Homeschooling
Hello class. I know everyone is writing about the disadvantages of homeschooling, which is great because I don’t like it either. However, Idecided to change my essay, and I will write about the advantages of it instead. 
I hope you comment on it, and let me know if it is well organized or is there something that I need to improve?. Thanks!
OUTLINE
BP1
TS.- One advantage of homeschooling is that it is safer.
SD.- 1) No bulling
2) No peer pressure to do drugs, or be in gangs
BP2
TS.- Another advantage of homeschooling is that parents can have more control over their children.
SD.- 1) Behavior
2) Attendance
3) No copying HW or cheating
BP3
TS.- The most important advantage of homeschooling is that the teaching is more personalized.
SD.-1) More attention
2) More specific things to learn
ESSAY.-
One of the advantages of homeschooling is that it is safer than regular schools. Nowadays, it is very common to hear about bulling. Sometimes young people are victims of this situation at school by their own classmates. By studying at home it is certainly a good way of avoiding this kind of awful moments for students. Also, there would not be peer pressure to do drugs, or to participate in gangs because most of the time it happens at school when classmates start putting pressure on other kids to do all these things. Homeschooling then, is a good way of keeping teens away from the bad influence.
Another advantage of homeschooling is that parents can have more control over their children. Sometimes, students don’t behave the right way in front of teacher and don’t obey the teacher’s order either. However, if they were studying at home with a parent, they wouldn’t misbehave because they could end up being grounded. Also, parents would know for sure that their kids are attending classes and not cutting them, as students usually do. In addition, it would be a good way to prevent students from copying homework from others, and even cheating in exams.
The most important advantage of homeschooling is that the teaching is more personalized. Most of the time, there are many students in one classroom, which results in less time for each student. Teachers of course do the best they can to help each student, but sometimes, the time given to each kid is not enough. In homeschooling, each student can get more attention from the parent or tutor in order to get more help. Besides, students who attend home-school have the opportunity to learn specific things, rather than topics that don’t even have anything to do with the subject, as it happens in some classes in regular schools.
1 comment April 26, 2009
“Body Modifications”–> Check this out!
Nowadays, it is very common to see people who have different looks from what we call “conventional”. Some people like to color their hair with purple, pink, green, blue. Another way of having a different look is by wearing types clothing that people usually don’t wear. Among this variety we have people who like to wear baggy clothes, different shoe colors, all in black, or just all cute! haha.
However, one last way of having a new look is by having “Body Modifications”, which are related to piercings, tattoos, bifurcation, and scarification. Probably these last two terms do not sound too familiar to you, but I’m going to tell you a little bit more about them as we get into this amazing “world.”
If we start from the most complicated to the simplest, we find:
TONGUE BIFURCATION
I consider this one as a very extreme way of changing a part of your body. To be honest I don’t really like the idea because it seems kind of gross to me. Of course I respect anyone’s likes, but for me, it would be too much. Besides it is something that ones you do it, you cannot have it joint together, so it is a pretty difficult decision to make. Here is a picture that I would like to share with you!
Another way to have a modification is not the regular tattoo, but the SCARIFICATION
There are many people who enjoy having tattoos in different parts of their bodies. Some of them have small tattoos, and some other have big ones. The case is that some people just have them for fashion and some others for a special reason. I guess tattoos are painful, and you probably think the same. Now, what would you think if I tell you that there is another way to have a permanent tattoo, but instead of using the regular machine, it uses a knife to make some cuts and peel the skin :S
It sounds weird, I know, but it is true. And to show evidence, here’s a picture of the results.
Finally, I suggest the PIERCING, which I consider is the best choice. As I said before, I respect every decision people make, and even more if it is regarding their bodies. But I really consider that in order to have a tattoo, scar or piercing, there should be a strong reason besides “fashion.” The problem is that even though I wanted at some point to get a tattoo, I realized that if any time in the future i wanna get rid of it, i won;t be ale to. Therefore, I consider piercings are way better because you can take them off at any time in life.
In my case for example, I have 9 piercings. 4 in each ear and one in my lower lip. Even though they sound as too many, each one of them have an important reason for me. Each one marks a specific time in mi life, for example, my first two are from when I was a baby . I think those are regular, right? hehe.
Other two remember me my fifteens What a nice age!
The number 5 and 6 are from a time that my mom and I were going through a difficult situation together, therefore, we both decided to have piercings to remember that time.
