WOW.
I wrote my post title first today (I don't normally do that--with anything. College papers, OP's or anything else that needs a title. I always feel like it pigeonholes my writing). This blog, though, is different than most things I write, and as such, it deserves its own moment of "newness." This is the last blog of the year--and the last blog you will ever do as an AP Langer. While most of you are now doing that fist-pump thing in the air that you do when you're thrilled about something, I am sort of trying to post through a watery screen of unshed tears at this prospect.
Last year, the end of the year was tough--my first year at Oakcrest with a bunch of kids that were different than any I had known at Central--it was tough to let them go. This year, though, this year might be tougher yet. I feel as though we have been through one of the most arduous journeys together, and when I look back at the twists and turns of the road we traveled I am humbled and awed by the experience.
I will save most of my internal musings about this for my final OP (Yes, Alli--I know I haven't read my 3rd MP one yet)and just get on with your task for this, our final blog together as an AP Lang family.
This week, my pumpkins, I would like you to use your voice and leave your mark here, on this page. You walked into 204 10 months ago not knowing what to expect or what you should think. You will leave with--well, I guess that is the question of the hour. What will you leave with--what have you learned, what have you experienced? What was your favorite day, your favorite lesson, your finest moment that you can recall? Are you different now then you were then? Better? Worse? Indifferent? What did your junior year do for you? What are your hopes for your senior year? Is there anything you want to say to your friends? Yourself? You can say whatever you want--just, please don't end your post with saying "goodbye." Because, it's not really "Goodbye"--it's more like, "See you later."
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I can not believe that this is practically the last week of school and that we will soon be considered seniors. I can not even begin to think of everything that I have learned this year not just in 204 but outside as well. I really learned who my true friends were this year and that people that you least expect to change do. I have learned some fine literary strategies and I have learned how to write better than an eighth grader by not writing 5 paragraph essays, but I think the most important thing I learned was how to relax. My vocabulary has tremendously increased and I have realized that I’m not that bad at English. I think asking to pick a “favorite day” is hard because there were so many of them. I loved how we could just sit in class and have meaningful discussions as a class about whatever we felt like. But if I had to pick a favorite day I would have to pick the day that the substitute fell asleep in class…JK! I LIKED MAKING STARS! Even though I don’t think I achieved some of the goals that I put on there I think that making those stars really helped me put into perspective what I wanted to achieve not only this year, but next year in my last year at Oakcrest. My finest moment was definitely getting a perfect score on one of those mini practice tests. It was in the beginning of the year so I don’t really remember which one it was. All I remember is that is was really short and it made me actually feel confident about the slowly approaching AP exam (which hadn’t taken place yet). I think that I am the same person that I was back then just a little more confident. Not just with my school work, but with myself. I am slowly becoming more outgoing in school and in new places and I keep thinking to myself how much I missed out on before because I was too wrapped up with what everyone else was thinking. Like I said earlier. I have definitely realized who my true friends are. I grew apart from some people this year that I never thought I would grow apart from. It was one of those situations that I had no control over though so although I hate not having those people to talk to the way I used to be able to talk to them I know that growing up sometimes growing apart as sad as that is. For senior year I am hoping that I get into a good college and get offered at least a little bit of scholarship money. I am not going to say my goals for swimming because I feel like if I say them and don’t achieve them next year I will never get to because next year is my last year of high school and I don’t want to do what I did this season and set my goals too high.
To all of my friends. New and old. I just want to say thanks. Thanks for always being there for me when I needed you and always having a great time when we are together. we only have one year left together so lets make it count. And this is for everyone in the class of 2009. Let’s get ready to have a KICK (excuse my language) ASS senior year and graduate the best class that Oakcrest has ever seen, and will ever see. Because let’s face it everyone. We are the greatest (even though we got GYPED at field day [sorry bunje I know you are freshman class adviser but we got gypped]) and no one can say otherwise.
P.S. Senior year I am looking forward to English 4 with you BUNJ!!!! ;-)
Junior year is almost over. There are eight, I repeat eight school days left of this year. When I think about it, I cannot believe that the most anticipated year of our high school lives is ending. Since we were in middle school we've heard that junior year is the hardest, the year that takes the most to get through and "seperates the men from the boys". And to think that in just a few days (we're not even in double digits anymore) we will find ourselves at the beach, at six flags, driving around to where ever the heat of the summer takes us.
This year was not only the toughest year for me inside the walls of the Oak, but outside of them was just as rough. I found myself becoming closer with people who were a little different from my usual group of friends. That didn't matter to me, I have grown to love them just as much as I would a friend that I've had for 10 years of my life. In my eyes it doesn't matter who's been there forever, just who's there for you when you need them - and who won't leave your side regardless. Sadly, I did have a friend or two like that this year who I didn't even drift from, but who just wanted to end our friendship. In those cases, if someone is dumb enough to let you go, then you have to be smart enough to walk away. So to those friends, I would like to say that I'm sorry I didn't meet their friend requirements and that I couldn't be as a good of a friend as they wanted me to be. However, life goes on and you just have to keep moving along with it. And that’s where I feel like I am better than I was at the beginning of the year - I have learned to accept things that I have no control over and let them play out on their own. If things aren’t meant to be, then they’re simply not meant to be. Something better will always come along.
Old friends aren't the only people I'd like to say anything to. In my class I'd like to say thank you to almost everyone. I actually just wrote out an extremely long list of thank you’s to each person in the class, but I didn’t want to bore you with them. When it comes down to it, I want to thank period 9/10 for being the most diverse group of people in any of my classes. Seriously. I don’t think class would have been the same without any of us. I don’t think that there was a day in class I didn’t walk away laughing because everyone is truly entertaining in their own way. What other class is Pokemon the answer to EVERYTHING in? Thank you guys for it being almost impossible for me to pick a favorite day. I really really do love you guys. All of you.
But thank you, Bunje, for letting me walk away with probably 300 more words drilled into my head than the average high school junior. And thank you for letting me write a paper each marking period about anything I could think of - anything I felt like writing about, and giving me an A for it. Thank you for staying away from books like The Scarlet Letter and Lord of the Flies, and leaning more towards The Secret Life of Bees. Thank you for letting me write down my problems and stick them in a wall without having to actually talk to anyone about them. Thank you for being open to our ideas and really teaching us that we can do anything we want if we really work for it. Thank you for reassuring us that we were going to get 4’s and 5’s even on those days where we felt like we didn’t know anything. Thank you for always keeping the mood light in your room with shining stars and neon colors.
See you later, 204.
Em pretty much summed up everything i would like to thank you for bunje but i would just like to add one thing. Thanks for being there to listen and give advice whenever any of us needed it.
P.S - Em. not all of us will be driving freely wherever we want once summer is out. Some of us have to wait to idk AUGUST. So until then we still have to rely on everyone else to take us to the beach and six flags or wherever else the "heat of the summer" takes us. lol.
So this one is a little over 800 words long. Not my longest, too bad.
Driving through Philly today, I experienced all sorts of emotions. Happy, upset, perplexed, angry, curious, doubtful, excited and lost. I got lost driving to someone’s house. But anyway, a Thousand Foot Krutch song reminded me completely about Siddhartha and generally this year. It’s called “Wish You Well.”
[[ Sometimes love, feels like pain, and sometimes I wonder if it's all the same, sometimes life, feels just like rain, cause you never know, when it's gonna fall down on you
{chorus} I wish you well, I wish you well, on this trip to find yourself, I wish you well, wish I could help, but I can't help you find yourself
Sometimes faith, feels like doubt, and sometimes I wonder if we'll even get out, sometimes life hurts just like now, but ya gotta know, it's all gonna come back around
{chorus}
and we were sixteen at the time, nothing could ever change our minds, we were one step below invincible, and we always fought it, you've never been the same, you were so scared to make a name, then you threw it all away, and I wish you'd come back now.
I wish you well, I wish you well, on this trip to find yourself, I wish you well, wish I could help, but I can't help you find yourself ]]
If there was one thing that I learned this year after taking four AP classes, getting a new dog, watching the full series of South Park, beating two Pokémon games, having then not having a girlfriend, getting seriously mad at my best friend for the first real time, getting my license, and living life this past year, it would be that parallelism rules life. Not really, but really I don’t know what I’ve learned. In the broad beauty of my life, I learned that a simple routine life will always leave me wanting something more. There is something in me, in everyone I think, that longs to go on that adventure of a lifetime and then chase it the rest of your life. The dreams of children, I don’t think, have ever left any of us. For crying out loud, Ms. Bunje is going on an expedition to the other side of the globe with no real plan whatsoever. I learned that I don’t know who I am and that’s okay. I sort of feed on what I learn at school and outside of it, but it never fills me. I realized how much more to the world there is after visiting Colorado. I knew snowboarding was better there, but that much better? Now I need to see more of it. I don’t think calculus, or language, or history, or biology really mean much in the grand scheme of this year. Nor has government or geometry or statistics or world history for that matter.
Now I started reading Jeannie’s post and I couldn’t go even. “I can not believe,” she says. Well I do believe it and I don’t want to look back. But I am forced to do so. I can’t recall my favorite day or even my finest moment, but swimming was really fun this year. I think the days that Zach Johnson drove me, Rachel, and Jeannie to Hess were really fun. Powder Puff was fun. And staying up until one in the morning over my house with Rob playing Guitar Hero and me playing UT3 on my computer then walking back to his house to sleep was always fun too. He still hasn’t beaten Guitar Hero III on hard. He can’t beat Lou.
Senior year is going to be a joke. I’m going to have to battle senioritis all freakin’ year long. That’s all I have to say about that.
And I guess I can end this now, with some family/friend matters. I have never had many close friends other than rob. Felicia and I this year weren’t even that close when we dated, it seemed. I have some really good friends that I’ve had for a while and got from Oakcrest. But I came to appreciate my family a heck of a lot more this year. When my sister questioned all of her friends and found that only her boyfriend was truly a good friend, I questioned my relationships. I don’t have girl drama like her so I had a different situation, but I knew that my family was/is/will always be closer than any friend I had/have/will have. I don’t know that future, but it just seems that way. So as life goes on and friends come and go, some will stay and some will leave, but I know that my family will always be there. And hopefully my dad will keep contributing to the “Adventures for the Kids” fund so that Amanda and I may go to Canada next year and snowboard there.
As I sat here and thought of how to start this blog, because I wanted to start it with a bang, I realized that a year or so ago i probably would have started it with "I have learned..." But since Bunje, that is no longer existent in my brain except to laugh at :). Not only have I learned that five paragraph essays are poop on paper, and that there are about a million words that I have never heard of, I now know that I am Katie Lolla and I am pretty freaking great. And Bunje, along with a lot of you guys, have taught me that. As for those who don't agree with me, well guess what, I don't care. And that's another thing Bunje taught me. If I am not good enough for you, then your damn well not good enough for me either. This AP Langer family has taught me that I have potential, and people that really care about me. And I don't need all of those that don't. To me, that was my most important part of the year. I think that me favorite day hasn't come yet. I think my favorite day will be when we take down our stars. Not because it means I can finally get the hell out of there, but because I will know that I worked hard and did not give up on myself. I made it the whole year through a class that I was VERY not prepared for. But, as many times as I threatened it, I never dropped, and I never gave up. Another thing Bunje taught me. Never give up on myself because I have it in me to do ANYTHING. My favorite thing in that class was when we each had to say something nice about one another. We had to think really hard sometimes, not because we couldn't find something nice to say, but because we could not pick just one thing(And yeah, it did even happen for Joecamp guys, admit it.)
Jeannie's blog almost made me cry first off. But she had a very good point about friends. This year was very hard for me being new at Oak and rekindling old friendships. But the people that have been with me through thick and thin, like Jeannie for example, are the ones I know really care. Jeannie is there no matter what. I can not call her for a month and one day just text her I miss you as if nothing happened. Friends like her are what everyone needs. Someone who is there no matter what the circumstances. Someone who can say, So what if you failed your English test, your a beast at DDR and you kick my butt every time. Friends are important is my bottom line here, so don;t let the good ones go. Though if they really are the good ones your shouldn't have to worry about that. :)
The only reason I would ever say goodbye would be to say goodbye to the old me. The one who was scared out of her mind as she walked into Bunje's class as a waiver in student a week late, worrying if they were all staring at her, if her hair was okay, and if this teacher thought she was dumb because she was wavered in. Goodbye katie whoeveryourwere. And Hello Katie Lolla, the new and improved.
The moment I started reading this blog, Vitamin C’s “Graduation” popped into my head (yes Du, I downloaded it and it is on my iPod just for you to sing to period 12). I have been listening to it on repeat since I downloaded it, and I have been reminiscing about junior year. Now, I know this song will be more appropriate at the end of next year when we all throw our caps in the air and part ways, but the more I think about it this song could really pertain to the closing of any end of a school year. Every year, we change classes, we see different people throughout our day, and we build and break relationships with people. It’s different every year. Though we’re all still going to be in the same school with each other next year, we’re all not going to be in the same classes. Period 12 AP Lang isn’t going to become Period whatever AP Lit. Or Film Institute. Or CP English 4. It’s not going to be the same. But however much that sucks for all of us, we have to move on and grow up a little more and become big, bad seniors. I know one thing though-anyone from period 12, expect me to say hi to you or give you a hug in the hallways next year, because we have had ten months together and we became sort of a family. I want to say thank you to everyone in period 12 for making my junior year, not only in AP Lang but in general, that much better. So, about my junior year. All in all, this is the year where I have seen the most changes in people, including myself. We have all matured in one way or another, we have learned so much both about our subjects in school and about ourselves, and we have all grown up a little bit more. I think through all that has happened this year, I have become a better person than I was at the beginning of the year. It’s not because I can figure out logs or launch a catapult or know 300 more words than I did in September or give someone a detailed lesson on nuclear warfare. Nope, it’s none of those reasons. It’s because I have learned more about myself and the people I’m surrounded by this year than I have probably in all the years of my life combined. And that’s not even a hyperbole. I truly believe that. As for a favorite day of junior year, that’s just too hard. I can’t think of one day that was superior to another because there have been too many good days and too many bad days to decide. We’re at the point now where we have to start looking towards the future more than reminiscing on the past. Speaking of the future, I wholeheartedly agree with Gary that senior year’s going to be a joke. He’s right. Senioritis has already set in, and we’re all just going to want to get out of this school. I’m sure when the time comes we’ll all be upset that we took the time we had in high school for granted most of the time, but we’ll be starting a new chapter in our lives. It’s going to be big and scary, but we’ll survive. Okay, now for my friends. My friends have made my junior year simply unforgettable. I’ve made friends and lost friends, and I have realized that it happens all the time. I’m not going to have the same friends for my whole life, and I have come to terms with the fact that people will be coming in and out of my life but only my true friends will stay. This year has taught me that, and I have found some of those true friends right inside the halls of Oakcrest. I appreciate everything they have done for me, and love them all so much. Finally, for Bunje. Bunje has also made my junior year unforgettable. So maybe not all of us were too keen on the workload in the beginning of the year, but we sucked it up and pulled through. After those first couple of weeks, we all got better and started to have fun. From our first occasional papers to those final cleansing breaths before the AP test, this year of English has been more different than any other English class I’ve ever had. Not in a bad way though; it’s been such a great experience. I really doubt any other teacher would have been able to pull it off the way Bunje did, and I really appreciate all her hard work for us.
As I wrote this blog, I feel like I said a lot of stuff that I felt about junior year, but what’s here is only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more that goes along with all of this. I could have written for hours about my trials and tribulations of junior year, but I condensed it the best that I could. So, as junior year comes to a close, I hope we all stay in touch and keep our AP Lang families going strong even into the changing senior year. Until next year, everyone.
