Blogger- The Pros and Cons

Blogging is for some people. But not this guy. Personally I think this is a waste of time. Sitting here watching the hockey game blogging about how much I hate blogging only to have my teacher give me a mark on something I'll probably never do again and have my classmates write bs comments on it that make them sound like they are being forced to write their comments at gun point. "Yes, this is very good, thank you for posting". Boring. But I'm focusing on the bad. There are both pros and cons to blogging, I suppose I'll start with the cons because I'm already halfway there.

1. This is grade 11 University English, if I wanted to blog all day I would have dropped out of school and became a hipster, no, I want to read books, watch videos and movies, write. From an educational point of view, Blogger and blogging are quite pointless. I could just as easily go on tumblr and blog about how I hate everything. It's basically the same thing.

2. All we do is complain and whine about it, I feel for Mrs Le, I really do. She's a great teacher, and she is so fond of blogging, and we all hate it. Sometimes kids just have to deal with things they don't like to move on in life and better themselves, but I have not heard people complain about one thing so much and try to protest it, and I'm pretty sure Blogger isn't a MUST, I don't hear about the other English classes blogging. Like I said sometimes kids have to deal with things to move on, but Blogger is not one of those things. Blogger can be thrown aside and no one would be the worse for wear because of it.

3. The word blog pisses me off. Say it like twenty times you'll see. Blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog

Now for some pros yay


I'm not ALL against blogger. I like to see both sides of every story.

1. It's easy. Simple as that. It's easy marks, you can waste time and still come up with something great.

2. It allows the student to be free, in the sense we can say whatever we want. I mean I can't go about on everyone's posts dropping F-bombs but free as in the sense I can speak my mind. I can go an all out rant about how much I hate everything in English class and get a Level 4 on it. Beautiful.

3. If people like your blogs you just might get a laugh or two about it later. That's always nice.

4. Now this point I don't really understand but it will be argued so I'll write it for arguments sake. Internet skills and internet safety. It is said by using blogger and following the rules of it, it will improve your internet skills for....some reason? I don't know maybe you can type faster? If you want to learn about blogging go on tumblr, and something about internet safety? To watch what you post and in by watching what post you will develop a sense of how to safely maneuver internet? I don't really know the argument here and  am open to suggestions.


All in all, I think from an academic point of view Blogger is pointless and your time could be spent on better recreational components of English like books or plays/movies/videos. From your average students point of view, it's easy and can be fun, which beats writing any essay. There also could be some long term value in using Blogger, what that value is I have no idea. But it could be there.

Thanks for reading.

Why Teachers Who Are More Lenient Are Favored

The statement "Teachers who are more lenient are favored" is an obvious one. But I'm going to elaborate one WHY exactly they are favored. First and foremost, teachers who are more lenient and understanding of student's situations help relieve stress the students are feeling. High school can be very stressful, just like anything in life, but teachers have the power to relieve some of that stress very easily. Listen to their situations and help work around it, realize students have other obligations in life and school, and help pencil everything in as best as possible within reason. Apart from relieving stress, it gains the teacher respect and builds better connections with the students. Of course the teacher will have to maintain some control, but allowing the students to have some space and time and to feel at ease, will help them to succeed in school. Stress is a students worst enemy, and teachers have the ability to easily defeat that enemy.

Mystery Skype Solved

           Breaking News: The Mystery Skye has been SOLVED! What have learned from this incredible break through? That the Students from Wasse-Abin Wikwemikong high school are cool, interesting highschool kids just like that of the ones at Orangeville District Secondary School! They lead normal lives and have traditions just like we do! But seriously, the Skype call with them was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about them and their culture, and I think now I'm better off for it now. Listening and learning about someone's culture, likes and dislikes can truly benefit someone and I would to thank the students from Wasse-Abin Wikwemikomg for sharing their thoughts and feelings with us.

A Touchy Subject and The Right Author

The novel 'The Help' is based around 'colored' women who are maids to white as snow, high society women. The book is set in the early 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi. We see the maids talk to each other in their free time about gossip, funny stories and anything in between. Most of it based around their bosses. They are discriminated against, treated poorly and we really feel for them. Eventually someone hears their story, not just another maid, but someone higher up in society, the person gets their story out and we see a change in treatment of these women. It's a feel good story and the author seems to have a firm grasp on their personal lives of colored maids back in the 1960's, all the gossip and whatnot. So what would you expect a women with such an inside on these maids lives to look like?

Like this?

        A majority of people would expect her to be a darker skinned woman, who was there. And when presented with her face and told she is the author, people don't like to accept it. Like a friend of mine said ¨How would SHE know? She's just another blonde haired woman trying to get famous!¨ How WOULD she know? Well, Kathryn Stockett was born in Jackson Mississippi in the 1960's, she lived through it, she witnessed it. Kathryn was no stranger to the 'slavery' of that day and age. Kathryn WAS there. She felt compassion towards these people and had the knowledge to make a book outlining their lives. Kathryn was The Right Author for a Touchy Subject.

Can Toronto Make it Rain?

      The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the most coveted prize in all of hockey, the Stanley Cup, was 47 long, depressing years ago. A drought that won't soon be forgotten. They are the subject of ridicule, with such jokes as Q: What do the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Titanic have in common? A: They both look good until they hit the ice! and Q: Why don't the Toronto Maple Leafs drink tea? A: Because the Canadiens and Red Wings have all the cups! But the last few seasons have brought some hope of redemption back to myself and all the other Toronto Maple Leaf fans near and far. The Leafs are winning, and it's only a matter of time before they win it all. 


Now, I'm no expert, that's for damn sure. Can't play hockey for the life of me. But I am a hardcore Leafs fan, got it from my father. I have been watching the trades happen, the connections form and the team build and rebuild. With the last few good years, the other teams aging and this young team getting faster and stronger, I can safely say with all the fans and the real experts behind me, this could be the year (2013-2014) the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. So enough of me telling you that they are going to win, now I'll tell you why.


The team we have right now was all constructed by the man himself, Brian Burke. He got a lot of hate and ridicule and was blamed for the leafs sucking, but bit by bit he put together the team we have now, and just before they were ready to prove everyone wrong and get him his reputation of a good GM back, he was fired, replaced, and didn't get as much credit for the team as he should have. But the team stayed. Brian Burke had brought in major players that are now on the verge of victory. Their names?


Phil Kessel(Age 26) RW: Acquired on September 18th 2009 from the Boston Bruins: 121 Goals & 138 Assists so far for Toronto

Captain Dion Phaneuf(Age 28) D: Acquired on January 31st 2010 from the Calgary Flames: 31 Goals & 81 Assists so far for Toronto (Side note: he also has 279 PIM for Toronto)

James Van Riemsdyk(Age 24) LW: Acquired June 23rd 2012 from the Philadelphia Flyers: 18 Goals & 14 Assists so far for Toronto

Joffrey Lupul(Age 30) LW: Acquired February 9th 2011 from the Anaheim Ducks: 45 Goals & 58 Assists so far for Toronto

Cody Franson(Age 26) D: Acquired July 3rd 2011 from The Nashville Predators: 9 Goals & 41 Assists so far for Toronto 


Pretty good stats uh? There are enforcers such as Colton Orr who strike fear into the other teams hearts, the amazing goaltendng tandem of Reimer and Bernier who Burke was half a part of, the list goes on. The team is ready to win. 

No one is quite sure how the season will end, but the general consensus is this could be the year. The year when the Leafs end the drought and make it RAIN.