Making the Invisible, Visible: The First Step...

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In this challenge based learning unit, we have learned about the rights of people have been violated, specifically in the issue of human trafficking. Human trafficking is the act of people controlling others and forcing them into acts such as labour and prostitution. This is a world wide problem and is increasingly becoming serious by the second. We should realize that people are living in fear, and are under the threat of death. The most vulnerable targets of this problem would be people living in poverty and those who have no documentation and/or identification. The fact that people are being exploited as modern slaves provides one reason on why we should attempt to combat this problem. 

Human trafficking is very important to me, because I can't stand the fact that 27 million people are being forced in slavery, that they're living their lives in fear and violence. Knowing that human trafficking happens in the very place I live makes me feel both grateful and scared at the same time. The fact that I am protected by my family and my peers is what I am thankful for, but also makes me scared because human trafficking can happen to anyone. This topic is also very important to the community of Malaysia, because modern slavery is illegal now, but people still defy the law and still traffic people out of their homes. This also puts Malaysia, as a country, in a negative light because it shows that our country does not control the safety of the community and is not able to identify victimizers when they come into the country. Every 30 seconds, a child is a victim of human trafficking and nobody deserves to live in this kind of fear. This is also very important to combat because human trafficking creates inequality, the victimizers treat the victims like dirt, and force them to work for almost no pay. These victims are not able to protect their rights, because they believe they are being taken to a place where their life will get better. We have the responsibility to protect the rights of others, and we are not taking action. This definitely impacts the victims, but their families are also affected by this violation as their children/spouse/sibling are being taken away by strangers. 

One surprise that I have encountered is that human trafficking can be banished in just 25 years, but only if everybody does something. We could possibly end human trafficking if we band together to perform a task of anti-human trafficking, but not everybody knows of this issue. These victims of human trafficking have the right to know that they don't deserve this horrible kind of experience, and we should help them realize that they deserve justice. Another thing that I am surprised about is that the average age of a victim of human trafficking is about 12 years old. The fact that these victims are only about a year younger than me, shows that everybody is vulnerable to human trafficking. This realization makes me want to learn more about this topic and the steps of prevention we can take.

Learning about this unit has definitely opened my eyes to realizing how fortunate I am. I would have never realized I could be a victim of human trafficking until I heard all of the personal stories of how girls can just be taken off the street or forcibly removed from their homes. I could never imagine this happening to me or my family, because it has never crossed my mind. Human trafficking is a sensitive and grim topic, so hearing about how different anti human-trafficking have thought of ways to combat this issue and are working hard to provide shelter, education and donations to the victims so the number of human trafficking cases will be reduced. These organizations are providing the victims with a second chance to further improve their life and to make them happy. 

Deserved Education

Imagine yourself as a minority child. Uninsured, living in poor areas, poor economic situations, it all seems like torture to those who are fortunate enough to have the right opportunities. Thousands of families, specifically the children, are growing up in poor lifestyles that they do not even deserve. Even though segregation laws were outlawed in the 1960s, the economical situation has forced many minority families to live in the poorest areas of the city and to attend the poorest schools known. Many believe that minority children and their families should live as a lower class just because they’re different even though ironically, they make up a majority of the population. Out of all the 9,069,000 uninsured children in America, more than 60% are racial or ethnic minorities such as black and Hispanic children. Successfully, there are 3 organizations that have devoted their time and thoughts to helping minority children gain the knowledge they would use in the future. Because of the rising number of minority children living in poverty, The Josh Project, Young Black Scholars and The Perry Preschool Project are organizations that have been founded in order to allow minority children to have the education and opportunities they deserve.

