Service Learning

My service learning is going really well. So far I have volunteered around 5 or 6 hours. To be honest, it doesn't feel like work. I enjoy working with the children and they seem glad to have my company. It makes me feel good inside to know that I helped someone. The children I work with really have their own personalities and stay positive despite their disablities(mostly autism).I now see how alike they are to other children who do not have the same problems. I enjoy spending time with them (especially the other day when they had an Easter Egg hunt). I think I will continue to volunteer there even when I have completed my 15 hours.

service learning

So far, I have picked out 5 independent service projects. One is going to the JRA or Jewish Relief Agency. It is a group that donates food to jewish people in Philadelphia. We bag the food and also we deliver the food to the needy. Many of the people are Russian immigrants who desperately need food. The other is at the Northeast Community Center. Once a week on Tuesdays I volunteer with mentally challenged people and play water games with them at the pool. Another idea I had was cleaning up my neighborhood park and adding extra trash cans. Another idea for when it comes around summer time is talk to the kids at my moms school and talk to them about how important it is to read over the summer time. Last but not least, my house is around the corner from Friends Hospital and help them keep the grounds clean.

The two school wide projects I would like to research in depth are sponsoring entrepreneurs in poverty. Another is talking about the dangers in the acid found in batteries. I would like to sponsor a village in Africa. I another idea is to create a public service announcement on AIDS/HIV. I would like to start a candy sale for breast cancer research. Another is a seminar on web safety

NHD Reflection

For my NHD project, I did a group documentary about the Osage Avenue bombing in 1985. First, to start off I think that me and my group did a good job. I can prove this because our project made it to citywide. Some things I am proud of are the research our group did. Personally, I went to the library and looked at the microfilms of the fateful day of the MOVE bombing (May 13,1985). It was a very long project and I think that we sectioned it out well. We didn't get overly stressed and that is a hard thing to do when an entire class grade was at hand.We never had any challenges communicating what we wanted to change or fix in the documentary. I was proud of how our documentary told a story and progressed in time. One challenge however was including the compromise in the documentary Some challenges we faced as a group included the technology aspect of the documentary. One thing our group didn't do well coming up with a compromise about how we would actually do the documentary. Next, the voiceovers were another difficulty. It seemed every time we went somewhere to do the voice overs there was always background. When we presented our project, I realized how bad they sounded. One thing we could have done better are the voiceovers. However, this was my first time working with iMovie and as a group we were not familiar with it. It was a learning process however and it was a good skill to learn. I also learned about the culture of the MOVE group, a subject I was not familiar with before. Going to the Urban Archives was a learning experience Another thing, is we should have planned out the documentary better. Next year, I think I will work by myself on NHD. For me, it is hard to rely on other people and that stress would be eliminated. I would like to do a paper instead of a documentary because personally, I believe it is easier to do.

Gwendolyn Brooks biography

Part 1 – Gwendolyn Brooks was born June 7th, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas. However before she was 6 months old, her family moved to Chicago. When she was seven years old, her mother discovered her talent for writing. Her mom encouraged her writing. Her mom and dad were very strict and didn’t let her play with the neighborhood kids. As a result, she created her own fun by writing stories. At the age of 13, her poem appeared in a children’s magazine. She was a shy child and remained shy throughout her adult life.

Part 2- After graduating high school, she went on to Wilson Junior College. Her early poem appeared in the Chicago Defender. The newspaper was written mostly for African Americans. In 1945 her first book, A Street In Bronzeville was published. Her next book, Annie Allen received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. Brooks was the first African American to receive this award. She published her first novel, Maud Martha in ’53. 10 years later, she published Selected Poems. That year she also got a job at Columbia College in Chicago. In 1968, she published her next series, In The Mecca. Later that year, she was named poet laureate of Illinois. In 1976, she received the American Academy of Arts and Literature Award, becoming the first African American to win this award. In her lifetime, she has received 50 honorary doctorates from different colleges and universities. She received 2 Guggenheim Fellowships. Also she was Poetry Consultant of the Library of Congress. In 1990 she took a job as an English professor at Chicago State University.

