Prompt: Who is your favorite or most important family member and why?  What memories do you have with them?  What are some traits they have that you hope you have?  What makes them such an incredible person?

(Picture from https://pixabay.com/)

Personally, it is really hard to choose between my family members, so I had Abby (http://blog.elanco.org/forre5yz/) help me with that. A very important family member of mine is my dad, Chad. He is very important because he does a lot of things for my family. He does things like cooking, chores, driving my brother and I (for sports and other extra curricular things), and more. He is also very caring, if one of us is sick he’ll help take care of us. A memory from a long time ago that I have with him is that when I was little (around five years old) I’d be too scared to ride roller coasters at a theme park we like, Hershey Park, and he would stay back with me while my mom and my brother rode the roller coaster. Back then, I was really glad that he stayed back with me because I truly didn’t like roller coasters at all. That was very caring of him as well. Now, I actually really like roller coaster and my brother stays back.

Another memory I have with him is that once at school I really felt bad and went to the nurse (this was pretty recent). I threw up in the nurse’s bathroom and had to be sent home. My parents were both working and the school called them to pick me up. My dad worked far away about an hour, but he left work just to take care of me. That day, I felt the sickest I had ever been. Because I felt sick, my dad went out to buy me more medicine. When I got home, I  took medicine and slept in my bed. Some traits he has that I hope I have are hard-working, kind, and intelligence. He is such an incredible person because of all of his traits. He is an amazing dad!

Write about something you desperately wanted as a child but never received.

Picture from https://pixabay.com/

As a child I really wanted a dog or puppy. I never received it and I still ask for it when the topic comes up. The kind of dog that I’ve always wanted was a Yorkie. Although, now that I’ve seen this really cute dog on the internet named Jiff Pom I want a dog like him. Jiff Pom is a shaved tea-cup Pomeranian that’s light brown and tan. He sort of looks like a teddy bear. Now that I think about it though, it’d be frustrating to have to keep getting it shaved. My parents don’t want a dog and now that we’ve moved into a rental house we aren’t allowed to have any pets. Since there is low hope of getting a puppy, I would be fine with any dog breed (when we move out of our rental house of course). I don’t know what I’d name it. I think I’d have to see it before I name it. I doubt my parents will get me a puppy, but when I live on my own and I can afford a puppy I will probably get one. Do you have anything that you wanted as a child but never received?

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” –  Christopher Reeve

• • What does this quote mean to you? Going back to what we discussed at the beginning of this unit, name two traits a hero should have and why they need those traits.What does this quote mean to you? To me, this quote means that a hero is not an easy job. A hero is someone with a bunch of great traits. They don’t have to be like superman and be able to fly. They are an ordinary person who works extremely hard. 
  • Going back to what we discussed at the beginning of this unit, name two traits a hero should have and why they need those traits. A hero should be very courageous and persistent. A hero needs to be courageous because they need to be able to do the right thing and that can be hard sometimes. They also need to be courageous because heroes need to be able to put others in front of themselves and sometimes that includes saving someone’s life either literally or by figurative language, which can be dangerous or just risky in some other way. Next, a hero needs to be persistent because work can get really hard and long, and heroes can’t just quit. They should be able to handle a lot with a lot of pressure. Perseverance (same meaning as persistent) is something needed for most jobs.
  • Who in your own life do you consider a hero?  Why? In my own life, I consider both my mom and my dad my heroes. My parents both have the traits of heroes. My mom is a nurse manager, so she manages nurses on a unit. She’s part of the process that helps people recover from injuries or from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). She works at the VA (Veteran Affairs), where they take care of people from the military, army, navy seals, etc. Her job alone is stressful, but my brother and I argue a lot at home, which is probably even more stressful. Mine has to do that plus take us to and from our sports events and our instrument lessons. My dad is a DFM (District Financial Manager) for Penske Truck Leasing. He saves his company district’s life (not literally). He takes care of many of their problems and mistakes. For example, if a place (where they lease trucks) is losing them money he’ll have to find out why and fix it. He has to deal with this and the things my mom does for our family too.
  • Name one person from history that has the qualities of a hero?  Why would you pick that person? One person from history that has qualities of a hero is Martin Luther King Jr. I’d choose him because he did what he knew was right even though he knew that it was risky. What he did was protest against segregation. He was then put in jail. Although, all of his protesting proved to be helpful because most had now accepted his point. To show that, they let him give his famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. That’s when someone disagreed with him and he got shot. It was very sad, but he did make a huge impact on the world.

