Book Thief # 2

I finished the second fifth of the book today. I can not say I understand it any better thus far. More characters were added, making me more confused. Where I ended the second fifth was a really important part of the book, I am guessing. It looks like Liesel and Max have a lot in common, and may become good friends. They both came from bad situations, and they both absolutely LOVE reading. Maybe Max will get Liesel interested in some of his books, and vise versa. I am not enjoying this book so far. It involves really abstract thinking, which confuses me. The characters, and plot change ALOT. Luckily, the point of view is always the same! Nothing really exciting has happened in the book yet. Practically its mostly about the characters and Germany. It is also confusing because the author didn't develop the characters a lot. We know a little bit about Liesel, but not much about anyone else. I am having a lot of trouble getting into this book. Usually, I love to read, but this is a book that I don't even want to pick up sometimes. It's frustrating me. Hopefully, something happens SOON, or else this will be one long book study.

Book Thief # 1

Last week, I started reading The Book Thief. When I first started reading it, I was pretty bored, because there wasn't really much going on. I got confused aswell, because the actual story doesn't start until about 20 pages into the book. There are multiple characters with the same name, so that was confusing. Once I sort of got into the book, it was easier to understand. By the time I reached the end of my section, I actually understood, because there was more going on. I was still pretty confused up until our book club meeting, where Naomi pointed out that the story was written from the perspective of death. This made a lot more sense to the book. I am not sure whether I will like this book or not. From what I've read, it seems like it jumps around a lot. There are a lot of German terms, which I do not remember quickly. I shall go read some more of this book, and tell you how I feel about it later.

This is me at the MID- POINT of Grade 9!

It has been a CRAZY start to the year. Sometimes, I still find myself adapting to high school. I love it.

If I were to say anything to future Minor Niners, I would start by saying - don't be afraid to ask for help. You will make it a lot farther, and your life will be a LOT easier if you just simply ask. There are going to be people that tell you that the older kids are mean, scary, and won't help you. This isn't the truth. There are many people that want to help you. Everyone's really good about it. Also ask your teachers for help. They want you to ask. Their job is to answer your questions, and make sure you completely understand things. Another thing is - JUST BE YOURSELF! You are going to meet many new people. Don't become someone that you're not. Stay true to your friends and stay true to yourself! Those that are your true friends will stand by you no matter what happens, and the ones that dont, they aren't worth your time. Girls- Do not let a guy get in the way of your friendships with your girls. Your friends are the ones that will always be beside you, no matter what. Everyone- join as many teams/clubs as possible. You'll meet a lot of new people that are like you, and have a lot of fun aswell. DO NOT BLOCK THE HALLWAYS! The older kids hate this, and will be extremely mad at you. The teachers are not too fond of it either. This is one of the most important things. Stay to the sides, please! And don't be afraid to talk to older students. Don't be immature. Be serious. These are the 4 best years of your life. Have fun, but don't have so much fun, that you forget what your focus is. ENJOY THESE 4 YEARS!

Most of all, remember that everyone is in the same boat. You're not in this alone. Everyone has gone through this at one time or another. Right now is your turn, embrace it.

Take Your Kid to Work Day- at VMS! :)

For 'Take Your Kid to Work Day' I went to VMS. I could have had the chance to shadow my mom, dad or sister, but i didn't not want to. For my mom, her job is too easy. She works at Home Hardware, and I wasn't interested in that. For my father, I wasn't really interested in working at a cement factory either. My sister sells auto insurance for the Co-operators. Although this IS something I am interested in, the only I could have done all day is filing, because I haven't had any training. Instead of these options, I job-shadowed my former teacher, Paula Weese in her Grade 1/2 classroom. It was a big change, because when Miss Weese taught me, I was in grade 8. It was crazy to see the difference in her teaching. I had a great day, of singing, games, and helping. It was also a big change for me, because she has some students that are developmentally challenged. I worked with some of these students one-on-one playing games to improve their letter sounds, and spelling. We also arranged the alphabet different ways. My day was thoroughly entertaining and valuable. Growing up, I have been around kids a lot, but being able to teach them was a great experience. I also had the chance to teach a Grade 8 Music class, where we worked on bowing, and fingering techniques, and learned to play Ode to Joy. Luckily, I was working with a few other Grade 9 students that I knew, so it was easier for me. The class was very out of control, but we managed to get SOME work done. I think if I was to go teaching, I would teach a lower grade class. Although I would like the connection I could have with older students, it would be complicated. I would not want to deal with their immaturity. I think 'Take Your Kid to Work Day' is a great experience. Students get the chance to work in one field for a day, and see whether it suits you. I think it should be a program for all grades, each on a different day. This would give students a chance to attend several different workplaces, and test their skills IN that program. I absolutely loved 'Take Your Kid to Work Day.' I am so thankful that I got this chance, and that I WAS able to attend, unlike some students.

Shakespere

We all have to learn Shakespere. Most likely for at least 4 years of our lives. So whats the point? I don't really see a point. Barely any people understand it because the language is so old. I do not see how studying the works of someone who died 400 years ago will make us smarter. The only thing it does for us is teach us romantic things, and old words. I would much rather spend my time learning new math equations rather than learning about Shakespere's plays. I'll admit, I do somewhat enjoy some of them, or at least the stories I've heard about them. But for me, I can't grasp things like this. They go in one ear and out the other. I believe it should be a choice to learn, or at least a specific course. If we don't understand it, we shouldn't have to learn it.

Much Ado About Nothing.

I was pretty confused. Shakespere does not come easily to me. I have trouble understanding and hearing what they were saying. I didn't really understand the story at first, but after we talked about it as a class, I understood better. I think this may be because in the story, they use different language than we use today. When we explained it as a class, we were speaking OUR version of english, so everyone could understand. One of the things that confused me the most was the mind games they played. I found myself asking 'Why?' a lot. Overall, by the end of the movie, I had an understanding of what was going on.