Have I ever told you, you're my hero?

 "I don’t really have a hero but if it had to be someone it would have to be my grandma and my mom and dad.It would be them because all of them because they all push my brothers and I to have good grades and to try our hardest.My grandma is mainly the one who pushes us all to have good grades and to be respectful.My mom and dad do that too,but they also help us out with sports.Like my mom helps us out with basketball and running and my dad helps us out with baseball and football.I think that my little brothers would say that they are their hero’s too because it is true and they would agree with me."

"My hero would have to be my grandparents. Why I chose my grandparents is because they’ve taken in all of their grandchildren when they were going through hard time with their two sons. Their sons were into alcohol, drugs, getting thrown in jail and stuff like that yet when I was in need of somewhere  to live they took my siblings and I in along with my aunties five children. Although we were all younger then I can still remember the stories my grandmother would tell us girls, with the boys my grandfather would play games with them. My two sisters and I were the only girls out of ten children. I admire they ways and traditions they taught us throughout the years we lived with them."

"My hero is my Mama Darla. She has always been there for me when i need her. But before i even met her, her thing was “~your hero~” like her texting signature and on bookface. Its true though she is my hero and pry always will be. I really look up to her cause she is really confident in who she is and has a lot of self respect and is just a nice person unless you don’t really know her and you get on her bad side really fast. Its cool though cause she is just a really happy laid back person. she don’t really stress over stupid stuff. She just does her own thing and doesn’t really care about all the damn drama and all the rumors that aren’t even true. When i’m down and having a bad day i can call her anytime. even if it is 3 or 4 in the morning and she will sit up and talk to me and make me feel better or make me tell her where i am and she will come get me and take me home with her. At her house i feel really comfortable like its my own. I don’t know she is just more of a mom to me then my real mom is or ever will be. I think that is why i look up to her so much. I lover her like she is really my family. its crazy how some people can connect so well."


"My hero would probably be my mother. She is always putting other people in front of herself. She is strong and yes she dose have flaws but thats what makes her who she is. She never gives up on herself or the ones closes to her. My mom is my hero for a lot of things and I love her the way she is."




" My hero’s would be Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, or Diana Taurasi. :)

They would be my hero’s because in my opinion they are some of the most talented basketball players of this time. I love the way, they all play! It seems like they were just born to play basketball. I love that about them.  All 4 of them play for the WNBA. Candace Parker plays for the LA Sparks, [ which is where I would want to play in the WNBA , if I ever get there.] Maya Moore just recently got drafted to the WNBA. She now plays for the Minnesota Lynx. Before she got drafted she was one of all time best woman’s college basketball player, she played for Connecticut. Sue Bird plays for the Seattle Storm, she is there PG [point guard]. I look up to her as a PG. Shes my all time favorite PG, she has a different feel for the game, different then any other PG I watched play. :) Diana Taurasi who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, is an amazing shooter! Has the most beautiful shot, I’ve ever seen. My shot will look like hers one day, I’m sure of it.
My parents are my ultimate hero’s ever. :) I wouldn’t be where I am today, with-out them, I love them dearly. They would do anything and everything for me, just to see me succeed. I would do anything for them because of that. Thank you Mom, and Dad."

"I have two hero’s, my mother and sister. I say my mother because she’s a strong women. She raised three kids all by herself with no help, she always had a job and was able to provide for us and no matter what always had a smile on her face and I respect her for that. I love how she’s so independent. She never gives up and whatever god hands her or puts her through she survives. My brother, sister, and I turned out great so I know she’s doing a good job. I love her with all my heart and NO ONE can replace her. Also she’s so beautiful, I’m going to be like her one day. My other hero is my sister because she also is a strong women. I have seen her go through a lot the past year and not once did she ever give up. I honestly do respect people who are very strong that’s why these two women, my mom and sister, are my hero’s. I like how my sister is just like my mother. No matter what god puts her through she goes through it keeping a smile on her face. I admire her because she’s a good role model to look up to. She takes care of my little brother and I all the time and one day I know I will be exactly like her and my mother."

Legacy

We all know that we leave a legacy, whether we mean to or not. Today, I asked my kids what they wanted their legacy to be.

"I would want my legacy to be the poems and journals I wrote from when I was 14 all the way 'till I die. In Todd County I want my legacy to be my yearbook picture and what and how people thought of me. I don't want to be remembered as that 'emo', 'juggalette', or 'that one chick'. I would love to be that girl remembered for helping people and for being involved in school activities. In Mission, I want to be remembered as a good girl who's smart and nice. I don't want people to remember me by my past, like 'oh, she's that girl who tried to kill herself and got sent to a mental facility!' I'm sill trying to let go of that part in life, but I want to be remembered as something different. "


"I would want my legacy at Todd County to be good and not bad. It will be good because I wanna be know has that student that was good in class and got good grades. The legacy I want in Mission is that I was a good citizen and I help out the community. I wanna help out the community by cleaning it up and making it a good place to live. I wanna leave a good legacy in the world. The legacy I want to they in the world is a good person and a person that all ways did good. And I just want my legacy to be the same everywhere, a person that did good things and a person that is a good person."