Some minority children are born with gifted skills and they are not able to have the proper education they deserve. One organization called ‘Young Black Scholars’ helps African American children that are academically and mentally prepared with their college and university admissions. Because of the current economic situation, many of these children are situated in under-developed schools that don’t provide the challenges some children may need. This organization attracts their audience in a unique way. Young Black Scholars conduct workshops, seminars, and conferences as a way to invite people to this opportunity. “YBS conducts more than 40 workshops, programs, seminars, and conferences throughout the academic school year.” (Young Black Scholars) By publicly advertising this organization and showing what they can offer, they are inviting their audience to come take advantage of their program. Young Black Scholars wants to inform the minority population of Los Angeles that their program is worthwhile. If these children take advantage of this opportunity, it would lead them to a safe and successful future. Young Black Scholars doesn’t only help African American children, but also prepare parents for what these children are going to enter into. “They also help both scholars and parents prepare for college admissions, selection, and continued success.” (Young Black Scholars) Provided that generally minority children are not used to having these opportunities such as a college preparatory program, some children may find the program frustrating and may want to quit. Young Black Scholars believe that if educating the parents on supporting the child on achieving their dream, then the child will be more successful on approaching this goal. As a successful outcome, Young Black Scholars has improved the lives of over 1,000 African American children by providing the opportunity of university preparation to those who are prepared.

Minority children grow up in a lifestyle full of poverty and they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Perry Preschool Project works to provide education to those minority children who have experienced disadvantages their whole life. This organization calls people out to take part in this opportunity by opening up preschools, home-based child care programs, which specifically target the youth of the minority population. “The High/Scope preschool approach is used in public and private half- and full day preschools, nursery schools, Head Start programs, child care centres, home-based child care programs, and special needs programs.” (High/Scope Perry Preschool Program) The Perry Preschool project creates programs targeted for 3-4 year olds for a reason. By influencing these children from young, they will have the right education to make the best choices they are offered in the future. When children are young, their brain acts like a sponge. It soaks up all the information you give them and they learn new knowledge quickly. By feeding them the right information, the Perry Preschool Project is ensuring a perfect future where these minority children will make the right choices when they are adults. This preschool also have very physical ways of teaching children. “High/Scope’s goals are for young children to learn through active involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas….learn to plan and execute activities, then talk with other children and teachers about what they have done and what they have learned (PlanDo-Review)…. Active learning: Children learn best from activities they plan and carry out themselves.” (High/Scope Perry Preschool Program) The main approach Perry Preschool Project fosters is active learning. Many studies show that young children learn their best when they are active. Performing in activities and active involvement are some of the best ways for young children to learn. Children do not respond to being told to watch or read something, they have to experience these hands-on activities by themselves. Because of these ways of teaching, the Perry Preschool Project has drastically the lives of many children of the minority population.

Children are the most vulnerable and the most at risk to be involved in an accident especially minority children, as they are not able to swim due to financial troubles. An African American woman hopes to change these statistics. Wanda Butts, the founder of The Josh Project, has experienced this tragedy hands-on. This organization helps minority children by giving them swimming lessons. “In 2007, she started the Josh Project, a non-profit that provides low-cost swimming lessons for children in Toledo, Ohio.” (CNN Heroes) Due to the fact minority children are mostly at risk to accidents such as drowning, Wanda is determined to prevent mothers from refraining their child to water safety. She wanted to help these mothers and Wanda also helps in another way by providing low cost lessons for those who are financially challenged. Many minority families are often living in areas struck with poverty and are therefore not able to afford high-class lessons. This shows the caring side of Wanda and how she cares for others also. But even though the Josh Project has already helped more than 1,000 children learn how to swim, Wanda’s goal has not been fully accomplished. “Butts said she has two goals for the future: One is to change the drowning statistics of minority children, and the other is to have an aquatic centre where the children can swim daily instead of just once a week.” (CNN Heroes) Swimming at public pools are very expensive to pay for and if children are not able to practice what they have learned, then it was a waste and a loss for the Josh Project. The organization’s sole purpose is to improve the lives of other minority children, and if their students are not able to apply their skills everyday, then they are not expected to excel. The Josh Project has devoted their life to enhancing the lives of minority children in a very unique way and this has classified their unique ways as successful.


