Give us your reaction to the things you heard while doing this activity. Please give me your honest opinion about; is it worth our time to read these out load during class? Why or why not?
I was really interested in listening to people's papers and what they wanted to share with the class. I defiantly liked this activity and it is worth the time to do it because it lets us know a little bit more about our classmates. Cadee
I thought it was beneficial for us as a class. Although we didn't really get to know each person better individually, we did get to know the various personalities that we have in the class and the things some of us have or are currently going through. Also, it was a nice chance to just reflect upon our own lives and figure out stuff about ourselves that we've never acknowledged previously. Nowadays, with life being so busy and hectic, you don't really get a chance to do that.
I think hearing about each other's lives ultimately brings us closer as a group. We all get to know each other more than we did before. I think the deeper understanding we all get from listening to those stories makes this activity worth doing.
The things I heard just make me want to get to know everybody else better. In a way, reading those papers brought the class closer together. Even though we don't know who wrote what, I think that knowing what others have gone through makes you feel more comfortable to open up to others. You know that you won't be judged and that other people may have a lot more in common with you than you originally thought. It's definitely worth it to take the time to do activities like this. -Rosako Wagner
It was definitely worth it. Even though they were all anonymous, it really brought us closer together. Many of the letters talked about their hard times like divorce and depression. Many of us probably thought to ourselves, "Oh, that happened to me too" or "I can definitely relate" because really, many of us went through the same stuff. I think it was good that we realized that we're not the only ones going through tough times and that we can rely on each other. :)
I think this is an awesome activity. I think we all need to see that people aren't as perfect as what they seem to be. we need to see that sometimes the way we judge people when we first meet them is completely wrong. even though most are anonymous it opens our eyes as to what's happening or happened to people around us. I really like this activity and I think you should keep doing it.
I think this was definitely worth our time. I kind of wish there was a way to know who wrote what though. Even though I didn't have my name read out loud, I kinda sorta secretly wish it could have been. It fascinates me to know the real stories of people's lives, and in this class especially, it's good to know what kind of backgrounds you're dealing with.
I thought it was definitely a great experience for our class. It was really interesting to listen to everyones stories, even if we didn't know who it was. I feel like even though the person was anonymous, we still became closer as a class because of this. I really liked it overall.
The biggest thing that I got out of listening to all the papers was that I realized that I wasn't the only one experiencing certain things. Even though we didn't share names, I still feel like I became closer to the class in general. It was a good experience to write freely without any restrictions, and I have never written like that. It was a good experience, and it was worth while.
well, I was only there for one day but I thought it was interesting. I don't know if I think it was worth while only because you find out random things about anonymous people. To me, it lacks the connection because it is anonymous and then what are we connecting to, random sheets of paper? It was a good way to relax and sit back but I think I would have rather climbed.
So I totally just wrote a whole paragraph but this stupid blog just deleted it. Ugh! Anyway, I think that it was an okay experience only because I don't see how we can connect with people without knowing who they are. I was only there for one day but I think I would have rather climbed. It was interesting to find out information about people. I didn't really say anything too personal but for the people that did, I feel that now I am just guessing which people said what and i don't know what I think of that. Okay, g2g. Hannah Fox
I loved this activity because we all get to be vulnerable and honest anonymously. It's great to know that you aren't alone in your struggles, and a lot of other people feel the same way as you. It really shows that everyone has a story and there's so much more than just what we see on the outside. Maybe once we get more comfortable we could tell eachother which story was ours, that way we can directly connect with someone. -Tiffani P
I really thought the activity was worth our time. It got me to understand what people really go through. Even though I may not know who the person was in some cases, I now know that I have absolutely no idea how peoples lives are before I even try to get to know them so I shouldn't have pre determined notions about people. I feel a lot closer to the class now that we all have been able to sort of open up further with each other and hopefully next time we can make an even closer connection and share our stories face to face once we are comfortable.
i for sure think that this activity is worth our time. the class, i think, is a lot more intimate. it's very cool how much everyone was able to open up, and i feel that we now understand how similar everyone is to one another. it builds an enviromnent with less judgement- something this class needed. Thanks H!
