Photo Essay- Victor

Opportunity for the Disabled

In South Africa there are 1704 disabled children. These children are looked down upon and not given equal educational opportunity.  However, there is one disabled girl who fights for these children. The girl’s name is Chaeli Mycroft. Chaeli was born with a disease called Cerebral Palsy, which limits the movements in her limbs. Because of this, and the educational discrimination towards disabled children like herself, Chaeli is fighting for hope and fair opportunity for disabled children in South Africa.

Chaeli is fighting for hope for disabled children in South Africa. Her friends and herself started to save up for a wheelchair when she was nine so she could move around. In the end they found out that they raised more than enough money for the wheelchair, so Chaeli decided to help others with the extra money. Ever since, Chaeli has been helping other disabled children get what they need, this sparked the idea for the Chaeli Campaign. The Chaeli Campaign is an organization that goes around to disabled centers and helps other children by getting them the resources that they require. The program also provides counseling with the message that disabled children are no different than normal children. This gives the children a fresh look on their lives and a renewed sense of hope.

        Chaeli is also fighting for opportunity for disabled children. Chaeli’s organization, the Chaeli Campaign, fights against educational discrimination in South Africa. This is because where Chaeli is from, disabled children are looked down upon and not given the same school opportunities, if any at all. Chaeli doesn’t believe that educational discrimination is right, so she stands up against it. She fights not with words, but with actions. Everyday Chaeli stands up to discrimination by going to a normal school with everyone else. She needs help going up and down stairs, but she still goes to the same classes as normal kids her age and learns the same things as the other kids. Chaeli helps other kids like herself get the education that they need through her campaign. She believes that we should all be given the same opportunities no matter what our race or ability.

Chaeli may have been looked down upon at a time, but now Chaeli and her cause are known internationally. Chaeli has provided hope and opportunity for disabled children everywhere in South Africa and she should be regarded as a true role model for humanity.




Sources-

"KidsRights." 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.kidsrights.org/>

"Childrenspeaceprize: Childrenspeaceprize powered by KidsRights." 2006. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.childrenspeaceprize.com/>

"Children's Peace Prize winner Chaeli Mycroft in South ... - YouTube." 2012. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24zQ13hQfKI>

Poems/ reflection

Where I'm From

I’m from the plains and the lake,
to the street where we knew one another.
I’m from the walks in the park
the boiling heat and the chilling cold.
I’m from fox news sundays and baseball in the yard
I’m from the NFL sundays and the MLB mondays,
My dad yelling at the TV “Are you stupid?!”
I’m from the summer reunions.
The stories of Pepe’s training and Momo’s cop days
And Momo yelling ¡CADA DE WAY VATO!
I’m from tamales on christmas
and the taco tuesdays
and Wendy’s wednesdays.
I am from many places around the globe,
but these are the things make up my home.

List poem

Uneven eyes, with the right slightly higher than the left.
A lazy right eye, that lets the eyelid droop down.
A black pen, fairly used, clipped firmly inside my shirt.
My shirt, White as the whiteboard no traces of just to be found.
My watch, a black watch purely electronic with a green interior and buttons.
Hands, Wide and strong yet with wounds never fully healed.
Cargo shorts that hold in one pocket a midnight black wallet in
the other holds a unused thumb drive.
My legs are long and strong, but covered with memories of the past.
Socks plain and white, not much to see.
Yet shoes, old as may seem, are still young, but have seen the miles
only can be seen by dedication.
Myself, a man of many words yet all encrypted with their own meaning,
each one a story with many to be told.

Personal Identity

Personal identity is worth fighting for because it is what we are made of. What makes us human is our experiences. That is why people say, 'No two people are alike.' It's because no two people have the exact same experiences. Every one is different. That's what adds color to life. Without variety and differences the world is black and white. Because of our differences and memories we all learn different lessons, we all bring something new to the table. If that personal identity is striped from us then we are empty inside. If we don't fight for originality then we would be robots, not humans. We would be born to die without our identitys. Our identity shapes us. It determines our friends, our careers, and our lives in general. It is our creativity, it is our lessons and morals, it is our values. That is why personal identity is worth fighting for. It is worth the effort because creativity and values are worth fighting for. And most importantly, our friends and family are worth fighting for. That is why personal identity is worth fighting for.

