What AP English 11 Has Done to Our Students

Starting Note: Through months of observation within the ninth period AP English class, the students have been studied and categoried merely for recreational purposes. I have made the discovery that the students have formed different groups and attitudes in response to how the curriculum is administered ... "Sorrentino Style." Anyone who has ever been in AP english 11 with him knows exactly what this teaching method includes. He we shall start the student analysis:

Type A: These are your typical suck-ups who try to get our very loud teacher's attention as much as they possibly can. They are under the false impression that he is an all-knowing god that will teach them all they need to know about the course. As much as he offhandly ignores them and even at times insults them, they still strive to be the teacher's pet... a rank which they shall never ascend to (as the rest of us know).

Type B: These students are the most common within the class. They are more commonly known as the "space cadets." They are normally very bright students, however for the agonizing 45 minutes where they are detained in this class, they can do nothing but zone out. For periods of time, in response to the monotone droning of a certain someone's voice, they are incapable of doing anything but stare into space. Their eyes glaze over and if you're lucky enough, you might see one drool (jk).

Type C: A large majority of the class consists of type C. This type is alert, on edge, and will bolt out of their seats and lurch for the door at 2:10 whether the bell has rang or not. They watch the clock incessantly, looking up every 2 minutes wondering why on earth they are here. They become angry, saying under their breath to other students how this is a complete waste of our time. They used to enjoy English and now they hate it. If you look at their faces you can almost read their minds... they're saying "please, get me the hell out of here!"

Type D: Now with this type we can observe our "artists." No, I don't mean your typical art majors who can make masterpieces with pencil and paper, although there are some. I'm talking about your average doodlers. By this point in the year they have drawn everything in the classroom at least once, including our much-loved teacher. In fact, he is the primary sketching target. A wide variety of work can been seen from this group, ranging from stick-figure cartoons to meticulously detailed sketches complete with proportional shading. The artists seek to amuse themselves by their own means because they're certainly not getting entertainment elsewhere in 9th period.

Type E: These people are known as the class slackers. They don't really do anything, including the miniscule amount of homework we recieve (well, actually very few do that). Some will actually participate in class, however they interject with irrelevant information. If you see one of these in class, consider it as an encounter that occurs once in a blue moon because it's that rare. Most of the time they don't feel the need to come to class so they don't show. I can't really blame them.

Type F: This group is one of my personal favorites. They are known as "the distracters." These students have the ability to distract our darling professor in any given circumstance. They can get the class discussion off-track for the entire period with just one sentence. These individuals have turned side-tracking into an art form; one which they have mastered. By continuously talking and adding in completely irrelevant topics little by little, they draw in the teacher like a moth to a flame, and occasionally he gets so immersed that he's blinded by the light. They plan the days' "delaying topics" periods in advance so that they'll be able to do something in class that doesn't involve English. In other words; they have taken bullshitting to a whole new level.

Type G: This is the group of "sleepers." Pretty self explanatory I think. They are similar to type B, except they take it a step further than. Instead of just dayrdreaming, they go the whole nine yards and full-out sleep. Ninth period is their designated nap-time and you can frequently witness them dozing off, zonking out, crashing, getting some shut-eye, catching some Zzz's... you get my point =P. So for 45 minutes they reside in a self-induced coma, which they immediately snap out of when the bell rings.

Type H: This is the final group I have observed so far. I call this group "the analyzers." These students frequently become so bored in class that in order to keep their sanity, they always find new ways to amuse themselves. Whether it be writing blogs in class, discussing the deep meanings of certain topics through notes with other students, or observing their fellow classmates, they always find entertainment somehow. They try to put their creativity to good use until they can leave the class. This is the type of person who will sit in class quietly, pretending to pay attention to the nonsense going on at the front of the room. You will see her scribbling away in her notebook, and it looks like she's actually doing work. Odds are she's probably not. She's just getting her thoughts out on paper. Yep, you guess it... the analyzer is Yours Truly ^_-.

