People like me like to be envolved. They like to have to much to do, and they thrive on the stress of a busy life. I know that this isn't always the best thing to admit about yourself, but it's who I am. When I see something that looks like it has any potential to be fun I'll try to join it. This year I'm part of so many groups that I've been insanely busy.
The group that I am most involved in is Yearbook. I am the "Copy Editor" which basically means I am in charge of all of the writing that goes in the book, and I'm also in charge of making sure that everything looks good in the end. Don't hold that against me, though. I can change everything that the other people on the staff do. There just isn't enough time, but I promise that this year's yearbook will be better than years past. I've worked almost non-stop on the pages and I've skipped more lunches and (with teachers' permission) classes than I have all through Jr. High with other activities. It's really stressful at times, but I work pretty well under pressure and I love working with the rest of the staff.
I'm also part of Science Olympiad. I am really regretting that this year. I was on the team in both 8th and 7th grades and I really enjoyed it, but what I've found this year is that it's not as fun without the people I got used to working with that have moved on to high school. I'm not having fun with it and it's become more of a pain than it's worth. If state wasn't like 4 weeks away then I would be out by now, but no. I'm stuck for the long haul. Is it too horrible of me to say that I hope we lose state this year? I do not want to miss my last day at Fairfield, but that's another story for another time.
So even though I have a lot going on this year I'm still having fun. I'm enjoying everything I'm doing, but it has consequences. I don't have a lot of time to relax, and I don't always have my priorities straight. When I get so busy that I end up putting my home life aside I get into trouble.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pass or Fail?
Well, we did another one of those timed essays in English today, and I thought (since I got done like ten minutes early) that I'd put mine up here. It got a five! Woot! Haha. Woot is a fun word!
Topic: Your principal is considering a new grading policy that replaces letter or number grades on report cards with pass or fail. What is your position concerning this issue? Write a letter to your principal stating your position and supporting it with convincing reasons. Be sure to explain your reasons in detail.
Essay:
Mr. Davis,
When you were in school did you strive to get the best possible score in every class? Did you feel good when you could see that you had gone from an A to and A+ or from a C to an A? Switching to a pass or fail grading system would take that drive away from students. The good students wouldn’t really be recognized for their achievements. The students who don’t do quite so well would only ever have to work hard enough to get to the percentage that would pass them, and they would look just as good as those who worked their very hardest. Switching to a pass or fail grading system would ultimately harm all the students in our school.
For some students grades are so important that it is almost all they think about. They look to get the highest A possible, and they strive for 4.0s. In my experience I know that getting good grades is really important. I can’t stand it when I have an A- because it’s the only thing holding me back from a 4.0. When students can see that people are recognizing their achievements they work harder. They like the attention, and they like to know people are proud of them. When students in our school can look up at the wall in the commons and see their picture because they got a 4.0 it makes them feel good, and it keeps them going through the next term.
Without having GPAs or grades students wouldn’t be recognized the way they are now for their classroom achievements. Sometimes that’s all it takes for a student to stop working in school. When they think that nobody is really going to care if they get the highest grade they just stop. What’s the motivation if nobody pays attention to anything other than if you passed or failed? Even the students who don’t get great grades would be affected by this change.
Some students don’t ever work for the classes they’re in and they don’t really care about whether they pass or fail a class. Logically though, if all you have to do to pass a class and look just as good as the best 4.0 student is raise the percentage even just a little bit, they’d do it. Some people would say this is good because at least they’d be passing, but how can it be good to encourage to only go as far as you need to in order to pass? These students who get lower grades would be hurting themselves, because by passing with the lowest score possible students hardly even need to learn the material for their classes.
Switching to a pass/fail grading system would hurt the students of our school. The good students with the good grades would not be recognized for their hard work, and they would lose, some, if not all of their motivation to go for the highest possible grade. The students with the bad grades would not actually have to learn anything in order to pass. So I ask you, Mr. Davis, to consider what you are doing to the students in your school before you take this action. You would be helping us all.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Madison Randquist
I thought I presented some good points there. :P I liked it. :P
WOOT! Hahaha.
Seven minutes left of English. I think I'll just keep writing until it's time to log off.....
Drama... My life is full of it. Joy.
I don't know what to talk about...
Oh well....
Topic: Your principal is considering a new grading policy that replaces letter or number grades on report cards with pass or fail. What is your position concerning this issue? Write a letter to your principal stating your position and supporting it with convincing reasons. Be sure to explain your reasons in detail.
