13- Peyton Miller- Discipline

Discipline. Probably one of the scariest words children hear throughout their childhood. When they break a valuable, cut their hair when theyre not supposed to, say a bad word, hurt somebody, or even say mean names etc. Discipline is always the first resort from a parent. But its the way that parents discipline that could effect their childs mannerisms and persona throughout their entire lives. Choosing the right disciplinary actions is what can essentially instigate or influence a child to do specific things when they grow up.

Children want to be loved. They want to feel safe in their own homes even when they know theyve done something wrong. In my opinion, spanking, using the belt, popping a child in the mouth, or hitting them with a spatula is the wrong way to discipline a childs wrongful actions. I believe that hitting or getting physical with a child is wrong because not only does it influence a child that “hitting is okay if someone does something wrong” but it also can change their outlook on you as a parent because what kind of person that is supposed to love their child, hits them when they could be learning from their mistakes rather than being beaten from them.

In my opinion, parents should use the warning system first before choosing the cruel punishment route. I believe this works because it gives the child a sense of “what could happen if i do this again” and should hopefully help themm learn that they shouldnt do what they shouldnt do. But along with this be there for that child if they do something wrong let them know the consequences of next time but also just comfort them because I know for a fac that when a child senses that they are in trouble they get anxious of what could happen because of it and most immediately regret it. 

Lastly, I just think that parents should not have to humiliate a child because of their wrongful actions. That child will forever remember the humiliation you caused them as a consequence to their own actions. Its different if the child humiliated themselves with that action but when someone else progresses that onto them its scarring. 

Parents should care and be there for their children if they make a mistake and use the warning system to give the input and idea into the childs head that it was a bad choice, so dont do it or next time this will happen. Because i believe everyone deserves a second chance and not a humiliation or hit bcause they did something wrong because everyone makes poor choices its how we act upon them that we learn. 

Word count:449

13 - Em Lin - Over the Mountains

 Week #13 - Over the Mountains

   

I go back to China for summer vacation nearly every two years, and every year, I enjoy going up the mountains that surround my hometown. There are two mountains that I went to regularly, one is smaller, but a little harder to climb up the stairs due to the stairs not being kept well, and the road up being blocked by overgrown grass and tree roots. The other one is way, way taller, but it is far more well kept due to the amount of people that walk up and down it each day. Iḿ rather unathletic, and I would much rather nap than climbing up some stairs on a mountain, but I never refused when my grandpa asked me too, because the view waiting atop the mountain was breathtaking every time.

    I remember clearly when there was a festival or celebration of some sort atop the mountain. The mountain top was alit with bright lights and decorations, and it felt like a wonderland for little me. I miss the beauty of nature being only accentuated by the touch of human inventions. I remember clearly climbing the huge rocks on top of the mountain, playing tag and hide and seek with the fellow kids, and getting yelled at by the adults to be careful. I remember clearly hugging onto my grandpaś back as he carried me down the mountain, my feet at that point being too tired to take me back down. I miss it whenever I go on walks in my neighborhood, the beauty of nature being marred by and not accentuated by the touch of human inventions. 

Word count: 269

5-Jacob Penrose- Permanent Music

Permanent music Word of the Week: Music Music has held a significant influence over us throughout our history. Music itself has been one of the first inventions that ancient humans have ever made. It has resided with us since we first started to use flint and stone tools. Likewise, it has also evolved with us as we progressed throughout the ages. As we made more significant strides in technological advancements, new instruments began to appear. Examples of which being the glass harmonica which was invented by Ben Franklin and the electric guitar being invented by Charlie Christian. The beauty behind music is that it is an artform that can communicate to its audience. It tries to convey its own message to the audience either through rhythm, lyrics, tone, and the different types of instruments. Since music is an artform, it is entirely subjective to every individual person who listens to it. There is always going to be a type of music that someone will dislike or even despise. On the other hand, there will always be a genre of music that someone will love. That is the uniqueness about music itself, there will always be a genre that a person will like. Music itself has always been able to unite us as a society together in many different ways, whether that be within religion, cultural traditions, or even casual listening. No matter the setting or environment, music will always find its place within our lives. This leads me to believe that it will always remain interwoven within our own lives and for many other generations to come in the future. (263)

13- Aaron Palma: Simple class, Complex impact

It was my last year at Padan Elementary school when they made me select the classes I was going to take for my incoming middle school year.

