Flashback Through Freshman Year

Picture By: I like

   Freshman year is almost officially over and summer is almost here!  During my Freshman year, I  had a lot of good times.  One of my best memories was from when our whole grade went to Washington.  I really enjoyed being able to see the White House in person.  Also, even though the bus ride was long, I like being able to spend time with friends.  While we were there, we all even had to get evacuated from where we were eating because the alarm went off.  It was sad when we came back, but also good because I wanted to sleep in my own bed.  Over time, one of the most important things I learned while being a freshman is that time flies by really fast.  To me, freshman year didn't take very long and now I'm almost a sophomore.  The rest of high school might be that way too.  So, if chances come along for you to do something, it's good to take it.  Another chance might not come along and it's really sad to miss out on something.  Overall, my freshman year was pretty fun.
    I have some advice for the next Freshman Class.  First off, it really pays to complete all of your work and do a good job on it because now your grades start to count for college.  If you understand the material while you're doing it, the exams should be easier for you.  Secondly, during English class when you're reading books of different dialects, it doesn't pay for you to skim the book.  You'll miss the key points and it will lead to a worse grade than you could of gotten on the test.  So, take your time and try to understand what is going on.  Lastly, even if you have a lot of work to do, sometimes it is good just to have fun.  It gets your mind off of all the stuff that needs to be completed.  It really helps to take a break and then go back and try again.  Good luck!

Choices

From the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,  I learned that when slaves got their freedom they were given many choices.  They could stay and work for their former slave owners or try and go start a new life by themselves.  This would be really difficult because most of them didn't have education or didn't want to learn anything.  Jane was a good example of not wanting to go to school.  Also, they didn't have money that would help them with their travels.  This limited them with what they did and where they went.  Lastly, in some places slaves would choose to stay and work, but slave owners would return to treating them unfairly.  This was a very disappointing fact to learn about.  Overall, I learned many things about slaves freedom and actually how much of a hard time it was to get their life back on track.


 
 Photo by:playmos
*Demonstrates all the different ways someone can take in their life.

Being Stereotyped

    In The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, there are a few stereotypes.  One of the main stereotypes is how all the southern whites are racist against the blacks.  This is proved wrong by the old man who tries to help them with where they’re going.  He gave Jane all the possibilities of what could happen and how long it will take them.  Even though Jane didn’t really use his information, he was still kind to give it to her.  Secondly, the Misses was kind to them because she gave them the offer to come back with all the other blacks to her plantation.  She fed them well and said she didn’t beat them at all.  These examples prove that not everyone believes what you think they portray.

Pit Bulls and Parolees

Photo by: Luís Alves

One of my favorite TV shows is Pit Bulls and Parolees. It airs on Animal Planet.  It is where parolees get a chance for a new start by helping at the Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue Center.  The main reason that I love this show, is that a breed of dog that most people are fearful of get a chance to be seen as loveable.   Secondly, Tia, the owner, does a great job at rescuing many of the pitbulls from bad situations.  Lastly, I love seeing that all the hard work and compassion put into the rescue center pays off when the dogs get a new home.  Each show focuses on a different type of situation and how it is handled.  The most recent episode revolved around a pitbull named Alien, that was stranded on the side of a highway tied to the side of a pole.  The collar had embedded into his neck and unfortunately, the dog turned out to have heartworm disease.  In the end, a volunteer agreed to take Alien into her house for foster care while he got better.