Wow, the end of junior year is quickly approaching and frankly, I’m not ready to quite let go of it just yet. The cliché said over and over by our guidance counselors that “Junior year is the most important year of your high school career” certainly has proven to be completely true but not for the reasons they were implying. For me, junior year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. I really think this year I have had some of the happiest moments of my entire life and some of my lowest points. I have learned so much about myself through these thought-provoking blogs and I would have to say that has been my favorite part of this class. Even after writing the blogs I would continue thinking about them and how they pertained to my life days after. This made it really easy to evaluate myself and certain aspects of my life. Overall I would say that I am a changed person from the beginning of AP Lang, and without doubt for the better. I have learned effective ways to manage my time, which was very handy this year, as well as learning how to cope with massive amounts of stress. My belief of everything happens for a reason has been proven to me this year time and time again and I’ve learned that losses in our life are a necessity for moving forward. Not only have I learned a lot about myself this year and began focusing more on what the future holds for me, I have also learned A LOT about English. I have become better at reading comprehension, which was my absolute worst part of the SATs. I have learned three hundred vocabulary words, many literary terms, learned how to dissect a passage, learned the potential that I have that I didn’t think I did, as well as many, many other things in English alone.
Hmm, my favorite day… that’s a really hard one. I have had many enjoyable days in English but I think my favorite days were when we listened to occasional papers. That was a new concept that we were not used to, and it was the part of the marking period that I looked forward to the most. Even though this was certainly a highlight, I think my all time favorite day is yet to come. I think it will be finals day when we finally take down our stars which have been hanging there since the beginning of school and when we truly realize how far we’ve come this year.
To my friends, I couldn’t be luckier to have such great friends who have been there for me through all the good and the bad. There’s not much to say because I’m sure the moment we are out of school we will all be hanging out constantly and enjoying summer. =] And to you Ms. Bunje, thank you so much for being a great teacher. For not knowing anything about you a mere hundred and eighty days ago, you have made your way into each of our lives and I feel like we have all grown together as a family because of you. You pushed us to our breaking points and showed us that we are able to do so much more than we ever thought possible. You helped lead us through a hectic year and made each and every one of us a better person. Your in depth, unanswerable questions, your kind love for all of us, your unconditional care and concern for us like we were your own children, your teaching abilities that seemed to teach us things even when we didn’t think we were learning, your support, everything has made this English class one unforgettable one. You made AP Lang the family that is and I will definitely miss my period twelve class next year.
On a happier note, we are almost seniors and that means that we have only one more year here until we can all start fresh and continue on this journey of life. One year from now we will be getting ready to walk on that football field for one last time as high school students and be getting ready to move onto college. I think that even as we enter Senior year, this AP Lang family will stick together. So AP Lang, you will be missed. From those crazy reader response logs to the many stories and novels we read to the numerous vocabulary and literary words quizzes we took. I have never felt more prepared for the coming year as I do now. I think I can take all of these skills you have taught me to AP Lit and do just fine. Thanks Bunje and thanks fellow AP Langers, see you later!
This morning as I was making my lunch, I realized it was one of the four lunches left that I would be making as a junior. After Thursday, the next time I’ll be making my lunch is the first day of senior year. How weird is that? This year turned out to be the complete opposite that I anticipated after the way the first day of school panned out. I remember going home and crying hysterically because I hated my schedule and I had two math classes in a row and my lunch was too late and I didn’t get to see Dave. It seemed like everything went wrong.
Looking back, I may have been just a tad dramatic. This year, the most important year of our high school career, was also the best (even though I have two math classes in a row, my lunch is too late, and I don’t get to see my bald boyfriend). This year, I learned. I learned important things, not a bunch of junk that’s going to rattle around in my brain and take up space. It is the worst spending 180 days in school and walking away with nothing.
Like Jeannie, I learned to be more confident. Otherwise, I’m basically the still person. I talked way more than I usually would in a classroom with people who I’m not close with. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. Even though I drifted away from a few of my goals on my star, I did a good job overall. Next year, I’m hoping for the same. I want to have a fun year. I want to walk away from Oakcrest full of happiness. I want to walk away with no regrets. I want to know that I tried my hardest and did the best I could possibly do. I want to know that I’m going to the right college for me (and hopefully for free).
I know I’m going to sound like a copy cat, but I want to thank our class. There was no other class that I would walk out of on a daily basis feeling like I could pee my pants. Honestly, I can’t pick a favorite day because there were so many funny ones. The class just gives me the giggles. Haha I remember the first time Bunje told us to put our feet flat on the floor and Zander started swinging his legs and asked what to do if your feet couldn’t touch the floor. From then on, that was all I could think of and it was normally why I could clear my brain….mainly because I couldn’t stop laughing.
Emily really summed everything up in her last paragraph that I would have wanted to say, but if I say it now I’ll be plagiarizing. So I’ll paraphrase (which I didn’t do on the AP exam). Bunje, thank you for pushing us and making us realize our potential because I know I didn’t think I could handle the workload. And I can. Thank you for believing in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves. Thank you for being nice and making us feel at ease and not uptight. Thank you for reviewing for the exam. And this is a see you later because maybe I’ll be in your class next year. Don’t hate me. Xoxo.
Junior year was probably the most memorable years of my life and not just because I was a student of the wonderful Ms. Bunje, but also because I felt that this year I grew up. I never understood what my Grammy meant about growing up and getting through high school until now. Living through a horrible divorce and a break up myself was only a small part of my life that has made an impact. I’m not one to just talk about my feelings with just anyone. I have to be approached about it. Ms. Bunje, you honestly are the BEST teacher I have ever had. Not just because you did everything in your power to prepare us for the AP exam, but because I know that I could trust you with anything. I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a teacher before. You’ve given me, along with the other Langer’s, multiple opportunities to write freely, about what we wanted or needed to know. Through OP’s, blogs, and formal essays, we pretty much could express anything we wanted. Without that, I think it would have been much harder to get through things this year. It forced me to talk about things and without it I would have kept a lot of it inside. Mainly, you made me feel so comfortable with myself. You valued my opinions and respected them. Anyone else I talked to just said their opinions back, they didn’t listen. Kind of like Vasudeva. J
The Perks of Being A Wallflower has to be my favorite book, until I read another one that’s better as Charlie says. Out of all the things we’ve done this year that has to be my favorite, even if we don’t get to spend a lot of time on it. Another thing. OP’s are the best thing ever created. I’m the kind of person who needs to be told what to do and exactly how to do it or it just drives me crazy. I get so unsure of myself and I freak out. OP’s have no structure at all. It could be an essay, a poem, thoughts, anything, and it’s all correct. I think I needed that. And I know that everyone listening to me read isn’t judging me. I don’t know if that’s why you have us write them, but to me it’s helped me be freer with myself and not care.
I want to make this clear. Taking AP Lang was scary. I was scared to fail. I was scared that I wasn’t good enough for the workload that was ahead of me. I was scared to be honest and open up to the class in OP’s. I was scared to grow up. Well, I’m not scared anymore. All thanks to room 204. See you later. <3
There was a time period in the beginning of this year when I absolutely positively dreaded Wednesdays. I don't know what it is about them...maybe it’s the fact that Wednesdays signal HALFWAY through the week when halfway just isn't good enough because you're running on five hours of sleep. Maybe it’s the fact that Wednesdays signal lab day in chemistry, and I hate having to give up a study hall period of talking and laughing with Alli, Dave, and Jake. Maybe it’s the fact that Wednesdays mean that the AP Lang blog I’ve been procrastinating on getting done is due, and I need to plan my schedule around getting enough time to write mine in between sports practices, eating, and sleeping. Maybe it’s the fact that I wasn’t able to spell Wednesday until practically freshman year because the “d” in it is completely unnecessary. I don’t know which one of these things it is (if not a combination of all of them), but I felt this way for a while. I thought that the blog was as unnecessary as the “d” in WENSDAY. That was about until the middle of the year. It wasn’t until then that we started having blog questions that forced us to put our busy lives on hold for a little while and look inside ourselves. It would be impossible for one to answer these types of blog questions if they didn’t do a little soul searching first.
Until Junior year, I didn’t know what I was doing in life…I just kinda went with it. There’s nothing wrong with “going with the flow,” but how are you supposed to know what your “flow” is when you don’t know enough about the person you are? I don’t mean knowing your favorite ice-cream flavor or who your favorite baseball player is. I mean knowing how you came to be the person you came to be…your personality traits, your idiosyncrasies that you’ve never stopped to notice-- even your imperfections. You know those “get to know you” worksheets teachers give you on the first day of school? You guys know…”what is your favorite color?” “what is your favorite band?” “what do you like to do for fun?” Well, I could fill all of those worksheets out in a second but I couldn’t go any deeper.
This year I think I’ve finally found myself. This deeper part of me that I’m talking about was always there but I don’t think I cared enough to look, or maybe I was scared to. It’s true I’m probably the most laid-back person in the world, but I’m not one-sided. These blogs made me open up to my classmates, my teacher, and most importantly, myself.
There’s this one day in class that really sticks out in my mind when we were talking about Siddhartha and the idea of being perfectly content with life. I feel like I have this kind of contentment in my own life. I can’t think of any one thing significant enough that I would need to change about it. Sure, my parents winning the lottery would be NICE, but I like the way my life is right now. Maybe it’s just me being overly optimistic. I’m not sure which one but I’ll just leave it as I love my life the way it is.
I really liked the atmosphere this year, Bunj. You made sure to make it as stress-free as possible and you were really considerate to the fact that most of us take more than one AP and just might already have stomach ulcers. I felt confident but not cocky for the AP test and I think that was a perfect position for me to be in. The energy that radiates off of you and Room 204 is great…almost like energizica…really bright, positive energy.
I’ll probably think of more I want to add to this later, but either way for your sake and for the sake of Du singing Vitamin C for the 8394839 time, I won’t say goodbye. But I will say that I agree with Megan, I want to walk away from Oakcrest High School having no regrets and so far I’m setting myself up on that path pretty perfectly.
Goodbye. There is just no sadder word to say. I can remember the moment I walked into room 204. I had an amazing summer and I waltzed into the room with such confidence. As terrified as I was on the inside, I kept my head held high and tried my best everyday. My main goal was to prove to everyone that I was smart and not the typical blond that everyone saw me to be. I am proud to say that I think I proved that. I passed this year without failing and hey look! I'M NOT DEAD! Lol. As the year went on, I went through so much crap. Whether it was things at home, Bryant, or school work, these past few months have been extremely hard, but I'm glad I went through all this. I have grown so much stronger on many levels. This year I have learned to not be a pushover and stand up for myself and that's what I did. Standing up for yourself and doing what you want is the most exhilarating feeling in the world. All of this, I dedicate to you Bunje. You helped me learn that I am beautiful, amazing, and I don't need a man. Somehow in your daily lessons of life, I have learned to become independent and strong. And so I thank you. I thank you for turning me into the independent young woman that I have now become. And now, my future lies ahead of me. Senior year. WOW! I plan on having fun, but not too much fun. I want to make plenty of memories and learn as much as I can. After all, the real world is only one school year away now. My, how time flies by. College, marriage, careers, and little babies are now on the train ride of our lives and I believe I am ready for all of that. I think I'm finally ready to go out into the real world and live my life as a responsible adult. In my high school years, I have honestly learned to prepare myself for the real world. And I'm ready. Real world...here I come! And I just want to say, thank you. Thank you, Bunje, for the best English class I have ever had. And thank you to my old friends, for now our bonds are stronger, and to my new friends, for now we have created a whole new bond. I am thankful to everything I learned, the people I met, and mostly for taking this class. Looking back, I don't regret anything and I know that I am fully prepared to take that final dive into my future. So now I'm not going to say Good-bye, I'm going to say See you later, because next year will only include more memories for us to share.
It is so crazy how we only have FOUR days left in AP Lang! I wish we didn’t have to end this year, but simply extend it to next year after the summer. I will leave with new knowledge of rhetorical devices, writing, and new looks on many things in life. I feel that I have learned to write better, and when I say better I mean tremendously better. I have also learned many new vocab words, rhetorical devices, and things like life lessons. This year I have experienced things I would have never experienced in any other class. All those conversations we had in class were interesting and defiantly something to think about. And Bunje you taught in ways no other teachers do. I feel the different ways you taught us really were the strongest. For example, going outside and learning about the world around us. And I like how it was not like any ordinary English class. Just like many people said I don’t have a single favorite day or moment. They were all great! From the day that we all wanted to quit when we had to read a million boring pages and do crazy assignments to the last week where we learned about life around us. From the deep talks to the fun AP Lang parties. All these things were excellent because room 204 has made my year! My favorite lesson would have had to been the blogs because we had to reach into ourselves and pull out things we may have never seen. Yes, I am defiantly different than I was on the first day. I am not a different person, but a smarter person. I defiantly learned a lot this year. My junior year taught me that I can go through the hardest situations and survive. As long as I work my hardest and put everything out there I can really accomplish a lot. Yea, I knew before that I always had to work my hardest, but this year I really put it into effect. My hopes for senior year are to continue learning and not slack off like many seniors do. Also to do everything I can since it is my last year in High School. It is so crazy to say that!!!! To my friends I would like to say you are all awesome and we made it through a lot this year and ever since freshman year. To myself just keep working hard and doing my thing. And Bunje… Thank you so much for this year. You were a great teacher and I could of never learned things in other classes that you taught us. You simply are amazing and all the times you down talked yourself in period 11 you shouldn’t have! =] Even though you may be mad at me for just doing CP English 4 I really need too and that’s all I can say… And I will see everyone later!
I remember doing the summer work on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland thinking to myself: I'm going to hate this class. I'm almost positive that moments after, a seagull ate the sandwich I put down to finish reading Walden. I remember being afraid of what to expect. I wanted to drop the class and at one point I think it was dropped. In the end, I stuck with it because I wanted to prove Mr. Costal wrong, that I could do it. I know he didn't think I COULDN'T do it, but I know he certainly didn't think it was the best option. English isn't my best subject. Actually, after my junior year I feel like I have no BEST subject anymore. I do just as bad in all my classes. I like Biology the most, but I decided my junior year that I wanted to be a computer scientist. One day, I am going to change the world. I don't know how and I don't think computer science is going to make it very easy to change the world, but I am going to try asbestos I can. (Eventually I plan on aiding computers when they become smarter than human beings and take over the world. I think that maybe if I help them, they will spare me.)
I really can't stay on topic.
I learned a lot junior year. About myself, about the people around me, and about what I want to get out of my life. I learned so much more then what my transcript is going to tell colleges. I will laugh at them. They will never be able to understand how amazing of a person I am in 5 minutes.
Above of all, I feel the best thing I got out of AP Lang was how to write. I have captured what I believe is my voice. Right now you are hearing it. It flows out and it's so easy to write. I've realized that my voice sounds best when used to persuade and present facts. I've incorporated new vocabulary and put literary devices into action. AP Lang thought me that writing like everyone else is boring, simply because you don't have to. Because a 5 paragraph essay is too structured to allow your voice to pour through.
I can't think of the specifics of every moment I loved in your class, Ms. Bunje. But, I do know that I absolutely love the beautiful green and purple colors that the two trees you can see from your windows make in the spring. I do know that the countless hours I spend at school for Band and Mock Trial, I always felt welcome to come into your room and be myself and speak my mind. Out of all my classes, 12 period AP Lang has the most homely, family feel to it. I appreciate that. We all meshed really well. 204 is really a magical place equipped with everything we need to become more educated and informed people.
