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This I Believe…

8th grade Drama students at Jefferson Middle School speak about their beliefs.

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    Welcome to 8th grade Drama's "This I Believe" project. This project is modeled after NPR's "This I Believe" series and is a work in progress. We invite you to listen to the voices throughout this site and we welcome your comments.
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Archive for March 3rd, 2008

This I Believe–Keosha

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe in setting goals and dreams and not letting things get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish. People will always say something to bring a person down.  I know this because I have been through so much in the past years of my life.  The best way to get over the bad years was to forget. Sometimes you have to lie, cheat, hide all to keep from seeing the truth. Think about a time when you wanted something so bad.  Would you do anything to get it? What would you do to get it? Did you have to give something up to make that dream come true. Well my dream is to become a singer, but my shyness gets a hold of me and takes over. I think I am the best because I have been singing for a long time. It all started when I was three, I started mouthing word to song. By the age of five I started hearing   my   voice on a microphone. Then I started listening to old school music. By listen to music I started writing songs. Sometimes I wonder why there are artist that can’t sing. Why can’t I take their spot.  All I know is I’m going to make my dream come real. I know this because I believe. I want to become a singer to be famous and I   want   the world to hear me. What makes me the best is the way I act in front of my family. If I could ask like that on stage then I ‘m all good.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 6 Comments »

This I Believe–Miranda

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe that the way a person dresses doesn’t personify who they are. If you dress a certain way it doesn’t show who you are. You could be a really nice person that has manners and knows when the time is right to speak and when you sit, or even when to go to the bathroom, but you may dress like your tough and mean and like you don’t care about he way you look. But fact of the matter is the way you dress really doesn’t determine who you are, and what you stand for. People think clothes are a reason to stereotype someone that is different from them. When people do stereotype they don’t realize how bad it hurts until they get stereotyped themselves, and they just feel terrible. This doesn’t mean they’ll change. And it doesn’t make it right, not in the slightest bit possible. The way I dress is a completely different way than most people. And some people might think its offensive but really that’s their problem and they can just deal, I mean really is it that big of a deal? I also believe that hair colour doesn’t make you bad, or eye colour, that’s like what Hitler did during the holocaust. He tried to say if you had dark hair and dark eyes that you were a bad person. Some of the most beautiful people have dark hair and eyes, and they are some of the greatest people ever. If life was ever easy it would be more miserable than you make it. What I don’t understand is why do we as humans treat each other like we do? It makes you wonder why the world must be so cold. Would we be happy if we weren’t mean to each other? Would it make us better people? Would everyone get along? The answer to these questions might never be answered.  What would happen if everyone dressed exactly the same and acted the same? You can’t possibly tell me you would be happy that way. Personally I’ve been told multiple times that I dress like I’m in the circus, which I actually think is a compliment. Yes it sounds weird but whatever. I’ve also been told that I look like a freak. Sometimes these words hurt, more than anything. Life would be so much easier if everyone would keep their mouths shut and just worried about themselves instead of others. That’s like in a fire situation; take care of yourself before you help anyone else. There are just so many things I don’t understand about people. Therefore I believe that the way a person dresses doesn’t personify who they are as a person. Get to know a person before you judge them. Think of it this way for one bad thing you say to a person one bad thing can and probably will happen to you. Karma what comes around goes around. It’s the fact of life.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 13 Comments »

This I Believe–Jeff

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe we should be able to kiss and hug in the hallways because it’s no fun when you have to wait till after school. It’s hard not doing these things because these things come natural when you see your girlfriend. 

First we should be able to kiss in the hallways because it’s hard not to and we’re going to do it anyway. People don’t like to listen because they think the rule is stupid and there’s no point to it. It’s a waste of all teachers’ and administrators’ time. 

Now we should be able to hug in the hallways because it’s harmless and it’s not going to hurt anybody to hug each other. It’s part of life. Everybody hugs everyday and people don’t try to stop that. We should be able to have a little freedom to hug. 

Last but not least they should let us kiss and hug it won’t hurt anybody. Kids may be happier in classes. They may not have a bad attitudes at teachers’ and other kids. They should just let us be because we are going to do what we do. What we do is kiss and hug in the hallways. Just let us have some freedom. 

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Posted in Spring 2008-5th hour, 3rd Quarter | 6 Comments »

This I Believe–Andrew

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe that roller coaster is not good for me. When I went to Kings Island with my family it was my first rollercoaster. I had lots of fun. I was scared because it was so big. I ate some food and it was Burger King. I was full and it wasn’t a good thing. Now it is time to get on the rollercoaster.  

First, I got on the rollercoaster and they had to put on everybody seatbelt. After this they started the ride. On the rollercoaster I went up and came done fast. I was very nervous and scared. I told the people to stop the ride.  

Second, I ate so much I had thrown up on the ride. When I got off, the man ask me was it on purpose or on accident. I said it was an accident and he said ok keep going. I felt embarrassed. I was mad and left from that area. That made me feel better, and then I told my mom that I throw up on the ride.  

