So, yesterday, a beautiful day indeed, found me walking a trail I had never seen before with my dogs. I take them to the same spot in the woods all the time, so this seemed weird to me.
Why had I never seen this before? Because I tend to be cautious in all other areas of my life, when it comes to exploration and traveling "new roads" I am fearless. So, the mysterious trail beckoned to me, and I decided to explore. My dogs, always happy to accompany me no matter the direction, followed.
And...nothing happened.
It was just a trail that led deeper into the woods an to another trail. After about 15 minutes of exploring, I was back on the original path.
Which started me thinking in a metaphorical way.
For instance, the same thing happens when I open a notebook to a blank piece of paper--I immediately want to fill it with words, ideas, thoughts (some half-baked, some not) etc.
Or when I stare out into the ocean and immediately feel the urge to sail to the ends of it to see where it stops.
I am fascinated by the unknown and it is because of that fascination I became a teacher in the first place. Why? Because the unknown triggers a desire in me to KNOW, to learn. And I am so thankful for that because without it, I wouldn't be here, in room 204, typing out this blog.
And that, my pumpkin-sunshines, is what I want to focus on this week, especially in the spirit of my favorite holiday--Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for?
Now, please don't limit yourselves to the trite old cliches like "I'm thankful for my family" blah blah blah...Not that it isn't good to be thankful for your fam--of course it is.
But what I want you to do here is go a little deeper.
I am thankful for my desire to KNOW-for wanting to explore unknown trails, to add to the store of things I learn on a day-to-day basis.
I explained why already--and I want you to do the same. It won't be enough to tell us what you are thankful for--you also need to include the WHY. Try to consider yourself--who you are, what you value and where you imagine yourself to be in the future.
Use the force.
There are a lot of things that I am thankful for, and I thank god for them every day. First, I am thankful that my dad was able to come to this country and work in order to bring me into this country and to become natural a U.S citizen ( I was born here). There are some people in Egypt who dream to come to this country, but they can not, whether it is due to the financial problem or the strict laws. I am also thankful that I did not have to go through what my mom and dad went through in order to become a citizen. I am also thankful that my family is still alive. While this might seem like a pretty dark idea, I still think about it every day. When my cousin died I learned that I take advantage of people because they are always there, especially when I need them. So when I pray I thank god that my parents, brothers, and my family in Egypt are still alive and do not have any deadly disease like cancer. I am thankful that I personally do not have any deadly disease and that I am a healthy human being. Lastly, I am thankful for the fact that I have open-minded parents who try as hard as they possibly can to give me an education. Most people think of school as just a mandatory thing. Honestly, most of the times when school gets hard I just hate school and do not want to go. But, when I think about it I am very lucky. Girls in Egypt do not have to go to school, especially because people they have to pay in order to enroll in a school, and it is very expensive. But also, education there is missed up and having the ability to study here is a blessing. I am also thankful for open-minded parents because in Egypt some people think that girls do not need education and all they are good for is just marriage. My parents are not that way at all, they encourage me to take advantage of every opportunity that comes in my way in order to get better and depend on myself.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for my drive to get the job done no matter what because without it, I wouldn’t be in such good classes and I wouldn’t succeed in soccer. I am thankful for my ability to comprehend difficult things whether it be school, soccer, or tough real life situations. I am thankful for the way that I was raised, to be respectful, like I would not be thankful for being raised in a racist family. I am very thankful for the support system I have around me, such as friends and family, without support from them I wouldn’t of gotten far and I wouldn’t be successful. I am thankful for being born and raised in USA, although living in Europe would be better for soccer. The thing I am most thankful for is the ability to mentally recover from things, I won’t let deaths of close friends and family bring me down to the point where I can’t do anything. I won’t let rejections and bad grades bring me down as I will always get back stronger.