Essay:
Mr. Davis,
When you were in school did you strive to get the best possible score in every class? Did you feel good when you could see that you had gone from an A to and A+ or from a C to an A? Switching to a pass or fail grading system would take that drive away from students. The good students wouldn’t really be recognized for their achievements. The students who don’t do quite so well would only ever have to work hard enough to get to the percentage that would pass them, and they would look just as good as those who worked their very hardest. Switching to a pass or fail grading system would ultimately harm all the students in our school.
For some students grades are so important that it is almost all they think about. They look to get the highest A possible, and they strive for 4.0s. In my experience I know that getting good grades is really important. I can’t stand it when I have an A- because it’s the only thing holding me back from a 4.0. When students can see that people are recognizing their achievements they work harder. They like the attention, and they like to know people are proud of them. When students in our school can look up at the wall in the commons and see their picture because they got a 4.0 it makes them feel good, and it keeps them going through the next term.
Without having GPAs or grades students wouldn’t be recognized the way they are now for their classroom achievements. Sometimes that’s all it takes for a student to stop working in school. When they think that nobody is really going to care if they get the highest grade they just stop. What’s the motivation if nobody pays attention to anything other than if you passed or failed? Even the students who don’t get great grades would be affected by this change.
Some students don’t ever work for the classes they’re in and they don’t really care about whether they pass or fail a class. Logically though, if all you have to do to pass a class and look just as good as the best 4.0 student is raise the percentage even just a little bit, they’d do it. Some people would say this is good because at least they’d be passing, but how can it be good to encourage to only go as far as you need to in order to pass? These students who get lower grades would be hurting themselves, because by passing with the lowest score possible students hardly even need to learn the material for their classes.
Switching to a pass/fail grading system would hurt the students of our school. The good students with the good grades would not be recognized for their hard work, and they would lose, some, if not all of their motivation to go for the highest possible grade. The students with the bad grades would not actually have to learn anything in order to pass. So I ask you, Mr. Davis, to consider what you are doing to the students in your school before you take this action. You would be helping us all.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Madison Randquist
I thought I presented some good points there. :P I liked it. :P
WOOT! Hahaha.
Seven minutes left of English. I think I'll just keep writing until it's time to log off.....
Drama... My life is full of it. Joy.
I don't know what to talk about...
Oh well....
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Feeling Good
Life Is Wonderful Lyrics
Jason Mraz
It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying
It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
And it takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la
It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
And it takes some fears to make you trust
It takes some tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to HAVE it polished
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la
It takes some silence to make sound
And it takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to MAKE a mountain
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
One of my favorite songs at the moment. You should listen to it if you get a chance.
So life is pretty good. There have been some really shitty moments lately, but it's ok; I've got some pretty awesome people around to help me get past them.
The Honors English party was fun, though it wasn't much of a party. I think only about six or seven of us went, and then two non-Honors English students came (one being my boyfriend, and the other being my little sister). Mostly we just sat around and talked.
Our topics were everything from music and books, to who (me and Izzy, or Panduck) had the most embarrassing stories about themselves. It was great. We stayed in Mr. T's room until he made us leave, and then we sat in the doorway waiting for our rides. I played my guitar while the others talked.
I'm definitely doing a lot better than I was before. Things between me and my mom are awesome, Science Olympiad isn't stressing me out that much, basically everything is wonderful. Except... My inspiration for writing is like nonexistent. It sucks. I wish I could write. I wish I had inspiration to write something that people would love, but I'm just so busy.
Hopefully soon I'll find some time for to just kick back and relax. That's when I get all my best ideas anyway.
"Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful"
Jason Mraz
It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying
It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
And it takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la
It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
And it takes some fears to make you trust
It takes some tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to HAVE it polished
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la
It takes some silence to make sound
And it takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to MAKE a mountain
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
One of my favorite songs at the moment. You should listen to it if you get a chance.
So life is pretty good. There have been some really shitty moments lately, but it's ok; I've got some pretty awesome people around to help me get past them.
The Honors English party was fun, though it wasn't much of a party. I think only about six or seven of us went, and then two non-Honors English students came (one being my boyfriend, and the other being my little sister). Mostly we just sat around and talked.
Our topics were everything from music and books, to who (me and Izzy, or Panduck) had the most embarrassing stories about themselves. It was great. We stayed in Mr. T's room until he made us leave, and then we sat in the doorway waiting for our rides. I played my guitar while the others talked.
I'm definitely doing a lot better than I was before. Things between me and my mom are awesome, Science Olympiad isn't stressing me out that much, basically everything is wonderful. Except... My inspiration for writing is like nonexistent. It sucks. I wish I could write. I wish I had inspiration to write something that people would love, but I'm just so busy.
Hopefully soon I'll find some time for to just kick back and relax. That's when I get all my best ideas anyway.
"Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful"
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