GaoKao VS SAT & ACT

          The gaokao and the sat and act are all mandatory tests for students in America and the gaokao for students in China. The gaokao has long term effects while the sat and act have short term effects. Although both exams are important, the gaokao can affect your career and your life as a student. The sat and acts are both tests that determine your placement in colleges, not scoring high enough will lead to the enrollment of a public college. The gaokao has harsher consequences and affects your life as a student more than the SAT s and acts.

              The GaoKao is the Chinese national college entrance exam. In China, the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, colloquially known as the GaoKao (Gao meaning high, Kao meaning test), is the ultimate yardstick of academic accomplishment. If one's score is good enough, they will receive entrance into a prestigious university.The gaokao is a standardized test for all students in China.The gaokao is held once annually at the end of the school year. Third-year high school students (high school in China lasts three years) generally take the test, although anyone may register for it if they desire to. The gaokao is an exam that calls for extreme measures when it comes to studying and passing. Many students have studied for days straight, hooking themselves to intravenous drips to give them strength to study for long periods of time. This shows the importance level of this test, the gaokao has high standards and harsh consequences. Failing the gaokao likely means ending up in a factory or construction job, or in other words, not as successful. The intention of the gaokao is to get into a prestigious university or college. Getting into a prestigious university will set your life with a well rounded education and a start to a successful career.

          The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States.The SAT is a mostly mandatory standardized exam that gives a general consensus on where you stand academically in relationship to the other students of the US. The point of the SATs and ACTs is for other schools to know what you are doing without observing what you do in class. You cannot pass or fail the SATs or ACTs, schools only look at their minimum requirement score."The SAT and SAT Subject Tests are designed to assess your academic readiness for college. These exams provide a path to opportunities, financial support, and scholarships, in a way that's fair to all students. The SAT and SAT Subject Tests keep pace with what colleges are looking for today, measuring the skills required for success in the 21st century." The fallout of the SAT isn't as harsh as the gaokao as it does not determine your overall career and future. The SATs determine what university you get into, that does not mean you won't get into any at all. You are granted a college, it's just a matter of the academic level of it.

          In conclusion, the aftermaths of both the GaoKao and the SATs are different in that the GaoKao has a longer-term effect and harsher consequences and that the SATs sustain a shorter-term effect and have less harsher consequences than the GaoKao.

                      ELA Alice in Wonderland Essay

The classic Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll depicts a young girls’ dreams as she travels through Wonderland in her dreams. Alice has issues adjusting to a new state of society and lifestyle. Lewis Carroll portrays the idea of childhood innocence and life as a meaningless puzzle. Lewis Carroll depicts symbolism and changes in childhood by using objects to show the bigger picture and deeper meaning. Alice is faced with a series of problems that puts her knowledge to the test. She is forced to use her instinct when she falls down a rabbit hole and “lands” into the Victorian Era. An era of class in Britain from 1837-1901. Lewis Carroll portrays the idea of childhood innocence and struggles, and life as a meaningless puzzle.

Throughout the story, Alice is faced with a series of challenges that appear to be unsolvable. These series of  events replicate the struggles and challenges of a crisis in the life of a child. For example, The Caucus Race and The Mad Hatter’s Riddle are events in Wonderland that test the limits of Alice’s abilities and knowledge. The Caucus Race was a land race with all the animals in Wonderland that seemed endless to Alice. Constantly racing through the course that the Dodo set. The race was only a half an hour. The Mad Hatter’s Riddle “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” was proposed to her at the dinner table, this riddle caused an argument and a huge debate over semantics. This shows unorder in Wonderland.

In the beginning of the story, Alice goes through a variety of physical challenges. After she falls down the rabbit hole, she is in a small room, unproportional to her body. On a small table there is a bottle labeled ‘DRINK ME’. When she drinks it, Alice shrinks to a size proportional to the room. After she shrunk, Alice realized she had left a key to a door on top of a table. She then spots a cake saying ‘EAT ME’ hoping it will bring her to normal size, but it only makes her grow a few inches taller. Leaving the key on the table forces her to cry uncontrollably to the point where she forms a pool of tears. This leads us to believe and symbolizes that as a young girl, Alice or girls around her age, are lead to be struggling with physical appearance. While girls go through these times, it is speculated that they have emotional problems as well, hence the pool of tears in chapter two.