To this day, all 3 of these organizations have achieved their individual goals and have even set new ones. Each organization also has their own unique ways of teaching and each organization has devoted life to improving the futures for minority children. Through the work of these organizations, the education of many minority children has been enhanced and has changed from poor to beneficial. These organizations are insuring a good and healthy future for these children by providing opportunities dedicated to giving minority children opportunities they deserve. It’s because of these actions, that these organizations have been rewarded with the recognition they have today. They have accepted a bold challenge of helping under-privileged children and have succeeded in their dream. These organizations set a good base and inspiration for others who have thought of saving the futures of these minority children. No child should be restricted to what they are capable of, and Young Black Scholars, Perry Preschool Project and the Josh Project have allowed them to blossom to their maximum growth.

Standing Up To Authority

Imagine growing up and being raised up with violence constantly lurking behind you. Police roaming the streets 24/7, with deadly guns strapped to their belts. Police are normally seen as ‘protection’, but sometimes the police are seen as a danger. Living in a town which is always violent, it implies that the violence will increase making the area even more dangerous than it already is. Innocent victims can get caught between this conflict as some may not be aware of what is going on outside their homes. According to the National Center for Children Exposed To Violence, current studies show that more than 33% of children are direct victims of violence and more than 75% are reported being exposed to community violence. Of the 7 billion people in the world, there are millions living in violent environments, and some are even victims of violence. In Brazil, there are many favelas (slums) that are considered to be the most violent of all. A civil war between the police and drug cartels is the root of this problem. Hundreds of children, with violated rights, are growing up with violence as a routine, deprived of peace and proper facilities. Successfully, there is one individual who has heard the voices of the children. Mayra, a 15-year-old girl from Rio De Janeiro, is working towards helping the children in her hometown who have been exposed to cruelty. After growing up in one of the most disturbed favelas in the country, Mayra Avellar Neves was awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize for her heroic actions and successful battle against extreme violence. By using her dangerous childhood as a drive, Mayra was inspired to improve the lives of other children by persuading the drug cartels and police to lay down their weapons and to enhance their favela’s facilities.

After growing up in one of the most violent favelas of Brazil, Mayra makes a difference by persuading the police and drug cartels to cease fire. Due to the fact Mayra was raised in a dangerous society, she did not want others to experience the pain she had. As a result, she organized campaigns and protests to express her concern and opinion about her favela’s environment. “At 15 years old, Mayra mobilised hundreds of children and youths to take part in a protest march, demanding that the police cease their patrols during school hours” (Children’s Peace Prize). A civil war had eventually broken out between the drug cartels and the police in Mayra’s favela. This event has caused her favela to have a reputation of struggling and as one of the most dangerous favelas in Brazil. Mayra’s favela was always being swarmed by police and ongoing violence, which eliminated the education for the children of the favela. Because Mayra knew how serious this war was going to be, she decided to take matters into her own hands. By organizing a protest and by appealing to a younger crowd as participants, Mayra was not only making a difference by persuading the police to cease fire, but she also made the decision for the future of her favela. Although Mayra knew that taking on this challenge was a risk, she could only hope for the best outcome possible. “This took great courage...As a result of this action, the police agreed to the demands, and children started coming back to school again – a great achievement...” (Children’s Peace Prize). Provided that Mayra’s favela is known as one of the most violent ones in Brazil, police are constantly patrolling the school which hindered the children’s education. With police stomping up and down hallways, classes are disrupted and students are not able to pay attention to their lessons. Children were eventually not allowed to attend school as police with guns by their side is seen as danger. Even though Mayra knew that standing up to the police was going to take an immense amount of courage, she stood still and powered through it. As a successful outcome, the police caved in to her appeal which shows how Mayra improved the future for her favela.