I got the one in my lower lip when I was 18. the reason is because it was a tough year for me. Many bad things had happened to me and still it was a important age for me to remember because I became more mature in a short time, and I also became stronger and a fighter in life. I learned how to deal with problems, ans how to be optimistic after all.
Oh, by the way I just wanted to share this pic with you all.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog entry and I really hope you comment on it.
3 comments April 26, 2009
Homeschooling!! :S
Talking about homeschooling brings not too many positive points to my mind. Therefore, in my essay I’m going to talk about the disadvantages of it.
The three points that i want to develop in my essay are:
- Limited social interaction with peers.
- Boring for kids.
- Possible failure if parents are not educated enough.
Do you think these three points are strong enough for supporting my side? Do you consider there’s information to develop these points?
7 comments April 23, 2009
The light in my heart! My MOM.
I love each member of my family with all my heart, but there’s one person that I consider is the light in my heart, and she is my mom. Her name is Ruth Rosario Ramos. She is 48 years old, and even though she is a grandma, she looks very young and pretty. She is a very beautiful woman. I love her hair, which is kind of curly, her nose is very fine and perfect, and the color of her eyes is wonderful. They are light brown like honey, and thanks to her I have my light brown eyes. Not as light as hers, but kind of. LOL.
My relation with her has not always been as pleasant as it is now. The reason is that she used to be more serious and conservative. She’s always been very loving and caring, but in a different way. I can remember she was not the kind of person who would be hugging you all the time or too tight. She wouldn’t play with us in the way that we hugged her tight, or we would play with her nose. Sometimes, when we were lying on the bed, my siblings or I used to put our legs over her legs, and she would say ” Oh no please! You are hurting me!” Sometimes, when we spilled something on the table or the floor, we would get really scared because she would get mad.
Regarding our communication, I would say that we couldn’t really be so close, probably because of my age. However, she had better communication with my sister who is 8 years older than me. They used to talk a lot, or my sister would go shopping with her. Is not that she wouldn’t take me, but I was a kid who preferred to be playing at home, and besides I never enjoyed walking. Haha.
I would say that those moments were really tough for me, because I thought that she and I would never be close friends. However, a few years ago, my brother and sister came to live to the US, and only my father, my mom and I stayed in Bolivia. Of course we had to spend more time together, and even though I missed my siblings, I would say that it was a positive change for my mom and me.
When my father came to the USA to visit my siblings, she and I had to spend 3 months together. It was a really difficult period of time because we were facing some familiar problems. She was feeling really sad and I couldn’t just stay looking at her sadness. We started to talk more, and I was a big support for her. I would always try to cheer her up and hang out with her as much as I could. Those 3 months were the best ones ever.
I helped her overcome some fears and problems by showing her the meaning of life. The meaning of living every minute as if it were the last one we could live. Moreover, I had to become more mature quickly to show her my strength and to show her that there’s no point in being sad because of a problem, but it is better to find solutions and keep enjoying life. Also, I helped her wear more modern clothing and it was a big part of her change. Indeed, she is a really beautiful woman inside and out, but just looking her image renewed and fresher, she was motivated.
Our relation has changed so much, that at the present time, I cannot imagine myself without her. Even though she has to live in Bolivia and she only comes from time to time, her presence is the most beautiful feeling in my heart. When she is not with me, I just feel really sad, but I keep on smiling for the moments I was able to share with her! Nowadays, we talk about EVERYTHING. And when I say everything, I really mean it. She is just the best friend someone could ever have. She knows every detail in my life. I talk to her and tell her all my dirty little secrets. LoL. No kidding, she knows all the things that happen in my life without any secrets. I love having a mom like her because she listens to me, even though sometimes I tell her the same story twice or three times, haha. But every time she listens carefully and she lives the moment with me.
Nowadays, I feel much more comfortable with her at all times, since I can hug her as much as I want, or put my legs over hers, or even when I like to play with her beautiful nose, haha. She is more affective now, and she loves to hug me, kiss me, go out with me and she loves to do everything with me. For example, we love going shopping together, or go dancing (with my father of course), and we have even worked together.
All of my experiences with her have been really amazing, and that’s why I love my mother so much. She means the world to me, and if sometime I would have to give my life for her or any member of my family, I wouldn’t think twice.
Thank you Lord for giving me such a great angel to be my mom!
2 comments April 15, 2009
Should towns have teen curfew laws?
You are grounded! Young people hear this words come out of their parents’ mouths many times. What about if this “punishment” would be forever? At the moment there is a law that prohibits young people from being on the streets after 10 or 11 in the evening, unless they are with a parent or legal guardian. Not every county has this law, but there are plans for it to be implemented in all counties. Of course many young people don’t like this idea. However, this curfew laws have many advantages.
