Lazy, Mac called for his mother to bring him his breakfast. She asked him what he wanted and he replied, “Bananas of course! I’m a monkey for goodness sake!” Calmly his mom responded “I was just checking Mac. Take it easy. I’ll go pic some, I’ll be right back.” And with that she climbed down from their tree house and went on her way. Now usually, Mac’s mother came home within five minutes after she leaves to pick the breakfast bananas, and during that time Mac fell asleep until she arrives again. Because of this usual routine, Mac snuggled back into a comfortable position and fell asleep.

Mac sleepily opened his eyes and yawned. Then Mac noticed something strange, the afternoon sun was chinning through the treehouse window. His stomach grumbled as he wondered where his mother was. Carefully, he climbed down from the tree and standing on the rainforest floor he looked around for his mom. All he saw was a small humming bird, so he hurried over towards it and asked it if it had seen his mother. The humming bird shook its head sadly and said “I’m so sorry.” “What? What?” asked Mac confused by what the humming bird could have meant. “I watched as your mother was eaten by the tiger that prowls by the far edge of the fruit jungle. I’m so sorry son!!” Wings dropped with sorrow, the humming bird slowly flew away.

‘Twas twilight and the angry lion
did howl and growl in the dark;
all horrified were the children,
and the prey cowered quickly.

“Beware the cats, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the mocking bird, and shun
The crazy kids!”

He took his brand new sword in hand:
Long time the vicious foe he sought–
So rested he by the long-dead tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in surprised thought he stood,
The lioness, with eyes of flame,
Came growling through the wavy wood,
And yawned as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The new blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went sauntering back.

“And hast thou slain the lioness?
Come to my arms, my brave boy!
O wonderous day! Horrah! Horray!”
He jathed (jumped/bathed) in his joy.

‘Twas twilight and the angry lion
did howl and growl in the dark;
all horrified were the children,
and the prey cowered quickly.

For 8th Grade summer work I read the book To Kill A Mocking Bird and I did a RAFT project.

R: Role – Artist

A: Audience – Classmates/The World (Since its on my Blog)

F: Format – Painting

T: Topic – A scene that shows Atticus’ character traits

1. Q: Why did you focus on the particular character? What was your personal connection?

A: I focused on Atticus because I thought he had the right thoughts. He was caring, serious, cared about education, and he believed in treating people equally. I had a connection because I feel the same way as he does about things from education to treating people as equals.

2. Q: List a few character traits for your character. Which traits changed and which stayed the same?

A: In the beginning of the story Atticus was: caring, thoughtful, educated, a hard worker, and he seemed relaxed. By the end of the book he was still: caring, thoughtful, educated, a hard worker, but he was also: a strong enthusiast of equal rights, and he seemed a little more stressed about everything involving his work.

3. Q: What key themes are important to your character/project: prejudice, ignorance, fear, meanness, tradition/history(a reluctance to change the way things are), dignity, pride, justice, empathy, hope, love, or courage?

A: The key themes for my character and project are: prejudice because Atticus is extremely against it and that is what he is giving a speech about in the scene of the courthouse in my painting. Another theme that was important for Atticus was in a way the opposite of tradition because he did seem to want things such as prejudice and unequal rights to change.

4. Q: How your understanding of your character change or grow as you worked on your project?

A: My understanding of Atticus grew during his case of Tom Robinson because I could see that he cared about all people having equal rights and before the case I didn’t know that he felt so strongly about the topic.

The motion of the smooth waves
rolling over
one another
the soothing sound
of crashing water
along the shore
of the Pacific ocean
Forever in harmony
with the tides
the seaweed flows
swaying side to side
slowly back and forth
forever gliding through the water

The tide comes into life
smoothing out the dry sand
washing away any and all
rough patches in reach
Making a shimmering, sorted sand
That reminds us that even our worst problems
can be washed away

Why are charter schools better than public schools? The teachers are able to switch the curriculum to accommodate each student’s needs and the student – teacher ratio is a lot smaller. Therefore each student has more time with the teacher. All parents who want their kids at a school that works to their child’s needs go to a charter school, because it is more fit to each student’s nessesities, bad teachers can get let go of at any time, and there is the choice to get their child(ren) a proper education.

Many students have difficulties in different subjects. In a public school the teacher tries their best to help, but they have to stick to the curriculum and can’t help much. At charter schools, the teachers can bend the curriculum, to help the student move ahead or catch up depending on their needs. Charter schools are also better than public schools because the student – teacher ratio is better for the kids to be able to have a better connection to the teacher. The smaller class and school size helps to accomplish this. Another freedom that charter schools have is that tests don’t determine what level of work the child does, any student has the ability to achieve the advanced classes.