1066

In the year of 1066 three men fought over the English throne. The names of the three were Harold Godwinson, William the Conquerer, and Harald Hardrada. After the war cleared, William the Conquerer took hold of England and became their new king. William was standing but who had the best claim to the throne? Shortly before the death of King Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinson was named his successor as he had no son and his only nephew was too young. Harold was the most powerful noble and the leader of the army so the King believed him to be a worthy successor. Only to add to his argument to the throne, Harold was also an anglo-saxon meaning that he was a pure blood english man therefor he had a good overall claim to the throne.Harold Godwinson wasn't the only king with a claim. The King of Norway named Harald Hardrada also believe that he had a claim to the throne. His ancestor, King Cnut used to be the King of England so Harald believed that this entitled him to the throne. Only, he didn't try to take England alone. Harold Godwinsons brother, Tostig, helped King Hardrada in order for revenge on his brother. In the end they didn't succeed in their conquest. I would say that his claim to the throne was rather poor because he had no one on his side really and had little reason for taking the throne. Overall he had the worst claim. The third and final man to have a claim on the throne was William the Conqueror. William by far had the best claim of all the men. Before Edward the Confessor died Harold Godwinson had visited Normandy. There William the Conqueror had made Harold give an oath that he would help him claim the throne when Edward died. This obviously never happened. So William went to the pope to his approval to invade England. The pope approved of this decision and declared it a holy crusade. In the end William won the English throne but I also believe that he had the best claim to the throne. It wasn't a lot of things to run off of but he had the best claim because he had already been promised the throne by the successor of the king. Therefor the throne is rightfully his.

Values and Choices- Peer Pressure

On multiple occasions did I witness peer pressure. However of the many times their is one occasion I remember clearly and descriptively. This peer pressure forced a friend of mine to commit an action that left her with a physical scar that she will have to bare and remember the rest of her life.

One day my friends and I headed towards the climbing cave as we do every other day. When one of my friends (All names will be kept confidential) climbed up on to the roof of the cave using the nails sticking out along with gripping the side. After a short while my friend got up to the top. "Come on guy's, try to get up!" My friend said. "No, I don't think that it's a good idea." I said. "Don't be a chicken my friend standing next to me said. "No, I aint going up their." I said. "Fine then." she replied in a tone that a little kid would use when throwing a tantrum. With that short conversation she turned and started for the wall. "Don't." I said cautioning her. "If you go up there and slip the nail's gonna cut you." Giving me a evil look, she ignored my words of advice and headed up.

I watched her ascend up the wall nervously. "God, she going to fall." I thought. Palms sweating I continued to watch. Just as she was reaching the top I heard a squeak from her shoe as she lost her footing and began to slide down the ramp. I could only watch as she had brought this fate upon herself. She slid down and on the way had a nail cut her in a line along her left thigh.

Rather quickly she reached the bottom of the short ramp. She was looking at her leg as I was. It was red not bleeding but most of the first layer of skin was gone. I didn't speak a word as she let out a small grunt. I only looked at her. Her eyes were glossy as they screamed in pain. Her eyes spoke but not her lips. Not a word came out. Not a tear dripped from her face. Too stubborn to let out a wimper of word of distress she said nothing trying to hide her pain. Unfortunately and for once in my life, my prediction was accurate.

I still remember that moment vividly. My only regret is that I hadn't been forceful enough. I hadn't even attempted to make an effort to stop her. My only words to her were, "Don't" and I feel as if it is part my fault because as much as it seems I was warning her, deep down I know if I worked at it I could have stopped her and she wouldn't have hurt herself.

The Mysterious Major

When he said that when he crushed the boy he crushed something in himself, he meant that seeing the boy crushed made him feel bad. It probably made him feel guilty for doing such a thing to a boy. (He said, "Sit down you little Jack***!.") He basically destroyed the boys pride, and his courage and took control of him using a tactic of fear. For the rest of the year the boy never spoke again. This is basically what the Nazi's did except they did this to everyone. Crushed their hope and their pride and took control by fear because they wanted to completely dominate germany. If you spoke out against Hitler you were killed. If you told others about the concentration camps, you were killed.

In Memory to My Mother

In class we chose one of three poems written about the holocaust by Sonia Weitz. I chose the poem In my memory to my mother. This poem is about when the Nazi's took her mother away. She used a lot of synonyms and hidden messages. The poem starts with the lines;

Where is your grave? Where did you die? Why did you go away? Why did you leave Your little girl That rainy autumn day? This part is Sonia saying of all the people taken and killed, "Why was it you and not someone else? Why you?" This conveys her emotion of Confusion and sadness all at once. It's like when you don't do your homework and your teacher asks you for an answer, but the emotional intensity is multiplied by ten. The next part;

I still can hear

The words you spoke: "You tell the world, my child."

