They all say that your four years of high school will be the fastest years of your life. As a Freshman I said no way, but now as an almost senior I am one of those people saying those words.
All year long I kept saying I am so ready for this year to be over. Now that it is almost over it feels like just yesterday when I was setting my alarm for the first day of school. This year was filled with so many memories, good and bad. Moving into a new house, having an undefeated season and making it to the second round of the state playoffs in soccer, making straight A's, not having more than one snow day, and gettting an iPhone are definitely the highlights of this past year. However, dissecting a pig, backing into a trailor with my car, suffering through my last year of history, and having to say goodbye to some amazing senior friends are memories I would have been fine without making. Many people say their junior year is their hardest, but mine was fairly easy. No class was to overwhelming that I just wanted to lay down and cry. Well, maybe sometimes. But I had some of the best teachers in this past year that I have ever had my whole life to help me through it.
Only three words come to mind when I think about my senior year. Off campus lunch! Being the oldest in the school with the most "power" is exciting and all, but as long as I have off campus lunch I am not worried about much more. Since we will not have to make them up, the only other thing that I am praying we have is a lot of snow days. May I gain twenty pounds from actual edible food and let it snow! Bring on senior year!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Me and Survival
I have never thought much about myself being put in a life or death situation until being recently asked the question, "To what extint would you go to guarentee your survival?" Having to think for a little while, I began to answer this seemingly simple question.
Ever since I was little I was told what to do if a stranger was trying to kidnap me. My mom and dad always told me scream as loud as I could "You're not my mom (or dad)." To kick, to thrash, to throw a fit loud and wild enough to make a scene. It was my parents job then to protect me. Now that I am older I must protect myself. If I were to get grabbed I would kick, scream, bite, hit, and practically do anything to get free. However, if I was not able to free myself I would then turn to God and pray with all my heart that He would protect and comfort me.
If put in the situation of drowing or burning in a fire, so many thoughts come to mind. When drowing, my biggest fear, I know I would be anything but calm and collected. I would try to grab anything or anyone to help pull me up. Trapped inside a burning building is another one of my biggest fears. If all exits were blocked and there was no way out except through a window thirty feet up in the air, I would jump. I would take the risk of breaking every bone in my body to survive over buring alive without even a second thought.
After thinking about my own survival, I then begin to think about if I ever had to save my family or friends. Would I put my own life at risk to save theirs? What if I failed and we both died? So many questions came to mind. Even though the thought scares me, I believe if the ones I loved were in a life or death situation that I would try to do something to save them. Even if I died along with them I fully believe that it is worth it to at least try.
Ever since I was little I was told what to do if a stranger was trying to kidnap me. My mom and dad always told me scream as loud as I could "You're not my mom (or dad)." To kick, to thrash, to throw a fit loud and wild enough to make a scene. It was my parents job then to protect me. Now that I am older I must protect myself. If I were to get grabbed I would kick, scream, bite, hit, and practically do anything to get free. However, if I was not able to free myself I would then turn to God and pray with all my heart that He would protect and comfort me.
If put in the situation of drowing or burning in a fire, so many thoughts come to mind. When drowing, my biggest fear, I know I would be anything but calm and collected. I would try to grab anything or anyone to help pull me up. Trapped inside a burning building is another one of my biggest fears. If all exits were blocked and there was no way out except through a window thirty feet up in the air, I would jump. I would take the risk of breaking every bone in my body to survive over buring alive without even a second thought.
After thinking about my own survival, I then begin to think about if I ever had to save my family or friends. Would I put my own life at risk to save theirs? What if I failed and we both died? So many questions came to mind. Even though the thought scares me, I believe if the ones I loved were in a life or death situation that I would try to do something to save them. Even if I died along with them I fully believe that it is worth it to at least try.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Survivor Synthesis Essay: Coaching
Six-Word-Slant
140-Character-Claim
- Coaching- teaching, trusting, disciplining, encouraging,pushing.
- High school coaches can survive the ups and downs by creating a form of trust with his/her players and inspiring them in all that they do. (138 characters)
In
Jack London’s book, The Call of the Wild, Buck, a St. Bernard-Scotch shepherd dog, has many coaches along his
journey. However, the only “coach” he works hard for is John
Thorton. John Thorton is the only
man who proved himself to Buck by saving his life and treating him as a true
companion. The relationship between John Thorton and Buck can be compared to
the coach/player relationship. High
school coaches can survive the ups and downs by creating a form of trust with
his/her players and inspiring them in all that they do.
To be a successful coach one must work
to create a strong form of trust between herself or himself and their players.
