Winston

I Believe -I believe everyone has freedom of speech -I believe everyone has the freedom to have their own opinion -I believe there is a God -I believe everyone has the freedom to their own religious beliefs -I believe everyone has the right to enjoy and live life -I believe that’s school is important -I believe school either limits or opens up opportunity in life -I believe Buena is better than Ventura -I believe that I can get an A in this summer school class -I believe that it is important to look out for yours and others best interests -I believe that I will have a nice year at Foothill tech. next year -I believe that sports make high school more enjoyable -I believe that playing water polo for Buena is fun but challenging -I believe that enjoying summer is required -I believe that America is an amazing country full of freedom and opportunity -I believe I am very blessed to be alive -I believe that very Friday at school should be a half-day -I believe that biking is an awesome hobby -I believe that the earth was created and designed

Tiger Mom Essay

When “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom” was released it caused an explosion of mixed feelings acrossAmerica. The author Amy Chua wrote in her book that Western parents are to weak and soft with their kids. She also claims that Chinese moms are superior to western parents Amy Chua believes that her intense method of parenting works to create success in her children. In this research paper I will discuss Amy Chua’s parenting style, and I will discuss western parents view on her book. In the end I will share my own opinion with you. The Chinese tiger moms have a very unique way of parenting. They believe in motivation through fear. Tiger moms believe that insulting their children will somehow instill motivation through their extreme efforts. “Jed pulled me aside and told me to stop insulting Lulu, which I wasn’t even doing I was just motivating her to do her best.” Amy Chua believes that being ridiculously strict helps aid failure, and increases success in a young child.

In David Brook’s article “Amy Chua is a Wimp” he discussed how he feels she isn’t being tough enough. He feels that she isn’t introducing her children to the real outside world. She practically locks them up and doesn’t let them face the social experiences that normal teens need to experience in order to grow and mature. “In many ways the school cafeteria is more intellectually demanding.” Learning from your own experiences makes you a stronger and wiser individual. In the article “In Defense of the Guilty, Ambivalent, preoccupied, Western Mom” Ayelet Waldman describes her feelings about parenting children. She feels that it isn’t necessary to hound your kids. You must allow them to set and accomplish their own goals. Let a child do his or her own work as the parent watches them with care. “I expend far too much of my maternal energies on pain and regret.” In the article “Mother Inferior” by Hannah Rosin she explains how she personally feels about American parenting. She feels very differently compared to Amy Chua. She feels that children need to enjoy their childhood. “They need to lighten up and roam free to express themselves in ways not dictated by their parents.” This overall describes how Hannah Rosin feels. Kids must find their own way in life, let them find it. In Llyon Woo’s article “A Chinese Fathers Permission to Fail” she explains a completely new aspect of Chinese parenting that was introduced to her by her father. She tells a story of when her father gave her permission to fail. He wanted her to give it a try. “Why don’t you try it he dared?” So she tried it and her grades soared. In the end she felt so free, free to experience life to the fullest. There are many styles of parenting in the world. Some of them can be generally accepted as good, while other methods can be found as abusive and repulsive to the majority. I agree with Amy Chua in some ways because she helps to create successful children. She truly loves her kids and cares about their future. She does give them care and love when she feels appropriate. She takes away fun activities because she wants to help them focus on their instruments and music.

Tiger moms have their own way of parenting which involves many forms of aggressive behavior and insults. I disagree with Amy Chua in many ways because of the over the top way in which she criticizes her daughters. Whether it’s insulting them or threatening to hurt them or their belongings. But are they successful in their efforts? In my personal opinion I believe that tiger moms might make successful child prodigies but I feel that they might be genius, but at the same time insecure. What is more important success or being happy and content with whom you have become? Being socially equipped is more valuable than a hundred child prodigies. In conclusion to my research paper I feel that tiger moms are very abusive and oppressive to their children. Although I do feel that they create very intelligent children. Tiger moms are very interesting to read about and I wish the best for their children and hope that they turn out to be what they have worked so hard to be. It is always more important to be socially equipped and mentally stable than to be crazy smart. The ability to be able to talk and hold conversation is valuable I feel that prodigies lack this important life skill and it will eventually come back to get them later in life.


