15 - Taylor L. - What do you want to be remembered as?

Word Count: 285

Legacy is of such significance as it is permanent. People come and go, but the impact they created will always be remembered in one way or another. Legacies are important because they represent an individual’s livelihood, accomplishments, or memory. Many individuals try to influence their legacies and leave behind an adequate legacy.

  Legacies can be summed up in just a few words. Oftentimes, examples of this are shown on tombstones with the deceased being commemorated with words or descriptions. Professions, passions, and family are commonly written on tombs. Overall, they represent what you were known for whether that was being a loving mother or father, a war hero/soldier, or a certain individual. 

  Legacies speak volumes in regards to a person’s character. It can show how much the individual put work and effort in different aspects of their life to achieve different goals. It can also represent a person’s personality, specifically certain characteristics and traits like kindness or drive. 

  In reference to myself, I have thought a fair amount as to what I want my legacy to be. I want to be remembered as an individual who was always reliable, driven, and successful. I hope I’ll be able to reflect proudly on my academic career and be able to be described as a college graduate. I also want to be remembered as someone who is adventurous and fun, that seeks to bring happiness to everyone around them.

  “What do you want to be remembered as?” is a question that I will continue to ask myself and will continue to influence my decisions in life. I work extremely hard to set myself up for success and hope my achievements will later be recognized in my legacy.

  

15 -Emily G: Supermarket Realizations

    Growing up, I endured a lot of grief. I watched family members slowly meet terms with a long life well-lived and even watched some of the closest people come to the defeation of health struggles. I was young and frankly uneducated in the world of death, and this often placed me in a position of being unaware of complicated ideas. 

I did not understand the concept of a legacy until an old lady in the supermarket expressed her sympathy toward me as I was buying flowers for my grandma's funeral; this old lady didn't know it but she introduced me to the true meaning of legacies, as she told me ‘there would be an abundance of legacy waiting to overtake me’. I asked my mom about what this exactly meant, and me, being ten years old and battling the grief I felt, my mom gently handed me my grandma's necklace and told me it is the representation of my grandma’s legacy. 

I have held onto this necklace for years and it has become a staple in my belongings. I also include a rosary my grandma granted to me hanging from my rearview mirror in my car, knowing she is there protecting me, as well as God. 

The word legacy can mean multiple different things to individuals; it can be tangible items retrieved from loved ones, and/or intangible concepts such as personality traits passed down from those have passed. My grandma left both. 

Word Count: 243

Enza C - 15 - Full Speed Ahead

    I absolutely love roller coasters. The first roller coaster I ever went on is now far lost in my little childhood brain. I love the suspense the roller coaster makes; hearing the *click* *click* *click* as the ride drives to the top, ready to blast off and drop into the unknown. Roller coasters absolutely scare me, but that’s what I love about them. The unknownness of what will happen next thrills me to no end. The unfamiliar feeling of my insides being scrambled around makes me want to experience that ride over and over and over again. 

    My favorite roller coasters are the super fast, super old, wooden ones. You can feel every crack and turn the old tracks carry as your ribs are being smashed by the sides of the cars due to the amount of force and speed that the roller coaster holds. The wooden coasters take you up a hundred feet and sometimes, there is a nice little relaxing cruise that the ride supplies. One where you can see the entire park and a bit beyond, where the warm setting sun hits your face just right and you get a breath of free, crisp air. The colors in the dawning sky dance around you and make you calm down before the next drops and adventures arrive. 

    When I first used to ride roller coasters I would close my eyes super tight, grip the bars very tightly, and hold my breath until the ride was completely over.  Scared to fall out of my seat or get hurt, and possibly forever change my life for the negative. However, now when I ride the ride, I'm at peace. Being scared of the ride won't stop the ride from crashing or destroying so you might as well calm down, enjoy the ride, and have the most fun that you can. 

    I can't wait until this summer so I can spend hours and hours at parks such as Santa Cruz or Knott’s Berry Farm and ride more roller coasters and feel that joy and nostalgic euphoria once again.  