In conclusion, Lewis Carroll depicts ideas of childhood innocence and life as a meaningless puzzle by symbolizing things we are able to perceive as something else. Many authors use symbolism throughout their stories to show two ideas using one object. Symbolism is widely used throughout Alice in Wonderland, although only some were covered, the book has plenty more to offer.

Dear Ms. Berner,

“Censorship is the enemy of truth” -Bill Moyers. Not owning banned books in our school library is a difficulty for children who are interested in reality. I believe banned books offer relatable situations for children who have problems at home and for students who want to learn the “real” side of our world, and not the ones we see on TV. Banned books can be a little disturbing but there should be at least a content warning, and the reader shall decide. Undoubtedly concerned parents slightly disagree. They believe there are no lessons to be offered in these books, other than to influence and bring their children into the world of sex, drugs, and violence. Banned books should be allowed in our school’s library, and in public libraries across the country.

Banned books require a level of maturity, there needs to be a certain level of understanding for the reader to develop a lesson from the book. The book a reader chooses should depend on their level of maturity. “The determination about which books should be restricted from children depends on their level of maturity. A person less mature might misinterpret the meaning of subject matter resulting in inappropriate thoughts, beliefs or behavior.” said Brandon Redlinger from www.csindy.com. This statement agrees with the majority of the student community. We believe students should have power over what they read. Students shouldn’t be restricted to what they read. “I have visited dozens of high schools, rich and poor, private and public, integrated and segregated, absolutely safe, and fearfully dangerous, and have heard hundreds of stories that are tragic and collectively amazing.” Sherman Alexie said. Banned books featuring drugs, sex and violence can help teens across America dealing with struggles at home, and in their own personal lives. Reading these books will provide an outlet, and a stress reliever for these teens. It will help them relate, succeed, and progress happily.  

Banning books is like blinding someone, covering their eyes from reality. How can you expect someone to mature, grow, and develop sympathy for others when you aren’t able to experience situations that are a reality for other students? “The current research suggests that books can give readers more than one opportunity to tune out and submerge themselves in fantasy worlds. Books provide an opportunity for social connection.” - Gabriel and Young Providing social connection for struggling and discouraged teens will give them support to help them in their situations, lives, and daily struggles with personal issues they have at home. For example, a teen addicted to drugs can read a story about someone overcoming the addiction and will influence them to do the same.

Others may say that banned and challenged books offer too much violent and sexual content. “Oh jeez, do we really have to have this argument again? Here goes, contemporary literature has too much sex and violence and our kids need to be protected from its depravity.” -Meghan Cox Gordon. Why ban violence and sex now? It has been around forever in literature. Classics, Shakespeare, and so many other poets feature the same amount or even more of drastic and sexual content. We are exposed to these themes everyday, news, movies, video games, and most importantly, the internet.

In conclusion, I feel that banning books is a wrong doing and should be illicit. Banning books hides the real side of the world, students shouldn’t be held back to explore the lives of another human being, or a fantasy character. If a book is really that bad that it should be banned, there should be a stamp warning. A stamp warning is a warning on a book that presents profanity, so there is a forewarning. Having a stamp warning is an excellent way for teens to attain maturity in giving them a choices in life.

From,

Adam Almontaser

Social Justice Project Responses

When I born, I black.

When I grow up, I black.

When I go in sun, I black.

When I scared, I black.

When I sick, I black.

And when I die, I still black.

And you white people.

When you born, you pink.

When you grow up, you white.

When you go in sun, you red.

When you cold, you blue.

When you scared, you yellow.

When you sick, you green.

And when you die, you grey…

And you calling me colored?

-Malcolm X

This poem leads us to equality in all humans and being racially classified by color. It shows that white people call black people colored yet they go through every color of the rainbow. The fact that white people call black colored does not show human equality. Color doesn't define anyone, no race is supierior to the other. Even though this poem was developed a while ago, rascisim is still a problem. More specifically, human rights and equality.