 * Failure Essay[[image:winston-summerschool-2011-.jpg width="560" height="371" align="right" caption="Winston gives two "thumbs up"!"]] **

“Mistakes are at the very base of human thought embedded there, feeding the structure like a root nodule.” That is the opinion of Lewis Thomas in his passage “Medusa and the Snail.” He feels that mistakes help reveal new ideas and opportunities to us. In my opinion error can reveal success, but not all learn from error some only continue to fail. In 1929 an amazing discovery occurred. During World War 2 Alexander Fleming was studying the bacteria staphylococcus a very deadly bacterium. Since he had very bad housekeeping he left his Petri dishes out, without cleaning them. The next day he found a mold in the dishes killing the bacteria. He then created a medicine know as penicillin. It was mass produced throughout the battlefield and saved thousands of lives. This all simply came from a mistake. It is all possible to learn from mistakes. In many cases mistakes can reveal new understanding. I have witnessed many forms of failure in my life. The greatest failure in my life would probably be in family relationships. I have mainly seen this in family disagreements and arguments. I remember a time when I and my mom got in an argument about a grade I got (a bad one) in a class. We both said hurtful things to one another that we didn’t even mean. Although we argued and apologized like ten seconds after good did come out of it. I ended up raising my grade in that class to a B plus and all was good in the end History has its failures, but many learned from them. A perfect example was Thomas Edison. It took him two hundred and one times to make the light bulb. When he was questioned for having so many failures in his work he said “I didn’t fail I found two hundred ways how not to make a light bulb.” Another example is in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In her book one of the main characters Scout Finch learns to think with her head instead of her fists. We are designed for failure. Designed to mess up and not always succeed. But the interesting part is, is that we can learn from some of are biggest mistakes. Lewis Thomas in my opinion is right with his theory. We all fail, so it’s time to move forward and learn from our mistakes.

Was the AP Kansas high school teacher Christine Pelton right in what she did? Some feel she was right. Christine Pelton failed twenty eight sophomores in her AP biology class when they plagiarized a written paper for the class. I believe that she was right in doing so the students clearly deserve punishment for their actions. So was she right in doing so? Yes I feel she was. When one third of your class cheats because they are lazy and don’t respect you as a person then it is completely appropriate to fail them. It was the students fault for cheating, so if they fail the class it is only what they deserve. Part of learning is making mistakes and learning from them. Cheating in general is just wrong! People that cheat are too lazy or just don’t care enough to succeed in their academics. By the parents coming and complaining about their kids work in class they are completely and fully supporting cheating in the school system. Not only should the students be punished but so should the parents for promoting academic dishonesty. Honesty and dishonesty are two very different words. But which word is acceptable to society. I feel that honesty is the better of the two it shows true character in a person. I know that Christine Pelton was right in her actions. When one fifth of your AP class cheats it is a sign of not caring and disrespect. So I feel that honesty is important. Therefore be honest in your work and make sure you turn in the work that is yours.
 * Cheating Essay **


 * My 30 List **
 * 1) graduate high school
 * 2) become bilingual
 * 3) visitItaly
 * 4) visitRome
 * 5) go to the grand canyon
 * 6) go deep sea fishing[[image:winston-summerschool-2011-outside-.jpg width="480" height="317" align="right" caption="Winston enjoys a class discussion on the grass lawn during summer school."]]
 * 7) own a boat
 * 8) own my own skate park
 * 9) fully customize my bike
 * 10) find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
 * 11) sky dive
 * 12) hike to the top of half dome
 * 13) parachute off of a skyscraper
 * 14) own my own dog
 * 15) own my own house
 * 16) have a family
 * 17) get married
 * 18) own a nice car
 * 19) write some of my own music
 * 20) climbMount Everest
 * 21) go toGermany
 * 22) go hunting
 * 23) own a 70 inch T.V. screen
 * 24) get an I phone
 * 25) fall in love with the perfect woman
 * 26) become good at bmxing
 * 27) fly an airplane
 * 28) have my own you tube channel
 * 29) go sailing
 * 30) enjoy all the time I can before I have kids

In Class Essay

Margret Mead once said that one small group of committed citizens can change the world in either a positive or negative way. I definitely believe that one small group can indeed change the world. A group of people can change the world for good or evil as I will show in this essay. It is amazing what a small group of people are capable of. Who would have known what twenty three terrorists were able to do and the amount of terror they could inflict. It all started on a cool September morning. Twenty three terrorists boarded four different planes armed with box cutters and what appeared to be bombs. Within hours they had killed multiple passengers and hijacked the planes. There were approximately four to five terrorists per plane. By the end of the day 3,000 people were dead and billions in emotional misery.

