Blog #10

What has stood out to me the most in eleventh grade is how much I have already been challenged. I am proud that I have taken all honors classes but it has not been easy. It is not only a lot more work, but work that is harder than anything I have ever done. I have to use more critical thinking, whether it be in Math or Humanities and it has pushed me to think of things with a deeper meaning. I feel that I have gained more out of this year already because I have had to push myself.



What has stood out to me about my Humanities class is the amount of reading and video material that I have been exposed to. I think taking on honors has opened my eyes to movies and screenplays that I would not have thought to read. They have given me a new perspective on what makes a good screenplay and what you can do with it. I also would have never been interested in reading Romeo + Juliet because I didn't have much interest in Shakespeare. But I was really impressed by the modern take on it and enjoyed the rendition. I look forward to the books that I will get to read in the future and use them as a way to expand my reading material.

What has made me think this year was an excerpt from a  math book. What I had never thought of is why Asian children learn at a faster rate than American children. The article goes on to show that because Asian languages are more concise and straightforward in terms of how they say their numbers, Asian children can retain more numbers, faster. I have never thought that our language affects how we learn math, but this article showed me that it has everything to do with it.

I am really impressed that the writing tips have worked so efficiently and improved my writing. I noticed that I have become more concise, well worded, and have created simpler sentences. I am proud that I have worked hard to listen to what tips we have learned and actually implemented them into my writing.

One of my goals for next month is to continue to start honors work early in order to get a leg up. As soon as I get the email I need to get the required material and start to read or watch it right away. If I hold off on the reading I will fall behind in every other aspect as you can't move forward. I also want to write my essay as best I can and then get advice from my peers and teacher to help me improve on it. Another goal would be to choose books that I may not have thought of on my own but would continue to expand my reading list. When I get the honors email I want to pick a book I wouldn't normally have chosen.