From the very beginning, I always thought of English as a class that I had to endure for the rest of my school life, and that I’ll never enjoy English. In previous schools, I never found a way to connect to anything I was learning in English. In other subjects, I actually enjoyed what I was learning, I enjoyed learning about science, math and social, however annotating poems, writing essays, and reading novel studies were a complete bore to me. Ever since I’ve entered FFCA my perspective on English has significantly changed, and I’ve developed a new love for English.

As a learner, I always found it difficult to excel in learning skills such as annotating poems, and taking a literary work and taking it apart to come to the general message(theme). My challenges as a learner is that I find it very hard to find the deeper meaning in a literary piece. Often times, I find it difficult to connect to a poem because I don’t recognize the underlying message, and I make it fairly hard for myself. Throughout this semester in English, as a learner, I learned that I’m actually fairly good in English, and I’ve always thought that I was bad at it. An “aha” that I learned from this class is that literary pieces may appear to be very boring, but it’s the underlying message and value that you need to search for when you read something. I related to many of the pieces we worked with this semester, and my understanding broadened, and now it’s easier for me to read literary works because I know how to annotate and come to a general theme(message).

As a reader, my reading identity prior to Mrs. Hunnisett’s class was very minimal, and it’s because I lack motivation to continue reading a book. I can start a bunch of books, but I won’t even get halfway through any of them because I lose interest in continuing them. Going into Mrs. Hunnisett’s class I wouldn’t have thought that my reading identity would change, but Mrs. Hunnisett made me understand the importance of reading to succeed in English. My reading identity is improving as the months go by, and it may not be at the level it needs to be at, however as each semester goes by I want to set goals for how many books I read each semester. In the future as a reader, I want to challenge myself to read books of different genre’s, and more of the difficult reads. I want to be reading books that challenge my reading skills, but also improve my vocabulary, which will help me in my writing skills.

I came to FFCA in grade 7, and before that I had never written an essay or had done any sort of writing assignments. In grade 7, I did some personal pieces, but again, nothing big like an essay or short story. Grade 8 comes around and I’m expected to know how to write a critical essay, and I have absolutely no clue how the format of an essay looks like, and the order the information goes in. Grade 8 frustrated me a great amount because most of the kids in my class had written essays in previous grades, and I felt so lost.

Grade 9 comes and I developd a whole new appreciation for writing and English. My grade 9 teacher took the time to sit down, and teach me how to write a proper essay, and how to have proper sentence structure. Going into 10-1, I didn’t know what to expect, but through the semester I improved a lot in writing.

My growth from my writing in grade 8 to writing in grade 10 is a significant change. Throughout the years, I’ve come to the realization that I admire personal writing. I love writing personal, and I love reading personal pieces. You see a whole new side of that person that you didn’t see before, and maybe you can even connect with them because of that experience. Writing personal pieces can be hard because you’re showing vulnerability to an extent, and I guess that’s why I admire personal writing so much because you see that rawness in another person and I appreciate when someone shows vulnerability or rawness.

My year so far is going really well, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. I got some pretty amazing teachers and I learned a lot about what my strengths and weaknesses are. This year, I developed a new love for English and it’s all because Mrs. Hunnisett made me see a new depth to English. I always thought of English as a class that I’d always hate because nothing about it interested me, and I got no joy when looking at poems or reading novels. However, this year in English I started to love looking at poems and finding their message, and just relating to all the literary pieces. I’m not quite sure what changed my whole mood about English, but I believe that it is the way Mrs. Hunnisett has this welcoming vibe and she cares a lot about her students.

The first day when I walked into her classroom, I got the welcoming vibe instantaneously, and I knew this classroom would be a place of happiness, love and care. I grew closer to people who I thought I wouldn’t even have a relationship with, and I’ve created many new friendships because of this class. Many of my greatest accomplishments, and most happiest moments have been in Mrs. Hunnisett’s class, and I wish so much that I could have her for the rest of High School. This past semester has been a great ride, and I’m sad to see it end, however all the memories created in Mrs. Hunnisett’s room will forever be in my heart.

