“Mr. Currin is kind of a big deal… true or false?”
Seriously Currin? This is just getting pitiful. I find it very hard for you to be a big deal when it comes to the point of asking people if you’re a big deal.
I’ve literally been sitting here for a good ten minutes thinking about what I should write, but I’m finding it nearly impossible. I can’t even believe I’m actually writing a blog about this right now. I’m embarrassed.
I’ll give you a few pointers on how to truly a big deal, Mr. Currin. First off, it’s kind of like the Fight Club. Number one rule, don’t talk about being a big deal. It completely ruins the purpose of being a big deal. If you talk highly of yourself, your rep automatically bumps down a few levels. If you want to truly be a big deal, let other people do the boasting, not you.
Second rule of being a big deal, you can’t be a big deal if you’re an English teacher at Alden High School. More than half of your Facebook friends are your former students, and that’s only because they think it’s cool to have old teachers as Facebook friends. It’s time to stop bragging about the 700 or so friends you have on the book, because NEWS FLASH, I have over 1,100. Deal with it.
The final rule of being a big deal? Well that’s easy. You have to be better at everything than everybody around you. And just to clear things up, I’m sitting in the same room as you. You know what that means? You’re not a big deal. I’m the big deal. Welcome to reality. Scared? You should be.
Seeing as this is the concluding paragraph, I’m guessing that you’re expecting the answer. The answer is FALSE, Mr. Currin. Somebody may say otherwise, but their opinion is 100% irrelevant. Good day.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
R2 - Most Enjoyable Topic
It’s difficult to pinpoint the specific thing in which I enjoy writing about, but if I had to choose, I would probably have to go with personal experiences. They are much easier to type out and word in your own way, and nobody is there to correct you on details or explanations. You type everything in your own perspective and make it seem like the reader was right there with you.
I think the same goes with most readers as well. It’s always enjoyable to read about the things that people have experienced in life, because it’s a completely different reality than your own. It makes you look at things in a different way and makes you wonder what it is like to be somebody else. My personal favorite stories to read are Michael Steffan’s stories, because you can tell that they are truly genuine. Every detail is most likely exactly how it happened in real life, and that just makes it that much more satisfying.
On the other hand, there are also blogs that I absolutely despise writing about. If you have been up to date with all of my blogs, (which I doubt you are, seeing as there is a total of 0 people reading this blog even right now) you would know that I absolutely hate writing choice blogs. It seems as if Mr. Currin gets too lazy to think of a few more blogs for us to write about, so he just tosses a couple choice blogs in the mix and calls it a day. As a student, I firmly believe that our assignments should already be prepared for us, and we should not be required to think of three entirely new blog subjects because Mr. Currin would rather go grade a couple papers. It’s a good feeling knowing that I don’t have to worry about another choice blog for another day in my entire life.
I think the same goes with most readers as well. It’s always enjoyable to read about the things that people have experienced in life, because it’s a completely different reality than your own. It makes you look at things in a different way and makes you wonder what it is like to be somebody else. My personal favorite stories to read are Michael Steffan’s stories, because you can tell that they are truly genuine. Every detail is most likely exactly how it happened in real life, and that just makes it that much more satisfying.
On the other hand, there are also blogs that I absolutely despise writing about. If you have been up to date with all of my blogs, (which I doubt you are, seeing as there is a total of 0 people reading this blog even right now) you would know that I absolutely hate writing choice blogs. It seems as if Mr. Currin gets too lazy to think of a few more blogs for us to write about, so he just tosses a couple choice blogs in the mix and calls it a day. As a student, I firmly believe that our assignments should already be prepared for us, and we should not be required to think of three entirely new blog subjects because Mr. Currin would rather go grade a couple papers. It’s a good feeling knowing that I don’t have to worry about another choice blog for another day in my entire life.
Monday, May 21, 2012
R1 - End of the Year
If I were to be asked, “What’s the best part about the end of the school year?” just a year ago, I’d respond by saying, “summer and looking forward to the next school year.” This year is a little different though.
It’s the last month of senior year and I can’t look forward to returning to my favorite teachers and seeing all of my friends. It’s pretty much set in stone that I won’t be seeing 80% of the people I’m used to seeing every single day. Sure, I won’t have to deal with getting in trouble for stupid stuff and worrying about hall passes, but deep down I’m really going to miss this place. Alden Central Schools is basically a second home for me. I have come here five days a week for seven hours eight months out of the year for the past seven years. That’s a lot of time.
