Writer's Workshop Portfolio

                                                            HMS Nightmares 

 Some students comes home from school and relieved it was a good day. No one bothered them and they only had to worry about their schoolwork. The students wish they had more good days, but that doesn't happen often. Why? It's because the students are being bullied at school. Other students call them names or physically hurt them and it happens constantly. Also, not many people will even try to help them, they're being bystanders. They do not tell their parents and tried to deal everything by themselves. It can be difficult, some days are harder than others. How can these students try to deal with their problem, without any help? The answer is you can't. The main problem is they don't realize that there are different other ways to help get through bullying.

 "On a few occasion student that were being bullied, or their friend, came and told me about the situation," Ms. Belkov a teacher that works at Heritage Middle School. This demonstrates that a students have spoken up and talk to a trusted adult. Telling an adult if you are being bullied can be a difficult thing to do because they're scared that the bullying will get worse, so most bullying victims will avoid it.

 But a HMS eighth grade student, Jessica Sanchez, states her mom helped her get through the bullying. She said "I talked to my mom each day and told me to stay positive and honestly it helped me so much!" This indicates that telling a trusted adult can help you get through bullying because the parent will most likely try to help and give you advice. Although Jessica did end up having depression, she tried helping herself get through this, by mostly talking to her mother. But that wasn't her only way to help herself from being bullied. Jessica says she would "try hiding from the people who were trying to hurt me,"

 "I tried to ignore the problem," said another eighth grade student, Jared Almaguer. Jared had also said that she told her parents, but ignoring the bullying and paying attention to more important things has helped her the most. This revels that there can be other ways to help get through bullying beside tell a trusted adult. Also, Jared did get depression. Jared said as another way to help her get through her depression "I pay more attention to the present then to the bad memories of the past,"  as another way to help her get through her depression.

 "In sixth grade a couple of my friends were saying mean things to my other friend," said another eighth grade student, Christy Arreci, who has not been bullied, but was a bystander. At first she said "stop" to the girls, but it didn't work, so she just pulled her friend away from the girls. She also thinks that she could have done something else. "I think I could have maybe talked to them more instead of just saying 'stop' because it didn't actually help." Christy was asked a question about how she would help a friend with depression, since she wasn't bullied. "I would talk to them, tell their parents, make them feel like their not alone and they have help, or distract them, try not to make them think about the bullying."

 After interviewing it became more clear that bullying can happen to anyone at anytime and sometimes lead to depression. How do you stop bullying? First of all you can't stop it, but, you can help yourself get through it.

There are different types of ways to help you get through bullying and depression. The mostly likely thing to do is tell your parents, or a teacher, aunt, uncle, a trusted adult basically. It can even be a friend. The adult will most likely help you, by either giving you advice, talk to the person who is bullying you, or maybe both. Mostly telling someone can be helpful, because you don't have to feel like your alone, you have people to support you. Jessica Sanchez, one of the people that was interviewed, asked her mom for help and did end up getting it the help she needed. If you are being bullied try telling someone, let it at out, and get the right help you need.        
                                               


                                                                       Locked Down
                                   
        A lock down has occurred on April 30, 2015 at Heritage Middle School in Berwyn IL. All students had to end up staying after school until the lock down was over. This lock down was real and all the students at HMS did not know it. It was all surprising.
It began with the students being in homeroom, which is the class last class you go to at the end of the day. Students get to read, do homework, or talk. Everything seemed to be normal, since they do that everyday. Until there was an announcement."Students and staff," advised the vice principal, Ms.Timpe "we are now going into a hard lock down. Please lock your door and out of sight. We will announced when the lock down is over."
As the announcement  was happening all the students got up and hurried to the right side of the room. They all try to get as close to the wall as possible. The teacher locks the door, turns off the lights, and gets as close to the wall as she can. All the students sit there in utter silence. Not knowing what to do, or if this was real or fake.
  7-10 minutes passed of the school being in lock down, still confused and slightly frightened. Until there was a "beeeep," noise, it was another announcement. "Students and staff," Ms.Timpe announced, "we are now out of the hard lock down..." All the students give a huge sign of relief as they get up from the floor and back to their seats. They were relived that there was nothing wrong. Ms. Timpe continued with the announcement "We are now going into a soft lock down, students will not be dismissed until the soft lock down is over." the announcement ended. Some of the students gave out a frustrated "what," while others stayed silent.
During the entire soft lock down, the students talked, as they waited. It passed 3:17, which is the time the students usually get out of school, but there was no announcement. Then 3:25 still nothing. 3:31 no announcement was made. It was about 3:40 when finally there was an announcement. "Student and staff, we are now out of the soft lock down, have a wonderful day and we will see you tomorrow," remarked Ms.Timpe. All the students grabbed their supplies, left the room, and then left the school.
As students stepped outside the school they see a helicopter and some police cars. A rumor that could have cause the lock down was someone had brought a weapon to school. Luckily the school does practice fire drills, tornado drills, earthquake drill, and lock down drills that will help them if any of these situation occurs. All students at Heritage Middle School are safe and unharmed. This unexpected lock down will remain locked inside of students head's.