Word counter - 346

15 - Kayla R. - Growing Through Change

 Growing Through Change

Everyday we endure small and big changes within our lives. Whether they are detrimental, or unnoticeable, they affect us in some way. 

Even if we don’t always welcome change nor find it necessary to our lives, it is crucial to our growth. With change comes new experiences, and with this we are able to grow and learn more about ourselves and others. 

Change isn’t always easy or positively enacted, but each outcome brings you to your greater, truer self. Change brings the opportunity to try or do something you have never done before. Forcing this new reaction causes you to think about your actions in a different, unusual circumstance. This ultimately leads to your own personal growth while also gathering numerous opportunities for yourself. 

Even in small changes, we find ourselves and our lives becoming more lively. We are shown new perspectives, and we learn new lessons. Change doesn’t always get the credibility though, and many times we don’t realize the benefits we receive until we truly reflect on the change we endured. 

Regardless of its numerous outcomes, I would choose change over the same any day. Changes that I personally have endured have allowed me to grow into a person that I am much more proud of than I have ever been before. Changes have shown me who I truly am as a person, as well as the true colors of those around me. My changes have brought me numerous opportunities that would have lain dormant before. 

Who I am today can wholeheartedly be put to blame on the changes I have experienced. Both the good and bad have shaped me to be the truest version of myself. Through my changes I have found my people, my passions, my serenity, and myself. 

Word Count: 293

15-Ella Draper- Get Free

 Get Free 

 

 Word count:440

The vintage stylings and poetic lyricism used throughout Lana Del Rey’s songs make me admire her as an artist and person. Her song, “Get Free” is what I believe to be one of the strongest songs lyrically of this century so far.  

Get Free is essentially a song where Lana vows to rid herself and her life of any unnecessary darkness. The message of this song is just as important as how the message is told throughout this song. 

Lana opens the song with, “Finally… I’m crossing the threshold, from the ordinary world to the reveal of my heart”. This opens the gate for her listeners to hear her in a new perspective. One that leads listeners to Lna’s inner thoughts. 

In the first verse Lana writes, “Take the dead out of the seas and the darkness out of the arts: This is my commitment, my modern manifesto”. She takes such articles of light and joy, and promises to take the hurt, and darkness out of them. Her claiming this as her “modern manifesto” means that she is on a mission to carry out these duties until all the duties are finished. Meaning in this stance, she will be taking darkness out of the light until there is no more darkness left to be removed. 

Colors can represent light and darkness and Lana uses this in her chorus when she sings, “ I wanna move out of the black, into the blue”. We as people associate many things with color, especially moods. Black for many represents shadow, hurt, and isolation, whereas blue is widely associated with things that bring joy such as the ocean and the sky. This line adds a great contrast between the two moods we have been introduced to in this song. 

  My favorite line in this song is, “sometimes it feels like I’ve got a war in my mind, I want to get off, but I keep riding the ride”. This line acknowledges how hard it is to stand up to the darkness and hurt in life. We as humans become more comfortable with darkness in out lives because we find it harder to discard that darkness than to live with it. This is exactly why Lana wrote this song to begin with. 

This song has taught me many lessons in the formative years of my high school time. Lana is portraying in this song that although it may be difficult, ridding your life of its darkness, will allow you to live to your fullest potential in a joyous light. Proving that the pursuit of happiness is long road, but one worth a difficult travel.

15- Trevor O: Moving Again

 

On the first day of fourth grade, I was excited and happy to see all of my friends again. The way my elementary school was set up, every student had the same teacher and class for both third and fourth grade, so I basically knew what to expect and already had a close group of friends on my first day. For the most part, my school year wasn’t much different from the last and was fairly ordinary. In class, we learned basic math and science, and we learned about the missions and the gold rush. At lunch, I would eat our school’s brand-new cafeteria and then play wiffle ball or trade Pokémon cards with my friends.  

Most of my school year was fairly ordinary and boring. The highlight of that school year was probably when my class and all the other fourth grade classes went on a multi-day field trip to this state park up north that was a large center for gold mining during the gold rush.