In a recent interview with Johnathon Burgess, Batesville High School girls head
soccer and girls assistant volleyball coach, he declares, “You spend a lot of
time with your players throughout the year and if you give them a reason not to
trust you then they probably won’t enjoy playing for you, which could lead to a
lack of effort on the field.” Trust is one of the most important things two
people can have. Slipping up one time could not only ruin
that relationship between the two people, but could also hurt the entire team’s season.
Trusting each other fully, a player and coach will
put out their best effort when on the field and sidelines. Columnist, Patrick
Hite, reports in his article, “Parents driving coaches away from game,”
“Bennett and his coaching staff were questioned by parents about something
after every game.” In the same way that a player and coach must have a bond of
trust, so must a coach and the player’s parents. I am not saying they need to
have the same type of relationship that a coach has with his or her players,
but they need to trust that each other are doing the best thing for each
athlete. The first step to surviving coaching is having a form of trust between
the coach, his or her athletes, and to some degree the athlete’s parents. “Trust
is a very important factor” and with mistrust comes the early cessation of a team’s
season and the chance of advancing to the state playoffs.
It is not unwonted for every athlete to be inspired
by someone or something, and a coach has to be that someone. Again Burgess adds,
“Athletes will learn a lot from their coach throughout high school, mainly
because they spend so much time with them each day. I get plenty of
opportunities to try to teach and mentor my athletes and I try to give the best
advice I can to them while being a positive role model.” A good coach, as their athlete’s role model, will inspire them
to be better in every way in their life, “On and off the field.” Not to mention
the fact that they will show more respect during practices, huddles, games,
timeouts, and later on in life even after they graduate. In B. Mackenzie’s
article, “Coaching Principles,” she uses a quote from Richard Caborn MP, UK
Minister for Sport who claims, “They [coaches] are the people who motivate,
encourage, and inspire.” Whether athletes realize this now or not, coaches have
a huge impact on their lives. Everything they learned from their coaches in
high school they will take with them the rest of their lives. Inspiring players
on and off the field will be a huge factor in whether or not a coach is
successful.
On the other hand, whether or not a
coach will survive depends on how many wins a team has in his or her coaching
season. In Clay Travis’ article, “Derek Dooley Loses 11th Coach in One
Offseason,” he writes, “None of them left for better jobs. It's simple, they
have no faith in Derek Dooley's ability to win football games at Tennessee. Or
in Dooley's future as a coach at the university.” Nobody likes a losing team,
and they sure do not like to be a part of one. Who cares if a coach inspires
his players and has a certain bond of trust with them that nobody else has if
they are losing? The only thing that will help a coach survive is if he or she
is getting the W’s down on paper by the coach doing whatever it takes to come out ahead. However, Mackenzie again states, “Being a good
coach is not just about having excellent sports-specific and technical
knowledge.” A coach should be hired not
just by his or her ability to win, but by their character and how they are
going to be able to lead the adolescence of our society into becoming adults.
What teenagers learn while they are in high school is not transient, but will carry
on with them for the rest of their lives out into the whole wide world.
As
a coach is to his or her team so is a parent to a child and a teacher to a
student. A person may not
“officially” be a coach, but everyone at some point is a mentor to someone
else. This calls for self-examination in
terms of being a positive or negative influence.
Work Cited
Hite,
Patrick. "Parents Driving Coaches Away from Game." The News Leader.
05 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://newsleader.com/article/20120205/SPORTS/202050332/Parents-driving-coaches-away-from-game>.
"Interview
Questions with Johnathon Burgess." Message to the author. 03 May 2012.
E-mail.
Mackenzie,
B. "Coaching Principles." Coaching Principles. 1997. Web. 16
May 2012. <http://www.brianmac.co.uk/coaching.htm>.
Travis,
Clay. "Derek Dooley Loses 7th Coach In One Offseason : Outkick The
Coverage." Derek Dooley Loses 7th Coach In One Offseason : Outkick The
Coverage. 02 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://outkickthecoverage.com/derek-dooley-loses-7th-coach-in-one-offseason.php>.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Book Review: The Call of the Wild
"Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair.." Jack London's book The Call of the Wild captures your attention as he takes you along on Buck's brumal journey across the Yukon. Just at the end of chapter one you find yourself wanting to read more and more as you are rooting for Buck as he fights the struggles against nature, enemies, and his human masters.
Jack London wrote his book The Call of the Wild from Buck, the St. Bernard-Scotch Shepard dogs, point of view instead of from the normal human perspective. "Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry." (Chapter 1, page 13) I enjoyed reading this story from Buck's perspective because it allowed me to really connect to Buck and understand exactly what he was thinking and feeling. "Like his mates, he was barely able to get up, but, unlike them, he had made up his mind not to get up." (Chapter 5, page 54) If it had been told from his master's or anybody else's point of view we would not have known what was wrong with Buck. More than likely, based on the situation, we would have assumed Hal had badly injured Buck while beating him with the whip and club to the point where he could not get up even if he wanted to. "While he went wild with happiness when Thornton touched him or spoke to him, he did not seek these tokens." (Chapter 6, page 58) This give us an inside look on the demonstrative relationship between Buck and John Thorton. Without it we would not be able to know the true connection between these two.