Although these terrorists ended up crashing three of the planes into the world trade centers and the pentagon, one plane failed to reach its destined target. The name of the flight that didn’t make it was flight 93. The only reason that this happened was because of the heroic passengers on board. These men and women attempted to retake the plane in order to save thousands of lives. This is an example of a small group making change for the better. Many small groups in history have made change, some for good others for evil. An example of this in literature is in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. An example from this book is when Atticus Finch decides to support a black man in his trial. He knows he will be judged for doing so but he still goes against the grin and helps him by becoming his lawyer. There have been many small groups with a cause in the world. Some believed in life and justice while others devoted their life to turmoil and destruction. There are those that fight for a just cause and those that fight for nothing. All small groups make change. Since the twin towers have fallen thousands of Al Qaeda terrorists have been killed by American arms.

Medea

Revenge, is a very powerful word. It consumes everyone until the last one standing has fallen. But is revenge the right method to use? In Medea and the First Wives Club both used revenge as a way to get back at their husbands for their own satisfaction. I feel that revenge is not the way to go. Getting revenge makes you no better than the person that hurt you. In this essay I will compare the two stories of Medea and the First Wives Club and show you how revenge changed them forever.

Although I do not agree with revenge I Can see how it would be hard not to want it. Part of our natural being craves revenge and justice. Revenge helps us feel like in the end we won in the situation. It makes us who we are. I can say from personal experience that revenge is very powerful in the human mind. I have been in several incidents were I’ve wanted either justice or revenge. But in the end you feel so much better if you can last without using it.

In the movie First Wives Club the situation is very interesting. Three wives are dumped by their husbands for younger women. At first they are upset and give up, but then they decide revenge is a necessity. They get revenge through taking back what’s theirs. This movie is very optimistic. It was made in 1996 and is very relevant. This movie has no death and tries to teach life lessons in a funny matter without death.

The story Medea is very different from the First Wives Club. Medea is a love story in which her husband betrays her and all she gave him for a younger woman. Her husband Jason throws her to the curb for his own benefit. Medea gets angry and kills her brother, her children, the king, and his daughter. She did this all for hatred and anger towards her husband. This story is very different from the first. This story is dark and evil full of death. In the end all are mostly dead. This story is over two thousand years old. Unfortunately revenge took its toll.

These stories can be used to help us in life lessons. Revenge can both benefit us and destroy us in the end. Be careful with how you handle situations. Not involving yourself with it will make you a more, happy person. Be wise in all you do and don’t involve yourself with revenge. It takes over all who touch it.

Brandon vs. Larry Essay Is it just to lock a boy up at the age of fourteen for life. Brandon was immature when he brought a gun to school and killed Larry King. Brandon McInerney was tired of being harassed by a gay boy at school. He was tired of being embarrassed in front of his fellow classmates by a confused boy. I believe Brandon was enraged and acted in the moment, he should be tried in juvenile court. No one deserves their whole life in prison. Although I feel that Brandon deserves another chance I can also accept the other side of the argument. Brandon had planned the murder of Larry King when he went home and grabbed the gun. He was furious enough to shoot and kill Larry at school. Even though I feel Brandon should be tried in juvenile court I do feel that he did plan to kill Larry in cold blood. Everyone should have a second chance, therefore Brandon should get out at age twenty five and be able to experience life to its fullest. I feel that Brandon can easily be rehabilitated. Brandon is young and his brain is still very impressionable and able to be changed for the better. When Brandon was acting he wasn’t thinking. Now he is more mature and can think more clearly. Giving Brandon a chance could lead to a better future for him and his family. In this situation, a rare one a boy was killed because of many things such as anger, humiliation, depression, hatred, abandonment, and bullying. Brandon deserves punishment for his actions no doubt and I fell that getting out of jail at age twenty five is enough. Many people only like to focus on Brandon’s problems and how he committed murder. But no one likes to notice how Larry contributed to the problem. Larry harassed, embarrassed, and humiliated Brandon. He wouldn’t leave him alone. Now both families want justice. I feel that Brandon should get out at twenty five and get another chance. As for Larry’s family though I feel that they shouldn’t be worried about justice considering that their son started the whole thing and pretty much got himself killed. Larry started the whole incident and eventually Brandon got tired of it and ended it. The trial is not yet over but soon it will be and Brandon McInerney will either be locked behind bars for a couple years or for life. Hopefully the judge will realize his circumstances and will give Brandon what he deserves, a new life. Brandon can be rehabilitated and I feel he can recover and become a good person and add to our society. But in the end the fate of the Brandon is in the jury’s hands.