One of the advantages of curfew laws in towns is that they offer security for teenagers. These days, a lot of violence occurs every day and night. There are many gangs on the streets who steal to people at nights. For example, one night a friend of mine went to the store to buy some medicine. He was on a bike, and when he was returning, some black guys stopped him and stole his bike and beat him up. There are some other groups who simply like to beat young people up just because they are young, or solely for discrimination. By implementing these laws, many of these attacks could be prevented and young people would be safe.
Another advantage of curfew laws in towns is that they offer tranquility to the people living in the town. Sometimes, young people just like to hang around with friends and they are usually too noisy. Sometimes they just talk to loud, or if they are in cars they turn on the radio with high volume. The problem is that there are many people who work all day long. Therefore, they go home in hopes of resting, but most of the times they have problems because of all the noise on streets. With these laws, people living in the town would be able to feel more tranquility and they would be able to rest without any disturbs.
The most important advantage is that curfew laws in towns result in developing responsibility. Some youngsters don’t always comply with the time their parents tell them to be home. Perhaps, because they know that their parents can forgive them or not give them such a big punishment. However, if they know they can get in trouble with the police for being out too late, they would always find a way to be home on time. With these laws, young people would develop a sense of responsibility in order of avoiding to have problems with the police.
Opponents of curfew laws claim that they would prevent some young people from their normal activities. They say that there are many youngsters who don’t have too much time after school, and the evenings are the only time when they can do things like exercise or just have fun going to the movie theaters with friends. Therefore, by implementing these laws, young people wouldn’t be able to do all those things. That may be somewhat true. However, as stated previously, these laws could reduce the rates of violence, and would help youngsters and their parents to feel safe and secure. Also, not only would it offer tranquility to people, but it would help youngsters to develop responsibility habits. Overall, these laws are clearly beneficial.
Nowadays, it is very common to find young people walking alone on streets at late hours. Sometimes they could e hanging out with friends or just coming back from some extra activities such as exercising or just traveling from town to town. For instance, most youngsters dislike the idea of implementing these curfew laws in towns. Nevertheless, it has been clearly shown that these laws could be positive. Not only do they provide security to young people, but also to parents. Besides, people who live in towns could be able to rest without disturbs. And finally, young people develop good responsibility habits. These are very strong reasons why curfew laws are very advantageous for our whole society.
4 comments April 14, 2009
Traveling…I love it!!!
Traveling is one of the things I love doing the most. Ever since I have memory, I can see myself traveling everywhere with my family. This is one of the things I’m really thankful with my parents for.
Every summer or winter vacation, my parents used to make plans for our family. The best part of it is that no matter where we were supposed to go, the five of us would go together. We really had an amazing opportunity that many people cannot afford to have, and I’m thankful for that. Every year, my siblings and I waited for the vacation time with a lot of enthusiasm because it was something we really enjoyed doing. Of course, my parents didn’t allow us to have bad grades. Moreover, they always told us that these trips were the rewards to our good grades and good performance at school. So obviously, we always gave our best at school in order to feel that we deserved the trip.
My Parents always did the best for us and they tried to give us as much education as they could. Certainly, part of our education is due to our trips. Being able to get to know different places, people, cultures, and languages opened up our minds to see how important it is to know about how different is the life in other places within or out of my country. We learned that every place is unique and beautiful in its own way. We also learned that people cannot be judged just because of their cover, but we should get to know someone instead of judging at first sight.
I was able to get to know many different people, and it helped me to become more mature and open minded about everything. Also I’ve heard different accents and languages which made me feel interested in. In fact, one of those languages I liked the most by that time was English. However, there are many other which I would like to learn such as Portuguese, German, Italian, and French. Even some other languages that are spoken by native people caught my attention such as Aymara or Quechua. I would really love to be able to speak one of those languages that I mentioned, or more if possible because for now, I only now a few words in each language. I think something is better to nothing right??? Haha
So far I have traveled to many countries. However, my parents wanted us to know our own country first, so we went to all 9 departments. Then, we went so Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, and all South America except for Venezuela. (That’s a funny story by the way. The reason why we didn’t go there is because it was Christmas time, and my parents had left our gifts at home in Bolivia. So, since my brother and I were little kids, we rebelled against keep traveling. All we wanted was to go home and get our gifts. So my parents couldn’t take it any longer and we went back to Bolivia. This is something my mother never forgets and neither do I. Know I feel guilty and I regret about that, but I hope we can go another time. LOL.)
