Naima's English Blog

The single story I previously believed was about Africa and how all the countries there were impoverished and had no water or food. I believed the people in all those countries didn't have the basic necessities. I always felt pity for the people there, but a few years ago I found out that that was not true. Majority of African countries have the things we do in the US; They have food, water, clothes, houses, schools, businesses etc. This single story made me believe that all the people in Africa were in need of help when that was really not true.  Summary: We continued decorating our masks. Reflection: I reflected more on my culture.

My experience in this class has been decent. I believe I'm doing very well at turning in my work on time. I'm trying to stay on top of that. Something challenging for me is that  I've realized I have trouble fully interpreting some discussion questions about a text. I guess I just have trouble making connections between questions and the text sometimes, so I will often need to ask for help. One thing I need to improve on is asking for help more whenever I need it. That's something I've always had trouble with. Summary: We decorated masks to represent our cultural identities. Reflection: I'm learning to understand what things make up my identity.

I think the part of my family that always stays with me is my manners. My parents made sure to instill in me to always being respectful and understanding toward everyone. I always treat people the way I want to be treated and be understanding of people and situations. Summary: We learned about how single stories can be dangerous. Reflection: I learned that single stories can make people have oversimplified views of certain cultures.

I think I prefer class discussions because it allows for different perspectives of situations or questions to be brought up. It also, personally, helps me by getting me to think in a different way than how I previously was. It can also aid in steering my mind in the right direction on how to think about answering a question, especially because I sometimes have trouble thinking about questions critically in multiple perspectives or interpreting information from a text in the correct way. Summary: I checked-out Reflection: I checked-out

There wasn't really time when someone stereotyped me, but I had a former friend call me "white-washed". I don't recall why he had said that, but I remember being very confused. I had questioned why he said this, and they said it was because I never cursed, I kept to myself, and just the way I acted in public. I can only assume that he said that because he expected me, as a black person, to be loud and have no filter. I, unfortunately don't remember what happened after that, but I do remember thinking differently of him because of that.   Summary: We learned about stereotypes Reflection: I learned about the different kinds of stereotypes different groups of people have.

We don't really have gender expectations in my house, so I have never had to experience this, but there was a time my dad tried to tell me how I should sit. He didn't tell me in a demanding or scary way, he just told me to close my legs because girls aren't supposed to sit like that. I just asked him why does it matter how I sit in the comfort of my own home. I told him that I just still like that sometimes and other times I don't, and that I was just sitting however I felt comfortable. Him saying that saddened me a bit because I didn't expect him to have that mindset, but now he doesn't really comment on things like that anymore. I just sit however I want in the comfort of my home.   Summary: In class we read a story about gender expectations Reflection: I learned that in some cultures girls and women have expectations that suppress their own identity.

 The inspiration behind my poem was my experience and thoughts during elementary that I had, and still sometimes have, due to my undiagnosed ADHD at the time. A lot of my teachers would tell me I'm a good student, but I was too slow or wasn't applying myself enough when it came to doing any form of work. It ate away at my self esteem because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't maintain focus and I would take too long to do assignments and tests. I now know that it was because of my ADHD, but sadly I didn't know that yet. Summary: In class we presented our "I, Too" poems". Reflection: I was very nervous presenting my poem, I didn't really want to present something so personal to me. 

 I signed up for the talent show in 5th grade. Ever since I was young, I've always been self conscious about others hearing me sing, but somehow I got the confidence to sign up for it. My family was very very shocked that I wanted to join. They know I can barely sing in front of them so, they were pretty confused. However, they were very supportive about it and came to the show. Summary: We talked about the standards women, as wives, are expected to uphold for their husband Reflection: I realized the extreme standards that some husbands have for their wives.

The time I felt the most lost was probably 2020-2021 which was 6th grade for me. We had virtual learning, I spent everyday at home, and I didn't really have any friends to talk to. So there was nothing to do and I started feeling really bad and didn't know what to do about it. Thankfully going back to school the next year helped those feelings subside a bit.  Summary: Absent Reflection: Absent

One challenge I anticipate is not being able to make connections from a video or story to the discussion questions, especially if I have to do it timed. For example, it was on Thursday when we had to watch 3 videos and answer 4 questions for each in 10 minutes. I didn't have enough time to process the question and think of how to answer it, and seeing the timer go didn't help much. And one strength I anticipate is getting at presenting in front of people. Since we'll probably present a lot in class like last Monday, I'm sure I'll get better and more comfortable with it.  Summary: In class we talked about the Langston Hughes poem "I, Too, Am American". Reflection: I learned how to better annotate.

 Someone wouldn't be able to know everything about me just because the stereotypes my race has. They wouldn't know that I'm really into Kpop right now, I have a pet rabbit, and I like to spend my time at home. Music is a very large part of my identity because it links me with certain memories. Food is another one because my cooks Guyanese food for the house and it makes me feel more connected to that part of my ethnicity. My personal values also shape who I am because they affect the way I treat and talk to people. Summary: We learned about the different experiences people have with race and cultural identity. Reflection: I learned that peoples race changes with how different people view themselves and others.

 I think my family and my values have had the greatest influence on who I am today. My parents really helped shape the person I am today and how I treat others. There was a time when I was younger I used to hide my personality because I thought it was weird and would affect my ability to gain or keep friends. None of my friends in elementary school expressed themselves in a similar way to how I did when I was at home, so I never showed that side of me outside of my house. But now I'm getting better at not caring about things like that. I want to have friends who like me for who I actually am. Summary: In class we read a poem and discussed whether or not we believe you can change your culture. Reflection: I learned people actually can change and assimilate to another culture. 

 My dad is Muslim and a tradition in our house is that we celebrate every Eid together by eating together. Even though only my dad and I are Muslim, it's a holiday that we enjoy celebrating. I think this contrasts with the cultural expectation that black people are usually Christians. People will usually expect a black person to be of some christian religion, but in my household that's not fully the case. We don't celebrate any christian holidays either, like Easter and Christmas. Summary: In class we learned about cultural identity. Reflection: Today I learned that there are seven elements of culture.

 Three goals that I want to achieve this year are to make a few new friends, don't let my grade slip lower than 78%, and end both semesters with only A's and B's. The reason I made the first goal was because I want to expand my friend circle a bit, and also connect with more people who may have more of my interests. The second goal is because I have always had a tendency to fall behind on my work which impacts my grades, so since it's my last last year in high school I want to stay on top of everything. The last goal is the expectation I set for myself so that I can be proud of what I've done my senior year. I will make sure I don't fall behind on my goals this year.