Although I think that the idea of this activity was good, I think it was completely ineffective because it was anonymous. It did take courage to write down all of those secrets but reading them out loud didn't do anything but spread rumors about who's paper was who's. Plus H sucked at reading them outloud ;) The only thing I think that this did for me was show that the problems I have that I thought were abnormal turn out to be the same, if not worse, for everybody else in the class. I think that if we do this again, maybe we would have to do it on a slightly less personal level, where we have to read them ourselves, would do much more for our group. ZOI
This is one of the most beneficial things that I've ever done in school. When an English teacher assigns a paper to talk about your life and really open up about yourself, of course you arent going to fully open up if your name is at the top of the paper. For me, when I lose patience with someone in the class I can remember that one of those stories was theirs and that I should give the understanding that I want people to have for me.
** i already posted but i dont see it so just making sure i posted something but sorry if this is up twice when an english teacher assigns a paper to a class about opening up their lives, no one is going to if their name is posted at the top of the paper. when i lose my patience with someone, i can remember that one of those stories i heard was theirs and i should give the same understanding that i want from my classmates. beth delany
I'm ambivalent on this activity. I think it takes a lot of courage to truly take a step back and evaluate our lives, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable by sharing this information with others. Writing anything at all was a great first step towards confidence in and acceptance of who we are. But I think, as relatively young and inexperienced teenagers, we have a tendency to wallow in self-pity over our terribly difficult lives here in middle-class suburbia. Not to dis anybody's life-problems, but I have a low tolerance for self-centered whining about the generally inconsequential difficulties of adolescence. I think we got some great comfort in the knowledge that we are not, in fact, the only teenagers at Fremd with problems to deal with, but with the anonymity, I really don't think we made the connections that were necessary to make this activity as beneficial as it could have been. -megan
totally worth it. it was good to hear things even though people were anonymous. made me look at our class differently, even though i really wish i could've heard everyone read their own. but i understand and respect that some people wouldn't have been able to open up as much as they did if they thought people would know that they wrote it. this activitiy made me want to get in a really close circle and have everyone read their paper and then have everyone give support and comfort to people. i know that wouldn't happen but warm and fuzzy is a good thought.
maybe if you could keep these H and then at the end of the year offer for people to read their own and possibly have the option to then share how things have changed/not changed in their life since they wrote it? but not make it mandatory... because they wrote it with other intentions.
This activity was definitely a new experience and I can honestly say that I was nervous while my paper was being read out loud. It was interesting to see the wide variety of personalities that came through from people's writing. It was hard to curb my curiousity as to whos paper was whos, but once i got past that and really listened I gained respect for all the people that had the courage to write about was had effected their lives the most.
I thought it was really useful and interesting to hear what people had to say about themselves. and how they see themselves. it made me feel closer to everyone and I can see how much we've grown since the beginong of the year. I do wish more people had said who they were though. Grieta
This activity really made us more aware of the personal problems that people have gone through or are currently going through. I felt that it took a lot of courage for everyone to open up themselves and it taught me not to take things for granted.From listening to the essays, I realized how certain people have developed over the years and become the person that they are now.
It was really worth listening to everyone's letters. It just makes everyone realize that no matter who you are, everybody has a problem even when it seems like they don't. By doing this activity, it got me closer to everyone in the class. Cassie
I really liked this activity. Some of them were kind of repetitive, but I think that it just shows that we're that much similar to one another. I liked the anonymous not because we were more open, but because when I looked around the room wondering who this paper could be about, I realized that this story could be anybody's story and that people may not seem as the way they do.
i thought this was a good activity because you relized that there are more people who feel the same pressure in life as you do and that we are not all that different from eachother. it also showed that we have all been through tough times but had gotten through them ok. i think it was important to read them out loud because then we might be less jugdmental of eachother knowing about the personal struggles of our class mates.
I have been teaching since 1995. I started teaching at Winston Campus Junior High in Palatine. In 2001 I began teaching at Fremd. I am an assistant golf and wrestling coach. I have also coached boys gymnastics and I was a sponsor for Powder Puff Football and Outdoor Adventure Club. I am the 4th child of 5, 3 older sisters and 1 younger brother. I am married and I have two great boys 2 1/2 year old and a 5 week old. Chase and Brody. I love it when I come home and chase yells out "DADDY" and has a big smile on his face and is coming to hug me.
I was really interested in listening to people's papers and what they wanted to share with the class. I defiantly liked this activity and it is worth the time to do it because it lets us know a little bit more about our classmates.
