Being in Honors English- Claire Riley

If I hadn't done anything, I'd be in CP English. Not that I didn't like that class, it was fine. But how do I explain that I don't feel smart.
How do I explain that when I was there, after fighting a year as a freshman, as the leader of every presentation group, I was still held back?
How do I explain that after getting "outstanding!" written on my paper over and over, I was still held back?
How do I explain that after working harder than I've ever worked in that class only to be labeled as a "try hard," I was STILL held back?

Being in this honors class has meant the world. I know it doesn't seem like much. It's a high school course, and kids including me complain ALL THE TIME about work. But just the idea of getting to sit where others who genuinely care about their grade is awesome. Getting to feel like I'm actually improving in my work and getting a quality education is awesome. Writing has been the only academic I've never stopped enjoying, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

Being in this class means that I've earned it. It means that I'm seen as above average at something that I've worked hard on to improve. I feel on top of the world when I sit down in my seat and get asked by peers what I wrote. Why am I the example? Aren't you guys the geniuses? 

Being in this class I've read the most interesting books. What's better? I found people just as interested in reading as me. Mrs. Kopp's recommended books never failed to intrigue me, and I've had so much fun talking about them.

Being in this class makes me feel smart. I feel like I have something colleges can finally look at and say, "oh, so she likes to write huh?"

In my next two years, I hope to go into some AP English classes. English has always been a bigger part of my school life than the rest of my academics, and I'm happy to say I excel at something that I could get a job in later on.

I'm so happy the school board and the English department has let me into this class, even after I almost gave up hope. I'm so grateful that Mrs. Valleau put up with my crap about wanting to go higher, even without the recommendation or the grades. I'm so happy I was able to spend my time in this class this year, have so many valuable lessons, and enjoy my time feeling like the smartest kid in the world...or at least for 45 minutes. :)

"the A-Z's of the English Language" by Liz Ukstins

The A-Z's of the English Language 

by Liz Ukstins

The English language is subjective. It means different things to different people. For example, the English language could be, to one person, simply the means to communicate, while to another, any sentence is a work of art. Below is an A-Z interpretation of the English language given by an educator of the deaf and blind. She is fluent not only in English, but in Spanish and Sign Language. The 'test subject', so to speak, was asked to give a word about the English language that she associated with the given letter. She was then asked to explain the reasoning behind each answer.

Antonym, Book, Comma, Dictation, Exclamation, Fortitude, Glossary, Highlight, Intense, Juxtaposition, Kinesthetic, Language, Monologue, Natural, Onamonapia, Painful, Question, Racy, Situational, Talk, Unique, Verse, Washing-away, X-treme, Yesterday, Zest

"Antonym, because there is a positive and negative to the English language - a good and a bad, which are ironically antonyms. Book, because thats where words are found. Comma, its an essential to the English language. How awkward would it be to not have commas? Dictation, because words are dictated. We see and hear words to understand them. Exclamation, because English is exciting. Also, because we exclaim things to show emotions. Fortitude, because English can suck sometimes. There are three to's to use, how confusing! Glossary, because thats where we learn new words. If we don't know a word from, for example, a textbook, we just look in the back. Highlight, because the spoken language is the highlight of any culture. If you can speak the language, you can go anywhere. Intense, because the English language is difficult to learn. It can be intense at times. Juxtaposition, because languages are unique. The same word in, lets say, German and English could be contrasting in pronunciation but have the same meaning. 'Ambulance' compared to 'Krankenwagen' is comical, but is a perfect example. Kinesthetic, because there are so many different ways that people learn. It makes me happy to know that in English, we have a word for each of these learning styles. Language, beside the obvious, because languages are art. Words are the pictures. Cultures are the colors. Monologue, because a person talking to themselves shows as much character as talking to someone else. Natural, because it is natural for someone to want to communicate. I have never seen a deaf or blind person refuse to try to communicate. Onamonapia, because thats a word about the English language that starts with an 'O', also because onamonapia is fun! Bam! Painful, because anyone who has learned English as a secondary language will tell you that it was no cake-walk. The English language has been proven to be one of the most difficult languages to learn, next to Mandarin Chinese and Finnish. Question, because we ask questions to learn. We answer questions to spread knowledge. Racy, because we have these things called euphemisms. I can say "She turned on the light switch" and some will interpret it as being sexual, but in reality, 'she', whoever 'she' is, just turned on a lamp. Situational, because depending where you are in the world, you may have to speak another language. Talk, because the basis of communication is verbal association. Unique, because English is made up of more than eleven original languages. Verse, because poetry is the bomb. Washing-away, because words like 'selfie' and 'fleek' are in the dictionary. We are losing the integrity of our language.  X-treme, because the average English-speaker has 20,000 words in their daily vernacular. Yesterday, because the words we say today are based on the words from yesterday. For example, the words nine and eleven did not have the same significance they have today that they did on September 10th 2001. Finally, zest, because to speak English, you need excitement and energy."

I found that this "experiment" was an interesting outlook of the English language and revealed a lot about the person providing the answers (the words she chose showed intelligence and confidence). I, personally, challenge everyone reading this to perform the experiment on themselves. It may reveal some truths about yourself or even our ever-expanding English language; you may learn something new. 

Why Parents/Students Are Refusing the PARCC By Grace Becker

By Grace Becker
This week, students across New Jersey are taking the PARCC test, many of which dread. Of course, like any standardized test, students moan and groan about the approaching days of sitting at a desk for continuous hours of a test that really may have no affect on any aspects of their education. When it comes to the PARCC in particular, many students, and their parents, are refusing to take it. However, this reaction is not uncommon. Students and parents are opting out and refusing this standardized test, many of which have good reasoning. Here are a few reasons why...

1) Emotional Toll On Students- Just like any standardized test, the stress toll on students definitely is a contribution. However, this test is unlike any other due to the fact it comes in a very different format. Completing math problems on the computer while trying to graph, show work, and explain your reasoning, is one thing that does not get easier through technology. In fact, it makes it harder. Learning how to use online calculators and not being sure how to use the symbols given can be very confusing for students and increase stress while trying to complete the test.

2) Less Instructional Time In School- While schools are taking this time for the PARCC to take place, hours of education in class and quality leaning time are being thrown away. The test, taking up the majority of the morning to complete, results in the rest of the schedule being affected, causing class time to be wasted. This time can be used more effectively in the classroom learning the curriculum, instead of testing students on some topics they haven't even learned yet.

These are just two reasons why the PARCC has some major negative aspects. Of course it is up for debate and hundreds of parents across New Jersey are coming together to try and stop this form of standardized testing in their child's school. Is it really as negative as everyone makes it out to be? But is it also providing any benefit to our students either?