Final Check In Letter

Dear Ms. Priester,

Prior to coming to this class, I kind of had a negative experience in my English classes. I did not do much work and because I didn't really care about it. I failed tests and I didn't turn in work. Once I was in foster care I realized that I need to care about my school work. I started really working hard and actually working up to my potential. Prior to coming to this class I had only a basic understanding of English and Language Arts. Throughout 9th grade I was a horrible English student. I literally did nothing. The only things that I even attempted to do were the easy little things that interested me. One of my biggest problems was essays. I hated essays with a passion. I was weird in the way that I actually was learning in class, I just didn't show it. I payed attention in class, I just didn't turn in any work. In the beginning of my sophmore year, I was starting to care about my work. I started to work harder to turn in assignments. Still, I had a problem with procrastinating. I paid even more attention in class and I did whatever I could to make sure my assignments were turned in on time.

I don't know exactly what changed but when I left my home in 2009 I started to not only work harder but also to actually care. When I came to San Pasqual Academy and I realized hat I wouldn't be returning to my school, Escondido High School. I think that when I realized this, I knew that I needed to leave my old life behind me, especially my slacking ways. I saw being here as a new opportunity to start over. I became concerned with my future. I knew that I was a crucial part in my education and that if I didn't care about it, why should anyone else? I wouldn't get help if I didn't ask for it and it wasn't even that I needed help with the work; I needed help with myself.

Indirectly, through this class I have learned to care. Through your difficult curriculum I have learned that I really need to push myself if I want to succeed. I want to say thank you for all that you have taught me and that I will miss your class next year, whether I remain her at SPA or I move in with my dad.

-Jennifer Morris

I Could Have Stopped This

She was on this street (Stanley Avenue) because she came to my house to walk to school with me. If only I had been home, I could have been with her. If only I had called her like I had planned on doing. The only reason I didn't call her was because I was stupid and lazy and I didn't want to walk up the hill to her driveway. There are so many ways I could have prevented what happened and I hate myself for not doing what I could have. I was being a bad friend because we had been fighting over something and I that's another reason why I didn't call her, because I was being stubborn and close-minded. She had even told me once that she didn't want to walk alone. I always called her to walk with her and, if I had that day, it's possible that none of this would have happened. If I had called she wouldn't have walked up our street to my house and she never would have been in John Gardner's path.

I Dunno...

I don't really know why I feel this way, but I'm starting to really miss my old life. I definately don't miss the way my mom treated me but I miss everything else that used to be normal for me. Most of all I miss my friends. Because of my mom, I didn't see much of them but I saw them at school and I would sneak phone calls to them. They weren't the best relationships on my part, thanks to my mom, but my friends kept me sane.
I also really miss my school and all the people there. At Escondido High School I had this one teacher, from my freshman year, that I was really close to. It's really funny because his name is Mr. Strange. But he was a great teacher and he really helped me a lot as a student and as a person in general.
Like I said, I don't miss the way my mom treated me but I miss her. Regardless of how she made me feel, being around her was normal and routine. Even after almost nine months of being out of her home, I'm still not entirely used to her absence in my life.
I know I sound entirely ungrateful for the life I have now but I'm not. I am perfectly content with the way things are now... I just wouldn't mind if I could incorperate both lives into one, without losing anything. =/

APA Format

APA is a specific way to format your paper. This format's requirements include double-spaced 10-12 point font, 1" margins and times new roman font. In APA format there is also a specific way to site sources. The first time that you site your resources in your text, you must list the author's name and the year of publication. If your information was found on a specific page, you can also state the page number you found it on. There are many ways that a source can be written in a text. Some ways are that if you have multiple authors or that there is no author at all. You must credit your resources whether you use a direct quote or you paraphrase.

TWLOHA

Recently, I've been very interested in To Write Love on Her Arms. TWLOHA is a non-profit organization that works to fight depression, suicide, self-mutilation and drug abuse. They strive to provide resources to help people suffering with these issues. Their vision statement says, "The vision is hope, and hope is real." To Write Love on Her Arms is widely sopported by the music industry.

I Have No Life...

Last weekend, on Saturday, I went on a day pass with my Grandpa Jim and my dad. After my grandpa picked me up, we went to my dad's house. Whenever I would go to my dad's house I would always borrow his phone to text people. As I normally did, I asked my dad if I could steal his phone. He told me that he couldn't find it. Then, he went into his room and brought out a new cell phone, handed it to me, and said, "Here use your own damn phone. Happy Birthday." I was so excited that my dad got me a cell phone for my birthday. But, as I said, I have no life. Since I got the phone, I have been having trouble staying off of it. I've wanted to get another phone for a long time, but now that I have one, I think I'm addicted to it.

Prom and Stuff

          On 4/29/10, our prom was held at the Hotel Grand Del Mar. Although there was so much hype on campus about the dance, I couldnt care less. Honestly, I think that dances are overrated. The last dance I went to was my freshman Homecoming and I only went because I had to because I won Homecoming Princess. Another reasom that I didn't go to prom was that, had I not come into the system and were I still at Escondido High School, if I wanted to go to prom I wouldn't have been able to go until next year.
          On friday we had our school-wide barbeque. Much like my opinion of prom, I didn't really care for the competitions participated in by my peers. As enthusiastic as the other students were about the competitions on frieday, I had absolutely no school spirit. I don't know why but I have no passion for school functions.