ReplyDeleteCadee
I thought it was beneficial for us as a class. Although we didn't really get to know each person better individually, we did get to know the various personalities that we have in the class and the things some of us have or are currently going through. Also, it was a nice chance to just reflect upon our own lives and figure out stuff about ourselves that we've never acknowledged previously. Nowadays, with life being so busy and hectic, you don't really get a chance to do that.
ReplyDelete-Nikhi K
I think hearing about each other's lives ultimately brings us closer as a group. We all get to know each other more than we did before. I think the deeper understanding we all get from listening to those stories makes this activity worth doing.
ReplyDelete- Connor S.
The things I heard just make me want to get to know everybody else better. In a way, reading those papers brought the class closer together. Even though we don't know who wrote what, I think that knowing what others have gone through makes you feel more comfortable to open up to others. You know that you won't be judged and that other people may have a lot more in common with you than you originally thought. It's definitely worth it to take the time to do activities like this.
ReplyDelete-Rosako Wagner
It was definitely worth it. Even though they were all anonymous, it really brought us closer together. Many of the letters talked about their hard times like divorce and depression. Many of us probably thought to ourselves, "Oh, that happened to me too" or "I can definitely relate" because really, many of us went through the same stuff. I think it was good that we realized that we're not the only ones going through tough times and that we can rely on each other. :)
ReplyDeleteI think this is an awesome activity. I think we all need to see that people aren't as perfect as what they seem to be. we need to see that sometimes the way we judge people when we first meet them is completely wrong. even though most are anonymous it opens our eyes as to what's happening or happened to people around us. I really like this activity and I think you should keep doing it.
ReplyDeletesorry I forgot to put my name ^ Kristin s.
ReplyDeleteI think this was definitely worth our time. I kind of wish there was a way to know who wrote what though. Even though I didn't have my name read out loud, I kinda sorta secretly wish it could have been. It fascinates me to know the real stories of people's lives, and in this class especially, it's good to know what kind of backgrounds you're dealing with.
ReplyDelete-Julie Watson
I thought it was definitely a great experience for our class. It was really interesting to listen to everyones stories, even if we didn't know who it was. I feel like even though the person was anonymous, we still became closer as a class because of this. I really liked it overall.
ReplyDeleteEllie G
really liked this activity and hearing everyone stories but i wish everyone had read theres aloud
ReplyDeletesarahj
The biggest thing that I got out of listening to all the papers was that I realized that I wasn't the only one experiencing certain things. Even though we didn't share names, I still feel like I became closer to the class in general. It was a good experience to write freely without any restrictions, and I have never written like that. It was a good experience, and it was worth while.
ReplyDeleteMoeko K
well, I was only there for one day but I thought it was interesting. I don't know if I think it was worth while only because you find out random things about anonymous people. To me, it lacks the connection because it is anonymous and then what are we connecting to, random sheets of paper? It was a good way to relax and sit back but I think I would have rather climbed.
ReplyDelete-Hannah Fox
So I totally just wrote a whole paragraph but this stupid blog just deleted it. Ugh! Anyway, I think that it was an okay experience only because I don't see how we can connect with people without knowing who they are. I was only there for one day but I think I would have rather climbed. It was interesting to find out information about people. I didn't really say anything too personal but for the people that did, I feel that now I am just guessing which people said what and i don't know what I think of that. Okay, g2g. Hannah Fox
ReplyDeleteI loved this activity because we all get to be vulnerable and honest anonymously. It's great to know that you aren't alone in your struggles, and a lot of other people feel the same way as you. It really shows that everyone has a story and there's so much more than just what we see on the outside. Maybe once we get more comfortable we could tell eachother which story was ours, that way we can directly connect with someone.
ReplyDelete-Tiffani P
I really thought the activity was worth our time. It got me to understand what people really go through. Even though I may not know who the person was in some cases, I now know that I have absolutely no idea how peoples lives are before I even try to get to know them so I shouldn't have pre determined notions about people. I feel a lot closer to the class now that we all have been able to sort of open up further with each other and hopefully next time we can make an even closer connection and share our stories face to face once we are comfortable.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Serafin
i for sure think that this activity is worth our time. the class, i think, is a lot more intimate. it's very cool how much everyone was able to open up, and i feel that we now understand how similar everyone is to one another. it builds an enviromnent with less judgement- something this class needed. Thanks H!
