June 2015 – irockenglish

Around The Clock

June 16, 2015 paul.koch2 Comments

12 AM,

A new beginning,

Families are fast asleep,

Students are still doing homework,

College kids still out partying,

No care in the world,

Around the clock.

1 AM,

Students falling to sleep,

Leaving papers incomplete,

Cabs are called,

Lonely on the streets,

On the other side of the world,

Stretching on the streets,

India wakes up,

Around the clock.

5 AM,

Early birds rise with the sun,

Grandparents go out for a run,

Children wake up and look at the clock,

Then destroy the clock and then go to sleep,

Around the clock.

7 AM

A fresh day begins,

A morning rush in New York City,

Traffic building up,

Students crying and being dragged to school,

The bells ring at high noon in London,

Tea cups are raised in unison,

Around the clock.

9 AM,

School bells ring,

Work has begun,

Coffee mugs are empty,

The weekend is done,

Around the clock.

12 PM

Lunch is served!

Hungry people across the eastern states rush to food,

And so a food rush begins,

Time for business deals,

Time for a break,

Time to relax and rejuvenate,

Around the clock.

5 PM

Time to go home,

Rush hour begins,

People rushing to get home to their families,

Kids playing outside with friends,

Teenagers hitting the books,

And so the evening begins,

Around the clock.

9 PM

Dinner time,

Time to finish off the day with a peaceful meal,

Families sit down together to have food,

“How was your day?”

Teenagers are still pulling through with their homework,

No hassle, no care,

Just family time,

Around the clock.

11:59 PM

The end of one day is just the beginning of a new one.

Academic Team: The Time I Will Never Forget

June 15, 2015 paul.koch2 Comments

Academic Team: The Time I Will Never Forget

When I was in seventh grade, I had just moved to California and I was starting in a new school. New places and new faces were all around me. Later in the year, I joined the school’s academic team at my mom’s urging. At the time, I didn’t know just how much I would become a part of it and how far I would go with it. That year, I didn’t participate much, but I gained the insatiable passion that lead me to join as soon as it started the following year. I wanted to make it my one thing that I would be remembered for at my middle school, since I was an eighth grader and I hadn’t really made myself known. I later found out just how big the academic team would become, and how much I grew.

When it started in my eighth grade year, I immediately had an edge since I had experience from the previous year. I combined my previous knowledge along with honing my reflexes in order to be the first to answer the question. We had buzzers that would signal the judges if someone knew the answer, and it had a button to do so. However, you also had to be faster than the other team, too. I was slowly growing in skill within academic team, but academic team almost ended before anything could get going. The previous coach was no longer going to run academic team, and that meant we wouldn’t be able to continue with academic team. So I got to talking with one of the assistant coaches about who would be our new coach and I had an idea. It was a slightly crazy idea, but I was so determined to get academic team to continue on that I went with it. The person who I thought of as a new coach was not a teacher or a staff member, but someone close to me. I chose my own mom as the new coach of academic team, since she has shown how effective of a leader she is numerous times. I was at the time thinking that we would do pretty good, but not super well. However, destiny decided to prove me wrong.

The assistant coach agreed with the decision (which made me feel good) and soon enough, my mom was running the show for academic team. Since she was coach, I was able to practice much more intensely at home, even practicing while at breakfast and dinner on school days and every once in a while on the weekends. I practiced for a long time, eventually becoming the captain, or lead player, for our “A” team. We had made four teams to compete in an upcoming NAQT-qualified tournament that was close to us. The winner would go to the National Tournament that was to be held in Atlanta, Georgia. Our school had never won the local tournament, as there was a math and science academy that always won called Mesa Verde. Our teams we had created were labeled as Teams A, B, C, and D, with skill determining the members of each team. The A team was the best of our entire academic team, and at the bottom was the D team. However, that doesn’t mean our D team was a pushover either. They were quite good, but not as skilled as the A team was. So, I was kind of the best player on the entire team for our school, since I had not only the best stats from other mini tournaments, but I also specialized in more areas than most of the team. However, the challenge was on to try and win this qualifier tournament. And it wasn’t going to be easy.

When the day of the qualifier tournament arrived, all of us were both excited as well as nervous. My mom was keeping everyone calm with positive conversation, but I still felt edgy. After meeting up at our school, we packed our things and went to the tournament. Upon arrival, we immediately saw the teams we dreaded to face; nearby were the teams from Mesa Verde, and they had a lot of their heavy hitting players stacked on their teams. Just seeing them made some of us really nervous. In spite of this tension, we decided to calm our nerves with some practice. We went through packet after packet to make sure we were at our 100% best. Then, the tournament began.

