Vandalism

               Vandalism is a horrible crime, and should never be done.  Vandalism is when people destroy or ruin other people’s property. Many people would get mad if their house was destroyed, because they bought it with money which is valuable and precious.  Because people will get mad, Congress decided to make a law against vandalism.  Although the law is set, and nobody should break it, some criminals do.  An act of vandalism could be done secretively, with nobody knowing about it, or it could be done egregiously, with barely any secrecy.  If the act of vandalism was done egregiously many people would know about it, and the police could catch the criminals faster.  Egregious means flagrant, easily noticeable.  The people around the area of the scene would easily notice the criminal’s act of vandalism.  They would be able to report to the police fast.  The police would be able to go to the scene of crime and arrest the criminals there.  Even if they didn’t get there in time, the witnesses would be able to tell the police what the criminals looked like, so the police would be able to find them faster.  If an act of vandalism was committed in stealth and secrecy, the act would still be quite outrageous, because the person who owned the items would be mad.  But unlike an egregious act, a secretive act would be concealed.  The criminals probably wouldn’t be caught on the scene.  If the act was done secretively, nobody would know who did it, and the police could spend months looking for the criminal.  They are both equally atrocious, but if the criminals went about the act egregiously, they are just asking to be caught, and the cops will then be able to catch them easily.  Therefore, vandalism is better done egregiously, than secretively.

Avoiding someone

               I avoided talking to my friend by staying away from her, ignoring her, and getting help from my closest, trusted friends.  My friend was following me around too much, so I decided I did not want her to follow me around as much.  I tried to keep her from following me by asking her nicely if she could try not to follow me around as much.  She said she would try, but over the next few days, I noticed her following me again.  I decided I should just avoid her by using three subterfuges.  First, I stayed away from her as much as possible.  I wasn’t in most of her classes, so I rarely saw her.  When I saw her in the hallways or homeroom, I ignored her.  When she tried to make conversation, I didn’t say anything, as though I couldn’t hear her.  When she frantically kept saying my name, I made an excuse not to talk to her.  When she still clung to me, I desperately asked my closest friends for some help.  They stuck with me more at lunch, and played with me at recess.  Soon, my friend took the hint and stayed away from me.  A few days later, I played with her at recess so that I didn’t hurt her feelings.  I still did not hang out with her much, but we found that we could get along well.  Staying away, ignoring, and getting help from a few trusted friends can help me avoid people.

Audiophiles vs bibliophiles

               An audiophile has a richer, more fulfilling life than a bibliophile.  An audiophile loves to listen to music, while a bibliophile loves to read.  An audiophile listens to music, and listening to music won’t damage anything in a body.  Reading, on the other hand, can hurt the eyes, so a bibliophile can get damaged eyes.  While listening to music, an audiophile can take a shower, do chores, and exercise.  While reading a book, a bibliophile will have to focus on the book and won’t be able to do other things.  An audiophile will be less socially awkward than a bibliophile.  If someone always sticks their head in a book, they most likely will not have many friends; they won’t talk to anyone because they are always reading a book.  By talking to others, people can become friends.  If someone always listens to music, most likely they will have many friends, because they talk to people about artists and song lyrics.  An audiophile has a much better life, listening to music, than a bibliophile.

Anthropologists

               There is an important anthropologist, someone who studies mankind, named John Smith. He knows what type of animal each bone or fossil came from just by examining it.   Today, his crew and he are looking for Neanderthal fossils.  Neanderthals are closely related to humans, which is why Mr. Smith is going to study the bones in the cave.  He is a bit cuckoo in the head, though.  As John Smith’s crew starts digging for fossils, he examines his nails, and barks at people.  He shouts things like, “I will not dismiss you until you finish this the right way,” or “you call that succeeding at your task!  Hah!  That hole doesn’t seem like an ant could fit in it.  You say you have proceeded, well, to me, it looks like your hole got smaller!”  When somebody finds a fossil, Smith reports in a bellow that it was a fossil of a bear, or of a fish, but not Neanderthal bones.  Suddenly, one of the members of the crew exclaims, “I think this could be it, master!”  He holds up a white, oddly shaped bone.  The edges look like they had been chewed on by some other animal.  John Smith declares that the fossil is indeed Neanderthal, and a bear probably lived in the cave that ate fish and Neanderthals.  He says his job is done, and leaves without another word.  John Smith is important, because he can tell whether or not a bone is one of a Neanderthal or not just by taking a quick look.