Third, my throw up landed on someone’s head. It landed on a grownup’s head. He screamed. Then he went to go get a towel. It made my day but made my fist rollercoaster bad.  

Last, this experience made me remember to not eat before getting on the rollercoaster.   I really don’t want to go on a rollercoaster again. I will get on a smaller rollercoaster if I don’t eat before getting on the rollercoaster.       

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Posted in Spring 2008-5th hour, 3rd Quarter | 3 Comments »

This I Believe–Kendell

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe in basketball because it has sportsmanship and teamwork. Sportsmanship and teamwork are important because that’s how you win in life. Sportsmanship is like being a nice person to one of your teammates. If they miss a shot and they was wide open you’re not supposed to say ‘’you suck.’’ You’re supposed say, ‘’maybe next time but that was a good shot.’’ Teamwork is when you pass the ball around to your teammates instead of ball hogging. That’s how you don’t win sometimes.  The first thing I am going to talk about in basketball is sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is when you beat another team you don’t brag about it when you get home or to school. You’re supposed to go up to the team and say, ‘’good game’’ and ‘’you played a good game.’’ Another reason is if you lose you can still get mad at yourself, but don’t take it out on the other team. Especially if it the championship and you were undefeated and you just lost the biggest game of your life. The second thing I am going to talk about is teamwork. Now teamwork is working with the whole team not you. Because if you try to do everything by yourself you are going to probably lose. The team is going to be mad at you because you didn’t pass the ball to them not once and they always pass the ball to you; like when you say that you’re going to give the ball back to them but you never do. Then the next game the team never gives you the ball or they throw the ball away on purpose and then you lose the game. That’s why it is important to have teamwork and sportsmanship. If you combined all these together then that makes you a good player, but if you don’t use these two things it doesn’t make you a bad player it just makes you a stupid player. You don’t even say anything nice to the other team you beat you say bad things and that could hurt their feelings and that would not be nice to them. The reasons why I pick teamwork because that is important to the whole team even the coach and he/she isn’t even playing. If you are the best player it makes you a better player if you use these two things right here: sportsmanship and teamwork.

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Posted in Spring 2008-5th hour, 3rd Quarter | 8 Comments »

This I Believe–Zach

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe that without war there is no peace. That without war you can’t have a time of rebuilding for the next. When you get rid of war you get rid of the chance for peace. There isn’t a hugely famous book called “War or Peace,” it’s called “War and Peace.” Without war there is no chance to have the things we like. Things like freedom from control and the freedom of speech. The freedom to own a gun or the right to pursue happiness, the right to a speedy trial of our peers. They are all rights and freedoms brought to us by war. I’m not trying to preach global domination but we need wars like ww1, ww2, and the War on Terror. The press only reports bad things about the war, we never see the good that comes from it. Instead of saying “yay” that no American troops are dying, the press is saying that we are putting funeral homes out of business. We are helping a country with war, and getting rid of terrorists. War is like a filter for the countries involved in it. It purifies both countries involved by getting rid of the problems. I believe that when you don’t fight for something, you will end up with nothing left to fight for. Hitler was an evil man, but he proved something to me. The people who fought against him won their freedom and the war, and those who laid down for him were killed. When you don’t fight, you don’t have anything to fight for. I believe that without war there is no peace. I believe that when you don’t fight for yourself, you lose yourself. I believe that war creates peace, because the day after a battle all sides help the others to gather the dead and all are equal. When we all fight for the good of ourselves, we only help our self. The people who fight for the good of all sides are the people who help the most. There is peace among them no matter what side. That’s why you need war to have peace.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 4 Comments »

This I Believe–Jasmine

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe that no one should change for someone else. It makes no sense to do that. Some girl might like a boy but the boy doesn’t like the girl for who she truly is. That’s when the girl changes herself and turns into a different person that never existed. People these days change themselves to impress a boy, get more friends, or to be liked by everyone. Although people think it’s good to change and yes it is, it’s not good to change your personality or who you are for another person or even your own family. I know someone who changed their own life for a boy. She started doing dumb things like smoking drugs, having sex, and even doing sexual things for boys just to impress one boy. People were spreading rumors about her and calling her mean names that hurt her feelings. She was ending up with no friends. Although it is her fault that all that happened I feel bad for the girl.  I would never guess she would do that she would do that for a boy that didn’t even like her and everyone knew he only wanted to do one thing with her. It wasn’t worth giving it up to him but she did. By that time they started going out and everyone was talking about it. I could never see her doing that for a boy, but I was wrong. There are many girls who change for a boy but boys also do that for a girl. The girl might not like the boy because she thinks he is a geek and he hangs out with losers. So the boy starts to change and get bad grades and hang out with people that are so different from him. The girl is starting to like him. It is a great moment knowing someone likes you, but it’s not when they don’t like you for who you are. It hurts when you find out the person doesn’t like you, but you should never change yourself for them it’s not worth it. I would never change myself for anyone and if they don’t like me for who I am then so be it. They don’t deserve me as a friend or girlfriend anyway. That is why I believe that no one should change for someone.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 7 Comments »