Infinite memories have come from the times of high school, and I’m positive that I won’t forget many of them. Memories ranging from getting in trouble for calling a teacher crazy on Facebook to the games of Targetball in gym class. I’ll be reminiscing about these times until I’m sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch. High school is a stage in every person’s life that shapes them to become whoever they want to be in the future. That being said, I feel the need to thank the most influential and respectful teachers of my entire Alden Central School journey:
Mr. MacCowan, Mr. Burkhardt, Mr. Currin, Ms. Siuta, Mr. Erhardt, Mr. Casillo, Mr. Turton, Mr. Foss, and Mr. Matecki. Although I may not be in contact with these teachers as much I could, they still have played a huge role in my voyage of education and guidance. You have all been very respectful to me and have influenced me in many different ways, and you all deserve the best in life for the ways you have assisted me.
I remember walking into Mr. Matecki’s homeroom on the first day of middle school just as much as I remember walking into Mr. Turton’s Web Design class on the first day of freshman year. And now here I am, typing away about how I only have a month left. I don’t regret anything from these last four years of high school, and I truly do wish I could go back in time and just start over with freshman year. Maybe when time machines are invented. For now, I’ll just enjoy the memories.
It’s the last month of senior year and I can’t look forward to returning to my favorite teachers and seeing all of my friends. It’s pretty much set in stone that I won’t be seeing 80% of the people I’m used to seeing every single day. Sure, I won’t have to deal with getting in trouble for stupid stuff and worrying about hall passes, but deep down I’m really going to miss this place. Alden Central Schools is basically a second home for me. I have come here five days a week for seven hours eight months out of the year for the past seven years. That’s a lot of time.
Infinite memories have come from the times of high school, and I’m positive that I won’t forget many of them. Memories ranging from getting in trouble for calling a teacher crazy on Facebook to the games of Targetball in gym class. I’ll be reminiscing about these times until I’m sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch. High school is a stage in every person’s life that shapes them to become whoever they want to be in the future. That being said, I feel the need to thank the most influential and respectful teachers of my entire Alden Central School journey:
Mr. MacCowan, Mr. Burkhardt, Mr. Currin, Ms. Siuta, Mr. Erhardt, Mr. Casillo, Mr. Turton, Mr. Foss, and Mr. Matecki. Although I may not be in contact with these teachers as much I could, they still have played a huge role in my voyage of education and guidance. You have all been very respectful to me and have influenced me in many different ways, and you all deserve the best in life for the ways you have assisted me.
I remember walking into Mr. Matecki’s homeroom on the first day of middle school just as much as I remember walking into Mr. Turton’s Web Design class on the first day of freshman year. And now here I am, typing away about how I only have a month left. I don’t regret anything from these last four years of high school, and I truly do wish I could go back in time and just start over with freshman year. Maybe when time machines are invented. For now, I’ll just enjoy the memories.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Summer Plans - Q2
My plans for summer are not really set in stone as of today, but there are some things that I am definitely doing and definitely looking forward to.
I’ll go in order from what I’m most excited for rather than going chronologically. On July 29th, I’ll be on my way the island of Jamaica for my sister’s wedding. How many people get to go to Jamaica for their sister’s wedding, seriously? The best part about the whole thing (rather than the marriage) is the fact that there will be unlimited drinks and unlimited food. For an entire week. I’m kind of concerned that I’m going to gain about 10 pounds but I can always take that off when I get home. We are staying at a resort called Sandals and from what I’ve seen online, I’m in for a good time. The legal drinking age in Jamaica? 18. How old I’ll be during that week? 18. Let’s just stop there.
The next most exciting thing on my summer list is my graduation party. Although I haven’t chosen a definite date, it’s going to be a good time no matter what. I want pretty much everybody I know to come so it’s the greatest party of all time. There will be food, swimming Kan Jam, football, kickball, and all other kinds of fun. The after-party cannot be discussed in this class, so we will leave that out. The amount of money that I’m going to get is pretty exhilarating. Last year, my brother got over a thousand dollars, so hopefully my family loves me just as much.
One more thing that I’m pretty excited about is my birthday. I should probably be more excited about turning eighteen, but I’m not even sure how I’m celebrating it yet. Obviously I’m going to have a party, but I think it deserves something more significant. I’ll think of something eventually, but I do know that it has to be with my friends. Most people say family first, but I find it easier to have a good time with my friends rather than family. Don’t worry, I still love them.