ReplyDeleteI’m thankful for my will to do work because I know that I’ll need to keep grinding in order to become successful later on. I can look ahead and see that I need to be productive in order to reach my goals, so that’s where my will comes from. I’m thankful for my interests in certain things because I love what I do and I couldn’t see myself doing something else. I’m thankful for my individual abilities to do things because this is what makes me different from other people, as well as my ability to learn things quickly. Most importantly, I’m thankful for my ability to think positively. I wouldn’t be able to stand living a life of where I’m not happy for most of things that happen to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about the future whether it’s in three years, seven years, or 15 years.. I get overwhelmed but excited. I don’t want to grow up exactly but I’m excited to see what the future brings me. I’m thankful that I am a person who is willing to be ready for what’s ahead of me. I’m thankful that I have a mature mind and a positive outlook. Without these things I wouldn’t be as outgoing, which means I might have not have made the friends I have today. If I wasn’t outgoing or had a positive outlook on life I wouldn’t be able to say that I saved a few lives. By that I mean, I have helped some of my friends so much that I have saved their lives, or so I’ve been told. It’s hard to put how I feel into words about this but I don’t take it lightly at all because hearing that makes me feel so fulfilled. So that’s why I’m thankful I can be that type of positive influence. So back the the future (no pun intended), I see myself out of college, traveling and experiencing new things, enjoying life before I settle down or if I settle down. I don’t know exactly how my life will play out but I know I want to be happy with whatever I’m doing and I can accomplish most of my goals on my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteI think something that I am honestly thankful for is receiving an American public school education. I don’t agree with a lot of facets of the American educational system and I definitely do believe there are a lot of structural issues that need to be dealt with, however, I’m learning to appreciate the good things in the people I’m surrounded by everyday. Although the system is deeply flawed, I think that in itself has helped me to think more critically about traditional institutions that we, as a society have deemed to be the standard. I have learned to not accept everything that comes my way, and to question everything. I can thank American schooling for that because of the many times I’ve been angry due to a defect in this system. Besides, if I didn’t have that anger I would’ve never been motivated to do my own research and learn things on my own.
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving is an amazing holiday because it allows us to come together with the people close to us and appreciate the good things in our lives. Although I tend to complain about stupid little problems, I have a lot to be thankful for in my life. I'm thankful for all the basic and stereotypical things people would say on Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for my family and friends because they're what make life enjoyable. Not to sound shallow, but I'm also thankful for material things too. Everyone says these things, but I have a lot of deeper things to be thankful for. I'm very thankful that I am really determined. This trait has helped me all throughout my life. When I set a goal, I will try my very best to complete it. It helps with school, sports, and just life in general. My life is pretty amazing and I'm extremely thankful for it.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for the fact that I have a driven mindset. Without this, I wouldn’t be in the classes that I’m in today. I also wouldn’t be as smart as I am today because I wasn’t born smart. When I switched schools, I was in all the lower classes and with the help of my family and teachers, I finally worked my way up to ap classes. I am also grateful for the fact that I have a plan for my future because it gives me something to work for. I wouldn’t be working hard right now unless I knew it was going to be worth it in the end. Furthermore, I’m also grateful for my family and friends because they are always there for me and make my day better every time I see them.
ReplyDeleteI don't take my life or values for granted and am super grateful for my parents. They have gave me a warm and supportive environment to grow up in and absorb values that got me where I am today and where I will get in the future. I am thankful for my ability to see things in all perspectives. This helps me to become more considerate and interpret emotions or situations in a way that boosts my well being and gives the best advice to help others. The last thing I'm most thankful for is to be born an American citizen with independence and many privileges that others across the world don't have.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for my strong imagination. When I'm in class, at work, wherever, I always find myself in these dazes. If I have goals, aspirations, things I strive to accomplish, my mind allows me to see myself doing these things and accomplishing them. My mind allows me to see those things so clearly as if I have already accomplished them and achieved those goals. I am thankful for my imagination because it gives me motivation. Your imagination could be so powerful. Some of the best things can be created all from imagination. I feel like if you can imagine it, you can do it. It is possible. My motivation to keep going is my imagination. I wanna be so successful and so happy in all aspects of my life. Just sitting back when everything gets hard and overwhelming, and taking a moment, really can relieve so much of the pressure I feel on myself. Without my strong imagination I feel like I would struggle at completing and choosing the things I wanna do throughout my life. I can imagine my life as a surgeon in New York and remember that my life right now, as a struggling teenager, trying to maintain all the BS I have to go through as a student and realize that it’s only for right now. Nobody else does that for me. Nobody brings me as much motivation as my own imagination does. For that, I am forever thankful.