We went through match after match, each filled with a series of 20 questions. You had 10 seconds to answer and they were followed by a three part bonus if a team got it correct. We came close to losing on several occasions, but we managed to keep a winning streak throughout. Halfway through, we could hear nervous chatter from upcoming teams, because we essentially made ourselves a big representation by being undefeated. We continued on, pulling win after win. Finally, the tournament had reached the final match, where every other team that didn’t make it gets to watch the two final teams go head to head in a heated contest. We were one of the final teams to make it there. However, our opponents were the #1 team from Mesa Verde, which was the one we saw earlier stacked with their heaviest hitting players. They had equal status to our undefeated streak, as they have always won the qualifier tournament, and have done so for at least 4 years. No one stood a chance against them. But here we were, in the belly of the beast and only one way out. Winning.

We sat at our designated area, as did Mesa Verde. When both teams were ready, the onslaught of questions began. I was insanely nervous, and my adrenaline was pumping. The hardest thing is you can’t see your current score or theirs, so you were left in the dark as to how well you were doing. The only time we knew was when it was halftime, where the coaches talked with the teams and enforced strategies, as well as give them a score update. At the time, my mom said that it was a close game, but that we were 5 to 10 points behind them. I was surprised, since Mesa Verde usually won by a landslide victory in the past. Determined to win, we resumed with the match. It was as if I had been going on autopilot after that. I just answered question after question, beating Mesa Verde to the buzzer and singlehandedly carrying the team. When the questions were over, they said good game and that it was a close match. Everyone in the audience got on their feet and went wild, and I thought it was because Mesa Verde won. That was, until my mom ran up to me and said that we won. I was ecstatic, and so was my team. We saw that there was only a 15 point difference in the scores, and that we were the champions of the tournament. After that, everything just flew by for me. But I knew one thing. We beat the old champions, and that we were going to the National Tournament. That was just as fun, but that’s a story for another time.

June 12, 2015 paul.koch1 Comment

Taking care of a Baby

By Omar Oughourli

So recently I took care of a baby for human development. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. No joke. Well okay maybe a little. So anyway, the baby was actually a RealCare 3 baby, meaning it cries if it’s hungry or pooped itself, the whole works. It’s an amazing piece of technology really. The first day was hard for me because I had to get used to it crying ALL THE TIME. I truly understand how parents feel now, I mean, in the “no more free time” department. You can’t do anything like you used to. No more lounging on the couch, no more napping (which I don’t do, but you get the idea), and no more sitting on the computer all the time (which I DO do). I knew it was going to cry at the middle of the night, but I didn’t care anyway. I wanted to cry. “Please, for the love of God, LET ME SLEEP!” I said painfully.

The second day was worse. I remember when my sister had it, she had it easy. When I had it, let’s just say I don’t think babies should cry seven times in three hours to be fed 10 minutes straight EVERY TIME (that’s right, this baby is a demon, WHO THE HECK DRINKS FOR 10 MINUTES STRAIGHT!!?? I CAN”T EVEN DO THAT!!!). I mean I get the diaper changing part, but FEEDING LIKE THAT!? Nope. That’s a freakin’ world record right there. You should have seen the tiny milk bottle. Or should I say a genie milk bottle, since it had like 10 minutes worth of milk. That right there is ingenuity. Why don’t we have water bottles like that? Whatever.

The third day was the last day, and it was no different. I forgot to mention my stupidity. So in order to take care of it you had to have this bracelet that “allows” you to take care of the baby, otherwise it won’t work with anyone else. And you can’t take it off, obviously. But here’s where my stupidity comes in. So when the teacher was putting it on, she asked me if it was too tight, and I said it was “okay”. Oh lord was I wrong. See, because I was too excited about the whole thing at the time, I didn’t feel it. But after a while, the “itch” set in. The “itch” was a funny thing. You can’t touch the bracelet too much, otherwise it might look suspicious. So I did what any 17 year old boy with a promising mind would do, I touched the bracelet too much. Don’t worry, nothing bad happened, I got used to it in the end anyway. Looking back on it now, it’s clear that the worst of it was waking up at 3:00 a.m. to take care of a soulless machine for a grade, yay science. I got a 97/100 anyway. Also my sister helped A LOT, but that’s between you and me. So shush.