Everything seemed to be going good and I really enjoyed the new campus our school had moved to and the friends I had in my class. But then, towards the end of the year, around March or April, my mom told me and my sister that this would be our last year at that school and that we would be moving again, this time to Vacaville, which is a whole hour away from where we used to live. I was pretty shocked to say the least and while I was at first excited at the thought of moving somewhere new, I quickly lost that excitement when I realized that meant I would have to change schools and make new friends again. On the last day of fourth grade, I signed my friends’ yearbooks, and they signed mine as we said our goodbyes. I stayed in touch with some people from my fourth-grade class for a little bit, but quickly fell out of touch with them.

Word Count: 333

15- Vivi L- The year I don't remember

 

When I first thought about this topic, I could not remember a single thing from fourth grade. I thought about it for a while and continued trying to figure out why this was, it was to the point that I could not even remember my 4th-grade teacher’s name. While this could just be due to the fact that I was in fourth grade eight years ago. I noticed one big event that occurred during 2015, my fourth-grade year, my brother passing away.

I believe that because of this traumatic event, my mind blocked off most of my fourth-grade year, as I was so focused on my loss, that I did not have time to be a normal fourth grader. I learned in my psychology class this year that it is very common and easy for this to occur. 

Some people would assume that due to how long ago this grade was, I simply just forgot, but I have absolutely no recollection of anything from that year in school. What convinces me of my theory is that I can remember details even back to kindergarten so what caused me to so easily forget everything from that year?

However, looking back, I do not think I would want to remember my fourth-grade year. Knowing that the year was packed with trauma, family drama, and missing constant school, I am glad I have no memories of that year. Not to mention, I was extremely bullied at the school I had been going to at the time.

WORD COUNT 253 of 1564

15 - Esmeralda Barajas: It was "obvious"

 Obvious

My friends Charlotte and Dayna knew I had a huge crush on this guy named Christian, and it was almost the end of the school year. I knew a lot about Christian; he, on the other hand, was probably uninterested in me. My friends came up with the bright idea for me to tell him how I felt when we were sitting on the field during recess. I didn't want to do it at first, but they persuaded me, and I eventually gave in. They both assured me that he would like me back and that I should not be concerned. They were entirely wrong. We returned to the classroom after recess, and all I recall it being dark and something playing on the projector. Christian sat directly in front of me, which is ironic. I summoned all of my bravery to tell him that I liked him, and if you want to hear what he said, read on... "I already knew that. It was obvious ." Although I wasn't technically rejected, you can tell that I was. My skin was as red as a tomato, and my heart was racing. My hands were clammy, and the only thing I could say was "oh."After that, I never spoke to him again. Do you want to know what's the most amusing aspect of the situation? His cousins live across the street from my house, and he would stop by to see them. He still does it now and then. I wonder what it would be like if we talked again after 8-9 years, but I can only speculate because it will never happen, and I don't want it to.

Word Count: 278

14 - Esmeralda Barajas: Transition

 Transition

It's quite boring to follow the same pattern every day. It gets old doing the same thing every day, talking to the same people, going home, and staying indoors all day. Because we never know when our last breath will be, I want to discover life and enjoy it to the utmost. Skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, swinging off a cliff on a giant swing, and other activities are on my bucket list.

Change allows us to progress in life and encounter new and fascinating experiences. Life might become stagnant if you don't actively work on improving yourself. Being open to change, gaining new abilities, and working on your inner self can lead to transformations you never imagined. Change is one of life's constants. It happens whether you're prepared or not. We develop. We get old. Change is neither positive nor negative. It's something that can't be controlled.

Change adds adventure and excitement to one's life and allows one to break free from monotony. It's all too easy to get caught up in the daily routine of coming home, doing chores, browsing through your phone, and going through the motions without any excitement. To keep things fresh, plan weekend activities you'll enjoy, be open to going out with friends or trying something new, or establish a list of new things to attempt this year. Allowing yourself to be open to new experiences can bring a lot of joy into your life.