                                                              Life Changing Words

Have you ever gotten advice from someone that completely changed your life? It could have been from a parent, grandparent, friend, or even a teacher. I sure did. Changed my life 110%. It made me see myself in a completely different way. It made me more happier, more stronger, more myself. And those words came from one teacher, Dr.Howard.
Dr.Howard was my teacher when I was in fifth grade. And he was one of my favorite teachers that I've ever had. He told stories, jokes, and messed with some of my classmates, even though he as joking. Dr.Howard and I already had a connection because my brother had him when he was in fifth grade. Besides being funny, and telling the class stories, he also said some pretty good advice. Ones that I use in my life today, even though I don't remember what they are. Except one.
It was after class and all the students were heading out towards the door. As I was about leave the classroom, until Dr.Howard called me to his desk. So, I turn around and head towards his desk, which was at end of the classroom. As I walk closer and closer to Dr.Howard, by moving around desks, trying not to trip on something, he just keeps smiling. Did I do something, am I in trouble, is this good news or bad news? So many things were going on in my head as I head closer and closer to his desk.
"Yes?" I asked Dr.Howard.
He told me something else that is a big blur at the moment. But one thing I do remember is him holding a small black box.
"Do you know what can fit in here?" Dr.Howard asked me.
I shrugged, thinking of what can fit in that small box.
"Car keys," he said to me, "because big things come in small packages, just like you, understand?" I smiled and nodded, clearly not knowing what he meant.
 "Okay you can leave," Dr.Howard told me. So, I turn around and headed towards the door. When I left the classroom, I just completely forgot about what Dr.Howard told me. I just continued on with my day. Until the middle of summer vacation and I was watching YouTube videos on my phone.
As I watch YouTube videos, school and sixth grade came to my mind. I get up from my bed and ask myself "How is sixth grade going to be?" "It's a new school, so it has to be different. Will I make new friends, be with my old friends, or me by myself? I was always the shortest one in my grade. What if I get made fun of because I'm so short? If I get bullied?" I was sitting on my bed now and couldn't get the horrible things that might happen to me in sixth grade out of my head. Until, fifth grade came to my head. I just began to think about all my memories that were made in fifth grade. My friends, my classes, my mistakes, and teachers. Dr.Howard came to my head as I thought about my teachers. Then I remembered what Dr.Howard told me. "Big things come in small packages, just like you," I told in my head and that's when I realized "big things come in small packages, I may be short, but I have a big personality." As I realized what Dr.Howard was trying to tell me I remembered how I acted when I was in school. I acted tough, and mean. I broke pencils and always worn a sweater, just so I can look cool, but really I was just hiding my skin. Why am I acting this way, I'm a completely different person at home. Why am I hiding my big personality from everyone else. It's not me. That's when I thought about sixth grade again.
Yes, that's it! Sixth grade is a whole new chapter in my life, my friends need to see who I really am. I need to show my big personality to everyone, including myself. I could make new friends if I'm myself. Ones that know who I really am, instead of seeing who I was before. I promised myself that sixth grade is the year I am myself and I'm not going to break that promise.

As promised, I was myself in sixth grade. The first two weeks of school I was silent because my friends were talking to other people, they made new friends. It made me wonder if I was really going to be alone. I'll have no friends throughout my years at Heritage. Until someone talk to me. I began to talk, more and more, and made a new friend. After that I made a whole bunch of new friends, while I still being myself. And here  we are today, I am still myself at school, and I made a new friends because of it. Instead of taking short as a hateful thing, I changed it to a compliment. I realized that short people can do other things that tall people can't. I appreciate myself more than I used too, and I am ten times happier than I was before. All thanks to one teacher's life changing words.