This part is her memory of her mother telling her to tell others about what is happening. To not let it be forgotten. This was courageous of her mother. She knew that she was going to die but she didn't want to die in vain so she told her daughter to tell others of her death. This was very brave. She died without fear. The next part;

I promised I would
Tell the world...
But where to find the words
To speak of
Innocence and love,
And tell how much it hurts...

About those faces
Weak and pale,
Those dizzy eyes around,
And countless lips
That whispered "help"
But never made a sound...

To tell about
The loss...the grief
The dread of death and cold,
Of wickedness
And misery...
O, No!...it can't be told.

This was probably the most emotional part of the poem. Personally It made me feel sympathetic and sad at the same time. She said, "I promised to tell the wold of the innocence...But where to find the words... And to tell how much it hurts." I know how this feels when someone hurts you or you get so mad that you don't know how to feel. You feel pain, loss, fear, hate, and suffer at the same time. It's unexplainable in such few words. That is what she was trying to say in the last three lines. No one could ever feel the way she did unless you experienced it first hand.

1933-Contributions to Hitlers Rise to Power

Hitler had many contributions to his rise to power. He had the advantage of the hyperinflation in germany, the crash of the stock market in the U.S.A., the burning of the Reichstag, and the death of Germany's president. Hitlers first if not most important advantage was the hyperinflation in germany. The hyperinflation was due to a treaty that Germany signed after world war I. This treaty forced germany to pay large amounts of money which eventually was worth more than the country was worth. Because the country kept printing off money, it lost it's value and eventually became worthless. Because of this Hitler had an advantage by saying that he would get rid of the treaty of Versailles and remake Germany. The Germans believed him too because they wanted anyone in office who they thought could turn Germany around. In addition, When in the U.S. when the stock markets crashed Germany suffered severely. All of the people soon found out that their money and money put away for their kids was worthless. This gave Hitler a great opportunity. All he had to to was to do was to give the other Germans the idea that he would help them regain their jobs, get enough money to support their families and that would ensure that the Germans would vote Hitler into power. Finally the last advantage that helped get Hitler into power was the death of president Hindenburg. At the time when president Hindenburg died, Hitler was the chancellor. This meant that Hitler would basically have power in the government but he would still be under the supervision of the Government. This would tame Hitler while giving him power therefor pleasing the public but when the president died things turned for the worst. Hitler decided to combine the roles of Chancellor and president therefor creating the role of Fuhrer which Hitler appointed himself as finally giving him complete control.

Neremberg Laws

1. Who could be defined as a Jew?

In the Laws created, A Jew was anyone who had a grandparent that was Jewish. Even if they were Jewish and converted they were still considered Jews. If the person themselves were Christian but had a Jewish grandparent they were considered Jews.

2. What was meant by "Aryanizing" Jewish Businesses?

By This it meant that the Jewish workers would be fired, and the owners had to sell their business to a non-Jewish person. 3. How were Jews who were professionals (lawyers, doctors etc.) restricted?

The layers weren't allowed to practice law, Jews had to sell their businesses and Jew doctors could only treat other Jews. 4. What did Jewish identity cards need to include now?

Now the Jewish identity Cards needed a J on them to define them as Jews Unless their name was obvious like Israel or Sara. 5. What was the "Law for the Protection of the Hereditary Health of the German People"

It was a law that made sure that people getting married were fit and not disabled which allowed be Hitler to sort of dictate the kind of german kids and families so that they would be ideally German.

Civil Rights

What are civil rights?

Civil rights are rights that we are entitled. They are rights that say we can not be discriminated against for any reason. Some of our rights are:

• All humans are born free and equal,
• All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law and,
• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Why do you think some of the people of Germany thought that the abolation of civil rights was necessarily?

After the fire at a government building in Germany, Hitler immediately blamed the Communist and Social Democratic parties. He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to start tearing down the democracy in Germany and all those who opposed him. Now that Hitler was running the country, he passed two new laws. A law, “For the Defense of Nation and State” and a law “To Combat Treason against the German Nation and Treasonable Activities”. These laws basically abolished the public civil rights. What did the public do? Nothing, most thought it was a good idea. The German people thought it was a good idea because it would help to catch the "Terrorists" in the country and find any traitors in their nation. As a result, the government could tap private phone lines, read mail, search homes, and confiscate property.

Was the Treaty of Varsillies fair or unfair.

