My Graduation Speech

Today proves what we we have always known, that one day, we would grow up. Time has whizzed by so fast, and we have gone from kids, to teenagers, to ready to be young adults. The journey to high school seems a bit daunting, as the question arise in our heads, “How hard will it be? How will I do all that work? Who will help me?” High School may seem a bit scary at first, but so was middle school when we first came. No matter how confused and frustrated we were, the support of family, friends, and teachers helped keep us motivated, enough to breeze through middle school, happy with our effort. But that does not mean we will not face trouble ahead in life. We will experience challenging times, experience things that no one should ever experience, completely freak out. There will be moments when we are completely alone to face our fears. But when that does happen, all we have to do is remember the good times we had with the people we loved. No matter how we feel, no matter what happens, life will not care. Life will continue on without a moment's hesitation because life does not care. That is why we must continue on, not afraid. We should do what we want to do in life, become what we want to become. We must not give up. As long as we have the love and support of our family, we should be happy, and remain patient with life. This is probably the most important lesson taught by Golf, the lesson that needed to be listened to multiple times before we finally got it. As we continue our studies, reading more math, literature, science, art, the one lesson that we should keep near and dear is the lesson about perseverance, the lesson about never giving up. It is through perseverance, experience, wisdom, and support from others that we become truly successful. My time here at Golf has shown me this, and has made me a more mature person. I have gone from fearing the future, to looking forward to it. The support from family, friends, and teachers kept motivating us to work harder, and it is to them that we are grateful. From the bottom of our hearts, the class of 2016 says thank you to all the families, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, thank you to all the friends and peers, and thank you Golf.

Standardized Tests

             Tests can be stressful for many students. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, 16-20 percent of students suffer from high test anxiety. When the time comes to take a test for these students, they end up spacing out on tests, and tend to score half a letter grade lower than their peers. This is a big problem, as smart and bright students can also half test taking anxiety, and can end up performing terribly. We must change up standardized tests in a way that does not make students nervous, whether that be by removing a time limit, changing the questions on the test, or by putting the students in a different environment to help the feel more comfortable as they take the test. We need to change up standardized tests, otherwise bright students won't perform well, and will not make it through school.

Endings and Beginnings

          The end of a chapter is the beginning of a new one. This rule can apply with books and life. I am about to finish a chapter in my life, and that chapter is middle school. It certainly was a well written chapter, where I experienced many feelings of joy, and many feelings of pain. I saw and felt new things, and my attitude and behavior changed a lot, from a silent boy from elementary school, to a slightly older and louder boy with high ambitions in life, and the resources to tackle these ambitions. Leaving middle school may be a sad chapter for me, but I won't have time to mourn that I completed this chapter. Instead, I should rejoice at having completed middle school, be happy with what I felt, and also be ready for what lays ahead of me in high school. So I shall be happy when I open up the next chapter, and the next, and the next. The end of one is the beginning of another, and all these chapters will make up a book, the book of life.

Diary Entry

1/2/2015

Dear Diary,

I woke up in the morning to the early sunlight in Lahore. My breakfast consisted of a simple egg and toast combination accompanied by a glass of refreshing Mango Juice. My family decided to visit a historic site, an enormous fortress, from the Mughal Empire that day. We toured the great walls of the fortress, and saw the beautifully constructed palace from within, as well as the great deal of graffiti that covered the walls. 

Our next and final stop was the Minar-e-Pakistan tower, where we took a picture of our family. We were supposed to go to another museum in Pakistan that day, but were unable to due to terrorist threats in the country. 

I hope to come back one day and be able to openly tour the great deal of places in Pakistan, without fears of terrorism blocking my way.

Signed,

Moze Malone

Erika's Quote from Daniel's Story

“We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place.  And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and we can go to our deaths in dignity… I want you both to live…And to remember...You must choose love.  Always choose love.”  

This quote reminds me of a movie called Unbroken. The movie followed a soldier named Louie who was stranded at sea for a long time, and was later found and imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II. In the movie, Louie suffers great hardship, goes to great lengths to survive at sea, and is cruelly punished at a Japanese prisoner camp, but instead of giving up, he remembers his life before being a soldier, of how he was a Olympic runner back then, and how he loved his family. These memories encourage and inspire him to go on, instead of letting his life slip away. In one incident, Louie is forced by his captor to hold a heavy ramp of wood up, and if were to give up, he was to be shot. But his determination showed in his eyes, and he refused to drop. The warden, infuriated and embarrassed in front of all other prisoners and soldiers, beat up him up, scared by the show of strength that he had just witnessed. When the war ended, Louie returned home to his family, grateful to be back. Louie chose love instead of defeat, and in the end, Louie's determination and hard work paid off.

Four Years from Now

               Four years from now, I imagine myself being a responsible and mature young adult. I imagine myself hard at work, always ready for what lays ahead. I imagine myself as someone who is not hesitant to help friends, and is always reliable and trustworthy. I imagine that although I will be older, my happiness and friendliness will grow along with my age. I will not be a shy and reserved young child, pondering about the world from a glance. Instead, I will be an extroverted and bold young man, viewing the world through multiple perspectives, knowledgeable and ready for the world of tomorrow. I used to think when I was younger that because a year is so long, I would stay my young, foolish self forever. I now realize how wrong I was, and now I have changed my mindset from dreading the future to looking forward to it.

Fear Mongering

             The woman stood with her husband looking at the sign in front of her. She felt disgusted by the message portrayed by the sign, and felt remorse for all the people like her husband that are ridiculed and insulted repeatedly. Sometimes her husband mistook insults people gave him for compliments, and just smiled back. Her husband worked harder than anyone she ever knew and was the most humble man she ever met, which is why she married him. She didn't understand the fear that went on in her neighbors, and the intense hatred they had for her husband. "We often fear what we don't understand," she murmured, louder than intended. "What?" her husband asked. She just smiled back at him, quickly taking down the sign. She would fight the ignorance, and she would counter the racism of her neighborhood, one sign at a time if she had to.