13. Kaiyue L. - In Defense of Needy People

We've all considered someone in our lives "needy" before. There are many caricatures of a "needy" person: they call too much, they cry when you leave to get a glass of water, they feel put out when you check your phone, they get upset when you watch a film without them.

We seem to hate needy people a lot. But let's look at this another way.

There are, of course, a few pathological-dependent people at large. However, a lot of the time, far more than generally accepted, the person who has the problem isn't the "needy" person, it's us ---- the ones who are doing the accusing.

We will feel that someone is sickeningly "needy" when we don't see ourselves as the appropriate targets of someone else's needs. Somewhere inside, we don't trust that we're dependable, reliable, or we aren't quite grown up. So at the first sight that someone is becoming reliant on us, we flinch. We suspect that someone who needs us enough to depend on us for a pleasant weekend or evening must be diseased.

At the root of our hatred of so-called "needy" people is also self-hatred.

Ostensibly, we all want love, but when love actually starts to be reciprocated, it may seem intensely alarming if we're not convinced of our own lovability. We can start to think badly of the person we liked shortly before. We feel they are naive, gullible, and too easily taken in by characters that we don't believe in.

The solution isn't to try to change a person by telling them to stop asking so much. They most likely aren't asking too much at all. They're just strong enough to prove that they aren't invulnerable and judicious enough to like the look of us. They rightly presume that showing need is a precondition of strength rather than weakness. The solution is to revise our view of ourselves, to see ourselves as deserving or simply plausible for someone else to need. 

The need that our lovers, family, and friends have for us isn't delusional, it's an accurate request that any flawed human might make of another. We'll start to find other people a lot less needy, that is, a lot less alarming when they need us when we can accept with good grace, that there's nothing usually or abhorrent about someone deciding they like us. 

WC: 393

13: Tyler B. - Living in the present

 

Am I doing another media analysis on Arcane? Yes, what can I say it’s a really good show. This time I’m going to be talking on a character who in my opinion is a really good side character, with great leadership qualities, I am talking about Ekko. Ekko was probably around 11 or 12 when everything goes wrong in the show, he watches his parental figure get brutally murdered, and from that point on, everything changes. After the events where Vi loses her father and all her friends and disappears, Ekko is the only one left, except of course, Powder, who now goes by Jinx, both Ekko and Jinx were very similar before this tragic event, they both wanted to be like their sister, Vi, strong and independent who punches every problem in the face. But after this event, Ekko slowly starts to distance himself from Jinx and Silco and his gang. Instead opting to start his own, much kinder gang, The Firelights, this is where we get into the meat of his character, most characters in Arcane are focused on 2 things, the past and the future, people like Silco, who only look to the future of the great city of Zaun. Or characters like Heimerdinger, a near immortal being who is too scared of the past to take any risks, not being able to understand that humans don’t live as long as he does. This is where Ekko comes in, I haven’t mentioned with yet, but in the start of every episode there is some form of backstory, whether it’s a story of one of the founders of Piltover, or a flashback of a characters backstory or inspiration. But the episode that is for Ekko instead opens with a rap music video style intro, with a really cool art style and song (Misfit Toys, listen to it) that leads into the episode. So why wouldn’t Ekko get a flashback or story? Because Ekko lives in the present, while all the big heads of government in both Zaun and Piltover do what they do for the future of their respective cities, Ekko grounds himself in the present, he doesn’t do things for the future, he does things for immediate change, here and now, in the present. The Firelights get from place to place on floating skateboard like objects, and when Heimerdinger finds Ekko and helps him back to the Firelights hideout which is the only place in the underground to have ever grown a tree, and a large one at that. And when he is asked about why he does these things and why he rides around on dangerous forms of transportation, Ekko tells “It’s not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live”. Ekko understands that not everyone thinks in such broad ideals like looking to the future, so he doesn’t just serve the future or the past. He pays respect to the past through a mural to all the lives lost, and he looks to the future in terms of wanting to end Silcos reign, but makes sure to stay in the present, and doesn’t forget about the little guy, who he once was, and now lives to protect.

