Grandfathered is a program on Fox that is about a bachelor and restaurant owner in his 50’s named Jimmy who is played by John Stamos. Jimmy has planned out his whole life. Everything was going according to plan  until he realizes that not only is he a father to a grown man but also a grandfather. Gerald, who is played by Josh Peck, surprises Jimmy and asks for help with taking care of his daughter. Jimmy must now learn to adjust to his new life as a grandfather and accept responsibility for his granddaughter. He learns responsibility and  makes mistakes along the way. Even though he makes mistakes, Jimmy learns from them which turns him into a better person. The show teaches the viewer that it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make, it is about how you fix them.  

When I babysat my younger cousins, I learn to accept responsibility for them. This television show reminded me of babysitting my cousin, Vanessa who is almost the same age as Eddie. Vanessa is an adorable three year old who is mischievous. She has a mischievous glint that twinkles in her eye around nap time. She refuses to take a nap. To solve this problem, I have to be creative and pretend to go to bed. This strategy works because Vanessa looks up to me. Accepting responsibility helps develop character and makes you a more interesting person.   

James Ravalese-Story

James Ravalese

One of my favorite books that is very meaningful to me is Breaking Through, by Francisco Jimenez. This book is about the struggles and hardships of an immigrant boy’s whose family has come to america seeking out a better life. This autobiography really struck me because it shows me how lucky and blessed I am, from little things like being able to eat out to having the opportunity of going to a private school. Throughout the book there are many instances where Francisco has to fend for himself and do many things on his own. Francisco has to faces many obstacles in this book for example both his first crush and girlfriend rejected him because he was a mexican immigrant. Along with the two girls he is also, stereotyped by his advisor when he highly recommends him to work with his hand and take a carpentry class, even though Francisco has a strong passion for english and literature and wants to become a writer. Throughout this autobiography Francisco has to hurdle many difficult obstacles and he does this with hard work and determination and because of that even graduates from college and became a writer. Even when things weren’t always going for Francisco he kept his head up and persevered.   

Alyssa Pilecki- 8/31

The life story of Harry Potter is quite a popular one, it actually being the best-selling book series worldwide.  It has been translated into 75 other languages, and, obviously, J.K. Rowling has made a huge fortune off the 450 million plus copies that were sold. For those of you who haven’t happened to pick up one of the seven books yet, this series is about Harry Potter (duh), a wizard whose parents were murdered by the Dark wizard Voldemort. The “Dark Lord” did something completely wrong when trying to kill the one-year old Harry and almost killed himself instead. Ten years later, eleven-year old Harry is off to the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about magic. In each book, Voldemort comes back in different forms and tries to murder Harry, but in the end, Harry ends up killing Voldemort instead.

Anyway, the reason the Harry Potter series is so important to me is not because most people like it, but because it opened a whole new world to me (a.k.a an even bigger imagination.) After reading it for the first time, my brain literally went “Woah!” I had always thought everything that could happen already happened (the earth is, after all, 4.6 billion years old.) But after that, I realized that humans have only discovered 5% of the earth’s oceans, and haven’t even traveled to Mars yet, never mind getting out of the Solar System. Anything is possible. Maybe there’s a parallel universe where magic is real and people do play Quidditch on broomsticks. Who knows? That’s what I love about this series. It led me to question life itself, and to be even more creative. Not only that, but J.K. Rowling is a great writer. Even after reading the series four times, I still can’t stop wanting to read it another time around.  

Alyssa Pilecki

Skylar Kubas - My story - 8/31

Skylar Kubas -

An important story from my life was when my grandfather fought in World War II. He showed me how to be brave, and selfless through times in life. He fought through rough times and good times. A few years ago, he passed away, and this was a very big impact on my life because he was always there to tell me how strong I was, and was always there to help me out in time of need. This also impacted my family and I because it made us closer and be that special person to one another, that helped eachother out often.