By taking risks like standing up to high authorities, Mayra was inspired to not only help herself, but to also help others like her as well by enhancing facilities in her favela. Mayra is a very generous person and she knew there were others like her, with a violent and dangerous experience of growing up. Mayra realized that she could help herself and others by organising an event that could benefit others too. “Last year she organised another march, this time appealing to everybody in the favela and elsewhere to stand up for the fundamental rights of slum dwellers” (Children’s Peace Prize). A majority of the population of  Mayra’s favela did not have the rights they may have deserved. By organising a protest march, Mayra was standing up for the rights of her fellow peers as well, she did not just think of herself. Specifically, Mayra was standing up for the enhancement of her favela’s facilities, which can also be thought of as standing up for the population’s rights for the best facilities they can have. Even though Mayra has taken the chance of expressing her opinion, not everything is possible as her favela is still violent and her local facilities remained regressive. “However, Mayra’s fight goes on, as life in the favela’s remains extremely dangerous and the local facilities are poor.” (Children’s Peace Prize). Mayra exemplifies peace as she keeps trying to make the favela better. She fought for what she thought was right, which was keeping the children in the slums safe. Due to Mayra’s fight still being continuous, it shows that the fight against poverty can never be solved immediately.

To this day, Mayra is still continuing her hope of improving the lives of many in her hometown because she understands what those children are experiencing. She knows about the dangerous living conditions and the lack of good facilities for these children. By persuading the police and the drug cartels to cease-fire, Mayra is insuring a good education for the children, and by fighting for the facilities they deserve, she is also insuring a good and healthy future for these children. It was because of her heroic and daring actions, that she was awarded the Children’s International Peace Prize in 2008. Mayra is an inspiration to children living in violent surroundings, and hopes to inspire others to follow in her footsteps. No one’s rights should be violated, and Mayra has decided to not fight for herself, but for others as well.

Where I'm From

Where I'm From

I am from Reese’s and M’n’Ms.
From dates and fasting
I am from Mexican and Japanese food too.
I am from ‘Drink your soup!’ and ‘Only 1 more!’
I’m from Nasi Lemak and chicken rice.
And kuih lapis: both the cake and the pink.
From flip turns, trophies, medals, and coaches, 
a change from “Huan Ying, Huan Ying!” to “Selamat Datang.”
I am from dedication and hard work:
I am from Rio 2016.

I am from baju kurung and chiong sam. From bowls of rice to bowls of noodles, from the ‘oh so good’ Pho.
I am from fort making, transforming it into my little heaven. 
From forgetting email passwords to Club Penguin,
I’m from a very happy and stressed out family.

I’m from Bop-It and Barney,
from Teletubbies and Glee.
I’m from fortune telling with paper pyramids and Dora The Explorer.
From Blue saying, “Follow me!”
to Handy Manny teaching me Spanish.
I’m from Mambo No. 5 and “I’m finished!”
From living in a place called Leman Lake, where everyone knew each other and a playground right across the street.

I’m from hot sun and polluted skies.
At first with 4 seasons but then no winters, just summer all year long.
I’m from diverse cultures and crowded areas in KLCC.
I’m from the dirty snow on my garden swing, to blasting Lizzie McGuire in my garage.
From dancing in the sun with umbrellas, with laughing and giggling at smoky barbeques.
I am from “Don’t tell anyone!” and “Are you serious?”

Yet from cows that decorate our shelves, to sudden cats found underneath our cars,
From kuih lapis and the Teletubbies,
to John Grisham and James Patterson: 
One thing that we can unravel from this story, is the awkward history known as the Redzas.

Victory. By Sonia Weitz.

This poem is about how Sonia Weitz, a holocaust survivor, was able to sneak into the men's barracks of the concentration camp to see her father, who at that time was about to be killed. Her father's inmate then started to play a song on his harmonica and Sonia's father then said, "Little one, let us dance. We may not have another chance." She had the courage to break the rules even though the consequences were terrible. To me, this poem means that anything can be victorious. In this case, victory for Sonia was the fact that she could have that dance with her father. I was very curious as to what the victory Sonia was talking about in the first place, but after re-reading the poem, I realized what her point was.

The Degree Of Choices.

"Some people say that what makes a person a victim is they have limited or NO options about how to act."

This statement is a very general and simple, but it has a lot of meaning. This relates to many situations, and generally speaking, I agree with with this statement. Victims don't have many options on how they can act, and with the options that are available, they have the choice of using them or not. For me, I do believe that limited options is what makes a victim. To support my judgement, I have related this statement to the unit we are studying now in Humanities.