Word Count: 543

12: Tyler B. - A modern hero

 

Arcane is a show that has taken the internet over, a prequel to video game League of Legends, set in the fictional locations of Piltover and Zaun, we see multiple of the heroes from these 2 cities navigate the political and personal issues of these 2 cities. One of these said heroes, Vi, is who I believe to be the main character, I also think she is a perfect example of what a modern hero in fiction should be. Vi is from Zaun, a city that is abused by Piltover and their high and mighty rich people, where drugs and toxic disease run rampant, after a tragic event when she was a teen leading to the death of her father figure and almost all her friends at the hands of her mentally unstable sister. She is kidnapped and taken to a max security prison, after around 6 years, she is released on the condition that she helps her new found friend take down the corrupt gang leader (chem baron) Silco, who flooded the streets of Zaun with drugs in effort to achieve independence from Piltover. Throughout this adventure, Vi proves my belief that she is a perfect example of what a modern hero should be. Vi is flawed, very flawed and has years of unpacked trauma that she has never been able to talk about, she blames herself for the mess that is Silco, Zaun and her sister, Jinx, who has become even more deranged believing that Vi abandoned her, turning Silco into her bad and deeply uncomfortable father figure. And all this, Vi blames herself for, and she has never had anyone to talk to about this, until Caitlyn (the one who released her) comes along, I feel that this is something a lot of people can relate to, having all this trauma with no one to talk to about it. She also doesn’t always make the right choice, which makes her human, and it’s not like her decisions are evil, she just makes dumb, stupid decisions, like leaving Cait in The Lanes to go fight Silco right hand woman, which almost leads to her death. Much like real people, she doesn’t always do what’s right, but she is still more of a hero than most of the other characters. She also just looks super cool and is personally my favorite character in the show, Arcane is a really good show and I am not doing it justice talking about it now. If I have peaked your interest, you should absolutely watch it, it will definitely be worth your time. The characters are great, the story is great, everything about it is great. Just go watch the show!

Word Count: 449

13 - Lilly T.: Discipline

A lot of parents believe that instilling a sense of fear into their children will cause them to become more disciplined and more obedient. Based on my own experience, this doesn’t really work in the long run. I developed a fear of being yelled at or hit whenever I did something wrong, and this led to a growing habit of hiding everything from my parents. I would run and hide in fear of being caught. When being punished, it was always the broom or hand that I would be spanked with. I just love it when an Asian parent is acting like a stereotypical Asian parent.

Instead of disciplining their children through the fear tactic, parents should set realistic expectations for their children, and have a consequence when their children can’t meet those standards. Violence is never the answer when dealing with children. Children and teens nowadays are on their phones or other electronic devices all the time, so taking away those things would be a good choice for a punishment. This way children won’t develop any physical or mental damage, and will be taught that there are expectations they have to keep up with in order to avoid the consequences.

I understand that taking care of a child is mentally and physically draining, but remember that whatever you do to the child is going to affect them one way or another. The relationship between a parent and their child also depends on this. Using violence as a way to discipline isn’t going to be worth it, and any other peaceful method is going to be better than this.

Word Count: 269

13 - Charlene H: Ethnic Studies

Challenge: descriptive piece about an elective class you have taken or one you would create and take.

I currently take Ethnic Studies, and it is my favorite class of this school year. It has been a positive experience for me. As a person of color, a curriculum that speaks to my two ethnic backgrounds is empowering. From what I’ve seen of myself and the other people taking the class, it helps create understanding and develops greater knowledge. It also challenges students to think more critically about identity and history.

Ethnic Studies focuses on history from the lens of various ethnic and racial groups in the United States, and it ensures that students learn about both the struggles and contributions of people of color. It teaches parts of American history that I was never taught in a typical history class. Some of the concepts I learned include, but are not limited to, why Chinatowns were created, picture brides, the Zoot Suit Riots, the Bracero program, redlining, East L.A. walkouts, and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. I also learned about people that I didn’t hear about in past history classes, including Afong Moy, Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong, and more.

Another thing I must also mention, though I am one of the few quiet people in this class and don’t talk much, the people who are in this class are loud, funny, and express strong emotions. Even if I don’t regularly talk to the students in this class besides one person, I enjoy listening to the constant class discussions. I feel more connected with the students in this class than in my other classes. I also love my teacher; he’s easygoing and caring.