Later the week he died, we took a trip up to DC, where my grandpa was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. This cemetery is for all the soldiers that have died in the military, so this was a very sad time to see the thousand and thousands of graves that were at this cemetery. To this day, we go to the Arlington National Cemetery to visit my grandfather, and every time I am reminded of the great person he was and the amazing impact he made on me.

My Story

My story is called Interworld, by Neil Gaiman. Interworld is a great book about a teenager named Joey Harker, who goes on an adventure to save all of the parallel universes from the HEX and the Binary, the two enemies in the book. This story is gripping but is also very scientific. It is very easy to read, and I have read it many times. I like it because it is about a normal kid who has to take on enormous responsibility, but can handle it well. It shows that everyone can be a successful leader.

Gregor the Overlander - Aidan O'Loughlin

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins was the first book I read without being forced. I had read books before this but I never really enjoyed it, because I was forced to read by my teachers and my parents. My entire family had loved the series Gregor the Overlander but when they tried to get me to read it I didn’t like; however, that was second grade. When I went back to the book in the summer before sixth grade, I actually enjoyed the book. I would read Gregor the Overlander without being asked to, and I breezed through the series in only a few days. While I can’t say for sure if I would enjoy it as much now, it was my favorite book at the time. My family was ecstatic when they heard I enjoyed the book; however, the book was more for me. It was the first book I read that drew me in to read more, it stirred my interest in books, which led to me reading over 100 books that summer. Which is why the Gregor series is so important to me. As reading is a big part of my life now, and an important skill that makes school a little easier. Especially because now that I like to read.

Gregor the Overlander

My "Story"

My story is not mainly about one person but about a large group of people. These people are athletes that are talked about through the sports nation because of the common thing that they all share, which the injury that is a concussion. This injury is talked about so much mainly because of the major side effects that it leaves on your body as well as your mind. As a athlete as well as a football player, a concussion is very possible while playing that sport. I have to be well educated on the subject as well very aware of the dangers of receiving a concussion. Many of the sports greatest players will not let their children play football due to the injuries that they suffer from it. But first, for those who don't know, a concussion is when you receive a blow or jolt to your head and your brain is then changed from its normal working patterns. Once you receive that blow or jolt to your head, your brain may hit the walls of your skull which then causes bruising to your brain. There are many reasons why receiving a concussion is one of the worst injuries in sport. One reason is that concussions are very hard to see with just the naked eye due to the fact that the brain is not visible. Another reason is once you receive a concussion, you become prone to receiving another concussion so on and so forth. Concussions can lead to having permanent head aches, paralyzation, and in extreme cases, death. Although this may be an unordinary story, the talk of concussions has become very important to me. If I seek to have a career in the sport of football, I myself have to be very aware of what a concussion can do. It also has become important to my family because they also need to know how to be able to deal with concussions. I personally have a large "love hate" relationship with concussion because I need be "love" learning about concussions so that I am prepared for what may come but I also hate them because they can be a career ending injury. Some players, understandably so, are not very comfortable with the idea of receiving a concussion and they try to push it out of their minds as much as possible. Instead, I decided to allow the idea of a concussion become a big part of my life. If a concussion has the potential to last a lifetime, I figured I mine as well take the time to learn about them.

Your brain with a concussion 

I'm Jackson and the story I would like to share is the life of a king which is a movie and it is the one I shared in class today. It is about an ex-con who starts a chess program for inner city kids. I love this story not necessarily because it is similar to me but because in fact and so different from me. I'm nothing alike any of the kids and the story. I am very lucky compared to all of the kids in this story.  
This is not a picture from the movie but it is a picture of the real man who was the ex-con who started the entire chess club that still runs to this day.