-This analysis was created out of pure boredom.. I hope it amused you at least a little bit.. it was certainly interesting to write. If you think of any more types let me know =).

A Bit Restless

This morning I woke up at 7 o'clock on my own, realizing that I had paused the Phantom of the Opera (movie) last night and hadn't finished it. I guess I had tired myself out reciting the movie line for line =P. That pisses a lot of people off, including myself when other people do it, but when I'm alone I enjoy saying the lines aloud as I hear them... makes me feel special I guess; knowing it all by heart. So I ended up watching the last half of that brilliant movie, which usually leaves me in a fantastic mood... yet I didn't feel fantastic at all. In fact, I've been restless all morning. I even cleaned my room.. and my bathroom without anyone telling me to. And I HATE cleaning. Maybe it was just a way to get rid of some excess energy today. We had the day off from track and I was going to go for a run, but since my knee gave out yesterday that would be a bit painful.

So I spent most of the morning cleaning. Thinking about things... maybe too many things (not necessarily bad things). And the fact that I was actually cleaning sank in and I got a little annoyed. I finished anyway and then took a shower. I got out of the shower not too long ago and I feel a little better... I braided my hair so it's out of my face and I think the reduction of clutter in my room has eased my nerves a little. Have you ever been a little restless and not really known the reason for it? Well thats pretty much where I am now... hoping that writing here will bring a bit of sense to it all.

As of late I finished reading "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson for the second time. Reading it twice only helps to validate that it is one of the best books I've ever read. It just draws you into the story so much that you get emotionally attatched ( I cried both times I read it... and yes I AM a sap =P). But not only is the book good.. it also has meaning. By reading Suzanne's diary you see life through the eyes of a woman who faces many obstacles in life and you experience them with her. The diary is written for her son Nicholas, who is just as infant at the time, so he get to know his mother for the person she really is. What an idea huh? To write a journal of letters to the people you love... showing them the person you truly are and how much you care about them ^_-. A bit ironic.. You know, when I was a little girl I used to write letters; letters that I never sent or gave to anyone. I would write letters to friends, or boys I had a crush on =P, or people that I admired, and I'd keep them in a journal. I still have it somewhere. I remember once I gave one of them to my mom for mother's day. I was probably around 11 years old. The letter was pretty deep; it told her how much I appreciated her and that I loved having her as a mom... and I remember, to my surprise, she cried. Then she gave me a big hug. Amazing how the smallest things, like letting someone know how much they really mean to you, can make a difference.

The most important thing I took from that book was the concept of how lucky we all are. To be living the lives we do and to have the people we care about... and the ones that care about us. One of the most vital lessons was "live for today" not tomorrow, or the next day, or even a month or a year from now. You will never be the same way you are right now and the most important thing to do is be happy. Life is so precious.. why waste it by worrying too much about the future? Sieze the day! And when I finished reading that book I realized that it relates to my life... to everyone's life. Maybe it was even why I was so restless this morning. There's no sense in worrying about events that may occur in the future... and ignoring what is happening in the moment. People will do what makes them happy and what is important for them, and you find a way to accept that and do what makes you happy and what is best for you... whichever way things may turn out. Remember today and the happy moments you have. And what's a better way to remember than writing it all down.. so that you can look back on them.. and so can the people you love.

"It's not always where you end up, is it, that's the most important thing? It's the journey itself, and what you find, what you do along the way. Where we're going matters, but so does where we are."

TRACK <333

Hello there again. So I haven't been as faithful to this blog as I'd originally planned. Oh well. I've gotten distracted with other "projects" you could say.. so anyway, this last month has been fantastic. I won't recap the entire month because you would probably get bored and to be perfectly honest.. I don't want to type for that long. I'll just say that so far april has been great.. and the band trip was awesome... no, beyond awesome =).