Control

June 11, 2015 paul.kochLeave a comment

There is an essence in each object.

This essence,

consisting of different elements,

represents different factors of life.

Taking advantage of the essence can create beautiful things.

Farming can be done faster.

Landscaping is easier than imagined.

Natural resources are at our fingertips.

Taking advantage of this life force can put man in control of nature.

Or so he thinks….

Nature has a mind of its own.

There is a delicate balance of power between man and the environment.

And if man is taking too much control of the environment,

Nature will fight back in order to restore equilibrium.

Nature will bring about a vile wave of famine,

disaster,

plague,

and mutant creatures beyond anyone’s imagination.

Today, we are at the brink of thriving or dying.

We can bring back a world of hope,

Use the essence for the positive.

Or we can continue to move forward,

abuse the essence,

and let nature take over the human population.

The choice is yours.

Justification Kills, but is Killing Justified?

June 8, 2015 paul.koch1 Comment

It’s hard to determine the hero and villain of a story if the author doesn’t make it partially clear. Some people could see the villain’s acts as being the right thing to do, and in some cases the hero could be doing wrong. There are many cases where the villain of the story, as well as real life situations, where the line between right and wrong isn’t clear.

One of the most common reasons why someone does evil is out of revenge. One example of this is one of the stories from Sherlock Holmes. There were two men who had been murdered. At a glance anyone would assume that the murderer is in the wrong here, but what if I said that the two men ruined the murderer’s life. In the book there is another short story that tells the tale of John Ferrier a man who lived in western America. Long story short, his daughter died of depression after she was forced to marry a man she didn’t love, and had to watch the one she loved die. John had lost his daughter and a man that he was good friends with thanks to two men that have caused him trouble in the past. John ended up chasing the two all the way to Great Britain where he killed them. Now some may say that killing them is no way to solve an issue, and there are other ways to handle it, but there were none. The two men had high status in this town, and couldn’t have been punished. John took the matter into his own hands and avenged himself, his daughter, and her true love.

Now that leaves us with one question, was he really the villain? Everybody tells you that violence isn’t the answer and there are always other ways to handle a situation, but when you take a look at history, you’ll find that we’ve been lied to. Humans grew up on the foundation of war and violence. History repeats itself day after day as more conflicts break out no matter how big or small. In war, almost everyone will make the argument that their side is in the right based on where they live and their beliefs, but isn’t that a little bit biased. People haven’t lived in the opposition’s shoes. We fought the Revolutionary War because we wanted to be free from Great Britain, but Great Britain thought that they were doing a perfect job in governing America. We fought the Civil War because the north saw no need for slaves while the south depended on them heavily. There will always be two sides to a coin some just weigh one side heavier than the other, because I know I do. I’ve always weighed heads over tails, doesn’t it just feel natural?

Equal to Evil

June 7, 2015 paul.koch2 Comments

Before you start reading, I’d like to say that this poem is based on a true story (exaggeratedly). Can you guess what it’s about? Anyway, I hope you enjoy/can possibly relate! 🙂 – Holly

Equal to Evil

by Holly Nguyen

Today, one thing gets us good salaries,

Yet it’s far from a good laugh

Its teachings require firm mastery –

A difficult, excruciating task.

Complex lessons taught in the morning,

Two -second distractions seal awful fates.

It’s hard to resist, and unbelievably boring.

But the board is already covered at such a fast rate.

Headaches plague me through the day,

But Orchestra heals my tepid soul.

In class, I shouldn’t have dreamt away.

Or I wouldn’t encounter an eventual toll…

Printed packets of practice problems,

Penetrate my packed planner in pen.

At home, I’ll have to solve them,

And face this same cycle again.

Video tutorials prevail the teacher,

And comprehension pulls me forward.

That’s when I become eager

For what awaits me next in this order.

Days pass, and the class is silent with fear,

Mechanical pencil tip digs into my skin.

The quizzes are distributed, faces queer,

But I become certain I will win.

Under half an hour’s record,

I achieve it with confidence

And with such devoted effort

That this unit won’t make me wince.

Next lesson shortly arrives,

To me it’s somewhat tough,

But later there’s a surprise –

My quiz grade came rough.

As I juggle the old while grasping the new,

Other teachers bring heaps of more work.