I’ll go in order from what I’m most excited for rather than going chronologically. On July 29th, I’ll be on my way the island of Jamaica for my sister’s wedding. How many people get to go to Jamaica for their sister’s wedding, seriously? The best part about the whole thing (rather than the marriage) is the fact that there will be unlimited drinks and unlimited food. For an entire week. I’m kind of concerned that I’m going to gain about 10 pounds but I can always take that off when I get home. We are staying at a resort called Sandals and from what I’ve seen online, I’m in for a good time. The legal drinking age in Jamaica? 18. How old I’ll be during that week? 18. Let’s just stop there.
The next most exciting thing on my summer list is my graduation party. Although I haven’t chosen a definite date, it’s going to be a good time no matter what. I want pretty much everybody I know to come so it’s the greatest party of all time. There will be food, swimming Kan Jam, football, kickball, and all other kinds of fun. The after-party cannot be discussed in this class, so we will leave that out. The amount of money that I’m going to get is pretty exhilarating. Last year, my brother got over a thousand dollars, so hopefully my family loves me just as much.
One more thing that I’m pretty excited about is my birthday. I should probably be more excited about turning eighteen, but I’m not even sure how I’m celebrating it yet. Obviously I’m going to have a party, but I think it deserves something more significant. I’ll think of something eventually, but I do know that it has to be with my friends. Most people say family first, but I find it easier to have a good time with my friends rather than family. Don’t worry, I still love them.
Tara and Emily - Q1
For this choice blog, I have decided to write about sitting next to the lovely Tara and Emily. The truth behind that last sentence is that Emily Cole wrote it, and the ‘lovely’ part isn’t actually true whatsoever. In fact, they’re both pretty annoying.
They both tend to obsess over Hannah Montana, and it kind of creeps me out to the point where I need to take a break from working. All I ever hear is the bickering back and forth about how somebody either wrote on the Hannah Montana poster they have displayed behind their computer, or how somebody took it down. It’s not like the poster deserves to be up there anyway, because Hannah Montana does not deserve that fame.
Another annoying thing about the two of them is their tendency to listen to crappy music. It’s like they go to the ‘Biggest Hits’ section of the playlists, and just put their headphones in. The bad part about this is these so called “biggest hits” are actually just mainstream music that doesn’t sound good to human ear. It’s all annoying electronic beats covered up by an even more annoying auto-toned voice. I don’t know it’s still so popular these days, but there is nothing I can do about it except for ignore it, which is what I tend to do about every single class.
Just to refrain from making this blog way too long, I’m going to mention only one more thing that annoys me about these two girls. Tara ALWAYS asks for Emily’s help when it comes to typing articles, and it gets kind of aggravating to hear Tara say, “Wah, wah wah, Emily, I need help, wah wah wah.” She literally says those exact words. After hearing that about 6 times every single class, it makes me want to dig my own ear drums out. I’ve requested a seat change more than once, but Mr. Currin just won’t give in.
They both tend to obsess over Hannah Montana, and it kind of creeps me out to the point where I need to take a break from working. All I ever hear is the bickering back and forth about how somebody either wrote on the Hannah Montana poster they have displayed behind their computer, or how somebody took it down. It’s not like the poster deserves to be up there anyway, because Hannah Montana does not deserve that fame.
Another annoying thing about the two of them is their tendency to listen to crappy music. It’s like they go to the ‘Biggest Hits’ section of the playlists, and just put their headphones in. The bad part about this is these so called “biggest hits” are actually just mainstream music that doesn’t sound good to human ear. It’s all annoying electronic beats covered up by an even more annoying auto-toned voice. I don’t know it’s still so popular these days, but there is nothing I can do about it except for ignore it, which is what I tend to do about every single class.
Just to refrain from making this blog way too long, I’m going to mention only one more thing that annoys me about these two girls. Tara ALWAYS asks for Emily’s help when it comes to typing articles, and it gets kind of aggravating to hear Tara say, “Wah, wah wah, Emily, I need help, wah wah wah.” She literally says those exact words. After hearing that about 6 times every single class, it makes me want to dig my own ear drums out. I’ve requested a seat change more than once, but Mr. Currin just won’t give in.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
P3 - Teacher Evaluations
The article on Teacher Evaluation can be a difficult one to comprehend if you’re just skimming through it, but after a decent conversation with the one and only Mr. Currin, I feel that I understand what is going on.
Rather than being evaluated on their teaching ability in the classroom, teachers are being evaluated off of the test scores at the end of the year. Just because you are preparing a kid to get every question right on the exam on the end of the year, does not mean that they understand the material completely. You are basically programming a kid to get everything right without them truly comprehending the subject. I believe the true way to see if students are being taught properly is seeing how well they can teach it to their peers/classmates. If they have the ability to teach the subject after the teacher has showed them how things work, that goes to show that they do understand what is going on and they can figure out their own problems if they happen to come up.