This I Believe–Drew

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

 I believe in that knowledge is power, and power needs to be used right, because to have an ability and not use it right is like not having one at all.  When I was younger I would ask my family to give me Math problems to show off how smart I was. Then as I got older the Math got harder and harder. Sometimes when I failed in Math, I would wonder why I failed.  Now I know that failing and learning from those mistakes is the smartest thing you can ever do.  Knowledge is more than numbers and papers. You have to add the human element to the mix. Back in my old house my Brother would go on and pick on other kids on the block to prove that he is better than them. But I was smarter than that, I would always out smart him (but he will never admit it).  After a while, I got tired of him being mean to those little Kids.  I told them how to outsmart my brother. After a while my brother got tired of trying to be the bad dog on the block, and now we’ve moved away from that block.      There are two types of Knowledge, Common sense and book Knowledge. When you wrap your mind around something that’s the only thing you can think about. When you’re smart you look back to remember other things to help you. A few weeks ago I had some homework. I started it and then one of the hardest problems I have ever laid my eyes on came up. Then I focused on that Math problem; mind, body, and soul. The next day I felt so proud that I did my math homework. But something hit me; I didn’t do any of my other homework. I believe that Knowledge is power, but common sense is the basis of all Knowledge. I believe that people with the Knowledge should use it, not waste it.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 5 Comments »

This I Believe–Bret

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe Illegal immigrants should not be granted legal citizen status in the United States. This is because of many important reasons. One being the issue of insurance. Another being the reason of fair and equal treatment to every body. Insurance is one of the major reasons that cause the opposition of people’s opinions. Although not granted the right of licenses, illegal immigrants still somehow seem to be driving around. And when they crash into us while driving they don’t have insurance so we are left to pay to fix the damages they caused. And if the victim ends up in the hospital they still have to pay the hospital bills, which are outrageous these days. Also, granting them legal status would increase and over populate the country. By allowing the current illegal immigrants citizen status we would be required to grant everyone else who wanted to enter the country access and citizenship. So knowing this everybody would try to get in knowing they can. Once the population has increased, there will be fewer jobs for Americans because the first thing they will do when they enter the country will be to find a job. Then the people who don’t have jobs will go on public aid. And the government will not have enough funds to cover everybody, and they will raise our taxes. Since this is a controversial subject I do not expect you to agree with me, but I do urge you to. But, This I Believe.  

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 3 Comments »

This I Believe–Allison

Posted by jefferson8 on 3rd March 2008

I believe in praise and kindness. If you want someone to do something for you and you ask them in a kind way, they’ll be more likely to do what you ask. If you praise them afterwards, they’ll be more likely to do it again. However, if you tell them to do something in a harsh way and don’t even acknowledge it when they actually do it, they probably won’t want to do it or won’t do it at all. When I am told to do something, I don’t usually do it if I don’t want to or have no motivation, especially if I’m not asked politely. For example, my room is messy, and no one important is going to be in it anytime soon. Therefore, I don’t really care about the mess. Then my mom comes in and yells repeatedly in a disgusted voice “CLEAN YOUR ROOM! NOW!”  She hasn’t given me a reason nor a motivation. Then she starts yelling that she’s going to ground me.  Now I have a small motivation: to not get grounded. So then I pick up my room a little, but I’m put in an annoyed and bad mood, so I don’t do a very thorough job. Then she just comes in and yells that she wants EVERYTHING picked up and that it HAS to be spotless. Yet in my mind, I’ve done enough. One day I was at a dog training class with my puppy. The trainer was saying, “Dogs are just like kids. If you ask them to do something in a harsh way, they won’t do it. Use a happy and nice tone of voice and teach them gently. And if you don’t praise or reward them afterwards, they won’t do it again.” I realized he was very right.  That’s when it hit me. My mom has never asked me to do anything in a polite way, and if I do it, I don’t get praised or rewarded afterwards. I have no reason or motivation. Yet if she said something like, “Allison, we’re having your Great Aunt from Chicago visit, can you please clean your room?” and said something like “It looks better now, good job!” or “Nice work, here’s $10 dollars” then I would definitely be more willing to do what she said. I’m more rebellious towards people who don’t ask me to do what they want in a polite way or praise or reward me after I do it.  When other people ask me nicely and praise me then I usually do what they want. I’m not the only person that feels this way, I’m sure most people, including you, do. Next time you want someone to do something you want them to do, ask them in a kind way and either praise or reward them afterwards. If it’s reasonable, they will most likely do what you ask and will be more likely to do it again when you want them to in the future.

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Posted in Spring 2008-4th hour, 3rd Quarter | 8 Comments »