TKAM Ch. 12

Ever since kindergarten, I have loved school. I was always that one kid that was counting down the days until school would start instead of dreading them. My first day of eighth grade had started out the same as every other first day of school I've ever had. I was so excited that it felt like my nerves were buzzing inside of me. However, as I went through my classes that day, that excitment was quickly replaced by nervousness and disappointment. I first moved here the year before, so the only people I knew were the ones that I had classes with previously. In eighth grade, I didn't have one single friend in any of my classes, and there were only a few classes where I even knew who anyone was. I felt more like an outsider that day than I did on my first day the year before, when I was a new student.

TKAM Ch. 11

In my childhood, I feel my friend Sarah demonstrated real courage. When she was four years old, she watched her father get hit by a car and die right in front of her. After that, her mom had jumped from guy to guy for years. When we were in second grade, her mom was in a relationship with a particularly bad guy. I had met him, and neither Sarah nor I liked him at all. Then, one day, Sarah came to school with a bunch of long bruises on her arms. It took me a minute, but I finally realized that the bruises were in the shape of big hands. Instead of being afraid to tell someone, she marched right up to one of the adults that ran the after school program we were at and told them that her mom's boyfriend had hurt her. I doubt that I would have been able to tell someone if I had been in her place, and I have always looked up to her for displalying such courage.

TKAM Ch. 9

When I was younger, my favorite relative was my cousin, Shoshana (Shoshi, for short). She was born six weeks before me, so we were always really close as children. Our grandma used to call us "the bookends." Although she's older than me, I've always been the mature one, and our difference of views often caused problems. Aside from that, we had a lot in common. We both started dancing the same year, and we both played the flute. However, as we got older, we began to drift apart. I still have great memories of playing with her on the weekends at my grandparents' house.

TKAM Ch. 8

TERRORISTS ATTACK NEW YORK, WORLD TRADE CENTER DEMOLISHED



On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, two airplanes hit the World Trade Center, killing hundreds of people and completely destroying the buildings.

The planes were hijacked by terrorists, reportedly from the Middle East.

Police, fire fighters and EMTs flooded to the scene from all over New York and a few neighboring states.

Many people lost their parents, children and siblings.

The reason for this attack is still unknown, although many have their own opinions.

TKAM Ch. 6

In elementary school, my best friend was a girl named Sarah. We met in kindergarten, through the after school program that our school district offered. She went to May Moore Elementary School and I went to John Quincy Adams Elementary School, so we only got to spend time together every day after school until five 'o clock. Growing up, no one could ever understand how we were such good friends. She was the epitome of a tomboy, and I despised any form of physical activity. However, it was our differences that allowed our friendship to become so strong. We easily balanced out each other's extremes. We remained close throughout elementary and intermediate school. We never had any classes together; the closest we came to spending time together during the school day was in fifth grade, when her class was next door to mine. The after school program was only offered for students up to fifth grade, so everything changed when we started middle school. Even with nine classes, we didn't have a single thing together. Without the after school program, we began to lose touch. My moving to Florida pretty much finalized the end of our friendship. We still talk over the computer, and I don't regret our drifting away from each other. She was one of the best friends I have ever had to this day.

TKAM Ch. 3

The best advice I ever received as a child was the same exact advice that Scout received from Atticus. Growing up as an only child, I wasn't used to thinking about how my actions affected those around me. When I started kindergarten, I was really excited, but a little bit overwhelmed at all of the children that were there. On the first day, I was playing with some toy or another when someone came up to me and asked if they could play with me. I proceeded to take the toys to the other side of the room and tell the person that I didn't like to share. The person got really upset and told our teacher. I couldn't understand why I had gotten in trouble. When I got home, I told my mom about it, and she told me that next time, I should try to see things from the other person's perspective.

TKAM Ch. 2

One of the most memorable days from when I was in elementary school was the first day of fourth grade. My teacher's name was Ms. Alfieri. I remember that I was really nervous because none of my friends from my third grade class had the same teacher as me. When I got to school, I was really worried because I couldn't find the classroom; the only area of the school I knew was the third grade wing. After walking around for about five minutes, I finally gathered up the courage to ask a nice-looking teacher where my classroom was. She pointed down a long hallway that seemed empty, and walked away without offering any further help. As I walked down the hallway, it seemed to grow ten feet longer with each step I took. First, I passed a janitor's closet, then the back doors to the gym, and it looked like the only place left to go was outside through to doors on the right at the end of the hallway. Just as I was about to turn around, a really skinny girl with tan skin and curly black hair suddenly appeared. It looked like she came out of the wall opposite of the doors leading outside, but I realized that there was a door there that I hadn't seen.
"Hi," she said, and I waved shyly at her. "Are you in Ms. Alfieri's class?" she asked me, and she waved me towards the classroom once I nodded, all of my worries fading away.
Fourth grade ended up being one of my favorite years of elementary school, Ms. Alfieri ended up becoming one of my favorite teachers ever, and the skinny girl, Amanda, is still one of my best friends.

My first day of kindergarten:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff299/bingbangboomxo/alison1.jpg

TKAM Ch. 1 (#2)

My family tree:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff299/bingbangboomxo/familytree.jpg

TKAM Ch. 1 (#1)

Personally, I don't consider myself to be "Southern." I spent the first twelve years of my life living in New York, and in the past three years I've lived in Florida, I still haven't adapted to many of the more "Southern" features of my town, and I don't plan on it. When I think of someone that is "Southern," I tend to picture what the general population of our school looked like on Hillbilly Day during Homecoming Week: it makes me think of people walking around in camouflage overalls with no shoes. I also tend to associate it with having a very strong, drawling accent, and raising some sort of farm animal, especially doing so as part of a class for school. I know that this is very stereotypical and that it isn't true for a lot of people that I have met while living here, but this is what comes to mind when I think of what it means to be "Southern."