My Twenty-Second Week as a Senior

I spent a lot of this week with a terrible cold. I couldn't even open my eyes without them leaking like a waterfall. I'm much better now and the only takeaway I have is, kids, take your supplements.

The week started with a late start. In Calculus, we did the quotient rule. It's how to derive a function when you have a denominator. You can definitely use the product rule but it's good to know more than one way to deal with a problem. In English, we submitted our last batch of essays and then moved onto our next assignment. We were told to get into groups of 4-5 people and to choose an essay based on a short synopsis. My group chose an essay called Brain Candy, written by Malcolm Gladwell in 2005. It explains that pop culture makes us a lot smarter than we think it does. It improves our ability to understand complex plots and themes. So, basically, the more TV shows you watch and the more video games you play, in terms of diversity and complexity, not duration, the smarter you get. We have to present it to the class with explanations about the theme and other analyses. We took the time to read the essay and then discussed a few elements. In Writer’s Craft, we did timed writing with the prompt “Here it comes.” Then we talked about openings of short stories and how to make them enticing and inviting. We got the last 30 minutes to work on our group presentations.

Tuesday was when I started feeling sick. In Calculus, we did the chain rule of derivatives. We did it using composite functions. It’s basically replacing the outer function with a different variable and replacing that variable with the inner function. For example, f(x)=2x+2. h(u)=x+2 and u=2x. So, when you replace u with what it stands for, you get the original equation. It’s a lot simpler in real life but this is the best I can explain it in words. During my spare, I finished my homework. At lunch, I helped with the Twin Tuesday sign-ups. People came dressed as twins and we took their pictures for them. They were entered into a contest for 2 free movie tickets. A lot of people put a lot of thought into their costumes. One girl brought a mirror as her twin. In Writer’s Craft, we did some timed writing, with the prompt, “I knew it!” Then we did some vocabulary questions and then we talked about themes. In English, we got the period to continue working on the essay. We discussed the theme and literary devices.

I took the day off on Wednesday because the cold finally showed its symptoms and it was also snowing a lot outside.

I was in school for only half the day on Thursday. In Calculus, we did a review for the test on Friday about derivatives. In my spare, I studied for the test. At lunch, I helped sell prom tickets. We sold 3 on our first day. After lunch, I went home because my nose was too stuffed.

Friday was the 100th day of my senior day. In Calculus, I completed my test in about half an hour, so I started some preparation for the Brain Bee in April. It’s so close now, I’m terrified. At lunch, I covered someone’s shift for the prom ticket sales. In English, we did a lot more work on our Essay presentation. In Writer’s Craft, we did timed writing, with the prompt, “As white as…” I wrote about a girl who explores an abandoned hospital as a means of spicing up her life and getting herself out of the senioritis. Then we worked on some vocabulary, so plot devices and then our presentations.

It was an okayish week. I didn't get much done but I had a lot of fun staying home on a school day, for once. I hope next week is better. Till then, I hope you have a happy week. - Aarushi