Try Your Best!

Caitlin Ma

Narin Ramani

SS: E Block

March 30, 2016

Try Your Best!

Hi, I am Caitlin Ma. I am from New York but I move all over the place. Even though I move a lot, I am a Christian. My family isn’t really one to go to church, so I spend more time with my family. I’m also on a swim team. I always try to do my best at whatever it is I do, and practice swimming to make myself better.

My family and I used to go to church, but because we are not a very religious family, we spend time together instead. On the weekends, you could find us hiking, looking at sights or sitting by the poolside while I swim as fast as I can. My religious belief does affect how I live my life. It just means that we celebrate Christmas. My family and I set up the Christmas tree and celebrate the holiday like any other, it shows how connected we are as a family.

Firstly, one thing I believe in is doing my best at whatever it is I do. I believe in doing my best because I want to make my family proud. I believe that if you try hard anyone can do their best at whatever they do and be fantastic at it by the time they practice it enough. If you work, work and work, there is no way you could not make you family proud because they will know that you tried your best even if you failed in the end. They will no you tried hard. I also believe that this is important because if you never give up you will live a happy life just by trying and doing your best.

Secondly, I believe that if I practice swimming, I will get better. I believe this because I have experienced it myself. If you look at it from my point of view, you see me huffing, puffing and out of breath in the pool while trying to make the test-sets (swim tests to determine if you move up a level).Even though I knew, for a fact, that I wouldn’t make it this time, I told myself, “keep trying. If you don’t try, you will never know,” so I turned on my feet and kicked the rest of the way while pulling my arms as fast. When I got back to the wall, I was elated to find out that I had made the test-set, I had made all four of the test-sets. I was so happy and I knew I had made it because I tried my best and practiced a lot to make myself better. That is why I deeply believe that if I practice swimming, I will make myself better.

Even though it has never happened to me, myself, I know that others are disrespected because of their religions and beliefs. I believe that they are wrong and that people should respect other’s religions and beliefs. I think this because if you knew you were going to get bullied again and again and again, you might be discouraged to try because you know you will get put down because of your religion and/or your beliefs. Even though nobody disrespects my religion and my beliefs, if they did I know they shouldn’t because it puts me down and makes me feel insecure about everything I say, do, think, hear or eat. I feel like I should change everything about myself just to keep from being discouraged and put down. I’m not really a religious person, but I do know, for a fact, that disrespecting other’s religions and beliefs is NOT okay and should be stopped.

Eight Weeks Later

Hi, this is Caitlin Ma. It has been eight weeks since I wrote what I believed in social studies. I still believe that you should always try your very best at anything you try to conquer. When I believed in myself and tried my best, I got all personal bests at my previous swim meet. I tried my best and succeeded. I still believe in trying my best, and everyone should try their best.

Year-In-Review

1. My greatest accomplishments in math was my Student Vs. Beast project because I feel I did a good job while doing it.
2. I will miss Mrs. McComb because she is the best math teacher I have ever had and she taught me so well. I will miss the way she teaches! I look forward to learning new concepts because I really want to learn more about this great subject.

Hard Working Helper!

Caitlin's Reflection and Reaction

     Throughout my 6th grade year, I have learned many new and crazy things, but most of all, I have learned who I really am, not who I should be. I already knew that I worked hard and was a really good helper, but 6th grade helped me blossom into who I really want to be in my lifetime. When I lived through 6th grade, I really found myself as who I really am, not who I should be

     As I found myself typing away, I realized that I worked really hard to make my writing the best it could be. I wasn't caught doing anything but type, type, typing away, the keys aflame with life and fresh fingerprints. My hard working also helped me become the helper. I grew more tempted to help others because I worked hard and understood what they needed help with.

     As a writer, I learned that you have to work hard in order to succeed. In my informational piece, I first wasn't sure what to do. I didn't even want anything to do with it, but then I started researching my topic and grew interested in the issue in this world. Finally, with a microphone and knowledge in my hands, I ended our unit with a bang! I shared with everyone the issue as the teen activist I am.

     In many ways, this is like life. I worked hard in order to receive the treat of spreading awareness when in life you must also work hard in order to achieve your greatest wishes. If you don't work hard, you will never know what you could have achieved. I worked hard, and it paid off. I was proud of myself and others were to0. Anybody can work hard, you just have to try. You can also find who you are, not what others will you to be.

My reaction to my worst and best piece, start to finish on the board game of 6th grade.

My Mathematical Year

What are 3 ways that you have grown or improved?

1. I have grown better at using test taking strategies to better my scores and understanding.

2. Another way I have improved is speaking out more, a good speaking out. I have grown my voice to speak out if I have a correction to make, know the answer, or just want to give my opinion.

3. One final way I have grown this year is simply my math concept. I have grown my understanding of math beyond what I could have imagined. I never realized what I could learn about math, and now I have learned it.

What are you most proud of from your sixth-grade year?

     I am most proud of my Student Vs. Beast project because I feel that I did a really good job on it. I worked hard, completed it ON TIME, and I made it look nice because I had enough time to. Not only that, but I also got a good grade on it and felt that I deserved the grade. That is why I am most proud on my Student Vs. Beast project.

BAND: Concert Reflection

1. What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 6 Band? Please be specific.

 One thing I think the Grade 6 Band did well is our tempo. We stayed in tempo really well in all of our songs, especially at the part where we have a rest that we usually messed up at during practice.

2. What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 7 Band? Please be specific?

 One thing I think the Grade 7 Band did extremely well was performing their dynamics. They did especially well in Ironclad when the clarinets and low folks had to play PP when the flutes had to play FF.

3. What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 8 Band? Please be specific.

 One thing I think the Grade 8 Band did very well was pausing for the rests. They did this very well because they all stopped at the same time and started at the same time according to Mrs. Craig which helped build up the suspense for the intrigued audience.

4. What were you most proud of for your performance in the concert?

 I am most proud of my growth from the minute we got the concert pieces until we were bowing to the audience. When we first got the pieces, we were squeaking, going EXTREMELY slow, and could not ever imagine ourselves playing beautifully on stage with everyone. I was proud of myself when it came to the overall performance, because of my growth.

5. What are 3 things you have learned this year in band?

 1. I have learned how to correctly play a beautiful instrument, the clarinet.

 2. I have learned how to play the right dynamic for the better need of my bandmates.

 3. I have relearned how to read the treble clef by playing it for the clarinet.

6. What has been your favorite part of being in band this year?

My favorite part of being in band was getting to play with all of y bandmates with good harmony and making beautiful music.