"I don't think I would want a legacy anywhere in the world or in Mission or in school. I think this way because I don't like attention and it would make it really awkward if people seen me in public if I left a legacy behind me. I don't like to see people that didn't make it far in life congratulate me for something they wanted more than anything else in the world. Like winning at LNI when I took first place I was happy but there was way to many people talking to me at once when I got home which made me feel bad and kind of awkward. Sometimes people I seen after LNI made fun of me because everyone thinks wrestling is a shameful sport only because they can't accomplish as much as all wrestlers have to. They probably are just too scared to get made fun of and they probably aren't strong enough to admit they are weak."

"For my legacy, I want my legacy to be that I was an (almost) impeccable student. Also that I had good grades (I actually do) and I always tried my best at everything, like school work so I can graduate and go to college. I want to be known as a friendly person who was always respectful to teachers and other students, and helped people when they needed it. I want my legacy to be a great one so people can say that I was their best student (hopefully). I think I won't have a legacy in Mission because I don't live in Mission, and in the world, I think I won't have one for that either. I think the only legacy I'll have is one for Todd County High School."



"I don't really know what i want my legacy to be, probably something that i would want my children to pass down to theirs and so on and so forth. Another good legacy that would be awesome would be to leave behind something that would put me in the history books for a while, but to be honest i have no idea what it should be, or even what i want it to be. All i know is that i want people in the future to look back and recognize me or to look at a object that was once mine and remember me and tell stories about me the way we now a days tell about our Great Lakota leaders on the past and the Triumphs they did and the problems they faced and beat. Thats what one day i want my legacy to be."


Those are our legacies, we build them every day.

Comment!

Memories...

One of the things we reflect on kind of a lot is how our past experiences have shaped who we are today. So I asked my students to tell me about one of their happiest childhood memories, here are some of their responses:

"One time when I was younger I think I was in the fourth grade or something, I went on a family trip with my dads side of the family to go swimming at a dam. My uncle Mike brought his inflatable boat with paddle things and my cousin Ryelee convinced me he knew how to paddle one of those boats so I should go with him way out there. I said yes and he started paddling us way out there where it was really deep, I didn't want to go too far so I said we should turn around and when we did he was paddling us in circles. The current was making us drift farther and my family was telling us to come back to shore and let me remind you, Ryelee and I were only in the fourth grade and we didn't know how to get back. I started yelling to my uncle and told him we were stuck. They were so far away they were the size of your thumb nail. I was really scared and my uncle comes to rescue us and paddles us safely back to shore. We all laughed about it and let me tell you NEVER AGAIN will I ever go on another one of those things with someone who doesn't know how to paddle a boat like that. (: But that memory was so special to me because it was with my dads side of the family and I hardly see them now and it was just an awesome, funny experience to share with your family."


"One of my childhood memories is when I rode the Bullet at Rosebud Fair for the first time with my brother. I remember him asking me to ride, but I was kind of scared because I was about 9 or 10. When it was our turn, I got in then he sat next to the door. Then the ride started and I closed my eyes for the whole ride, and he was telling me to open them while we were riding, but I didn't. After we got off I went back to my mom, and got some more tickets to ride the Starship 2000. I also remember when I rode the Zipper for the first time, and I rode that with my brother too. I kept my eyes open and I was laughing. That ride was really fun, and it's my favorite ride at the fair. Every year when it comes, I want to ride it with my brother, but he's not always down there because my mom won't let him go. Some boys are always trying to fight him, how stupid! But anyways, what makes these memories so special is because I tried something new with my brother, and I really love him. He's the only older brother I have around, and I like doing things with him like playing basketball, cruising, playing football, playing X-BOX games, listening to music, and just hanging out with him. He's the best older brother I have, and I always want him around."


"I think my happiest memory is when I went to Disneyland and sea world. It was when I 6 or 5 yrs old and we went down to San Diego to visit my aunt. And on our way there we stop at sea world. I remember seeing all types of different sea life and seeing things I have never seen before. The  best part of the sea world trip was get to see Shamu because he was the biggest animal I have ever seen. I remember getting splashes by him being dripping wet after the show. After sea world we were going to my aunt then on the way we seen Disney land so we went there. I remember that I could not ride any of the fun rides  because I was too small. All the rides I got to ride were boring little kids ones. But is was still pretty fun."