At regular public schools at teacher is able to earn something called teacher tenure. This program allows a teacher to work until granted tenure. Once they’ve been granted it they can’t be fired. The down side of this is that if it is a horrible teacher who doesn’t teach well, and they have tenure, they keep teaching and the students don’t learn as much. To fire a teacher with tenure would be a long grueling process that could take over two years, because of all the people that have to approve it. Teachers at charter schools do not get teacher tenure. At a charter school, the principal has the power to fire a teacher at moment without going through a huge process. This is good because bad teachers will be fired as soon as the principal finds out about them and they cannot continue teaching poorly.

Charter schools give parents and students a choice. This means that they aren’t forced into dropout factories, schools where forty percent or less of kids who graduate. They can go to a charter school instead of their neighborhood school. A charter school is like a private school but free. This is good for families who can’t afford to send their child(ren) to a private school but want them to get an acceptable education.

Now, people who oppose charter schools might say that there are less people to befriend at smaller schools. But this makes the friendships that are established tightly knit. Another thing those people might say is that there is no changing classes and the classroom will get boring. But that’s not true, most charter schools go to a different classroom for science, music, and other extra programs depending on the school. This gives them the preparation they need for high school.

Charter schools are better for children than public schools. This is because the teachers are able to tweak the curriculum to fit every child’s sepreate needs. They also let students have a closer connection to the teacher. Charters give their students room to make mistakes. Every parent who cares about their child tries to send them to charter schools.

Something in the flowers,
Slithering slowly around,
Blending in until it moves,
Bright red with black spots,
It looks like the flowers,
Beautiful, but dangerous.

So elegant with every slither,
While it looks into my eyes,
I see,
Its past sways across,
His face.

The tragic story,
Of what he has gone through.

He glides stealthily,
Through the dew dropped grass,
Slowly creeping towards its pry.

His slimy body,
Disappears behind a bush,
He reappears clenching a limp rat,
Between his jaws.

He climbs up a tree,
Far out of sight,
I never saw him again.

Or did I?

Have you ever been acquainted with the night? The poem, Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost is a sad, lonely poem that draws the reader in. The setting of a town at night with a lonely man going for a walk is full of hidden symbolism. Acquainted with the Night is packed tight with symbolism and conflict. There is also a message of trying to be happy instead of being sad. 

Symbolism is when an author uses something to represent something else. The man in the poem talks about how he has “out-walked the furthest city light”(3). The lights symbolize happiness. The man has gotten sadder than anyone else ever has ever been because he walked away from happiness. He also says that he has “walked out in the rain-and back again”(2). This line symbolizes that the man has gone through tragedy, had a break to be happy, then was inconsolable all over again. This is shown when the man is going through the rain which represents misery, then going inside, happiness then out into the rain again. Another line from the poem is, “And further still at an unearthly height, a luminary clock against the sky”(12). He is saying that from his point of view, the moon represents  happiness, but it is so far away from him that he may never reach it. 

The conflict in the poem Acquainted with the Night is that the man is depressed and feels that he can’t be happy; he has no hope. When the man passes a watchman while he is walking, he “dropped [his] eyes unwilling to explain”(6). This piece of text shows that the man is embarrassed about what has happened to him, and he doesn’t want to explain it to the watchman, therefore he feels locked inside himself with an internal conflict. The man also hears someone calling for someone and he automatically thinks it is “not to call me back or say goodbye”(10). This shows the man isn’t hopeful, because it didn’t even cross his mind that the other person might want him. This is another internal conflict the man has because he is doubtful about himself.

The message of the poem is that when you are depressed, try to become happy don’t stay sad, have hope. This is shown when he says that he has “walked out in the rain-and back again”(2). This shows that he is trying to be happy, but plummets back down into being sad again. He also says that he has “looked down the saddest city lane”(4). This shows that he has been through about as hard of times as there can be for a person, yet he does not have hope, or confidence in himself. People shouldn’t ever act like this man because there is always something to be happy about you just have to find what it is for you.

Acquainted with the Night is a poem about a man who has gone through a lot in life. It is a poem that is full of conflict and symbolism. It also has a important theme, that in life people should try to be happy and not always stay depressed and live acquainted with the night.

Hovering over my baby,
Born six months before,
Gazing so intently,
I barley heard the crash outside the door.

Yet I did,
I ran outside,
As water dripped from my face,
The streets dyed a blinding red.

Inside she started to cry,
I grabbed my baby, then turned to go,
On the way the news caught my eye,
The TV was channeled on a news show.

I sank into a chair,
The two planes had fallen from the air,
The twins were pushed down,
And the mayhem began, right then and there.