During my senior year, I want to give Oakcrest all I got. I want to make a dent in the community. I want to leave my mark. I have a lot of ideas as to how I can do that. (Similar to Project Registration, which miserably failed as the result of procrastination.) I feel like making a dent in a school full of 2,000 kids is a perfect stepping stone to making a dent in a world full of 6 billion people. I do not want this to describe my life.
I really love how the three people I texted Sunday night telling them that the blog is up are the first three people to post. I have been thinking about what to say for the past two nights but I have had a writer’s block. I am ready for school to be over and go to the beach and six flags, but I will miss everyone and I will miss room 204. I will leave with knowing that I actually read the novels that you assigned us. (That is probably a first for me. Emily told me the other day that she thought I forgot how to read, but I proved her wrong.) I will leave with more confidence in the English language. Although both Megan and Jeannie basically said that I agree with them. I have gained more confidence this year in more places than just English. I have learned 300 more words than any CP student would know, and I hopefully have learned how to take standardized English tests much better than in my past.
I would not trade my English class for any other. Like Megan and Emily said our class always had us laughing and if any one person was not there the class wouldn’t be the same. And Pokemon is the answer to every question in life. Thank you, Zander. Jeannie said that she couldn’t pick her favorite day and I agree. We have had some pretty amazing days in our class, whether we were mediating, eating, discussing a book, or Zander singing in front of the class in a Pokemon custom. I can’t pick which lesson I liked the most. I know I did have ones that I liked more than others but right now my brain is drawing a blank. I would definitely have to say my favorite homework was the reading response logs on A Vindication of the Rights of Women. (JK) My finest moment was when I got only one wrong on one of those practice tests.
I am sure I am somewhat different than I was in the beginning of the year but all in all I am the same old Rachel Carlson. I have grown more confidence like Megan and Jeannie said. This year I have learned to take more charge and not be scared to participate in more activities than sports. I guess I have also change in a way that I have allowed my friends to help change me more into a girl. I carry a purse now? Strange. But I have grown even closer to a group of my friends who I have considered to be my good friends already. I have realized this year who are my true friends and who are just my friends. I feel like this year like every year I was put through a lot of different trials that are just preparing me for my future. I felt like I handled my situations out well but without the help of my friends the situations would have been much more of a trial to get through. Thank you Bunje because I did go to you for advice and you were able to help me.
My junior year is soon to be over and it has just prepared me for senior year. It has allowed me to been seen by college coaches, it has allowed me to learn how to handle situations, and it has given me another year of learning. I hope that I figure out which college is best for me next year. There have been two things on my mind lately. Which college is best for me and how should I handle my injured foot. I try to avoid these questions as much as possible but my mom always brings them up. On a ten minute ride to get gas and come back home, my mom managed to asked me about which college I want, and whether my foot hurts or not. I try to avoid these questions because I don’t want to say the wrong answer that can affect my future. I am hoping that I make the right decisions next year and can survive senioritis like Gary said.
I would like to say thank you to everyone in my 9/10 class. Everyone made the class enjoyable. Emily said how she wanted to say something about everyone in the class I was tempted to do that too but I have already written a lot. Thank you, Bunje for making this class entertaining, but still allowing me to learn a lot of worthy information. Thank you and see you next year.
Wow, Jeannie’s right, the school year is coming to a close soon and summer is just right around the corner. In my case I guess it is good-bye to everyone here at Oakcrest. The people I’ve been around with are disappearing soon and I come to appreciate all of my peers. Although it’s not good-bye for most of you, at least we can walk out of school smiling all our troubles and carefree thoughts away. A lot of tears will appear, but we laugh at them and become stronger than the last year.
My junior year was full of surprises and knowledge. I didn’t do extremely well in AP Lang. but at least I have the memories and hardship that came along with it. The experience I gained from our class made me think deeply about the person I may become next year and the year after that. We all had our experiences together that makes us the same as the person next to us. I feel more knowledgeable and stronger than I was back in freshmen year. We were all young and inexperienced and now look at us all. I have to say that walking into room 204 made me realize all of life’s precious moments. I want to say that our last day will be the best day, by then we all know each other, by then we are all experienced and by then we’re all smiling sad or happy. It’s hard leaving one another but we’ll be in each others hearts like the stars that are shining brightly every night. I hope that when I walk into EHT high school that I would meet the same air of bonhomie that I do in Oakcrest, our school is a dump but it’s our dump. It’ll be scary for me to walk into a new school with new faces, but at least I’ll remember everyone here at Oakcrest and just maybe I’ll see you all again in college. ^^ I love everyone in our class like family and it’ll never change.
Bunje, you had to post a really sad blog up didn’t you? I’m joking I think this is one of my favorite blogs, it’s more personal in a way. Yeah mine’s not as long as everyone else’s blogs but it’s personal. =D
Oh yeah 5 more days until my birthday! Weeee!
In the late August of last year, I sat at this very computer (positioned differently then) and scowled at the very thought of this ridiculous "Ms. Bunje" who decided to not let anyone but the popular kids know about our summer work (Fear not, I have since learned the utter falsity of that statement!). I had known a fact then what I still know now- that despite whatever traumas or tragedies may occur, the show must go on, so I wrote a certain email to this Ms. Bunje explaining my tardiness on completing the assignment. I hadn't known then that with that email, I had clued Bunje in on my own unique writing style, one that would only become more unique and refined throughout the year to come.
I entered the wooden door of 204 with many questions. Was Ms. Bunje as nice as her rejoinder email made her sound, or was it a face she used to deal with kids in the summer; to make her sound nice but turn around and smack you in the face once school started? I took a seat right by the door, just in case. With everyone seated (a whopping 12 people), Ms. Bunje calmly began to take role. As she familiarized herself with our names, I analyzed her. The butterfly tattoo, the wild hair, the rumor that she was a Grateful Dead fan- what was I getting into?
As the year progressed, I realized exactly what I had gotten into. I had been seated behind the desk of what I can honestly say is one of the best teachers I have ever had (despite my mixed feelings towards the workload). I have never witnessed a teacher care so much about her students- know each one individually and intently, care about each one's problems (however petty they may seem), and simply refuse to step down in even the hardest times. For the first time in a long time, I felt like there was someone there when I needed her, for whatever reason, even though I'm not one to open up much. But I couldn't help but feel like if that time had ever come, Ms. Bunje would be there, butterfly tattoo and all.
The things I've learned in this class are innumerable. From polysyndeton to prose, allegory to alliteration, I have come to understand that most great writers don't simply sit at a paper and write. As important as that may be, that is not nearly the most crucial thing I've learned. No, the most awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, bring-you-to-your-knees-in-amazement thing I've learned this year is confidence. Confidence; meaning it's OK to be different. Confidence; meaning perhaps I'm not a total loser. Confidence; meaning I've found where I want to go in life, and I won't stop until I've reached it. And this is a gift I simply can't thank that wild-haired woman enough for.
I was just feeling ready to actually write my blog, when i happened upon Courtney's blog. And now, I don't think I can do it because it was just so good and made me feel all sentimental. So, I will have to try again later. Third time's the charm, right? Haha.
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We would get so excited and we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels
[1] - As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever
So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels
Wow, I guess its always goes this way; you save the best for last. This year was a very life changing year. I learned many things about myself and others. I gained a great amount of knowledge both on academics and life. I was able to select my real friends and the artifical ones too. I was able to embrace myself and take me for who I am. This year is the most talked about year through out your school career and I see why. You are pushed and pulled in all directions and only you can make the right decision for yourself.
I know you guys are probably wondering why I always bust out this song randomly but its because no matter what year your are this song to me fits all stages of life where you are moved to another stage. Nothing is ever the same and life is filled with changes. So the person that you may have been friends with for five years may not be your friend tomorrow and the guy/girl you have been with for two years may not want to be with you tomorrow but that’s life and it goes on. So always embrace the moments.
DUECES 204
...Another year almost finished. Wow. It seems like just yesterday I was in my science class with Mr. Gregor, or however you spell it, back in Davies. Jake Taylor and I would get in so much trouble for talking to each other but all the teachers still insisted that we sit next to each other. Good times. But i digress. Now I'm about to end my junior year of high school. To be honest, I don't want to leave. When they say that High School is the best years of your life, they mean it. I've had the best time in high school this year. Also i'm pretty sure i changed a lot. I mean, I have a girl friend. Some of you are probably thinking, 'It's about time' or something like that. Oh well it's all good.
Anyway, AP Language... There were some ups and downs. I did not like the class at all in the beginning. I hated RRLs especially since i couldn't seem to do them right. But once i got the jist of it, we stopped doing them. But I would rather not do them so it wasn't that bad. I think the best part was reading and listening to OPs. I like telling people about myself sometimes and I like listening to what other people do or whatever. It's funny sometimes. I know that you probably don't want to hear this, Ms. Bunje, but part of me was crushed when you said that we had to come in of the day of the final. I planned to not come to school at all that day, but oh well. You make the rules i suppose. But on a brighter note, I get to look at my star which i completely forgot what was on it. It'll be quite the surprise.
Okay... For my friends, I would have to say that I've made friends kinda. Well actually i would say that i made relationships between people better and possibly worse. I don't know how certain things work out but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Maybe things happen for a reason.
"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings." LOL
I'm excited and scared for my senior year. I want to go but i don't want it to end, but I don't want to be left back. If that made sense. Like i said before, I don't want to leave. I'm afraid of getting older but at the same time I want to live on my own. I'll figure it out. I sort of don't like change that much. Once i'm used to something, I hate changing it up. Unless it's for the better and it's not boring. I don't know. I'm rambling.
"I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I am perfect!" (Daniel Tosh) That's a syllogism!
Well i guess this is goodb- I mean See you later! I've had fun and to everyone, have a good summer/life/other stuff.
"As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two..." (Daniel Tosh)
AP Lang…When I first applied and was accepted for this class I expected silly ol’ Capelli and instead I was given the bootylicious Bunje! For the first month or so I regretted being smart, but I am so glad I never gave up because this class gave me more than an impressive vocabulary and literary terms. This class helped me find myself. I know now more than ever who Niah is. I have realized that I am too wonderful to surround my self with people who don’t appreciate me and to settle for anyone who can’t grasp that is just shit outta luck. I have grown so much and have stumbled across realization after realization. Junior year is everything people said it would be and more, and I have survived it and am a better person because of this year and this class, and more importantly because of you Ms. Bunje. And yes the Niah I am today is better, and I don’t plan to stop becoming better.
As we get closer to the last day I just keep thinking “Wow I’m a senior!” It seems like just yesterday I sat freshman year next to Kylie as Mr.C came into the room first period yelling about how he lost his tongue. And now three years later I am a senior. This new year I hope to have fun try things I always said I would but didn’t, talk to people I never noticed, and simply have fun. I want to laugh and smile and be happy. I want to make my high school memory one of the best. With great friends and good times!
With that said special shot outs! My first shot out goes to period eleven- the best AP Lang class Oakcrest has ever had and will have. Period eleven we have had tons of memories from wacky OP’s to heated discussions. I will cherish every moment spent during that period because even through all the hardship we really learned a lot from each other and we our better because of it! I love each and every one of you and am sad to see our days come to an end.
As for you Bunje we still have a lot to cover before I leave Oakcrest but for all you’ve done and I mean ALL you’ve done I want to say Thank You! I can’t remember a time that you weren’t always by my side with a shoulder for me to lean and cry on and a word of advice. You are a main factor to my many realizations. I never knew Niah Grimes was so strong and I thank you for EVERYTHING! You are absolutely a guardian angel. Words don’t give how grateful I am justice.
Every single year it's the same thing, during the school year everything can feel like life is going by so slowly and you just want to get it over with. However by the time good ol' June rolls around all you can hear from about every conversation around you is, "wow this year has gone by so fast!", and most of the time I am one of those people. Dragging my feet through each and every day at what seems like the slowest pace ever, but when I look back I always wonder where did the last 10 months of my life go. Now, even though I USUALLY say this, I believe...actually I know that this year was different. never before have I awakened with an ambition to go to school with such a positive attitude and never before have I noticed how fast time was flying by throughout each and every month I spent in the corridors of Oakcrest High School.
I guess this whole new outlook was because of the people that i have met this year. The teachers that i burdened with my negative, enjoyable presence are the people who made me love this year as a junior. I always heard Junior year is your hardest year, but also your best year i can say that one of the two statements is 100% true. At least in my situation, as far as difficulty goes it was about average on my scale of making me go home and cut my wrists at night because of the work load. I've met amazing people such as Cervi who has enlightened me in the world of History, which is a subject i never enjoyed actually i used to hate, but not anymore. Actually he may have even opened my eyes in how interesting the History of the U.S. and all the past wars truly are and i often find myself scanning through information about things like WWII, Vietnam, the Holocaust, and everything else i have learned this year. Thanks to him i now Love learning about our past.
Then there is my music composition teacher, Mr. Bass. Although he may not of really liked me too much I still enjoyed the class. My inspiration towards writing music has skyrocketed over this year, and the knowledge I have obtained, well is more than i would ever end up teaching to myself, and it allows me to appreciate music even more than ever before.
Lets see..hmmmm have i forgotten anyone? Hmm i guess that's everyone. Oh wait i guess i could give an honorable mention to my dear Ms. Bunje, in which I suppose it would be an understatement to say she has been one of the greatest English Teachers I think I have ever had, and probably will have. She has truly opened a whole new, untapped area of my mind that allows me to think completely different then ever before. It is hard to explain how and what exactly has changed. Just as Siddhartha said "Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish." Yet i can say this; the things i have experienced and learned over the last 10 months are things that i will remember for, well hopefully a long time. I've learned that i do have the potential to be a half-way decent writer if i really try, and that i can hold my own in an intellectual conversation in an AP class. I’ve learned that it really Is possible for me to truly value books because Bunje has shown me how not to hate them by exposing us to both Siddhartha, The Secret Life of Bees, and I am anxious to see what I think of the Perks of Being a Wallflower. I have learned to look deeper into myself and discover more about myself than I never could have imagined.
My finest moment would have to be; well I can’t say it ever occurred in a single instant. I would have to say the year as an entirety is has been the finest moment of my whole life. I’ve befriended numerous people whom I only fathomed hanging out with and sharing memorable times with. However, perhaps the first day I stepped into 204 could be described as one of the greatest times of this year because I would be overwhelmed with knowledge, in a good way of course. Next year, well I doubt it will be as great but hey I am going to take it on as optimistic as possible. Since it will be my last year dwelling in Oakcrest I will have to make the best of it, and if all goes well that is exactly what will happen and hopefully with the least amount of drama and heartbreak as possible. Well, I guess there isn’t really anything to say to my friends because I will see them frequently throughout the summer, but it is important to say that they are most definitely one of the major contributing factors to my experience in school, the other factor of course being my instructor that makes so many things clear to me. I think it is now safe to say that this is the longest blog I have ever conjured up, and I’ll “see you later” Bunje!
It hasn't really set in that our final days together are already here. It never does until those first days of summer vacation when you don't see those same faces and places that you had seen for 180 days of the year. During my Freshman and Sophomore years, I was just happy to get school done and over with for those amazing three months of summer vacation. This year, though, is definitely different. I'm actually thinking about college and life after high school is done and over with, about my serious senioritis next year, about my impact on the community through StuCo and NHS, and, most importantly, about my friends who I've grown to know and love for three years of my life that are going to be graduating in a week. The end of this year has most certainly hit me harder than that of my other years.