In my point of view, the treaty of Varsillies was more than fair. The Germans caused so much damage to the rest of europe. The least they could do was repay the damage cost and give up all colonized land. If it were up to me, I would have given all of the German to the French, the Polish, and the British. So I think the treaty was fair, cut down army, repay damage, and give up colonies.

Moral behavior positively affects a community.

I believe this statement to be true, yet false. I believe this because it is a matter on what someone believes in. This is because doing the right thing is not always doing the thing you think is right. Say that you think say saving a criminal from dying is the right thing to do. Some one else would think that it's right to let him die as punishment for his/her crime. So really this isn't a question with one answer. This is a question with multiple answers. So to sum it up I won't answer yes or no. I'll simply say it depends on the moral.

Learning Profiles

Summary of Theseus

In chapter 6 when Theseus returns home, the Witch Medea recognized Theseus as the kings son. To try and make sure that Theseus doesn't take her sons place on the throne, She tries to frame him as a assassin. At a feast Theseus is confronted by guards who try to kill him with their swords. When Theseus pulls out a sword of his own, his father recognized it as his own. He then realized that it was all a trick so he banished Medea and her son and he welcomed his son back into his rightful place.

I Remember

1. I remember when I was two I kept repeatedly poking my sister in the face.
2. I remember when I was three I dropped a plastic table on my head pretending to be superman.
3. I remember when I was four I was driving a golf cart and ran it through a flower garden.
4. I remember when I was five I was riding a skate board, fell off, and got a huge cut.
5. I remember when I was six I was riding a skate board and opened the cut again.
6. I remember when I was seven I won second in the Heart of Texas Wrestling Tournament.
7. I remember when I was eight was riding a skate board and opened the cut a third time.
8. I remember when I was nine we moved from Houston to Malaysia on New Years day.
9. I remember when I was ten I went to my first F1 race.
10. I remember last year when I went on Malaysia week and my raft capsized.

Classic Greek Myths

Today we watched three short films on Greek myths. The first was about a boy who's father was a great inventor, yet he himself was a really clumsy kid. The second movie was about the Minotaur and how every seven years they send people to an island as a sacrifice to the Minotaur. Finally the third film was about a king who wanted a son so he went to the oracle. The Oracle told him that his daughter would have a son. He would kill him so he threw his daughter and her son off a cliff.

In my opinion the third film was the best. It had a better description of what was going on, the story line related to the topic of the Greek gods and Titans, and finally it made you think, "What would have happened if the father had not thrown his daughter and her son into the sea?"

Bio poem: Victor Jarvis

Victor

Outgoing, Kind, Helpful

Who is the brother of Cynthia Jarvis in grade six

Who loves his mother, father, and sister.

Who feels enthusiastic, energetic, and positive

Who needs pencils, pens, and erasers

Who gives support, effort, and friendship to all who ask for it

Who truly fears nothing

Who would like to see the view of a plane behind the wheel

Who shares supplies, books, and anything asked for

Who is a boy born in Slidell, Louisiana

Who is a resident of Beverly Hights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jarvis

Grade 6 Reflection

This year in grade six the piece of work that I feel I did best was project that we did on the ancient rome. I am proud of this work because I feel for once that I put in my one hundred percent effort. Generally I put in 95-99 percent effort so I put a lot of effort and make sure that it is great and follows the expectations and exceeds a little. For this project on the other hand one of my partners was absent so I had to try my hardest to make up work for my partner. And I have to say it was my best piece of work.

I would have to say that the greatest challenge this year was the end of year India, China, Greece, Rome project. This project was by far the most difficult project not because of the actual work requirements but because of the absence of one of my partners. Originally we were going to work individually on our three projects but working alone didn't really work so we flipped our assignments and worked on each others work so when it came time to record and learn music/scripts one of our partners, Mao called in sick so originally we tried to avoid recording so we did everything else possible. One day before the project was due we just recorded the script and put it into our I-movie. One the day of the presentation however Mao actually came back so we had to quickly teach her the song that we had to present and it was rushed, but in the end all went well. Sort of.

This year from looking and rethinking about previous classes I have learned that I tend to only use visuals to learn. That makes me a visual learner of course. Any way during a class where we are goofing off and the class work is easy I still mostly use my sight but I also use my hearing more. On the other hand, when I feel that the class is really boring I just stop listening and look up at the board to review or to clarify. This same thing occurs when I really don't understand something or feel we are going to fast. I panic inside (I rarely show that I'm confused or panicking), I shut off all of my listening and I jump to visuals to try and clarify. So my goal for this coming year is to try and use a bit more auditory.