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In Humanities, we have recently learned about Kristallnacht, which translates loosely to "Night of Broken Glass". The Jewish refugees trapped in Germany were victims of Adolf Hitler's hatred and Kristallnacht. Stormtroopers, SS men and SA men go around Germany, invading Jewish-populated areas.The Jews have been recognized worldwide as victims, and I have related this statement to them. The Jews did not have many choices They first had the option of moving, but after many countries did not open up their doors to let Jewish refugees in, the only other choice they had was to hide. Once they were stuck in Germany without any options, they basically had no options. Their right were taken away from them even if they were innocent. The Jews just did not have a place in this jigsaw puzzle known as the world. In summary, I do agree with this statement.

The Eternal Jew

The Eternal Jew

When I first looked at "The Eternal Jew", I had absolutely no clue as to what this picture's point was. But after a few moments of analyzing and observing, I finally figured out what this picture was trying to get through. In this picture, a man dressed in black is featured and this man has a long beard and a hat on his head. This man has his hand thrust out with coins in it. This man also has a rock tucked under his arm. This man is enlarged and is obviously the main feature of this picture. There is some text on the lower-left corner of the page. I realized that the background of this picture is very bright and stands out, while the main pointof the picture is wearing dark clothing which is a sign on contrast.

The man in the picture, is most likely to be a Jew, as he has a traditional Jewish hat on. He seems very old and this picture could be trying to say that Jews are old and disgusting. The creators of this poster is most likely to be the Nazi Party Platform, which could be used to promote their political party. The intended audience for this picture would most probably be the genuine "German citizens" with "German pure blood". This poster could be used to show that the Jews were greedy, as indicated by the coins in the Jew's hand, and that they wanted to take over Germany and to have an communist government. I think the creator of the poster is trying to say that the Nazis generalize the Jews and is saying that all Jews want a communist government and that all Jews are greedy.

I believe this poster interprets both lies and misleading information as not all Jews are like this Jew. Maybe NO Jews are like this one. But all people do in those days, is just look on the outside of people and judge them through what they see on the outside. I also believe that the Nazi Party Platform may have expressed their thoughts with more exaggeration because, as I stated before, not all Jews are like this Jew. The Nazis made it seem like all Jews are like this one and that all Jews are horrible. But the thing is, the Nazis were the horrible ones by generalizing all people of either the same race or religion. The Nazis are trying to say that the Jews are greedy, and that they want to take over Germany with a communist government.

The Treaty Of Versailles-Fair or Unfair?

The Treaty of Versailles was created to end WWI, but this treaty was specifically harsh on one country, Germany. The different articles that were found in this treaty included Germany taking full responsibilities for the damage to the Allied Powers, Germany surrendering all of their overseas countries and Germany paying for all of the damages caused to the Allied Powers. As you can see, this obviously seems unfair. And I agree with this statement.

One example of why the Treaty Of Versailles seemed unfair to me was because all the blame went to Germany even though it wasn't entirely their fault. According to fact, the United States of America declared war on Germany in April 1917. They had ignored the concerns of this specific conflict because they didn't want to be in the middle of a fight. After they had declared war,

Woodrow Wilson vowed that this would be the 'war to end all wars'. Though Europe had been at war for many years, the United States of America seemed to have made it more public when they declared war.

Another example on why the Treaty Of Versailles seems unfair to me is because after this was signed, Germany was led to a whole lot of failure. They felt betrayed by the treaty, and they will not slack off until they have found justice. This led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The Germans expressed their rage on something they thought was an easy target, the Jews. This led to the holocaust. As you can see, this treaty is the head of a cause-and-effect situation.

There are many pros and cons about the Treaty Of Versailles and in this case, the unfairness of the situation was obviously a con. After many years, the results of the Treaty Of Versailles was unsuccessful.

I'm JJ...again.

Today's blogpost is a reflection on Learning Profiles, and now that you have a better understanding of your profile we would like you to write and share the information with the class. In a well structured response, (using the information you gained in class ) please reflect upon and answer the following ....

