Prompt: Write about something that you believed as a child.

 When I was a child, I believed that being an adult meant being completely free and doing whatever you wanted to do. I thought that as an adult, I could just play video games, eat and sleep everyday with no consequences. As I'm getting older and closer to adulthood, I've slowly came to the realization that adults have hundreds if not thousands of more responsibilities than children. That playing video games all day would most likely come with social isolation, obesity, and extreme financial burden.

Prompt: Troy’s complaint about the unfair job system shows his frustration with racial discrimination. How did this conversation make you think about fairness and opportunity in society today? If you were in Troy’s position, what would you do?

 Troy's frustration makes me think how opportunities are not always equal for everyone. Even today, people can experience unfair treatment because of race or background, which makes it harder to get the same opportunities. If I were in Troys position, I would speak up about the unfair treatment and prove I deserve the opportunity while also standing up for myself.

Today in class we presented our Fences projects.

I learned about different perspectives on other characters from Fences and about what I could find in the trash, how their google history would be like and what kind of music they'd listen to.

Prompt: Now that we have finished reading Fences and you are completing your final project, reflect on your overall understanding of the play. Which character, conflict, or theme has stood out to you the most, and why? Explain how your project represents what you learned about the play.

 The character that stood out the most to me is Cory because of his relationship with Troy and how hard it is for him to make his own choices. Cory wants to follow his passion for football. but Troy doesn't support his dream because of his own past experiences and fixed beliefs. My project represents what I learned in the play because it forced me to think deeper about my character instead of just listing obvious stuff from what is directly shown in the play.

Prompt: Now that we have finished reading Fences and you are completing your final project, reflect on your overall understanding of the play. Which character, conflict, or theme has stood out to you the most, and why? Explain how your project represents what you learned about the play.

The character that stood out the most to me is Cory because of his relationship with Troy and how hard it is for him to make his own choices. Cory wants to follow his passion for football. but Troy doesn't support his dream because of his own past experiences and fixed beliefs. My project represents what I learned in the play because it forced me to think deeper about my character instead of just listing obvious stuff from what is directly shown in the play.

At the end of Fences, forgiveness becomes an important part of the characters moving forward. Do you think forgiving someone means you also have to forget what they did? Why or why not? Connect your response to your own experiences or observations.

 I don't think forgiving someone means you necessarily have to forget what they did. Forgiveness means choosing to move forward instead of continuing to feel resentment for what someone may have done to you, but you can still remember what happened and use it as a lesson. I've noticed from my own experience that, holding anger against people does you more harm than good, which is why I believe it's better to forgive and move on but to never forget what they did to you so you can be more careful trusting them. Forgiving helps you move on, and never forgetting helps you avoid making the same mistake again

Before watching the movie clips, you probably formed your own picture of the characters, their personalities, and how certain scenes would look. Choose one character or scene that appeared differently in the movie than you imagined while reading. What was different, and did the movie change how you understood that character or scene?

 I imagined Cory as more confident and cold when dealing with Troy while reading the book. In the movie adaptation clips, he seems very nervous and emotional when dealing with Troy. Seeing the movie adaptation helped me understand their interaction better than when just reading the book

Today in class we read the second to last scene and we just have one left.

Watching the clips from the movie really help to imagine better the characters' personalities, how they speak, and the setting. The movie seems really moving so I'm looking forward to watching it.

Troy’s revelation changes his relationship with Rose. Do you think one major lie or betrayal can permanently change how you see someone, even if you have known and trusted that person for years? Explain your reasoning and how trust can or cannot be rebuilt.

 Yes, one major lie or betrayal can permanently change how you see someone. Even if it's someone you've trusted for years, it can make you question everything they've told you before. Trust can be rebuilt through honesty, genuine apologies and consistent actions, although in most cases, it may never be the same as it was before.

Today in class we read the first three scenes of the second act and began the project.

I learned more about Troy, what he did to Rose further shows what type of person he really is, even though it isn't really surprising as you could expect it from someone like him, especially in these times. Watching a few clips of the movie adaptation also helped to picture the setting of the play and how the characters look and talk.

In Scene 4, Troy explains his beliefs about his responsibilities as a father. Beyond providing food, clothing, and shelter, what do you believe a parent owes their child emotionally? Should love, encouragement, friendship, and support be expected, or are those things separate from a parent’s responsibilities? Explain your perspective.

I believe parents should give their children love, support and encouragement, not just food and shelter. These are important because children need to feel understood and appreciated. I also think parents should listen to their children and support them when they mess up, but they are still teaching responsibility. It isn't exactly a parent's responsibility like food and shelter are, but having a close relationship and strong bond can help a child feel comfortable talking to them. To me, being a good parent means providing both for a child's needs and also going that extra step to make them feel secure, supported, and confident.

Today in class, we read the last scene of the first act.

In class we learned a lot about Troy's past and traumas. This helped us to understand the decisions he makes in the present and how what he's lived influences him in his day to day.

In Scene 4, Troy talks about his past, his responsibilities, and the choices he has made in life. Have you ever had to choose between something you wanted to do and something you needed to do? What influenced your decision, and were you satisfied with your choice?