Change forces us to disrupt our routines and think outside the box in order to uncover something new. Nothing beats the feeling of a new beginning. When you shake up your routine with drastic change, you open yourself up to chances you might have passed over if you stayed in your daily loop. Small modifications help pave the way for larger ones in the future.

Word Count: 305

15 - Lorenzo M. Is It Really Chili?

 

Is It Really Chili?

Word Count: 350

My uncle took me to a fair in fresno along with my cousin and the experience was pleasurable as it gave me something to do.  Of course some of the rides did look a bit sketchy but I think the food there looked like it was gonna take us out first.

It was around the time where dinner would usually be served but none of us would last a couple of hours without food and certainly didn’t want to waste our appetite so we all decided to snack.  My uncle asked what we wanted to eat and I said I would pick off of their plates and my cousin agreed to do the same so he came back with a large order of fries with chili on it.

Of course carnival food ain'tt all gourmet but when my eyes were set upon those fires, it looked like an absolute mess.  Whatever chili they advertised was certainly not approved by the FDA.  But it didn't seem to concern my uncle because half the fries were gone by the time he arrived.

  My cousin had the same idea as he was grabbing fries with no chili which was braver than what I did cause I didn’t grab a single fry.  My Uncle obviously saw this weird behavior in me cause I like fries and I just told him I wasn’t hungry anymore which was a poor defensible lie but I was too distracted with the chili.

He gave me that look as if that's not true so I explained the chili looks sketchy.  He downplays it and says I’m being too picky and continues to consume.  Then my cousin gets onboard with me and stops eating and my uncle laughs it off and finishes the fries for all three of us.

But such events from consuming hair raising food led my uncle to have food poisoning later that evening.  Being stubborn as he is he didn’t want to go home and just settled with drinking water for the rest of the night but for sure don’t eat anything with a questionable texture.

14 - Taylor L. - Smaller is Better

Word Count: 280

  When I was younger, I distinctly remember my teachers expressing irritation at having big classes. Long, exasperated sighs and groans were a guarantee from every teacher when they received class rosters of over 30 students. I didn’t understand why having large classes could be a bad thing. 

  In elementary and middle school, subjects were easy to learn and comprehend for me. I rarely needed any help from teachers. High school material would differ greatly in this aspect. Raising my hand in class and requiring more in depth explanations became a  normal occurrence. It started to become more evident just how much class sizes could impact my learning.

  Large classes can inhibit a student's ability to receive extra guidance or help. Not only does a surplus of students create a louder and noisy learning environment, it can take away from a teacher's focus. By having a large class size, it is less likely that students will receive one on one help. Hands raised with questions may be overlooked or gone unnoticed. 

  Having smaller classes with about twenty to twenty five students is beneficial to everyone including the teacher and students. It’s easier to manage a smaller class. It’s also easier to ensure every student fully comprehends a subject as well as reach out to those who are struggling. Smaller classes also create a more comfortable, cozier learning environment for students. Large, boisterous classrooms can be overwhelming and distracting for a majority of students. 

  While I never realized why large classes posed such an issue in my younger school years, it is apparent now how greatly it can impact a students ability to learn. I definitely prefer smaller classes for these reasons.

14 -Emily G: Alphas, Not Betas

    When I was younger, I never really considered myself to be the type of sister who would look up at my older siblings and have the desire to be like them. I always viewed them as everything I didn’t want to be, as we had that sister-brother rivalry that had us often struggling to get along. However, it wasn’t until recently that I truly began to realize that my brother, Adam, is everything I aspire to be; he demonstrates infinite strength and intelligence that inspires me to simply be the best that I can be.

It wasn't until our teenage years that we finally started to be each other's best friends, putting aside our differences in typical sibling stereotypes and finding comfort in one another. He opened up to me in a way I never thought possible and I gained perspective that maybe he is the man who inspires me the most. I look up to him, as any little sister would, but this time it's for different reasons. We both find comfort in relating to each other along the lines of our parents and our similar ethics to become “alphas” and not “betas”, as he puts it. 