After we got to know almost all South America, my parents decided to take us to the USA. Actually my sister was the first coming here because they took her to Orlando for her 15th birthday. I still remember that. They offered some jewelry, or a big party, or a trip. She didn’t think twice and she chose the trip. Do you think that was a smart decision? I think so. In fact I made the same decision 8 years later. J Anyways, that time my brother and I couldn’t come because that was school time. After a few years she also got to go to Germany because she graduated from the CBA (Centro Boliviano Americano), where she studied English for three years. In fact, this trip was offered by my father to all three of us if we graduated from the CBA. So guess what happened? You are right! We all did! Haha. I didn’t go there yet, but that trip is planned for whenever I can travel out of the US. The point is that we also got to know part of the USA, and in the future I’m planning to travel to many other countries.
Traveling is something I love doing a lot. As I mentioned in the beginning I feel blessed for having the chance to go through all those experiences. Probably that’s one of the reasons why I chose to major in Business Management and Administration. I really consider this career as one that offers opportunities and money. It’s not that I am a materialistic person, but one day, I would love to give my children the same opportunities my parents gave to us. I would love to take them to all the places I know and to more places if I can. Only God knows how things will happen, but that’s why I tried to find a good career and I may need to find a good husband who likes to travel as much as I do. LOL. Anyways, for the moment, I am great being single because I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want as well. J
4 comments April 8, 2009
The greatest sister in the world! My sister!
Having a sister is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Eventhough most people see it as something normal and usual, for me it is just a blessing! My sister´s name is Cinthya Karina Paz Ramos. She is 28 yeras old. She is a leo, just like me. Her birthday actually is on July 30th, one week after mine! So I guess were really close in almost every aspect.
I consider myself very lucky for having such a great person in my family. All I have to say about her are good stuff because she never did something that seemed bad to me. Since we were kids, she would always play with me, even though she is 8 years older than I am. I remember once when we were playing with my mom´s make up. At that time I was not allowed to wear make up since I was probably 7 or 8 years old. Since my parents were not home, we decided to take advantage of the situation. LOL. The thing is that we were playing a game called ¨The Beauty Salon at Home.¨ Not really, I just made it up, haha. Anyways, I was supposed to be the client, and she was the stylist. So she made a really nice high ponytail in my hair, and applied really nice blue eye-shadows, and black eye liner, even mascara! All of a sudden, we heard the sound of the car parking. When I looked through the window, I saw my parents. We freaked out, and she just started to clean my face up. I think we were so scared that we did all of that just in time because my mom never realized about it. That was a lot of fun.
I also used to sleep with her in the same bed. I always loved to do that even when I had my own bed. I just loved the idea of hugging her with all I could, meaning my arms and legs as well. I always told her at night, can I give you the monkey hug? (I call it like that.) I think she liked it as well because she never said ¨no.¨ Of course not everything was as sweet as that. I remember something that now it sounds funny, but back then it was just a nightmare! Well, it was a real nightmare, I was dreaming about me fighting with my brother. All of a sudden, I wanted to punch him on the stomach, but the only thing I did in real life was punch my sister´s eye. She was sleeping and when she felt it, she jumped out of the bed and yelled at me. :´( I was so scared because it wasn´t my fault, but I understood how she was feeling. She didn´t want to talk to me for a few minutes, but I kept apologizing until she hugged me. Those minutes, however, seemed an eternity to me because I thought she would never talk to me again. I guess I was a child to think that! Well, yeah I was a child in every aspect, hahaha.
Not only is this, but many other things that we have experienced together. For example, last year we shared beautiful moments together. She was pregnant and I got to spend all that time with her. We would go out to the mall, or wherever she needed to go. I always took good care of her. She is my sister, what can I do? Just love and protect her. I remember that all the times that we were at any store, people would stare at us and we didn´t know why until someone asked….Are you twins? haha…We were like ¨whaaaaat?, mmm….yeah!!¨ haha…We love to play with that because everyone thinks we´re actually ¨twins.¨ Anyways, we spend a lot of time having fun, of course those were the moments when her husband was working, because when he came home, we all used to watch TV and cook together.
(Do you think we look alike?) 
