2. AP kids suck at being students

Sure, school is made for all levels.  We have special needs classes, on-level classes, on-level, and AP classes.  All levels have rigor, projects that no one wants to do, and busy homework that will be saved for the next day.

I have always been in TAG/Honors classes, just starting AP this year and have realized we are the laziest people in the entire world.  AP is horrible about procrastination and I mean HORRIBLE.  On facebook..of course it's 12:30 right now, I look through my friends list and most of them are AP kids.  If you ever ask "hey what's up" or "hey what are you doing right now" the answer is always homework.  We are so overwhelmed that we end up convincing ourselves we are doing work, but then again, nothing is getting accomplished with quickmeme.com open in the next tab and facebook open complaining to the others about the bio lab or the lang test.

Thinking of topics to write about on the top of my head has always been such a struggle.  As soon as I start to struggle?  I reward myself with a facebook break...which will last for such a long time.  But anyway this blog assignment should be good for me.  I need to get better with procrastination.  This is such a giveaway grade, but of course I did two posts Sunday...even procrastinating the last few hours of the night before it turns Monday..which it already has...but pretty much what is on my mind is that instead of having these hours filled with crimes, it's just the AP kids who are in their comfort zones hanging out and convincing themselves that they are working.

1. Best experience of my life..do I regret it?

Even I cannot tell if I regret cheerleading or not.  It was an obsession.  It consumed my mind.  It taught me how far I could push my body with the asthma attacks, sprains, pain, splits, and sore muscles.  It taught me that anything is possible.  The videos of people doing flips or the people at the gym pulling the crazy stunts are not impossible.  My coaches taught me that very quickly with help, it's honestly not that hard.

Once I started getting into it, I was absolutely obsessed.  I would go tumbling camps my coach held for four hours every day for a week at a time.  It was absolute heaven to me.  I would wake up too sore to move, but enjoy every second of it.  The adrenaline rush of knowing that I pushed so hard and learned a new skill was euphoric and I knew that no other sport could fufill this sensation.

Learning how to do too much too fast ended up screwing me over.  I always had some kind of injury.  My sprained ankle lasted for 8 months because I kept practicing even though it was painful.  I was practicing but not progressing.  Right after my ankle healed and I got all my tumbling where it should have been, my back started hurting..but a lot.  It got to the point where one handspring would be so painful that there would be no power left to do anything out of it which would result in me falling on my face..literally.

I was finally confronted by my parents that after a year of cheering with my back hurting and no signs of improvement that my career was over.  This was before high school even.  It bothers me so much to this day wondering what I could have accomplished with these three years plus the time I spent injured and not working on new skills.  My workouts are all trampoline to reinforce what I already know and the skills I taught myself with the drive of my obsession.  This sport was absolutely my life and helped me define myself but I can never help but wonder what it would be like if I never touched it and found a sport that is less adrenaline-based that could have satisfied me the same way.

Huck Finn Reflection

     Huckleberry Finn (a classic written by Mark Twain) is succesful for now obvious reasons.  The fact that the coloquial language-which for me was hard to understand- definitely added to the novel to give readers a feeling of Huck's education and environment where he grew up.  Twain expresses many messages through plots and themes relating to them-which for me were enjoyable.
     My favorite techique used by Mark Twain was expressing his feelings through right and wrong.  Throughout the novel, Huck (who I could not help fall in love with) had the long journey, saving Jim from slavery, but he also had a conscious that struck him with the idea that stealing Ms. Watson's slave was not the most moral choice.  Huck is all around a respectable character.  His kind soul, the troubles he goes through, and his thoughts throughout make me want to be his best friend.
     Overall I would have enjoyed the book more if I could understand it.  One way I could make this possible to see the beauty in Twain's writing is to reread the novel and pay more attention to what Huck and the other characters are actually saying.

TED Talk

The TED Talk, 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do uses photos to help emphasize the point that these said dangerous things actually help children develop into well-rounded human beings.  These photos include children taking apart machines, using power tools, experimenting with fire, using knives, and burning CD's, and driving cars with their parents.  These photos are used to emphasize the points by showing children that can do normal tasks, and hey, they are still alive.  The main appeal is logos to show that these things actually  help these children develop.  Gever Tulley uses ethos to prove this point with some relatable logic.  He says that kids should be able to use knives and experience fire at a young age so they have the knowledge about these when they are older.  They need an explanation of what to do and some cuts along the way, says Tulley, but they do have knowledge about them for their entire lives.  Taking apart machines helps the children learn about the different parts, and power tools are not dangerous if used correctly.  The whole talk described how letting children do dangerous tasks helps them develop into an well-rounded adult which does include the technique, antithesis.  Most parents think that being the ideal parent is to keep children safe, but the dangerous things that should be allowed according to Tulley are being the ideal parent by helping their development.