Kindness

Kindness is always portrayed as a positive act. But I don't necessarily believe that the result must always be positive to consider the act kind. I also know you can find it everywhere and in every person. Kindness is a choice and everybody has a chance to be kind.

I don't think the result of a kind act has to be positive every time. It's the thought and intention that counts. As long as the person meant it to be good for another, it's a kind act. He could be protecting others feelings or trying to help him, which are good intentions and kind acts. I read in an article that "kindness is an act from the heart" and I completely agree and understand it. Like I said, as long as it's a truly kind intention from the heart, the act should be classified as kind.

Kindness can be found everywhere and ion almost every person. The Dalai Lama once said "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." which is true. It's up to them whether they're kind or not. If they aren't then they aren't but there was always an opportunity. Everybody is born with the chance to be kind, it's up to them whether they choose it. I like his saying very much because it states the truth. He doesn't say everybody is kind, but he does say that everybody gets the opportunity.

Kindness is a choice. People are not born kind nor unkind. It's not in any one's genes, it's the choice they make that defines whether they're kind or not. It's completely up to the person to choose and every single person on Earth is allowed to make their own choice. Yes, we all may accidentally mention something unkind once in a while but that doesn't we're not kind people. If we know how to handle our mistakes and make up for them, we still have the choice. It's up to us to make the right decision and pick kindness,

I'm not entirely sure how to define kindness. It's difficult to get it exactly right but I can only do my best. I think kindness is an act from the heart and an intention to do good to another. It's an act you do because you care and mean well for them. Even if it doesn't turn out positive in the end, kindness is the act of trying to make things well for another person. Though if you mean harm yet it turns out positive for that person, that is nowhere near being kind. I believe the main idea of kindness is the big point has to do with meaning well.

Kindness is an act from the heart. We can all choose it and many people have. I'm really thankful having kindness in the world and I value it. I can't imagine what the world would be like without kindness. If nobody choose to be kind. That's why I value kindness and I suppose forgiveness is just as important. I find that it holds friendship ans kindness together.

A PROFILE

In Humanities we took a short quiz to find out which profile we are and I turned out to be an A Profile. Last year we took the same quiz and I also received Profile A. So that means I had a basic idea of how I like to learn but I learned more last class.

I'm on the Logic side of the brain so that means I like instructions and other things given to me in order and in a sequence or specific order. I'm supposed to be good at step-by-step verbal and visual instructions. I completely agree with that because I always like very specific instructions, whether they're verbal or visual. I also learn best when focusing on details, the small things are good for me to learn. I also produce good work when writing and speaking, which I think is a good balance. Language, oral or written, is also very important to an A profile person because it helps our learning. It also says I'm supposed to be an auditory and visual learner. I'm not very sure about that though because other test show I'm more visual and kinesthetic than auditory.

As an A profile person, I have a lot 0f problems seeing the big picture. I have even more troubling seeing it when under stress but it does say that I am still able to "move forward" under stress. I'm very happy to hear that because I think it's a good skill to have to be able to progress even under stress. Another challenge I may face it connecting emotionally to things. But according to the book, my biggest challenge would be to access the gestalt hemisphere especially under stress.

I need to work on looking at the big picture and understanding more about it rather that picking out the details all the time. I also need to pay more attention to my instincts and trust my intuition. I need to learn to accept and be comfortable with uncertainty in language. It seems that I have trouble with expressing my emotions, so I need to be more a ware of my emotions and express them more. I plan on working on that in class discussions. The booklet also mentions that I should speak slower and use less words, which I don't exactly understand how that will help me and with what.

There are so many strategies that were recommended to me as an A Profile learner. I'll just mention a few. It supposed to be helpful for me to brainstorm and visualize unusual images in my mind. I think this is supposed to help me see a bigger picture. Another way to help see the big picture is to use actual pictures and symbols and mind maps, instead of outlines. THis will clearly let me see this in a general way. One of the biggest strategies is to participate in more sports or arts. Things like swimming, hiking and others for sports and music, dance for the arts. This is supposed to give me a good balance.

I would like teachers to know a few things about me. First I would like them to know I am right foot, hand, eye, and ear dominant so it can help with my seating position is class. I also want them to know I prefer to have things given to me in very specific sequence. Other than that I can deal with all the other things having to do with my A Profile. I feel I agree with most of the facts about my profile and think the strategy will help too!

Libraries

In the UK they are shutting down a lot of libraries and it's not right. The government should provide free access to books and it's wrong to cut the amount of supplied books. Many kids need all these different resources to help them learn and the library has millions of different books on one subject. The Government should encourage kids togo and use different book and learn more instead of cutting down the amount of books available. By taking away the kids' library they are forcing them to use a limited amount of resources. Most libraries include free internet access and since some families can't afford a computer for each child, a library is the next best thing. So they're not only taking books away but sometimes internet too.

The government is also decreasing the amount of knowledge people are receiving. Every time you read a book gain knowledge and broaden your imagination. Every kid deserves to grow up feeling like they're in a whole new world. People go to the library to get great books like that. There is no good reason why the government should take that away from people. Think how how many different things we would be missing out on. Knowledge, imagination, experiences to new worlds, and so much more!

