Heart-to-Heart With Avocado

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“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.”- Sally Koch

Avocado:

  • What does this quote mean to you?
  • How do you help those around you?
  • What is a “small opportunity” that you have around you to help someone else that you don’t take advantage of?  Why?

I think this quote is okay. Sure…sometimes there are times when we are too wrapped up in ourselves and forget to think about what we can do to help others. Maybe if someone needs a dollar more at Trailside, you could maybe be generous and give them a dollar. I help others by helping them pick something up that they dropped, or opening the door for them down near 1st grade. Sometimes I see others needing help but I might not want to get in trouble so I would just keep walking. I know that it is important to put others first and ourselves second. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Avocado: Comment what you can do to be nice…

Reincarnated Lamas…

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Our prime purpose in this life is to help others-Dalai Lama XIV

  • What does this quote mean to you?
  • Who is the Dalai Lama?  Do a little research and summarize who the Dalai Lama is.
  • After completing your research, why would a person like the Dalai Lama say something like this?

I don’t agree with this quote. I mean, you still help others but that is not really the main purpose in life. Helping others is like the appetizer or the pre-games in football.

Dalai Lama is currently the 14th Dalai Lama. Some people think he is the reincarnation of Thubten Gyatso wich is obviously not true because reincarnation is not possible (Christian perspective…). He came to be the Dalai Lama like this…………tension……………more tension……………..okay let’s begin. When the previous Dalai Lama dies the High Lamas look for his ‘reincarnation’. They look at boys that were born around the same time the Dalai Lama dies. It takes them two to three years to identify the next Dalai Lama. The 14 Dalai Lama actually took four years to find. The High Lamas (does anybody else laugh when they read these names?…I did….I’m still laughing…) look for signs such as smoke, dreams, and water signs. To me this just sounds like a bunch of fluff. Then they take objects to the child that had belonged to the Dalai Lama and ask him to choose a couple. If the boy chooses the previous Dalai Lama’s artifacts they then decided that he is the reincarnation.

Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for not getting violent with the Chinese government. Now do you understand why he said that??? I do………..

Comment down below if you think he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. I, personally, don’t have an opinion on the matter. But who cares about me??? What about you???

I’m Comparing a Rose to a Human

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Analysis: Copy and paste this poem from Tupac Shakur and analyze it.  What is he trying to teach in this poem? What does the rose symbolize?  What is his tone towards his subject?

“The Rose that Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

Shakur is probably telling us to follow our dreams or something like that. I mean, a rose is supposed to grow in a flower bed or in a flower garden right? It would be weird for it to grow from a crack in concrete. The last sentence probably indicates that no one even noticed the rose and they just didn’t care. But then the poem takes a turn, saying that the rose is finally free and it is were it wants to be. When is says “proving nature’s law is wrong” it means that it wasn’t afraid to be different then others. The rose symbolizes balance. But in this case it symbolizes a person that is not afraid to follow his/her dream.

Winnie the Pooh Makes a Comeback

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Opinion: The PSSAs are next week.  Write a blog expressing your feelings about the PSSAs and standardized testing.  What do you predict will be a strength for you this year? What do you predict will be a weakness for you this year?

I am not a fan of the PSSAs. I know some people that only like them because of the candy and food but that’s not me. I think people make them WAY to big of a deal. The entire point of the PSSAs is to see how well the school has been teaching us. I like to think of it as a way to improve their reputation. They should just ask us kids what we think not give us all these tests. My strength will be reading. It always has and it always will. Math is my weakness. I’m decent enough but it’s still a tad bit difficult. Just thinking about the PSSAs make me depressed. And as I am writing this my reading teacher is passing out a PSSA reminder, yay. It says they start April 10 through April 12. Anyways, I’m just going to try my best and yata yata yata. I also think that the theme this year is cartoon characters. I had to write that so you would understand the title. Comment your strengths and weaknesses.

Take the Road Less Traveled…Seriously, the Other One is Dangerous…

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  1. Some people find poetry more challenging than reading a book.  Is poetry challenging to you? Why or why not? What is it about poetry that many people find challenging?
The Road Not Taking
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken
This is a poem by my favorite poet, Robert Frost. To answer the question above, I think that understanding poetry (personally) is not that hard. Sure there are some poems that might leave me stumped but overall I think they’re fairly easy to understand. I think that people get frustrated with the words and rhymes and they forget the overall meaning of the poem. He’s talking about how he came upon two paths on a yellow road. He knew he was only one person/traveler and felt bad. He compares the two paths and one seems more appealing then the other. But he said he took the road less traveled and it made a difference for him.
Do you get frustrated when it comes to poetry? Answer down below.