The author does a great job of describing the characters. At the end of the book you feel as if these dogs and people were real and that this story actually took place. "..for he was king-king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place, humans included." (Chapter 1, page 12) The way he described Buck at the very beginning shows you what Buck's personality was like perfectly before he was dognapped. London showed you that Buck was not ferine at all. "On the other hand, possibly because he divined in Buck a dangerous rival, Spitz never lost an opportunity of showing his teeth. He even went out of his way to bully Buck, striving constantly to start the fight which could end only in the death of one or the other." (Chapter 3, page 27) London could not have set up Spitz in any better way. From this moment you knew that Buck and Spitz would always be enemies. "John Thornton stood over Buck, struggling to control himself, too convulsed with rage to speak. 'If you strike that dog again, I'll kill you," he at last managed to say in a choking voice.'" (Chapter 5, page 54) For the first time this shows you how good of a person John Thorton was and how good of a master he would be to Buck.
The Call of the Wild is about overcoming all the hardships of life, learning to adapt, and moving on. ".a man with a club was a lawgiver a master to be obeyed.." (Chapter 1, page 16) Buck had to realize that in order to survive he could not be "king", he had to obey someone else for a change. "He watched and learned. When he saw Pike, one of the new dogs, a clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk." (Chapter 2, page 23-24) Once again, Buck was learning new ways to survive in this new terrain. "John Thorton was dead. The last tie was broken." (Chapter 7, page 76) Buck had to overcome the death of the only master he had truely loved and move on with the rest of his life.
I reccomend this book to anyone who is an animal lover. Buck's intense journey will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Jack London wrote his book The Call of the Wild from Buck, the St. Bernard-Scotch Shepard dogs, point of view instead of from the normal human perspective. "Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry." (Chapter 1, page 13) I enjoyed reading this story from Buck's perspective because it allowed me to really connect to Buck and understand exactly what he was thinking and feeling. "Like his mates, he was barely able to get up, but, unlike them, he had made up his mind not to get up." (Chapter 5, page 54) If it had been told from his master's or anybody else's point of view we would not have known what was wrong with Buck. More than likely, based on the situation, we would have assumed Hal had badly injured Buck while beating him with the whip and club to the point where he could not get up even if he wanted to. "While he went wild with happiness when Thornton touched him or spoke to him, he did not seek these tokens." (Chapter 6, page 58) This give us an inside look on the demonstrative relationship between Buck and John Thorton. Without it we would not be able to know the true connection between these two.
The author does a great job of describing the characters. At the end of the book you feel as if these dogs and people were real and that this story actually took place. "..for he was king-king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place, humans included." (Chapter 1, page 12) The way he described Buck at the very beginning shows you what Buck's personality was like perfectly before he was dognapped. London showed you that Buck was not ferine at all. "On the other hand, possibly because he divined in Buck a dangerous rival, Spitz never lost an opportunity of showing his teeth. He even went out of his way to bully Buck, striving constantly to start the fight which could end only in the death of one or the other." (Chapter 3, page 27) London could not have set up Spitz in any better way. From this moment you knew that Buck and Spitz would always be enemies. "John Thornton stood over Buck, struggling to control himself, too convulsed with rage to speak. 'If you strike that dog again, I'll kill you," he at last managed to say in a choking voice.'" (Chapter 5, page 54) For the first time this shows you how good of a person John Thorton was and how good of a master he would be to Buck.
The Call of the Wild is about overcoming all the hardships of life, learning to adapt, and moving on. ".a man with a club was a lawgiver a master to be obeyed.." (Chapter 1, page 16) Buck had to realize that in order to survive he could not be "king", he had to obey someone else for a change. "He watched and learned. When he saw Pike, one of the new dogs, a clever malingerer and thief, slyly steal a slice of bacon when Perrault's back was turned, he duplicated the performance the following day, getting away with the whole chunk." (Chapter 2, page 23-24) Once again, Buck was learning new ways to survive in this new terrain. "John Thorton was dead. The last tie was broken." (Chapter 7, page 76) Buck had to overcome the death of the only master he had truely loved and move on with the rest of his life.
I reccomend this book to anyone who is an animal lover. Buck's intense journey will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Anthropomorphism
Meet my best friend, Jeffory, the giraffe.
Although he looks like all our other giraffe friends with tall long legs covered in a bright yellow coat with brown spots, he's actually quite unique.
Jeffory the giraffe loves to dance!
He loves putting on a show for me and all of the other safari animals.