Impressing people

               Acting magnanimous in order to impress people is worse than acting pusillanimous.  Acting magnanimous would mean that someone was acting kind and generous.  Acting magnanimous would make people think someone is nice, even when they are not.  People would be deceived by the acts of generosity and kindness from a person seeming magnanimous.  A person being pusillanimous would not deceive people about their personality, so others will know the person’s real personality.  If the person was truly nice, then others would be his or her friend.  Acting pusillanimous would be better than magnanimous, because acting magnanimous will deceive people, while acting pusillanimous would show people the person’s true personality.

Acropolis

               The word acropolis has many meanings, such as a city with high walls surrounding it, a city with a high population, or a Greek city.  “Acro” means high, and “polis” means city.  An acropolis could be a city with high walls surrounding it.  It could be a city with a high population.  An acropolis might be a city where the houses are made high, like skyscrapers.  The word is heard in Greek stories, so it might mean a Greek city with high walls surrounding it.  Many Greeks put high walls around their cities, to protect themselves from others.  The acropolis could mean many things, but the true Acropolis is an ancient citadel on a rocky hill above Athens. 

New Kid

On the first day of, I walked into the loud, crowded bus.  People were talking loudly and yelling.  The aisle was packed and gave no personal space.  I remembered the first rush of nervousness and excitement, as I walked down the aisle and looked around for an empty seat.  Many people were pushing in the line, trying to get into a seat as soon as possible.  When I walked down to nearly the last seat, a patrol told me to sit in a seat with two other children.  I sat down quietly, trying to make myself smaller, so that the two other students wouldn’t be squished and annoyed with me.  They must have been friends, because they were chatting away.  I felt left out and very nervous at first.  The two friends started talking to me.  They included me in their conversation, and soon I was a lot less nervous as I realized how kind the students could be.  I just hoped the other students and teachers were understanding and nice like them. 

Soon, we arrived at school.  Many questions started forming in my head, as I walked into the big school—only making me more nervous.  “Will my teacher be nice?  Will I make any friends?  Will I fit in, or stay the ‘new kid’?  Will I be able to find my classroom?”  They kept echoing in my head, even though I told them to go away.    I had heard that many people got lost, so I paid careful attention to all the turns in the hallway.  Even though I did this, I still couldn’t find my classroom.  I reached my classroom after searching for several minutes. 

I realized the students were very helpful and not in the least bit mean.  They guided me around the school, and they told me what to do.  I also realized the teachers were nice and understanding.  The teacher let the new kids introduce themselves.  After that, I felt as though I had been officially declared a Floris student—not just some new kid.  They explained how everything worked, and told me about the daily routines.  Soon, I learned what WFLO was, and how to work the SmartBoard. 

Then, it was time for lunch.  I didn’t know where to sit.  Many people invited me over.  It felt special.  Many people wanted to be with me—maybe even be friends.  I felt special.  I took a seat with some kids who seemed pretty eager to sit with me.  Lunch went by in a flash, and it was time for recess!  Many groups of children formed, so I joined one of them.  They kindly invited me to play with them.  Recess went by even faster than lunch, and it was time to pack up sooner than I had expected.  The day had just seemed to start, when it ended. 

Over the next few days, I got used to the daily routines, and the expectations.  They became a part of my life.  I made new friends, and soon, I was no longer the “new kid.”