Growing by Destiny Cabrera

Growing

By Destiny Cabrera

Growing By Destiny Cabrera

Table of Contents

Failure————————————————————————————#1 Mistakes———————————————————————————#2 Raising the Question About Death————————————————#3 Encyclopedia of Me——————————————————————#4 It’s Time——Kalena Onaga——————————————————#5 What Children Deserve——Sarah Spalding———————————#6 On Being an Only Child——Geoff Dyer—————————————#7 Dumb Kids’ Class——Mark Bowden——————————————#8

Author's Note I decided to write about growing up. I realized that I have written many pieces about my past, and I felt that it would be perfect to blend them all into the Zine. To select pieces, I thought about which ones embodied the idea of children the most, or some that had to do with me thinking about life. Throughout the course of this semester, I learned that writing is whatever you want it to be; it's your story. This class made me realize that writing for an audience is a little stressful because you want everything to sound like it was well thought out, yet you don't want to lose the interest of the reader. I realized that my voice is pretty relaxed yet concerned about the world around me. I will carry everything that I learned from this class with me for the rest of my life.

Failure In ninth grade, at Mid-Pacific Institute, we were introduced to the iPads. Now in middle school, I had effective study habits, and I always kept my grades up. Upon receiving my iPad, my grades went downhill. It was as if I was spiraling out of control because I was always on the Internet, wasting my time. My grades dropped drastically, and my family was very disappointed in me. Sometimes my grades were so bad that I would lie and say that my teachers hadn't been posting grades. That year, I had only gotten Honor Roll once, and the rest of the quarters I was below that. Even though I was very disappointed in my grades and lack of work ethic, I just couldn't stop using my iPad. I realized that it really is worth it to study hard, because if you try hard enough, you can get an amazing education, and an even brighter future. Studying has become more of a priority now, instead of always going on social media, and so far, it has immensely paid off. If I could go back and restart high school, I would focus more on my grades since day one, instead of letting technology take over my academic life. Hopefully all of my hard work junior and senior year will pay off, so I can attend a great college and fulfill my dream of becoming a pediatrician.

The first sentence made me wonder about what was going to happen next. Even though that sentence is very simple, it’s engaging because it makes you think, “So what?”. I like that the idea is different, and it isn’t your typical, cliché, “iPads ruin lives” paper. This actually states how I learned to focus on the things that matter most. Everything flows nicely and none of the sentences were--spiraling out of control--like my grades were. Not only was this an interesting piece, but it also made me push through this quarter with the same frame of mind.

Mistakes Just as I predicted, Toro was very thrilled to see Ellie. Surprisingly, he sprung up, and started chasing her around our yard, even up and down our stairs! Ellie clearly loved all of this attention, and she was running quickly, waiting for him to catch up with her. Toro's poor, frail body could not handle his restored mobility, and he started having a miniature seizure. I could not handle watching this, and I started freaking out. While he was shaking, I just thought that he was going to die on the spot. Thankfully, my grandpa calmed him down, and I believed that Toro was as good as new. I went through too much seeing Toro suffer, but the bad luck did not end there. That night, I had Ellie sleep in my room because I did not want her to spend her first night outdoors. I felt that Toro would be fine, so I did not worry about him. When I woke up in the morning, Toro was having another seizure, but it was much worse. He was shaking, foaming at the mouth, and he looked at me so helplessly because he did not understand why his body was failing him. I barely knew what was going on, and I did not want to think about what was happening to him. To make matters worse, my brother was balling, and I just stood there, barely shedding a tear. It's not that I had no emotions, I was just in too much shock to actually cry; I was totally numb. It was time to go to school, and I hugged him one last goodbye. I never saw Toro again. My grandparents told me that he was still alive when he was taken to the Humane Society. Sadly, the veterinarian knew that he would not be able to live much longer, so he was euthanized. I always tell myself that I should have gotten him another companion when he was younger, so he wouldn't have ended up in such poor shape. If anything, I was just very selfish because my family had suggested putting him to sleep in the past, but every time it was brought up, I would refuse. I should have thought about the amount he was suffering, and just let him be happier, pain-free. This is one of the biggest regrets I have, and it always hurts to think back to it.

The beginning is shocking because it goes from a feeling of jubilation to anguish in a matter of seconds. There is a wave of emotion that runs through every sentence. Once you think everything is fine, it turns around and bites you. The most haunting statement was, “I never saw Toro again”. It makes the reader feel my pain. Words such as frail, mobility, and euthanized filled this piece with an abundance passion. The mixture of voices left you unknowing about the upcoming events. There is a mixture of excitement, "very thrilled to see Ellie", shock, "I started freaking out" and guilt, "I should’ve just let him be happier". This is what makes this paper unique.