Which brings me to the room known as 204. A unique place in Oakcrest High School where the serious tone of an AP class intermingles with the arts and crafts of pre-school. Basically, this mixture is what made this class so great. From discussing "The Secret Life of Bees" from a beanbag chair to creating poster paper bricks to making aluminum foil ambition stars to drawing "Mo Money, Mo Problems" graphs on the white board, this class has brought me quite a few memories. I've always known I can count on Ms. Bunje to "spill my guts" to and that the overall pleasant atmosphere of our class would keep me coming back for more. While the work load was a bit much at times (reading "Vindication for the Rights of Woman" then doing RRLs ten killing myself 20 times -- one for each RRL), I knew that through this push I would do well on the AP test.
I'll try to save some of my sentimentality and mushiness for my OP. I wanna see Ms. Bunje cry! Out of joy, obviously.
So, period 12 class of 204, I just want to tell all of you that you are freaking awesome! And I'm definitely hanging out this summer with at least 3/4 of you. Stay classy, San Francisco.
After stumbling across the Oakcrest threshold late this morning, midway through the extended homeroom period, I was greeted by a smiling face with resplendent news. No, this news was not Mr. Ragan stating we had a fire drill in T minus 5, even though he did, but instead it was the lovely Michelle who informed Courtney and I, yes we are always together, that we just got papers for Senior pictures. Ahhh…..just writing that gave me chills and a warm smile. Soon we will be seniors, applying to college, getting accepted to college, graduating, and going to college, and, as most of you know, I absolutely cannot wait.
Despite the happiness linked with me anticipation for what is to come, I am a little saddened. I am going to miss AP Lang, Bunje, Period 11, and everything in relation; nothing will ever be like this AP year. I honestly do not think that I would make it through AP Lang if I was with any other group of intellectuals. Our small Period 11 family allowed for each student to grow both emotionally and intellectually each in their own way. Niah encompassed my feelings for Period 11 perfectly when she said she would “cherish every moment spent during that period because even through all the hardship we really learned a lot from each other and we our better because of it”. True that.
Throughout this year I have had ups and downs, mental breakdown after mental breakdown, heartbreaks and rejections and replacements, but truly I would not trade in this year for the world. My writing has reached new heights, I developed my “voice”, I refuse to take any crap from anyone anymore. I am who I am, I am realizing who I am more and more everyday, and the immature youths who have a problem with who I am honestly don’t matter. It feels good. I have experienced having the worst day ever, with the world pitted against me (no hyperbole needed), and all I needed to do to feel right again was to step foot into room 204. There is no other place like the calming cool of 204. Instantaneously, I feel better, I am better. I am not perfect, nor do I feel it, but better is good enough for me right now.
Today I started and finished reading “Perks of Being a Wall Flower”, and what I have to say is “I wish my high school experience was as eventful as the characters in that book”. Charlie had more of the “real high school experience” in one measly year than I have in three. I’m feeling slightly pathetic and I really regret missing out on a lot of things, but there always is senior year. Senior year should be insanely fun, insanely hard, hopefully the best year here at the Oak. I know I will be poppin’ in to 204 a many of times looking for advice on application essays, college interviews, more AP nonsense, or simply to literally chill out in cool 204.
And to my friends, the ones that matter, the ones that care, you are the best and you know who you are. To the ones who are sincerely nice and don’t just pretend to be nice for the sake of “saving face”, I thank you. Your genuine nature is refreshing. And now Bunje, Bunje Bunje, no words, but I think you know. Thank you for being the most devoted, loving, inspiring, and talented teacher.
So, now that I know what it means (thanks to Niah) Deuces 204, AP Lang, and Junior Year.
In September I was excited to be back into school with my friends because I remember those last couple of summer days when I was completely bored to tears. But never did I expect to go through the year that I did. From the days when I was at my lowest low to the days when I was at my highest high, I would not change any of it.
On June 11th I will walk out of the doors of Oakcrest with 180 days worth of 204 experiences. Remember when Zander sang to Bunje and postponed our test, when Devon called Bunje a bitch (but not really lol), or when Jon said, “Bunje’s going to Bangkok?” Period 9/10, Emrow previously stated, is filled with the oddest mixture of kids which makes our class just THAT much better. No, really, I’m going to leave with the life lessons that I’ve learned from those in depth discussions and I will never forget tone, diction, syntax, mood, and all those and a bag of chips.
I think my favorite lesson had to have been the whole unit that went with “The Secret Life of Bee’s.” Going through the book and finding more then forty quotes that related to me or reminded me of something that I thought I forgot about, was a real eye opener. Going through that unit had a huge impact on me, it made me realize things about myself that I was scared to see and then it gave me motivation to stand up to my oppressors, whoever they may/might be. I loved that book. Because of everything that lesson taught, it changed me for the better. In September I was to myself a lot and didn’t believe I had those close nit friends that I see strolling down the hall, but I’d make small talk if the moment granted it. I believed that when something bad happened to me I deserved it, but now, I sing a different tune. When an intelligent lady said, “Take every situation like a soccer game, in order to score you need to get past the defenders,” it got me pondering why I think that I deserve to be hurt and should be crushed. My problem, however, was that I let those defenders dictate my play and I allowed them to bully me. That was the old Fee, and if it wasn’t for that lady with the black eye I’d still be unhappy with myself. Wow, I’m happy with who I am and what I’ve done so far. I think this is the first time that I believe that with my whole heart.
Where would I be without my friends, Devon, Jeannie, Em Brill, Em Mehler, and Lala? Devon, you and I have grown up together and have shared holidays together and got our whole neighborhood to play cops and robbers. We threw Joe into thorn bushes, locked Alex outside your house, took on all the kids on our street in a soccer game and won every time, played in the sandbox and had adventures in the woods behind our houses, how much more fun could we have had growing up? Yes, we’ve fought and gone without talking to one another for a month at times, but that just makes us stronger. I don’t care what people say about our friendship, they don’t know us until they see us in action. Whenever you need someone to talk to, you know you have me and I know I have you. I can’t thank you enough for keeping your promise that we made when we first met. Do you remember? You’re dad was talking to my parents about how your house was going to be built and we just ran off into my backyard and automatically clicked. As our parents were getting acquainted, we were trying to play basketball on the grass. As we started walking back over to your house we both said, “Can we be best friends?” and we chuckled for a little while and then we shook our heads “yes” and now look where it got us. We can’t get rid of one another. I love you and this summer is going to be amazing. Love!<3
Jeannie Bean, we’ve become extremely close this year. I’ve opened up to you about almost everything possible this year. You’ve lent me your ear and I’ve always lent you mine. We know how to have fun (beach), and we know how to ride in style ;-). We found our prom dresses together, we found very cute tops, and we’ve both found, in each other, a friend that we’ll have until the end. You saw me when I was at my lowest of lows, but you stuck with me and I’m eternally grateful. You’re probably not going to see this, but if you do, I just want you to know that I say, “Thanks!” Love!<3
Em Brill, this year we’ve gotten so much closer and started hanging out more then we ever have. Our taste in music is quite similar; our conversations should be written down and published for the world to read for entertainment. You never know when I’m going to call and say that I’m near your house and you never know when I’ll pop up with an “I love you!” instant message. I’m sincerely glad that you are coming on the France trip and I can not wait for 12 (??) days with you and my brother in a country in which we don’t speak the language at all and we’ll be depending on Joe to be the translator/communicator. Heaven knows he’ll say something embarrassing and we won’t know the difference. Can’t wait! Love!<3
Em Mehler, you were absolutely right when you said that we wouldn’t have become as close as we did if it wasn’t for previous friends being bitches (pardon my French). We can connect on anything and everything. When you need someone to talk to, I’m your girl. If I need someone to vent to, I know I can count on you. When we just want to meet up for coffee, we just do because we do what we want. Beach, Six Flags, shopping, and work (?) will keep us together this summer. Love!<3
Lala, I have known you almost as long as I have known Devon. We’ve definitely had our ups and down’s but in the end I can count on you and you can count on me. Trying to do the Soulja Boy dance in your living room explains us to a “T”, we have our own paths but no matter what, we have a pretty good time doing what we do best, look like idiots lol. No matter where we are, what situation we are in, we can always come away with knowing that we had the best possible time. Some people think we are alike; I take that as a compliment. Love!<3
Gary, I agree with you 100%. We weren’t close when we were dating but that was because we never talked. How is a relationship supposed to go anywhere when two people rarely talk? When we did talk, however, our conversations would last until early the next morning. Somewhere, in the shift between summer and school, we became extremely busy and just didn’t work with our relationship. I know I still care about you and I always will. That’s a give in. Never ever say to me again, “Drive safe.” lol
Now, the time has come to bid farewell and leave blogger until a random date when I feel like seeing if anyone posted something. As for you, Bunje, I just wanted to say thank you. You pushed me, you called me a slut because of my red leather jacket, and you opened my eyes to a new me, a slightly more confident me. When I felt like no one else would understand, I came to you. Thank you for being you.
Period 9/10, thank you for being the best class ever!
So, here it is, here’s to the days of being juniors, and hello to the days of being seniors.
Love you all!
I remember sitting down on the very first day of AP Lang. This in itself is a victory, considering my memory stinks. I remember looking around at the students in my class feeling so intimidated. I looked across the room at Emily and Courtney thinking, knowing, that I wasn’t capable succeeding in this class. I sat there predicting my embarrassing failure, and cursing my mother in my head for forcing me into the class. I looked back to the moment in the summer, when I sent Bunje an email stating that I wouldn’t be taking the class, and wishing with all my might that I would just disappear in from the class and magically appear in some CP English 3 class. Obviously, that wish didn’t come true and I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am that it didn’t.
I know that I still don’t measure up to some of you crazy brainiacs, and that I probably never will. However, I had the chance to realize that I have potential. This realization has often led me to incredible frustration though. But, I think I’m going to save that mess of crap for my OP (that I need to hope on ASAP). Anyway, I realized that I had what it takes to succeed, or at least not make a fool out of myself trying. The first moment I felt like someone with a brain, was when we had to write one of those weirdo, Bunje fun, timed paragraphs. I think it was the one about the shapes...IDK... it doesn’t matter. But, going into this assignment I was miserable. There was nothing I despised more than reading my writing aloud to the rest of you. But, good ol’ Bunj made me do it anyway, of course. (Did I mention how much I love you? Haha) So, I read it, had a hot flash from embarrassment, and then just sat there, waiting for my response. Katie then, out of nowhere, said something like, “I wish I could write like that...” or something equally as bogus. That’s what I needed to hear though, some sign of approval, of acceptance. Bunje then agreed it was good and I finally felt like I had a chance with it all. My two other favorite moments were when I did real good on those Practice AP Test, because it was then I started feeling confident in the class and my ability to pass.
My favorite class period is probably the one where we just talked about Siddhartha. About how people are always striving for more and never satisfied, and about good souls and lack of soul. It’s probably my favorite mostly because I’d missed Bunje English more than anything that whole year. I was so excited to talk to everyone about more than literary terms and AP Exams.
I felt so privileged to be in a classroom with all of you. To one day, see you all doing these ridiculously awesome things and have the right to say I knew you all, and got to share thoughts and ideas and hear about your lives through conversation and occasional papers. Hands down, my favorite thing about life is meeting amazing people and I can say, uncontrovertibly, that I have. I wish I could just go on forever adoring all of you, but I’m not trying to look like too much of a creeper. Just know that I care so much for all of you, and can’t wait to watch all of you live your lives and accomplish even your greatest goals.
Next year, I hope that our class just grows even closer than it already is now. I hope to get to know some of you better and I hope for some of you to get to know me better. We’re good people, and good people need to stick together. Have a great summer, all of you, and let’s seriously try to “K.I.T” and not just sign it in each other’s yearbooks and forget about it. So, even if it’s just on this blog website, or email, talk to you later. And really, thank you so much for being with me through this year, I’ll never forget the memories we share.
So this is going to be very much like my OP. I really don't think I learned all that much in AP Lang, no offense Bunje. I really did learn alot, though, through all of the rest of the time through the year. I grew as a person, into a man, and I learned alot about myself.
I learned that with a certain amount of effort and determination I can get through or acheive anything. I got through the break-up, through the heartbreak, and found a new, astounding girlfriend, but better yet, my best friend. I feel so much smarter, older, and more experienced having gone through this year. As I was saying before, I feel like I learned more from you Bunje, talking one on one more than I learned in your class, which, I'm sure, doesn't surprise you. You taught me alot about myself, how to be patient, how to believe in myself, and all I can do for that is thank you. Every AP student is involved in my life somehow, Joe sitting in front of me, with your humorous sarcasm, Niah with all your "in the bedroom" talk, Pete holding my hand, but those are just a few examples. I really couldn't be more grateful for all of the kids I have grown up with this year, and I understand that all of us, in some way or another, have grown. But this is not a goodbye, definitely not a goodbye; we will all say see eachother another day, and as Bunje said, see you later...
P.S. If you really want to see me I'll be still in school until next June non-stop about 5-6 days a week for football so come see me! Building a Franchise baby! Oak Football!
Wilkes
So. Two days, and 4 hours left of junior year. Then we will all be (we ALL better be) Oakcrest Seniors. Ha senior years hasn’t even started and I’m already sick of it, but that’s just because of my schedule. But back to the blog. This year has been both the best and the worst. So many things have happened and changed. When I thought of what junior year was going to be like at the end, I never thought it would be like this. So let’s answer those questions.
Am I different now then I was at the beginning year? Absolutely! Not only have I changed my mind about my career, and my colleges, and some of my friends, and relationships, I have changed as a person. Anyone who was in Government with me last year knows that I used to freak out everytime a new project or assignment was assigned. But this year, I was able to take it one day at a time, one assignment at a time. I know how to maintain sanity and manage my time better. I’ve also discovered who I am, and who I want to be. (Thanks to the blogs mostly!) But I have definitely changed for the better.
So junior year, besides the year of enlightenment, has also been one of the most arduous and strenuos years I remember. Between three AP classes, a part-time job, and babysitting, I felt like I had no time what so ever to myself. That is what I am looking forward to this summer. But I know senior year will be just the same as this. With the AP classes, and working, and applications, and scholarships, I don’t think I will have time to sleep or eat! But I’m hoping that in the mix of all that jazz, I will discover what I am called to do in this life. I know I have been talking about pharmacy all year long, but I don’t believe my heart is truly in it. I want to find a career that will truly make me happy.
Room 204 has, without a doubt, been a safe haven for me. Not only has it been the center of learning and knowledge, but it has also provided me with friends, and colleagues I know I can count on and trust. In that room we have all been together since the beginning, never trying to one up eachother, but to help eachother through the horribleness we went through in May. (I’m just kidding. It wasn’t all that bad.) But blogs and Ops would probably be my favorite parts about AP Lang. Not only did they get us to write, but they also got us to learn about eachother, and provided some of us a way to vent. They also provided some what of a solace from all the rest of the AP work. The blogs also got us to think more deeply than definitions and facts. Blogs helped us tap into the philosophical side wea ll have, but don’t get to use all that often. These philosophical sides then got put to the test in the follow up discussions in class.
One such discussion was the one about love, and what it is. That discussion really got me thinking about what I thought it was and if I’ve ever truly been in love. I won’t get into it here, because it’s really not that important. But it was that lesson and discussion that probably had the most impact on me.
There isn’t really anything I want to say, because like you said Bunje, it isn’t good-bye. We will all see eachother later. I’m going to save those words and tears for next year, when we will all be going our separate ways and persuing our dreams.
