NAME: Anthonia
Teacher: Ms. Babb
DATE: Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Kowalski and Hoodhood
On the left side is Mr. Hoodhood on the right side is Mr. Kowalski. Like two sides of a coin, so different but very alike. These inconsiderate men make a living as architects. They compete against each other to see whose company will get the big building contract. Both discuss their work with their family; although in quite an arrogant way. Mr. Kowalski is not as ignorant of his family as Mr. Hoodhood is. At least he listens to his daughter's stories and drives her to school unlike Mr. Hoodhood. Mr. Hoodhood is raising his son, Holling, to become the heir of Hoodhood and Associates. Meanwhile, Mr. Kowalski just doesn't care or mind if Meryl Lee is suitable for being the heir to his company. I think Mr. Hoodhood and Mr. Kowalski are
very much alike. Their differences are hidden but are also in the open.

Name: Anthonia I

Teacher: Ms. Babb, Gr.7

 Date: Monday, March 5, 2012

Racism in Primary Schools

                Racial discrimination was years ago a social issue associated with adults. Today racism has entered the schools including the primary school.  Racism is a social problem where people discriminate each other on the bases of culture, skin color, religion and groups. Teachers show favouritism according to religion, race or social groups. School children choose their friends; playmates and project members based on were the person come from, religion or group. Although religion may not be an issue in my school there are other factors that we need to think about.

                Nowadays racism is found much more among kids than adults. Unfortunately, these are the leaders of tomorrow. Discrimination of skin type, culture or religion is now found on playgrounds, in primary schools, among teenagers and peer groups. Since God does not judge us by our genders, skin colors or religion, then why do we do the opposite? For example: an Asian boy was charged for assaulting his age-mate (boy) whereas his age-mate was the one that started the brawl. This boy was charged for defending himself. I ask you, my reader, is this justice? Children verbally abuse other children who they see as coming from lower cultures like them. Teachers in public schools sometimes allow their religious belief to influence their judgement. This is unjust hence we must find a way to bring an end to racism!

                Obviously the rate of the growth of racism in primary schools in Toronto shows that the District School Board has not done enough to stop it. We should put more effort into stopping racism in primary schools in particular. The District School Boards should develop a program on racism in every school. I encourage schools to have class and school captain that will take care of this matter. My previous school was known as one of the best in the city. They had good, responsible and mature captains to take care of crisis such as racism. Severe punishments should be administered to those caught violating other students in any way that is unjust.

The fact that we all are peculiar persons does not give us the audacity to chastise our fellow classmates because they are different. Racial discrimination is evil, atrocious and a repulsive issue in our schools. As Mother Theresa said, "If you judge a person, you have no time to love them". I quite agree with Mother Theresa. We criticize people before getting to know them. There are ways to prevent it, only if we listen and observe what is happening around us. If we venture out to find the answer, every loathsome problem will be cured. A statistic observed 5/7 pragmatic equations were solved in one day because of unnerving, brainstorming. Therefore, if it is possible to solve those equations then we can stop racism too!  Everyone would agree that with the above suggestions, racism and inequality would be extinct from schools and society in general.

Homework is a waste of time

Name: Anthonia
Teacher: Ms. Babb
Date: Saturday, February-25, 2012
Homework is a waste of time
Why don't kids go outside to play? Why do kids always ask for more sleep whenever mom or dad wakes them up in the morning? At last, why don't kids spend time with their family? Sure, there are a lot of
answers to these questions, but the main one is Homework! Homework is a waste of time. I understand that homework improves our grade but we can't do a good job if we're not alert and awake.

"If students stay up late to do homework they won't get the 10-11 hours of sleep they need to function and do well in school" said John .T. Parents do not like it when they have to attempt to wake their children 5 times before they become alert. This is because the children are tired. Less sleep is bad for the health of a growing child. More work, all together with their social life and the crisis at home are very stressful. Stress is a very dangerous dilemma to have at times.

Aside from stress and lack of sleep, exercise is another benefit that is taken away by homework. Parents say that kids do not get enough exercise. Clearly, they have no idea that the cause of this predicament is homework. Everyone thinks that it's because of television and time constantly spent on the Internet, but I think it is the homework. With too much work, playing outside is not an alternative. Exercise is an important asset to our health and also is Vitamin D from the sun.