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving always involves people asking what we are thankful for, and thanksgiving dinner I would usually say "family" or "food" because I"d rather keep it simple and please my family with the common cliches. However, I am very thankful for my immediate desire to make other people feel good about themselves. I don't ever expect anything in return for anything I do because I love to volunteer or help people out in any way I possibly can. Especially in school I'll help people out with subjects I'm good at (aka math). I may not seem like the nicest person at times because I have a rb face and keep to myself, or I speak my mind about things, but I really do love to help people in all sorts of ways. I'm even going to start volunteering at the Funny Farm with the animals. When I told one of my teachers this their response was "oh yeah that's because you want to be a vet and it'll give you volunteer hours." But in reality I really just wanted to help because they were in need of volunteers with the cold weather, and it would make me feel better knowing that these rescues have people caring for them while there aren't guests around to show them affection. So yeah, helping others and making them happy in all sorts of ways makes me happy and I'm very thankful for that.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am thankful for probably the most in my life is my ability to push forward and drive myself towards successes even in the absence of light in my life. Obviously I am not saying that I am thankful for being successful in the dark, but you guys are AP Langers, you’ll figure out what I mean. Anyways, I am thankful for my drive in doing good things in all aspects of life, whether they are academic, social, or personal. I am also thankful for all of the people I have met along the way of life which I know have shaped me and pressured me and urged me to become a better person overall. As well as all of the experiences that I have lived through and learned from in order to make me... me. While some of my experiences were pretty bad and definitely something if you asked me to live through that again, I wouldn’t want to, but nonetheless, I am thankful for the wisdom my experiences have bestowed upon to me.
ReplyDeleteA quality that I’m so thankful for is that I’m easy to talk to. When my friends aren’t feeling the best they always come to me and talk so they can have somebody to just listen to them. I’m so happy to be that person that’s there for them because I didn’t have that for the longest time, but I always try to give them what I didn’t have. I always want them to be happy because it makes me happy which is hard to do these days. If they need a shoulder to cry on our big ole hug I’m more than happy to do it for them. Finding people that listen is hard to find and I’m happy I’m that person.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people often take things for granted and I can definitely say I’ve been one of them from time to time. Not many people have been given the opportunities or things I’ve been blessed with. People across the world don’t eat, have an education or even simply take a shower yet I'm fortunate enough to have all those things. The littlest things are taken for granted by so many and I don’t think people realize it. I’ve been taught to accept the things that have been handed to me good or bad. To learn from the faults of others around me, because it will teach me a lesson on how to identify right from wrong. I wouldn’t want to change any inconveniences I’ve encountered in my life because they shaped me into who I am.
ReplyDeleteI definitely can't sum up the things I'm thankful for to two or three things because the amount of blessings that god gave me and still gives me will never end so I'm just going to talk about a couple of them. The first thing I'm very thankful for is being able to speak more than two languages. I feel the most smart while writing, or singing, or speaking in different languages. It makes me feel like I'm different, special, educated, and most importantly proud. The fact that I can speak many languages, being successful at school and also taking AP classes just amazes me. The second thing I'm thankful for THE MOST of them all is, problems. "Practice make perfect" that's what teachers say ALL THE TIME and it bms fr, but when I started facing real problems I knew exactly what that meant. For example, if I hate a subject (physics) I need to keep practicing more and more in order to understand it, same as life problems. If you have a problem that you tried solve and turns out you didn't make the right choice, you will learn and the more problems you face the more you will learn. I'm thankful for problems because they taught me how to be a wise person, a better person, a person that knows what's right from wrong, and most importantly it showed me who my true friends are and who really loves me. God has given me many many blessings that I can't thank him enough for and the fact that I'm here, alive, with my loved ones, I will always be thankful.