Acts of Injustice

Being homeless is a great example of injustice. Sometimes homeless people mess up their lives on their own, but the unlucky ones are born into it. This doesn't show equality and human rights. They should be entitled to food, shelter, and money from the government. There are over 56,ooo homeless individuals. They are in need of stable housing and food. New York City is home to 103 billionares, more than any other city in the world. This makes me think of how selfish people can be. Although it's none of their business, I don't blame them, but it wouldn't kill them to spare a dollar or two. Or possibly give them another chance at their life. This makes me think about being grateful because homeless people have nothing, and you only realize how much you love something once it's gone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/new-york-homelessness-billionaires_n_5953464.html

Ferguson,MO Rioting Live

     As I was watching the news, the riots in Ferguson, MO were being streamed live. These riots, on the streets of Ferguson, MO are destructive and unreasonable. People are rioting over the death of an unarmed African-American teenager, named Micheal Brown by the hands of a St. Louis, Missouri police officer. This rioting occurred after the officer who shot Micheal Brown was not indicted. The rioters are endangering more lives by protesting violently. For example, they were looting, burning down stores, businesses, police cars, and destroying the city. Peaceful protesting gets messages across of injustice more sensibly. If I was in the shoes of Micheal Brown's parents, I would feel overwhelmed because “my son's” death is what sparked the terror and destruction. I would tell the angry rioters to look honor Micheal's death and as a wake up call for our local politicians to train police officers more effectively all around the nation. These rioters are asking for their human rights and equality for African American citizens. They believe the white officer would not have felt threatened if Micheal Brown was white instead of being black. They are promoting equality for everyone no matter what race, gender or color a person is.

Detective Almontaser's View on How He Changes the World

Q: How does your job allow you to help change the world?

A: My job allows me to investigate and apprehend individuals who

have committed crimes against society.

Q: Do you enjoy your job?

A: Not necessarily, sometimes its not so fun. It exposes me to see

the terrible things that people can do to each other as humans.

The best part is putting a really bad guy in jail.

Q: What is the average of hours in the office?

A: The average is 65 hours a week, sometimes no days off. Depends

on what case I'm working on.

Q: What is the most amount of hours you have spent on a case?

A: Some cases only take me 2 hours of my week, but some cases will

take 100 hours of my week. It all depends.

Q: Are there any others way you change the world than your job?

A: I drive a hybrid (an eco-friendly electric car) and I recycle.

Q: What is your motto?

A: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men

to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke.

That's something I learned in the marines, that's something I took

from the marines, and that's something I took to my job.

Q: Can you share a story about your job?

A: Last Winter, we had to investigate a case of child abduction. We

were able to put clues together that the neighbor took the girl,

she was 5. It took us 2 days to get a warrant, an order from the

judge, to be able to ping the phone. Pinging a cell phone means

using cell site towers to triangulate the location. We were able to

find him in a house in NJ, and we returned the little girl to her

parents and the guy went to jail.

Our World- Both the Good and the Bad

*An interview with Nawal Almontaser, an educator in the New York City public

school system.

Q: What do you believe is good about our world and what is unfair

about our world?

A: Is there anything good about our world??? Well, what I think is

good about our world is the technological advances that our world

has achieved over time Particularly, computers, the internet and

cell phones. Major breakthroughs in medicine and science and the

abundant amount of natural resources our world provides us with.

There is however a lot of unfairness in our world...perhaps more

than there is good. Unfairness with corrupt government that only

looks out for itself and not for its people, poverty of children in

the world and within the United states and inequality based on

gender, race, sex, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hollywood's Perception VS Reality

I was watching a rerun of a Nickelodeon series, iCarly. iCarly is a sitcom about a teenage girl who lives with her older brother Spencer in Seattle, WA. Carly's father is in the U.S. Navy and does not live with her. Her older brother, Spencer, is her guardian and a father figure. They live in a modern fancy apartments with elevators that lead directly into their homes. I can infer they have a lot of money because they have a pretty big apartment in a big busy city, and those types of apartments can range in the hundred thousands.

The main actors on the show are middle class Caucasian teenagers, with the exception of one African American friend who live in Seattle Washington. The show portrays teens lounging around school hallways during school hours where all the drama takes place. The teens come and go as they please without parental permission or involvement. They get themselves into situations that don't seem very realistic mostly sparked by their online web show iCarly. These teens run around chasing the opposite sex and are rarely shown having any responsibilities or doing school work.

This Hollywood portrayal of teenagers influences many kids in my age group and exposes them to many mature things. Young children could stumble upon this show and find two 15 year olds making out or escaping from their fire escapes late at night. Children are exposed to content they are not educated on and make their own assumptions instead of being educated by their parents. This show exposes kids to unrealistic behavior where teenagers are always dressed to perfection with the coolest clothes, hair and makeup. These images are brainwashing children into thinking that their lifestyle is the norm and that they should be like them.

While walking through my neighborhood I observed...

