Highschool Senior Response

1)I relate most to the guy who wants to be a doctor. Ive always wanted to be a doctor since I was a child. I think the most interesting and must diluted at the same time is the Marijuana Baker. This seems so crazy because it seems so far fetched, yet he seems genuine in his goal to help others.

In 10 years I find myself doing a residency program for some type of doctor. I'm not sure what type of doctor I am going to be. In the next 4 years I will have finished college, and in 4 years after that I will have finished Medical School (hopefully). In medical school I plan on finally choosing what type of sub specialty I would be interesting in working. It seems so far yet it seems so close at the same time.

2) I have just read the article about the 21 year old poker kid who has won millions of dollars in online poker. This is quite an amazing feat. He listed a few reasons as to perhaps why he had such an upper hand compared to the older players. I agree with everyone of them. One of his claims were that younger individuals had access to video games which required quick on the go thinking, such as counterstrike and Call of Duty. These types of games require quick reflexes and a specific type of thought process. When these children are exposed to this process as such a young age, they have a lot of experience with it and are growing up with it. I also noticed that he didn't treat money for what it was. He described it as a "point system" in which he was only trying to get the most points. He didn't really relate the money that he was playing for with actual money. The other thing that I thought really helped him was that he is "not very materialistic". This means that of all the money he has made, he has more of it to use on poker. While the risks may be bigger, he seems to know what he is doing and will make more money. Since he is so young, he does not have a family or other major expenses to worry about. He has a larger amount of money to lose before he is truly in trouble.

Favorite Poem

My favorite poem from this semester is "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. I really like how the author takls about fire and ice, which are opposites. He talks about how he would choose the world to end with fire, and not with ice. But then he also talks about how he would be okay if for the world to end with ice if he suffered a second time. In then end the two contrasting images really help portray an image of yin and yang.

Friday Movie Compare/Contrast

The movie we watched on Friday was really interesting. It told the story about two children named Cody and Chris. Both of these children have had some problems in their lives and have to tough it out. Chris seems like quite an interesting man. He has had some anger issues but really works to keep it under control. He also seems like a great individual because he volunteered to make the school newspaper and keep it updated. He seems very hardworking and focused, he wants to do something with his life. He does not want to end up a drunk like his father was. Cody on the other hand is a bit different. He has a girlfriend which he really uses to help him with his life. He saw his parents get killed and it has left a profound impact on his life. Without his grandmother being there for him there is not telling what Chris would have done. It is also apparent that he is very bold and does not really care what others think of him. This is definitely a great characteristic to have. He really seems to be his own individual and also wants to make a better life for himself.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone page 242-309

The end of the year is approaching and final exams are near. We learn that nothing really eventful happens during the exams and that they occur with little incident. Harry learns while talking to Hagrid that he told Voldemort that anyone would be able to get past Fluffy by playing him some music and making him go to sleep. They go to tell Dumbeldore who is away, so they realize they must take the stone tonight. They reach Fluffy only to find a harp, hinting that someone had already been there that night to pass him. Harry plays his flute and helps his friends get past Fluffy. They then fall into a moving plant which entraps everyone, but Hermione gets out and quickly uses fire to burn the plant. They then enter a room with many flying keys. They spot the correct key and then Harry uses quidditch skills to get the key and open the door. Then they enter a chess game in which they are pieces. Ron uses his expertise to win but had to sacrifice getting beaten in order to win. Hermione and Harry go to the next room to figure out the correct potion to drink. Hermione then goes back to help Ron while Harry moves on to get the Stone.

The next chapter is probably one of the most action packed sequences. Harry meets up with Voldemort and Quirrel. Harry finds out that Voldemort is a shape shifter and is using Quirrels body. His head is in the back of Quirrel's head. Harry has the stone appear in his pocket after using the mirror to find that it was the object he wanted most. Voldemort wants Harry to hand it over to him. Voldemort then tells Quirrel to grab Harry, but Quirrle's hands burn every time he touches Harry. The pain in Harry's scar is quite painful and he evetually blackens out. Dumbeldore comes just in time to save Harry from Quirrel. We find out that Harry couldn't be touched because of his mother's love. We also learned the reason he found the stone was because he was the only one to want it for what it was instead of for what it had to offer. Nicholas Flamel and Dumbeldore later destroyed the stone. Gryffindor also wins the house championship because of his efforts. Everything is well and it is time for everyone to pack up and leave.