The work in my class is easy. There are no tests, quizzes, or homework. Really, the only homework is what we don’t finish in class, but usually, we are given enough class time to complete the worksheets and assignments. My class also has readings, videos, notes, and projects. I actually enjoy doing the projects for the most part, and the videos and even movies can be nice to watch.

I’ve also had one field trip in this class. I went to Angel Island last month on March 17. It is so far my most memorable day of this school year. Though I hated having to hike up the countless amount of steep stairs, the day itself was an incredible experience. The island is beautiful, and the scenic views are spectacular to explore. Going to the immigration station (the museum) and standing right where immigrants were years ago was also interesting and informative. Physically seeing the barracks, the writing carved on the walls, and the other displays of what life for immigrants was like gave me a sense of the horrific feelings immigrants on the island must have felt from 1910 to 1940.

Overall, I love this class, and I will be sad when the school year ends and I don’t have this class anymore.

Word Count: 478

13 - Alejandro M: Sports Heartbreak

 

As a Bay Area sports fan who grew up in the last decade, I have many memories of my teams winning. The Giants and Warriors in particular since they each won 3 titles in their respective sports. The Niners and Sharks haven’t won championships but still brought me memorable events. But when person experiences victory often, a loss creates a stronger heartbreak since you are so used to watching them win. 

The Giants were the first team I began rooting for back in 2010 and we went three straight playoffs with winning it all. In 2016, I was expecting the same results. We had never lost a playoff series so why would that change that year. And that’s when heartbreak hit. With the Giants down 2-1 in a best out of 5 series, the Giants were on the verge of winning Game 4 and tying the series. Up 5-2 in the ninth, the Giants’ bullpen imploded like it had done all season and I saw my Giants lose their first playoff series since I began watching them. This hurt a lot since I had never seen them do this, but it didn’t hurt as bad because of another event a few months earlier.

The Warriors began to build their own dynasty in 2015 when they won for their first time. They had a rematch with the Cavs in 2016 and had the best regular season of all time: a 73-9 season. They seemed unstoppable. Nothing was going to stop them from going back-to-back. And then the Cavs appeared. Up 3-1 in the Finals, the Warriors seemed destined to win again. They lost Game 5 at home with one of their best players suspended in an awful call, lost Game 6 in a hostile environment in Cleveland where the referees seemed to hand the game to the Cavs, and lost Game 7 in an even worse fashion. Deadlocked at 89 for around 7 minutes with a little less than 2 minutes to go, the Warriors got a fast break opportunity. Iguodala went up for the layup and then the block happened. Lebron James chased the ball down from the other side of the court to create the greatest block in NBA history. The Cavs would hit a 3 with a minute to go and end up shocking the world when beating the 73-9 Warriors team. I was so upset at how the Warriors managed to lose this game and the series.

Loss can come in many different ways. I doubt many people think of sports when hearing the word loss. But this is my passion and most of my life revolves around sports. All of my sports team has made me experience this loss in hard ways. Over the years, I have learned to accept the losses and not get too upset at them. The Warriors last won in 2018, and that’s the last time one of my teams has won it all. Loss is now just a natural occurrence and I just seem to always expect it now.

Word Count: 509

13-Krishna Clay: I lose EVERYTHING

 

    I lose EVERYTHING! I will lose something within five minutes of me putting it down, and it is actually a problem. I lose things mentally too, like I am such a forgetful person.

 I CANNOT remember people’s birthdays for the LIFE OF ME. I…feel…terrible about it. My friends from elementary school understand by now that I will not, nor will I ever remember their birthday. I can remember the month though, like one is in October, another is march, and another is in April, but i don't know the exact day. 

I still find toys that I lost when I was 13, and it’s NOT because my house isn’t clean, they were just in weird places. Like one time I found my toy airplane in my washing machine, but not in the main compartment. I found out when we were taking my old washing machine to the dump and when we threw it out the drum fell out and popped my plane. 

So the moral of the story is that I lose everything, so don't trust me to hold onto stuff because I will lose or forget it, buuttttt you can trust me because if I do find it I will give it back. Don't trust me for both of our sakes, I don't need that stress. 

