Shaker Sound Off

Okay! Junior high is officially over! While, I’ll always miss the good times I’ve had at the JH, I’m really over all the drama. I can’t wait to rise above the not-so-good times and go to the high school.

There’s one thing that I don’t like: we get our schedule the day before school starts. One day preparation… Yeah that’s enough… Not really, because I’m the first one to admit that I have horrible direction. I got lost my first day at the junior high, ant that’s half the size of the high school!

Well, maybe we’re lucky to get this one day… Everyone besides freshman get their schedule on the first day of school. Actually, that’s fair. The sophomores, juniors, and seniors all know the high school by now. We don’t.

One day is just not fair.

Nicole Choukina

Since I was little, I always thought it was important to fit in. Sure, everyone I looked up to just told me to be myself, but truthfully, I just wanted to be popular. I was always told to be myself and not care what others thought, but my older brother, seeing older kids around the house, and of course the media. It all got to me. So in 6th and 7th grade, I was one of the kids who only wore brand names, and who did whatever it took to be what I considered to be normal. So what this blog’s about it stereotypes. They need to go away now. Like, I’m wearing eyeliner and skinny jeans, and I like music, so I must be emo. And she’s a cheerleader so she must be ditsy and annoying. He has straight A’s, so he must be a nerd. And she’s stick thin and never seems to be single so she must be cool. Uhm, no. Sorry kids, but it doesn’t work like that. Sure, some people, well, correction, a lot of people our age think like that, but none of it’s true. First off, I don’t even know what words like “emo” and “nerd” mean to most people, but I’ve never seen either word as an offense. So, emo kids like the color black and like music? Do you get a special word for liking the color blue and being a good singer? No. It’s stupid. And what’s a nerd? A kid who gets good grades and actually tries in school? Sorry, but I actually want to make something out of myself and get out of this small town and do something better with my life. And the “popular” kids. Okay, look. Some people. Are just naturally good at making friends. Fine, whatever. I don’t have a problem with people who have a lot of friends. I have a problem who change who they are to be what they think they should. The people who spend hours straightening their hair and hundreds of dollars in Abercrombie not because they like the clothes or the way their hair looks, but because they want so badly to fit in that they’ll do anything to reach it. I have respect for the kids who aren’t afraid to spend their Friday nights with a book and a pile of old Disney movies, and not for the ones who update their Facebook status as something that isn’t happening because they’re too afraid to admit they don’t have plans. I like the kids who will check out the clearance section at Target to find a new shirt, not the ones who spend $45 on a white t-shirt because of the little 2 by 3 cm moose in the bottom left hand corner. So, I decided a while ago I was done trying to impress others. I was done trying to be what other want me to be. It takes too much work. I know who I am. My name’s Samantha. I’m 14 years old. I love music more than anything. I’m funny and outgoing. I’m confusing and strange, and I don’t fit into any of your stereotypes, and I never will.

(Beth Rucinski, Tessa Taggart and Audrey Jelstrom)

Come June, at the end of the school year, kids are packed with work. We have to finish off the school year, meaning all of the curriculum, and also prepare for the finals, and tests that are “so important!” We have about 5 exams at the end of the year all in the same week. The exams seem to be too much for 8th graders to study for all in one week. We know, we know we have to get ready for the high school, but why can’t we get ready for one exam at a time. It would be way easier to stop all classes and curriculum then have a little break before all the exams. Too many exams: YES!

(Audrey’s blog)

What’s up with stereotypes? People are constantly talking about others. “That girl’s stupid because she’s blonde. That guy’s emo because he’s gothic. That person’s mean because….” and so on and so forth. Honestly, that’s all a bunch of bologna. You can’t judge someone based on what they look like. You have to dig deeper, get to know the person! Then you have the ability to judge them. Judging someone before you know anything about them is like sending a man to jail for no reason. It’s not fair to that person. When you judge someone, you’re automatically labeling them. If you say they’re weird then you’re always going to think they’re weird and you most likely won’t get to know them. That person could have turned out to be your best friend but you turned them down and shut them out before even talking to them. You can’t go around you’re whole life judging people because the truth is, you’ll have NO FRIENDS. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

-by Audrey

I don’t know about you, but my parents have always lectured me about spending my money wisely and impulse buying.  But why is it, if these adults are so ready to rant at us about it, they don’t take their own lessons to heart?

How come schools are so ready to spend money on things like smart boards when they could be spending their money on things like air conditioning.  Studies have shown that students learn better when they’re in a comforting learning environment.  I certainly don’t categorize 90 degree weather as comfortable.

Besides, what is a smart board really besides a white board that you can hook your computer up to?   Why aren’t teachers satisfied to do it the “old fashioned way” by hooking up their computer to a projector and projecting onto a white board?  Hey, maybe I should market that idea, I could become as rich as the creators of the smart board.

I guess I’m getting off topic, but what I’m trying to say is why can’t we spend the money on something that both students and teachers can enjoy?  Why do we have to spend our limited money on a fancy white board?