            Perspective is the way an individual views something or someone, and makes an observation about them based on past experiences and knowledge. Perspective determines how we inspect life, handle obstacles that we must face, and how we judge people. The clarity of one’s perspective changes over the course of their lifetime by the respect and maturity one gains as they grow older. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the idea of Scout’s changing perspective as she leaves from the idea of innocence and transitions into respect and maturity.  Through the influences of certain individuals, Harper Lee identifies the significance of arrogance, awareness, and respect in Scouts changing perspective throughout the novel.

Arrogance displays foolishness and selfishness, and can reveal a lot about a character’s perspective on life. Scout started off in this book with a very black and white perspective, and this was caused by her arrogance. She knew she was high on the social ladder in Maycomb, and she took this to her advantage by making others’ feel like outcasts. An example of this is Walter Cunningham. When Jem invited Walter over, Scout acted very arrogant and immature. She didn’t like the fact that she stood up for Walter in class, and she got in trouble for doing so. Scout immediately prejudged Walter and made him seem like the bad person in this situation because of her arrogance. The Cunningham’s status on the social ladder is very well known amongst the people of Maycomb, and they know that the Cunningham’s can’t afford a lot. Scout knows this, and comments about how Walter kept pouring syrup over his food, and that comment illustrated that Scout’s perspective is very unclear. Her arrogance is getting in the way of experiencing and understanding people, and this isn’t doing any good for Scout because she’s prejudging others based on their status; she’s showing arrogance.

As the book continues on, Atticus starts to notice Scout’s behavior of immaturity and impoliteness, and he’s concerned because if Scout keeps up with that mindset she’s going to misjudge all the people she meets. In the book, Atticus sits Scout down, and he says, “You never really know a person until you see things from his point of view…until you walk around in his shoes.” You don’t know what everyone has been through, so you don’t judge until you have stepped in their shoes. Now, Atticus is not saying to physically step into their shoes, however he’s saying that you should take the time and effort to understand someone before you can properly judge them. A first glance, one conversation none of that can determine whether you dislike someone or not. In court you need more evidence in order to prove that you’re not guilty, ironically Atticus is telling Scout that you need more evidence in order to rule out whether you like or dislike that person. Scout’s mindset starts to shift here, and we see that she starts to question herself, and starts to question if her innocence and arrogance is going to help her in the long run. Scout becomes aware that her arrogance will only make her fall, and that she won’t earn respect from anyone if she continues on with that habit.

Near the end of the book, we go through the vigorous Tom Robinson trial, and Scout starts to gain experience through what she is seeing in front of her own eyes. Throughout the whole trial, Scout is sitting in the court room and she starts to comprehend the unfairness of the trial. She witnesses the cruelty of people, and how it doesn’t matter what your status is, what matters is how genuine of a person you are. She understands the concept that being black or white shouldn’t matter, and she’s confused as to why others’ don’t grasp that concept. We see Scout at the end of the book as more mature and respectful, yet she’s also baffled because she doesn’t accept how Tom’s verdict was guilty because he was black. Scout starts to gain a sense of respect for her status, for the work Atticus does, and mostly respect for the people who are seen as outcasts- Boo Radley & Tom Robinson. She’s an experienced youth, who has gone through life changing events and has begun to identify who and what she needs to respect.

Scout’s perspective ends off as sophisticated, and wiser. Scout’s still young, but for someone her age, she has gone through a lot in her life. She has witnessed a lot of prejudice in her life, but through Walter Cunningham, Atticus, and Tom Robinson’s trial her perspective has changed from innocence to maturity. Her moral and values stayed the same, but the way she thinks of others’ has been altered. Through reality and struggle, one becomes wise and mature, which teaches them to appreciate the small things in life and to respect all individuals regardless of what they are said to have done or their social status. Changing aspect towards life lets you explore and understand outside of the box, and an individual  goes through many stages to get to the end result- Respect.