WC-217

13 - Lucas V: Robotics Here at Wood

    

    This class is probably my most anticipated class of the year because of how fun and exciting it is. In this class, you would build robots and also code. Robotics is part of the CTE program here at Wood bringing newer class types like Auto and Woodshop. With being in this class for almost a whole school year, I have connected through classmates in class. I have also learned the basics of robotic engineering with what gear ratios to use and also what code I would have to input so that the robot would run correctly. There were numerous projects which were fun like having the fastest robot while having different gear ratios and different weight distributions used. At the moment, we are building a manual transmission with 3 gears to shift to.

    The environment in the classroom and the lab is very chill. Students are doing their own things with a little bit of chit-chat in the background. When we are in the lab to build, there is usually music provided by the teacher(he likes country). Most of the time the class is usually in Room L-6 to go over some notes and our instructions on what to build. When coding our robots, the whole class is very loud in which is filled with tons of typing of those crusty, musty school keyboards. Every day I wait for this class which is my 6th period which is a great period as it is basically a class at the end of the day and is also pretty chill. Most of my memories of my junior year is from this class. Plus during block scheduling, I get to be in that class for 2 hours which is great.

Word Count: 288

13- Khiem D.: Size Matters

 

Size Matters

Being heard and communication is key to learning when it comes to learning, then why do we pack classes so much? Simply put, it is much more cost effective to have a class of 30ish students than paying another teacher or the same teacher to teach another class. This isn’t even the worst of it since most 4 years have classes of over 300 students. But I’m sure you already know that and to avoid insulting your intelligence anymore let’s move on to the prevailing issue. Smaller classes offer up a multitude of advantages such as easy access to the teacher/professor and a tighter group of students.

In smaller classes we often have a pretty easy time reaching our teacher/professor for help, emails, office hours, and often just directly asking after class. In a larger class this might be more difficult as while office hours are still there, it’s a much different situation as professors must now juggle between hundreds of students.  Hundreds of emails, papers to grade almost immediately after class, and fighting for attention during office hours. All of this culminates in a situation almost akin to trying to vy for a parent’s attention in a large family.

In addition class sizes also affect the student on student relationships as the smaller the class the more tight knit the student populace is. Like a small suburban community, most students would know each other pretty well as the sea of faces in a normal class now shrinks to a mere puddle. There would be a greater push to talk to each other since there isn’t really a wealth of choices which in turn could improve student relations for the less socially inclined. A network of contacts which could assist each other on assignments, lessons, you name it and we even can observe it in private schools where the population of students is so miniscule you could recognize anybody at a quick glance.

Overall if it was cost effective I wholeheartedly believe that it would be of huge benefit to institutionalize small classes and safely say size does matter. (Yes Entire Post Was Just An Excuse To Make A Joke)

WordCount: 358

13- Antonio L: Refusal To Acceptance

 Refusal To Acceptance

Loss, as the title explains, ignites the grieving process which is the transition of refusing loss to accepting it. It can also be seen as the first state of grief, where people refuse to accept what was lost.

Loss can take many forms, but it can only apply to certain people who have their own experiences with what they’ve lost. How people tend to cope with loss determines how they’ll handle similar situations in the future.

If someone is willing to accept that loss is inevitable and must move on from that, loss will affect them less. Compared to denying that something’s wrong, a person can only deny so many things, and they’ll have to face the truth eventually, not really creating another way out of denial. 

When people lose something, they fear to lose anything else, usually becoming paranoid at the thought that anything bad could happen at any given moment to anything a person cares for. This fear is built off the experience that comes with loss.

That feeling of defeat, a melancholy tone to everything around you, a less vibrant experience towards everything in life. Reaching a low that one must climb out of on their own, because it’s all a mental game at that point. 

Grief and loss are almost synonymous to each other, where you have to lose in order to grieve. The grieving process is complicated but also leads to acceptance in the end, leaving no way to stick to the past.

With how much goes on in life, it’s almost impossible to stay in the past. So loss can’t be bound onto a person forever, and it becomes another event with its long lasting effects. But loss itself is never impossible, but people must prepare themselves for how to deal with it when it comes. 

Word Count: 302