cannot feel anything and the brain is not fully developed at this point. The brain is there, but it is not fully functioning. A fetus would not be able to tell if it was being aborted or not, nor would it have the brain capacity to have emotions about it. I guess what it comes down to is that since the fetus is not completely alive or conscious, abortion should not be considered murder. I also believe that abortion should be a choice for every woman because many people do not have the financial means and are not responsible enough to support a baby. Babies are expensive. If a person does not have the financial means to support a child and they keep their baby anyway, the chances of that child getting into trouble are very high. A child born into a poor family will most likely have adversity in their life, which could lead them to drugs, alcohol, depression, or crime. In Freakonomics, there is a discussion of the sharp decrease of crime in the late 1990s. This is thought to have been tied to the Roe vs. Wade decision. In the 1990s, if a fetus had been aborted soon after the Roe vs. Wade decision, the offspring would be in their late teens. This is when a new generation of criminals from poor families would have cropped up. Also, I believe that every child should be a wanted child. If a teenager becomes pregnant and is reluctant to care for her newborn baby and child during his or her developmental years, what will become of that child? A woman should be able to control her own body, and no one should have the right to impose their morals on a woman. Finally, abortion is safe and if it is not kept legal, women are still going to find ways to get abortions. These back alley abortions are not safe.

Abortion: 1.5 million per year

Abortion...this is the big one. I don't know about anyone else but when I glanced over the topics that we would be covering over the weeks abortion popped off the page. Abortion is a very touchy subject because I feel that everyone has an opinion on it and no one will be changed upon their opinion. But let us dive into the world of abortion and see what really is such a hot topic.
Roe vs. Wade was passed in 1973 was in the mist of the feminine movement. Because of that decision allow with birth control, the sexual revolution was launched. Let's get real. This is just as much of an issue about sex than it is abortion. Without sex(mostly pre-marital) then there is no abortion. Because of the sexual revolution, pre-marital sex grew and grew, and with it the issue of abortion. The decision to have a sexual relationship is an adult decision. Those people are acting like adults physically as well as mental. But that is where the problem comes in. These couples see abortion as an eraser to their mistakes. There is also a sense of embarrassment that wants to be avoided with this choice.
Which brings me to my next topic: the myth of choice. In the usual situation( a woman gets pregnant before marriage), there is little choice involved. In many situations the man will tell the woman that if she keeps the child he will not be there for her. She is afraid and sees no other way out. Is this really a righteous choice? Also, if the woman does decide to go through with her abortion the process is not over after the procedure. Some women die( 10 every year) and all women are severely affect physically by the procedure that is unnatural. There is also deep seeded emotional pain that follows for many women. It can be a process that scares women for the rest of their life.
But what are the other choices? Well, with almost every situation there are four choices: abort the child, get married (or keep the child as a single mother), and give the child up for adoption. Having said a good bit about abortion I will now focus on the other options. There is always the option of getting married. Awhile ago these "shotgun weddings" were more popular but as times have changed the numbers have declined. Some may argue that they are not in the right position to get married. I would say that drastic times provoke desperate situations. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. And with the divorce rate fluttering around 50% you might as well take your chances. But there is the last option that is largely overlooked. In our culture today we honor the single mothers that work three jobs for her kids. But, it has been shown that kids raised in a single parent home are not as likely to succeed in life. Although her effort is valuable, it is very hard to balance being sole provider and have time to be fully loving mother. On the other hand, adoption is seen as "giving up" in a way. But the truth is that there is sooo many people that long for a child and cannot have one. People are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for adopted Chinese girls, so the need is there. In reading through other people's blog I saw people arguing that it would be harder to birth the child, hold it, and give it away than terminate it before it breathes its first breathe. I would say to them that the parent's job is to do what is best for their child. Although it may be extremely hard, a good parent wants what's best for their child; even if that means giving them up. I have many friends that are adopted and they have the utmost amount of respect for their birth mother who was strong enough to give them away.
Finally I want to finish this overly long blog focusing about the child( or the fetus if you must). If it is anyone whose "choice" is not being heard it is them. There is much debate about technicalities and definitions but there are certain things that cannot be ignored. That child IS NOT a part of the mother. It has its own brain, it's own heart and its own DNA. Although some may argue it is not fully human because it is a "clump of cells" but those clumps of cells could have been your child and your decision prevented that. Abortion stops a beating heart, even when they are in the 1st trimester. Lastly, take a look at these pictures of aborted babies that were legally aborted and you be the judge how much the resemble a human being: something of great value.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Abortion