There is an anonymous man who goes around to libraries and book festival so he can leave a sculpture made out of papers from books. It's really beautiful and inspiring. He leaves little notes saying things about keeping books around and

thanking them for respecting books. He's been doing it for a while now and the sculptures he makes are amazing! One of my favorites is about a boy being lost in the woods. It is supposed to represent someone being lost in the world of a great book. Here's a picture of i below.

There are a few kids who have gone out and protested against shutting down their local library. I think it's a really brave action but an effective one because your able to let others know how you feel about it and how your against it. We should all have a voice in situations similar to this one. We should all be able to have at least a small say in what happens. When these kids protest and fought for their library, I hope it inspires others to voice their opinions and stand up for what they believe in.

There is absolutely nothing positive comes out of getting rid of libraries. Less knowledge, less imagination, no experiencing new worlds, less internet supplies, and less resources. They are not only just getting rid of the library building but they are getting rid of those other wonderful things. People should stand up and show them the reality of what's better for people. We need libraries!

For my quote, which is the title, I chose "Focus on the journey, not the destination." by Greg Anderson. Greg is actually a best-selling author and founder of the American Wellness Project. I chose this specific quote for two reasons. The first reason was because I never really thought about the paths of life like that before. I always wanted to get to the finish line in whatever decision I have ever made in my life. I always thought about the future, about what would happen in the end, plan ahead all the time. When I read this quote, I though about the journeys I went through instead of the destination. I figured out that I really always looked at the destination. For example, when I was about to start 6th grade I already started to try to get good grades to be good in high school, so I can get into a good college, to get a good job, have a good life, and so on! Now when I look back. What was I thinking with getting to my "destination"? Greg Anderson was right. I need to enjoy the journey, not the destination!

The second reason is because I completely agree with him. If you take any time to enjoy the journey your on, life's no fun. The journey is really the whole experience you can actually take away from life. Now I'm trying to focus more on the journey, like the quotes says. I really think it's a great way of living. A balance of dreams, planning and future! I really value the different paths I get to choose from in life, so I'm really enjoying the journey now!

The End Is Near

I think 6th grade in general was a really great year. Yes, everything was new and I most definitely scared at the beginning, but after a while, you get used to it all. The homework was quite a lot but always manageable and the students and teachers are all really nice. But we’re just about out of time in 6th grade and have to get ready for a new year in 7th grade. I can already tell things will be better since I already got a feel of middle school this year.

Instead of having a favorite piece of work to be proud of, I have a favorite assignment that we were given over and over again over the year. It’s Literature Circles! Just to make it clear, maybe I’m proud of my work on Literature Circles, but that does not mean I enjoy doing them. They take a lot of time and effort, or at least for me. But I think since the start, I’ve been pretty good at them and I’m really proud of that because it’s quite challenging to make a good Literature Circle. Throughout the year I’ve worked really hard on them and it’s one of my favorite pieces of work because I think I’ve done well.
My greatest challenge was probably the start of the year problems! When I first came to middle school I was so stressed and scared and worried and all those sorts of feelings. When I saw the homework I got really worried again because I wanted to do well and make friends, so nothing worked and everything was horrible! I was so stressed about middle school and life getting harder, I couldn’t focus and it was a mess. But I just calmed down and everything just fell back into order and nothing was hectic anymore! But it definitely was at first.

Throughout the year something I learned about myself as a learner is that I’m logic and can learn in any way. I never really thought about what type of way I learned, I just knew that I was able to learn! But when Mrs. Narsiman and Mr. Whiting started to talk about it I was really confused! I had absolutely no idea worked best for me. Luckily we took a short test to see what the results said and I turned out to be logic, which means I like things in order and given to me in steps. After thinking about it, I agreed with it and thought it made sense. We also had a test in health class that helped us understand what way we learn best. Do we learn best visually, by listening, or by moving around and being able to touch objects? My score for each one was quite close which means I can learn well in all areas. I was surprised because I thought I would be an audible learner, but it turned out to fairly even between the three. I now know what’s best for me as a learner!

What about work habits?

Behavior – I think my behavior is satisfactory. I think this because I don’t have the best behavior, but I don’t have the worst either. Yes, I listen to the teacher and finish all my work and try my best, which are the good things of course. But sometimes I may talk in class or get distracted really easily… I try not to but sometimes it just happens. I’m working on those two things in class right now!

Participation – I also think my participation in class is satisfactory. I can participate in class and sometimes I do. First of all, it depends on the question, class, or day. Sometimes I don’t know how to answer the question or I don’t know what to say. It could be because of the class I’m in. For example, I participate more in math than humanities. And the last reason may be because I feel like being quiet on that one particular day. I’m sure we all have those days where you just don’t feel like talking. Even though those are reasons why I don’t participate in class sometimes, I still speak and try to be involved a lot too.

Organization – I actually think I’m very organized. Well, maybe I need to be reminded of things once in a while, but most of the time I have my homework, know what day it is, know what the schedule is, and I’m usually quite organized with my work. I have been working on it throughout the year and humanities has been the main reason why. This is because the subject really requires students to be organized at all times!