From the moment I entered room 204 on the first day of school, I knew I was in for a different kind of English class, different than two years of Costal, and certainly different from my elementary and middle school experience. I can't even really say what it was, the coconut perfume, the atypical setup of the desks, or just the general vibe of the classroom. Long story, short I was right, i don't know if there is one moment or time that is representative of my 204 experience. I moved from feeling uncertain about what was happening, to feeling resentful over the volume of RRLs, to acceptance of RRLs as a fact of life, and finally to appreciation for Bunje's methods and the experience I've had from taking this class.
So, it’s over. Just about. It doesn’t seem like it could be, not already, but at the same time it doesn’t seem possibly that this year has dragged on for sooo long. Ok. So, my first reaction to what I’ve learned this year is that I haven’t learned anything, that I already knew it or never really learnt it. But that can’t be true. And when I think about it, I learned a ton, about well probably everything. I think I learned a lot about myself, even though I feel like I just can’t understand the things I do or feel anymore. I learned a lot about my friends, too. I learned how to deal with some things and how not to deal with other things. I have more hope and confidence in myself in the long run, and I’ve learned to worry at least just a little bit less. I think I’ve also learned to have a bit more faith in people, and trust that they won’t leave me high and dry. And I think I learned how to deal with those times, too.
I can’t think of a specific favorite day, like a lot of people said. I think my favorite day would be a collage of the whole year and all of my lovely 204/Bunje experiences. I liked our discussions and our little meditations, but I think my favorite is when we had occasional papers. Esp. with Du yelling out things and the entire class breaking down in giggles, at times with someone on the floor. The room seemed to fill with excitement and extra bonhomie whenever there was an occasional paper. I’ve gotten to know people much better and learned so much about them through our quarterly OP’s, and I’m really glad to have had that opportunity.
I suppose I’m different from how I was at the beginning of the year. Last year I thought the change was really dramatic, even though I think only my mom and I really noticed it. This year, it’s a lot more subtle, and I changed in smaller ways. But I achieved things I had figured would never happen. I actually mentioned a bunch of the changes when I talked about what I learned, so I’m not going to repeat them. But I believe I’ve become better. I think this year was, despite a bunch of trials, relatively smooth and allowed me to get a better handle of things. It was just an overall learning experience, quite pleasant and somewhat healing. I think last year kind of broke me down, and this year built me back up again. Next year I want to have fun and spend more time with all the people I’ve grown to love in my first 3 years at Oakcrest, yet be open to all the wonderful people I’ll meet next year. I want to conquer the fears I have and never let the get in the way. I want to really feel at peace with myself and the things I’ve done and will do in the future.
Ughhh so I read this blog Sunday night and have been putting it off since then, I mean I know procrastinating this will not make it any less sad or any more apparent that the school year is over I just don’t think it I am ready for this school year to end. Once this year is over it just means that we are that much closer to college and going off on our owns I mean all that sounds fun and all but just not yet.. thinking back on this school year I can definitely say that I have grown up quite a bit. This year has been really successful for me as far as learning is concerned, and no I am not alking about RRLs, limits, or even E=mc^2, I mean just being myself and being happy with that.I don’t let the little bad stuff that happens get to me anymore, I try more than I ever used to to keep a smile on my face. I also do not care what anyone thinks about me nearly as much as I used to. If anyone ever did not like me or call me a (excuse my language) Bitch I would be greatly upset and let all the high school drama get to me, but now I do not even let any of that even bother me. I figure people who don’t like me are either someone who doesn’t want to take the time out to get to know me or someone who heard a rumor that wasn’t true or something else that would make them equally not important. I have also became A LOT less shy. I remember in the beginning of the year I was scared to voice my opinion, even in room 204, but now it is completely different, my opinion is my opinion and even someone doesn’t like it it’s not going to kill me. The different blogs we have had and all the different class discussions in room 204 have allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable in my skin.. Thanks Bunj =D You seriously contributed so much to me growing up Junior year. I hope my senior year can be just as good if not better.. of course in order for that I will need to have you for my English teacher next year. Hehe
The by far best thing that has happened this school year was… this sentence is a hard one to finish. I loved basically everything about this year. From going to beach in October to me and Tony’s fist kiss to seeing my favorite band in concert I honestly would trade a second of this school year for the world. I grew up and had so much, had so much fun doing it, and enhanced my vocabulary in the process. Junior year 07-08 has been priceless. Everything came up quicker than ever, I stressed myself like there was no tomorrow, and loved every second of it.
As far as my friends go, and this definitely includes Bunje, I honestly do not know how I would have survived Junior year without any of you. You guys were all here when I needed you whether it was advice, a new phone, an outsider’s opinion, a way to get closer to my crush, or even extra gym shorts.
This 07-08 school year will never be forgotten.
=D
I definitely agree with my future husband, as Leslie predicted, Jake about this year hitting a lot harder than our freshman and sophomore years. There is no doubt that it is a lot scarier beucase the harsh reality of us growing up and leaving the Oak is finally settling in. As far as leaving 204 goes I am 100% positive that will be harder than leaving Oakcrest because 204 has a certain atmosphere and feeling to it that is hard to leave behind. It’s the same feeling you get when you finish a nice long book on a summer afternoon or jump into a nice cool pool on a hot summer day or reaching the king first in a game of Candyland. It never gets old or fades. When you walk into room 204 you leave all of your stress and wdorries behind and entire a world where everyone is a star.
It's so hard to end this... i guess it's like I said in the beginning I am finally starting to realize that this school year really is over and we really are that much closer to the real world.
=D
PS period 12 AP Lang was AMAZING
Ms Bunje said it best. Just like in the movie JOhn Q. It's not "Goodbye," it's "See you later." We will all return next year as Seniors and will be our last year to live up what is left of high school. It has come and gone in a blink of the eye. I remember the first day of freshman year. Those were the good times. Now here we are departing our Junior year. By far it has been the fastest school year. I have to say that I have gained a lot more knowledge than what i once had at the beginning of the year. I not only will leave with the Lang material taught by Ms Bunje, but I will also leave with knowledge about life and interactions. I have changed greatly over the past year. I mean just look at my hair. It's not just the physical features. I have changed my mentality too through what I have learned and experienced this year. My Junior year has showed me my full potential. This has been my best year and I still can say I didn't give it 100%. It showed me what I could do. Next year I hope to continue my success and have as much fun as possible. The real "See you later" will be next year. Just look at all the Seniors now. Getting everyone to sign their yearbooks one last time before everyone goes to different places in the world. That will be us next year. The past three years have been great and lets keep it going for next year. Make our senior year one to remember.
I never knew a room could do so much for a person, but 204 is definitely the only room in Oakcrest High School that has had an affect over me. The first day of school I remember walking in and seeing Ms. Bunje sitting on her stool in front of the blackboard and from that moment on I knew she belonged there. The walls were blue and the water-themed background on the bulletin boards made it even more serene. I think my favorite part though was the silvery word Dream that sat on the chalkboard ledge right next to Ms. Bunje. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought we were on a cloud somewhere, especially when we put up our stars.
I hear my mom talking about kids she knew in high school every now and then. She even brought her yearbook in to work the other day to look at it with a few of her co-workers that went to school with her. And then the other day it hit me—these high school days that she keeps on reminiscing about are almost over for me. Only one more year left. We’ve already got three years cemented behind us. Three years of our high school story where we already know what happens. These are truly the days we’ll remember and they are sure worth remembering.
I think this year, more than any other, has been based around discovering who we really are. And even though a lot of us still don’t know exactly who that is, I’m sure we’ve all come much closer with Bunje’s help. I know I have. Now that I think about it, this was the theme the whole entire year—self-discovery. It was evident in The Secret Life of Bees, Siddhartha, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. All characters were searching for something deeper, something a little beyond themselves at the current moment. Ultimately, this is all of us. We’re all searching for greater things—ourselves, love, beauty, friendship, success—and the list continues. As we’ve come to learn, these things are practically indefinable. There are no boundaries, ‘cuz we do what we want’. Only we can make things what we think they are. That’s how it will always be, and I think this is one of the most valuable lessons I learned this year.
As for friends, I’ve made quite a few good ones this year. You guys know who you are. They’ve helped me be more social and not live in a hole like I did last year with AP Government. Especially my best friend who I’m glad is five months older than me so she could drive me places J. Thanks Em.
Well guys, let me just say that these are the days we’ll remember. We’ve grown so much and we will continue to find new ways to grow. So, this was junior year, supposedly the most important year in our high school career, and it was amazing.
These Are the Days by Natalie Merchant
these are days you'll remember
never before and never since, I promise
will the whole world be warm as this
and as you feel it, you'll know it's true
that you are blessed and lucky
it's true, that you are touched by something
that will grow and bloom in you
these are days you'll remember
when May is rushing over you with desire
to be part of the miracles you see in every hour
you'll know it's true, that you are blessed and lucky
it's true, that you are touched by something
that will grow and bloom in you
these are the days
that you might fill with laughter
until you break
these days you might feel a shaft of light
make its way across your face
and when you do
you'll know how it was meant to be
see the signs and know their meaning
you'll know how it was meant to be
hear the signs and
know they're speaking to you
to you
<3 Period 11
Twelth period on the first day of school I walked into 204 feeling tired, upset, angry, and mostly lost. I didn't know what to expect, and at that time I honestly didnt care. Then I saw a cheery face sitting on the black stool in the center of the room wearing a white long skirt. I remembered the year before talking to Mr. C and Mrs. Rock and them telling me about this Ms. Bunje lady who was one of the greatest teachers that just wrapped all her students up in her big long skirts of love. I got this impression the second I saw you, Bunj. After hearing you talk and knowing you already put so much confidence in us, I was pretty sure I would like the class. But by the end of the day at 2:35 I still walked out feeling lost and unmotivated. My feelings were put into an OP and then kept inside a while after that. But day after day turned into month and month and soon everyone in 204 changed me. You guys changed me for the better.
I had pretty much decided that people were going to break the bond of trust sooner or later. But something happened in our class, and we all became a family. One that I knew I could depend on. Each class that I had in 204 was like a crazy family party filled with laughs and the crazy nuts. Junior year definitely did make a change somewhere in me. I guess it brought back some hope, and reassured me that there was a whole class of people who I could talk to anytime and feel completely comfortable. I've never gotten that vibe in any other class. I know that it has a lot to do with the personalities of all us AP Langers, but most of the credit goes to you, Bunje. You always knew that I would bounce back, even though you never knew the person that I was hoping to bounce back to. I remember staying after with you one day and you pointing out every boy that walked into the classroom trying to get my mind off the other one. You knew I was strong enough just to say enough is enough and move my life past it all. Through your constant wanting for us to dig inside our hearts and souls, I finally did find my strengh. I couldn't thank you enough for any of that. For the new family we've formed, the new perspective, the new boy, and the new feeling I get when I walk outside and just soak it all in by truly being with that single moment. There is just something about you that inspires, something that reinstates the goodness of the world, something that just gets your kids singing like Du or squeeling like Dan, theres just something about you that we all can't help but love.
My hopes for senior year is just for it to be memorable. I want it to be just as mind opening and maybe even just as mind boggling as this one. I haven't found who I am exactly, but if I keep listening to all the advice you've given us over this year, I believe I will.
Of course, for senior year it wouldn't hurt to have the loving teacher with the big long skirts again either.
So, like you said, this isn't goodbye. Simply, see you later. Because, lets be honest, families have to stick together. <3!
This year has been quite the year for me, both academically and mentally. In what is said to be the most important academic year of high school, I took on my first AP classes, three actually. To my surprise, I actually did quite well. On a personal level, I got a social life, a car, and a new girlfriend, all of which are quite nice to have, especially the latter. Through all of these changes in my life, I have certainly changed. I’m really not a different person at all, I’m sure everyone knows that. I’m still as sarcastic as ever, but there is just something different about me now, something that I can’t actually figure out. I think what it may be is that I’m more in touch with the softer side of me that I keep locked inside of me so deep. I was raised that it’s unmanly to be a “softy,” but to hell with that, I do some pretty unmanly things so I might as well be “soft” too.
In 204 this year I have learned a lot, everything from the different rhetorical modes to 300 new words, but more important than this new knowledge is what I learned about myself. I grew quite a bit this year, both through the various things Bunje made us do to learn about ourselves, but also from my private life and private conversations with Bunje. Basically what I learned about myself is that, I genuinely am a nice guy, but I put up a nearly impervious defensive wall of sarcasm and subtle insults to keep people from getting to close. As far as a favorite day, I would have to say the day after the AP examine, because that is the day when I got to go back to having a Bunje English class rather than a Bunje AP class.
Like a few people have already said, senior year is going to be a total joke, I can barely get myself to do any work now, next year is going to be terrible in that regards. Well to you, Ms. Bunje, I just want to say thank you for everything. I appreciate all the advice you gave me, and even the tricks you played on me to get me to think, “Waste not, want not.” To my friends, I just want to say thanks for putting up with my sarcasm and every other crazy thing my slightly deranged self does. And I just want to say see you around, stop by and I’ll wash your car for you or something.
To everyone, I want to say goodbye. Yes I know I was told to never say “goodbye,” but what else is there to say? I’m probably not going to see anyone of your lovely faces ever again, so goodbye is the other fitting thing to say. So goodbye my friends, I’m off to Hogwarts this summer, I’m going to take the transatlantic tunnel to England this summer.
I can't believe that tomorrow is our last full day of school. I'm crying right now and I barely started writing (now I know what you mean Hannah!) I guess I should start by saying that AP Lang has made my junior year all that it was. The friendships that I formed and the knowledge that I gained are both irreplaceable and unforgettable. 204 has not only been the home of knowledge and inspiration, but one of family. This class has taught me more than I could have ever imagined, not only in terms of english, but life in general. I'm pretty sure that is the reason in which room 204 has become a home to all of us; because it's so much more than just vocabulary and literary terms. It became an inseperable friendship full of laughs, tears, smiles, frowns, ups, and downs with the most amazing people in the world. I know that it would be impossible to write about everything that I have learned throughout my two years with you, Ms. Bunje. You have not only been a teacher to me, but a friend as well, and I couldn't thank you enough for that. Unlike any teacher that I have ever known, you look beyond our test grades to form your opinion on us. You do everything in your power to get to know us and form a friendship with us, instead of simply teaching just AP Lang. You are there for us from our family problems to our relationship problems and anything else beyond, and I appreciate that so much more than words could express. You have made me a stronger person, a more dedicated person, and a wiser and more confident person. You have showed me to always fight for what I believe in, and make the decision that makes me happy. You have taught me to never be scared of being myself, and you have taught me to keep my head up and a smile on my face throughout any situation that life may bring. I don't really think that I have a favorite day from this year in AP Lang, only because I love every minute spent in room 204. Junior year, however, has taught me so much about myself, my family, and my friends. I learned who my true friends are, but also to like every and trust no one. I think that was the most imoportant lesson from this year. I made my share of mistakes this year, but it has only made me a better person. I try not to have regrets and just enjoy all of my high school memories because I will never get these four years back again. I hope that senior year is just as good if not better than my junior year was. I know that my friends will make it worth it, even if the work does get a little challenging. Theres not much else to say, but thanks to you, Ms. Bunje, and all of my AP Lang friends that have made my junior year one to remember forever. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer and i'll see you all in September. We're seniors now guys, this is our time, lets make it unforgettable:) eeeeeeeeeeee<3loveeeee.
So I just read through the first few blog responses to get into motion, and I’m already choking on some tears. I was afraid that was going to happen because I knew up until this moment that I was dreading this blog. The last one. Plus, I’ve had that feeling that it was going to be sentimental from the very beginning. The fact of the matter is that I can’t deal with mushy stuff. I think it’s all band’s fault, and even drama after this year. I think all you drama kiddies out there would remember me crying for awhile before our last Ragtime show…and during the bows. And for goodness sake, Mr. T puts me through torture every year because we have to play the freaking graduation song for all of my senior friends leaving…and it makes me cry, dammit! I’m really just not cut out for this.
