Today In class we were asked to blog about a task we were given. The task was to go on our blog, and take these tests that talk about racial status and other things. I only took one test, and watched the video about the teacher that split her students in half by eye color.

                The test I took first asked me questions about whether or not I think people should be split by race, or social status. I don’t like those questions. I don’t see why it matters honestly. It also asked if I prefer white people to black people or vice versa. When I read that I had to go back in my head and think about the people I talk to on a daily basis and determine their color. I mean, yeah I know if I’m talking to a black or white person, but that’s not what I think about when I talk to my friends. It shouldn’t be that way and I don’t think it is, but this test gave me the impression that the first thing you do when you see a person is determine their color. Which is wrong. I wish I wouldn’t have taken that test. It was stupid. If I felt the need to have a computer tell me if I was racist or ‘bias’ against a group of people, then I’d be ore then happy to take it. But no thanks, I’m not in need of that type of information.

                The eye color video have me a better feeling then the stupid test did. I appreciate what she did, she took a way that kids could understand, and expressed it to them. It was such a big topic and the way she broke it down was interesting. Then when she had the kids come back years later, it changed their whole outlook on racial preference, because believe it or not, it was the white children that were separated for once!

I started another book, it’s something different then what I usually read. I’m really into non-fiction books, I like how they flow and they have a beginning middle and end. The book I’m reading now is called ‘Teens Guide to NOT Being Perfect.’ I didn't really choose this book, I was reading a section for a project. Now that the project's over, I want to read it during my free time.

This book is simple, yet it gets to you. This book is motivational. I find it weird sometimes that an old man can talk about the life of a teenager and it be so accurate. You actually might know the author. His name is Coach Krause! Hes been a substitute teacher here at Parkview for the past couple years now, he’s the one who always tells stories. His book is very easy to relate too, to me. He was a basketball couch before he became a writer. I play basketball, so when I read his stories it’s easy to relate to. This book is a great book so far, I think more people school start reading this. It’s a short read and I feel like a whole bunch of teenagers these days could seriously get something out of it.

There are so many interesting quotes that I could choose from. The one that I think is important in my reading today is ‘The worth I have comes from the people in this world who love me for me, not for how I look or how I speak, but just me.’ This stood out to me because in my opinion, if people went by this more often, their self-worth would go way up. Especially with this day and age teens don’t need any more of a reason to doubt themselves.

 This picture reminds me of the everyday teenager, stressed and just trying to keep to themselves. That’s why I found this picture interesting, because it reminded me of this book, and how it can help someone look at things more optimistically.

#3
I finished Sea recently, as you know. Now I'm readying a book called Trafficked. so far, its about a Russian girl named Hannah, who is now illegally living in the America. She lives with a family as an nanny. She sleeps in the garage in a sleeping bag, even though there is a perfectly made bed upstairs. there are a lot of things that are weird about the new family shes living with. She doesn't like the way her husband looks at her, he recently bought her new lace underwear. His reasoning was because he had seen the couple pair she had and they were old, ripped, and dingy.  She also really doesnt like their mom. Her name is Lillian, Hannah is greatful for everything they've done for he, but hr mom made rules like 'When my husband talks to you, look down and answer his questions, you may talk back, but you may not make conversation with him'. I found that weird, it makes me wonder if the mom has trust issues about her husband.

 

I choose this picture because it remind me of the girl, Hannah. In the beginning of the book she always talked about how afraid she felt if older men would look at her because it made her think they were going to take her and use her as a sex slave. That could be a sign of foreshadowing. 

#2

I spent the first couple months of school reading the book Sea, by Heidi R. Kling. I’ve just recently finished the book. I made a prediction in my last post talking about how I think Sienna would take Deni back to the United States with her. I was wrong. I don't want to spoil the end, but the ending was sad and I wish it wouldn't have ended. I have two favorite parts in the whole book. My fist favorite is almost towards the end of the book, when the climax was just starting to calm down Sienna said “He looked at me like I just told him the earth was flat and I had definitive proof.” I chose this quote as my first because she’s not the type of girl to be sentimental, but she’s been through so much that she just lets down her hard exterior and lets her feelings in.

My second favorite part of the book is when Sierra is back on the plane, on her way home. She says “We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can only choose to keep going.” After everything that has happened to this girl, from leaving her loved ones behind, and from losing her mom, by doing the same thing Sienna was doing now. She’s very courageous.  In this quote I think she’s finally giving up on trying to make things so perfect in her life. And trying to make every relationship shes had with someone perfect. She’s not giving up in a bad way, in my opinion, she was just letting life take its toile.

Sea

 #1
In my further reading of Sea, I'm at the part were she had recently met her boyfriend Deni. At this point she's been in Indonesia for a couple weeks now. “I wanted to tell him that you can meet someone and they can change your life forever, even if you have only known him for a short while, that when you leave, you're a different person than before you met him... and I understand that because of meeting Deni.”   I chose this quote because its really sweet the fact that her life kind of changed because of this boy for the better. I predict that there probably going to get married and she is going to take him back with her.