Left-No- the Other Left

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To prepare for the next Performance Task, I am asking you to write a review on a vacation destination you have recently been on.  Your review can be either good or bad.  Please rate your experience, providing as many details as possible!  Persuade us to either visit your wonderful location or avoid it at all costs!

Me: Ahem. I have an important announcement to make. NEVER let your mom drive on Skyline Drive, it wont ends well.

Avocado: Let’s start from the beginning.

Me: I was born and raised in farm country-

Avocado: Not that far back. *mutters “idiot!”*

Me: Shut it you can of green slop. Anyways, in the summer of 2017 my family went to Shenandoah National Park. It’s known for its animals including deer, bear, rodents, birds, and vegetation. Shenandoah runs along the Appalachian Mountains. It took us about SEVEN hours to get there. But, it was totally worth it. On one of the nights we camped there our tent filled with water (the tent’s roof had a hole in it-don’t go camping with us).

Another time I fed a wild deer with my bare hand (I named her Sally.) Overall it was an awesome trip. I definitely recommend going to Shenandoah National Park this summer. There is a really big meadow with so many deer. Also, remember when I told you guys not to let your mom drive? Well, we were driving on one of America’s most historic roads, Skyline Drive (the road with the tunnel), and a mama bear ran out in front of a van. My mom slammed on the breaks and we all jolted to a stop. After Mom made sure the coast was clear, we kept driving. Then a BABY appeared! Mom slammed on the breaks again. Then we were about to keep driving and ANOTHER baby ran in front on us. That was three times I almost lost my lunch in thirty seconds. And may I remind you, I don’t handle really windy roads that well. I even get motion sickness on the bus….

Avocado: Stay on track! No one wants to hear about your “suffering” on the school bus. I feel bad enough for the kids sitting next to you.

Me: They don’t mind. All I do on the bus anyways is sit and try not to think about food. Anyways, all this talk about roads is making me feel bad so let’s change the subject…

Avocado: Finally.

Me: Anyways, It was raining on one of the days so we went to this nice lodge to hang out for a while. It was warm and we got some food there (I didn’t get anything-go figure). After my family ate we went down stairs to the basement and found an empty room. We played cards and sat around. Yeah, I liked that place. Hmmm, we also went on a lot of walks. We traveled to a mountain Stony Man. At the top was a beautiful spring. I have some spring rocks from it. Shenandoah has so many waterfalls. We climbed them and looked under the overhangs. I was hoping for some sort of secret passageway but didn’t find any. You probably think that was stupid but come on! If you were in my position you wouldn’t have been able to resist. Anyways, Shenandoah National Park is a great vacation for the whole family! I sound like a commercial- camping is great and you don’t want to miss the waterfalls. Come to the park lodge and enjoy a nice cup of coffee!-I’m actually trying now-and it is pretty fun-try it some time. But for real, it is a really fun park and I hope you consider going there!

Econo-Never Mind

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Mrs. Carl: We have been learning about economics for a few weeks.  Now is your chance to tell us everything you know about economics!  Tell each other what you know about goods, services, opportunity cost, supply and demand, etc.  Talk about how your classroom checkbook and finance lessons have helped you gain more perspective to economic issues. Will you be a saver or spender when you grow up?  Why is it important to save for a “rainy day?”  This blog post will be graded and if possible, please print it out with your name on it!  Happy saving/spending! 

So, to start off, there are tons of different ways to run an economy. There are two main systems, capitalism and socialism. Capitalism is based on private ownerships. It is a system of free enterprise. Free enterprise means the government shouldn’t interfere with the economy. The laws of supply and demand make sure that the economy runs smoothly in meeting the needs’ of the people. The powerpoint Concepts of Economics says,”Capitalism is characterized by competition in which there is rivalry in supplying or getting an economic service or good.” This means that there is rivalry/competition in getting a service or good. This is a character or trait of capitalism. It also states that sellers compete against sellers, and buyers compete against other buyers. It is like a economics competition. Buyers look for good deals while the sellers look to make the best deal while making them a good profit.

Socialism is when people think that the government should be in charge of economic planning, distribution of goods, and production. Theories of early socialism started around the late eighteenth century. Factory owners were becoming rich and workers were broke. This led to the idea that workers should get more of the profits of the factory. See, socialism went for more cooperation and were as capitalism favored competition and privately owned property.

Needs and wants are a very important part of the economy. Needs are things that we have to have in order to survive.  Wants are services and other goods that we wish for.

Supply and demand also play a giant part. Supply is when how many a certain good or service has for people to buy. Demand is how many people want to buy a service or good. Like when a new iphone comes out. The supply is how many of the iphones there are to buy. The demand is how many people want to buy the new phone. We also learned about importing and exporting goods and services to and from foreign countries.

Economics is an important part of our world. Though I have only scratch the surface of economics, I hope you learned something. If you were patient enough and read the entire way down to the end, thanks!

