Thankful for a Classmate

Let's hope this goes quickly now.

I am thankful for all my classmates, but if I were to choose one from my American Literature class, I would say... MILES WEINSTEIN (I hope I spelled your name right)! For the people who wonder why it's Miles, it's because I've known him ever since Freshman Connection, he's a very nice person, and he helps me a lot.

Miles is a good friend of mine. During Freshman Connection, we sat in the same table so you could say that he was one of my first friends in Whitney Young. Also, I sit directly behind him in class. So, if there is anything I don't understand, I would ask him and he is always willing to help me. An example of this is that whenever I don't have any ideas about what to write for my journal, I would ask him and he would give me some inspiration.

I am thankful for a lot of people in Whitney Young. I am thankful for the teachers, students, and my friends. I am thankful for the help the teachers give me in my education, thankful for the students in class to make it more lively, and especially my friends, for making my life what it is. This Thanksgiving is almost over and I'll end this by saying I am thankful my good friend Miles and for you (whoever is reading) for reading my blog. Happy Thanksgiving.

I am a Plow

Guess who's a plow this time... I am. Well, I think everyone is in a way or two though. Anyways, I am a plow.

First of all, what is a plow? A plow would be something used in farms. They loosen up soil so that seeds are able to be sown into the soil. Therefore, you can say it has a pretty important role. I claim to be a plow because I help "loosen up soil" such as making life easier for others. For example, I help others as much as I can in homework, allowing them to have an easier day of homework.

There are many plows out there. Some plows would be your mother and father. They probably take you to school, saving you some time if you were to take the train. Even if your parents don't drive you to school or take you to places you need to be, they are still a plow in many ways. They provide you with food and a home. Another plow would be a waiter or waitress. They serve you food instead of you going into the kitchen of a restaurant to get the food yourself. Another plow would be Mr. McCarthy! He teaches us so that we don't have to struggle through learning by ourselves. There are so many plows out there that have not been mentioned yet. In what ways are you a plow?

A Direction the Class Needs

To all the readers of this blog:

The first quarter of this school year has ended. All the grades have been recorded and now it is time for some feedback on my American Literature class.

Let's start with the negatives. I didn't know what was for homework some times. Also, we are a bit behind schedule but that isn't much of an issue. I wished we had gone through the vocabulary book more because my vocabulary is not very good and I want to learn more. Also, the blogs weren't completely clear. I didn't know what to write about sometimes. Maybe it was just me.

I would be helpful if homework was posted on Edline or if it were written on the board. By doing this, we can probably be back on schedule and stay on schedule. If descriptions about the blog were on Edline, it would be a lot easier to write the blogs... just saying.

Now, lets talk about some good things in this class. I learned a lot. We were very productive in class and we had fun at the same time. Blogs were very fun to do even though it was somewhat mislead at times. The books we read for this class were also interesting and fun. Mr. McCarthy is an awesome teacher. He is easy to get along with and he is willing to help his students.

Modern Day Slavery

Slavery. What do you think of when I say slavery? Some germane things I would think of is my World Studies class, slave trade, farming, and Africa. Back in the days when slavery first started, people would buy them left and right; hoping that the slaves they buy will work on their farms and be their servants. Slave owners by slaves because they are cheap labor and that would mean they would make more money. Slaves would often work for long hours and not be fed much. Slaves were usually crammed into small rooms with a few other slaves. Not all slaves were treated like this. Some had it better but generally, being a slave sucked.

If you think about it, even though slavery is abolished, there are still traces of slavery today. No matter how you shun this idea, it is true. Slaves are brought from all over the world, not only Africa. Today, there are still around twenty-seven million slaves after the abolition. There are slaves from China and India too. The people who own slaves today try not to call it slavery; they call it debt bondage, bonded labor, and a lot of other names besides slavery. Slaves today are forced to work on farms like before, but now they are also forced into prostitution and drug trafficking.

Guess what? Slavery exists in the United States too (United States: not as great as it seems >.>). Slaves work in sweat shops, factories, and farms. They are either paid very little that they can't even substantiate their needs or they aren't paid at all. They are treated like the slaves in the beginning if not worse. Probably worse now that there's technology used for torture or whatnot.

You wouldn't think slavery still existed today (well at least I didn't know until doing this blog). Here's a question. When you go out and buy anything, have you noticed that some merchandise are ridiculously cheap? Cheap as in inexpensive. Why do you think it so cheap? I wonder... o.o