Effects of Distance Learning

By Kathy Gilliam

As a result of the Covid-19 schools have had to transition into a distance learning program for the students. This happened very quickly and has affected many people: the parents, teachers, and most of all the students. The learning from home process is either done with packets made up by the teachers or online. I can only write about what we have done at our school; different schools may have different procedures

From the teacher’s point of view my first thoughts were the well-being of my “babies.” I would miss them greatly and, like many other teachers, worry about them every day like they were my own. I am a pullout teacher and help students who are struggling and need extra help. Therefore, I know it will not be easy for some of them to do the work unless they have someone to sit with them and help them read and understand it. I have seen the concern and the tears and the worry of the other teachers as they try so hard to make sure every student has what they need to do the work and understand it. They have tried to answer questions and be available to help when it was needed. They truly miss their students and will never forget the 2019/2020 school year.

As a parent I have also experienced it from the other side. I have a nine-year-old boy who is in third grade. He is very active and likes to be outside playing or working. So, it is frustrating to try to make him sit down and do work. I have other jobs I do, other than working at the school, so I know how parents feel trying to get their work done and teach the children. Like many parents I am old school and things were done very differently back then. Sometimes the new methods of teaching are difficult for us old-school parents to understand. It is very hard for parents to help our children with something we don’t understand. The process of working and teaching children from home is not an easy one, but I will say I am very impressed by the support and the dedication that I have seen from the parents.

The children! Oh, I can’t even begin to imagine what many of them are feeling: the fear, the frustration, the confusion. Their lives turned upside down in the blink of an eye: no school, no friends, and for many the need for food. So many students are missing a once in a lifetime event they worked so hard to achieve. They are missing out on the special events, like prom, grad night, walking the halls for the last time, and graduations, from the little ones to the seniors. Learning from home is not easy for some, they need the routine and the support. Many children will struggle next year as a result of having to do the distance learning. Some of the children will make it through this with just a memory to talk about later in life, but others will be affected for a very long time or even the rest of their lives from this experience.

The Journey from Struggle to Appreciation

by Landon Abshier 

Growing up I was never good at reading or writing. Taking the reading/writing portion of standardized tests when I was younger was always a nightmare. Because of these required examinations that I had to take when I was younger, I never grew to enjoy reading or writing due to my past struggles and lack of skill. However, as time went by, my taste for literacy began to change.

It all started in elementary school with my very first standardized test. I was so excited and prepared for it all at the time. I finished the test and felt pretty good about everything.  When the results came in, I passed in every category except for the reading/writing part of the test. I was devastated! Ever since that experience I have never had any desire to improve my writing skills because I thought that I would always be a terrible writer. And, to this day I am a very troubled reader. These experiences lowered my confidence when it came to anything related to school work.

On a positive note, today my relationship with reading and writing has improved. Nowadays, I enjoy spending a lot of time writing poetry. As far as reading goes, I do enjoy a good book every now and then. Struggling with reading and writing has definitely caused a lot of pain and discomfort, but as I continue to improve those skills I am learning to enjoy reading and writing.After one semester in an intensive reading class in high school, I improved my FSA score to a solid level 4 and my teacher, Ms. Garcia helped me to believe in myself. If it were not for my parents forcing me to pursue a college degree, I would not be enrolled today. Thankfully, they believe in me and push me; otherwise, I would not have attempted college at all. I am appreciative of my struggle because it taught me to be thankful for how much progress I have made when it comes to literacy.

The journey has so far has been bumpy, but if it weren’t because of my memories of failing over and over, I would have never had the drive or motivation to want to be better than what I used to be. I still have a lot of overcoming to do with my reading skills, but as for writing, I have completely fallen in love with it and I especially love writing poetry. Today my love for writing and creating works of art stretches beyond imagination and writing will forever be one of my favorite hobbies.

For Reading, For Sons, For Life

by Jennifer Britt

JK Rowling once said, “I think it is the books you read when you are young that stay with you forever.” As a young child, perhaps two years of age, when my mom and I would go to the grocery store she would buy me an apple and a Little Golden Book for special treats.  The Poky Little Puppy was my favorite, and forty years later I can still recall everything about that book. The first chapter book I remember reading was The Call of the Wild by Jack London.  Reading from the perspective of Buck was an experience I will never forget, and that story was permanently branded upon my heart and fanned my love for reading.  I must’ve read a thousand books since then, all genres, anything I can get my hands on. I’ve slipped away to lands near and far from the pages of a book. I’ve learned new customs, spoke different dialects, fell in and out of love with princes, ship captains, and bad boys, delved into a few self-help books, and I keep the Bible at hand at all times, because I love that book more than any other. I’ve cherished these times reading alone, and I never dreamed I could love sharing these experiences with anyone. However, my love for reading grew and became an even more important part of my life when I became a mom and began sharing the adventures, experiences, and characters from books with my sons.