• Homeless people asking for change
• Many idling cars - air pollution
• Hispanic construction workers
• Pedestrians distracted with their cell phones-hazardous to drivers

 While on my daily walk to school along 4^th ave, I pass by a few construction sites. The majority of the workers are of Hispanic descent and are hired by private contractors that pay their workers a mite of money for diligent work. These workers do their jobs from dusk til dawn and they need to be paid just like the others. I can infer that they don't have enough money to buy a cell phone because I witnessed more than once, a line of construction workers at a pay phone on 10^th street 4^th avenue. I've also observed minimal dollars in their wallets when they open it to pay for their modest breakfast, a coffee and bagel. They deserve to be paid more for the labor that they do.

Independent ELA Reading Essay

"When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick portrays the lifestyle of an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station. Hugo Cabret is an orphan, but his unique qualities separate him from the rest; he is an orphan, a clock keeper, and a thief. Hugo has an astounding story behind him. He is an only child raised by his dad, who worked the night-shift at a museum in the heart of Paris. One night, his dad went through storage and found a broken automaton, a machine that writes a specified message when wound up. One night, his father attempted to repair the automaton when the museum mysteriously caught on fire. Hugo's father perished in the uncontrollable blaze. He never came home. The automaton was left behind in the ruins, and Hugo made it his mission to reveal what his dad's "message" was through the automaton. Throughout the book, Hugo taught himself the mechanics of clockworks and gears and little toys that wind up. He may be a homeless orphan, but his characteristics set him apart from the rest.

Hugo was singly raised by his father who died in a museum fire. Hugo’s father was a big part of his life, he only had his dad. “Soon Hugo’s father had filled several notebooks with drawings of the automaton. He opened the automaton up and carefully disassembled it. He drew detailed pictures of all it’s parts, then he cleaned them and patiently put it back together. On Hugo’s birthday, his father took him to the movies as usually done, and gave him one of the notebooks as a present.” Meanwhile, Hugo’s father grew obsessed with getting the automaton to work. He brought Hugo back to the museum a few more times and explained how the mechanisms worked. "One night, the old guard in the museum forgot that Hugo’s father was up in the attic, and he locked the door trapping him inside. Hugo had no way of knowing what happened, the museum set fire." Hugo was depressed and deeply shook by this event. He loved his father so much and this was the worst that callus ever happen to him. Most orphans go through this point in their lives but Hugo has many characteristics and personalities that makes him a unique orphan.

Hugo was a mental genius when it came to clockwork and gears. From here on Hugo was taken in by his alcoholic Uncle Claude being his only live relative. “‘Pack your things quickly, Nephew,’ Uncle Claude had said, his breath smelling of alcohol as usual.” Uncle Claude took Hugo to his hidden room in the walls of a Paris train station. His uncle’s job was to fix all the clocks around the station daily. Hugo caught up quickly and had to take over his uncle’s job, because he was always hungover and drunk. “A few weeks later, Uncle Claude was out late and never came home. He was found dead in a river not too far from a bar downtown.” Hugo had to keep on doing daily rounds around the station fixing the clocks so there wouldn't be a problem, and have the station guards realize Claude was dead. This eventually became a huge part of Hugo’s life. He felt close to his father when he spent time working with little mechanical toys and gears. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book.

As an orphan, there is a lack of food, and money With living in a crowded Paris train station, thats the perfect opportunity to steal and hide from guards. Hugo’s “morning routine” would be to take a fresh bottle of milk and a croissant. “Hugo slowly crept to the lower level of the station, the cafe bakery. He snatched a bottle of milk from the bottom shelf and took a cellophane wrapped croissant. He dashed off hoping Madame Emile didn't catch him.” Hugo only ate a croissant and drank a bottle a day. He had many struggles that other orphans never had. Orphans usually run away to a shelter or another family member, Hugo would've done the same. But, his main focus is to repair the automaton to see what his father’s message was. Every day Hugo would have the same nightmare, the station inspector chased him back to the time keepers room, where he stayed. The station inspector catches homeless kids using the station as a “shelter” and takes them to an orphanage. “At that moment, Hugo accidentally dropped the ice and the bottle of milk, which shattered loudly on the stone floor. As Madame Emile spun around and spotted him, she yelled, “My milk! So you’re the one who’s been stealing from me!” Madame Emile was talking to the station inspector when this happened, Hugo was chased by the station inspector. He ran into the walls of the station and the inspector soon followed. He chased Hugo throughout the whole interior of the station until he lost him. Hugo was hiding in the highest clock in the station. The clock at the top of the station.

