Ricardo's English Blog

      A thing that I used to believe as a kid was that Santa Claus was real. As a kid I would always wake up on Christmas day and see gifts, just like any other kid I would hear "Santa this, Santa that". Commercials would be on TV and representing them was Santa Claus. I would also hear lots of stories like if I was good for the whole year Santa would get me a gift and not coal. These are the main reasons of why as a kid I believed that Santa Claus was real.     Today in class we took a test about the book Fences.     One thing that I learned today was that words can cause more damage then physical things. A way I may use this in the future is to be careful about what I say to others.

      In the story Troy complaints about the unfair job system and his frustration with racial discrimination. This conversation made me think differently about fairness and opportunity in society today. In today society people are not hired depending on their skin color or culture, they are hired by their experience. There are still some places in the world today who discriminate and would not hire someone no matter how good they are at the job just because of there color, but these places are few unlike back then. If I were in Troy's position I would try to look for a job in a place where more people who share the same culture as me are that way I am noticed more.     Today in class we finished seeing the presentations of those who were not able to present on Thursday.      One thing I learned was that being able to communicate is really important. A way that I may use this in the future is to communicate better in presentations.

   The character that has stood out to me the most is Troy. The reason why I choose this character is because throughout the story Troy changed in the way people think about him. An example of this is that in the beginning of the story I used to believe that Troy was a loyal, hardworking, respectful person. Later in the story my perspective changed and I saw Troy as a cheater, rude, and careless person. The way that my project represents what I read is that it allowed me to have a better understanding of Troy on how he truly is.      Today in class we presented our final projects and were able to see different points of views.      One thing that I learned was that although a character personality is shown in obvious ways, other people may think differently about it. I may use this in my life by allowing others to explain there point of view on a topic.

      The character that has stood out to me the most is Troy. The reason why I choose this character is because throughout the story Troy changed in the way people think about him. An example of this is that in the beginning of the story I used to believe that Troy was a loyal, hardworking, respectful person. Later in the story my perspective changed and I saw Troy as a cheater, rude, and careless person. The way that my project represents what I read is that it allowed me to have a better understanding of Troy on how he truly is.     Today in class we worked on our Final project about fences and completed the blog post.     One thing I learned today was that not having people around you keep you more focused on your work. A way I may use this in the future is by not allowing friends to distract me

     Forgiving someone can mean a lot of things like not being angry toward someone. I believe that forgiving someone also means that you should forget what they did. A reason why I believe this is because if you keep thinking about past actions that this person did then it means you haven't fully forgiven them. I also believe this because if you keep thinking about past actions you will never be at peace. These are the reasons why I believe that forgiving someone would also mean to forget about there past actions.      Today in class we finished read the book "Fences".     One thing that I learned today was that forgiveness can be an important part of moving forward. I can use this in my life by being able to forgive others.

    The character that felt different for me was Troy. When Troy was first introduced I had the idea that he was a loyal, hardworking man who just wanted the best for Cory. Around the end of the book I got a new idea that Troy was more like a manipulator, dishonest, and crazy person. The reasons why my perspective changed was because he wouldn't let Cory receive a scholarship, he cheated on his wife and had a baby with someone else, and finally because he would be drunk, scream and sing randomly. This is why my perspective changed about Troy.     Today in class we read the book "Fences" we were able to get to the 2nd last chapter and we began working on our project.     One thing that I learned was that people don't always seem what they look. A way that I may use this in the future is to be careful who I get close with.

      In my opinion I believe that one major lie or betrayal can change the way you see someone, even if you know that person for a long time. The reason why I believe this is because it makes you rethink your past memories with that person and wonder if any of those memories were real or not. Another reason why I say this is because putting your trust in someone is not something done real easily and getting lied to in a major way can ruin the way you think about people. I believe that trust can be rebuilt but its will take time and you have to give that person a reason to trust you again.       Today in class we worked on our group assignment, read the book "Fences" and were introduced to a new project.     One thing that I learned today was that even people you have known for a long time can lie to you. The way I may use this in my life is to not let my guard down around people.

      In my opinion I believe that parents should also have a little bit of emotional support toward their children. It makes sense that a parent should take care of their children and help them survive but emotional support can also allow the children to do better. A child who grows up without a parent showing them emotional support may give the idea to the child that they don't matter, this later may create the idea that they can do what ever they want like talk back or be disobedient. These are the examples of why I think emotional support is also important in a parents role.      Today in class we worked in our groups to complete the worksheet handed to us.     One thing I learned in class was to work better as a team. One way that I may use this in the future is to let others talk to finish an assignment much faster.