I initially was planning on going to go to Vaca Pena middle school, but decided to go to Sierra Vista middle school, due to the programs and classes they offered.

My most vivid memories at Sierra Vista derive from the wheel barrel elective I had chosen. Initially not knowing what this elective exactly was , I went into the class more exited than ever to learn what this class would be about.

The elective wheel consisted of 4 rotations throughout the school year that followed the quarter system. These mini courses in the class per say consisted of Avid essentials, CSI Science, Life Skills and Visual/Digital Art/ Coding,

The very first assignment for the class was in relation to life skills, specifically team work. The task was to stack cups as a group, and each cup  could only be moved by a string that was attached to only one person. As a result many would end up knocking the cups down due to lack of communication.

At the time I wasn't able to understand what the point was, but now I realized the importance of being able to work in a group and and efficiently communicate with one another.

In the second quarter we learned how to code with a very simple program called scratch, which consisted of building our own games from scratch and then testing it at the end of the quarter to see if we successfully completed a playable game. 

My biggest takeaways are these two things, because they truly marked me for life. I learned of the importance of being able to work as a team to accomplish something. And I also learned how to code and thanks to that exposure I am now doing a summer program at UC San Diego for machine learning.

13-Jacob Penrose- Burney Falls

Burney Falls Prompt: What’s the coolest thing you have ever seen in nature? Burney Falls had this otherworldly aura that very few places have been able to replicate. The first time I ever visited that place would always stick with me in my memory. When I arrived there with my mom and dad, the air was beginning to rank with the scent of smoke from fires miles away from where we were. This was coupled with the atmosphere feeling incredibly hot and humid from the summer heat. Eventually, we walked down the stairs leading to the base of the falls. Immediately, I noticed that the area was a lot windier and the air felt cooler with the mist emanating from the falls. The smell of smoke dissipated the further I walked down stairs leading to the base of the falls. The amount of mist in the air felt invigorating as I breathed and left me to achieve a kind of mental clarity, a stark contrast to the sickening smoke above. It was then that I saw the beauty that emitted from this place. The falls towered over me and everyone else that were visiting Burney Falls. The falls themselves sounded similar to that of static with the deafening roar of rushing water slamming into the rocks and liverpool below. The falls also still contained green plant life despite it being within the middle of summer, leaving the falls to appear as a final bastion for any plant-life to prosper. I also believed that this place was an escape from the summer heat as well. This place in nature seems to have held a power to it that made me forget all of my worries in my life, replacing it with appreciation and wonder as I was gazing upon Burney Falls. (287)

#13: A core memory with many more inside

 We gathered all the items together, one by one, speaking about the memories behind each one. We placed them in our beautiful, painted, wooden box, and layered the items gently on top of one another. I remember a crappy ring he got me from Walmart, a golf ball we stole from Scandia when we went on a date. 

    I remember the sound of his laugh when I brought up a funny memory from one of our items, and the glow in his eye when I told him:

    "This is my favorite".

    A small note that he gave me when we first started dating. He passed it to me in our freshman English class, and I kept it with me ever since. 

    I remember everything about that night. The warm touch of his hand, and watching the box go from nothing, into something we will remember for a lifetime.

    Everything about it changed the way I looked at life; I always believed things come and go, and I didn't have to keep anything, because everything is temporary.

    But it's not like that anymore.

    Not at all.

    After the moment we decided to make a time capsule, I started keeping anything and everything. Even if people are temporary, the memories are forever, despite who the memories were made with. 