                                     HEROES          

Prompt: In preparation for Module 2 in ELA, please tell us your dream job and why.  Describe your job using as many details as you can.  It will be interesting to see if your career choice changes as we study careers.

Learn More With the Site I Used: https://www.cardiosmart.org/heart-basics/what-is-a-cardiologist

Sources: https://www.cardiosmart.org/heart-basics/what-is-a-cardiologist, http://www1.salary.com/Chief-Executive-Officer-Salary.html,  http://www1.salary.com/cardiologist-Salary.html

When I am older, I want to be a cardiologist. A cardiologist is a type of doctor that studies the heart. What they do is while a patient gets surgery they monitor their heart to make sure everything goes well. If you are having heart problems they also examine and evaluate to see if you need surgery done. To do this, they run different tests. There are three main tests, Echocardiogram, Ambulatory ECG, and Cardiac Catheterization. An Echocardiogram is a soundwave picture to look at the function and structure of the heart. An Ambulatory ECG tells the doctors the rhythm of your heart. And a Cardiac Catheterization is when a small tube is placed near the heart to take pictures of the heart. A reason I want to be a cardiologist is because I want to help people get better. My grandma had heart problems and she has recently passed. If I was a cardiologist I could help people like my grandma get better.

Another reason (to be honest) is how much money I’d get. A cardiologist’s salary can rank anywhere from $270,624 to $589,767. On average, a cardiologist makes $400,925. Either of these amounts would be fine with me, I’m a big saver. The only thing I am uncertain of is that a cardiologist requires lots of education and training. To train as a cardiologist you have to go through four years of medical school and three more in other specialized training. Plus, to be certified as a cardiologist you must go through ten years of clinical education. Because of this, I am considering going into business. In business there is a lot of math, and that’s my favorite subject. The main goal for me if I go to business is to eventually become a CEO (Chief Executive Officer). A CEO is like a big boss of a company. They’re basically in charge of all the components in the business. They make from $589,745–$958,409. On average, they make $763,920. Money plays a part in my interest for this job as well. For me, money is super important because money buys you all the essentials and things you want.

(Picture from Pixabay.com)

Please comment your dream job below.

Prompt: The worst mass shooting in America happened this week.  Should automatic weapons be banned in the U.S.? Should people be allowed to own as many guns as they want? Why or why not?

Read more about the mass shooting: https://newsela.com/read/las-vegas-shooting/id/35956

In my opinion, automatic weapons shouldn’t be banned in the United States. Sure there are many problems that come with this, but weapons help people in different ways. One way weapons help people is for hunting. Some people make a living on hunting or hunt for their food. Plus, many people like hunting and banning weapons would be upsetting for them. For some animals that are invasive, hunting brings down their population to not be invasive species. Also some people use weapons for self defense. At anytime someone could break into your house, which is when some security is needed. (Let’s hope this never happens.) Some people just feel safer with a weapon.

Although I think automatic weapon shouldn’t be banned, you shouldn’t be allowed to have that much. The maximum should be two for one person. I mean, you don’t need an excessive amount of automatic weapons. Also security needs to check everyone for weapons in public areas where you shouldn’t have weapons. That way, these shootings won’t be as often. Another way that could help prevent mass shootings is to have a background check on everyone who buys an automatic weapon. If their record is really bad it’s best that they shouldn’t be allowed to buy one.

Prompt: Read the NewsELA article below.  Tell me how you feel about this child’s idea.  Give her some feedback on her ideas, sharing positives and questions you may have.  You never know…she may read your blog!

Read her idea here: https://newsela.com/read/foodwaste-tech/id/13677

In the Newsela article it talks about a teenage girl named Maria Rose Belding. She is very inspiring because she was able to create a working website where people would donate their soon expired food and someone else who needed it would take it. I can also assume that she is highly intelligent. I mean, to make and think of a working website, it must be hard. I believe that she is very courageous as well because it’s one thing to volunteer your time to work at a food pantry, and it’s another thing to actually take charge and do something more to end food waste. I believe that her website will really make an impact.

Although, for some people they just don’t have time to get on a website, post it, wait for it to be claimed, and then send it to that person. One question I have is, how would people who can’t afford food afford an electronic device to get onto the website? Maybe she could have a day when she had a bunch of people come in person and donate and also take what they need. This could help people who don’t have internet or electronic devices. Also, how do the people get their food? (Do they ship it? Do they pick it up?)