 * Photography**

In Susan Sontag’s article, on photography 1977 she describes her view about our world full of images. Do images open or limit our view of society? Images and text both have their own value. Each is essential to understanding. I believe that text is much more valuable than images for many reasons. Words tell the story the picture can not tell. A long time ago it seems that you had to read the paper to get the most recent news. Now you just turn on the T.V. It seems that images are truly taking over our society. Is a picture really worth a thousand words. It is too hard to sit down and read an article when you can just watch the same thing on T.V. Are we going to sit back and watch laziness take over? Photos help us see what we truly can’t picture in our mind. But it is with words that we can create what’s happening in our mind. We can decide what’s happening in our own head. We can decide what things look like based on our own interpretation. Text gives us a description and background on either photos or other images. Text is used as a way of expression of feelings of the author. Only text can do what pictures can not. Only text can do express feelings and emotion. Photos could never do such a thing. Words have been in existence for a very long time. One of the first books that words were ever used in was the Bible. Now it is the most published book in the world. Words have meaning and importance in our lives. Words describe us and who we are. Words have meaning and explanation. But are words really more influential on a person than a picture? Each is different words tell a hidden story while pictures show the obvious. What is so great about obvious?

My new 30 list 1. become a firefighter 2. graduate high school 3. get a job 4. start a family 5. go to Europe 6. own my own pet 7. achieve true success 8. get a car 9. jump off half dome and live 10. become bilingual 11. grow a tree 12. get a life 13.finish my bike 14.graduate college 15.get a 4.0 GPA 16.own a boat 17.go deep sea fishing 18.enjoy life before kids come around 19.sky dive 20.fly a plane 21.fly a helicopter 22.swim the pier 23.vote for a new president 24.make a pizza 25.jump off a skyscraper 26.go to Hawaii 27.go to Alaska 28.read a 1,000 page book in an hour 29.write a book 30.finish this

New I believe
 * 1) I believe in life
 * 2) I believe in love [[image:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pKTSuMamJmw/TJSOzEc1ADI/AAAAAAAABLk/jjSYBMIMgFo/s1600/cross.jpg width="342" height="233" align="right" caption="I believe in the cross"]]
 * 3) I believe in caring for others
 * 4) I believe I can do anything through him who gives me strength
 * 5) I believe in Jesus
 * 6) I believe in the cross
 * 7) I believe that everyone has a second chance
 * 8) I believe in revenge
 * 9) I believe in justice
 * 10) I believe that I am done with this list
 * 11) I believe in truth
 * 12) I believe in hope
 * 13) I believe in you
 * 14) I believe in the power of the mind
 * 15) I believe in having fun
 * 16) I believe in looking for love
 * 17) I believe in others
 * 18) I believe in Buena sports
 * 19) I believe in polo
 * 20) I believe in the hope of a new life

Romance To say that all things are chemical is a foolish statement. There is more to life than chemicals. Love is much more love has deeper meaning and value. Love comes from our mind and feelings it is so much more than chemicals. Each and every human contains testosterone and estrogen. These are the chemicals released by both sexes during puberty. But those aren’t the only feelings released during love and romance. Dopamine, serotonin, nurepinephrine, and oxcytocin are all different chemicals that are released during love and romance. All of these chemicals give us new feelings in most cases a good one that makes us want to be with them. Being with that person gives you a sort of natural high. Men and women have been looking for certain things in the opposite sex for thousands of years. According to evolutionary anthropologists males have been attracted to women that are beautiful and curvy. To men these features symbolize fertility. Women have always liked a man with broad shoulders and big muscles. Both of these factors for both sexes signal a potential mate. Love in most ways is one of the most powerful senses and feelings known to man. Love has no end it cannot be chemically defined or described. Some people devote their lives to love. Marriage and devotion are very critical when it comes to love.

Marriage

Marriage has been and always will be one of the biggest and most valued traditions in our society. Marriage is how we as human beings show our love and affection towards a member of the opposite sex. I greatly value marriage and believe that it is your choice to decide who to spend the rest of your life with.

Traditional marriages have existed since the beginning of time. They are marriages chosen by the parents for their children. Traditional marriages are more for reason and logic. They have proven in some cases proven to be successful and very functional marriages. This is more for reasons while modern marriages are more for love and romance. Modern marriages are considered very common amongst our society. They are marriages based on true love. This is more of something from your heart instead of your head. Some people tend to be happy with these relationships because they got to decide for themselves. You can not have a relationship without romance. Marriage should be your decision as long as you make a good choice.

