The Cardboard Sign

Almost three years ago, I went through a lot of crazy stuff. In the summer of 2009, I got kicked out of my foster home in Lakeville, Massachusetts because I didn’t give up my phone for texting in class. Long story short, I moved to my father’s house after not seeing him for six years. Once I got there, I found out he was living with an old man named Dennis, but everyone called him “Denny”.  He also lived in a very small one room apartment in Malden, MA, with his girlfriend April. I had to sleep on a couch and they didn’t have much food. I had two options; I could either go back to school or get a job. However, my father somehow convinced me to go into the city and pan-handle for money. I would pretend to be homeless by holding a cardboard sign in the middle of the street. Now I’m not going to lie, I was making a lot of cash. One time, a man in a rolls Royce pulled up to me and handed me a hundred dollar bill.  Even though I was making money I was miserable.

After about a month, my father decided I should “save some money” and give him twenty bucks a day.  Little did I know he wasn’t saving it.  It took me three month to realize he was spending it himself.  Even after I found out he wasn’t saving it, he made me start paying him an extra $20 a day.  I was paying Denny rent money in addition to the $40 I was giving to my father. It sucked because I could no longer make much money for myself. Day after day, month after month, I would wake up, go into Boston, and continue to make the money for my father, until it got to the point where I couldn’t even keep any money for myself. Then I found out the worst possible news…. my father was doing drugs. He wasn’t himself anymore and when I confronted him about his drug problem he denied it.  I couldn’t stay at his house any longer. About a year ago, I packed my stuff at 4am and left. I’m living with a friend now and I’m back in school. I haven’t spoken to or seen my father since.

By: John J. 

I Have No Idea

My first day in The United States something bad happened that was funny to me. I was walking in Dorchester on Blue Hill Ave when someone approached to me and started screaming at me. He thought I called the police on him when I didn’t. I had just arrived from Puerto Rico and the phone I had was broken. Because the phone came from Puerto Rico, it had no service. I didn’t know English either. After he left I kept walking with my mother and little brother happily ever after.

- Jose

                                                                                                              

Why I Don't Trust Girls

Why I Don't Trust Girls!

-Alex

In the sixth grade, this girl Kethia and I were really cool. I talked to her about everything! I told her I had a crush on the popular boy. That morning, he gave me candy and I knew something about it was fishy. After he gave me candy, I was in the secretary's office with Kethia talking smack about the popular girl, whom he was dating. Later, I found out Kethia was recording me. When we went upstairs for homeroom, I went in the bathroom and while I was gone, Kethia was playing the tape in the classroom. When i came back, everyone was looking at me and because of that, the popular girl wanted to fight me. That's why I don't trust females.

Students Create Political Cartoons

After completing a lesson on how to effectively read maps, bar graphs, line graphs, and political cartoons, our students created their own cartoons. 

Revolution Highlights

Class Collected Notes from Revolution on the History Channel

• Boston 1765 - Thomas Hutchinson, Leuitenant Justice of the King's Council
• March 5, 1770 - Boston Massacre - 5 people died
• December 16, 1773 - Boston Tea Party, dressed like Mohawk Indians to oppose stamp on tea. Threw over 420 cases of tea worth 10,000 pounds
• "No taxation without representation" - Patrick Henry (from Virginia)
• Loyalists often tormented by the colonist
• Benjamin Franklin was a patriot but his son was a loyalist
• Paul Revere - Lit of the tower saying the British were coming by sea, not land
• London is 3000 miles

Trip to the State House

Treaty of Paris and the Declaration of Independence

 Treaty of Paris

In 1763 a document was signed to end the revolutionary war, which was between Britain and France. Britain was the triumphant ones in this all. France had lost North America. Britain did not do this alone, though. Spain was Britain's ally. You would think the British and the Americans would be happy with the win but there was a split between Britain and America because of the war. Americans were once scared of France, but because the French were defeated, America was no longer scared of them. They also did not need Britain anymore so this helped start the split. The British looked down upon Americans and thought they were lacking in culture and were impure. Americans did not like taking orders from Britain. William Pitt was appointed by King George II to be secretary of state, in charge of military affairs, and colonial policy. Americans called British soldiers “redcoats” because of what they wore. Americans thought of them as unholy heathens. Tension was growing between the British and the Americans. There was rivalry between the Americans themselves, but having a common foe brought them together. Nationalism was starting to develop for the 13 states ever since they fought beside each other in the war. Now the English colonies' economy was flourishing.

 Declaration of Independence

This document was written in the summer of 1776. It said that all men were created equal and should be able to have equal rights. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This meant a lot to women, because this was the start for woman to have rights. In Seneca Falls, 1848, The Declaration of Sentiments was created with the same rights of The Declaration of Independence. David Walker, an activist, questioned if slavery should be legal. He asked, “do you understand your own language?” because not all men were being treated equal. Thomas Jefferson, chief author of The Declaration of Independence, owned slaves, as did many fellow signers. Thomas Jefferson criticized slavery and King George for allowing the slave trade to flourish. So The Declaration did not have equality for all, but it was a start.

Sincerely,

Malissie H.