Effort – I really put a lot of effort into all of my work. I always try to make it a good piece of work. It didn’t matter whether the work was for drama, math, or art. I put my own effort into it. I try to do my best and hope it’s enough. I’ve been giving it 100% ever since the beginning of 6th grade especially. I will keep on putting effort into my work in 7th grade too and years after that!

Goals

#1 My first goal for 7th grade is to be able to do as well as I am now academically. I think I’m doing quite well in school and I’d really like to keep that up and not fall behind. I’m not saying that my goal is to get all A+, but I want to be able to keep up the good work. For example, I want to be able to stay organized, participate, and yes I would like to get quite good grades. It would be a good goal to set for me because everything gets harder each time you change grades and I want to be able to make it through a harder year in 7th grade!

#2 My second goal for 7th grade is to improve on my behavior. I had recently said that I do sometimes talk in class and get distracted easily. Well for 7th grade I plan to try to stop talking and stay on task at often as I can. I really think this is possible and a reasonable goal to have. I also really hope I will reach it by the end of 7th grade at least since this is something teachers do not like in a student. Wish me luck!

Something I might want teachers in 7th grade to know about me might be that I believe that people work better with the people they choose to work with. Especially when they have had experience and know how and who they work best with. I also like having activities in class to make learning fun once in a while. Who doesn’t like and activity or game after quite a long period of time doing work? One last thing is that I actually enjoy school and my favorite subject is math. Just a couple of thing that you might want to know about me!

There is some advice or “Words of Wisdom” I’d give to the 5th graders coming to 6th grade. Well, there are three main pieces that I would give them. First would be, don’t stress! Everything will be fine and I know they all say that but it’s really true. I didn’t believe them either but I know what they mean now! You really will get the hang of everything really quickly and really soon! I know I did! The second piece of advice is to check the school site. They are there for you and they really help. Powerschool is good for you to check up on how you’re doing academically. It’s really useful, but don’t overuse it! Moodle is also a great site. It’s there for you to check your homework in case you forget. Always check that too because like Powerschool, it’s really useful. The last site you should check is your Panther Apps e-mail. Your teachers will send you e-mail and contact you through e-mail, so do not forget to check that daily just in case. My last piece of advice is to be organized. If you try to be organized, 6th grade will probably be a breeze for you. If you have all your stuff together and in order, you’re all set! Hope you 5th graders have an awesome 6th grade like I did!

~ Natalie 8D

Dear Rosemary,

You may not know who I am, but the Giver told me many wonderful characteristics about you. I am aware that you were the last Receiver in training before me and I wish that I could meet you in person. I also know that meeting you is not possible, so I decide to write you a letter discussing the training you had and also a bit about the outside world. First I would like to mention something the Giver quickly said to me. He had said that you applied for release because all the memories were too much for you to take on. I just wanted to tell you that it was almost the same for me. Once you were released, the rule that said I may not apply for released was added to the list of rules. I could also no longer take it and as I said, I may not apply for release, so I was forced to flee (Page 163). I don’t know whether the Giver gave you the memory of love or not, but that was the one feeling that drove me on to leave. Rosemary, there could be love (Page 129). I had to go and find the place where they had that warm feeling of love. It was horribly terrifying to leave, but at the same time it was fulfilling! I know it might sound quite easy to leave a town where there is no feeling or anything that can fill that emptiness caused by no feeling. But it’s not. As you probably know, if you escape, once you are gone, you can never return. Those words haunted me a bit, but there was one more thing holding me back from escaping. That one person that held me back, encouraged me to go, but I didn’t want to leave him with all the pain. That one person was your father, Rosemary. In other words, he was called the Giver. He was the one person that I knew felt emotions for me. He loved me the same way he loved you. I know what love means now and I think I feel love for him too. I have learned that love is so meaningful to a person and my community has decided to let that go. I see him every day with grief in his eyes and I know how much he suffers. I felt the same way and wanted to escape from the community and I just knew he wanted to leave too. But you father is a good man and cares about his people. He stayed to help them. But I left…

I also wanted to talk to you a bit about what I have learned from the community and from your father. The Giver was there for me and I realized he wanted the best for me. He considered my feelings and I learned that I had feelings too, thanks to your father. I never noticed how empty life in the community was until I became the Receiver in training. I’m sure you never knew so many things about the world either until you were also selected for the job. I was almost like you, I was so overwhelmed with the painful memories, but I was able to see the bright memories. I learned that love and feelings in general mean so much in life. The Giver and I shared feelings with each other for almost a year (Page 154). It was the most meaningful year of my life. I learned what feeling actually is and how the build a life. I left to find that life. It was a tough journey to, where you call, Elsewhere. Rosemary, I made it there! I found that world. I only wish you could be here with me right now to experience a really life and world. It’s nothing like the community. I mean, yes we have pain, but there are so many great feelings here too. I’m sure you would love it here. I now know that the old community had chosen to push away something that completed the world. Feelings and color and life were always there, we just never realized how much they meant to us.

So I am writing to you now from my perfect world. I just wanted to let you know that there is still a fulfilling world out there. I wish you would have lived to see this…

Sincerely, Jonas