Writer's Workshop Portfolio

Treating Others The Way You Want To Be Treated


Students at Heritage Middle School are just plain tired of being treated with no respect, while other students are tired of these assemblies that are effected because of bullying. Each of these comes back to bullying, students are tired of not being treated with respect and tired of these assemblies but students aren't doing anything to stop bullying . Bullying is a common thing that a lot of people expect to just end in middle school but it doesn't students say it gets worse. But the worst people are the bystanders, they all stand there and watch all of this happen and don't say anything. Students all need to be an advocate for one another, but aren't. They're allowing this to happen, allowing others to feel less of themselves. But not everyone is like that, they're some students who go and report to an adult what is going on and help out others and get others out of bullying. But do the teachers and staff at Heritage or any middle school for that matter actually make an effort to make it stop?

This reporter interviewed two people from Heritage Middle School,each person gave different points of views on the subject and how they felt about it. One out of the two that were interviewed feel that Heritage does make an effort to stop bullying, but the other one felt that they could do more to stop bullying, that one student already had graduated from Heritage Middle School in 2011. Perhaps, Heritage Middle School has made a difference in the way they handle bullying. This data indicates that Heritage Middle School wasn't the best at handling bullying but they might be now.

"I don't think bullying stops but I don't think bullying grows either I think it just stays the same." one of the people that were interviewed said,after the interviewer asked, "Do you think bullying grows of weakens during middle school?" The reason the person that was interviewed said this is because she noticed that the teachers weren't doing anything to change bullying. She noticed all of the assemblies that would be shown,but almost none of the students pay attention to them. She was one of the students that didn't pay attention to them. The interviewer asked her, "On a scale of one through ten how much do you pay attention to the assemblies that take place about bullying?" She chuckled and said, "Is zero an option?" This data indicates that student do not pay attention to the assemblies that take place about bullying.

The interviewer asked the same student another question "This new system that Heritage Middle School and the rest of district one hundred has started is the Stop it app. How do you feel regarding that app?" The student shook her head as if she was disappointed " I don't like it. I don't like that the school can actually see that this app could make a difference, others could think of it as a joke and use it immaturely." This is showing different point of views and the way some people might see the use of the app.

For the final interview the interviewer spoke with a current student, who will be graduating from Heritage Middle School this year. They asked him ""Do you think bullying grows of weakens during middle school?" the student thought about it for a moment and said "I think it grows because some people are still childish." This student has a completely different answer then the rest of the two other students this student believes it has grown the rest thought it didn't grow nor weaken. The reason the student thinks this is because people might see it as a joke but others might see it as bullying.

The interviewer than asked this same student another question, "On a scale of one through ten how much do you pay attention to the assemblies that take place about bullying?" The student sighed and stated, "Eight." The assemblies might have pulled students attention more, and just had them thinking wow this is a real situation that is not okay. The assemblies have the students thinking and wondering what's going on. These assemblies might actually have the students want to talk to someone and stick up for other students and actually let an adult know what's going on.

The interviewer then asked the same student, " How do you feel about the stop it app" the student thought about it and said, "It could help a student out because of quick access." This student sees it differently then the other two students,this student pays attention to the assemblies,believes that bullying grows and thinks that the stop it app can make an impact on a student. The other students had thought way differently about the subject.

This data is showing how two out of three students think the same about how heritage feels about bullying and what they do to stop it and just bring the school and students closer together. This data indicates that Heritage Middle School has grown in the way they handle bullying from class of 2011 .




Falcon Fouls
Both students and staff at Heritage Middle School are trying to get use to a new type of discipline. Heritage Middle School is starting to give their students these little pink slipped papers called Falcon Fouls. These discipline sheets started at the beginning of the new school year in 2014. If you were to get four fouls you would receive a detention. All of the students weren't exactly cooperating with the reason that they would get a foul. But they just needed to get used to the system and they needed to know what they had to do in order to not receive a foul.
What really got most students upset is the little things that got them a foul like hall passes,I.D's or just plain forgetting to take off your hoodie all these little things could cause students to get a foul and it takes some getting use to. Students that have been there for at least a year get use to it and now know what to do to not receive a foul. For other kids that are just coming into the school need time to adjust to the fouls and the reasons not to receive one. One sixth grade student said "I'm just frustrated these fouls are just another thing I need to worry about through out the school year" this sixth grader seemed frustrated.

Some teachers only give them out when they feel like you really need one and other teachers give you a warning if you don't take the warning and keep doing what you are not supposed to do then you will receive a foul. But the point of the fouls is to show you that you only control the choices you make and you must be ready for whatever comes your way after the choice you made.
Both students and staff at Heritage Middle School are trying to get use to a new type of discipline. Heritage Middle School is starting to give their students these little pink slipped papers called Falcon Fouls. These discipline sheets started at the beginning of the new school year in 2014. If you were to get four fouls you would receive a detention. All of the students weren't exactly cooperating with the reason that they would get a foul. But they just needed to get used to the system and they needed to know what they had to do in order to not receive a foul.

What really got most students upset is the little things that got them a foul like hall passes,I.D's or just plain forgetting to take off your hoodie all these little things could cause students to get a foul and it takes some getting use to. Students that have been there for at least a year get use to it and now know what to do to not receive a foul. For other kids that are just coming into the school need time to adjust to the fouls and the reasons not to receive one. One sixth grade student said "I'm just frustrated these fouls are just another thing I need to worry about through out the school year" this sixth grader seemed frustrated.

Some teachers only give them out when they feel like you really need one and other teachers give you a warning if you don't take the warning and keep doing what you are not supposed to do then you will receive a foul. But the point of the fouls is to show you that you only control the choices you make and you must be ready for whatever comes your way after the choice you made.

My Amazing Mother

It took me a while but I finally realized how lucky I was to have a mother like my mom. My friend's mom would go out very often and not really pay attention to her. She would just leave and have her daughter cook for her brothers and watch them. One day during the summer I was at her house, I walked in, and I noticed her mom wasn't home. I figured she was at work because she normally isn't there when I'm there.
I asked her "Where is your mom?"
then she looked at me with this upset look on her face and
 she said, "You know she's out again like she always is when you're here." I was shocked because all this time I figured she was at work, but she wasn't. She was out. All that was going through my mind was her kids. She's supposed to be there watching them. I mean I thought that's what moms do.
I looked at her and said "oh what?" and she laughed a little.
She said, "Shocked aren't you? Yeah she is out I watch my brothers while she goes out." I couldn't believe it... like woah I looked at her
and said, "You know.. if you ever need to just get out you could to by my house whenever"
she smiled. "Yes I know thanks." A couple hours went by and her mom came home around ten. I asked if she could give me a ride home and she said
"Yeah no problem Chantal."
 I said, "Thank you"
     I went home and there was my mom...right there waiting for me to get home safely. I looked at her and thought to myself she doesn't go out, when we call her telling her we're hungry she comes home, when we need a ride somewhere she picks us up my mom moves the world for me and my family and that made me realize it. I realized that some people don't have a mom like my mom where she is there for her kids, accepts their kids and would just move the world for their kids my mom is their for me and the rest of my siblings, she accepts me and my siblings for us and would move the world for each of us.
 After I realized all of this I felt lucky, happy, and just relieved this made me realize how much my mom means to me and how much I need her in my life.