Part 3- In 1967, she went to the Fisk University Writers Conference. She was met by the new generation of African American writers. This was a wake up call for Brooks, she became aware of how other blacks were feeling and started to write about it. She became less worried about form in her poems. Another thing you should know is she lived her whole life on Chicago’s South Side. This had an influence on her writing as one of the most impressive thing about her, was that she was able to capture her experience of growing up in her work.

Part 4- My character has inspired me because she turned everyday life experiences into works of literature. I would like the to be like her because she has achieved something other people may not even dream about. Despite her accomplishments, she remained humble and remembered where she came from.

Final grade in English

Dear Mr. Romero,

I believe my final grade in English should be an A. Here are a few reasons why. First, I complete all my assignments. Secondly, I pay attention in class. Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive.

First, I complete all my assignments. I stay focused and finish all my work. I haven’t turned an assignment in late for English the whole entire year. I take pride in my homework and do it to the best of my ability.

Secondly, I pay attention in class. I make sure I take notes even when it gets tedious. I want to learn, so I feel like I need to pay attention in class. I don’t want to miss anything, so listening is very important.

Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive. Being loud would keep me and other students from learning. I think it is disrespectful to teachers, whose job is to help us learn. Also, I don’t like seeing my teachers angry with my class

In conclusion, I should get an A as my final grade. Here are a few reasons why First, I complete all my assignments. Secondly, I pay attention in all my classes. Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive.
Sincerely,
Nikki Branhut

Should parents hit their kids ?

I don’t believe parents should be allowed to hit their children. The first reason is that there are other methods of punishment. Secondly, it sends children the message that violence is ok. Lastly, children have no way of stopping their parents if it gets out of hand, like in Huckleberry Finn.

Firstly, there are other methods of punishing children. Off the top of my head I can think of several ways. They include taking away privileges (such as TV or computer use). Punishing dies not always have to be physical. In fact, being physical is less effective than other ways of punishment,

The second reason why I believe that hitting children, as punishment is wrong because it sends the message that violence is okay. Children learn by example. If little Johnny’s mom smacked him for being rude the next day he might smack a kid on the playground. Violence is never the answer and children seeing violence used as punishment don’t learn that. You cannot be a functioning member of society if you do not have that value instilled.

Finally, children have no way of stopping their parents if they get out of hand. For example in the story Huckleberry Finn, the main character has a father who is drunk and very abusive towards his son. His father threatens him that if he goes back to school he will beat him. Huck has no way of stopping his dad. He wants to go to school, but has to live in fear of what his father says,” he’s going coming to him”.

In conclusion, parents should not be able to hit their children. There are other methods of punishment. Hitting children teaches them that violence is okay. Lastly, children have no way of stopping their parents if they get out of hand with the beatings.

Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught At school ?

I believe that the book Huckleberry Finn should be taught in school. Here are a few reasons why; the first reason is that the book is historically accurate. Secondly, the book deals with very important issues that need to be discussed. Thirdly, the book is meant to be a parody.

Firstly, Huckleberry Finn is historically accurate. There is no way around it; in this time period the n word was used. A white boy who was raised in a time of slavery is going to use the word. In the story, it was never used as an insult; it was used simply as a description, like how we would call someone black or white today.

Next, the book deals with important issues that need to be discussed. In the story, racism is something mentioned a lot. Teaching these issues allow to think about something not just read it and forget about it. Another thing talked about is how opinions have changed since then. If we don’t talk about these issues they become the invisible elephant in the room, it’s still there but everyone is ignoring it.


Lastly, the meant to be a parody. The tone of the story is highly ironic. You can see this when you read how different people use different ways of speech When you read the story you realize how highly moronic the people who believe in slavery actually are. This book was a way Mark Twain could convey his own opinions about slavery and Southern culture.


In conclusion, I believe Huckleberry Finn should be taught at school. There are three reasons why .The first is that the book is historically accurate. Secondly the book serves as a discussion point. Thirdly, Huckleberry Finn is a parody. Don’t let this great piece of literature simply because of the language an undedicated character uses.