1) I learn best when I'm moving because I don't prefer to follow step-by-step instructions. I focus on the big picture. For example, when we were taking the DBQ, one of the questions was to annotate a picture of "The Fall of Icarus". I didn't pay attention to detail at first and I was focusing on the overall product. I also learn best when I imagine end results first and then by instinct, do what seems right.

2) I need to try to not be stressed often. I normally get stressed if I have a lot of homework. I am a procrastinator and if I have a lot of things to do, I will normally do it the day before they're due. When I am stressed, my technique gets worse as I continue with this headache. I should also be encouraged to work with aspects of life and learning.

3) The strategies that would help me in my learning would be that I could also sit on the right side of the classroom several rows back so I can hear easily. Another good strategy would be to do Lazy 8's which could help me in tests. Cross-hand and foot play lateral like writing or drawing with my non dominant hand is helpful. Tasks using the brain like word-searches, sudoku or crosswords involving math or linguistics will be highly beneficial.

4) I would like my teachers to know that I work well when I sit with/work with my friends. It seems as though I'm distracted and not doing work, but I actually am doing work because I know I have some people I can relate to and know very well. I would also like my teachers to know that I usually draw/doodle or play with something while they are talking. I still am listening as I am an auditory learner, even though it may seem like I am not paying attention.

Hope this helps a lot on how I learn!

-Nadia

"I Remember..."

"I Remember..."

I remember when I was about 4 or 5, I was locked in our family car, crying for my dad to get me out. We were going to my favourite restaurant with the best sweet and sour fish ever, and the only thing I feared was missing that fish.

I remember when I was about 3 or 4, I was trying to drink from my Rugrats tumbler, but ended up sticking the straw in my nose. We were taking a picture in front of Universal Studios and I was thirsty, I thrust my straw up and it ended up in my nose. We now have a picture of me with a straw in my nose.

I remember when I was about 4, first when into the pool, I was too scared to let go of the wall, even when I had my floaties on. I thought the water was the scariest thing ever, my mom had encouraged me to let go, but I just kept on refusing. Now I love the water, and a very good swimmer too.

I remember when I was about 2 or 3, my family was going to Universal Studios and I really wanted to take a picture with Barney. But when I saw the massive dinosaur, I immediately got scared and hid in my mom’s hair.

I remember when I was about 4 or 5, I had just burned myself for the first time. I stuck my finger in the car charger because I was curious. I remembered my mom scolding me for putting my finger in it. For weeks, my mom put Savlon on it and it magically healed.

I remember when I was 5 and I had just learned to ride a 2-wheel bike. My dad, my sister and I were cycling around the neighbourhood and my dad called out my name. I turned around and I bumped into a car’s rear bumper. I cried so hard, but felt better when my mom put a Barbie band-aid on my wound.

I remember when I was about 6 and in kindergarten, I had sprained my ankle during PE. We were practising our frog jumps and I landed on the outside of my foot. My friend was helping me to the Nurses’ office and I remember hopping all the from the gym to the Nurse’s. My friend then left and the nurse had just given me the worst news ever, “Go on back to class, it’s no big deal.” I asked her if she could help me but she just said she was busy. I then hopped all the way back to class, waiting for my mom to pick me up.

I remember when I was 5 and I had my birthday party. It seemed perfect, my hair was curled and my dress was nicely ironed. But the downer of the party was that ‘my’ prize had been given away to someone else. I cried so hard at my own party and there is a picture to remember us of this moment.

I remember when I was 4 and I had just made the most embarrassing video of my life. I was in a yellow Belle princess dress and I was dancing to the song ‘Mambo No. 5’. I was just being silly and I kept on asking my mom to play the song 3 more times. We found the video a few years ago and we had laughed our heads off.

I remember when I was about 4 or 5, I just had my first experience of snow. I was in Beijing and when I looked out my window, I saw this white cloudy blanket over our swing and porch tables. I ran out with my purple winter jacket out and my snow boots. I tried my first ever snow angel and my dad was at the window taking pictures of this moment.

I remember when I was 4 and one of my friends from my class had come over. I had just finished a shower and my maid was drying me off and then I heard a voice, “Nadia, are you there?” I froze because my friend was a boy. I told him to wait and quickly changed. We then got on with our play date, watching Teletubbies and Barney.