And now that closure is happening here. I was expressing these same feelings to my dad just last night, and he told me that I prefer to keep things “open-ended”. That’s so true. For the meantime, I thank Ms. Bunje for saying that this is only “see you later”. I’m going to see you all next year and over the summer. Same for you Bunj!
What have I learned? I’ve learned my biggest, most important lesson so far that I guess all of us have experienced at one point or another: finding myself. Some people have already said that they don’t think they’ve changed at all. That’s the complete opposite for me. I think it’s because of the blogs, too. Each week I sit down to do the blog, and it’s always been some philosophical anomaly that forces me to look a little deeper inside of myself than I ever have before. Each time I formulate an answer, I’ve felt like a different person coming away from it. Earlier in the year, most of my answers were really confident, mostly because I was sure I knew myself. Y’know, who the REAL Courtney is. Now, I look at myself in a new light. I have some issues and inner demons I’ve got to live with. I’m not just a happy-go-lucky girl with no worries or cares. I’ll take a minute to stop and think about things bigger than myself. In a way, I’ve been humbled, like Ms. Bunje said about herself. True, I’ve had to face problems this year that I haven’t before that were independent from 204 (thank God!). I’ve found out that a couple of my friends do/have done drugs. And then there’s Mr. Cervi who insists on teaching us about World War II, the Holocaust, and Vietnam. I don’t think of it as a history lesson; it’s more like enlightenment, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to experience such a mixed cornucopia of feelings before like horror, dread, numbness…and now awareness. This year, I’ve opened myself up to newer, stranger, and foreign things. I’ve taken this empty baking pan and filled it with cake batter so one day it will become a delicious cake! I couldn’t resist myself with that one, sorry! :)
My favorite lessons were ones we’ve learned about guidance. The Secret Life of Bees had a lot to do with that, and family as well. Can we make it through the storm without some support and wisdom? Lily found comfort with herself when she found August, June, and May. Sure, she needed to be at peace in concern to her mother’s death, but August guided her through the heartache. And recently, when we read Siddhartha, Ms. Bunje asked us a question: “Do you have a ferryman?” That one will stick with me forever. I have two favorite days, though. One of them is the first day of the 4th marking period when we had to switch seats, and I got to sit in my first seat ever (well, close enough, because I moved one over). I’m smack dab in the middle of the room and I feel comfortable with everyone that sits near me. Plus, this was when I could pay attention to Bunje the best. For me, I think it’s when we felt connected the most. And finally, who could forget the day after the infamous Allison had a fight with her boyfriend…and Bunj had to leave it up to us to sort out their misgivings. Boys vs. Girls! We never did meet her though…
I’ve already typed WAYYYY more than I thought I would, and letting all this out has stopped my tears. A little emotional dumpage never hurt anyone. I feel really at peace with myself and my experiences with room 204. Junior year was every bit as hard as I anticipated it would be, but now it’s almost over and I can say I did it to the best of my abilities. I’m not gonna lie though, next year is going to be the best year everrrrrrrr. I’ve got an easy math (that I will get AP credit for…hooray statistics!), AP Lit (yesss!), Military History (so I can keep up with my major), and film institute! Nice, laid-back classes. Ahhhhh. Now I just need a job and I’m set for the summer. In closing, I’d just like to tell myself that I’m slightly disappointed for not being outgoing. I know it will get me far and I think that I’d feel more comfortable with myself. But hey, for once, I’m not going to beat myself up over it. I love you guys and I want you all to know it. Especially you, Bunj. You’ll be the first teacher I come to visit next year. Every day. And years from now when I have an education from my dream college, a great job, and a husband and kids, I’ll put the baby pictures here like we all promised. I think this blog is so long because I don’t want it to end, but isn’t that the way I always feel about them? I dread them, I can’t stand the topic, I start typing…and there you have it, the best answer I could possibly come up with. And in the end, I loved every bit of it. Since I hate sentimentality, I’ll just say “See ya later!”
I wish I could just repost my occasional paper!! The end of the year is always bitter sweet for me, more sweet than bitter, but you understand =) I love summer and the idea of being free from the burden of school work and everything stressful associated with school, but every summer I think about how I’m leaving another part of my life behind me. Tomorrow became yesterday and next week became this week it seems crazy how in the moment it seems like time is going so slow, but in reality there’s only 24 hours in a day and given that we’re getting about 8 hours of sleep a night we only have about 16 hours a day left to make a difference in our world and make an impact on peoples lives. Walking into 204 I didn’t believe that I was going to get much out of the class, I actually didn’t even think I was going to like you Ms Bunje. All I expected was work and a couple laughs because Jake was in my class. I didn’t know that I was walking into a room that would change my life forever. I’m not even exaggerating. I never believed that I was an angry person until now that I look back at what I use to be like. I was so angry at everything, but somehow every event that happened in my life from September up until now has helped me to learn about myself in a number of different ways. I feel foolish in a way because in the beginning of the year I thought I could just handle everything. I didn’t really want to burden others with my worries so I just kept it to myself, but I realized now that that’s just a road towards self destruction. I think it was just a phobia combined with the anxiety of people judging me for it. I don’t think I’m completely over it, however, I realize that that’s not necessarily the best thing to do all the time. I feel like I’ve made a transformation. Especially with the more current events that have happened in my life I feel more at peace with myself and my surroundings. One really important lesson that I’m learning still is to just to let things be as they are. You can’t change people you can only guide them to a different point of view.
Overall I would say that this year was a success because I learned so much about myself. I learned about my capabilities and my limits. It’s just amazing how life works. People always talk about preparing for the unexpected, but the unexpected always tends to happen right under people’s noses. I didn’t expect any of what happened to me this year. Bunje, it was so unexpected for you to come into my life crazy as you were. Our fait’s crossed paths and I’m thankful that they did especially because I feel like of all the students in AP Lang I, unnoticing, needed you the most. Every time anything in my life was upside down you always seemed to notice, especially the times when I tried to hide it the most. I love hearing you talk because you talk with so much sage. I have so much respect for you, even though my vocab quizzes don’t show it. I am thankful for every moment we’ve spent with one another up until now and pray that perhaps we will cross paths again beyond next school year. Bunje you’re our angel. God bless you and Thank You <33
…I love Cream Cheese =)
I just got hit- hit with a huge reality check. Our Junior Year at Oakcrest is done. Over. No more. No more blogs, no more Ops, no more RRLs (yay), no more discussions, so more reflections, no more new ideas, no more realizations, no more Bunje lessons. Bunje, English has always been my favorite subject but you have taken English class to a whole new level. I honestly don’t even feel like it was a class. You made it feel like you’ve known us for so long, you were one of our goods friends who got to talk with us and teach us, new, life-changing things. And notice, I said, you talked “with” us- not to us and not at us. What’s interesting, is that you treat all of us like we’re on the same level and you don’t talk down to us like you know all and we no nothing-even though you know a thousands times more than us and you have so much more experience in life. Everyone respects you for this. And because of the way you broke the barrier between an adult and a child, you have prepared us far more than for a little AP test. You have prepared us for life. in 10 months you helped every single one of us grow up, mature, and begin our journey to adulthood, especially for me. I have had countless moments this year, when I found myself sitting down, and really giving at good look at my life, myself, and my future. Lately, I feel like I have been relating everything to the future. The past couple of blogs and my OP have been focused on my future and I am constantly writing about how I don’t know where I want to go in life and what I want to be…and you helped me realize that it is okay to not know. While every other person in my life has been harping on me to figure out what colleges I want to go to, lecturing me on SAT scores, and pushing me into certain paths, whether you’ve realized it or not, you have helped me realize that, even though this is the dreaded, treacherous Junior Year, I don’t have to have that all figured out just yet. My future isn’t going anywhere. It’s always going to be there. I am growing up. I am no longer going to ‘grow up’. I have already started that process so regardless of if I actually know exactly where I am headed- it doesn’t matter because some way and for some reason, I will no matter what end up where I am destined to be and you are living proof of this Bunje. You’ve done it all-the college, the jobs, the journey, you have lived, you are living, and you will live and you are happy. I have lived, I am living, and I will live, and I am happy. And I don’t want any of that to change.
I cannot chose a favorite day or a favorite lesson. Granted, some impacted me more than others, but over all, every single day in 204 has changed me in some way. And regardless of some of the stress I went through, everything I did from September till this very night, has changed me for the better. For the first time, I can look back on this year, I see that I have actually learned things. I know that may sound silly, and I’m not saying that I never learned anything before this class, but for once, I can actually notice that I have changed, that I have grown, that I have experienced, that I have learned, that I have become more of the woman I hope to continue to grow into being.
For my senior year, I hope that I will not take any moment for granted. I hope that I will soak up every last memory that Oakcrest has helped me create, and I hope my friendships grow even stronger with everyone so that none of us will ever forget each other when we all go our separate ways off to college. I hope I can make it through our graduation without sobbing the entire time. I hope I leave a lasting impression of this school, my teachers, and my friends, as well as the class of 09. I hope a make mistakes. I hope I make silly decisions. I hope a fail a few times. And then, I hope I will be able to learn from all of those experiences and grow from them so that when I head off to college, and life, I will succeed.
You know, I knew that this year I would cry at graduation because all of the seniors, that we’ve known for 3 years are leaving, but I didn’t think I would actually cry when we no longer have AP Lang as our class. And I didn’t want to make this blog, so serious, and deep, but that’s just how much this simple little course has done for me. I could rant on all night, all week, all month, all year about the random, funny, memorable, silly, ridiculous moments we all shared in 204 but I don’t want to make myself realize how much I am going to miss it. I’m not even lying. I am writing this with the biggest lump in my throat right now.
This is it, guys. This is our last summer really all just being kids and having fun. Like Christine said in her OP, in just 6 months, 6, our college apps will all be sent out and soon we will all know where we’re going and then it will be good-bye…well “a see-ya later”, actually. Let’s just enjoy every second from now till then. When we walk out of 204 for the last time as being an AP Langer on our Finals day, we better take a second and really let it sink in that this ending is now the beginning of yet another end-the end to our high school years, the end to our high school fun immaturity, the end to our high school memories, the end to a chapter in our lives we will never get to re-live.
Okay, I need to stop being to dramatic and serious. Man, everyone is gonna hate me next year around this time when I start saying all this again…but next year it’s going to be 10000 times worse!
Basically, I would just like to say, I’m gonna miss 204. I’m gonna miss all of our start hanging. I gonna miss hearing everyone’s thoughts and opinions. I’m gonna miss Bunje.
BUTTTTTT we still have next year together as people, just not as a student, or a classmate, or a teacher.
But just so you know Bunje, you really have made a huge impact of my life and I don’t know if there’s anything I can really say that will let you realize how big and important that impact is, but just know that you honestly have been one of the best teachers I have ever had and I highly doubt some dumb, old college professor can top you!
See ya later AP Lang, See ya later blogger, see ya later 204, see-ya later pd 11, see-ya later Ms. Bunje….good-bye Junior year.
I love you all guys!! And I’ll see you next year!! =] <3
I can't belive this is the last blog that i have to do for Ms. Bunje. I really never thought that i was going to make it this far. I'm glad though that i stuck it through though. I know that i'm not the best student in the class gradewise by a long shot and that english had never been a strong point for me but i found this class to be the best english class i have ever had in my life. This makes all the dissapointing grades worthwhile in a way. I know that it's never good to have bad grades but i ask myself the question is it worth it to struggle through the class if it forces you to learn. Bunje, you have taught me more about the language I speak than any other teacher i have ever had. I could have been in a normal class and not learned nearly as much and gotten great grades. I think that the two things i learned this year that were most important is to write the way that i speak and how to break down what i'm reading. My favorite lesson though is the one where we went over the synthasis paper outside. The reason forthat is because when we were outside looking at that paper all sorts of ideas just started to flow over me. Being myself and never really being sure of myself i started to ask Bunje millions of questions and she though my ideas were ok. This really gave me that little extra boost of confidence for the AP test. This year has been pretty hectic but awesome none the less. I realized lots of things about myself this year and also about my friends. Mainly which ones are and which ones aren't. During this year alot of selections and choices have been made within myself and i'm not sure when the outcome of those choices will rear their ugly heads.
I like how katie is now a new person totally. I think that's awesome but i think that not only happened to her but i think all the AP langers have left a portion of themselves at this school. some of us mabey just a single attribute and others just started over. like a snake sheding it's skin cause it's outgrown it or because it's had damage done or mabey just because there's a need for change.
I wish though that this year would have lasted alittle longer cause i'm honestly going to miss everyone and thing.
So, here it is. The last blog. It sounds cliché but I really didn’t think this day would ever come. Over the past few days as I’ve thought about what I wanted to write, I’ve been reading everyone else’s responses…and I’m not going to lie. It’s been a little tear-jerking. I don’t know why because in 3 months we’ll be back where we are seeing everyone we see now, but it just seems so sad to be leaving everything we’ve known for the past 180 days. Oh, and just so you know Bunj, I have a feeling this blog is going to be so long especially since my regular blogs are usually fairly lengthy anyway. I guess this blog really is like my OP that I read today. This year is over. Tomorrow is our last full day of school, and like Kim, I’m not so sure I’m ready for it to be over. Yes, I’m ready for waking up at 5:30am to be over. I’m ready for homework to be over. I’m ready for the actually-not-too-bad temperatures in Oakcrest to be done. I’m ready to stop going to French class. But I don’t know if I’m ready to leave. I love being at school just because I love my friends and the people I see everyday. Everyone brings their own little something to my day and I love it. Each day I’m at Oakcrest I do love it because I love our school in general. I think I just like it because no matter what we have to make the best of it. I’m not transferring now so I choose to love it, no matter what everyone may say is wrong with it. But now I’m wandering a little off topic.
Junior year. This year has been the best by far. It’s been everything and more that people crack it up to be and that’s probably why I’m so sad to see it go. I’m not really sure if the past three years have been enough for me. I already wish I could live them over and do more. Do more what? I don’t know. Just more. But I can’t, so I choose to make senior year AMAZING. I choose to look back at junior year and all the things that I’ve done. Let’s start with 204. This room is without a doubt one of the prettiest rooms in the school. It has bright neon colors and shining, silvery stars, and cool, calm water-wallpaper. It is just a cheery room to walk into no matter what kind of AP practice test or vocab quiz we may have had lingering over us as we entered. I of course learned a ridiculous amount of vocab words. We all have giant brains now just to fit in the 300 words that have been drilled into us this year. I’ve learned that theme is never just one word. I learned all the I-have-who-has literary terms even if period 12 wasn’t the winner. I have better reading comprehension and most of all I have a better sense of myself. I don’t know if this is completely because of 204, but this leads into just learning things in junior year in general. This year I did some things I’m not entirely proud of, but that I don’t regret because without them I would never know and it takes away some of the curiosity and the “what-if’s”. As said in my OP, I learned that I really am a pushover and that I accept it because I want to be the person who people can go to and the girl who will ALWAYS be there to help, no matter what. I love that I realized that this year. Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t have too many friend troubles and losing and gaining friends. I just sort of tightened the bonds with the ones I already have. Sure, I made some new ones that I’m happy about, but the people I’m the closest too, well we just got even closer. And I’m so grateful that high school doesn’t have to alwayssss mean lots of drama. Some is inevitable but at least our lives weren’t consumed by it like I know mine was last year. I feel like junior year was more mature. Most people grew up at least a smidge and we all are becoming less engulfed by stupid drama and more just focusing on AP classes and having fun.