ReplyDeleteerin blanchette
Although I think that the idea of this activity was good, I think it was completely ineffective because it was anonymous. It did take courage to write down all of those secrets but reading them out loud didn't do anything but spread rumors about who's paper was who's. Plus H sucked at reading them outloud ;) The only thing I think that this did for me was show that the problems I have that I thought were abnormal turn out to be the same, if not worse, for everybody else in the class.
ReplyDeleteI think that if we do this again, maybe we would have to do it on a slightly less personal level, where we have to read them ourselves, would do much more for our group.
ZOI
This is one of the most beneficial things that I've ever done in school. When an English teacher assigns a paper to talk about your life and really open up about yourself, of course you arent going to fully open up if your name is at the top of the paper. For me, when I lose patience with someone in the class I can remember that one of those stories was theirs and that I should give the understanding that I want people to have for me.
ReplyDeleteBeth Delany
** i already posted but i dont see it so just making sure i posted something but sorry if this is up twice
ReplyDeletewhen an english teacher assigns a paper to a class about opening up their lives, no one is going to if their name is posted at the top of the paper. when i lose my patience with someone, i can remember that one of those stories i heard was theirs and i should give the same understanding that i want from my classmates.
beth delany
I'm ambivalent on this activity.
ReplyDeleteI think it takes a lot of courage to truly take a step back and evaluate our lives, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable by sharing this information with others. Writing anything at all was a great first step towards confidence in and acceptance of who we are. But I think, as relatively young and inexperienced teenagers, we have a tendency to wallow in self-pity over our terribly difficult lives here in middle-class suburbia. Not to dis anybody's life-problems, but I have a low tolerance for self-centered whining about the generally inconsequential difficulties of adolescence. I think we got some great comfort in the knowledge that we are not, in fact, the only teenagers at Fremd with problems to deal with, but with the anonymity, I really don't think we made the connections that were necessary to make this activity as beneficial as it could have been.
-megan
totally worth it. it was good to hear things even though people were anonymous. made me look at our class differently, even though i really wish i could've heard everyone read their own. but i understand and respect that some people wouldn't have been able to open up as much as they did if they thought people would know that they wrote it. this activitiy made me want to get in a really close circle and have everyone read their paper and then have everyone give support and comfort to people. i know that wouldn't happen but warm and fuzzy is a good thought.
ReplyDeletemaybe if you could keep these H and then at the end of the year offer for people to read their own and possibly have the option to then share how things have changed/not changed in their life since they wrote it? but not make it mandatory... because they wrote it with other intentions.
okay i'm good :]
have fun on your cruise with lowercase h
-mia morzel
This activity was definitely a new experience and I can honestly say that I was nervous while my paper was being read out loud. It was interesting to see the wide variety of personalities that came through from people's writing. It was hard to curb my curiousity as to whos paper was whos, but once i got past that and really listened I gained respect for all the people that had the courage to write about was had effected their lives the most.
ReplyDelete-Elif Orhan
I thought it was really useful and interesting to hear what people had to say about themselves. and how they see themselves. it made me feel closer to everyone and I can see how much we've grown since the beginong of the year. I do wish more people had said who they were though. Grieta
ReplyDeleteThis activity really made us more aware of the personal problems that people have gone through or are currently going through. I felt that it took a lot of courage for everyone to open up themselves and it taught me not to take things for granted.From listening to the essays, I realized how certain people have developed over the years and become the person that they are now.
ReplyDeleteAmee
It was really worth listening to everyone's letters. It just makes everyone realize that no matter who you are, everybody has a problem even when it seems like they don't. By doing this activity, it got me closer to everyone in the class.
ReplyDeleteCassie
For some reason this blog seems to attract links to Japanese webcam chat sites. The naughty kind. Wtf.
ReplyDeleteYeah I think it is definetely worth our time to read them in class because then you kind of get a feel for what other people are going through.
ReplyDeleteNeal J
I really liked this activity. Some of them were kind of repetitive, but I think that it just shows that we're that much similar to one another. I liked the anonymous not because we were more open, but because when I looked around the room wondering who this paper could be about, I realized that this story could be anybody's story and that people may not seem as the way they do.
ReplyDeleteAnna
i thought this was a good activity because you relized that there are more people who feel the same pressure in life as you do and that we are not all that different from eachother. it also showed that we have all been through tough times but had gotten through them ok. i think it was important to read them out loud because then we might be less jugdmental of eachother knowing about the personal struggles of our class mates.
ReplyDeleteMarion G.