Procrastination comes and accomplishes a few,

And I accuse it for being a huge jerk.

2 AM yet still awake

I review everything in dim light,

Stupid question twenty-eight

Got me stumped throughout the night.

Then the sun comes to rise with radiance,

Opposing my unsightly, sleep-deprived image.

The alarm clock rings, and I need to sleep in

But anxiety and today’s test keep me on edge.

Shoes dragging across the school floor,

Exhaustion poisons my system.

My mind and joints become sore

Knowing this test will judge my existence.

Last-minute studying conquers the room;

Everybody seems completely ready.

But for me, it’s sleep, but time zooms

To the point where my knowledge is unsteady.

What the heck is this…?

I groggily pondered,

And I try to reminisce

Something like it, for my honor.

90 minutes for 100 points,

The clock stalls to help,

Yet the test has me annoyed,

From lack of memory, you could tell.

Finally, I finish,

No time to double-check,

Though I definitely wasn’t quickest,

That test alone was heck.

Scores release a week later,

Mine’s too brutal to even say.

But the only thing that’ll make me greater

Is future preparation for the next day.

This villain’s name is a four letter word,

With sole intentions to hurt and deceive.

Although it’s more like a four letter curse,

I think we all can admit that it’s heinous indeed.

The War Cry

June 6, 2015 paul.koch3 Comments

Ethan McFerren

Mr. Koch

English 9H

May 18, 2015

The War Cry

Chinadyawaho, or Waho as his friends called him, was deeply saddened because of the cruel desires of the foreigners. When the foreigners had arrived in their beat-up, desperate looking wooden ships, their only thoughts were of pity, kindness, and friendliness. Waho’s Cheyenne ancestors had aided them, listening to their odd accented questions about building proper shelters and where to camp to avoid predators. They learned how to plant and preserve their precious crops of maize, carrots, and cabbage in the fertile young land. The foreigners had learned and grown; only too much. They knew the layout of the land, and where the camps were. They had developed selfish desires and plotted on their own friends, seeking out how to eliminate them. Before they had known it, they were pushed out of their true and rightful land, and outmatched in weaponry and numbers. This resulted in the natives being crowded into highly guarded and supervised complexes, these small, uncomfortable, and musty places of life, where innocent and guiltless dark skinned men, women and children were kept. They were treated like inmates in a jail, but why? They were Native Americans, who had helped their so-called friends. The only true Americans as Waho thought, the free and proud and… imprisoned.

They were like doves in a bronze cage and dolphins in an unforgiving net, trapped helplessly. The reservations were horrible. They were constantly being watched with no privacy whatsoever. The guards had specific and strict patrol duties and night shifts. This was their reward for helping their friends.

Soon, this would all change. Navajo Nation, the biggest Native American reservation that covered the corners of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, was powerful. They consisted of close to 200,000 vengeful Native Americans. They had the numbers, the will, the want, and the need, to escape from their chains of shame. They needed much more space, a place where the natives could live like they wanted to, dress like they wanted to, have their own laws, and their own government. They needed a place where proud green forest rose high, a place of crisp, fresh wood for tools, filled with singing birds and leaping deer, fat turkeys, and silver wolves. A place that would conceal their elaborate and decorative teepees, with cool aqua pools, the overwhelming and rich aroma of venison cooking, the chopping of woodpeckers. They needed a home.

This was all a dream, until now.

The day of escape was near to come. Waho had talked to hundreds of strong and courageous men who hailed from tribes like the Navajo, Cheyenne, Sioux, and many others. They wanted to try to release themselves from their unrightfully determined predicament. Waho had to admit that they were weakened, but not dead. The nails of their captivity were tightened once, but now coming loose. The bars were holding, but not for much longer. The keys were dangling, but they weren’t out of reach.

He was stirring and mixing the unrest into something that would hopefully change the future of all Native Americans. He had heard tales from his equally optimistic son Jaulawena about the government plummeting, the economy struggling, the leaders rule shaky. If this wasn’t a better time to ambush, then when was?

It was time for the retake, revival, and reawakening of Native Americans. It was time to regain what was rightfully theirs. It was time for the Native Americans to free the helpless natives from their reservations. Waho’s grandfather once said: “The difference between a wise man and a fool is one priceless asset: their wits.” Waho was growing old, but his dreams were not yet fulfilled. They were very close.

Works Cited

http://www.infoplease.com/toptens/indianreservations.html