As for a favorite day or a favorite lesson or a favorite thing, I really don’t think there was an answer to any of those. Every day seemed to blend together and they were all great except for those occasional quizzes and practice tests we did badly on. But other than that, this year was awesome. Some of my favorite class discussions were the ones about The Secret Life of Bees. That book was one of the best things about this class. Also, OP’s really are soooo cathartic. I was looking on my computer and found 3 more that I never read because they were either too specific about certain people or just way to personal, but they really help. Typing your heart out until you have carpel tunnel about something that’s bugging you or something that was amazing (aka an OP) is a really great concept and I will probably find myself doing them randomly in the future for no real reason. One more thing is blogs. Although I think we could’ve taken a little break during exams, I loved them. They were like class discussions but you could think about it and be able to express your thoughts in whatever way you wanted without worrying about being immediately refuted by someone else in your class. It was a great way to just think about your ideas and your feelings and just everything about yourself. I really liked the questions, for the most part. Some of the definitions, though, like love…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be confident in my answer.
And finally next year. The epitome of the Class of 2009. We will be the seniors of ’09. I can’t wait. When we’re seniors we can go into any room in the school and know that we’re the oldest students in the room. It’s going to be awesome. We will all have even more different classes because there are even more options but I really hope I stay close with the people I am close with now, because to my best friends, I really love you. You know who you are and I just wouldn’t have been able to do anything this year like staying up til 2 in the morning doing an RRL, a Cervi book review, and bio homework, without you. Love ya guys <3
And Bunje. You have been a great teacher, even though we may have had a bit of a rocky start. There were points when I was sooo mad and sooo frustrated because we had such a huge workload and now I look back and wonder how it was possible that I did it. But I did. And that’s the point. You pushed us and helped us and got us to accomplish things we thought were impossible. I’m sure we all thank you tremendously for it. I think that Danielle summed you and 12th period 204 up the best when she said that you just made us a family and we will never forget anyone. As Danielle also said in her occasional paper, Ohana (like in Lilo and Stitch) means family and family means no one gets left behind.
Class of ’09 junior year =)
we did it !
This year Ms. Bunje, I must say, “good job mate!” there is not one thing I regret doing in this class. I truly loved this class. Despite my rocky start, I loved it all. I could always smile in AP English, even after Cervi’s horrific movies. My favorite class was every period we had deep, meaningful discussions. It made me realized the intellectual minds of my classmates. These conversation brought our class together so much. We agreed and disagreed. We laughed and we cried. We shared the good times, we shared the bad times. But most of all this class is my favorite class of this year. I feel like I’ve matured so much in this class. I learned of my character.
Don’t worry this isn’t goodbye at all, its just a see you later.
This year figured out something. I’ve known this…but I just never realized it. This last thing my friends, is the truth. This world is indeed full of evil people. There is evil everywhere you go, except for room 204.You can’t dwell on this evil though. Life is so endless, magnificent. There is too much positive for the negative to bring you down. My last words my friends
Life is Beautiful
Wow sorry Bunj, I didn't realize it was really THAT long. But Leslie, I feel the same way. Writing this not just about AP lang but about this whole year has got me close to tearing. I didn't think it could happen but just thinking about only having one more everything at Oak is crazy. One more first day of high school. One more Oak Halloween. One more tennis pep rally. One more tennis season. One last time to do everything in Oakcrest. It's just weird. And sad. And I'm just going to miss everything so much. Oh geez, thanks Les, now I sound like you getting all dramatic and sentimental when we are still coming back next year ! Well, that's really it.
See you later <3
So it’s our last blog and of course I forgot about it until the very last minute. I suppose it’s good that I did. If I didn’t it would seem to break a great tradition of procrastination and if I did that now, it would just seem wrong somehow. Now what did I learn this year? Hmmm. Well this reminds me of a Veggietales song.
And so what we have learned
Applies to our lives today
And God has a lot to say
In His Book
You see, we know that God's
Word is for everyone
And now that our song is done
We'll take a look.
Seriously though, my thoughts on this year our somewhat disjointed so I guess I should probably arrange them into some sort of essay, or complex metaphorical story.
OR I COULD MAKE THEM INTO A TOP TEN LIST!!!!
I’ll go with the last of those choices so, with no forethought whatsoever, here we go.
10. Screw the rules. You can’t control me. I’m the boss here.
9. There’s no problem big enough that an impromptu song and dance number can’t get you out of. Face it Bunj, Zander singing got us out of a vocab test, and me singing got me and Nick extra credit. You, along with moth people in the world are suckers for songs.
8. All the stuff I said in my Occasional Paper about letting go of things. If you’re not in my period, well then I guess it just sucks to be you.
7. No one can beat Mr. Costal in a fight. (Need I explain?)
6. When people give you a complement believe it. I’ve had a tendency to believe people are being sarcastic moreso than they actually are. When someone complements you, believe it. (And that goes for you to Bunje, when Kylie says you have a nice but, she is trying to say you have a nice but, not that you’re fat. Sometimes a Cigar is just a Cigar.)
5. No matter how you raise them, Unown are pretty much the most useless Pokemon ever. Seriously, what good do they do you?
4. Harrison Ford can never be too old.
3. No matter how dark things may be, just hold strong and things will improve. How we face adversity is what determines who we are, and if you’re not man enough to fight your own battles, well what good are you?
2. Never talk politics with friends who disagree with you. Seriously, Screaming some candidate’s name does not make you sound informed, it makes you sound annoying.
1. I am a unique thing. I would consider myself to be what I would consider a “Conservative Christian Hippy.” I’m the odd sort of person who can read Beatnik Poetry, go to church every Sunday, listen to Bubble Puppy in my car, and still ravidly advocate Capitalism. I am really a contradiction in terms.
Alright. That’s about it. See you later Bunje! I'm gonna leave this with a quote I saw on Collegehumor.com the other day.
I think the government should give delicious meat coats to the homeless next winter. No one should have to be cold and hungry. They should be able to choose their fate.
-Kevin Corrigan
Today in chem class Mr McCaughganyanayayay reviewed palindromes. Not final material. Not make up work. But palindromes. It was not one of his finest moments, but then again, he has one about every 3 months or so, like a trimester, pregnant with rare moments, only screening them to his idle audience 3 times a school year. As he wrote DR AWKWARD on the board, I look up from my Latin essay for my final, and said, wow, we are really talking about palindromes. It summed up the year for me it seemed like there was no other way more fitting then to end the year, in an Honors Chem class, by going over a worksheet prepared by the man himself concerning words spelled the same both forwards and backwards. Crazy? I think not. Original? Very. Intellectual? Lets see what I can do.
So before reading my fellow classmates blogs, I get this feeling that they will all have the same basic setup. I wonder if it is due to the fact that we are programmed to adhere to rules and regulations? Or is it just because that’s the way the cookie crumbles? Bunje, I learned so much from you this year, the knowledge both academically and philosophically go beyond the minds of many, and are esoteric to the majority of the earths population. Not to be rude to my classmates, or a creeper on you Bunj, but I would like to dedicate this blog, and this past year to you.
Never have I had a friend as a teacher. Never have I had someone who I admired, respected, and enthralled that could make us learn 300 vocab words, breakaway from the 5 paragraph essay and write in the triangle thingy. Never have I had a teacher, and I use that term loosely who I could go to when I needed them. Throughout my whole life I have viewed teachers as professionals, higher-ups, almighty and powerful who could lay the smack down on any intolerant student like it was the back of their hand. It seems as if the teacher is the one who knows more, experiences more, and understands more just for the sole purpose of passing in on to their students. On top of all that, you have the ability to be one of us. A student, one searching for the ways of life, one searching for the answers, one looking, just for the sake of looking.
I mean that in the most sincere way. What you have taught me does not only reflect your immense knowledge for the passion of AP Lang, but for the passion of life. To live it, enjoy it, learn from it, and experience it. I would like to think that I would have found these things out on my own, but as stubborn as I am, it was likely that I would have missed them somewhere along the way.
The path ahs always been laid for us. Sometimes it is a dirt road, concrete sidewalk, paved expressway, tiled floor, grass rooted, or sand covered. No matter what the path is made up of, it is always there. I can count on the path to take me where I am supposed to be. I want everyone to understand that I am not relying on the path, for then I would not be me, I would be the path, and someone would soon be traveling over me. But I can use the path, to gain experience, gain knowledge, become learned, and then take it. Live it. So thanks Ms Bunje, for everything.
I'm allotting myself roughly an hour to write this blog, if it's due at 9:30 like my sources tell me. Yes, this is an incredibly stringent deadline to set for myself, and it may seem arbitrary considering I've had all these days to work on it. (Actually, yesterday isn't included in that because I was babysitting until 1 AM. Which was kind of amazing because I was paid in full for all the hours I was there, and I made $100. Before you become inconsolably outraged and wild with jealousy, just know that prior to this I had like $20 in my bank. Hahah. I NEEDED THAT MONEY.) But it's actually because I've been trying to formulate my thoughts so that they come out straight, or at least, right, on paper (in computer?).
I can't believe the year is over. I feel, honestly, a bit like it didn't even happen. I didn't get much out of this year, honestly, as a whole academically. I'm an English person, not a math or science person, so I took only two APs this year. I followed the Honors-APesque tracks I was on in the maths and sciences, but I'm not searching for the side of the brain I have the propensity for. I already know. It's furthering that that I'm interested in. I already have a defined path - it's not specific yet and all the details aren't worked out, but I know its direction. Meaning, basically, I know I don't want to go into, say, engineering. At all, in any way. But anyway, I'm digressing from the point at hand, which was that I didn't really feel challenged by any of my classes this year. The only class I enjoyed was English. Now, I'm not talking about the people and the fun times in classes. In that respect, I enjoyed all of them. My Physics class is a laugh riot. But one of the only classes I enjoyed both for its environment and for the work we did was English. 9/10, you're a great bunch. I've had fun with the mix of people in that room. From Zander's random bursts of song to Kylie's references to Ms. Bunje's butt owning hers in a prom dress (which we are still explaining to you is not a bad thing, Bunje!:) ) to all the fun I had with my current corner, Jeannie, Rachel, Em, Megan, and Kylie. (Matching this week!) Oh, and all the acronyms. And Rachel's extremely strange tactics for remembering vocab words - most notably, the mispronunciation.
Anyway. That just goes to show that I had a good time in 204. But there are other aspects of my junior year I'd like to talk about in my final blog, which won't really be a "final" blog, because final is so - harsh. It's a brutal term for what is really only another notch on th belt of our high school journey, and, rather than a strict, neat, clean, broken-off ending, a beginning of new things to come.
This year has been a strange one for me. I was so disillusioned with my schedule earlier in the year (hell, I still am) and how little fulfillment I gleaned from sitting mindlessly in classes for seven hours, learning nothing, gaining nothing, taught with expectations of absolutely nothing, that I started not being able to handle it. I went a little stir-crazy. I don't know when it happened exactly, but during my yearbook class (God. Yearbook.) and my study hall, I started going into senior AP classes. I knew the teachers, so they were okay with me being in there, and I have a lot of senior friends. Going to their classes definitively modified my perspective on school. I grew closer with all of them through the course of the year, but, even so, doing that was one of the strangest things I've ever done. It was so unlike me to just completely abandon all semblance of normalcy in my life and schedule, disrupting it and making a new order to suit my own needs. I thought what I would get from going to these senior classes would be something, anything, that would fill the gaping void my startlingly empty schedule provided me with. I found deeper relationships with people. Companionship, a constant, poignant, ever-present thing. Drive, amidst the choking senioritis that even I was feeling. But there was one thing I found that I knew I wanted to reject, and that burgeoned from the fact these two classes were a Physics and a Calculus BC class - a sense of insignificance for my own talents. I felt as I should, as I always have, in a math and science class. This didn't begin right away. I could slowly feel it planting roots after I had been in the classes for about three months. The superstars in that class were those who could solve equations in under five seconds on the calculator. Those who could draw picture-perfect graphs on the board. Those who not only didn't question things like infinity but plugged them into their calculators and found neat, precise little answers. There was no place for what I was good at in any of those classes, in fact, it wasn't even acknowledged. It was strange...but I was still accepted, and, almost immediately, still felt at home among that group of people even though the environment was consistently weird for me and threw me off my game. The important lesson I took from that was a huge one: I'm not comfortable taking a backseat, however cushy the circumstances might still be for me. I was accepted and loved in that class despite the fact I wasn't the standout math kid. That taught me about acceptance and all, I guess you could say, but it also taught me something big about myself in that I was completely uncomfortable not being a participating member in the academic aspect of the classes. I wanted to stand out and do things. That grated at me all year, so next year, I know I don't want to sit off in the background. I don't ever want to sit off in the background.
Now to change the subject back to something suitable for a closing. To my friends in this class: Thanks for being there. To my girls in my little section in 204 - thanks for always keeping a smile on my face and ensuring we're always laughing about something. To the eclectic group of kids in the 9/10 English class, thank you for being a wonderful mix of kids I'm so happy to have been a part of. And to Ms. Bunje, thank you for being an amazing teacher and listener. But most of all for believing in me when I don't believe in myself.
Well, it's that time! See you later, all! Until next year. PEACE.
Geez! My junior year has flown by so fast. So the big questions arise. What will I leave with? I will leave with about 45 new friends, because the other 20 were already my friends. I am so happy that I went through this arduous, rigorous, and demanding journey with friends. I must admit, at first i thought that it would be a huge competition since there are students in the top of our class in this, but it was everything except that. I love how I could call someone about a RRl, and they'd be just as confused. We'd work through it together, finding a solution to that problem. I have experienced really hard english work. I've learned how to study and stay focused. My favorite day was when we created our stars, thinking about our futures, before all the hard stuff started. That day was fun. I also liked the day, recently, when we went outside to meander around, admiring nature and our school. That was different. I really liked how we got to learn about ourselves, through the blogs. My finest moment had to be when I got an A on a hard Reader Response Log. I thought they were so hard, and I was so relieved to know that I obviously understood what was going on. I am a lot better than when I first started school. I am more focused, determined, and driven than ever. My only hopes for the future are that I get into a great college, with excellent scholarships so that I won't have to pay for much. I want to be the best that I can be. To my chicas and chico, I just want everyone to know that I love them mucho and AP Lang was fun. To myself, I'm proud of you. Staying up those late nights actually paid off! And to Bunje, I want to thank you for being the best teacher I've had for two years! You're the best chica! And have fun in Thailand with all those Thai's! I'll text you! See ya next year! And Bunje, please, don't cry bebe.
Bunje I going to honestly miss you and I say that with my whole heart. This was all of our first year as AP English students and none of us knew what to expect from this year. I knew I was scared but at the same time I was excited because I had heard nothing but wonderful things about you. I must say I have grown a lot this year. I know that now that it is the end of the year I have began to slack a little but I matured personally and as a student. Wish all my AP friends much success next year and I hope that we continue to be friends outside of the class. As for my closer friends in the course I just want to say to them that we did it. We completed what some of our friends called us crazy for even attempting. The AP test monster is done and over with and I have confidence that we all conquered it. I am definitely better person than I was before. I know a lot more now and now make better choices for myself. I have learned that the greatest experience comes from doing not by teaching. The most important messages I have taken from this class were in class discussions. My favorite lessons were while we were doing secret life of bees. I really enjoyed that book and all the class talks we had about it. It wasn’t a book that caused you to do much deep thinking but more realizing. As lily grew and progressed throughout the book it shows the growth and stages that every young woman goes through. For my senior year I hope to not fall by the way side and continue to stay focused I know that I can and will get into a good school and I am determined not to let anything stand in the way of that. To myself I would like to say stay true to yourself and keep the friends you had and cherish because they will be the ones that help you make it next year as crazy as they make you. Success doesn’t come easy but it is attainable when you want it.