Parents value the knowledge and education their children acquire from school, but the y value family time more. They argue that they don't see, talk or spend time with their kids. It may be because they work too much or because the kids have too many assignments. Although, they have so much work they try to make time for their kids. If that little time is not used, because the children are too busy with homework, the
parents feel that all they did was for nothing. It is sad when you do a deed that becomes a waste in the end.

Therefore, if homework is no more assigned, kids will exercise more. Parents will get their family time and sleep would finally be enjoyed. All this would be accomplished because of the abandonment of homework.
Moreover, homework counts as about 60% of your grade. You can still achieve that 60% from tests and quizzes. Not withstanding the fact that you can study before the tests.

Name: Anthonia

Date: Saturday, February-25, 2012

                      Homework is a waste of time

          Why don't kids go outside to play? Why do kids always ask for more sleep whenever mom or dad wakes them up in the morning? At last, why don't kids spend time with their family? Sure, there are a lot of answers to these questions, but the main one is Homework! Homework is a waste of time. I understand that homework improves our grade but we can't do a good job if we're not alert and awake.

"If students stay up late to do homework they won't get the 10-11 hours of sleep they need to function and do well in school"said John .T Parents do not like it when they have to attempt to wake their children 5 times before they become alert. This is because the children are tired. Less sleep is bad for the health of a growing child. More work, all together with their social life and the crisis at home are very stressful. Stress is a very dangerous dilemma to have at times.

Aside from stress and lack of sleep, exercise is another benefit that is taken away by homework. Parents say that kids do not get enough exercise. Clearly, they have no idea that the cause of this predicament is homework. Everyone thinks that it's because of television and time constantly spent on the Internet, but I think it is the homework. With too much work, playing outside is not an alternative. Exercise is an important asset to our health and also is Vitamin D from the sun.

Parents value the knowledge and education their children acquire from school, but the y value family time more. They argue that they don't see, talk or spend time with their kids. It may be because they work too much or because the kids have too many assignments. Although, they have so much work they try to make time for their kids. If that little time is not used, because the children are too busy with homework, the parents feel that all they did was for nothing. It is sad when you do a deed that becomes a waste in the end.

 Therefore, if homework is no more assigned, kids will exercise more. Parents will get their family time and sleep would finally be enjoyed. All this would be accomplished because of the abandonment of homework. Moreover, homework counts as about 60% of your grade. You can still achieve that 60% from tests and quizzes. Not withstanding the fact that you can study before the tests.  

Lent
Name: Anthonia
Teacher: Ms.Babb
Date: Friday, February 24, 2012

Lent is a season when Christians pay penance for their sins. Three pillars that have to do with lent are prayer, fasting and arms giving. During lent, we pray to God for forgiveness and ask to be accepted back into his family. Lent is the time to help people; friends, family or people you don't like. Fasting strengthens our mind and spirit. It helps us to overcome the desire for worldly things. My dad says that Easter is the most important season but I think otherwise. I think Lent is the most important period because it is the time to redeem ourselves clean in God's eyes. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. This day is when we receive ash crosses on our fore-heads that shows that we feel remorse for our sins. The ashes come from the palms from Palm Sunday. I want to give up meat, Twitter and Facebook this lent. I think it would help me be more disciplined and have more control over my worldly possessions.

Kyoto, Japan

The Distreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

 Name: Anthonia 

Date: December 13, 2011

The Distreputable History of

Frankie Landau-Banks.  

"Money is not the only item that you need to take over, you need intelligence". These great words were spoken by my Father. That is what "The Distreputable History of Frankie landau-Banks" is all about. A smart girl, with the brain of a mastermind, hates that she's thought to be an adorable "bunny rabbit". That's why she creates a plan. The book is adventurous and amusing. The characters, setting and the words make it wonderful. This book is so exquisite that it makes the reader think of the power women wield.