Oh, the reading adventures I have been on and shared with my sons! From the pages of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, we have drifted down the muddy Mississippi River on a make shift raft. We hid out in the cemetery with Huck Finn and watched in fear as ol’ Injun Joe stabbed and killed the doctor. We laughed and laughed when Tom Sawyer bribed and swindled his friend into whitewashing that fence, Tom getting an apple for his cleverness. I would laugh again many times after reading this book while watching my middle son, Toby, blond-haired, cowlick stubbornly sticking up on the right side of his forehead, barefooted (always), and a fishing pole swung over his shoulder, headed down to our own beloved river to fish. 

We’ve also shared many tears together while reading. Our biggest heartbreak came from the pages of Where the Red Fern Grows. We “watched” Billy pray and work hard to earn money to buy his little redbone puppies. We cheered for Billy when ol’ Dan and Little Ann learned to hunt and became the best coon

dogs around. We were on the edge of our seats, scared for Billy and Ol’ Dan and Little Ann when that mountain lion came from out of nowhere and attacked them. Our hearts pounded, and we would glance around at each other to see if everyone was as afraid as we were, hoping and praying they would all be alright. Then we cried, and we cried, and we cried when Ol’ Dan didn’t make it no matter how hard Billy’s mama tried. I had to stop reading and walk out to my front porch, to get some fresh air hoping to stop the violent shaking of my chest as my heart was being torn from my body only to look around and find myself surrounded by my three wonderful boys, all heartbroken as well and wanting to console me, make sure I was okay, and lighten the moment with some teasing about my not being able to read through the cracks in my voice. There’s no one else I would’ve wanted to share that experience with.

             

Together, we have learned valuable life lessons. We learned from a little prince what it means to be responsible with our friendships and that sometimes the heart can see what the eye cannot. And, while reading, I looked around at my own little princes and learned that moments like these were gifts not to be taken for granted. In the pages of Touching Spirit Bear, we learned the damage that anger can do to others and to ourselves if not controlled. We watched helpless as Cole fought to stay alive after the bear attack. We felt his hunger pangs. We winced as he threw up the grasses and worms he tried to eat to sustain himself. We were proud of him when he came to realize the pain he was putting himself through by hanging on to anger. We learned the power of forgiveness, and had several conversations about what it means to forgive someone when they’ve hurt us, how important it is to ask for forgiveness when we hurt others, and that sometimes the people we need to forgive the most is ourselves.

We grow intellectually when we read. Studies and statistics have proven this to be true. I believe we also grow emotionally, spiritually, and, potentially, as a better human through reading. I am a reader, always have been. I am also a mother.  To be able to combine these two loves, my love for reading and my love for my children, has been the greatest blessing of my life.  I have a quote pinned on my Pinterest account that says, “Reading to children even before they can understand words teaches them to associate books with love and affection.” I hope that our reading time together will become a treasured memory for them and enrich their lives as much as it has mine. I hope when they think back on the books we’ve read together, that they also recall the laughter, tears, and lessons we have shared. Mostly, I hope that “our story” becomes a favorite. After all, from the words of Margaret Atwood, “in the end we’ll all become stories.” 

 

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. Moral Disorder. McClelland and Stewart, 2006.

Hobby to Business

by Ashley Kovanda  

Many people have hobbies; mine is what created a small business. I’m a mother to two, a wife and a leader. I strive hard to be the best I can to provide for my family and that’s what made me decide that I wanted to get crafty and make a business for myself. I create custom shirts, baby onesies, hoodies, and sweatpants with whatever graphic design you can think of right from my home. It started off as a hobby, and I was only making shirts for my family. Soon that turned into taking orders, and now I am a vendor at special events.

My first step was watching tons of you-tube videos. I watched how to create my design, cut it and weed the vinyl. How hard the project gets depends on the type of vinyl chosen. Glitter vinyl seems to be the hardest for me, but through practice I’ve gotten pretty good.

Step by step I worked to create my home-made art pieces. After creating my design on “Design Space,” I have to make sure that the design is the correct size and that it’s also “mirrored” if I am putting it on a clothing item. Making sure the vinyl cuts to the right size can be tricky sometimes since all the different brand shirts vary a bit in sizes.

Once mirrored, selecting the type of material I am working with is the next step. I’ve realized through trial and error you can’t always click what you are working with. After choosing the material the next step is clicking the “make- it” button, and that’s when the fun begins. The machine I use starts to cut the vinyl into the exact design I created on the computer.

After my image is cut the next step is to ensure I weed (pull excess vinyl off) the vinyl. It can be hard remembering the correct pieces so it’s best to look back at my image as I weed. Weeding is my favorite part. I use a small curved pick tool to pull the excess vinyl off and it calms me. It’s almost like an adult coloring books, picking the intricate pieces off.

After weeding the vinyl off my next step is to iron the shirt I’m going to be using. This ensures that all the wrinkles are out, and the vinyl will apply evenly. It’s required to preheat the shirt also. I have a heat press for this, and I normally set the temp to 310 for 30 seconds. When the shirt is finally free of wrinkles and is preheated for the vinyl, it’s ready to set the vinyl on the shirt. Before I heat press the vinyl make sure the design is exactly where I want it because it’s set in stone when I press it.