It’s not fair that great teachers are getting low ratings because they aren’t burning the correct answers into their students’ heads. Even if they aren’t being laid off because of their ratings, it’s still tough for a teacher to keep doing what they love while having a horrible reputation. I believe that teachers should be rated based off of what they do in the classroom. The activities that they perform in class in order for students to learn the material. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about their teaching abilities all year to see how well their students are going to do on the final test. It’s a pretty confusing concept to wrap your head around in the end, but long story short… teacher evaluations are not fair.
Rather than being evaluated on their teaching ability in the classroom, teachers are being evaluated off of the test scores at the end of the year. Just because you are preparing a kid to get every question right on the exam on the end of the year, does not mean that they understand the material completely. You are basically programming a kid to get everything right without them truly comprehending the subject. I believe the true way to see if students are being taught properly is seeing how well they can teach it to their peers/classmates. If they have the ability to teach the subject after the teacher has showed them how things work, that goes to show that they do understand what is going on and they can figure out their own problems if they happen to come up.
It’s not fair that great teachers are getting low ratings because they aren’t burning the correct answers into their students’ heads. Even if they aren’t being laid off because of their ratings, it’s still tough for a teacher to keep doing what they love while having a horrible reputation. I believe that teachers should be rated based off of what they do in the classroom. The activities that they perform in class in order for students to learn the material. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about their teaching abilities all year to see how well their students are going to do on the final test. It’s a pretty confusing concept to wrap your head around in the end, but long story short… teacher evaluations are not fair.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
P2 - High School Goals
Looking back on my second blog of this class, it’s pretty evident that I didn’t know exactly what senior year was going to bring me. I probably could have strived to accomplish these goals, but senioritis kicked in hard towards the end and definitely held me back from what I truly wanted to accomplish.
“Obviously, I hope to pass the school year without getting below merit roll, because I don’t want to make myself look bad.” Well would you look at that… I already failed myself. I have yet to make merit roll once this year, and there is only one marking period left. I’m sure if I really, really tried to get merit roll every marking period this year, I could have easily done it. Then I found it was much more relaxing to not do your homework all of the time and to enjoy my last year of high school while I could. College would be easier to do well in I think, seeing as that I am actually going to pay for it. If I’m paying for something, I’m going to try and take advantage of it as well as I can. With that said, I don’t think my high school efforts really reflect the person that I could be.
“Another thing that I plan to accomplish throughout this year is not regretting anything.” What I meant by this in other words is, “do whatever the hell I want.” I try not to be a goodie goodie in school, but the one thing that I do want to do at graduation is walk the stage. I don’t want to ruin that opportunity by doing something stupid in school that would probably lose its comedic value within a couple days. If I were to do something, it would have to be something big at the end of the year… something that will be remembered in Alden for a while. As of right now, there isn’t much planned, but there are still 2 months left of school. I’m probably going to get talked to by the “authority” because of this blog, but that won’t change much. I really hope to leave a mark.
“I want to maintain my friends throughout the year, because by now I have the friends that I want and I don’t necessarily need to make any more in school.” I’m proud to say that I have accomplished this goal, and I hope to for the rest of my life. Everybody will have at least a couple friends that will leave a permanent spot in their life, whether they are close as they used to be or not. I know there are a few friends in my life as of right now that I will make sure I am always in contact with. Technology these days will make it nearly impossible to not be able to track them down if I want to find them. I’m sure I will be invited to family parties, weddings, or any other get togethers in the future. I am already looking forward to reminiscing on the past in years to come with my best friends.
“I hope to accomplish this school year is to get a job and get my own car.” Does it count if I accomplished 50% of this goal? I got my first job back in March and I hope to stick with it for a while. Making pizzas and washing dishes isn’t something I want to do for the rest of my life, but as of right now it’s pretty easy money. I’m still working on getting a car, but that’s only because I’m still waiting to get my license. My 6 month mark of having my permit is coming up in May, so the license is soon to come. I suppose that means it’s time to start saving up money so I can afford a decent car that I can be proud of.
“One final thing that I would like to accomplish this year is get back in the weight room and improve my numbers.” This looks kind of corny looking back on it, but there is no doubt that the weight room has been a major part of my life since the beginning of high school. Although I haven’t improved my numbers too much this year, I’m still proud of what I can do. Recently, I haven’t been in the weight room too much because I seem to have lost the motivation. I plan to get a membership at the Blackwater Gym in Alden, because not only is it right down the road, but it an easy way to stay in shape. Being able to go to the gym whenever I want will be nice. I’m so used to the “Monday, Tuesday, Thursday” schedule of working out at the school that it would be quite the switch. I guess life is full of changes though, and it all takes getting used to.