 Yes, I've had to choose between what I wanted to do and what I needed to do. Sometimes, especially after a long day at school, I just want to relax or spend time doing things I enjoy. But I knew I needed to work and take care of my responsibilities. I chose to take care of my responsibilities and the things I HAD to do because I knew they were important for my future. I was satisfied with my choice because I knew I was doing what had to be done, even if it wasn't what I wanted at the moment

Today in class we finished the STEAL packet of our character with our groups.

I learned about a newly introduced character, Cory, and how August Wilson uses him to connect universal themes of family and relationships.

Prompt: In Fences, Troy makes it clear that he believes his main responsibility as a father is to provide for Cory, not necessarily to like him or make him happy. Do you think parents have to like their children, or is it enough for them to love, provide for, and take care of them? Explain the difference between loving someone and liking someone. Do you agree or disagree with Troy's view of parenting? Explain your response and make a personal or real-world connection.

 It depends a lot on the relationship the parents have built with their children throughout life. It also depends heavily on the parents personality. I think parents should like their children because that sense of true love can benefit a lot children especially while growing up. I can't really think of a difference between liking and loving someone. I disagree with Troy's form of parenting. I believe that it is too harsh. so much to the point where it affects Cory more negatively than positively because it is true parents at times have to be a little strict.

Today in class we read scenes two and three of the first act.

I learned more about our main character, Troy. From what I've read today I can infer he is a really narcissistic man who also believes the whole world is against him. 

In Fences, Lyons asks his father, Troy, to lend him money. Do you think adult children should ask their parents to borrow money, or should they be expected to handle their financial problems on their own? Explain your opinion and connect it to your own experiences, observations, or beliefs about family and money.

 No grown-man should ask for money, especially from their parents. A grown man should be responsible enough to have some money saved up for emergencies. In case you don't have money saved up, or you need more, you're expected to handle it by yourself. In any case, you should be the one helping loved ones out like parents or siblings. I've never seen my father ask for money, and my mother raised me in a way to be self-reliant and to not depend on others. 

Today in class we took some notes on characterization and finished scene one of act one of Fences.

In class I learned about positive, negative and neutral connotations. I learned about some words I thought were neutral and were actually negative and vice versa. We also discussed money and manhood.

Prompt: In Fences, the fence is a physical object, but it can also represent the emotional or personal barriers people create. Think about a “fence” you have built in your own life. What were you trying to keep out or protect yourself from? Did that fence help you or hold you back? Explain.

 A fence I have built in my own personal life is when I said I would stop drinking so much soda. Growing up, I drank a lot of soda, especially Fanta. This caused me to be more overweight than most kids my age. One day, I decided to stop drinking as much soda as I did. I usually drank 3 cans a day, and suddenly, I would drink that same amount of cans or less a week. I built this fence in my life because I was trying to be healthier, and it helped me tremendously.

Today in class we started a new play we will be reading and discussing the upcoming weeks called Fences by August Wilson.

We didn't get to read much of the play today in class due to a fire drill, but after seeing the movie adaption trailer and the first few pages, it seems like an interesting book and I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

After watching your classmates present their identity masks, think about how people are often more complex than what we see on the outside. What did the presentations teach you about looking beyond the surface when getting to know someone?

 This presentation taught me that people can be way more complex than what we can judge from what we can see. Sometimes, we have certain stereotypes that are fixed to people with certain physical traits. I learned about my classmates ethnicity, what they believe in, and what they enjoy doing. This has helped me to understand my classmates better and to not make assumptions.

Today in class we presented our mask projects and with the remaining time we worked on our blog post.

From today a takeaway is how people can be very complex and how everyone has a lot of history behind them. Every time we can, we should try to understand those around us, especially those who we are close to.

In “Missing Your People,” Tracy Brower explains the importance of belonging. Describe a time when you felt like you truly belonged. What created that feeling?

 A time I felt like I truly belonged was when I was playing soccer with my teammates. I felt included because we are all training and working together towards the same goal, supporting each other. Communication, joking around, and just playing together made me feel like I was part of a group and gave me the sense of true belonging.

Today in class we did the "Missing Your People" online assignment and worked on our blog post.

From the "Missing Your People" assignment I learned about how belonging is something that is deeply rooted into us through biology and how we all have that sense of belonging to something and how it can actually have a lot of benefits in your mental health and just life overall.

Write about a fear you have overcome.

A fear I have overcome is jumping into the water from high places. Before, I would think a lot before jumping into the water thinking about all the things that can go wrong. Thinking about "what if I hit a rock?" or "how painful would the impact with the water be?" among many other questions that only come up at that moment. I realized that all the fear was a product of my mind, that I wasn't scared of the height or the actual physical consequences but about all the scenarios that came to my mind. What helped most overcome this fear is not thinking much about it, just checking the necessary for safety: that the water is deep enough and that there are no rocks that I may hit in the fall. Of course learning proper diving and jumping technique is important as well, but it's mostly in the head. Although I occasionally still get a little scared depending on the situation, I've improved a lot compared to the first time I jumped of a rock.

Today in class we did the written reflection about the meaning behind the masks we did and are gonna present. We also headed upstairs to take our pictures for our school Ids.