My thoughts on the in class essay.

Fabiola Oregon

Mr. Murphy

English 914

1 Nov. 2013

                         

    In the essay “On Being 17, Bright and Unable to Read,” by David Raymond, he discusses the great difficulties he had with reading because of his dyslexia. As a result of having dyslexia David faced many problems in school. Raymond was a junior in high school when one day a substitute teacher picked him to read aloud from the textbook, when he told her, “No, thank you,” she thought he was acting smart. This made the substitute teacher mad, but Raymond had been through similar scenes such as this one all his life. David was told that even though he is 17 and a junior in high school, he read “at a fourth-grade level.”Raymond would come home on occasions and would scream, “I’m dumb. I’m dumb—I wish I were dead!”teachers would try to encourage him only he couldn’t even read his own name, it was embarrassing. David then began being tested and seen by a child psychiatrist, or had been forced to go to camp for children with reading problems for instance. Being dyslexic or having any condition isn’t something that should give people an excuse to shut someone down for, many great inventors or musicians had similar disorders.

    I agree with David Raymond’s point or reason for writing this essay. He says, “I have told this story because maybe some teacher will read it and go easy on a kid in the classroom who has what I’ve got.” He’sright; maybe a teacher who has read this essay will stop and be considerate next time they pick on a student. That teacher could move on to the next student and simply approach the student who wasn’t comfortable with speaking aloud or presenting after class. This way when the teacher who so brutally pointed that student out in front of the entire class, told that student to meet after class and discuss the situation and realize the position he or she was in. some teachers are so prideful that they don’t care what the situation is that the student might have they will still make that student feel like they are no different than the rest of the class.

    For example, I have a friend who had minor dyslexia throughout high school. As a result, she came across similar experiences as Raymond did; the only difference was if she was ever picked on she wouldn’t sit there in a calm manner. Raymond was calm about the situation whereas my friend Roxana didn’t appreciate being put on the spot, her solution was use her condition against the teacher. I am in favor of Raymond’s essay because like my friend Roxana and himself if a teacher reads this essay, next time they can stop and think, “okay, I’ll talk to this student afterclass.” Because even picking on students who don’t have any conditions feel bad being picked on. It’s just a matter of thinking before we act, we don’t know what people suffer from the same way they don’t know what we go through. 

    A second example would be in the case of my cousin Eduardo who is diagnosed severe ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be severeor minor because ones attention is at a very low, and aside from that it involves hyperactivity. ADHD can be similar to dyslexia except my cousin Eduardo is a very smart young man his only problem is remaining calm and paying attention. Outsiders meaning not at school or family see my cousin as a crazy kid who is not disciplined by his parents. Teacher’s at school first reaction to my cousin are, “Oh my, what a zoo animal.” But like Raymond and my friend Roxana’s situation there are people who don’t consider asking what the reason for his short attention life span is, or why he happens to be so hyper. In my cousin Eduardo’s case there is a prescribed medication for him that controls his body to be calm, and focus his attention for a certain amount of hours a day. I agree with Raymond’s essay because people who suffer from dyslexia, 

ADHD, etc., can be smarter than people or teachers give them credit for not necessarily in reading or math but something that most people usually cant accomplish. 

Get a glimpse of my childhood neighborhood.

Fabiola Oregon

Mr. Murphy

English 914

4 Oct. 2013

                    “Welcome Home”

    Have you ever cruised down Long Beach Boulevard, closer to the beach and seen groups of Polynesian people outside enjoying the fresh air that comes from the ocean breeze? Driving down that stretched out street you can come across so many senses such as the cars driving or the water from the beach crashing against the shore. Smells of the different foods from the multicultural diversity in the city of Long Beach are incomparable. Sights such as the beach, cars, and children playing or in my case family dancing and spending time together. The feeling of the nice ocean breeze from the beach, spraying towards the city is amazing. Long Beach California’s lifestyle is filled with excellent kinesthesia for a family oriented neighborhood.

    The sounds of my old neighborhood bring back vivid childhood memories. Every morning as a child growing up in the city of Long Beach, through the window I could always hear the cars in the distance as people made their way to work. The sound of the water and the chirping of the seagulls from the beach was the closest thing I heard. Sometimes I could even hear the pans and plates clanging from my auntie cooking breakfast in the mornings. The loudest part of my days was the children up and about running throughout the house, getting ready for another eventful day.

    I could always count on waking up to a variety of smells both good and bad. Such powerful smells of traditional Samoan food known as “Panikekes,” Samoan pancakes, such a sweet aroma filling the air. In my neighborhood you would almost always come across delicious smells from the food, to the fresh smell of ocean breeze, to the disturbing stench of animals. Lounging on the balcony brings the fresh scent of the ocean mists towards our neighborhood. Coming across these smells helps paint a picture of what life would all appear like on a canvas.

    The panoramic scene of my neighborhood as interesting as it is to see, not many people have the advantage to come across these sights everyday. Every morning I would walk to my window and poke my head out the window to see the many cars in the distance. I would always notice the blue, white, and red cars, because the black ones always appeared as little ants. The beautiful panorama of the baby blue beach waves and the brown sand gave me the urge to run down there and join the neighbors with a game of volleyball. If I turned to the city, I could see the stores and the schools just up the street. The stores were always dull colors, but I always remember my school and my older cousins school painted with vibrant purple and blue colors. Downstairs I would always find my auntie Lanu cooking and my cousins’eating cereal or panikekes. Later on in the days I would always find my family setting up for my cousins and I to start traditional Polynesian dance practices to end our day.