The story of this magnificent book takes place in an outstanding school called Alabaster Preparatory Academy in Massachusetts. Obviously, this school doesn't exist though; it has the traits of Exeter Preparatory Academy which is in England. Although Alabaster is an elite boarding school, yet it opens many doors for its students. This academy is known for its promising standard education and life opportunities.  I won't want to go to an academy that' as expensive as Alabaster, but it adds interest to this book. "The Distreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" is the only book I've ever been ecstatic to write about. It may be because of the characters.

I'll introduce Frankie, the intelligent, sharp-tongued, stunning heroine. She is a power hungry girl. Frankie used her intelligence and the courage of a lion to lead a secret society of boys. Frankie is a brave and outstanding role model to girls.  Her ideas may seem psychopathic and rebellious at sight, but there are good meanings behind them. Two other characters that I liked were Alpha Tesorier and Mathew Livingston. These boys were the Kings of the Loyal Order of The Basset Hounds (the secret society).  Alpha was a sandy haired guy with barrel chest and a baby face. He was the one with all the ideas until Frankie secretly took over. Mathew, on the other hand is an honest good-looking guy. He became Frankie's boyfriend when she came back as a sophomore.

Because of the way the author (E. Lockhart) described the characters and some situations, I learned a new word called PANOPTICON. Frankie studied the Panopticon in one of her classes. The Panopticon is considered a building like: a prison, a school or your house. It creates a sense of paranoia so pervasive that its inhabitants become practically self-governing. Example: You're doing something; you know you shouldn't be doing, so you start thinking that in some way someone can see you. I also learned that if you are courageous and   you know how to handle problems effortless you'll be fine.

Women are stronger than they look. We may be beautiful, elegant and fragile but we're intelligent. Between men and women, women are easily emotionally stronger than men. "The Distreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" states this clearly. The intellectual mind of a lady can rule and destroy a powerful force.

Name:Anthonia
Date:December 1, 2011
The Workers in the Vineyard
Scripture verse: Mathew 20:1-16
"The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a man who went
out early in the morning to hire some men to work in his vineyard. He
agreed to pay them a silver coin a day. He went out at nine o'clock
and saw some men standing around, so he hired them to work in his
vineyard. At twelve o'clock and at three o'clock he did the same
thing. It was almost five o'clock when he saw another set of men. He hired them to work in the vineyard. When evening came, the owner told the foreman to pay the workers, starting with those hired last to those hired first. The men hired last were paid the same amount as the men hired first. The men hired in the morning were angry, because they thought they will be paid more than they bargained for. They took the money and shouted at the employer. 'Listen, my friend' the owner said to them, 'I have not cheated you. After all, you agreed to do a day's work for one silver coin. I want to give these men I hired last as much as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do as I please with my money? or Are you jealous because I'm generous?'' When Jesus finished he said "those who are last will be first and
those who are first will be last"

Moral
The parable "The Workers in the Vineyard" teaches you to be:
generous, to not be greedy, to appreciate what you're given,
regardless the amount, and that you shouldn't be jealous of your
neighbour. It's not good to be greedy, jealous, or ungrateful like the
first hired workers. You must be thankful for the little you get and never let your mind wander along the road of jealousy. Be generous like the owner of the Vineyard. It doesn't matter if you started first or last, you'll all get the same amount of praise of blessing.

Teen Ranch Experience

Name: Anthonia
Date: Friday, November 25, 2011
Teacher: Ms. Babb

"When a woman goes away from home she comes back a new person." My mom always said this when I leave the house, and she is right. If you went to Teen Ranch you would agree with her too. Life at Teen Ranch is a life changing adventure. The food, horseback riding, cabin, and the skating would make you want to live there. This Ranch in Orangeville helps you come together with your friends and even people you never thought you'll be friendly to. Teen Ranch is a phenomenal experience every gr.7 student should have.

Have you ever eaten a meal that made you want to savour the taste forever? That's exactly how the food at Teen Ranch was. Each morning we ate cereal but with something else added. We could eat bacon and egg, pancakes (which I tell you were amazingly soft) or eggs and ham sandwich like the one at Tim Hortons, except homemade. I liked that the cooking staff made separate food for those who had allergies. The bestpart was after each lunch or dinner we have dessert. The desserts they make are absolutely MOUTH-WATERING. Sure, my mom would be able to makeit better, but I wouldn't mind living there; if I could enjoy such meals.

