Reflection

Three most important things I learned this year was how much impact speeches and essays have on you, I learned a bit of time management, and how to catch up if you're falling behind. This year, we did speeches and they were great. I will never forget everyone's speech and how hard everyone worked on it. I cried so much listening to everyone's speech and so did some of my friends. These speeches proved to me how much emotion we all have and everything we believe in written on a piece of paper. Mrs. Larson always told us to prioritize and manage your time wisely. This is an important life skill that I will use in the future. With all of our blogs and IXLs, it's an especially important skill in this class. Lastly, catching up if you're falling behind is also an important life skill. If you just put off your work, you'll just fall even more behind and then it gets overwhelming. You don't want that. So, just do your work and make sure you turn it in on time.

Something we did this year that I think I won't forget are the speeches. The speeches were so touching and I enjoyed hearing everyone's speech. Everyone worked very hard to write their speech and everyone really poured their heart out on the podium. Each and everyone's speech was important and amazing.

The nicest thing someone in my class did was make me feel better when I was having a bad day. I have a lot of good friends in my ELA class. In 3rd and 4th quarter I was sat next to Gabriel Chavez.  Gabe is one of my good friends and first thing in the morning in ELA we would talk and we would ask each other if we're okay. We would tell each other our problems and give each other advice. We would also make each other laugh and I'm going to miss sitting next him. On Fridays, our test day, we would help each other out by quizzing each other on Quizlet. Although we would get in trouble all the time, it was worth it. Thanks Gabe you're a great best friend. (:

Something I taught my

I think I've made the biggest improvements in writing an argumentative essay. In the 7th grade, we also did argumentative essays and I've improved since then. Something that I've accomplished this year that I'm proud of is

The most challenging part this year for me was

I still think that my best piece of writing was my Life Is Beautiful blog. This was an amazing movie to me and it made a large impact on me. I enjoyed writing that blog because I had a lot to say. I think it was my best because of how much I had to say about it. It was a very inspirational movie and I think everyone should watch it when they get the chance.

Out of all the books I've read this year, I think my favorite book would be A Child Called "It". This was my favorite book this year because this

The advice I would give to students who will be in this class next year is don't ever think you'll get away with lying to Mrs. Larson because you will get caught. Also, do your blogs, your IXLs, and all your work because you will fall behind. Mrs. Larson has taught us about lying and that by lying, you won't get far in life, so just come clean and don't make up excuses. Own up to the things you've done.

This I Believe

"Thanks"

I believe that there will always be that one friend that’s there for you.

 Friends will always be there for you. Friends will always make you laugh and feel better. Friends will always keep your secrets and help you through anything no matter what. They will always ask if you're okay and if you need anything.

Even simply asking for help on math homework lead to a friendship that is I cherish and value. Her name is Hazelle Orellana. She’s one in a million and she’s irreplaceable. She’s the friend that checks up on you constantly and the friend where you could just lay on their shoulder and cry. The friend that always listens to your problems and won’t judge you. The friend that wants you to grow and blossom into a beautiful flower. The friend that laughs at your jokes before even reaching to the punchline. She and I automatically clicked and I just want to dedicate this to her. Thank you. Thank you for being there when no one else was. Thank you for supporting me and cheering my name at all those games. Thank you for all the memories we made with each other and I just want to let you know that even when you think you're not good enough, you are. You make me proud everyday even when you accomplish something little. In the future, if we ever go our separate ways, I just hope that you're the happiest you could be and don’t ever lose that beautiful smile of yours. I just know that you'll go far in the future, with or without me.

My 8th grade year couldn't have been better and I just want to say that if you have that special someone in your life, don't let go of them. Even if you haven't known that friend for many years, they still have a very large impact on your life. Once again, thank you for everything.

Literature Blog

         One essential question I had for the book Trash by Andy Mulligan is what was the importance of the suitcase that is hidden with Rat and why do the police want it? As we read farther into the book, we realize that the bag is very, very important. The bag's importance was the fact that it lead Gardo, Rat, and Raphael to a locker key with a secret code. This secret code leads to 6 million dollars stolen from a the vice-president. The vice-president has been stealing money from the government. The police interrogate Raphael, but he doesn't give in.
         Both the book and the article are about child poverty. In the book, there are many perspectives on Behala. Behala is the setting and where the three boys, Gardo, Raphael, and Rat, live. One perspective in the book is by depicted by Raphael. He states, "...there's a lot of things hard to come by  in our sweet city, and one of the things too many people don't have is toilets and running water. So when they have to go, they do it where they can. Most of those people live in boxes, and the boxes are stacked up tall and high." (1) Another perspective we see from in the book is from a temporary house mother named Olivia. She says, "The Behala children are beautiful, and to see them on the rubbish tips all day can break your heart. If you come to this country, do the tourist things. But come to Behala too and see the mountains of trash, and the children who pick over them. It is a thing to change your life." (84) These quotes show the harsh reality of Behala. The government is so corrupted that they aren't taking any action into the matter. It's sad to think these children neglect their education and drop out of school because education in Behala is less important than picking through trash. Children drop out of school to pick trash and help support their families.
         On the other hand, in the article "The Child Poverty Prescription," it states that, "Clearly, we can and should do more. According to a 2015 analysis...we could cut child poverty by 60 percent, raising 6.6 million more children out of poverty." In contrast, in the book, the government isn't doing anything about child poverty. While in the article, there have been some forms of help and ideas to decrease child poverty. The article also stated that, "We can and should cure child poverty. Each child deserves a fair chance at a healthy, productive life." I agree with this quote because it's very true. No child should live in poverty. Children should just live their life as happy as possible. Overall, I felt bad for the families living in Behala. Although this book is just fiction, it hurts to hear about the everyday experience these children and their families go through.

Dreyer, Benard. "The Child Poverty Prescription." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World  Report, 09 Mar. 2016. Web. 11 May 2017.

Mulligan, Andy. Trash. London: Definitions, 2015. Print.

Trash

       The book I am currently reading is Trash by Andy Mulligan. This book is about three young boys who live in Behala dump site. The three boys, Raphael, Gardo, and Rat, depend on picking and searching through trash to survive. Kids in Behala drop out of school and miss out on their education to rummage through trash to help their families. Education isn't viewed as important in Behala. As Raphael and Gardo sift through the trash, they come across a bag and they don't understand what it is and it's importance. They find money, a wallet, a map, and a piece of paper with numbers that don't make sense. They decide to keep the bag a secret from the police which leads them to a turning point and events unfold as they figure out the truth of their government.
       As I read, some of the things that I come across are unbelievable. For example, Rat literally lives with rats. That's basically how he got his nickname. He doesn't have any family as well. I feel very bad not only for Rat, but for the many children that have to pick trash to support their families. This is heartbreaking and no child should ever live this way. Another example is the fact that education isn't important to the citizens of Behala. In the book, they stated that each year, the amount of children who go to school decreases. In Behala, they don't believe that education is important because why waste time learning when you're just going to end up picking trash? This is terrible and every child deserves an education. Overall, these children have no future and they have to look forward to picking trash to live.
       Reading this book makes me feel many ways. I feel melancholy but also very intrigued. This book makes me feel unhappy because of what the children in Behala have to go through. Everyday, children with hardly any family, pick through trash in order to get food and the essentials to live. Some children don't even live in homes, but in trash. Also, they don't have the proper education at all.  This book also keeps me intrigued because everything is unexpected for me. Just when I think one thing is about to happen, something totally opposite happens. This book keeps me interested and there's always a plot twist. This book has a much deeper meaning than you think. This book is new to me and I enjoy it a lot.

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