ReplyDeleteTo start off, I am obviously thankful for the usual things like my girlfriend, family and close friends. But there are other things out there I am thankful for as well. For example I am thankful for lacrosse(my favorite/main sport) because it helped build me into the hard worker I am today and introduced me to new and great people. Another thing I'm thankful for his chance. Now why chance you may ask. It was chance that brought me and my friends together, chance that caused all the things in my life good and bad that shaped/molded me, chance that caused me to be here, in this state, in this time. Finally I am thankful for the good times, times spent just hanging out with friends, family and significant others doing what you want to do whether it be something fun and exciting or just chilling listening to your favorite songs blasting out of a speaker.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for an abundance of things in my life. One of them is my ability to never give up and that I am able to keep pushing through even when life gets tough. My determination to accomplish any goal I set helps me greatly in my life and it will in future. Even when times are tough and everything is going bad, I find a way to turn things around and succeed. I keep studying and working hard even when I get frustrated and just want to quit. I’m able to keep pushing no matter what and I know that what I’m doing will help me in the long run, whether it’s just to pass an AP exam or something larger. I’m also thankful for my compassion and empathy towards others. I am a very compassionate and kind person, when I see someone who is sad or struggling, I always want to help make them feel better. Another thing I’m extremely thankful for are my friends and family. I know this response is basic, but I couldn’t just leave them out of this post because they mean so much to me and are the most important part of my life. They push me to be my best self and are always there for me when times get tough. I know I always have their support and just knowing that helps make my days better. I’m also really thankful for my boyfriend (very cheesy I know), but we have been dating for almost 2 years now and he means the world to me. He has shown me that there are kind and respectful guys out there who treat women the way they deserve. He has taught me how to love myself and to not be so hard on myself all the time.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that I’m thankful for. This includes all the usual things people are grateful for like family, friends, food, etc. I’m extremely thankful for my ability to stay organized and stay on top of things. It honestly helps a lot especially with AP classes and limits the amount of time that I procrastinate. I sometimes procrastinate more than I need to, but I’m human too. Staying organized just makes me feel calm and is one less thing to stress over when it comes to things in life. I’m also thankful for my ability to challenge myself or find an easier route to an answer. This relates back to something I tell myself all the time which is to work smarter, not harder. In certain situations, it is not wise to follow that, but it does help out a lot.
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ReplyDeleteIn terms of what I'm thankful for, I have never had to think about a trait or quality I am grateful to have. The one major trait that I am thankful for is my ability to find inspiration in anything, whether it's for writing, music or my art. The smallest and seemingly most unimportant details, the details that most people would not have a second thought of, drive my creativity forward. Yesterday, I attended an award ceremony for a poster contest, and I took note of what made the first place poster stand out above the rest. The biggest take away I had from observing the post was that I needed to practice not only drawing people in different poses, but also at odd angles too. So just today, I found inspiration in math and history and just sketched the backs of a few people sitting in front of me, along with other objects I observed in the classroom. An everyday surrounding for myself and multiple other people became my source of inspiration and creativity. I am thankful that I can take something as trivial as a classroom setting and use it to improve my art skills. I know I am capable of taking anything around me and letting it inspire me one way or another. I constantly have thoughts along the the lines of "this would make an interesting plot for a story," or "those colors would look nice together in a painting or an outfit," from just observing what I see and hear on a day to day basis, and I have never really appreciated that part of myself until now.