Abortion is yet another one of those sensitive issues like gay-marriage, affirmative action, etc. that everyone is always debating. Unfortunately, in my opinion anyway, there's seems to be no clear resolution to this issue.
If you’re for abortion then you’re basically giving the fetus's parents the sole right to decide whether their baby should live or die. This is clearly a problem because lets say that the parents are suffering from some sort of mental disease that is affecting their judgment. Obviously they are in no condition to decide whether an unborn fetus should live or die especially if that fetus is due to be a completely healthy and functional human being. In addition, if you let one person decide another person's fate then, much like the death penalty, your not even giving the other person a chance to perhaps fight for their life or defend themselves. It’s like kicking someone when their down.
Now if you’re against abortion then you’re denying the parents, more specifically the mother, the ability to control the state of her body. In addition, if the fetus is expected to have some crippling birth defect, then your denying its parents (who we will assume are not mentally challenged) the ability to put it out of its misery before it is born. If you’re completely against abortion then you’re basically forcing parents to care for a child who they for example, have no interest in caring for or are unable to deal with the responsibility.
In this sense, you can't really be either completely for or against abortion unless you’re completely oblivious to the points made above. If I really had to say whether I was for or against abortion I would most likely say for. However, the problem with our current system, which allows abortions, is that anyone can get an abortion. In my opinion, only parents who have proven that they are mentally stable can be granted the right to have an abortion. I know this is a rather abstract realm -- deciding who gets the right to abort their child -- however, we need some method to ensure that the proper decision is made when it comes to deciding whether a potential human being should live or die.
Another potential idea to support the concept of abortion is the fact that an unborn fetus is technically not a human being, meaning that if it were aborted, it would not be affected in any way because technically, an unborn fetus has no conscious. This is debatable, however, because who is to say that fetus’s have no conscious. Just because humans never remember what it was like to be a fetus, does not necessarily mean that, in that state, humans were never conscious.
Unfortunately this debate is far too abstract. Its comparable to searching for the meaning of life. The bottom line is there is no right answer—or perhaps if there is then, we humans, are too mentally underdeveloped to grasp the solution. (I am adding this sentence because believe it or not up until this point I had written exactly 499 words)
I really never had any side or even though of taking any sides on this abortion issue. I even try to avoid having to debate about abortion in debate. My problem with the debate about abortion is that there are no good arguments that could be made on either sides of the debate. It seems that every single argument that could be made on this issue could only be backed by pathos and nothing else. For example no one really knows when a fetus becomes “with life” or desire life (of course you can argue this issue all you want and think you are right, but really, science AND God might beg the differ). Also no one really knows how to evaluate this whole “oh maybe she was raped and the baby is bad” against “but the baby is still a life” stuff. And of course, no one could get away with saying “Well we need to look at this issue objectively” without being called a Nazi (or some sort of nihilistic figure). For example, those who try to look at the abortion issue with objectivity, i.e look at the economics or societal effects of abortion, are all met with statements such as “you don’t care about the babies?!?!” or “you don’t care about freedom?!?!”. This distancing from objectivity makes a devastating toll on the argument quality in the debate about abortion. Instead of weighing stuff that people could actually compare, we are weighing arbitrary constructions (such as our artificially created bright line on what constitutes life, liberty, murder, and freedom). This is also what distances me from this debate; simply because there is nothing intelligent to say and if there were intelligent things to say then those things would be dismissed as a form of dehumanizing either the baby or the person.
However, since this is a blog post and I do have to pick a side in order to get credit, I guess I could come up with a conditional advocacy. So I think that the right to abort a pregnancy could be practiced if and only if there is proof that the pregnancy was forced upon the woman. I guess it is fair to say that most abortions happen because the parent does not want the responsibility of taking care of the child or the parent does not want a child yet. Therefore it seems fair for women who were raped to have an abortion because they did not choose to become pregnant. It also seems good to not waste anytime with those who are aware of the consequences of their actions and still get pregnant. And also there are advocates to this position and they say stuff like how babies born without a father will live a bad life, how it deters un-protected sex, etc. Although these might be good points, but they are also points that people get really angry over so I won’t be capitalizing on those. Look this is as in-depth as I want to go on this issue of abortion. I am not a woman, I would never claim to understand how they feel about this issue if it was forced upon them; therefore, I really shouldn’t have an opinion on this matter.

Abortion-Own up to your mistakes

Abortion is an extremely sensitive issue it seems like now-a-days, and it should be because it is pretty much a matter of killing someone or not. I do not think that abortion should exist personally, to me it is horrible and it is not just because of my religious beliefs. I mean it is really not a religious issue at all, murder is not a religious issue; it is an ethical one. It seems people tend to write off pro-choice people as just following their religion and what it says, and I mean yes, but at the same time no, that is not the deal at all and it is annoying to write people off like that. It is not just because we believe that each person is God’s creation and we should respect the life He gives us, but the fact that we are murdering innocent children- you do not have to be a church going, Bible reading Christian to see that. And yes they are children, not some mass that has a scientific name that cannot technically be called a person yet. People have all these reasons- also known as excuses- to get an abortion: not ready to have a kid, was not planned, etc. have you never heard of the idea of adoption? You are never going to be ready to have a child so do not use that as an excuse. Like for real people you are taking away this life that you have created and throwing it in the garbage because of your own mistake. People need to own up to their actions, face the situation, and handle it like adults, do not just try to throw it away and pretend like it never happened. I mean it is pretty crazy when you think about how far people will go to get rid of a child. Women sometimes even kill themselves in the process of trying to kill their children. People complain about it being their choice on whether or not to keep the child, but is it really? Who really should decide whether or not a child should live? Are we trying to play God? It is the same argument as the death penalty- who has the final say in whether another lives or not. This subject just really annoys me personally. People try to be all like “well if you were in this situation you would understand.” No, if I was in your situation I would suck it up and act mature about it. I got myself there and now I am gonna own up to it- not take the easy way out. I do not think abortion is ever going to go away though because people like being able to fix their mistakes, cover them up so people never have to know they messed up. They can do what they want and not have to face the consequences, but I think living with the knowledge you killed your own child would be far worse than actually having the child to take care of. I mean that is just my opinion though, no big deal.