    Making a time capsule truly has changed my life. I know it was stupid, but I wont ever forget how I felt before, and how me and my boyfriend connected, and have something to look forward to this August.

13- Genecis Z: Loss And Fate

       

        

        I have never experienced great loss at firsthand. No one that I have ever deeply cared for has passed on to the next life, if there is a next life. There is only a few people I would weep for if they came into harms way and besides them I keep my heart in a locked cage. 

        Although I have never felt loss in the way I imagine it to feel, I am terrified of ever crossing paths with it. Which is why I choose who to care about as bad as that may sound. But this world is far to cruel for me to easily be able to entangle myself with others in a way that them passing on would hit me at my core and render me feeling the ugliness that is loss. 

I have learned the hard way that people come and go as they see fit. And the universe is never on your side because there is far too many people for the universe to lend a helping hand out to everyone. Therefore she keeps herself out of fate and lets destiny take its course. Which is why when it comes to loss I have been lucky enough to secure my feelings far into my soul where the light of day has never even breezed its touch upon it. 

        Loss is an ugly feeling, I have seen what it does to others and I refuse to ever let it swaddle me in its cold arms and drift me off to its inevitable darkness. Those who have crossed paths with loss have been drowned in grief and you can see it in the way they carry themselves that their loss still lingers like a heavy presence around their shoulders and a shackle to their feet to keep them ever so closely. 

    

        With loss comes acceptance, but who in their right mind would allow them to accept such a cursed fate as the one loss has created for them. I imagine acceptance being like willingly allowing loss to suckle at your peace of mind every day until the fateful day in which you become someone else’s loss and the cycle continues. 

        An infinite cycle in which you are always one step behind loss and its faithful companion, fate. 

Word Count: 380

13 - Cecylia Baker: Hot pink flip flops

When I was about 7 I had these pink flip flops. The Y-shaped strap was light pink and glittery and the rest of the flip flop was hot pink. I loved wearing sandals as a kid because I didn’t like shoes and if it weren't for sandals then I would probably go bare-foot. I had a love-hate relationship with these flip flops. They were my favorite but at the same time I hated them because of this little tiny detail I would complain to my mom about all the time but she just brushed it off. On one of my flip flops, the front part was a little longer than the other and let me tell you, this awakened a gremlin in me or something. I hated it. I despised those sandals because of that but at the same time I loved the color and the glitter. Plus they were so comfy too. They weren’t like flip flops where sometimes they were more like hard rubber, these flip flops were different. Unlike any other, they were squishy and soft but that little detail in the front ruined it all. I even thought of trimming the front down with something but I didn’t want to ruin them. I told everyone about it too. Most adults would just say “oh honey you can’t even tell when you're wearing them”. BUT I COULD. Tell that to my little gremlin brain. Lets just say I was a peculiar kid and needed things to be perfect all the time. (btw the flip flops in the picture are the exact ones I had, I found them online)

13- Destiny D: Helpful Hardships

 

Something that seems like the hardest thing in the world for you to go through could be the easiest thing for the next person to get over. Some can’t imagine losing someone they held so close to their heart. Someone they cared for and stood by when things weren’t easy. Someone they may have fought so many battles for, only to receive nothing in return.

The thought of losing this person in spite of the hardships could destroy someone, but to somebody else this sense of loss could be incredibly freeing. Constantly providing for someone and receiving less than nothing in return, especially when you know they are more than capable, is draining whether you care for them or not. 

It is easy to let yourself get lost in the amazing parts of a situation while ignoring the parts that cause you pain. The highs will never make up for the lows. Remaining in such a destructive situation can cause one to look for outs, and when one is found that removal of the negativity grants them a sense of freedom.

Loss is not always terrible. 

Losing something so important to you causes you to open your mind more, and explore other options. Once you’re rid of this huge conflict you have a moment to really think about it and everything that led to that moment. 

That final second of consideration decides if every little high was really worth the destructive  lows. That final second forces you to decide how to move forward.

Word Count: 253