Chris McCandless Project

For my experiment I chose to act differently for a day. Normally I am upbeat, kind, and positive but on this certain day, I was sluggish, mopey, snappy, and occasionally straight up rude. I felt bad doing this to some people but with others it was hard not to laugh. One time is made a snarky comment to one of my friends and usually she would have ignored it but apperently she was really annoyed with me and went haywire on me. It was honestly the hardest thing not to laugh and at the same time cry. As I was watching how my peers acted towards me I realized two things: they were surprised and cautious but they also kept their distance from me. Many people asked if I was okay and that I was feeling well. Some tried to be funny and ask if it "that time if the month again". Others just tried to avoid me, probably hoping that this "phase" would be over soon. I would have to say that I more surprised by my reaction than my peers reactions. What shocked me was how easy it was to make comebacks and act the complete opposite of my usual self. It was definetly fun but I don't think I'll ever try something like that again.

                                                                                                               ~a.k.a. taytay

My Quote

My quote that I thought represented me was:  Be patient. I will eventually do or say something important.
I chose this quote for a couple of different reasons. One of them being that it made me laugh. Or how it kind of sounded sassy and had some attitude. But the main reason was what I got or understood from it. Which was this: I know that everything I do isn't important or special in any way but I will have my moments when I shine and when I do it will be extraordinary. I believe the quote represents me because it reminds me that even though many people expect certain things out me and for me to amazing all the time, or get everything right, I don't have to be because it just isn't my moment to be amazing or perfect. But my moment will come sometime sooner or later and when it does, people will remember me by it. If I lived by this quote everyday of my life I would have a better peace of mind about things and I wouldn't strive everyday to be the best person in class, home, or any place else. I also think my choices might be better because I would always have in mind that I may or may not do something amazing today and I just need to let the opportunity to present itself. That being said, I may keep waiting for that moment to happen and never take a moment to be amazing.

The Christmas Shoes

Hurry boy. Mama won’t be here much longer. These words echoed in my ears as I plowed through the deep snow. I was running out of breath but kept going because I knew I couldn’t go back until I had gotten Mama’s gift. Hurry boy. Mama won’t be here much longer. I stumbled over my feet realizing I had just lost all feeling in my lower legs. I scanned the town looking for the store, hoping I was near. When my eyes laid upon the store, my heart leapt with joy. I had always wanted to get these from mama but I never had enough money to buy them. I ran as fast as my feet could take me into the store. Finally. Mama will get her wish but I have to hurry. I head straight for the shoe section and began my hunt for the perfect pair of shoes. Mama had always talked about the shoes. They were red, with a little ribbon around the edges and a bow in the front. I have always wanted to get these for mama but my family never have enough money to afford the shoes. But I have been saving up for a few years and this year I was almost positive I could get the shoes. I had almost given up hope when a glimmer of red caught my eye. I darted over to the shoes and almost let out a cry of happiness. There was one pair left and that pair on the size 7. Mama was a size 7 and in that moment I could tell this was a miracle of God. I grabbed the shoes and worked my way over to the cashier. There was only one lady ahead of me but she seemed to take ages. I started pacing back-and-forth letting the Christmas music take over my mind.

"Next!" I heard the man say. He looked at me. "Are you here alone boy? And what in the world are you wearing? It is freezing outside." I looked down at my clothes. They were dirty and there were a few holes. I also didn't have a jacket or very sturdy shoes but we could never afford any of these things to buy every year. I didn't answer his questions though.             I simply said,     

"Sir I want to buy these shoes, for my mama please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time. You see, she's been sick for quite a while, and I know these shoes will make her smile. I want her to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus, tonight." He stared at me with a look of pity and was like that for a minute or two before he started scanning the box.

"Your total is $37.89" I felt my eyes grow big--I only had $20 but I counted it all out to make sure. I gave it to the cashier and after eternity of counting he looked up and said, "Son, there's not enough here." No! No, no, no, no! This can't be happening! Not now. Not for Mama. "Are you sure you don't have anymore money?"

"No,I was just joking. I actually have $100 hidden in my pockets." I knew I sounded awful but I couldn't help it. "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you but I just really have to get these shoes.

I turned around to the man standing behind me in line and said, "Mama made Christmas good at our house though most years she did without. Tell me sir, what am I going to do? Some how I gotta buy her these Christmas shoes." And then to my surprise, the man, the stranger of whom I just asked advice from, pulled out his wallet and laid down the rest of the money. I started crying but gave him the biggest grin and whispered, "Mama's gonna look so great." With that I turned around, thanked the man and ran out of the store with the shoes. I was so happy that I had gotten Mama her shoes, I had lost track of time. When I walked into the hospital I noticed I had been gone for 3 hours. Mama! No! I sprinted up to her room and burst through the door. Daddy was sitting next to Mama crying. I slowly walked over to Daddy and put my arm on his shoulder. Mama? He gave me a look. As I began to put Mama's shoes on her feet I let the first tear fall down my cheek and let it land on my hands. I took a step back and looked at her. She looked so beautiful. "Merry Christmas Mama. I love you and I want you to know that you are going to be the most beautiful angel in Heaven."

I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight.
~A.K.A. taytay

Metacognitive Blog: And Then There Were None

1. My first draft for my essay was vague and was sort of bland, so I added more detail and tried to make things more interesting for the audience. My essay also lacked dialogue in a couple of areas but I added it when nessecary and finished revising my essay while fixing some grammical and spelling errors.

2. The form of support that helped the most in this situation was the peer editing review check

list. This is because I received most, if not all, of my feedback. I had a good amount of fixing up to do after class that day we had peer editing. So when I got home, I revised my essay until I thought it had met all the requirements and had everything fixed up. When I had an adult look over it they had no other revisions to add onto the essay.

3. I believe that peer editing is very effective and we should continue to do that but I also think reading aloud your writing also helps. I think this helps with catching any common spelling and grammar errors but it also helps with how the story flows. All writing entries flow and use good transition words and keep from becoming boring and getting "stuck" so to speak. 

4. One area I need to grow into is writing essays on historical events or world issues. I believe  this is because these writing pieces don't leave any room for imagination and creativity. This is hard for me because I like to write fictional stories and take myself away from anything in the real world. So one goal I would like to achieve is to find a way to make factual essays entertaining to read and write. 

                                                                                                            ~A.K.A taytay