      I have chosen something I needed to do over something I wanted to do before in my life. I choose to get a job over the summer instead of paying attention to my favorite sport and practice. One thing that Influenced my decision was the thought of being able to gain money to buy stuff like school supplies or clothing. Another thing that influenced my decision was thinking about how being better at my sport was gonna benefit me in any other way. I was satisfied with my choice at the end because I was able to buy stuff I wanted, go hang out with my friends, and be able to go on trips with family members.      Today in class we began with some discussions about the book "Fences" and read part 1 scene 4.     One thing I learned Is that people confuse wants with needs. One way I may use this in my life is by not letting my wants take over on what I really need.

    In my opinion I believe that parents are supposed to love, provide and make them happy instead of focusing on liking them. Loving as a parent would be showing care for their child and giving attention they need. Liking as a parent would be enjoying their personality and the way they behave. I agree with Troy's view on parenting. I say this because in my opinion I believe that its more important to be there and provide for a child to make sure he survives instead of just enjoying the way they are.     Today in class we were assigned groups and read part 2 and 3 of the book "Fences" by August Wilson.     One thing I learned was that parents are supposed to take responsibility instead of liking you. This affected me by letting me see how parents main goal is to take responsibility for their children. 

      In my opinion adult children should not be borrowing money from their parents. If they are considered adults they should be mature enough to handle their financial problems. As a teenager who has a job I think it's important for a child to help their parents not parents help their older children. I believe that adult children should help their parents instead because their parents grow older and weaker, this might cause them to not have enough strength to work and make enough money. These are my beliefs about money and what I would do as an adult child.      Today in class we read more of the book called "fences" by August Wilson, and took some notes.      One thing I learned today was that words can be used in different ways, for example Boy can be used to describe someone who is not mature enough. 

      An example of the word fence that I have used in my life is disconnecting relationships with people who I felt were a bad influence In my life. I was mainly trying to avoid falling in the same path as those people. I did not want my future to be ruined just by a little entertainment. The fence that I made ended up helping in many ways besides feeling secure. I felt more focused on myself and what I actually wanted to do and not what others wanted. I was able to keep track of school and home, and people never saw me as disrespectful or rude to others. These are the ways that It helped me instead of holding me back.     Today in class we started reading a book called "Fences" by August Wilson's.     One thing I learned was that words can have two meanings. One way I may use this in the future is to try to use a common word and find another meaning to it.

      The presentation taught me that you can not always tell something about someone just by their looks. People always have more in them that others think for example, what gender they feel like they belong. Another example would be how many siblings they have or if they have twins. The last example would be the nationality they come from. These are some of the things that I learned about the presentation.     Today in class we presented our identity masks and how it relates to us.      One thing I learned today is that small things like a favorite sport can also identify someone. One way I am going to us this in the future is to ask more small things about a person when I meet them. 

    There have been many times when I felt like I belonged.  A time when I felt like I truly belonged was when I first went to a Christian church. One thing that created this feeling was the fact that everyone else was focusing on the same. Another thing that created this feeling was how everyone made me feel like home even though it was my first time going there, everyone was so polite and welcoming. The last thing that created this feeling was the way everyone would have the same goals as me. This is how I felt like I truly belonged and what created that feeling.          Today in class we worked on a common Lit assignment because the teacher was absent.     One thing that I learned today was that social media always makes human beings feel like they belong. One way I may use this in the future is to support someone by liking their post online. 

      A fear that I have overcome is fear of not knowing what could happen. When I was a kid and I would have to go somewhere where I have never gone before I would get nervous and try to think about how the place would look. This way of thinking would later on lead me to start overthinking about bad situations that could happen. An example of this would be when I went to a soccer tournament with a team I never played with, the first idea that came to my head was "what if the stadium is to big that I don't find my team on time for the inscriptions". The way I was able to overcome this fear was just by comparing my new situation to old situations I been in, for example in a new soccer tournament that I went to recently instead of overthinking about the unknown I remembered my last tournament and how easily I found the coaches just by calling them and meeting them in a certain place. 

    I have discovered many new perspectives in groups, places and people. An example of this would be when I used to assume that people who do boxing as a sport are aggressive and undisciplined. Later on once I started doing the sport myself I found out that most of those people are the calmest people ever and the most disciplined. My previous single story shaped my thoughts and actions by allowing me to get to know someone first instead of going by stereotypes. Another way it has shaped my thoughts and actions is by letting me know that not everything that is assumed by a person or group is always true.     I was not at school on Aug 31 therefore I don't know what we did in class.     Something I learned outside of school was to not judge someone by how they look. The way I may use this in my life is to not let thoughts or ideas affect the way I think of someone.