Wow, time has defiantly flown by and it has left me n the dust of what I call my junior year. It has come and gone like most things in my life, though it has taught me many new things and has given me a new prospect towards things and people. I have left with a sense of self reliance. That sometimes I may feel as though I need other people for this or that, I dont. I am my own person and have my own ways of life. I have experienced many new things and have be faced with many new challanges. These challenges at first, I did not think I would get through but i did. I survived! I made it through my 3 AP classes while balancing, my family, soccer, work, a boyfriend, and friends. That is my biggest accomplishment and will be until the day i die. I feel as though i am no different than when i began my junior year and dont believe i will change that much by the end of my senior year. I am almost too mature for my age and like to do this that people do when they are older. Any thing i can do to get ahead of my life i do. Like how i took summer classes to skip some classes in highschool, which means more of classes i need to take rather than have to take. I have always been that way and i always will be. My favorite day in AP Lang was when we read The Secret Life of Bees. It was my favorite book and was a great book to talk about. Our class discussions even if they didnt have to do with anything were defiantly something i looked forward to. My finest moment was when i finally got down the RRLs. That accomplishment made me want to do better in all my classes. Honestly, junior year did nothing but stress me out. I know i need to get ready for college but everyone just needs to relax (in reference to my mom) I will have all my applications im sure in before they are due for early admission. My senior year will be interesting. I feel as though that by the time i hear back from the colleges i apply to that will be it. I will just give up and wont care about any school work. I will worry about my senior year when it comes. I am not one to think to far ahead. I dont know what to expect and dont know how to handle it because i have not yet experienced being a senior. I want to tell all my friends, I LOVE YOU!!! They know who they are. They are the ones that were there for me. They were the ones who got me through the hard times. They are the ones who haev been through the crazy times with me. Yea my junior has been great and i have to give most of the credit to my friends. LOVE YOU GUYS <333 I myslef am ready for the challenge of the world and can not wait to end highschool. I can not wait to grow up and have bills and all of that grown up responsibliity. Yea i know that is weird and you probably think that im crazy but its true. I know who i am, and thats what i want to tell myself. To be true to who i am and not to let anyone tell you who you are or what to think or wear or do. I am Devon Schenker. I am determined. I am ready. So have fun this summer guys, not too much fun, and when we come back to school we can all turn the page and begin our new jounrney as seniors and though Ms. Bunje wont be there any more i am sure we will all go and visit her. So have fun and be safe.
I wasn’t excited about doing AP Lang this year. I wasn’t going to have Costal and if it wasn’t him teaching, I really didn’t want anyone else. But, I’m glad I took the class. I’ve learned so much about the English language and how to interpret it within context of an amazing book. And on a grander scale, I’ve learned to think outside the box and to let my feelings and opinions out during class discussions. I don’t think I can recall any favorite day or lesson when I usually enjoy every single day and lesson in AP Lang. Though, I do have to say that I love when we would get in class discussions about life. Not anything philosophical, but everyday situations. And then to make it even better, you (Ms. Bunje) would propose a question that made a look at the situation a little bit differently. I have to say that those were probably my favorite days even though I didn’t say much. However, I’ve said more this year in class than I ever had in any other class combined. I was never fully comfortable with expressing myself especially in a room full of my peers and a teacher. This year was different. I don’t know what, but I guess it was the comforting, welcoming, and relaxing feeling 204 brought that made me feel comfortable with my opinions. Even though I felt that there were things I said, or didn’t want say because they were different than how everyone else felt, I didn’t care. I became more comfortable with my opinions this year. Like seriously Bunje, I don’t think I ever would have told a teacher about my relationship problems and practically cry on their shoulder. I’ve come a long way since my little Froshie years.
I am definitely different this year. I’ve opened up entirely to different people, aspects and change and despite the fact that I might be put out of my comfort level, I kept telling myself, “you’ll regret it if you don’t.” I’ve become friendlier this year, but have somehow not become a social butterfly. I’m still aloof when it comes to social gatherings. I’m not sure why, but I have a feeling it’s partially because of my last relationship. Anyway, I might have opened up in some ways, but have closed myself in so many other ways this year. I can’t really describe it. This year was altogether challenging. It was challenging in that school and sports and the balance between them but more likely challenging in myself. I was challenged this year with my character and my friends. This year gave me leadership roles that tested my character, without a doubt. I think I came out a stronger person…
I’m so nervous about senior year. I’m nervous about applying to college and not getting accepted. What if I don’t get accepted to the colleges I like? What if I end up at ACCC? I guess this is all normal jitters. Besides the jitters, I’m indifferent about senior year. I’m not really sure what to expect. It’s going to be weird being the leaders or the school when I remember like it was yesterday looking at the seniors my freshman year thinking they were so big and grown-up. Ha I look at us now and I just want to laugh at how I thought seniors were so amazingly cool. It’s going to be weird without the class of 2008. We’ve been together for 3 years and now they’re gone, well soon will be. Ugh! I can’t fathom this, what senior year will have in store. I’m going to try and not think about just take each day as it comes and embrace because this time next year I’ll practically be graduating and getting ready for college.
Final remarks – I don’t want to say much. I want to keep things short and sweet because like you said, it's not really "Goodbye"--it's more like, "See you later." That’s how I want to leave this blog, but before I do I will say something… I want to thank you Ms. Bunje for making me like English, to a certain degree. I also want to thank you for allowing me to feel comfortable with myself and what I have to say.
This is really depressing...At least last year on the final blog, I felt nothing but excitement knowing that it wouldn't be the last time I logged onto Blogger, but this time, I have no future Bunje to look forward to. It is crazy to look back on where I was last year, and what I have learned and experienced. As lame as it this may sound, the thing I really learned this year was to "man up". Whether it was staying up to ungodly hours, or even waking up at ridiculous hours, I learned that you must do what it takes. This class was fun of course, but we really got down to business. This was a great experience for me.
My favorite day...either the first day or the day right after the exam. The first day I was nervous beyond nervous, and it was a weird emotion but weird in a good way flowing. After the Lang exam was finished, I felt as if I should be walking around the school smoking a big cigar wearing a fine suit and making weird chuckling noises at people. It was felt that good. The worst, by far is my presentation. I sweated bullets up there Bunje, and bam! shot down in front of everybody, including Mr. Hall, which hurt. I almost walked of class that day, that's how intense it was.
The typical different response to the typical "are you different?" question; yes, I matured. I changed a heck of a lot especially lately. I went from living on the top of the world, to being the gum on the soul of some girls shoe. It is worse, i much rather be happy with the girl I love, obviously, but i guess you can say i dipped my toes in the world of "love" and know kind of what to expect now. Also, my attitude for school has changed. I have a new look at school, I actually gained a respect for it (not the people in it) but the actual learn, graduate, and live process. I would like to say that even though I came into this class with no friends, and had nothing in common with anybody, it wasn't completely horrible and I want to thank everybody for that. I never felt too awkward, everyone is very accepting and i have never had a class like that. I look forward to more AP classes next year because of the people i had with me this year. So Ms Bunje, this is major tom to ground control, and I just wanted to say thanks for this year I floated in the most peculiar of ways.
I know it’s late, but last night I wrote something and absolutely hated it, so I’m hoping that Ms. Bunje, in her great wisdom, will accept this last blog a little late, as I needed to think of what I should say for the last blog I type as an AP Langer.
After long and hard meditation, I’ve decided to say one nice thing about every person in the class. It seems a bit childish, but I feel like it’s the only way to end a year as great as this one was – with memories and a touch of nostalgia. I’m going by where you sat, so the order is irrelevant.
Mikey T. – before this year, I never really got to know you completely. Now I fully understand why everyone in the world was talking about how brilliant and amazing you are. I’m not just talking about your intelligence either, though, Mike. You’re an amazing person that sees things that are right in front of everyone else’s faces, and just point them out. Your wit behind me got me through Chemistry, I’m not sure what I would do without you to help me get through Matlack, no offense to the guy he is great, just too much of him can be a little too much. Thanks and next year I’ll be looking forward to more classes with you again.
Wayne Andrew C.- Sorry I just felt the need to put Wayne in there. Hah, well I must say, our relationship is quite… interesting. We can be best friends one second, then we’re jumping at each others’ throats the next. It’s been fun, though, I must say, being a part of the bad corner in Physics. It was all Kate, though. As soon as she left, we were the good side of the room.
EmRow – Well Rowness, it wouldn’t be a school year without Emily Rheault to be there laughing at everything and everyone and putting a smile on my face, even on the most miserable days. I’m glad we FINALLY got to have more than one class together… even if it was only two. I don’t have much to say to you, though, because we’ll be together for much of the summer. First Team Baby!
Kylie B. – HAHA. That’s just about all I have to say. The things you say are just pure funny. I know that isn’t proper English, but there’s no other way to describe it. You make things so much more fun to go through with all your random jokes. I’m hoping next year we’ll have one or two classes together to keep me going through the day.
Megan Cockburn – Well, another year has gone by. What did we have, three classes together? The little comments you made that weren’t even meant to be funny were the best, I have to admit. I think you were the best at getting Cervi off-topic, which isn’t hard, but still I am grateful for that ability.
Carlson, Rachel - I think we’re finally starting to get things going again, you know? Back to how they used to be in Kindergarten. JK, but this year we definitely got closer than we have been in the past. Congrats on everything that’s been going right with soccer, it feels good to have things go your way doesn’t it? Just keep working hard and you’ll keep being the best.
Emily Brill – My missing half. That’s it I found the title. You’re not even my other half, you’re my missing half. It’s been a fun year, especially in Calc 2, even though you’re not in that class with me… I’m sure we’re going to see each other over the summer, maybe get the crew back together sometime, just me you and Mikey T. That was a blast.
Juggernaut – Swimming, oh swimming, how I do hate thee, even though while I’m doing you I can still go pee. I just thought of that and figured you would appreciate it, with all your mood swings during the swim season ;-). It was an awesome year I must say, though, even though it was ridiculously hard. One more year, thank gosh.
Darrell Johnson – Whenever I say your name I think of one thing – Baseball. This year you improved upon your skills immensely, and it was noticeable. Next year I’ll be looking forward to throwing to you behind the plate a few times, since maybe the coach will use me. This summer whenever you want to throw a ball around just call me, and I’ll come in a heartbeat.
Felicia G. – Congrats on your soccer! Keep it up. I’m kind of mad that we diverged a bit as the year went on, but I’m glad we got to spend at least some time close. It was really fun I must say (as you would put it). Next year, we better have a few classes together so we can talk and hopefully chill next year. Got it?
Courtney S. – I’m sorry I haven’t gotten to know you better this year, but I have gained much respect for you this year. I’m seeing that you’re a lot smarter than I had previously thought. Not that I thought you were dumb, I just never really had an opinion, and I see that you are quite the brainiac. I’m not sure if that’s a word, Microsoft is telling me it isn’t, but I’m sure if it was a word, it would apply to you.
Devon Schenker – Some awesome times this year like in History, Danielle always getting caught having her phone out, but you never getting caught, yes I did see that. Can’t wait for Soccer to start… just kidding. Maybe the boys and girls will have some practices together, who knows? Although I’m not sure if Seaman would be willing to do that…
Zander – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. I guess that describes you in a single word. You were the life of the class and next year if you’re not in any of my classes, you’re going to skip at least one of them to come to my class and make me smile. BTW great OP, it made me smile (I was really in a bad mood before that).
Emily M. – Well, it’s about time I finally got to meet you and actually have you in some of my classes. I’m glad we got to see each other a lot this year between Italian, Lang, History, Physics, and gym. It was fun to have someone who I could be myself with in all those classes that understands that I am never, ever serious. Thanks for being there. :-)
Jon Henry- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Sorry if you’re thing looks a lot like Zander’s, but that should be taken as a compliment. You could turn a frown upside-down in a second with your jokes. Some were a bit too esoteric for me, as I’m not quite the well-versed person you are, but the ones that I did understand were funny enough that I know the one’s I didn’t understand were funny as well.
Carlson, Gary – I think it’s safe to say that you are the valedictorian. Even though I’m a bit jealous of the title you’ve earned, you’ve earned it and deserve it. I’m really happy for you, and I’m sure you’re going to go on to do great things in life. I don’t have much to say to you, since you know that I think you’re absolutely amazing already, but I’m glad I have you as a teammate that I can rely on in Soccer and Swimming. I look forward to the two this year with you as my captain.
Nick Cincotti- (pronounced Chinkottee) I never knew you talked this year. I know I sound like Olivo when I say that, but it is true. I’m glad I finally got to hear some of the things that are in your head, because they are hilarious at times. I’m looking forward to have you behind me during soccer, because I’m sure I’ll be able to count on you back there, as I’m not that good, :-P. I’ll be seeing you often this summer, twice a week at least. Oh joy…
Tawni – I’m sorry that we haven’t gotten to know each other sooner in our high school careers. You are quite the thinker, even though you may not know it. I’m jealous of your experiences that you’ve been able to have now when adventures to the dark-side, as you put it, aren’t big deals. I think of great writers and artists and their experiences and abilities, and you come to mind. You sometimes, when we were having a philosophical discussion, would say little things that made me realize you really were grasping the depths of thought that I’m not quite able to reach. Just stick to your guns and don’t let anyone stray you off your path too far, and I’m sure you’ll be successful in whatever it is that you choose to do.
Meghan Brennan – Hah. I’m not sure I should type anything too nice in here, Wilkes might get jealous :-P. Honestly, though, I’m glad you two are together for now, because I’m happy to see two of my best friends happy with each other. It was nice having you to understand my humor and laugh at it, knowing that I’m not serious. I’m never serious. But seriously, we better chill over the summer because if I don’t get my daily dose of Meghan Brennan at least once a week (I guess that would be weekly dose wouldn’t it…?) then someone is going to get it. :-)
And last but definitely not least, Ms. Bunje – Although you didn’t make me like English, and you didn’t make me understand why we need to write, and you didn’t understand how to effectively use literary devices, and you didn’t help me in math (obvi.), you did help me to understand that life isn’t about school. The things you taught us weren’t in that realm of life, and that these are the lessons that matter at the end of the day. Whether I write in the triangle or upside-down triangle doesn’t matter in life; it matters in school, but not in life. Structure isn’t always a good thing. Having different ideas molded together and intertwined can create something great. Thanks for the great year, it was a blast being in 204, even if it was just an English class. :-)
What can I say Miss. Bunje? It has been an experience. At the beginning of the year I thought you were just going to be just another teacher after having Costal for two years, but boy I was wrong. Even though we all complained about some sort of assignment from your class at one point or another, we did it. It was not because we were afraid to fail or something like that, it was because we did not want to let you down. Over this year, you went from “Mr. Costal’s replacement” to our teacher, our mentor, but most of all our friend. In light of all this, I could not ask for anything more for my junior year. Every time you were hard on us, I knew it was for the better and I am kind of glad that I was pushed like that. The most memorable thing of this year is how much advice you have given all of us. I do not think they is not one student of your that you have not given advice to at least once this year, from the student that feels they have nothing wrong to the ones who have tons of things wrong, you were there for us. I can not do enough to thank you, but to show you that I did not fall into those same habits; you worked so hard to break. Thank you for everything.
Your student and friend,
Andrew
P.S. you really have become one of us.
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