"When I was 8, my uncle took me and we went to see some horses I remember bringing some random guy with us. When we got there my uncle told the guy to catch the wildest one and then try to get on so he was going for a big horse and he ran by this small pony, then he got kicked in the stomach and went flying and me and my uncle busted out laughing and it was really funny because it was the smallest horse out there and it sent him flying.If I knew that a broken rib hurt that bad I wouldn't have laughed and plus I thought people don't get hurt in real life only in the movies.I was convinced that this was true until I was ten and tried to jump off my roof and I landed on my ankle and heard a snap and started screaming but I don't know why because I couldn't feel it anyway. So I now know people do get hurt in real life."

"My most favorite memory would have to be when my mom,my brothers and I all went up to the top of Harney Peak. It was special to me because it was my first time going up there. It is the highest point in the Black Hills, at the top of it is a fire lookout tower it looks like a castle.The whole trip up there was about 3 miles it took us about 2 hours to walk it because of all the paths and we stopped to look around. At the top it is so far up that you cant even see the roads or even people. The site of it is really cool and it is one experience that I will never forget."

"My favorite childhood memory would be when my family and I would always go out to a park and have a cookout. This is because we would all be together and we would be having fun not knowing that one day everything is going to go wrong. We lived in the moment, us kids well my cousins, my uncles and I would go swimming and then when the food was done we would go up from the river and eat. After that we would all go home and everyone that was over at the river before would come over and stay the night. this is one of my favorite memories."


So dear readers, what are some of your best childhood memories?  Comment!

When I grow up...

We know that as ninth graders we need to have hopes, dreams, and goals- so that when things get hard, we know why we're working so hard.  We set our eyes on the goal and then work towards it. This week I asked my students to tell me about some goals they had for themselves.

"I want to be a doctor when I grow up.  I’m not quite sure what kind yet though.  Becoming a doctor is “appealing” to me because I like finding the answer to a problem.  So I would probably like being the kind of doctor that tries to find cures for things like cancer.  But I don’t know what the name of that type of doctor is."


"My dreams are to grow up and be successful and get a good job. I would like to be a cop or work for the government. I want to become a successful man and have a good life. That appeals to me because I like the way cops work and the government gets a good pay for what they do. If it is protecting the president or just being a business man. I just like the they both do their jobs. I just want to live to be in a big shootout as a cop or in a shootout with president. I wouldn’t mind protecting other people for a living ."

"My dreams are to get A's and B's in school, keep up with my work, come to school everyday, go out for sports, and graduate high school. Then I plan on going to a beauty school that's in the state I'm living in so I can be close to my family. After that, I'm going to try to buy my own beauty shop and live a happy life. When I grow up I would like to fix people's hair and give makeovers. I would love to become a stylist with my own beauty shop, that's been my goal for the longest time now. I love to raise people's self-esteem and make them feel confident like nothing can take them down; Plus I love to fix hair and give makeovers!"




"Dreams that I have for myself are to become a demolition expert and blow up big buildings legally. I guess I would want to work in construction because I like to build stuff.I want to become the boss in any construction job because I can holler at people for random reasons and I won't even care if there doing it right. I'm pretty sure I want to do this stuff because my brothers and my dad expect a lot from me and they also work in construction jobs. My brothers think I can do it so I'm going to try."


So those are some of our goals! Please comment!

Will this be on the test?

Sometimes I wonder how I'm doing messaging success to my students, so today I asked them, "Why is it important to do well in school? What do you think should be considered “doing well”? Is it just about grades or should some other things be included? If so- what?"



"Doing well in school is very important because it determines where your going to end up with life, like if your a slacker like most of the kids at this school your probably going end up with a job at like mc donalds or something, or not have a job at all. You have to do good in school so you can go to college and get a good job. I always thought that doing good in school meant getting good grades and stuff like that but you also have to have good people skills."

"It's important to always do good in school because it affects you in the future. So if you stop coming everyday, don't do your daily assignments, are always in trouble and just didn't do anything at all in school that will definitely be a problem in the future. You won't go to college and good jobs require you to have graduated from college but if you didn't you won't be able to get a good job, so if you don't have a job you don't have money, and when you don't have money how are you going to survive in the big world? Yes, your family can help you but they aren't always going to be there. So STAY IN SCHOOL! Somethings considered "doing well" in school is most definitely respect to others, joining extra curricular activities, and the main one staying in school. It is also keeping those grades up."