Raising the Question About Death Many people say that we are born to die. This is a true statement because we are all put onto this Earth and in the blink of an eye, we can be taken off. In my opinion, death is a very frightening topic, and I do not enjoy thinking about it; when I do I get the chills. This is one of my biggest fears in life, and I have feared it for as long as I can remember. We mostly wonder about the ways we will die, either peacefully or heaven forbid, violently, but I am more worried about what happens after. People should fear death because there is no way of knowing what happens on the other side, and because we all have so many things that we need to complete here on Earth. Life is so precious; we can impact others' lives and fulfill our own dreams. We are the "thinkers of our own minds" and we have the chance to make our own decisions. We all go through hard times, but many people think that these times won't pass. This is why some people decide to take their own lives, because they think that there is no use of living anymore and that there is no hope left for them. But that couldn't be further from the truth, we all have a reason why we are on Earth, and we should just allow ourselves to be taken away when the time is right. In the mean time, we should just smile, hangout with friends, and travel or do whatever makes us happy. We all know that we are born to die, so we need to make use of our beautiful lives and positively impact the world before we are taken away from it.

This piece leaves you thinking about life. “Many people are born to die”--well isn’t that a little obvious. This statement forces the reader to dive in to the writing and see what has to be said. I feel as though this was a smart topic to write about because death is an “iffy topic”; some people like talking about it and others don’t. Unlike other death papers, this focuses more on what could be done on Earth, so we can make use of our time and make in impact on the world. The tone sounds a little nervous yet convincing, which is an unusual combination, but it works. After reading this, I have an urge to be happy and make more use of my life.

Encyclopedia of Me My old school, Holy Nativity School, is very small and tucked into the 'Aina Haina valley. I attended that school from kindergarten to sixth grade. Since my school only had around 120 students, every class consisted of about 20 kids and over the years, our class size dwindled down. In sixth grade, I was the only girl in my class, surrounded by ten rambunctious boys. I basically knew these boys my whole life, so that school year made me feel like I was given a huge set of crazy brothers. I would say that I had a lot of privileges that year, such as, being Mary in the Nativity scene and also being the Lei Day Queen. The best thing that topped off the year, however, was our one-week trip to Arizona. I guess you could say that I became one of the "guys", because I played football and had rubber band gun wars with them. A funny thing about the room set-up was that I had to have two boys in my room, (supervised by our teacher of course), and they shared a bed while a got a huge one all to myself. Being the only girl in a sixth grade class definitely had its perks.

This was a cute, fun piece. When reading it, it seems as if this piece is just going to be about the school, but I love the unexpectedly fun turn. Being the only girl in your class? That is pretty crazy! The sense of imagery was nice because I could remember all these events happening. Also, the layout was helpful, as it was not too staccato all over the page. I was able to return to my younger years, and I think that my readers will learn a little more about me.

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It's Time Kalena Onaga From the time when we were little, all we wanted was to grow up and be smart and strong and basically become the next Superman. As the years slowly inched along and we came to the realization that this amazing and iconic dream of being Superman did not fit the expectations of the real world. College, however, does. This necessity priced as a luxury became our Superman and only one day stands in our way to becoming Superman. Yep....graduation. The parental grips that we have become so accustomed to are finally free and our wings have been properly fluffed and stretched. We are finally able to fly where ever we want to and be completely free. Well...that's what they tell us bright eyed, naïve children. The fact of the matter is, once we go out there, the big vulture of life is going to come and eat us alive. When we least expect it. Once everything starts falling into place. Once we finally feel at ease with life...BOOM... It swoops in for the kill. And us being the terrified, once free but now helpless birds that we are, will cry for help and attempt to escape this horrible situation we call life.

The first thing that caught my eye was the word “Superman”. It made me think, “Oh yeah! I did want to be the next Super[wo]man when I was younger”. I love how this is relatable and powerful with a hint of simplistic fun. All high-schoolers need to worry about graduation and getting into college. This is exactly what this focuses on, yet it is a little fun due to the analogies and lines such as, “Yep....graduation” and “BOOM”. This piece makes me think more about getting thrown into the real world, which scares me, but hey, it’s bound to happen.