2014 Book Ladder

1. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (377 pages)

2. Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (279 pages)

3. Percy Jackson: The Titans Curse by Rick Riordan (312 pages)

4. Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan  (341 pages)

5. Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (360 pages)

6. The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan ( 553 pages)

7. The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan ( 510 pages)

8. The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan ( 574 pages)

9. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ( 187 pages)

10. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green ( 313 pages)

11. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks ( 405 pages)

12. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow ( 224 pages)

13. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee ( 376 pages)

To Date: 4811 pages ( 92 pages a week/ 13 pages a day)

Top 3 Books to Date:

I recommend The Last Song because it shows the growth of a father daughter relationship, and despite the fact that it’s a romance novel, for me the main focus of this book was the relationship between the father and daughter. I could relate really easily to this book, which is why I love it so much because I have a really close relationship with my dad and seeing the struggles Steve & Ronnie had to go through broke my heart because to me a father/daughter relationship is very special and unique.

The Last Lecture showed me just how short life is, and how much you have to make the most out of your time. You can’t worry so much about the small things, and there will always be downs, but look at those downs as lessons and continue on with life. This book really inspired me to take a step back and look at my life and to enjoy every second of my life.

I recommend the entire Heroes of Olympus series, but my favourite book out of the entire series is The Mark of Athena (3rd book) because we see the Romans and Greeks come together to defeat Gaea. In Mark of Athena, we also see a more emotional side to some of the main characters and I enjoyed that a lot because you could relate to them more. If you enjoy action and Greek mythology then this series is a must!

Currently Reading: The Kite Runner

Future Books I’ll Read:

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns

2. Looking for Alaska

3. The Book Thief

4. Divergent Series

5. A Walk to Remember

Dear Daniya,

Just from the title itself, The Last Song, you can immediately imagine that this book is a romantic one. I know you don’t prefer romance novels, however I feel like you would enjoy this one because the main focus of this book isn’t centered on love between a boy and a girl, it’s centered on a girl’s relationship with her dad. It’s about love that Ronnie (the main character) develops for her father. Ronnie’s stubbornness, closed walls, and asshole attitude all remind me of how you first acted when I met you, and how you sometimes still do act like that. The way Ronnie reacted to meeting her dad after 3 years, is how you act when people first approach you. You’re a very closed off person, one who has so many high walls, and you have such a close resemblance with Ronnie.

Throughout the book, we see that in the beginning, Ronnie doesn’t want to pursue a relationship with her dad at all, and wants nothing to do with him. As time goes on, Ronnie and her father start to develop a relationship and we see Ronnie in a new light. When we first meet Ronnie, you instantly hate her because she is portrayed as a person who seems very arrogant, and is too high for her father. However, as the book progresses onwards we see that Ronnie puts on a front, and that she does have a kind, caring, and loving side to herself. Similarly, this is how you act like when people first approach, and this is why I think you’ll enjoy the book because you can relate to Ronnie. When someone first approaches you, you instantly bring your walls up, and it takes a while for someone to bring your walls down. Daniya, you remind me so much of Ronnie, because you won’t budge once you’ve made your decision and you 100% think you’re always right, and that’s how Ronnie is like.

Near the end of the book, we see that Ronnie isn’t like that anymore. She’s grown up. She’s mature. She still has the same values and morals, and is still very much Ronnie (stubborn, high walls, asshole attitude), however she is more open-minded and experienced. She’s willing to pursue relationships, and trust others’ and to love.

Daniya, once someone has gained your love, you love them with every inch of your heart, and while I read this book, often time I thought about how similar you are to Ronnie. I hope you choose to read this book, it’s worth your time, and I promise you that you’ll enjoy it. You’ll see a lot of yourself in Ronnie, and I hope you enjoy!