"It’s important to do well so you could go to a good college. So you could get a good job. Doing well should be considered about getting yourself good grades so you can go on the college and get a good job. Good grades are a part of school and it could be having fun because people always say high school is the best time your going to have before you become a grown up and have to get a job. So school is very important and is a part of your life you aren’t going to forget. It’s hard and all but you just need to stick to it and the fun times will come."


 "It is important to do good in school because if you behave and get good grades you are more likely to succeed. If you behave in all years of high school you know you have respect and you are responsible.I think doing well is like getting stuff done when asked,doing only things you are supposed to,respecting others,and getting good grades.I think doing well in school is more than just grades because you shouldn't just come to school and do work to get it over with.You should actually try to understand it.You should also listen well and show respect for yourself and others while still trying to get good grades. And that' s my definition of "doing well" in school."



A big thanks to everyone who commented on our last post. It was really awesome to get such great feedback. Some of the students are even working on responses to specific questions.

Thanks again, and as always if you have thoughts or questions- leave them in comments.

Media focus

I asked students what's one thing that you think the news (or media in general) doesn't talk about enough? Here are some of the responses they gave me:

"They should talk more about endangered animals. They need help to, most people I know never talk about animals its like its not a big problem that more and more animals are becoming endangered. We need to maintain the world’s biodiversity. I mean like think about it, like maybe we may need these animals in the future, for food, or for information."

"They should talk more about developing countries and more individual people, like in Africa. They are talking about Africa as a whole and not really trying to help specific people or groups. For example there people that live normal, comfortable lives, and they are getting money from people who donate it, and there are children in broken down shacks with no food water and clothing and they don’t get anything. They should really target certain places instead of thinking they can do good by giving money to people who don’t even need it."

"One thing that the news does not report on enough is education decline. Education decline is a pretty big problem that most people don't even know about, or care about for that matter. I think society isn't discussing this because they just don't want to, it would be hard,  it's a big issue. A lot of schools are getting worse education every year. And with less people that have really good educations less jobs that need well-educated workers will be filled."

"I don’t think they talk enough about all the problems going on overseas. There is so much more we need to learn about the problems that they are going through. So we can try to help or at least know whats all going on. In Libya there is a civil war going on, and we put up a no fly zone (which in my opinion is dumb). It’s doing nothing but costing us billion of dollars. Every US citizen should know about this. With the no fly zone, it will mean we will have to pay more for taxes to pay for it. The news needs to tell us whats all going on, so we can understand it, on a day to day basis."

Questions? Thoughts? Comment!

The Perfect School?

In a world where education reform is on the forefront of many people's minds and agendas, one may often find themselves wondering, "What makes the perfect school?" While I could wax poetic about it, instead I posed the question to my ninth grade English students. While some gave exactly the answers we might expect or dread, others were particularly interesting and insightful. Here's are a few examples:

"The rooms would all be different and not boring. We could decorate our lockers to show our personality. When in class, we would have the option to have individual attention from a teacher or teacher aid, for as long as we wanted. Or  maybe we could go into a separate room with a teacher to help us catch up or understand the lesson better. There would always be a counselor in the building at all times in case we needed to talk. We would get to choose our classes through out the year instead of all at the beginning."

"The school of my dreams would have to go something like this. The school would kind of be cut in half. One side with the misbehaving kids, and the other half with the kids that actually want to learn. Each side would have every subject just like we have it now, but the students on the good side would have all the nice teachers and on the other side the students would have the grumpy teachers (I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I think you know what I'm talking about). The class rooms would kinda be big but not too big." 

"For the perfect high school, I would want friendly classrooms and no gangs, and that you can actually feel safe and not scared that you’re going to get beat up.  The kinds of classes I would want would be fun, but challenging, yet has to do with school, and the world. Just so that we’ll know what’s happening in different places all around the world.  The teachers I would like would be fun. They'd also be friendly and teach really well so that every student knows what to do and what is going on, and kids would want to come because school would be fun to them." 

" All the students at the school will get along, there will be no gang violence, and absolutely no guards, due to the fact that everyone here would be violence free. I don’t know why, but I feel as though if we were to have more activities here at school the gang violence would calm down a bit. The classes would be the ordinary subjects for each grade. There will be a gym where during any class all the girls can go down there and work out if they wanted to, and the other day the boys would get to do the same. The classrooms would all be painted in a bright colors. The classrooms would be big, but not like huge- normal sized. The limit for each classroom would be 10 students. This is so every student would get a chance to have a better education, and so the students would be able to listen better also. While I am talking about everyone listening better in my perfect high school there will be NO slackers. If there is to be they’ll all be in a different classroom." 

I hope you enjoyed a peek into the minds of some ninth graders who are thinking about their education. 

If you have ideas or questions- please comment!