Overall, it’s safe to say that I did not accomplish most of the goals that I planned to in the beginning of the year. I’m not too disappointed, though. The grades that I achieve in senior year are not going to affect where I go in life, so I am not too concerned about that. I really do hope to leave a mark on this district though. I want to be remembered after all that I have done throughout the seven years of being a part of this school. High school would seem pointless if I wasn’t remembered. I may not have joined many clubs or helped in any activities throughout high school and middle school, but I have tried to leave a good impression of myself. I want teachers to remember me as the kid that made people laugh, but still tried hard enough to get through the classes. I might not have the best grades, but I am proud to say that I have made friends with lots of people. I always give people my full attention, no matter who it is. I like to be seen as everybody’s best friend.
“Obviously, I hope to pass the school year without getting below merit roll, because I don’t want to make myself look bad.” Well would you look at that… I already failed myself. I have yet to make merit roll once this year, and there is only one marking period left. I’m sure if I really, really tried to get merit roll every marking period this year, I could have easily done it. Then I found it was much more relaxing to not do your homework all of the time and to enjoy my last year of high school while I could. College would be easier to do well in I think, seeing as that I am actually going to pay for it. If I’m paying for something, I’m going to try and take advantage of it as well as I can. With that said, I don’t think my high school efforts really reflect the person that I could be.
“Another thing that I plan to accomplish throughout this year is not regretting anything.” What I meant by this in other words is, “do whatever the hell I want.” I try not to be a goodie goodie in school, but the one thing that I do want to do at graduation is walk the stage. I don’t want to ruin that opportunity by doing something stupid in school that would probably lose its comedic value within a couple days. If I were to do something, it would have to be something big at the end of the year… something that will be remembered in Alden for a while. As of right now, there isn’t much planned, but there are still 2 months left of school. I’m probably going to get talked to by the “authority” because of this blog, but that won’t change much. I really hope to leave a mark.
“I want to maintain my friends throughout the year, because by now I have the friends that I want and I don’t necessarily need to make any more in school.” I’m proud to say that I have accomplished this goal, and I hope to for the rest of my life. Everybody will have at least a couple friends that will leave a permanent spot in their life, whether they are close as they used to be or not. I know there are a few friends in my life as of right now that I will make sure I am always in contact with. Technology these days will make it nearly impossible to not be able to track them down if I want to find them. I’m sure I will be invited to family parties, weddings, or any other get togethers in the future. I am already looking forward to reminiscing on the past in years to come with my best friends.
“I hope to accomplish this school year is to get a job and get my own car.” Does it count if I accomplished 50% of this goal? I got my first job back in March and I hope to stick with it for a while. Making pizzas and washing dishes isn’t something I want to do for the rest of my life, but as of right now it’s pretty easy money. I’m still working on getting a car, but that’s only because I’m still waiting to get my license. My 6 month mark of having my permit is coming up in May, so the license is soon to come. I suppose that means it’s time to start saving up money so I can afford a decent car that I can be proud of.
“One final thing that I would like to accomplish this year is get back in the weight room and improve my numbers.” This looks kind of corny looking back on it, but there is no doubt that the weight room has been a major part of my life since the beginning of high school. Although I haven’t improved my numbers too much this year, I’m still proud of what I can do. Recently, I haven’t been in the weight room too much because I seem to have lost the motivation. I plan to get a membership at the Blackwater Gym in Alden, because not only is it right down the road, but it an easy way to stay in shape. Being able to go to the gym whenever I want will be nice. I’m so used to the “Monday, Tuesday, Thursday” schedule of working out at the school that it would be quite the switch. I guess life is full of changes though, and it all takes getting used to.
Overall, it’s safe to say that I did not accomplish most of the goals that I planned to in the beginning of the year. I’m not too disappointed, though. The grades that I achieve in senior year are not going to affect where I go in life, so I am not too concerned about that. I really do hope to leave a mark on this district though. I want to be remembered after all that I have done throughout the seven years of being a part of this school. High school would seem pointless if I wasn’t remembered. I may not have joined many clubs or helped in any activities throughout high school and middle school, but I have tried to leave a good impression of myself. I want teachers to remember me as the kid that made people laugh, but still tried hard enough to get through the classes. I might not have the best grades, but I am proud to say that I have made friends with lots of people. I always give people my full attention, no matter who it is. I like to be seen as everybody’s best friend.
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