The catalyst for my writing on here again is track. Today we had a home meet against harbor fields, and although we lost, I had quite an amazing day. It was beautiful outside today; nice and warm with just a little bit of a breeze. Instead of running 2 events like usual, I ran 3: 400m, 400m hurdles, and 400m relay (yes I kindof run 400 meters a lot =P). The newest addition to the events I participate in is the 400m hurdles. I had been wanting to try the hurdles since literally last spring (when I was stuck doing lacrosse). Today I was thrilled to actually have the opportunity to try them. And the result = awesomeness. I ended up not only doing well, but also winning the race, with 78 seconds.. great for a first try (oh and also the accomplishment of NOT falling on my face =D). A lot of people have told me they hate the 400 hurdles, but I actually had a lot of fun with them today. It makes the race a lot more interesting. Instead of just *sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint* .. its *sprint, sprint, HURDLE, sprint, sprint sprint, HURDLE* Oh! Also today I won the regular 400m race, which was really close, and I ran last leg in our 400m relay.... which we also won!! In addition, that race was extremely close and I didn't think I'd be able to pass the girl... but I did.. and everyone kinda went crazy. So overall it was an amazing day for track and I had a lot of fun. I feel... elated right now. And yes, I am a nerd; I got so excited that I came home and couldn't wait to write about track in my blog =P

Track is just so... it feels so amazing to run in track, especially the 400m. Its not as short as the 100, yet not as impossibly long as the 1500. In my opinion it's the perfect distance.. well for my body anyway. Running in track is different for me than it was in cross-country. Cross-country had the relaxing, long fluid motions, where you could feel the muscles working in your body and pay attention to your surroundings. In cross country I'd pay attention to the nature sounds, listen to my breathing, hear how my footsteps hit the earth, and reflect on all the things that happened during the day (or work through things that were bothering me). Running track, or the events I do, is a totally different caliber of running. It's this thrilling, high-speed, adrenalin pumping race. It's something that you just throw your whole body, mind, and soul into... concentrating and almost losing yourself in it.

When I'm racing in track, I don't hear the nature sounds; I don't hear any of the surroundings. It's just me and the track and the girl I'm racing against. Out on the track, its either you have what it takes, or you don't, as simple as that. I don't think about the homework that I have to do, or the things that are bothering me. For those 66 seconds the only things I think about are energy, speed, and the drive to win. And for those 66 seconds, it's as if you escape; you escape to somewhere only other runners would understand. And then there's the finish line; that moment where you see the it just beyond that last 100m stretch. It's at that point where you just give it everything you've got, and put it all out there on the track. That last stetch is my favorite part of the race, all high-speed and blood pumping, using that last explosive burst of energy you have. At that point something in my head just snaps and I just have to takeoff as fast as I possibly can, no matter how tired I am. It's like a reflex, like I'm on autopilot and I've lost all physical control. And maybe that's what I love about it, to let loose for once, to lose all control and go crazy for just a moment. And lastly, there's that feeling when you cross the finish line. The finish line is the place where all your hard work and sweat has paid off. It's where you know you've tried your hardest and your a winner, no matter if you've won the race or not. It's the moment where your breath finds its way back to you, where you find relief, and where you discover that your body is so incredibly tired that you actually feel amazing... exhilarated.

I love that feeling. I could live for that feeling and every time I race I love track more and more. The sport where I can be myself. The sport where I can work hard and it will actually pay off, and where my efforts will take me somewhere. The sport where politics aren't involved, where you can come out of woodwork and still have as much of an opportunity as someone whose father has been involved with the league for years. It's the sport where you push yourself, where you exhert the effort and succeed if and only if you want to. In track, you can be part of a team and have their support, yet still remain independent and feel the achievement of your goals on a personal level. But most important to me; this is the sport where you're not really racing against anyone else, or even a stopwatch. As Bill Persons once said, "A runner runs against himself, against the best that's in him. Not against a dead thing of wheels and pulleys.That's the way to be great, running against yourself. Against all the rotten mess in the world. Against God, if you’re good enough." So running is a way to be yourself, explore your own limits, discover who you are, and even who you want to be.

"When people ask me why I run, I tell them, there's not really a reason, it's just the adrenalin when you start, and the feeling when you cross that finish line, and know that you are a winner no matter what place you got. -Courtney Parsons"