-Nadia Redza

My Name

MY NAME

Nadia. Such a simple name and yet when someone says it with happiness and pride, it lightens up my mood and completes my day. My name is from Russian, Arabic and Swahili origin. They all have different meanings; in Russian it means "hope", in Arabic it means "moist, tender and delicate", and in Swahili it means "caller". Some have teased me about Nadia meaning moist, but I don’t mind. Just how I didn’t mind when one boy called me "Narnia". It just means that I’m adventurous, just like the book. Such an adventure-filled journey through darkness.

I’m the kind of girl who has multiple names. My family calls me "Nana", from my middle name Adrianna, and sometimes old family friends or relatives call me "Adrianna". But my friends are different. They give me “fun” nicknames such as Naderzzz, Nodders and Nadie. I don’t know any particular reason as to why I am called these, but I love all my nicknames because it’s like a connection with the many kind of people I socialize with. When I hear these in the hallway, I turn around straight away like a person dodging a bullet. Though I respond to these nicknames, I will never remember my true identity. My mom named me after the great Nadia Comaneci because she hopes that one day, I will become an Olympian. Therefore came the meaning of Nadia, hope.

-Nadia Redza

Me In 3

ME IN 3

How do I begin to explain myself in 3 objects? Maybe these objects give some insights to my personality. Through these objects, you will see into my soul and see what I am truly about. These objects are my sister’s and my trophy case, the pictures on my desk and my Apple Notebook/Laptop.

Many would think that a trophy case is an out of blue object to describe one’s self, but I see it as a gateway to a whole new me. These trophies date back to as early as 2007 and as recent as 2011. To me, these trophies represent my swimming feats and whenever someone comes over, they will ALL go “WOW! You have so many trophies.” It may just be a piece of plastic to them, but to my family and me, they portray how talented and skillful my family is. For example, my sister and I are swimmers, my dad is the Country Managing Director of the company Accenture and my mom helps earn the money that our family lives off. Every family is special and this trophy case shows the Redzas off.

The next object I think represents me would be the pictures on my desk. They remind me of moments and memories that I think were the most happiest and memorable in my life. One of the pictures was at a birthday dinner this year when I turned 12. I believe this is an important moment in my life because it was my golden birthday and I had one of my best and closest friends with me that day. Another picture is of my best friend and me when she came over to KL to visit my family. I only got to see her for 2 days, but these were the most happiest days of my life. Even a minute with her would make me the happiest girl alive. The other pictures are of me as a baby and as a child, and they just remind me that I was a cute baby.

One final object that represents me well is my Apple Notebook/Laptop. Though I am not one of those tech-savvy people, I still love technology and photography. I spend a majority of my time on the computer but I still go outside and sniff the musky dirt smell of rain. I have a Facebook, Skype, Twitter -- all of the social networking sites. They are all just for entertainment, but it doesn’t impact my overall lifestyle. I do go out to explore the world and I socialize with my friends and family. Though most of the time I’m on the computer because of homework, I still have a goal not spend my time on the computer. My whole family has individual electronics. My sister and I have an iPhone, and my parents have iPads. But these items don’t keep us from socializing with our family and friends.

To summarize what I have written here, the 3 objects I think portray my true identity are my trophy case, the pictures on my desk and my Apple Notebook/Laptop. I chose these objects for many reasons, all of which are similar though these objects are totally different.

-Nadia Redza

Bio-Poem

BIO-POEM

Nadia

Neat, active, kind, optimistic

Proud sister of Diana Redza, friend of everybody!

Loves my family, friends and chocolate

Have felt intimidated, hyper, and frightened before

Afraid of squished bugs, being alone and thunder/lightning storms

Learned how to be mature, rewarded RM1000 for swimming accomplishments

Wants to go bungee jumping, be able to cook/bake and be successful before I die

Lives in 2A, Villa Mon’t Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Redza

Japanese Creation Story

Here is the iMovie I made about the Japanese Creation Myth.