    He is positively one of the best people I know- he can turn any dim room into a light one with just a joke, leaving the whole room filled with laughter, and his ability to deal with so much at the same time, shocks me every time. Adam hides his depth with pride but remains humble and down to earth and I aspire to be as great as he is. 

Word Count: 268

Enza C - #14 - Does size matter?

    Class size can be an very important factor in ones education. There are many advantages and disadvantages in having a class size that is too big and having a class that is too small. 

    Having a moderate class size allows the teacher to work very closely with their students. It can help them ensure that the students know what they are doing and can allow the teacher to be able to check up on the students more often. A normal class size introduces more opportunities for one-on-one contact and small-group instruction. An average class size can increase the bond between a teacher and student and allow them both to become familiar and friendly towards each other. Thus making the sudents excited to come to class and eager to learn from the teacher.  

    Having a larger class size can reduce the number of interations between a student and teacher and make the time of learning a subject go by too quickly for some students. However, being in a bigger class can be benefital  to certain  students that work well with fast paced classes and topics. It can allow some students to move on more quickly to the next topic and allow more time to learn new, greater subjects. 

    Having an class size that is very small could mean less work for the teacher to do and less distraction for students to encounter. However having less socialization between peers could make the students become less interested in the class and make them feel bored and isolated from their peers. 

    An appropriate class size should be about 25-30 students per class depending on the subject and the teacher. This number guarantes that the students get enough attention and the load of work won't be too much for the teachers to handle. 

Word counter - 298

14 - Kayla R. - I Almost Died with my Best Friend...

 I Almost Died with my Best Friend.. 

Jenna and I were inseparable at a young age, but we had sadly drifted once high school hit and didn’t talk to one another for nearly three years. After a blog post she had written and shared with me, we reconnected and had lunch together. After the initial reconnection, we instantly clicked like before and became best friends once again. 

We had planned to hangout again this past weekend, but we had officially gotten tired of hanging out in mundane Vacaville. We decided to hangout in downtown Davis, somewhere we hadn’t visited very often. We wanted a different environment, and we felt that Davis would be the perfect spot!

Jenna has a small fear of the freeway, so we agreed that I would drive since I have a bit more confidence driving that far of a distance on the freeway. After stopping in Dixon for some Dutch Bros, we were on our way to Downtown Davis for lunch. 

As we continued to drive for a couple of minutes, the freeway split into more lanes, changing from three to four lanes. With this change, a car slightly ahead of me to my left attempted to get into my lane, ignoring her shoulder, nearly crashing into me! With panic, I swerved a little too aggressively to the right. Since we were at such high speeds on the freeway, I started to lose control of the car, causing my car to swerve from left to right within the farthest right lane and shoulder. Throughout this, Jenna is screaming my name, while I am frantically yelling “OH MY GOD” trying to regain control. 

When I finally regain control, Jenna advises me to take the nearest exit so we can calm down. Once I took the exit and parked, I turned to Jenna to apologize, and we both just started crying hysterical laughter. We were both so freaked out, but the fact that we had experienced it together, made it a little less scary. 

Since we had been young, Jenna and I were always there to provide comfort for one another. She was always there for me, as I was for her too. In this moment, we realized the scariness and the danger of what we had just experienced, but neither of us would have wanted to experience anything like it with anyone else. 

After we wiped our tears, I of course apologized to her and reassured her that I was not a terrible driver and it was not my fault. She of course understood, and we mutually shared the comfort we felt for experiencing such a scare together. The situation reminded Jenna and I of the comfort we had once provided for each other that had never left. While of course, this is not the situation I may have wanted to experience for this reminder, she and I both now find ourselves laughing when we think of it, making us that much more thankful for one another. 

Word Count: 493

14-Ella Draper-Tis' BRUTAL out here

 Tis’ BRUTAL out here 

 

Olivia Rodrigo, teen pop star and global phenomenon.  Her songs “Driver's License” and “good 4 u” were almost inescapable in the year 2021. For me Olivia means more to me than a few catchy songs. 