Living together with your friends brings you closer. I think, that sentence should be a quote, because I witnessed it and I was a victim to it. All the girls in Cabin 2 were not necessarily best friends. We all were friends, but we weren't as close as we are now. Many events occurred that led to our close friendship. My cabin mates: Chauntelle, Precious, Taylor, Serena, Rochelle, Stacey, and M.J were all scared because of a noise and a shadow. They said that they saw a hand move by the bathroom window and they freaked out. Someone kept knocking on the cabin door and they thought it was the boys; at night-time. I wasn't that worried, because if the guys didn't come into or cabin, or if the hand didn't grab me why should I be worried. They were all scared for 2 days but we later old the teachers and they scouted our cabin that night. After that the disturbances stopped, since then we stayed together throughout the trip. When one of us had a problem we worked together to solve it. I've never been closer to any of my best friends than ever. Our cabin was spacious but not pretty. We have to wake up early for set up. Some girls were to take a bath in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Although the living conditions weren't so grand, I had a wonderful time because of my BFF's.
 Do you know the feeling of a scary, blood-rushing bumpy ride with a feeling of your hair blowing in the wind? That's how riding a horse was for me. My horse Indie, who wasn't that tall, made me feel like I was standing on top of a two-story building. The exhilarating feeling of going fast on a horse was amazing! Indie was a very good horse; apparently Indie was a guy. I didn't know until I came to take him from the assistant. Trotting (a kind of jog for a horse) on a horse is really bumpy but the bumpiness makes it fun. I had a really great first experience because of my horse. He knew exactly where to go or when to stop. I only had to lead him when it was absolutely necessary. I admit I was very scared at the beginning but when the horse started walking I was more comfortable. I had a wonderful time riding Indie; I hope to do it again.

For all of you who have never skated before, never been on the ice before, or you forgot how to skate it's not that hard, when you get the hang of it. It was a little bit difficult for me to stand or even slide on the ice with skates. I had to learn to hold myself upright first and hang on to the wall. When I learned to stand I tried to walk on the ice in a V step way. It was hard. I fell only three times, but I got the hang of it. Some of my friends forgot how to skate but they learned to; all over again. You might think of quitting after the first step, but if you forget that you're not good or that you're going to fall you'll have fun. Skating was a really awesome and interesting experience for me. It might have been or might have not been for you.

This trip was a marvelous experience for everyone in gr.7. It educates you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You can turn your life around just by going to Teen Ranch. I recommend that if you want to complete your gr.7 knowledge go there. You'll have the most amazing memory of your gr.7 year. There's an idiom used by many great people "live your life to the fullest". In this case the idiom would be a literal statement.

*The Biography of John McCrae*
*"If we do not end war – war will end us. Everybody says that, millions of
people believe it, and nobody does nothing" H.G. Wells. I believe that John
McCrae would have agreed with H.G. Wells. John McCrae was born in Guelph,
Ontario. He wrote the famous Canadian poem "In Flanders Fields", after his
experiences in the war at Ypres, Belgium. John McCrae was enlisted after
the beginning of World War 1 in 1914, and was posted as a medical officer
at Ypres,* *on April 1915. *
*Many people believe that John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" on May 3,
1915. He was a thoughtful man, who expressed his feelings through poems.
When he wrote the poem, he wasn't very sure as to what or why he wrote the
poem. He discarded the poem after writing it, but a soldier picked it up
and sent it in to **Punch magazine. I think he was trying to send a
message, through his poem; but he wasn't sure what his message was.*
*McCrae was a great physician. He studied at the University of Toronto, and
trained at the Alexandra Hospital. Whenever he treated the injured soldiers
he wrote letters home explaining the casualties. He was one of the doctors
for the Boer war in South Africa. June 1915, he was transferred to Boulogne
No.3 General Hospital, because of his pneumonia; on January 28, 1918 he
died. John McCrae believed that war was to be stopped, but he couldn't do
anything to stop it. *