    The calm and relaxing feeling of the cool breeze that makes its way through the windows throughout the days was an unforgettable feeling. And on the weekends or holidays we would walk to the beach and drag our bare feet through the warm sand all the way to the shore. On the beach shore the electrifying feeling of the first crash of water against my feet makes its way all the way up my back. Every other night our dance practices took place in front of our apartment building in the grass area. I can still remember the feeling of the grass and dirt in between my toes as my aunt instructed the next dance moves.

    Being a part of a diverse cultural background comes with great and tasty foods. Auntie Lanu cooked every meal of the day, whether it was panikekes for breakfast with a tall glass of cold milk, and for lunch I could always expect some warm slimy chop suey that filled my mouth with a variety of spices and flavors. Dinnertime was the best to look forward to. My auntie made so much food I never knew what to eat. From pisupo, to spam musubi, my taste buds were set off! 

    Looking for a peaceful tranquil neighborhood to live in? Definitely consider taking your next beach trip to Long Beach and while you are in the vicinity scope out the city. I would love to one day in the future take my family back to where I grew up as a child in an interesting and diverse city. To a neighborhood where I can walk around barefoot with no care in the world because I am comfortable in my surroundings. Being around family and having that smell of the food I love to eat that makes me feel at home the way it should be. The way it should feel in the neighborhood where I grew up and one day wish to raise my kids, so they also know what its like to feel safe at home. In Long Beach California the lifestyle is house warming, because it is welcoming with perfect kinesthesia for family oriented people who wish to be greeted with a “Welcome home.”

My Goddaughter.

On December 1, 2013 a beautiful Samoan princess was born at Redlands Community Hospital. My favorite cousin finally after 9 months of waiting and anticipating had checked in to the hospital at 6am with her contractions being 30 seconds apart. After hours of waiting her water broke and it was time for her to deliver. 10 minutes of pushing her first baby out , my bestfriend was so exhausted. Baby Nala Kelise Masiasomua-Moi took her first breath at 2:22 Pm weighing in at 7lbs 6oz, measuring 19 and a half inches. I had already loved her in the womb and automatically fell in love with her the moment she was placed in my arms. My niece is so special, because she is the first granddaughter of a high chief from Samoa, and I am more then proud to call her my goddaughter. I love you baby Nala!

  

My Culture.

In my culture, Respect is a major factor when presenting yourself In Front of the elders. Polynesian culture is all about family no matter what. Polynesian includes Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii, Guam, New Zealand, etc. In my case coming from the Samoan culture, I grew up knowing to respect those in high power, always being about family, loving the food, and dancing is my passion. Polynesian dancing includes the dances from every Polynesia island, from the graceful dances if Samoa, to the exotic hip shaking of Tahiti. I am now part of a family dance group called Manaia Dance Company, I am one of the professional dancers in the group. It does rank from beginners, intermediate, to advanced, and the professional group of dancers who participate in booked payed shows. Dancing is something that I grew up with as a lifestyle and have grown to love over the years, it did take time but with the help of my cousins I am able to perform in front of thousands of people without feeling any sense of nervousness. I am blessed to represent my culture and my group because that is what I have prepared as a young woman to do. 

Childhood School Memory.

My early schooling began in Los Angeles, CA my first day of what was a daycare combined with preschool, in a small neighborhood made up of middle eastern residents. Since my mother is Hispanic and Arabic she wanted me attend this school in my early childhood because she never grew up with her middle eastern family. Sele Amara was my teachers name, to me it was Mrs. Amara emphasis on the arabic accent. She had yellow almost pale looking skin with a overgrown nose and a mole right on her nose. I was terrified because she looked almost like my aunt, except she had really short boy hair. I hoped that she would be as nice as my aunt, they almost had the same name, Selerina is my aunts name. She greeted my aunt really well, that was a good sign, my mom left and she instructed all the students including myself to do a few activities and work. Finally it was time to play with toys and other things she had available, I noticed a really colorful looking item which made me interested so I reached for it and it fell. A part of this traditional Syrian shrine had broke, she ran and took me to her desk and made me put my hand on her desk. She pulled out the ruler and BAM! After that day, she targeted me with the ruler for anything I wasn't supposed to be doing. I don't think ill ever forget my first day of Mrs. Amara's class.

Introducing Myself.

Hello my name is Fabiola Alexandra Adrienne Mehealani Oregon. Yes I know, why do I have so many names? Trust me I ask the same thing. I was born in Inglewood, CA and grew up in Long Beach, Gardena, and San Bernardino California. I come from a multicultural background. My mother Mexican and Arabic, my father Samoan and Filipino. My goal is to stay in school as long as it takes to successfully become an autopsy assistant or PA. My hobbies are dancing and volleyball. I am an employee at Aspen Fitness Clubs because I spend most of my days there. I am specifically a Polynesian dancer for a family group called Manaia Dance Company. I am a freshmen at SBVC, first semester in college, graduated from Cajon High School class of 2013. My pet peeve is being asked everyday "what nationality are you?" Being multiculturally diverse is interesting from an outsiders point of view, it's true don't get me wrong it's really cool, except you have to abide by the rules and traditions Of a certain culture and show respect.