I first started following Olivia when she was a young child actor on the Disney Channel show, “Bizaardvark”. Eventually Liv went on to play Nini in the Disney Plus show “Highschool Musical the Musical the Series'’. I enjoyed this show very much and was very interested in the cast’s personal and dating lives outside of the show. While her first Driver’s License shed light on Olivia’s past dating life with fellow co-star Joshua Bassett, I was very well informed on the dating history before the song’s release. 

Once Driver’s License was released, I became completely attached to the song. The rawness in lyrics and vocals give the song a personal connection many songs lack in present day songs. For weeks Driver's License was the only song playing through my earbuds, so when Olivia decided to release more songs, you can imagine my excitement. 

With her next leading singles being “deja vu” and “good 4 u” released in the spring months before the highly-anticipated album “sour”, Olivia was feeding us fans with amazing musical content. 

Olivia’s album was one of my favorite things that came out of 2021. This album felt so endearing to me as a teenage girl figuring out this brutal world of judgment and terrifying world of traitors. With each song I felt moved emotionally, wanting to live my life just the same as Liv’s. 

Recently Olivia announced a tour, while she has become a worldwide star, liv opted for a smaller tour, filling theaters and small centers, over arenas. As a die hard fan I was terrified of the thought that I may not be able to get my hands on these glorious tickets. After a long and stressful day of sitting on ticketmaster, and extensive face times with my best friend, a fellow Olivia fan, We secured tickets to Olivia’s show in San Francisco. I cannot wait to hear all of my favorite songs performed live.

14- Trevor O: Family

 

Throughout my entire life, I’ve been surrounded by a large, loving family that has only grown larger as time has gone on. When my parents divorced when I was a young kid in kindergarten, my family life was turned upside down. Despite the personal problems my mom and dad had with each other, family members from both sides of my family continued to show my sister and me unconditional love and support as we navigated through the messy divorce. And to me, that is really what family is all about, showing unconditional love and support to one another and having each other’s backs through the most difficult parts of life. Sometimes though, family members can be toxic and can prevent you from becoming your best self and succeeding. In that case, it is important to realize that you don’t need to deal with them and can cut them off.

Although we often think of family as those we are related to by blood, family can often be much more than that. Both of my parents eventually remarried and my family grew larger as I gained new step-parents, step-siblings, and half-siblings. Although we are not related by blood, I am much closer and have much better relationships with some of my step-siblings than I do with many of my family members to whom I am related by blood. In fact, in my specific case, I feel like some of the closest relationships I have with my family members are with family members who I am not related to by blood like my uncle who married into the family. 

Word Count: 267

14-Vivi L- Family (not dom toretto's)

        

    Growing up I remember all of my friends having big families, with their parents still together, and always being considered weird because well, my parents were not together a single day of my almost 17 years of living. I had a big family, at least up until I was nine years old, with two older sisters, a big brother, my mom, and for a bit of my life, my dad. For as long as I could remember, I wished my parents were together. I saw my friends with their moms and dads together and always wondered what it was like to have non-divorced parents. Like I said, it was like this until I was nine, and although I had a dad and had two older sisters, I had little to no relationship with them.  

When I was nine and lost my brother, my family almost seemed as though they took it as an opportunity to show their true colors, with court cases, fights, and more it got really ugly. However, when I was about 11 years old, I learned that, while I did not have good relationships with my blood-related family, what mattered most is the family you surround yourself with. You can choose your real family through friendships. Learning this helped me cope with the idea of not having a “real family” and allowed me to have some of the strongest and greatest friendships of my life. I will always remember that while you are born with a certain family, that is not who you are forced to surround yourself with and that you can choose your family.

WORD COUNT 269 of 1297

14 - Lorenzo M. Win A Dog's Heart

 

A Dog’s Heart

Word Count: 291

Dogs are always loyal to their owners and you gotta love them for that, but for such gorgeous animals having to eat the same meal everyday could be played to your advantage to get to their heart.  Almost every house I’ve been to, there's always a dog living with the house owner and I make it my prime goal to assure that dog loves me more than the owner.

