This person has ADD!

What's your blog link Mr. Nic? I thought it was thedailygrind.blogspot.com but I got some different one! Please? =)

Writing...

Sometimes, writing can get pretty boring, you know? Like, you sit down in front of your computer, and you get this feeling- that's not a computer in front of you, no sir- it's a giant bog filled with knee-high sludge. And, you're going to have to wade through it, all while carrying Confucius on your back.

But, stop for a moment! It doesn't have to be that way!

Writing a paper can be like a great variety of things-
If you want it to be, writing can be much like shaving a goat- each sentence you write, as the letters streak across the page, is like an electric-razor shearing off hair with deadly efficiency- fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh! Can you hear the buzzing!?
Or, writing can be a heroic! Write your words like they're hammers, striking against a mighty anvil! Smite your subject with the power of your words- Engrave your arguments in stone- strike down your doubters with your great, fiery blows! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Or, you can write like you're arranging flowers- gently float your sentences down, like delicate petals stirred by a breeze. Lay them down with the greatest of care- handle your thoughts as if the force of your fingers might shatter them!
Or, you can even try to take 'voice' literally! Imagine someone reading your words as you're typing them- write in a thick German accent as you explain your arguments- or write in a respectable, southern drawl- It's fun!

Mental images can do a great deal in writing- mostly by making it enjoyable!
Try it- you'll find you've finished your paper in no time!

QUESTION(S) ABOUT PAPER

Hi mr nick!
how many pages of notes do we need?

:'[[. miss class blog.

Hi Everyoneee!!!!
Hey friends, I miss our class blog!
let's post..?..?
:]]

kelly.

Grade Request Update-Mr. Nic

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that I have read all of your columns and will be emailing you tomorrow with your grades. It has taken me longer than anticipated to read and assess all of your columns, but I can say that on the whole they have been wonderful and I think that most of you will be happy with the grade that you receive. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them, all 110 columns! In the future, so that we can continue to do these assignments with some regularity and so that you can share your writing with your classmates and in turn read their work, but so that I can continue to maintain some semblance of a life outside of school (yes, teachers have a life too!) I will read and comment on the columns, but will not assess them. You will get the full points for writing them, as you did with your first writing assignment about your essence. You will still get assessed on your unit papers as well as the occasional in class essays that we will do, now that you have tables to write on. This way we can continue to write on our blogs and you can do so without worrying about your grade, you can write for the pleasure of writing and sharing your incredibly insightful and mature opinions with me and with each other.
Mr. Nic

One Proud Teacher

I just wanted to take a quick moment to commend all of you for the time, effort, passion, creativity, and energy that you have put into this assignment. I had high expectations for this, but you have exceeded even those, and I just want to say how proud I am to be able to work with you, and how much I am looking forward to this school year. I will be reading through the columns and comments that you all posted over the next few days, and hope to be caught up on my reading and grading by the end of the week.

I will discuss in class how you will be graded on these, and I do take some time to grade them as I read and reread them carefully, so be patient with me as I know I don’t get you immediate feedback. What I lack in timeliness I will try to make up for with depth in my assessment of your writing.

Remember, I am looking for, in order of importance, the quality of your ideas, your writing style, and the fundamentals of your writing. In other words, what you have to say, how you say it, and that you say it in the proper fashion. I really enjoy reading good creative writing, and to that end I welcome you to challenge yourself and to try different things with your writing. I would rather you take some risks and fall short than to play it safe and give me the standard 5 paragraph AIMS essay, and I will take all that into account when grading and assessing you.

Again, thank you for being such wonderful students and for giving so much of yourselves. I will always do everything I can to live up to the challenge and the honor of being one of your teachers here at ASA.

Mr. Nic

My Religion

I sit here, trying to decipher what exactly religion is. Is it your beliefs shared by others? Is it a community that you belong to to worship a God or higher being? When I think about religion, I automatically think about God, and the belief in something greater than ourselves, that we are not alone and not all there is in this world, and that there is a purpose to everything in life and every human being.

When I was a baby, I was baptized in the Catholic church. Shortly thereafter, my family began attending a non-denominational church. I grew up in a home believing in God, praying before meals and at bedtime, and going to church every Sunday. However, in all of those years, I felt like something was missing, like I wasn't quite connected. I had studied the bible and had taken classes, but still felt like my relationship with God was missing something... that is, up until two years ago. My mom had encouraged me to consider being baptized as a young adult to reconfirm my relationship with God. While participating in the music ministry at my church, I began to observe several of the members and how dedicated they were to their music ministry. I made the decision to get baptized. My brother began to work with me on a weekly basis to better understand my spirituality versus religion. I realized for the first time in all of my life, that it wasn't just about the stories and the classes but about my developing an intimate relationship with God. That was the important part. For the first time, it was what felt most real to me. I see how tremendously I have been blessed and I feel like I finally know what my purpose is, what I am going to do in life. My relationship with God and knowing Him has changed every part of me, who I am as a person, what I believe in, and what is most important to me. It has affected the decisions that I make, the relationships and experiences that I have in life. It has made me want share with others this great life experience. I also think it is so great that there was the religious "wire" last night between our two presidential candidates, to hear their opinions and views. That is crucial because what they believe in and what they hold strongly to is going to affect the decisions that they make when running our country. I feel that their religion and belief-structure has everything to do with who they are.