…. One tradition I do (and most people do) is celebrate Thanksgiving with a big feast and party. On Thanksgiving day every year my family gets together and does a potluck. A potluck is when everyone brings a food dish and we share our foods together. Normally, we do this either at my house or my uncle Bee and my aunt Joanne’s house. One of the usual foods are turkey (of course). The turkey is normally baked in the oven and sometimes served with gravy over the top. Another main entree is mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy really is the cherry on top to the mashed potatoes. Spewing gravy on top of creamy mashed potatoes. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. We also sometimes have sweet ham. Sweet ham is when you cook the ham with a little bit of honey. It may seem too sweet, but it adds some flavor to the ham. Plus, the ham isn’t dry and hard then. Some dishes we have that aren’t as main (in my opinion) are corn, salad, chicken, and rice.

…. Next, at my parties with my family we also do a circle of “I am Thankful for”. What we do is gather around the living room in a big circle. We go to each person and they say what they’re thankful for. Sometimes we do this after we eat, but last year we did this before we ate. The last person to say what they are thankful for is the one who prays before we eat. Most of the time, that person is either my grandpa, my uncle, or my dad. Thanksgiving is important to my family and I because we all have a special time together, and we share what we are thankful for with each other.

…. Lastly, a tradition I do is celebrate my birthday, my brother’s birthday, and my dad’s birthday. My birthday is in October and my brother’s and dad’s is in November. On the day of anyone’s birthday in my family we buy a Dairy Queen cake with ice cream inside of it. Sometimes we travel for our birthdays and sometimes we just go to somewhere close. For example, two years ago, my family and I traveled to Washington D.C. for my birthday. For the other year, we went to Hershey Park for my brother’s birthday. Other times we’ll go to The Works for fun, and we’ll go to Shady Maple for breakfast. The Works is a fun arcade place where you buy credits on a card and play games. The card tracks how many tickets you earn from the arcade games. Then, you can get prizes like candy, stuffed animals, small game items (small mazes, a slinky, etc.), and many other things. Shady Maple is a buffet that has foods (for breakfast) like bacon, freshly made omelets, freshly made pancakes, french toast, sausages, and many other breakfast foods. (Shady Maple doesn’t just have breakfast.) Celebrating my family’s birthdays are special to my family and I because then we get to share a special moment of getting older together.

Five years from now I will be….  What will you be like five years from now?  Will it be your first year of college?  Will you be working?  What was high school like?

Five years from now I will hopefully be applying and accepted for an ivy league school. An ivy league school is a school that is very hard to get into. The requirements to get into an ivy league school is to be extremely smart, able to balance time well, able to do extra credit things, able to work well with anyone, and other sophisticated things. My dream school is Princeton University. I visited Princeton once when I was about nine and the campus looked pretty big (from my perspective). Princeton is ranked #1 in the national colleges and ranked #23 in the world. I would be 17 years old and I’d be in 11th grade. I have also always told my parents that the chance I get to work, I will try getting a temporary job.

In 11th grade, I want to be a waitress at anywhere that pays at least $8 an hour and is hiring at the time. High school could honestly start getting tiring for me because I mean, most people eventually get tired of school. Also I’d be anxious to finally be an adult. Many children always say or think, “I wish I was an adult.” My high school year schedule of more important events would probably be either me visiting family, going to a friend’s house, playing volleyball, playing basketball, and going to school (of course). I will try to get the best grades I can, and I believe doing extra credit is good. (So, I’ll do some extra credit things.) For college though, I will study for cardiology  and become a cardiology doctor.

“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokaw, NBC News

1. What does the quote mean to you?
2. Do you think that it’s more important to make money or make a difference in the world?
3. Who cares more about money, rich people or poor people?What are some easy ways to make money? 
4. What are some of the problems with easy ways to make money?                                                                                 

On NBC News Tom Brokaw made an inspiring quote,“ It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” This quote really makes me think because making money would make me happy, but making a difference in the world is very special. This quote, for me, means that money is not as important as making a difference. Think about it, everyone in the world has a pretty good chance of making a buck by getting either a good or bad job. On the other side, making a difference is something not everyone can do. It takes someone extra special to make a difference. 

So, I believe that making a difference in the world is more important than making money. Plus, if you make a difference by helping some other people those people will most likely give back to you. Personally, I think that poor people care more about money because they don’t have that much money so most of them probably cherish every dollar. Now for rich people, they have so much money that they waste their money on things they don’t need like super cars, million dollar watches, etc. Some easy ways to make money are cashiers, waitresses, etc. One problem with easy ways to make money is that if it’s easy it’ll most likely not get you a lot of money at most thirty dollars. Another problem with easy ways to make money is that if your job is easy then that means you aren’t that successful since your not at full potential.