Sarai’s English Log

 One thing that I enjoyed most in this class was when we got to write out own stories. I just like creative writing assignments in general. The assignment that I found most engaging was is the final we are doing now, as it is really one of the first times we are analyzing a poem on our own. The aspect of the course that I connected with was the discussions, as I found it insightful to see how everyone could think differently about the same topic. One area where I think I need additional support is probably in poetry, because although I have gotten better with it there is still room to improve.

 One tradition that is important to my family, especially during the holidays, is my family meeting up and sharing a meal together. It's something we do every year, and usually everyone helps out and makes something, and it's nice to just be around everyone and share a meal. Today in class we just worked on missing assignments and then work for our other classes. Doing this is able to help me get all ready and prepared for finals that start tommorrow, so I can just focus on studying.

 When I was younger, the holidays were a much bigger deal to me, as I got to spend time with my family and open gifts, and it all just seemed so great to me. As I've gotten older, though, they holidays do seem all that much to me, just a time when I get to be out of school. Today in class we did Vocabulary Lesson 6. Doing this vocab along with the lesson will help me be more prepared for our next vocabulary test.

 Something that I have outgrown but still miss would probably be my old childhood room in Florida. It makes me feel very nostalgic, and although I didn't have all the best memories there, I still miss that time when I was little, especially as I get closer to graduating. Today in class we took our Lessons 1-5 vocab quiz. Doing this quiz helped me to solidify these words and their meanings in my mind, and also helped me to confirm that I actually paid attention to the lesson.

 One thing that I can't stop thinking about is the future. Expecially as we get closer to senior year, I gets hard to not worry about college and everything that comes after that.  Today we went to the library to pick our classes for next year. Doing this has helped me to help plan for the future and made me think more about 

 Today in class we presented our Cultural Identity Mask. Seeing all the presentations helped me to get to better know my classmates, especially those who I have not really talked to before. 

 The best gift I have ever received was probably at Christmas 3 years ago. My aunt got me a Macbook, and I really appreciated it because I never had my own computer before that, and Macbooks can be pretty expensive, so it was very nice of her. Today in class we worked on Vocabulary Lesson 5. Doing this lesson has helped me become better equipped to write on my own, as I now have a wider range of vocabulary I can use.

 One moment in the film that stood out to me was one of the scenes in the hallway, where one girl takes off the white mask she was wearing to show the purple one underneath, as she approached a group of other people wearing red ones. I feel like it can sort of be a representation of code switching, changing how you present yourself based on who you are around. The films message connects to the poem, "I, Too," in that it shows that you don't have to change who you are just to be accepted by the majority. I want my mask to reveal just a bit of my interests and how I am as a person. Today in class we are working more on our identity mask. I get to learn more about myself, in answering some of these questions that I haven't really thought of before.

 One aspect of my cultural identity that I am most proud of is the fact that despite the fact that my family can be really judgy, when it comes to important things they are able to set their differences aside and actually support each other. Today in class we read a new poem, "I, Too," and started working on making a mask that represents our identity. I found this poem kind of interesting to read because it makes me think about how, although things aren't perfect now, the life that I'm living is the life that all the people who came before me wish they could've gotten a chance to experience.

 One moment in my life where I did what seemed fun in the moment, only to realize after that it wasn't the smartest idea was in 8th grade. I was playing tag with my mom's friend's kids, and we were running in circles around the outside of the house. When I was running, I jumped off of the porch, because it wasn't really that high, and I'd done it before, but this time when I jumped I landed on the side of my ankle, and I ended up with a hairline fracture. After that I learned that I should probably slow down and think when I'm doing something. Today in class we read and analyzed the poem, "We Real Cool." Reading this poem was interesting as it was very different from the usual types of poems we have read, that seem to use very formal language, while this one was written only using informal language. It shows that there are never really specific rules you have to follow when it comes to writing poetry.

 Something memorable that I experienced over the break was getting into an argument with my cousin on whether DC or Marvel was better, which somehow lead to me explaining the entire lore of all of Batman's Robins to her. It was funny seeing her reactions because before this she genuinely thought he only had one. Today in class we worked on Vocabulary Lesson number 4. A lot of the vocab words in the lessons we have done were very new to me, so doing these assignments have added more words into my own vocabulary that I can use more often now.