Jeffory dances day and night.
He dances in the beautiful sunshine and the pouring down rain.
Jeffory the giraffe loves to dance!
As Jeffory finishes his last dance of the day,
I stand on my own long yellow legs,
Throw a rose at his feet,
And give him a standing ovation.
Although he looks like all our other giraffe friends with tall long legs covered in a bright yellow coat with brown spots, he's actually quite unique.
Jeffory the giraffe loves to dance!
He loves putting on a show for me and all of the other safari animals.
Jeffory dances day and night.
He dances in the beautiful sunshine and the pouring down rain.
Jeffory the giraffe loves to dance!
As Jeffory finishes his last dance of the day,
I stand on my own long yellow legs,
Throw a rose at his feet,
And give him a standing ovation.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Responsibility of the Cost of Life
I believe that all living creatures, humans and animals alike, have the responsibility to help each other when the situation calls. We are all responsible for another's life in some way or another.
Drowning is my worst fear and I would probably not remain very calm if I was ever in that life or death situation. However, I still believe that the people on the ship Titanic had some responsibility for one another. Whether it was giving up their spot on a lifeboat for somebody else or it was just helping somebody into a lifeboat, I feel like it is our duty as humans to help others if we can.
In the book The Call of the Wild every dog in Buck's dog team has a responsibility to protect and help each other. The dogs had to work as a team constantly if they had any chance of survival in that cold terrain. If the dogs had only cared about their own well-being they would have all been dead in a week.
Just like a vicarious mother will do anything to protect her child, so should we with everyone around us. Even if that person is not our family or friend, we should feel that call as humans to provide ministrations to one another. If the situation called you, would you put another's life above your own?
Drowning is my worst fear and I would probably not remain very calm if I was ever in that life or death situation. However, I still believe that the people on the ship Titanic had some responsibility for one another. Whether it was giving up their spot on a lifeboat for somebody else or it was just helping somebody into a lifeboat, I feel like it is our duty as humans to help others if we can.
In the book The Call of the Wild every dog in Buck's dog team has a responsibility to protect and help each other. The dogs had to work as a team constantly if they had any chance of survival in that cold terrain. If the dogs had only cared about their own well-being they would have all been dead in a week.
Just like a vicarious mother will do anything to protect her child, so should we with everyone around us. Even if that person is not our family or friend, we should feel that call as humans to provide ministrations to one another. If the situation called you, would you put another's life above your own?
Friday, March 16, 2012
What Does Being Human Mean?
When asked "what does being human mean?" many things come to mind. However, the one that stands out to me above all the others is our ability to love one another.
Every girl dreams of the day that she will walk down the isle and marry the man of her dreams. Later dreaming of the little children she will have to hold when they are scared, make multiple birthday cakes for, and tuck them in at night. Yes, animals do have babies and yes, animals do travel together most of the time in little "families". Both of these though are for survival, not because they have that deep compassionate love for each other.
Humans and animals alike connect to each other on that basic level. Humans, however, are able to connect to each other on a much deeper level. How we connect to our families is like none other. We share things with the ones we love that we would never share with just anybody. Animals just rely on each other for protection and food. They don't spend time getting to know each other to find out their fears, their dreams, or who they truly are. Humans spend mostly their whole life trying to find that one person who they connect to the most. Animals just travel with whoever will keep them safe and increase their chances of surviving the longest.
I have a dog and she wants to be loved. How could you tell me that they don't care about being loved? Its true. Animals love to be loved. The only difference is they don't care who that person is as long as they are feeding, petting, and taking care of them. With humans, not everybody gets along with everybody. We don't just fall in love with the first person that gives us attention. Where humans are very picky, animals could really care less.
Every girl dreams of the day that she will walk down the isle and marry the man of her dreams. Later dreaming of the little children she will have to hold when they are scared, make multiple birthday cakes for, and tuck them in at night. Yes, animals do have babies and yes, animals do travel together most of the time in little "families". Both of these though are for survival, not because they have that deep compassionate love for each other.
Humans and animals alike connect to each other on that basic level. Humans, however, are able to connect to each other on a much deeper level. How we connect to our families is like none other. We share things with the ones we love that we would never share with just anybody. Animals just rely on each other for protection and food. They don't spend time getting to know each other to find out their fears, their dreams, or who they truly are. Humans spend mostly their whole life trying to find that one person who they connect to the most. Animals just travel with whoever will keep them safe and increase their chances of surviving the longest.
I have a dog and she wants to be loved. How could you tell me that they don't care about being loved? Its true. Animals love to be loved. The only difference is they don't care who that person is as long as they are feeding, petting, and taking care of them. With humans, not everybody gets along with everybody. We don't just fall in love with the first person that gives us attention. Where humans are very picky, animals could really care less.
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