I have many thoughts and feelings about this topic. I believe in freedom, so therefore I believe in modern marriages. I believe in finding love instead of it being forced upon you these types of marriages are very common but so is divorce. Seventy percent of marriages with in theU.S.end up in divorce with in the first five years. Modern marriages are good for letting you choose, but most of them end with a sad ending.

One Thing

When I think of one thing that is important to me I can only think of my bike. I’m on my bike at least three to four hours a day. It is one of my greatest hobbies. Biking has been around for a while. The first bikes were made in the late 1800’s and have become very popular methods of transportation.

I have been riding bikes all my life. But it wasn’t until recently I decided to buy a real good quality bike. I’ve always wanted a bike I could ride around the neighborhood with my friends. Biking helps me keep active and gives me and my friends something to do. Biking is my hobby and I fully intend on continuing.

There are countless reasons why my bike means so much to me. It is my favorite color, I ride it everywhere, and I bought it with my own money.

I remember when I first went to get it. It was the day before my birthday last year. I remember walking into the Mirraco bike shop and seeing it on the wall. I didn’t even look at any of the others. My bike had already caught my eye. I intently told my mom that that was the one for me, and with much debating considering the price I won. Now I can proudly ride my bike around knowing that it is finally mine.

Everyone has one thing they love and cherish. For me it is simply my bike. I will own it for a long time and will get more enjoyment out of it than any T.V. or video game could ever give. So I now continue on the trial of life with my special one thing.

Who’s Responsible?

So who is responsible for the murder of Larry King? Many people feel that it was his own fault. Others feel that it was either the school administrations fault orBrandon’s fault. But whose fault was it truly? I feel that Larry under strange and rare circumstances brought his murder upon himself. Anytime someone is humiliated or mortified there is always a thirst for revenge.

Although I feel that it was definitely Larry’s fault I can see why others may feel that it wasBrandon’s fault.Brandon was harassed at school and had plenty of time to think about hoe he was going to handle it. He was at home plotting for more than twenty four hours. Which in the criminal justice system is enough time to be considered a pre meditated crime. This is first degree murder. That was the counter argument in court againstBrandon.

I have many reasons for why I feel it was Larry’s fault. I know how humiliating it would be to have a homosexual confront you at school and say that he liked you and wanted you to be your valentine. Larry had also said that himself and Brandon had gone out and had just broken up. Larry was harassingBrandon and using his sexuality as a weapon.

Brandon no doubt acted in the heat of the moment when he went home and took a loaded gun to school. He casually walked into his first period English class on that fateful February day full of confusion and anger. He walked into the computer lab where Larry was sitting and shot two rounds through the back of Larry’s head killing him within a couple hours. This was an act of anger and humiliation. Larry had started all of this andBrandon ended it in the only way he knew how. His father had shot his mother out of anger a few years previous, which gaveBrandon the idea most likely to shoot Larry King.Brandon had all odds against him.

So I conclude this essay by restating my feelings in this situation. I feel that Larry King started all of this foolishness and went way out of control. He was scaring boys with his homosexual acts and was personally harassingBrandon for no apparent reason. So therefore I feel that Larry is responsible andBrandon should not go to jail. Let a young man have another chance at life. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, especiallyBrandon.

What I Know 2 What I know? I know how it feels to be in summer school and watch your summer blow right on by. I know how it feels to wake up early each morning and come back to work each day. It is hard watching all of yours friends hang out while your stuck here in this chair working and writing essays. But at the same time it hasn’t been all that bad. I have learned a lot and that is what matters.

Sitting in a chair all day isn’t really my idea of fun but learning makes it all the better. While I have been here for four hours each day I feel like I have learned more here than my whole real year of English. I guess that is a good thing. I have learned real writing instead of reading from a text book all day or reading poems from people whom I don’t care about. I have achieved true learning and success in this class. Hopefully I can use this to help me next year so I’m not here again next summer.

While I’m excited about being here to learn I am also a little sad at how much of my summer time I have lost being here at school when I should have been hanging with friends. I miss that time greatly. I would have liked to be able to sleep in more often and relax at home but I will survive this in the end. It has benefited me in many ways even if it has taken away friends, time, sleep, and fun.

In conclusion I am glad to be finished with both summer school and this essay but I will still have more work to do on the final. Overall I have enjoyed, learned, and laughed my way through this shortened school year of English. I thank Mr. Geib for helping me with my grammar and writing skills so that I can achieve greater success in the future of writing at foothill.