I feel that this year in grade six my behavior was pretty good. I almost always do my work in class, I try to stay focused while at the same time have a bit of fun, and I usually find myself helping others or trying to calm things down if it gets a bit to wild. So I don't think behavior will be a problem next year.

In class I participate averagely. Though I find myself more interested in what others have to say than what I do so I generally like to sit back and listen to explanations. The only times that I'm eager to participate is when somebody gets something wrong along with others and I feel strongly about my answer. One thing about me that I think is really important to know about me is sort of categorized with this topic. As a person I really don't like to get attention drawn to me. Good, Bad, I just hate it all. I would prefer to just stay in the background doing my own thing with my friends rather than have the spotlight.

Now organization I need to work on. Usually my locker is just a huge pile of junk that I never had time to throw away. I mean I almost always have my homework with me in class along with my books and supplies but small objects such as pencils or erasers I lose a lot so my goal for next year is to be way more organized.

Now as I explained earlier, I will always reach to be better than average or better than what is required. But I generally don't put everything I have into it. I usually put 95-99 percent effort into my work to make it better than what is required but I almost never truly make it the best paper in the world. I know I can do it. I just don't depending on the importance I feel in the project. So next year I am going to always put in my one hundred percent effort because I think if I tried I could have done a better job this year and I've only gotten one B all year in drama but that I did put my full effort into. I just wasn't that good.

Now that I've made a few goals of my own for next year I would like you to know a few personal things about me. The biggest thing about me that some people think that I should change is my personality. I am more of a fun loving kid and don't take things that seriously. When people start arguing I always try to put an end to it with a joke or just plain telling them, "Come on guys. Be nice." I hate yelling but there is one flaw that I hate in my kindness. When somebody comes up to me and tries to hurt me or does hurt me I don't ever, and I mean EVER, fight back.

I just stand there and take a few hits before they give up and walk away. I don't yell at them, punch or kick back. I just tell them to behave themselves and that beating people up isn't what others are supposed to do. If I wanted to, I know that I could easily beat them up. Or inflict enough pain for them to give up and walk away. Because for my grade, I'm pretty strong, but when I think about it I always get the feeling that it's the wrong thing to do. So instead I just embrace for the next hit. In the end they don't get a fight and give up and I'm always still standing. I'm not sure if I should fight back because it feels wrong to me, or if I should remain the same because after the first time they usually leave me alone.

That only one little problem though in this huge life. Sides, It's best not to look back at the past, or even wait for the future, It's best to enjoy now because you'll never get to live it over again so enjoy it. Sides I enjoy everyday. So I don't have to look forward to grade seven. I know I'll enjoy it.

The tittle of this book is called Rotten Romans by Terry Deary.

This book mainly informs the reader on the ancient life and politics of ancient rome. This book will make a lot of connections to the world right now if you come from the U.S.A.. It makes you think about how we do things today and it shows how much the Roman culture influenced moddern day life. This book personally challanged me as a reader because every now and then will use some words that I had to look up in a dictionary. Along with a few hard to understand words and phrases, you really need to watch out for lame jokes in the book. If you read a joke and don't get it reread the passage and think like one of the evil emperors of rome you might just get the joke. (No you won't, it took me ten times just to figure out one joke.)

Note: Do not read this book if you have a bad sense of humor or think that history is boring. Fair warning, some jokes in the book will leave scars in your mind and no matter how hard you try you wont be able to forget them. Enjoy!

The choice of Freedom (Giver)

" Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn.

"Gabe?"

The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him.

"There could be love" Jonas whispered.

The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away"Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn.

"Gabe?"

The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him.

"There could be love" Jonas whispered.

The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away"

In the passage above I think that the reason it represents the freedom of choice is because all of his life, Jonas has been told what to do and given a "perfect life with a perfect family." I think that this is the start of Jonas taking freedom because is finally breaking away from the communities grasp. He is finally being exposed to things that shouldn't be controlled or contained, things like love, family, and choices.

Jonas is finally putting his foot down and sending the silent message of thought; I will not obey your rules any longer. I want to be able to have a real biological family that actually loves me for who I am. I want to have grandparents to spend time with and do things with. I want to be allowed to love and to marry the ones who I love, not the one you tell me to marry, and I want to make choices, not be given them. I want to make mistakes because when I do make a mistake I will learn from it. I want to have a life that I control, not one that you control.