The Apple Didn’t Fall Far From The Tree

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  • Which one of your parents are you most like? Include a description of the parent, so that we can picture them in our mind.  Use sensory language: see, taste, touch, smell, hear

I am the daughter of Joie and Dave Culbert (I almost said son). But since they’re my parents I’m going to call them Mom and Dad. I think I am like both of my parents. An example of me being like my mom is that I have a creative side. My mom likes to design things like houses, decor, and plants. I got a bit of that knack too. I like to draw, paint, design, sketch, and mold. Me being like my dad is that he’s super athletic. He played soccer from a young age to college. He also plays on a church team. I love soccer too. I’ve played the sport since I was little. 

My mom is average in height. She has olive colored skin (so do I). Definition of olive colored skin: Olive skin is a human skin color spectrum. … It generally refers to light or moderate brown, brownish, or tannish skin, and it is often described as having yellowish, greenish, or golden undertones. Anyways, my mom has black hair with golden highlights. She normally wears a bun. She’s is great at design, cooking, being a mom, and her job. My mom is a high school counselor at Lancaster Catholic High School. WE ARE NOT CATHOLIC. No offense, but that might have been a little misleading.

My dad on the other hand is average in height too. He has light skin and brown hair. Dad normally wears khaki pants and a t-shirt to work. He is great at soccer, basketball, tennis, making jokes, and eating. He works at Christ Home. Christ Home is a place for foster kids. We visit the foster homes a lot. I have made many friends there. But then they leave and more come in. The kids are lonely sometimes so they need a friend. Every year we invite Christ Home over for the Superbowl. It gets really crazy. One of the foster moms always dances during the halftime show!

Sometimes we visit the place where my mom grew up, Carlisle PA. I go walking around town with my Grandpa listening to stories. He knows almost everyone there. All the senior citizens call me ” Little Joie” or “Little Dave.” Dunno how they even know my parents much less me. Anyways, I think I’m like BOTH of my parents. Which parent are you most like?

Greenview Bible Camp; Middle School

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Over the summer, I go to a camp that goes by the name of Greenview Bible Camp. This camp is a Christian organization started by the Rorghbaughs (hopefully I spelled it right). The camp is located in Fivepointville which is  generally close to Terri Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Rorghbauh have children too. They help run the camp. One daughter runs horses, another archery, yet another runs a cabin, and I most likely missed some. I love this camp for many reasons.

  1. It’s a christian run camp
  2. Everyone there is friendly
  3. You have so many activities to choose from:
  • *Horses, archery, pond (canoeing etc), pool, go karts, crafts, food (my personal favorite), creek, wagon ride to Brubaker Park and more.

***Remember, these are day camp activities as well as night camp activities. Day camp is when you go there for just a day and then return home at night. Night camp is for middle school student (us). Night camp activities:

  •  *Day camp activities, food, night games, bonfire, food, food, and not to forget food. Just making sure you were listening!

There are also challenges. With horses you can move up on ranks like wrangler 1, 2, tenderfoot, trail blazer, cowgirl, farmhand and stuff like that. NOW MY FAVORITE CHALLENGE THAT IS THOROUGHLY EXHAUSTING! My favorite summer moment was when we were all sleeping in the cabin. Then, at about 2 in the night, my counselor wakes us up. She told us we were doing COUNSELOR HUNT! So the counselors all went and hid and the rest of us kids went looking for them. Whoever found the most counselors wins. BUT THERE’S A CATCH! To get a counselor you have to guess who they are. This was hard because they would curl up in a ball and cover their faces. We found our counselor. Thus we only found one so we were ahead at the time. BUT WE LOST….. Still, Greenview gives you an experience that is quite unique. Bye!

New Year Resolution

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Avocado: A lot of people like to make resolutions in the New Year (ways to improve themselves).  What is your New Year’s Resolution?  What is something that you would like to see happen in the year 2018?

Me: My new year’s resolution is traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During the summer of 2017, I traveled with my family to Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The sights were picturesque. I fed a deer. That’s a story for later. We hiked on a number of trails including Little Stony Man, Stony Man, and a lot more that I don’t have time to name. Anyways, the Great Smoky Mountains are very pretty. And there’s a lot of wildlife. There’s also Cades Cove, full of elk, bear, deer and more.

Avocado: Remember when the tent filled with water in the middle of the night?

Me: Cheek!

Avocado: He he he.

Me: Anyways, I hope that this year people will start respecting the ecosystem more. Around the world people are cutting down rainforests for wood. This destroys animals habitats and makes them, well, homeless. Also that people litter way too much. When you throw Gatorade rings into a pond or the ocean, all of the little fishies are at risk. Save the environment. 139 acres of trees and forests are being cut down every minute. No trees, no humans……..

* Comment down below what your new year resolution is.