What Children Deserve Sarah Spalding A child's brain is like a heaping mountain of clay; pliant, moldable, lax, willing to shift whichever way the holder wishes. Before they can think for themselves, know their own desires, and the ways of the world; everything they discover and know is from the surroundings they grow up in. The things you learn as a child, all the information your developing brain retains is what forms the person you will be for the rest of your life. It's scary to think that the person you will become is completely reliant on the individuals who raise you, the people you are surrounded by, and as a newborn you have no say in who those people are. Your future is essentially in the hands of a 'stranger' who may do with you whatever they please. In all honesty, those people might not even realize the effect they might be having on you, this child that they have sworn to love and care for. The knowledge they either decide to refuse or put in your brain can be what makes or breaks a person.

This was a phenomenal piece. The words, "pliant, moldable and lax" caught my eye. It actually makes it seem as if childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brains are really clay. It helps to add emphasis to how much adults and our surroundings affect us, starting from a very young age. I also like the way that each sentence flows together, and it just keeps you interested the whole time. I was impressed by how knowledgeable Sarah was on this topic and I want to read more of her pieces.

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On Being an Only Child Geoff Dyer My mother often quoted with approval the maxim “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Unfortunately she thought this was intended as exhortation rather than warning. The mother’s instinct to indulge her only child was thereby reinforced by a higher authority. I was so spoiled that on the day my parents unexpectedly came to pick me up at primary school in the middle of the morning—I was about eight at the time—I told the teacher that it was probably because they wanted to buy me a toy. In fact it was to go to Shropshire where my grandmother was dying. I was also spoiled because I was such a sickly thing. I spent so much time away from infant school that the truant officer visited our house to see what was going on. What was going on was that I was always ill. When I went into hospital to have my tonsils and adenoids out—a panacea in those bountiful days of the NHS—my parents brought me a Beatrix Potter book each day. I missed having brothers and sisters but I liked the way that I didn’t have to share my toys with anyone else. It also meant I got more presents at Christmas and on my birthday.

This was interesting because I was able to learn what it would be like if I were an only child. The tone was a little privileged yet sad at the same time. He mentions, "I liked the way that I didn't have to share toys with anyone else". This makes him sound a little cocky, but at the same time he mentions that he was "such a sickly thing", giving the reader mixed emotions. Also, I liked the idea, because it was very personal and relatable towards only children, yet people with siblings can learn a lot from this piece as well. I can tell that this was a pretty organic idea, and I like how we get to learn more about the author through this.

Dumb Kids' Class Mark Bowden Children are exquisitely attuned to the way adults size them up, so there was never any mystery about where anyone stood. Those of us in the dumb kids’ class took it as a badge of honor. Smart kids were pampered kiss-asses, overly concerned with pleasing teachers and parents. Dumb kids took no shit. With the burden of expectation lifted, we were unafraid, boisterous, occasionally defiant, and generally up to all manner of mischief. Dumb kids were fun. My bet is that when a comprehensive inventory is made of my generation, it will be found that not one person from a smart kids’ class was ever expelled from a Catholic elementary school. If there was trouble to be had—stealing wine from the sacristy, sneaking into the basement to smoke cigarettes, peering up the stairwells at girls’ underpants—the dumb kids got there first. Dumb kids were also tougher than smart kids, as a rule. You didn’t last long on the playground with the dumb kids if you were unwilling to take a swing at somebody, or were too afraid of getting hit. I was not particularly brave, or tough, but I had fallen off my bike at a young age and, to my mother’s horror, broken one of my front teeth. Thankfully, this was before the age of universal cosmetic dentistry in America. Throughout grade school, my broken tooth gave me a degree of rough-and-tumble cred that was as invaluable as it was false. I had also observed—and moving from school to school gives a kid a broad sample—that you usually had to hit somebody only once to be considered dangerous enough to be left alone. Drawing blood guaranteed actual respect. At St. Joseph’s, a popular activity was humiliating the weak kids by dropping them into the “spit pit,” an outdoor stairwell that led down to the school’s basement. Victims would be spat upon as they tried to escape up the steps. I bloodied the mouth of the first bully who suggested such a fate for me, immediately claiming the status of legendary playground thug.

When I first saw the title, “Dumb Kids’ Class”, I thought that the author was going to talk about his pain of being stuck in this class. Boy was I wrong! Right from the start, he talks about the dumb kids’ class being a “badge of honor”. Also the fact that they stole wine and smoked cigarettes made me think, “Wow, they actually were tough”. This piece is especially appealing to teenagers due to the language. Phrases and words such as "kiss-asses", "no shit", and "thug" are used by a large majority of teens. I also love how this is very narrative and casual; like a conversation between friends. This was just a fun piece to read.

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Expository Writing Period #2 Mid-‐Pacific Institute