Teachers Make All the Difference

Ms. Toomer

In 10th grade I encountered the worst teacher I ever had. The teacher didn’t give clear directions and refused to explain the directions more then once. She "taught" us what we needed to know and then gave us practice problems while she sat at her desk and read magazines.

WordCount: 49 words

Mr. Roberts

Fifth grade was the best experience I have ever had as a student. My teacher made learning fun. Any chance he could find he would get us out of our seats. Almost all the lessons were interactive. He worked hard to be sure that his students had fun while succeeding.

WordCount: 50 words

Just Kill the Hate

            A few years ago, around Easter, my family went on a cruise. We stopped in Jamaica and spent our day at Dunn’s River Falls. Because it was a holiday there were many native Jamaicans as well as tourists. After climbing the waterfall I decided to return to the bottom of the waterfall to spend some time on the beach.

While swimming with my brother a young black Jamaican boy walked over to me and said, “What’s up whitey?” At the time I thought what he had said was funny, but I later realized that he was trying to be rude. Being white meant that I was never insulted simply due to the color of my skin. I did not enjoy being cast down for something I had no control over. I know I will never understand having to deal with the amount of hate most people have dealt with in their lifetime, but I do now understand the power of one single hateful word.

I have always believed that no matter the color of skin you should be treated with respect as a human being. But that day at the beach in Jamaica I learned that all those hateful words we throw around really do hurt, even if we don’t think they do. I hold tight to my belief that racial terms, even the ones that aren’t meant to be hurtful, shouldn’t be used by anyone; not even the people who the words were aimed at in the beginning. “Taking back” words keep the them alive; we need to just let all these words die along with all the hate that they have created.

Word Count: 274

The Digital Generation

We live our lives through our
computers, tablets, and phones.

 

My generation is one of computer based media. To make the digital media easier for us to reach technology companies are making computers smaller and more portable. Phones are now full of apps and web browsers; with this people are talking less and making more status updates. In some cases we tell each other way too much. Without the face to face communication we feel we can say things that we wouldn't tell someone to their face. We do not only communicate through the digital means; but we also shop, pay bills, listen to music, and pretty much everything else.

Word Count: 100 Words

Tanzina Vega, "A Friendlier Cellphone Brand," New York Times. March 6, 2012
Megan Angelo, "Yucking it Up on Yahoo, Like a Grownup," New York Times. March 2, 2012

how SAD can one HOUSE be?

This is not the Sad House, since moving out of the
neighborhood it was torn down and replaced with
a large home that matches the design of the others
in the community. It does look similar though.

Growing up in Catonsville I was surrounded by hundred year-old homes. The thing that brought our neighborhood together was the one small shack like house on the block. This house was known as the Sad House. The walls of the Sad House were falling down, the windows were all broken out, and the yard was always overgrown. It wasn't much to look at but the neighborhood kids would get together and tell stories about why the house was in such disrepair. The adults came together too, but they took turns cutting the grass when it got out of hand.

Word Count: 99 words