Social Awareness #5: Bullying Poem

Deep Inside I'm Hiding
No one can see this smile I'm faking
Deep inside I'm broken
You would see me shaking
All these words thrown at me,
ugly, fat, worthless ...
But no one has to know the pain I feel
The real me inside, who no one can see
I can fool anyone. But why can't I fool me?

Social Awareness #3: 5th Grade Teacher Interview

          Me ~ How long were you a teacher at P.S 130?
          Mr. Zagami ~ I've been teaching here for 18 years now.
          Me ~ Have you taught other grades besides 5th?
          Mr. Zagami ~ Yes, in my first 3 years of being a teacher, I taught 3rd grade. Once I got used to being in P.S 130, I decided to go up a grade so I taught 4th grade for a couple of years and for about 10 years, I've been teaching the 5th grade.
          Me ~ Are you thankful to have to do the job you have everyday for 5 days a week?
          Mr. Zagami ~ *laughs* Yes! I am very thankful to be here in this school, I love teaching kids, it's a very fun job once you've been here as long as I have."


     Mr. Zagami is my 5th grade teacher at the school, P.S 130. He's been teaching for nearly 20 years already and very happy with it. I am happy for him because he loves his job so much and happy because he made the fifth grade so much fun for everyone including myself. Im happy because of how much he loves to do what he does. He is currently a fifth grade teacher at this elementary school which I used to attend. Lucky me, I live a block away from P.S 130, so I do tend to see a lot of my former teachers from when I was a lot younger. :)

Social Awareness #4: Response to "Believe" by Justin Bieber

          The song, "Believe" by Justin Bieber is a very beautiful song. This song explains the issue of many people who don't believe in themselves. This song goes out to all the people who afraid to show themselves and who always stay at second best. Throughout the song, the lyrics start off as a person who did not believe and just see how it feels to touch the sky. Their heart didn't dream for the best, therefore that person was unsure of what they wanted to do with their life. But later in the song, the person decides to stand tall and just believe because they realize anything is possible.
          "It didn't matter how many times I got knocked on the floor, but you knew one day I would be standing tall. Just look at me now." Finally, this person who didn't dream big or decide to change their life to make them happier, finally opened up and is embracing their self to the world. "'Cause everything starts from something, but something would be nothing, nothing if your heart didn't dream with me. Where would I be, if you didn't believe." These lyrics right here explain the fact that this person is finally believing in their self and dreaming big to create happiness. 
         The message being given from this song is to just believe. If you have a dream, go  for it because no one can stop you. Just believe because you will have people supporting you throughout the whole time. Just stand tall, have faith, and do not look back into your past. This is your time. Your time to be happy.

Response #8: The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant

          I recently read the book, The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant. This book explains a small cafe where anything can happen. Clara, who's dad own the cafe has seen it all. Lemon meringue pies have been known to appear out of nowhere often in this book, anywhere where it fits. One of the most popular offerings on the menu is Clara's father's poetry, which tells the future. The possum that hangs from the tree outside the cafe window has the mysterious ability to turn customer's lives upside down. Whatever you order from the Van Gogh Cafe just might  come with a side of magic.
          Every afternoon in the Van Gogh Cafe, Clara helps around her dad with customer's orders or other needs such as cleaning. Everyday Clara would have the best manners as possible to every customer that visits the cafe. She would greet them at the door, show them to a table and serve their food very quick. I love the way how Clara treats her visitors. They all really do like her, most of them return often. They all enjoy going to the cafe and some adults have said they have been coming ever since they were younger.
          There was this one day that occurred towards the middle of the book, saying a possum was spotted by Clara sitting peacefully on a tree right outside the cafe. Clara went to have a closer look at this animal, but it ended up being a daily routine. The possum would would return to the same tree every day for weeks, no matter the weather. Clara thought that the possum being there was a message of some sort, but she didn't know why the possum kept returning. Although, the day finally came where the possum did not show up. Clara didn't seem like she cared though. But that day was very bad weather. She had a feeling something was up. She just didn't know what.
          In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book. It was quite magical, since it had personification twists here and there, but it was entertaining to read since it's based on an actual cafe in the world.
          

Response #7: Hurricane Sandy

          I recently read an article of real effects of Hurricane Sandy, happening just a few days ago. This article explains how more than half the schools in New Jersey remain closed as well as some schools in Long Island and Queens, New York City. This article also distributes an opinion from a resident, Michelle Horton living in an area in Brooklyn, NY that's been hit hard. 

          "I am angry at our Mayor for lying through his teeth and saying that Gerritsen Beach, one of the hardest hit neighborhoods in Brooklyn was NOT considered Zone B, but was segregated as Zone A, should have been evacuated. Mayor Bloomberg, I am telling you that Gerritsen was in no way, shape or form section as Zone A although you know damn well that it should have been. We have a right to be angry, we will take action, but first - we have to recover.' Michelle of Brooklyn is clearly very upset that their neighborhood was not told to be evacuated. Once Sandy passed along, this resident as well as the rest of their neighborhood they've experienced devastation.

          Once Sandy came alone on October 29th, hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes completely, and a whopping 8 million people were without power for over a week, in the dark with no hot water, and in the cold. It is heartbreaking to read about this because there's so much tragedy that happened in such a short amount of time. It's frightening to experience 80+ mph and extremely heavy rain causing trees to be pulled right out of the ground, flooding in many homes and neighborhoods, even some lives taken away. Just a huge tragedy that happened right here, in the tri-state area.

          Most likely everyone never thought in a million years something this tragic would happen in their neighborhood. Seeing the streets people used to pass by everyday, barely visible. For the residents in Rockaway, Sandy lived up to her name leaving streets covered in 6ft of sand. Rockaway was one of the many hardest-hit places in the tri-state area as well as; Breezy Point, Howard Beach, Coney Island, Gerritsen Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Canarsie and Midland Beach. Over the next few weeks, these areas will remain destroyed, people are devastated and they need help.

          Although, Hurricane Sandy wont stop us. This is just a brief moment of darkness in our history, just like we pulled ourselves up from 9/11 - we will do it again. Residents will rise from the dark, better this time. Love and prayers.