Love,

Daania

The idea of fate is one that is a very funny concept to have a grasp on. Fate comes in all different forms, but it’s most commonly referred to as being a big part in the formation of love, however fate can be anything that is inevitable. Fate is when something happens in your life, such as, an event occurs that you wouldn’t have expected to happen. For instance, you could be going through a rough patch in life, and a new person may enter your life who makes you see the light amidst all your dark; this is fate. You never expect for that event to come about and at times it can be harmful to you, but almost always fate is meant to happen for people to gain experience and knowledge. I believe 100% in fate, and how fate plays a role in fixing people, and making people see life through a different perspective.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows the idea of fate through Romeo and Juliet’s’ love. He illustrates both good and bad fate through their love, and he does this by having Rome and Juliet meet, and it having to be “love at first sight”. Romeo was in a depressed mood because Rosaline had rejected him, and he thought he couldn’t love another girl ever again because all he wanted was Rosaline. Meanwhile, Juliet was being told by her parents to marry Count Paris, and she was against it because she didn’t want to marry so young. The night of the Capulet ball comes, and both Romeo and Juliet were not in a good mood, they were both in rough patches. However we see the idea of fate being played between them, because when Romeo and Juliet first set eyes on each other, it was like they had both brightened each other’s lives up. Romeo forgot about Rosaline and fell in love with Juliet, and Juliet found out who she actually wants to be with. They both had these problems in their lives, and fate shows us that it was an end to their problems.

However Shakespeare also shows us the bad fate brings with it. In the end of the play, both Romeo and Juliet die, and to me this is considered as bad fate because I feel like fate can never be rushed. Romeo and Juliet met each other one night and the next day, they were getting married, and to me that seems incredibly rushed. If you rush fate, the outcome of it won’t be good, you need to let fate play out what it’s supposed to, and just go along with it.

In my own life, fate has played a major role in the people who have entered my life, and has played a big role in starting new chapters of my life. Back in April 2011, I was just finishing up grade 6, and I got a call from FFCA. I was number 36 on the waiting list, and there was just absolutely no way I could’ve gotten in. In my old school, I wasn’t happy. My old school didn’t challenge me academically, and I didn’t enjoy that because nothing fascinated me. I’m a person who likes to enjoy what she’s learning, and I want the knowledge to interest and amaze me. I felt none of that at my old school, and I just needed change. I firmly believe that fate was behind the reason why I got into FFCA. When I got accepted into the school, I knew from the beginning that it was a new chapter of my life, a chapter in my life where I would experience happiness, gain knowledge, and enjoy life. FFCA made me explore my options for potential career choices, and it has taught me so much about life through leadership.

This past year, has been really hard for me in terms of finding who my true friends are, and letting go of people who bring negativity to my life. Grade 9 was incredibly hard for me, and I constantly felt so emotionally drained. I didn’t feel like myself and I just wasn’t happy. I felt stuck. People around me, their lives were moving forward, but to me it felt like I was just staying in the same spot. It was an incredibly rough patch for me, and I wanted the school year to just end. I was hoping that during the summer, I would be able to just find myself and enjoy time with family in Europe. I wasn’t looking for any new friends, and I didn’t want any because from the past year I was just done with people’s drama. I was still unhappy and felt stuck with my life, but I was just hoping that going to Europe for the entire summer would somehow be the cure for this rough patch.

However, I thought wrong. In other words, fate had a whole different plan for me. I met this girl during the summer, and we had known each other our whole lives growing up, but we never had spoken to each other. She had just recently moved back to Calgary, and I started talking with her at a party we were both at. From the moment I started talking with her, I felt happy. I felt like Daania again. That moment I knew that she was the person who would take me out of this rough patch, and she would make me see the light again. I left for Europe fairly quickly after becoming friends with her, but we talked to each other almost every day the whole time I was gone. She makes me see life from a whole different perspective, and I’m an over-thinker, and I worry and stress very easily about stuff. She makes me not want to overthink, and just let life do what it’s supposed to do. She’s made me want to enjoy every day of life, the good and the bad.

You know how those people just enter your life, and they enter your life for the sole purpose of making you happy, and being there for you? She is one of those people, and it’s so refreshing for me because for all of Grade 9, no one was able to do that to me. After talking with her over the whole summer, I knew that grade 10 would be so much better because she was in my life. She is the total opposite from me, but I guess that’s why we clicked because she makes my weaknesses stronger, and vice versa.

Fate can come in all different ways, and for me, I love and hate fate because it makes you experience hardships, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Fate has taught me that you can’t just stay in the dark forever. There will be a person, or an experience that will make that dark see light.