*Be sure to note that these are examples of problems, not real ones!*

Ever had those hard decisions where there is more than one route, more than one obstacle, more than one outcome, more than one consequence? I’m not talking about the ones where it chocolate or vanilla and if you choose vanilla you’re going to freak out and if you choose chocolate you’ll be crazy- no…. what I’m talking about is the situations like telling your best friend something so secret even your parents don’t know*, or telling your best friend a lie to keep them out of a situation you somehow know will end horribly wrong*. These kinds of decisions. Take the first one for example. If your friend turns out to not be trustworthy then suddenly not only do your parents know, but so does the whole school*. Now look at the next one. If your friend finds out, they will be mad at you or get involved and you both lose*. They all seem like lose-lose situations, so how do you know which is the right move? Keep your friend in the circle, or bring them down with you? One you get your friend in trouble and the other, your “friend” ditches you for not being totally honest with them*. Which is the more sensible decision?

P.S.-I’m going through this or anything (though I’ve been in this position before), I just want to see people’s responses…

I don’t want you to go. You’re part of my life now and I chose to trust and believe you.(And I chose to express this in poetry form…I dislike poetry with a passion. Why am I doing this? I have no idea.)

You hold the courage I need when I am low on supply. In y0u, to me there is no will to lie. Unjudging and uncomparing, I look to you for support. My sister, you are there as my rock and as my fort. When it seems there’s no hope at all, you’re at my side through grand and small. I could cry to you for hours and the worries I had will no longer be towers. Fourteen days until Virginia beckons you Southern, I’ve begged to keep you here but it’s not for me to govern. This rhyme scheme may not be correct, but you’ll understand; my words are yours to detect. After all we’ve been through, our moments of up and down, I know that I’m soon to realize that I’ll always need you around. In my life you’re about to be the variable, when I’ll need your control. Ninth grade comes along, you’re a fading shadow. Soon you’ll be gone.

Allie, I’ll miss you “twin”

In normal blog words, my best friend is moving 8 hours away. High school approaches and I’ll miss her more than you can imagine. It’s going to be a huge change.

All in all, I’m HATING change. Plus, I just spent two hours writing that poem! I hate poetry!

I don’t know how many of you hate  poetry and change but feel free to comment and voice how you possibly like either.

–J.Nicole.D.

This blogging project has been going on for about a week now. So, I decided to write a blog post about this blog. That is, if Mrs. Lyng approves this. I know that only a few people have actually submitted a post, and I understand that people probably have other things to do. Maybe writing a couple paragraphs on how you feel on a certain topic and taking the time out of your busy life is just too much for you. But, I think, that if we all contribute  our feelings on the different subjects we discussed in class, our class blog will turn into something great.  A place where writers at our age level can convey their feelings about subjects that are up to date and with our time. If this blog is a success, meaning we get at least a couple of video blogs up and working, this may turn into a tradition for Houston 8 English. Others may remember this, and we can, if this is a success, think back to this many years from now and realize that we were the “guinea pigs” of this future project.

All I ask you, my fellow classmates, is that all of us at least write one post. If not a post, at least leave a comment on how you feel. I realize that certain people have left comments. Certain people with the names of “Bob” and “Got ‘em”, are not leaving the nicest of comments, so, I ask you to stop. Now, I know that blogs are supposed to be controversial, but that does not mean that you leave a comment so rude, or so aggravating to someone, that they get upset because you insist on whatever it is that you have to say.

So I ask you, my classmates, to just leave a post here, or a comment, so we may turn this into something amazing, something that everyone will remember. But, a couple people can not just do this alone, we need a class effort. So what do you say, period 3, shall we make this blog the best blog, the most amazing blog, that an English class has ever put together? I say, we do just that.

Whats a stereotype you ask?

Well… I would define it to be:

Stereotype: a sense of perception of someone about how a person looks like and applies those qualities to other people and categorize them in a group, even if this perception is false. People are usually judged on what they wear,how they act, or their actions towards society nowadays.

Stereotypes play a huge part in modern society and it is basically used by others to put people in groups. You can’t really judge a whole group of people by just meeting one. Many people try to “be” a stereotype and admit that they are that stereotype, just because they probably think it’s “cool”,or maybe they just want to fit in and are being pressured. This would lead me to think that they’re really not that stereotype because they’re just trying to be someone that they’re not. Stereotyping is getting rid of people’s uniqueness and is forming groups and making them very similar. Like superficial robots acting, dressing, and looking alike.

The media also plays a large role on stereotypes. Movies, Series, Magazines, etc. are shaping people’s minds on how “this person’” or “that person”  should look like and how they are grouped. We all know these stereotypes, the preps, the jocks, the emos, the nerds , and more.

Stereotypes also don’t have to be based on what someone looks like, it can also be based on their racial backgrounds. I’m sure that many of you know these racial stereotypes so I think I don’t have to name any.

Here’s an example: http://xunax.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/stereotypes.jpg

Stereotypes can probably be stopped, I think, by contradicting negative images of stereotypes in our minds. Once you actually get to know a person, you might soon realize that these stereotypes you’ve been assuming and hearing aren’t even close to who that person really is.