Most of my designs need 310 heat for 30 seconds on the front and then I peel the transfer paper off the front of the design. Then I flip the shirt over and re apply heat at 310 degrees for 15 seconds. After the last heat application on the back the shirt is ready to sit for 24 hours before being worn! Viola, 24 hours later, I have a finished piece of art!

How Karate Changed Our Lives

by Rachel Lovely

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

― Eleanor Roosevelt

I had a dream to give my children more opportunities than I had. Thanks to my best friend Elizabeth I was able to make my dream come true. I was sitting down, chatting with Elizabeth one night, and we were talking about our dreams. I told her how badly I wanted to put my kids into sports. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford it. Elizabeth, being the angel that she is, offered to pay for their lessons. I immediately enrolled my son, Jason, into karate.

When I first started college, I was required to take Math 0057. Mr. Bill Bauer was my instructor. I enjoyed this class very much. Mr. Bauer was very friendly and would share stories about his life with us. On top of being a math instructor, he was a bodyguard, and moonlighted as a karate instructor.

This made the choice of where to send Jason for karate very clear. Jason would definitely take Mr. Bauer's class. I had the thought in the back of my head to send him there, but I knew i couldn't afford it. When Elizabeth made it a reality for us, we were ecstatic.

On our first day of karate class, I couldn't wait to introduce Jason to Mr. Bauer. He introduced himself to Jason as Sensei Bill. With our history of math class, Sensei Bill had an immediate connection with Jason. He took him under his wing to show him the ways of Teikoku Shodan, a type of karate.

To describe my son a little bit, he is four years old, almost five. He is 71 Pounds, which is

rather on the heavy side for a four-year-old. I try watching his diet and his sugar intake. He is active, but the chunkiness runs in the family. There is also history of heart disease and diabetes in the genes as well. This is why I wanted for him to be in sports so badly.

　       Back to the first day of karate, he did alright. He is defiantly not a natural. He will require a lot of conditioning. He has fun and enjoys karate very much. Sensei Bill is amazing and takes his time with Jason. Jason does his kicks and punches. He does push-ups and jumping exercises. He has come a long way from where he started.

After his third class, Sensei Bill told Jason he needs to run, do pushups, and crunches at home to get stronger. Now Jason is teaching me karate. He asks to go running and do his pushups and crunches every day. Jason said if he must do it than I must do it also. Now he has me running, doing pushups and crunches. Which is great for me, because the history of diabetes and heart disease come from my side of the family.

Now we are becoming closer as mother and son through karate and exercise. Instead of watching movies we are outside running. I feel so much better daily because of the exercise I am doing. I haven't exercised in years. It is easier with Jason by my side encouraging me. We are going to live longer happier lives because of karate, sensei bill, and Elizabeth. The dream, that became reality is changing our future.

Musical Review: She Loves Me

by Emma Willis

Do you enjoy musicals?  If you do, She Loves Me, produced by the Ocala Civic Theater, is a must-see.  The musical’s cast was full of local talent including some of our very own CF theater students. 

This musical is based on a play by Miklos Laszlo that was originally directed and produced on Broadway. This musical has seen the stage and film many times and under many different names over the years. From the Perfumerie in the 1930’s, to She Loves Me in the 1960’s, to the film success of You’ve Got Mail in 1998, and back to broadway in 2016 as She Loves Me, this story line is one that has appealed to many generations. 

Set in Budapest in the 1930s, Maraczek’s Parfumerie’s shop clerk

Georg Nowack, played by Will Winter, falls in love with a mystery woman only known as “Dear Friend.” Seeking a job Amalia Balash, played by Ashlyn Gibbs, beats Georg in a sales contest, landing herself a job at the perfumerie.  Georg and Amalia instantly despise each other.  With Christmas approaching, quarrels encompass the shop.  The pen pals plan a date to meet face to face finally.  When Georg goes to meet “Dear Friend,” he realizes, much to his dismay, that “Dear Friend,” the one he thought was his true love, was in actuality his arch-rival Amalia.  He decides to keep his identity secret, but when he sees her heartbroken the next day, he begins to feel sympathy for her.  Not only is Georg feeling new emotions, but Amalia is surprised by new emotions of her own.  Will Georg reveal himself to Amalia?  Can these enemies become “Dear Friends”?  

The cast and crew did a fantastic job putting together and performing this musical.  If you enjoy plays or musicals, you should definitely visit the Ocala Civic Theater.  While She Loves Me is no longer playing at Ocala Civic Theater, there are many more plays coming this season where much of Ocala’s amazing local talent can be seen in action. 

  

The current play, Eternity, is playing now through April 21.

Bonus:  CF students can see the final dress rehearsal on the Wednesday night before the play opens at no charge with a student ID!  [Note from Mrs. Bufka --  Attending these definitely counts for extra credit.) 

Here is a link to the Ocala Civic Theater site: Ocala Civic Theater