In conclusion, Hugo is a unique orphan, his characteristics set him apart from the rest. His struggles as a young timekeeper and thief, leave him restless. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book. "When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey.

Adam Almontaser 10/22/14

 Ashes Blog Final 

          “When there is no struggle, there is no strength” - Oprah Winfrey. In the short story Ashes by Beth Pfefferer, we see a lot of struggles and issues with Ashes. There is a clear theme that relationships can be complicated between parents and their kids. Sometimes our relationships can influence our life choices and give us decisions that will lead us to our future. Ashes has to deal with her fathers manipulation, there are promises not kept and her decisions on choosing to listen to her father or standby her mother.

          One of the issues Ashes has to deal with is her fathers verbal manipulation, he always says she is “One in a Million” to make her feel comfortable when she is with her dad. Her father used compliments to make Ashes do stuff she would have never done. She was “ordered” by her father to take money, $200 from her mom’s keep safe to give it to his dad from his divorced wife. “The skies turned grey as she looked out the window when she stole her moms’ keep safe money.” The skies turning grey is a sign of guilt. Ashes knew she did something wrong, she just thought she was helping her dad, but he knew she wasn’t. Ashes was out eating with her dad when he said his famous line, “ Your one in a million.” Her father thinks that his plan of manipulation is working but Ashes has suspicions. “Am I really?” I asked, not needing the reassurance. I knew I wasn’t a one in a million girl, no matter how often Dad told me I was.” Ashes didn’t need the reassurance because she is told that so many times. She know her dad isn’t truthful when he says “One in a million.” Ashes knows her dads methods and tactics to use her.

          Ashes also has to deal with as a young adult is accepting that her dad promises won’t be kept. Ashes’ dad promised her a necklace of stars, she never got it. “Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened.” From this there is a clear statement, her dad has impossible promises, or in other words, unrealistic. “Mom said ‘He’s an irresponsible bum. That was her way of wording it.” This quote also supports the fact that the dad is untruthful, and irresponsible, bums are exactly that. Irresponsible people can’t keep promises, her dad is one of them.

          Lastly, another issue that Ashes has to deal with, is her decision making between her mother and her father. “No, I just thought maybe you could borrow the money, just for a day or two, until I straighten out all my finances. Your mother would never know the difference.” This the part where Ashes has to listen to her father, or standby her mother. This is a crucial moment in the book, she can destroy her relationship with her dad, who she sees twice a week, or her mom where she sees her on a normal day to day basis. “Dad touched me on my shoulder, gloved hand on winter coat. ‘You’re one in a million,’ he said to me. ‘The best daughter a man could dream of.” This quote is giving Ashes the “reassurance” she needs to give her dad the money. Although the short story didn’t end there, it left off with Ashes staring at the keep safe money listening to her dads car rumble in the distance. “Your one in a million it cried.”

         In conclusion, struggles and teen issues relate to the book as a whole because Ashes is faced with many challenges, and tough decisions. Beth Pfefferer is clear and successful on bringing her message across throughout the short story because Ashes struggles and challenges are visible, they are relateable. From the ending of the short story, many predictions can be formed. She will take the money and make her dad joyful, or leave the money and make him disappointed. The quote “When there is no struggle, there is no strength” - Oprah Winfrey really ties into this book because this proves that Ashes is strong because there is lots of struggle in this short story.

        The book Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica is about a Valley, Massachusetts boy named Nate Brodie. Nate is not an ordinary boy, he has a passion for football. Sometimes when you were 13, nothing made sense to you. It was never like this for Nate. Nate had been having more and more trouble figuring out his world especially with everything that was happening to his family. He lived in a poor family. One-day during a football game, Nate makes his first touchdown and says I hope my mom got that on film with the camera we have thats on its last strand. And I know my dad is already not here because he is finishing his last shift at his second job. Nate's favorite football player is Tom Brady. One day Nate goes with his mom, and best friend Abby to a store to finally buy the Tom Brady autographed football he always wanted after saving for over a year. After he bought it he got the chance to sign up to throw a ball from 30 yards into a hole at the half of a New England Patriots game and win $1,000,000. He won the raffle and got to do it. This event takes place in a couple of months. He knew that if he made this throw, his life would be almost back to normal. He knew it would help his family and himself. This throw was a one time opportunity, a Million Dollar Throw.