Octavian's English Blog

Its important to keep cultural foods because they connect me to my roots and family traditions. Food isn’t just something to eat, it also brings people together and reminds me of where I come from. There are some foods I couldn’t live without, not because they’re just delicious, but also a big part of my life and memories. Keeping these foods in my life means keeping a piece of my culture with me no matter where I go. Today in class we made a digital poster of our cultural and traditional foods that we eat during events. I appreciated this assignment because it made me realize how unique I am and how food is a big part of culture. 

 The most important aspect of my identity is my determination. I always push myself to get better, whether it's in school, sports, or anything else I care about. If I want to achieve something, I work hard for it and don’t give up easily. This matters because it helps me improve and reach my goals, even when things get tough. Today in class we worked on a mask representing our culture, ethnicity, and race. I did not like this assignment but I see how it is important and how we need to know where we're from. 

 If someone invaded my privacy online or on my phone, I would feel super invaded, like someone was sneaking around in my stuff without asking. It would be like if a stranger just walked into my room and started looking through my things. Privacy should be a basic civil liberty because people should be able to do things without someone always watching them. If I don’t have privacy, then I don’t really have freedom, and that’s not fair. Today in class we read a poem by Langston Hughes. The poem was about being accepted into America and it was a really good poem since it put things into perspective for my and how we should strive to make America better every day.

 Over winter break, I got an imperative amount of rest, making sure to recharge before school started again. Most of my time was spent playing video games, an impalpable escape from reality that made the days fly by. I also hung out with my brother, who was home from college, and we had a great time catching up, though his presence was sometimes an impediment to my gaming schedule. Despite being a bit impecunious after holiday shopping, I still managed to have fun without spending much money. The only thing that could impair my break was the thought of school starting again. Today in class we did a vocab comic strip using the 15 words we learned from the book. I did not really like this assignment since I am not so creative and good at coloring/drawing.

 A perfect day spent with someone I care about would be one with my brother and my family most likely. A perfect day with my family would be hiking. My brother and I are both passionate about hiking and most of my family loves hiking and going on a trip to a place like Mt. Rainier, the Dolomites, or even deeper into the Appalachian Mountains would be awesome. We would also bring headphones to relax and a frisbee to throw with and have fun. After that, we would get to a cabin or a lodge or a hotel and relax for a while then go stargazing. To end it off, we would go back to our cabin and play board games then go to sleep. In my opinion, that is the perfect day.  Today in class we read Let America be America Again and did a project on it. The Poem was about how America was back then and the struggles that it had in it. It was hoping for a better life in the future for many people that were not rich and white. I liked the poem since it is still valuable today and stood the test of...

 My American Dream is a life where you can have a family and a house and still be able to have good free time for yourself and care for them. I want to be able to travel the world on top of working a job, where a job doesn't take up my whole life, or I am living paycheck to paycheck. The dream is to do 40 hours a week maximum for my job, and have enough money to be able to do fun stuff on the weekends and travel. The main thing about America that I love is the freedom and democracy. Not all countries have freedom of speech and other key human rights, and I love having that.  Today in class we read Let America be America Again and did a project on it. The Poem was about how America was back then and the struggles that it had in it. It was hoping for a better life in the future for many people that were not rich and white. I liked the poem since it is still valuable today and stood the test of time - showing how many issues of that time are still evident today. 

 A time when someone offended me was when my dad called me stupid. We went out as a family and got on the topic of my grades and what I am going to do after college and he saw how bad they were, and ended up calling me stupid. This made me feel really bad and lost in my life, but in the end I'm glad he said it. It made me get up and do something about it and actually find direction in my life. My dad and I are good now. Today in class we read the poem Incident. Reading this made me realize the power of words and how much they really mean. You can offend someone really easily and you have to think before you speak.

 I have learned how to successfully manage my time outside of school. Now this isn't something that high school specifically has taught me, but I have learned it while being in high school. I believe that this is the biggest skill that high school has gave me. With 7 classes it is hard to manage time and balance all of those while getting good grades, but I have learned how to do so because of high school, and this will be very useful in college and my whole life. Today in class, we read a Newsela article about the Bill of Rights and answered questions about it. The article explained the importance of the first ten amendments and how they protect individual freedoms. The questions helped break down each amendment and its impact on society. It was a good review of key rights and how they still matter today.

 To be honest, my favorite part about big events like these is watching people turn into superstars. I like seeing who performs when the lights are the brightest and even discovering new players sometimes. I love when a player shines really bright in big moments like the super bowl, that turns me into a fan of them. The other big part I love about events like this is talking about it with people. It really brings people together. Today in class, we took a common assessment where we had to answer 12 questions. The questions focused on different aspects of the material we’ve studied. It was a bit challenging but helped me test my understanding of the topic.

 If I were to write a poem about my life right now, it would be about change and new beginnings. Im getting ready for the end of highschool and trying to get into a good college, and it feels like a big shift is happening. The poem would also show the excitement that comes with this. I’d also focus on me wanting to travel more, experiencing new places, meeting new people, and growing as a person. The poem would show my hopes for what’s next and the adventures I want to have. Today in class, we created a letter poem based on Jefferson's diary in A Lesson Before Dying. We focused on having his thoughts and emotions as if we were writing to him, imagining what he might have felt at that moment. The poem allowed us to get more in depth with him and his thoughts on life and the impact of his experiences in a personal way.

There was one time when I had to speak in front of an audience for a class project. I was nervous because im not great with speaking in front of a group and I was afraid I might mess up or forget what I was going to say. The whole time I was just thinking about how my hands might shake or if people would be judging me. To handle it, I took a few deep breaths before starting and just focused on getting through it one sentence at a time. I kept reminding myself that everyone else was there to listen, not to judge. My advice for someone struggling with stage fright would be to practice as much as you can beforehand so you feel more confident. Today in class, we worked on a worksheet to help improve our public speaking skills. It helped me learn how to organize my thoughts when speaking. It was useful because it made me think about how I could be more confident and clear when presenting in front of an audience.

 I think that my biggest strengths as a speaker is I can speak loud, maintain eye contact with the crowd, and also speak clearly minimizing mistakes. My biggest challenges I face when I present in front of a class is that I usually cannot control my tempo, when I talk I usually speed up my talking speed, probably just to get it over with. Another challenge I face is that I end up just laughing at myself sometimes. I usually look at somebody in the crowd and they make me laugh, or I just think of something and I end up laughing on stage. The last challenge I face is just reading from the slide. I need to just practice presenting before hand.  Today in class, we presented our project on A Lesson Before Dying. I felt like my part went better than I hoped, and I did a good job. It was a little stressful, but at least it's over.