To be honest in the beginning I felt jealous when my sister told me she was pregnant. Of course I didn´t tell her until a few months later. The reason for me to feel this way whas that she was like my second mom. She would even call me ¨my little daughter.¨ She even has my phone number registered in her phone as ¨Hijita linda.¨ —+(My beautiful daughter.) I thought that my place was going to be replaced with someone else. I thought she wouldn´t care abut me anymore because she would have her own daughter to give all her love to! When I told her how I felt she hugged me and said ¨No honey, don’t feel like that. You are always going to be my first daughter and my baby.¨ At that moment I knew that she would always love me. Of course somethings would change, but her love would be the same. (I cannot believe I´m crying right now just typing this. I guess I´m too emotional)
Her pregnancy was a really nice experience which we both enjoyed together. She looked so pretty everyday. And we both, were so excited just feeling the baby moving inside and giving those kicks. Ohhh boy, this baby would not stop moving. She moved so much that one day she was not moving at all, and my sister and I were really worried because we didn´t know if she was ok or not, so I started to move and shake my sisters belly, until the baby started moving again. haha…She was probably sleeping right??, but at that moment we were scared! She gave birth to a beautiful baby-girl named Izabella, on July 11th, 2008. (You already saw her picture in my first blog.)
At this point I feel really happy for having the greatest sister in the world, ¨my sister.¨ I feel she´s like my role model for her strenght, determination in life, and her lovely personality. I´m really proud of her because not only is she a great professional (by the way she´s a lawyer), but she is also a great daugther, sister, and mom! I love her with all my heart and I thank God for choosing her to be my sister!
5 comments March 22, 2009
It’s possible, if you really want to!
It is really hard to take courses that are in a different language than your own. In my case, all the classes I take are in English and my native language is Spanish. So, most of the time I feel a little bit discouraged for the fact that at least 90% of my classmates speak perfect English and they understand all the lecture without any problem, but I don’t. 
At the beginning of this semester I took “Intro to Business.” I really thought I would be more comfortable since there would be someone teaching, and besides all of as would be taking this class for the first time. It was obvious to me that none of us would now anything about business. However, I was shocked when the first class the professor gave us a quick quiz and everyone seemed to know what they were doing. Whereas, all I wanted was to escape by the nearest door or jump by the window, but I knew I couldn’t. All it said were words that I didn’t understand at all. It was like reading Chinese! I seriously wanted to cry!
Next class, we started with the first chapter. All the professor did, was show as a power point presentation and read it. Some classmates asked a few questions and even had a small debate. I felt like it was a nightmare. All of them were even giving examples, and I was like o_O whaaaat? A few classes later, without me realizing, we were in chapter 5 already, and pretty soon we were having a test. So, I said “Oh my God, I think I may drop the class “ and a girl next to me said “no Gaby.” Why do you want to drop.? I said ” I don’t get anything, I’m lost and I will fail the test! Then she said I should keep on trying and she would help me!
I couldn’t believe it. I just didn’t think I could do it, but still I said to myself “you have to study hard and you’ll nail it” So I did. I started taking notes on each chapter, underlining the most important things on my papers, and googling some info I didn’t understand so well. I even took a picture of my self hugging the book when I was studying, so that I would remember of this experience! LOL
Finally, it was the day of the exam. I was feeling so nervous that my body was shaking and I could barely breathe. I took the test and left. I was feeling pretty good, but I didn’t know. The next class, the professor gave us back our exams. I didn’t get the grade I wanted, but at least I realized that if I really want to do something, it’s never impossible! Besides, I even got a greater grade than the girl, hahah…She’s my friend now and she’s cool!
8 comments March 8, 2009
***Love the Italians*** A funny joke for you all! Enjoy it!
Hi guys, I hope you like this joke and have fun!
please comment on it if you like it!
NO SPEAKAH DE ENGLISH
A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation.
The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of them say the following:
‘Emma come First. Den I come. Den two asses come together. I come once-a-more! Two asses, They come-a-together again. I come-a-again and pee Twice. Then I come one Lasta Time.’
The lady can’t take this any more, ‘You foul-mouthed sex obsessed pig.’ She Retorted indignantly. ‘In this country, we don’t speak aloud in Public Places about our sex lives.’
‘Hey, coola down lady, ‘ said the man. ‘Who is talkin’about-a-sex? I’m a Justa Tellin my frienda how to spell ‘ Mississippi
2 comments March 3, 2009
This is me!
I was living in NJ first, and then went to VA. I had to go there since my sister was pregnant and I wanted to take good care of her. She was becoming a mom for the first time, and i was excited again for having a new niece! Her name is Izabella and she’s 7 months now.
Besides, I consider it will help others and me to be able to correct other’s mistakes and learn from them! 4 comments February 19, 2009
