Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

We have all heard of the saying “do not judge a book by its cover” countless times, and I feel like this is a good place to start considering all the books we have been reading in class. 

Have you ever heard about a book, or saw a book and really dreaded reading it, but surprisingly enjoyed it once you actually began to read it?  Or maybe on the reverse side, you saw a book that looked absolutely amazing and you just felt like you had to read it, but ended up not being what you had high hopes of it to be.  Write about an instance or maybe instances where judging a book by its cover was either correct or misleading.

death

Death a touchy subject for most, the word itself ominous and gloomy, and since the beginning of time has been given a bad persona, as death is almost always closely related to the most somber of things and these encompass all the senses. The color black, the sounds of solitude and silence, feelings of cold, the bitter tastes and smells, it seems all things bad go along with death. I hate talking about personal topics or self reflections, as it almost makes me feel weak, like someone possessing this knowledge could use it against me somehow, even though I know it will not happen. But, then again that is what this world does to you. I, myself, have experienced death first hand, as I have had an aunt, a pop pop, and a close friends father pass away, as well as my dog buddy, which I found to be the hardest death to overcome. You can never truly feel empathy for someone else that is going through death without you personally going through it as well. It is simply impossible. The human man cannot grasp the idea of death and forever, without experiencing first hand with an incident that ties directly to them. Death hurts, death seems unfair, but in actuality it is the great equalizer. It is something everyone must face at some point, and when your times up, there is no second chances. Death must occur, and although we hate to think that death should not happen to the people we love, it is something we cannot change or later.  I feel like because it happens to the people we love, we try and not think that death is nature’s way of population control, and that without it the world would seize to exist.  I do believe there is an afterlife as I believe in Jesus Christ and that there is a heaven.  Everyone is born with a soul and when death occurs the soul is released.  As far as believing in heaven, you cannot believe in one without another, thus I also believe hell is a real place, and is a place where people who are not saved will absolutely be going to.  I believe no one can fully understand it, it confuses all of us, due to the fact that no one can really know what happens after death because the people who died are in fact dead and can no longer tell us what is going on.  It is fr this reason alone that makes death such a mysterious entity, in which we may ask question but answers will never come. This is why we must live in the moment, and never dwell on the past, because in the blink of an eye, the ordinary instant your experience everyday may be your last.

My Room

Oddly enough, I have heard of this argument before - that a person’s room is a reflection of them self – that taking into consideration its contents, how it is arranged and how well-kept it is, says a lot about the person. Some say that a room’s cleanliness or its overall ‘vibe’ is a good indication of the occupant’s personality.  If I have to decide whether my room is a reflection of me or is just a room, and obviously I have to decide due to the fact that it is the blog topic this week, I think I am somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  In general I feel that, when looking at a room, the odds are good that it is a reflection of the person who owns or lives in it, but I also think that just how sharp a reflection it is depends a lot on the individual and how emotionally connected they are to the room.  I feel that my room is not currently a strong reflection of who I am or of my personality, because I do not have a very strong emotional tie to my room.  My room is mostly off-white, except for one wall which has a mural of a Japanese rain forest with a waterfall.  Although I think I was about 9 when I picked that out, it is still pretty nice to look at. Along the top of the longest wall is a narrow wooden trim piece with little pegs every couple inches apart. On these pegs hang easily over a hundred medals that I won during my childhood. I also have a trophy tucked away on almost every conceivable flat surface, also a result of my many childhood athletic activities. There are two wooden and two blue metal dressers where my clothes are supposed to go. I say ‘supposed to’ because I usually live out of the laundry basket, mostly because all my clothes will not fit into the drawers.  My clothes are strewn about and, as far as messy goes, that is the only thing I think that is really messy in my room.  I try not to have food, empty wrappers or drinks lying around; it is mainly just the clothes that make my room look like a bomb went off.  On the other side of my room is a tall wooden book shelf with little trinkets and doodads that I collected over my childhood. It has such things as little fossils and shark teeth, accompanied by an assortment of small toy cars and things of that nature.  My closet is a little bit neater and more orderly than my room, as it has jackets and shirts and such hanging up – most of which I do not wear anymore.  To me, my room is now just a place I sleep and go to relax in or watch television, and beyond that I have no other real uses for it. Unlike many other kids, I never really bothered to update the décor. I was always too busy doing other things, so this is why I feel my room does not represent my personality.  In order for a person’s room to represent who they are, they must have emotional ties to it, which then allows them to pour out who they are into the way their room looks.

My Curriculum

I believe that designing a curriculum for students my age takes some thinking outside of the box. This is due to the fact that students my age are typically seniors, and dealing with seniors can be tricky business. By the time a child reaches senior year, they have undergone a lot of changes, both mentally and physically, and for the most part, are comfortable in their own skin. So, by the time senior year comes along, the usually tricks and techniques used to keep them engaged and under control fall short. As a result, I feel this is a feat most teachers fall quite short in. The most significant proof of this is senioritis – it is most definitely a real thing, and unfortunately is alive and well and the plague of high schools all across the nation. I find myself afflicted as well, having to be constantly reminded to fight off senioritis as my final year of high school winds down. It is for this reason and this reason alone, that a curriculum made specifically for students my age must be carefully thought out.  Although all curriculums must include the basics (English, math, science and gym classes), I feel that it must go beyond that to include options made specifically to appeal to seniors.  In fact, the more options the better, because being able to choose from a wide selection of electives allows a senior to dictate the overall flavor of the curriculum. Students whose interests are more artistic would choose quite a different set of electives than, say, a science student. This would result in a senior being much more likely to be engaged and excited to go to school and take their last year seriously, instead of ‘checking out early’ so to speak.  Another important aspect of designing a great curriculum for students my age is using high-technology to the fullest. Incorporating modern technology in new ways, such as using game-like scenarios, not only teaches what is needed, but engages students in a fun and sophisticated way. I think this would keep me involved and from what I can see, the rest of the students in the class as well.  Although not exactly part of the curriculum, I believe that lunch periods play an important part also.  I know that this has been discussed, argued and turned down in our school, but if I were to design a curriculum, lunch period would be about forty five minutes because I feel that provides enough time to not feel rushed and gives students (especially seniors) a small amount of down time.  This down time goes a long way in regard to how hard students are able to concentrate and work for the remainder of the day.  Lastly, is the almighty homework assignments. I feel that homework is at an all time high during senior year, and this is something I would drastically change for my curriculum.  I believe that homework is a necessity and that it must be given, but at the same time the overall amount and the time it takes to accomplish is unacceptable. It should not take four or more hours to get all your homework done every night, especially since many seniors have extracurricular activities, such as varsity sports. Add to this the college-related tasks that need attention, and it becomes an unbearable load that cause many students to just throw in the towel.  Homework should be brief and to the point, given simply to gauge the students understanding and to determine if more practice is required or some are struggling on a concept. A heavy workload of homework every night would not be a part of my curriculum.