Some are easy to get their attention while some are very distant but regardless of their social status, I always bring out the best weapon to assure their love which is through food.  Whenever meal time is around I always give myself more food just specially reserved for the dogs but of course to people it looks like I’m trying to bulk or something.

And sure enough the dogs come towards me to test if I would be so generous and obviously I grant them that wish and they continue to come back for more.  Of course I give them moderate portions cause I can’t allow them to get upset stomachs, would be bad on my conscience.  

But regardless, my influence on them by giving them food assures them that I am their number one person to go to when they want food.  By the end of the day when I depart, I can’t always have my selfish goal of making the dog wanna come home to me but no matter what happens, it went all according to plan.

The next time I visit they know exactly what I can offer to them so that their owners don’t spoil them typically.  So if you wan’t a dog’s attention, reach it by their stomachs and offer them food but not too much.

Enza Cosio - 13 - Disciplining children

  When disciplining your child the main goal should be and guaranting that the child understands what they did, educating your child on what was wrong with their actions, and supporting your child to avoid those actions or behaviors in the future. 

  Abuse and physical harm should never be inflicted on children. Using torturous devices on your child such as belts, cords, wires, and kitchen utilities will not help the child understand the severity of their behavior. Physical harm should not be inflicted especially on young children, if the child is at a very young age and if a child is too young to verbally understand what they did wrong, they will just view the physical punishment as cruel and unnecessary and no lesson will be learned.


  Inflicting harm on your children can be traumatic for your children and increase the chances of them developing mental illness in the future. Whipping and bodily harm also does not gain parents any respect in fact it just might cause rebellion. Many parents demand respect however respect has to be earned. You have to gain a child's respect just like you have to gain anyone else's respect.

In order to properly discipline your children you should just talk to them and then accordingly give them chores or assignments to complete depending on the situation and in order for them to learn their lesson. You should teach your children what's right and whats wrong using calm words and action. Model the behavior you want to see in your children and they will follow in example. Parents should also establish clear rules and boundaries and lastly be consistent with your disciplining. 

Word Count- 275

13 - Taylor L. - Loss of Time

Word Count: 255 

  Loss is to be without in possession of. Whether you lost the other matching sock, a dear pet, or family member you have lost their presence momentarily or permanently in your life.

  Time is the most valuable thing. Its quantity is limited and only a certain amount of time is allotted to everyone. It can not be bought, but it can be spent or stolen. The loss of time is arguably one of the most difficult things to lose, because there is no getting it back. It is permanently gone.

  Time dedicated and spent towards something is valuable, therefore making the recipient valuable. In an incredibly busy life filled with sports, jobs, school, and extracurriculars, time is exceedingly precious. Hours to days to months worth of dedication to something can be the most painful thing to comprehend when that something is lost. 

  You can never get back the memories, the time, the experiences. You lost that time and it is now all in the past. Usually, it’s possible to find things that you lost, however time is not tangible. There’s no way to get it back or make up for it. It is gone.   

  The loss of time is more complex than the loss of a beloved object. It calls for a deeper grieving. When a person passes we say, “Sorry for your loss”, because it is an understood idea that that person will never come back. The loss of time is made similar this way as there is no way to get it back. 

Ella Draper #13- Peace in the water

 Peace in the water 

Word count:536

 

This past September I was blessed enough to be able to join my bestfriend and her family n a trip to Maui. I had never visited this island before and was excited to see all that it had to offer alongside my favorite person.  

Maui, although a popular destination for honeymoons, and resorts, the island is also home to some of the greatest natural attractions our country has to offer. 

On about the third day of our trip, we decided to take a trip to Twin Falls, a popular waterfall and hiking beauty tucked behind the hills of Maui. At first glance the water fall was pretty crowded by tourists making it hard to fully enjoy the calming water stream, with the loud noise and commotion the crowd posed. 