Molly - Olive's Ocean

My story that is important to me is, Olive’s Ocean by Keven Henkes. I first read this story when I was in fifth grade, not knowing what was in it or what it was about. Before I start about what the story is about, I just wanted to tell you that every summer since I was born, I have been going to Cape Cod, where my dad goes. A really special place there for me is a harbor called Quissett in Woods Hole. My family has been going there for hundreds of years and it is one of my favorite spots in the world. Now back to the story, there are two girls in the same class but aren’t friends. One girl dies in an accident and her mom visits the other and gives her a note. This note is from the girl that died named Olive. She writes about how she has always wanted to go the ocean but she never got to. The other girl, Martha goes every summer to a beach in Cape Cod. As I read further along, I read the words Quissett Harbor and the Knob (the Knob is a place to go inside of Quissett). I am completely shocked not only that she went to the same place as I did, that is so special to me, that the book also taught me a lot about friendships and how events could really change you. This book even though it is not the most exciting to others, it really spoke to me and I have still remembered this book since 5th grade.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Olive's_Ocean_cover.jpg

http://quissettyachtclub.org/wp-content/uploads/slide-5-The-Knob-0x0.jpg

A Story That's Important to Me

A story that is important to me is "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. It presents a shocking, seemingly Utopian future in which everyone and everything is equal. The characters can't see color, they don't have memories, they don't feel any true emotions, and they live in a climate controlled, featureless "community". There is just one person in the community who does have memories, sees colors, and feels emotions; he is called the receiver. The main character, Jonas, is selected to replace the aging receiver and when he begins taking on the memories he realizes the faults in his world, including the realization that when a person is "released", they are actually killed. A child Jonas' family is taking care of is scheduled to be released and Jonas goes on a secret, midnight mission to save the child and release the memories so the rest of the community can experience them. Despite the risks and being pursued by security forces Jonas manages to escape, release the memories, and keep himself and the child alive long enough to make it to another place to live. This story is important to me because it showed me how bleak and faulty our world would be with the amount of equality in the book. It inspires me to stay creative and to strive to be different from others because too few differences and too much control lead to lies and misunderstandings.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, home of the Finch family. Atticus, a widow and father of his two children, Jem and Scout, is a well-known lawyer in Maycomb County, and has lived in Alabama all of his life, abolishing all obstacles with an attitude that I deeply respect and have attempted to inherit. As time goes on, Atticus teaches his children to never judge a person by their wealth nor culture, but rather their inner feelings and beliefs. Placed in the heart of the Great Depression, racism tears Maycomb County apart when Tom Robinson, an African American man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus Finch is forced to rise up against a racist community in order to attempt to save the life of an innocent African American man. While Atticus does not win his case due to a biased jury, Atticus teaches his children to always commit to what they believe is right, even if it means turning their backs on what your community believes is proper. Tom Robinson ends up dying in prison, after losing hope that his life will ever be the same again, as he was sentenced to death, with little chance of an uplift of the rule occurring. In October, long after the trial occurred over the summer, Jem and Scout are mysteriously attacked in the woods by Bob Ewell, who is found dead after Boo Radley delivers the children back home to receive treatment, and turn out fine. I view Harper Lee’s masterpiece as a guide that explains how to conquer life properly. I love it for its importance in my life as a guide and the lessons it has taught me as a person. To Kill a Mockingbird truly shaped who I am today by teaching me to cherish every moment by knowing that you are doing the right thing and making knowledgeable choices. I know that novel will forever be in my heart, and will most definitely be useful to remember in years to come.

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to the class blog. This is where you will carry on the class conversation in the digital realm. Think of it much like an extension of the classroom, where you will have the opportunity to share your ideas, questions, opinions, and creative writing. Some basic rules:

1. Always be polite and respectful when commenting or posting.
2. If you're starting a new idea or question, always post. When responding to a classmate, create a comment to start a conversation thread.
3. Have fun, and post to the blog whenever you have something to share with the class. Don't just wait for me to assign a post. You can blog about anything relevant to the course--be it something you come across on the internet or in another area of your life that connects to what we've been reading or talking about. If you have some idea or question you've been mulling over on your own, go ahead and post that. If you see a connection between a song you love and a character we're reading about, post that. The possibilities are limitless.

The blog is all about making connections between us and between texts (whatever those "texts" may be). Connect away!