As a JFK student I can show how to be a responsible citizen, a problem solver, an effective communicator, and technologically literate in all of my classes. Here are some examples...
To be a responsible citizen you must follow instructions, be on your best behavior, and be someone that you can rely on. I show this in all of my classes by coming to school on time to avoid being tardy and missing valuable lessons. I come to school prepared (most of the time) with all the supplies I need for the day. When we are assigned work I am quick to jump right into it to get all my assignments done before the bell rings. I am also willing to help out when a teacher needs me. For example, I am responsible for giving in the attendance to the office which requires me to be excused out of class for a bit, and I head straight to where I need to be instead of strolling around like the responsible citizen I am.
To be a problem solver you must have common sense, a sense of understanding, and patience (a whole lot of it). I show this by having a strategy of what to do and when to do them, or by having a plan. I can solve math equations in my math and chemistry classes, and when it gets too tough a calculator is in reach. But being a problem solver does not necessarily mean it's all about arithmetic and numbers, it could also include any kind of conflict that needs to be resolved. For example, I could be checking up on my grades to see how well I'm doing and suddenly notice that one of my grades were incorrectly put in (100/1000???), I would kindly bring up this problem to my teacher for some justice to be served.
To be an effective communicator you must need to be a great listener, comprehensible, and have good eye contact. Being a student nowadays we mostly communicate online and over emails, messengers, etc., which is great because it is simply easier. But we also need to know how to be great communicators face to face. Students should know how to speak clearly when talking to a teacher, or when they are giving a presentation. Also even when they are speaking to their peers. For example, if I were given a group project I would make sure to get everyone's number or something to contact them with, so that we can work together even when we are not together.
And lastly, to be technologically literate you must have the ability to know and understand how to use tools of technology. As I said earlier, students of our generation really have it easy because internet accessibility is right at our fingertips. But it is not enough just to be able to access it, we also have to understand how to use it because it would be pointless if we did not. Thankfully, we have classes such as keyboarding to help us get familiar with technology. For example, I have learned how to properly type and use different tools on Microsoft Word - that I did not know of - that will definitely be useful for future assignments. I have also learned how to create websites in the past and blogs such as this one.
This spring break I spent my time going to many places and trying new things. There was not one day of my spring break where I stayed home the entire time. Here are some of the things that made me productive during the whole week...
The first day of spring break I got the chance to meet up with friends I have not seen in awhile. We watched the movie Home, which was my second time seeing it but I did not mind because it was a very cute movie. As usual we headed downstairs for some ice cream because I mean, who does not have ice cream after a movie? I had heard about their taro flavor which I had never tried. And taro flavor anything is my favorite so I had to indulge my cravings and it surely satisfied me.
In the middle of the week I met up with 5th period squad at the batting cages. It was my first time actually hitting balls that were shot from a machine. And it was also my first time wearing a baseball helmet, which had the worst stench known to mankind. I am not even exaggerating here. After getting all the gear on, we tried all the speeds they had. Okay, who am I kidding? I stayed at the slow pitch but at least I hit some, and by "some" I mean like 2 or 3. But besides the stinky helmets and finding out how terrible I really am at baseball, the experience was fun.
Being tired from all the batting, we decided to freshen up by getting drinks from Tea District. We were not about to go walk from the batting cages all the way down to Tumon, thankfully our very own Tina Chen had just gotten her license and had a car available. Kiana and I simultaneously called shotgun but I beat her to the car. So we all hopped in and buckled our seat belts because safety first, kids. In addition to being safe, we had to make sure Tina was certified and in fact she was! Thank God we were being safe because little did Tina know she was driving on the opposite lane when she thought she was in the middle lane! And worst of all I was the only one who noticed until a car came driving towards us, only then Tina realized where she was. We safely made it back to the middle lane and we turned up the stereo and jammed all the way to TD. My first time riding in a car with Tina driving was one exciting experience. I will never forget my life flashing right before my eyes. Thank you Tina Chen.
Spring break was coming to an end, so I decided to meet up once again with my friends since I thought I wouldn't be seeing them for awhile considering we go to different schools. But this time we had gone to grab lunch at Capricciosa. We ordered a bunch of things such as lasagna, carbonara, and the all around known squid ink spaghetti. I have been to Capricciosa countless of times but I have never tried the squid ink spaghetti until this day. I do not know what it was about it that made me avoid it, probably because it leaves your mouth stained, but now I can say it was a waste of good food to pass it up. It tasted so much better than I expected and I'm glad it did. Now I am not ashamed to eat it in public because the taste beats stained lips any day.
If I had the opportunity to travel to anywhere in the world I would choose to visit Canada. Why you ask? Although the distance from Guam to Canada is 6,155 miles (9,905 km) and if I were to travel by an airplane it would take 15 hours and 5 minutes to get there; I would still like to see their many famous landmarks in person. I actually would not mind enduring a couple of hours of flying if it means I get to walk on the same land Justin Bieber has.
There is quite a lot of things I would like to spend my time doing and visiting once I land in Canada. The places I would like to go to include: The Casa Loma, The Hollow Trees, The Capilano Suspension Bridge (even though I have a terrible fear of heights), Niagara Falls, etc. I have always wanted to go to a art gallery or museum so I would need to check out either The Art Gallery of Ontario or The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, or both if I have enough time. It would also be great if I could try canoeing through some of the great lakes. I will definitely have my camera out all the time considering the fact that have to capture the beautiful scenery they have to offer. And I would love to meet new people in hope that everyone there is kind and lovely which is what I am told, but I will also be aware of my surroundings because stranger danger.
I have decided that the person I want to give my extra ticket to is the one who has been there for me since I was in my mother's womb, my sister. If I can handle being in the same crib to sharing the same room, I am sure I can handle taking on the same country with her as well. She is really the only person who can tolerate me because she has had 16 years of practice. Thinking about the possibility of someday actually traveling with just the two of us makes me really excited. I hope we get the chance to venture off in the future.
If I had the chance to change one thing in this world it would be the prices on different types of food. I do not understand why prices on healthy food are always higher than prices on unhealthy food, or junk food. We are expected to stay clean and healthy, but how can we afford to do so if we literally cannot afford it? Consider the burden on low-income families that can barely pay for other necessities. They do not have the money to spend a large amount of their paycheck on fruits and vegetables recommended for human consumption.
As a result, people who are less fortunate buy fast food or just generally any food that they find on the dollar menu. They have no other option, but to have an unhealthy diet. I consider this an issue because people will soon have diseases from all the junk food they consume. Therefore we should either lower the prices on healthy food, or create machines that can make junk food healthy. Now which do you think is more realistic?