ReplyDeleteIn this very hectic world I feel like we often forget about all the things we should be grateful for. I know that I often forget about all the wonderful things and people that are in my life. For my AMAZING group of friends I will be forever grateful. I have never met a more loving and accepting group of people. They’re there on the worst and best days and always have one another’s back, for that I can’t thank them enough. I genuinely don’t know what I did to deserve these amazing people. I’m grateful for the old relationships that have stumbled back into my life and have become new. Life is full of obstacles and mistakes and because of that I’m thankful for second chances (which aren’t always deserved but there are some exceptions). I tend to fall into these moods where I’ll think negative of myself and the only way I get out is by reminding myself of all the good I have within myself. I’m thankful for the way I think, which sounds extremely weird! But what I mean is that I’m really proud of the way I carry myself and express myself in situations. I do wish I was stronger in some areas of myself but that’s for another blog.
ReplyDeleteI’m thankful for many things, but if I had to choose one I’m thankful for my ability to be a positive thinker. In most situations many people think about all the worse things that can happen to them, I do the opposite. In certain situations I think about what I can get out of it and a lesson I can learn. Being a positive thinker definitely helps me get through the tough situations I’m in. It plays a role not just in school but also in sports. For example, tennis. Tennis is known for not only being physically strong but mentally strong. Being the positive thinker already gives me an advantage over the opponent. Having negative thoughts definitely won’t help you when playing tennis or any other sports. I am thankful to have this ability because it helps through difficult times. Being sad or depressed over something is useless and won’t get you anywhere in life. When life hits you and you’re rock bottom, the only way back is going up. Dwelling on something will get you nowhere in life. Learning from your mistakes will develop your character and help you grow as a person.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, I am thankful for the life I have and the opportunities I have received. There are a plethora of people who have lives much worse than myself, causing me to reflect upon what and how much I take for granted. I am thankful for my optimism since it strengthens my competitive drive; without it, I would not have the motivation to be my best self. I am thankful for my curiosity because it has helped me realize my interests and befriend people who share these interests with me, whether they be from a class, club, or sport that I am involved in. Of everything that I am thankful for, I find these mentioned traits (in addition to family and friends, of course) to be the most important since they have helped mold me into the person I am today and will help me to achieve success in the future.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with all of the cliche things to be thankful for, such as family, friends, and happiness. While all of these things are undoubtedly great aspects of life to be thankful for, I feel that people need to dig a little deeper when they answer this question. I am extremely grateful for all of the blessings that God has provided me with, to start off. I have such a fortunate life, even though I constantly complain about how “awful” it is. I’m thankful for my incredible schooling opportunities, because I have brought myself to realize how many people around the world literally put their lives at risk just to get a basic, if not mediocre, education. I’m thankful for my good health and my family’s financial stability, but mainly, my ability to take care of myself. Too often, I hear distressing stories of people who rely solely on others to take care of them, disabled by traumatizing experiences and life-threatening illnesses. I, if left to myself, am confident that I would be able to provide for myself in terms of cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and maintaining my health/hygiene. These things are all very important to me, and of course, the list doesn’t end there. Mostly, I’m thankful for the beautifully prepared food that sits in front of me on Thanksgiving, but for the sake of the blog, I chose to leave that part out of my little rant. Goodnight chicos y chiquitas.
ReplyDeleteThe things i'm thankful for definitely start out like most would, such as how I’m thankful for my family, and the other wonderful people in my life. But one major thing i am thankful is the opportunities I have had at Oakcrest, such as sports like Cross Country and Track. Before I entered high school I didn’t really do any sports and thought I just wasn’t good at anything and was unathletic. But then I started doing Track and realized that running may have been my calling all along. Then I did Cross Country and my running skills started to show even more, and I have been able to run and have some of the best times of my life with a great team. Another thing that I am thankful for is the close group of friends I have, and all of the fun times we’ve had, and that were always there for each other.
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