Apparently, The End Is Near.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SO AMAZING! My first Malaysia Week, my first time studying

humanities, MS parties, new friends and so many new things to learn! But now, as Homer Simpson says, the end is near. And it's also time to reflect:

I think one piece of work I'm proud of would be the literature circles. I think this because though it may not be my most favorite thing to do, I feel that some of my best work is on it. I found that the first book "Call It Courage" was very hard to do literature circles on because everybody was so new to it and I was getting B's and A-'s. Then we got to "The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle", many were more familiar but still a very hard book. And finally, we came to the "The Giver". I thought that I was very 'into' the book and found it very easy to write literature circles and was headed towards A+'s!

I think my greatest challenge would be getting all of my homework done on time. Since I am a serious swimmer, I train every night and only get home at about 8:00, and have only about an hour or 2 to finish my homework. I am not able to do my homework in the afternoon as I also have other activities I take part in. The biggest obstacle I had to tackle would be the literature circles. Though many would argue that we have a whole week to finish it, I have other homework I have to do on a daily basis such as KUMON. But I have managed to overcome this roadblock with great pride.

What I have learned about myself as a learner would be that I'm a JJ. At the beginning of the year, Mr Whiting had come in to determine our learning profile. It was to show how we learn best and some strategies to use when we are stressed or nervous. Being a JJ, I am gestalt, right eye dominant, left ear dominant, right hand dominant and left leg dominant. As you can see, I am very "mixed-up", proving that everybody is unique. One strategy that would work when I am nervous would be to do Lazy-8's. Lazy-8's are when you draw figure 8's with your hand. I often do this when I am taking a test or when I am thinking. Another strategy would be to sit on the right side of the room as sitting on the left might affect my hearing.

WHAT ABOUT MY WORK HABITS?

Behavior

Could be improved
Satisfactory
Perfect - the model student

I think my behavior is satisfactory because sometimes I talk in class and won't know what the teacher is talking about.
Participation
None
SatisfactoryActively participate in class

I don't alway participate in class because sometimes I may have had a bad day or just didn't feel like talking.

Organization

Needs serious helpSatisfactory
I'm super organized

I think I am very organized because in my locker, I don't have any stray papers and I am able to finish off all of my homework. For example, I went to ISTA this year for a week and had a lot of homework when I came back to KL. But I managed to catch up in all my classes within a few days.
Effort

Needs serious help
SatisfactoryI always go above and beyond what is required.

I have always gone above and beyond in my work in order to get good grades. For example, for the most recent Tic-Tac-Toe, I had put explanations for all of the events we had included. I always put 100% effort in my work, because I always know the outcome will be good.

In Grade 7, I plan to manage my time so that I can complete my homework on time. Sometimes, I would pull an all nighter to finish my literature circle. This was because I would never plan ahead to organize my time well. I was selected to be in the "higher" math group in 7th grade, which just makes everything even more complicated. I plan to make a schedule on how to organize my homework and time well.

In Grade 7, I plan to stay academically as high as I can possibly go. My 4th grade teacher wrote in my report card that "the sky is the limit" for me. And I try to establish this because the final result is always good. This doesn't mean that I would neglect all the other things I take part in. I just want to maintain and/or improve my standards of where I stand academically. I will try to not make many low grades and try to maintain the good grades that I have right now.

One thing I would like 7th grade teachers to know is that I have a very creative touch and I like many projects in school like timelines, drawings, mobiles or posters. Another thing would be that I can work with anybody. I can work in groups and individually because I don't mind it. The last thing would be that when working in groups, I'd like to pick who I work with because I know that I would work well with them especially if I know how they work.

I have two words of wisdom to tell the Class of 2018. One would be to just have fun! HAVE FUN! You have finished elementary school and it's time for you to grow up! But don't have too

much if you feel you will be distracted or drawn away from the whole picture.

Secondly, I would like to pass on to NOT STRESS. There is no point of stressing about homework or projects because it will not get you anywhere. Everything will be fine and in the end, everything works out! And you will get the hang of things really quick here in ISKL because there are so many people around that can help you with your troubles.