Preliminary Questions

A. What are your thoughts on writing?
I am comfortable with writing. I don't think that I am an amazing writer. However, through my years at Hanalani, I think that I have definitely improved my writing. Because my classes from previous years put a lot of focus on essays, I am taking the Creative Writing class this year to look at writing in a different perspective. B. What are your thoughts on reading?
I have always enjoyed reading. My English class last year challenged me to read books that I normally would not (and I enjoyed 2 our of 3 of them). At the end of the year, Mr. Robinson suggested that we read classics instead of limiting ourselves to popular books of today (like the Hunger Games Series). This summer, I read a historical fiction book about foot binding because a woman at church lent it to me so that I could get a taste of ancient Chinese culture and mentality. Although it was not my favorite book or genre, I enjoyed getting a grasp of the culture of that time. C. What are your thoughts on technology?
As with writing, I feel comfortable with using technology. I'm not really into gaming or social networking. I really enjoyed Digital Storytelling class last year and was able to better shape my ideas of how to use videos for strong storytelling and communication. I still have a lot to learn and work on though. Mostly, I use computers for school and YouTube. I am kind of concerned about security, which is why I prefer not to use my real name for things online (which I do realize can cause my work to seem more unprofessional). D. What are your thoughts on learning?
I like discussions and lectures to some extent because I enjoy hearing others unique thoughts (which I could never think of), but sometimes they seem slow or too dragged-out. I don't really care for tests and quizzes, but do like creative projects. In my English class last year, I enjoyed how we used "non-classical" methods to improve our thought processes. For example, we had to make videos to communicate important themes from books, summarize chapters from books through drawings and acting, and aim to truly get into Thoreau's mindset by analyzing his works while in nature. To think more critically, we did some activities that, on the surface, might just appear to be "fun and games" (I really enjoyed the combination of trying something fun and new with becoming a better thinker). E. Why do you want to take this course?
I like reading, and wanted to expand my reading scope. Since we no longer have to take speech class (as I first expected), I have an extra period, so I want to make use of tuition money by taking another class. Also, I enjoyed your teaching in seventh grade.