The story here is quite accurate compared to the movie. The movie provided a great visual to use as a base for all the characters and setting. By then applying the text to the situation, it was very easy to see the situations of the story unfold. I think the combination between reading a book and then watching the movie really helps people out in their understanding of the story as a whole.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone page 195-241

In this chapter half of the semester has passed and Christmas is near. Harry gets teased because he has no one to go home to and he must remain at Hogwarts. Lucky for him though because Ron is also staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. They later decide to try to get more information on Nicholas Flamel, but get kicked out once they are found in the restricted section. On Christmas day Harry and Ron wake up to presents. Harry receives an awesome cloak which makes him invisible. There is a note that says that the cloak belonged to his father. He tests it out in the restricted books section only to find out that the book started to scream once he had taken it out. This made him quickly leave and find a room that had a mirror in it. However this mirror was no ordinary mirror at all. He looks in the mirror to find his parents behind him, but when he looks back he finds no one. Dumbledore comes in and explains that the mirror shows anyone the thing they want the most.

In the next chapter we find that Harry listens to Dumbledore's advice and does not return to the mirror every night so he doesn't become addicted to it. It is after Christmas break and the three friends are trying to learn more about Nicholas Flamel. However Harry has so much quidditch practice it is getting in his way. We also learn that Snape will referee the next match. Harry then later remembers he saw the name Nicholas Flamel and that he was a partner to Dumbeldore. We also learned that Nicholas Flamel created an item known as the Sorcerer's Stone. The stone turns any metal into gold and has an elixir that lets people live forever. The quidditch match is the next day and Gryffindor will be ahead in house points if they win. Harry is a great quidditch player and catches the snitch within 5 minutes.

So far reading the Harry Potter books are much more interesting than actually watching the movies. There is just so many more small details that really help us create this fictional world. Also the book does a better job in creating more vivid images.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerrer's Stone page 152-194

In this chapter we begin with Harry and Ron just coming back from Hagrid's house and seeing fluffy, who seems as if it was guarding something. They contemplate what he's guarding when the mail comes and Harry receives a quidditch broomstick. Around this time he also begins learning the basics of quidditch and how the game works, a very peculiar and interesting game. Then one night the defense against the dark arts teacher comes in and claims that there is a troll in the building. Everyone begins to panic and is sent back to their dorms. Ron and Harry don't know where Hermione is and go look for her. They end up seeing the troll but are able to trap it in the girls bathroom. However they then realize that Hermione is also in the girls bathroom. The three of them work together and use what little magic they know to somehow take down the troll. Then Hermione really comes through for them when Ron and Harry are in trouble and she then becomes their friend.

This chapter is probably one of the more interesting ones. In this chapter the quidditch season begins and will be playing against Slytherin. Harry finds a unique book that may help him while he is playing quidditch, but professor Snape sees it and confiscates it because library books are not allowed to be taken outside. The next day the quidditch match is starting and Harry plays the roll of a seeker. His job is to go after the golden snitch, which is the main purpose of the whole game. The game ends when the snitch is caught. However Harry's broomstick is moving around uncontrollably and Hermione sees that Snape is staring at it while muttering, probably a spell. Hermione then quickly sets Snape's cloak on fire, so the spell is broken. Harry loses control and plummets to the ground, while luckily managing to catch the snitch, end the game, and help Gryffindor win. Harry also gets Hagrid to mention Nicholas Flamel.

Overall I really enjoy the quidditch aspect of Harry Potter. Just the way the game is run and how it is played truly amazes me. It must have taken a large amount of imagination to come up with such a brilliant idea. I have to give credit to JK Rowlings for bring such an amazing and creative writer in her settings and characters.

Let Kids Rule the School.

The article "Let Kids Rule the School" By Susan Engel is a great project that works to alter the boring monotonous student lifestyle. I really believe this approach really opens a student's mind to change and learning. If there is an enviornment where a student wants to learn, then the student will be more active in pursuing his education and his other goals. It is much easier to have a student succeed in academics if he finds the subject material interesting. If the subject material is not interesting perhaps the method in which the material is introduced will spark interest in the topic. This program could possibly work here at Homestead. I have a number of friends who dislike the way some teachers teach and the way classes are run. There is no doubt they would volunteer themselves to experience a more relaxed and entertaining education that still provides an equal amount of substance