Some fellow friends that were also on this trip had gone off on their own trail exploring the area and when the couple finally made it back, the brought back news that there was a beautiful small waterfall, unnoticed by the crowds, and just about a ten minute walk down the stream. 

Me and maddy were ecstatic, as we were stoked to go see a waterfall, and would finally be able to get some insta pics without little kids splashing and crying in the background. We followed the couple down the side of the stream, stepping on slippery rocks, and crossing back and forth over the shallow river when a path had turned too narrow to walk on. About three minutes into our journey, my flip flop broke. I'm not sure if your sandal or flip flop has ever broken while you were walking, but it is one of the most aggravating things in life. However I was determined to make it to this secret place and tredded on forward barefoot. While the hike was challenging before, being barefoot added an extra level of risk, and pain to this journey. 

Finally, the waterfall was in sight, I think it was love at first sight. This secluded cenote/waterfall was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in nature. It felt like a gift from mother earth herself. Although the water was very cold, I finally worked up the courage to get in. After me and maddy got out of the water we still sat on a ledge with our feet in as we admired the falling action of the whitewater at the back of the centote.
Eventually we were told it was time to leave, maddy pleaded to her parents to give us just 5 more minutes, and they agreed. I loved it there, I felt like I could stay there forever in that moment. I felt so connected to that place, the water, the soft breeze blowing through the hot weather, even the algae growing on the rocks we sat on. The place felt comfortable, like a home. 

At last our time had ended, and we were faced back to the hard truths of reality and the slippery hike pack to the parking lot. Although my time at the waterfall was short-lived, I will never forget the strong feeling and connection I felt to nature in those quiet moments of peace on September 25th 2021.

13 - Kayla R. - The Roots

 The Roots 

The roots of a tree are a necessity for the life of the tree itself. The roots are its oldest part, having stuck themselves in the ground at the earliest stages of growth. The roots are the most essential source of energy, and keep the tree grounded, literally. 

I like to consider myself as the root of the tree. In comparison to the branches, I find myself always trying to find stability for myself and those around me. Like the roots, I want to provide myself with energy, and set myself up for success early on. The roots are a prime example of who I strive to be as an individual. Not just for myself, but also those close to me, I try to be someone who is stable, one who is dependable in times of need. 

Roots are strong, even in the toughest of storms. Even when I find myself battling with a storm of my own, I try my hardest to remain stable and keep sturdy until I know the storm will pass. Roots require to be strong, resilient, independent, and dependable. I feel that I can associate myself with the requirements of roots. I try my hardest to always be one who is strong within myself, as well as independent when it comes to being responsible for my well being and successes.

I am proud to consider myself as the roots of a tree. Sometimes it feels unbearable to have such pressures and weights all depending on you. But with this pressure, comes relief. Relief of success that finally comes after a long storm. The relief of knowing your resilience has done you well. With the pressures of holding an entire tree up along with its many branches, there are times of success, which make being the roots even more rewarding and special. 

Word Count: 306

12- Trevor O: Discipline

 

As a parent, I feel like it is your job to prepare your kids for the real world and becoming a valued member of society. In order to teach kids, parents must discipline their children in some way when they misbehave. Not being a parent yet, I feel like it is hard for me to judge the ways in which parents choose to parent their children. However, in my personal opinion, parents should discipline and help their children learn from their mistakes in productive and not overly authoritarian ways.

Many see discipline as needing to be an aggressive punishment like a spanking or being yelled at. While this may work on some kids, I feel this often does more harm than good. Taking AP Psychology has really changed my views on how parents should parent and what parenting styles are best. Drawing partially from personal experience and also from what I have learned in psychology this year, I think the better approach to discipline is one that is less aggressive and better allows the child to learn from their mistakes.

For instance, I think that explaining and demonstrating to your child what exactly they did wrong is a better method of discipline. In addition to this, parents should provide a punishment, or consequence, of some sort, especially if the action the child is being disciplined for is one that they repeatedly do. This can be done through revoking a privilege like a phone or video games.

Essentially, while I would not say that there is one right way to discipline kids, I do think some approaches work better than others.

Word Count: 267