Due: 17. April 2013
Hey all, I know you are all constantly taking stock of many things right now: days till graduation, # hours left in school, how many friendly get togethers you can squeeze in before grad...the list is endless. I'm going to give you a chance to look backward for a while. Looking back at your time at TASOK, choose one class that stands out as your favorite. Maybe it was the subject, the teacher, the book, the people in the class with you. Choose one class as your favorite and briefly explain why: you learned a lot, you were stretched to your max, you cruised the whole time, you laughed every time it met, you loved the teacher's wardrobe and dazzling smile or his brilliance and heart, you got to make food and eat it...whatever it may be, please share the wonderfull-ness of it.
My favorite class since the 9th grade? Wow, it seems like it has been forever. I’ve got to say, however, that my favorite leisure class was Drama in the 10th grade with Ms. Lisa Lopresti. I remember Ms. Lisa as an extremely bubbly teacher that always made class time fun, even if we had tons of work to do. It was a strange class like none other. We had to remove our shoes before getting in, we had to write a journal at the beginning of class, and we always sat in a circle. I absolutely loved it! She had a different grading system in which every student couldn’t get more than an 85% unless they completed one of her class projects (for every quarter). At the time, of course, we all complained because these projects weren’t just ordinary assignments. You had to WORK! My favorite project involved working with Karyn and Poya to make a film about the Geishas and how they performed their theatrical pieces including all the historical facts behind their theatre. At first, we had no idea how we were going to go about talking about Geishas. We needed to make it exciting, interesting, full of facts, yet a delight to watch. After putting on all the make-up, doing our hair, and emulating Geisha acting, we were finally ready to shoot the movie. I could honestly say that it was such a fun process that I will never forget. Overall, I’m sure everyone remembers how pleasurable and warm Ms. Lisa’s classes were.
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely. I would love to see this video, bet you were highly entertaining.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I first came to TASOK in 3rd grade, my classmates and I automatically clicked. There were about 12 or so kids in my class and honestly, we were like a family. We stuck together and had each other’s backs through thick and thin. Over the years, people came, people left, bonds were made, tears were shed, but from those 10 kids in my class, 6 are still with me, and in a few weeks, we are going to graduate together from TASOK. I guess my point here is, I’ve made the best of friends from my 10 years at TASOK and there’s nothing I love more than being united and close with my classmates.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I would definitely say that my favorite class from my years at TASOK was Drama in 9th grade with Ms. Lisa Lopresti Hupp. Ms. Lisa was the most bizarre, enthusiastic, loving, caring, loud, and funny teacher that I had ever met. “Take your shoes off,” she told us when we walked into her class for the first time. I looked at my friends, Roshni and Alina, and I knew they were thinking the exact same thing: “Why do we have to take our shoes off? I don't want to take my shoes off. This is so strange.”
Now, the reason why I loved this class so much was,1, because of my teacher, and 2, because of the people in it. Although we were required to do homework, take quizzes, and complete huge projects, her class brought us all together and made us one huge big family. At first, we were all shy and reserved, but through Ms. Lisa’s drama games and activities, we became so comfortable around each other that she herself was shocked to discover how much talent her small room was filled with. My class was just filled with the most extraordinary human beings, with people that will always remain in my heart. About 9 of the people that I had started 3rd grade with, were in this class, and the rest were those dear ones that I had become best friends with in 7th grade. Drama in 9th grade left me with the exact same feeling I had in 3rd grade and today, I wish that I could graduate with all those I had met since my first day at TASOK. Unfortunately, that year turned out to also be one of the saddest ones since we had to say goodbye to 5 of our classmates, 5 amazing friends whom we shared the best memories with, 5 irreplaceable individuals.
I can so see you in a Drama class. Glad you have such amazing memories about it.
ReplyDeleteI have taken many classes in Tasok. One of the classes I took that became my favorite class in Robotics. It is my favorite class because I am so fascinated by the technology around us especially robots. How they work , how are they built, and what are they built with? Another reason is that it was so challenging building the robots, and I got to learn a lot buy the challenges.
ReplyDeleteOnce we had to build and program a three legged robot. That to me was challenging even if we were in groups half of my group would be sleeping and only two of us would be working. It was challenging to build a robot like that because the two motors we were using both had to be programmed differently. The reason for that was that the legs had to move at a different time for the robot to advance and pass the obstacles ahead of it.
In Robotics I learned what was the function of the different sensors and how they were supposed to be programmed in order to work the right way. Like one of the robots we built was a segway. Now we had to make it stand straight, move around on it two wheels, and not fall down.
Your passion comes through in your voice. No wonder you want to major in some sort of computer /programming field.
DeleteThis is actually quite difficult to answer given the amount of time I’ve spent at TASOK. I keep getting flashbacks of all the good times I’ve had since 1999, when I was just a mini tasokian. The most memorable moment in time that I’ve shared with my fellow classmates since my time spent at TASOK was probably during Mrs.Lopresti’s drama class during freshmen year. Although there was a lot of work to be done, we somehow managed to complete it with so much enthusiasm, laughter, and fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat made it such a great experience was the fact that we were lucky to all have been in the same grade and be put in the same drama class. Almost everyday, we’d have to write a short paragraph for our journals and for the rest of the class period we’d play games simultaneously learning interesting facts about the history of drama, staging, acting, and a whole bunch of other stuff. There was one game that we’d play at the end of class; I forgot what it’s called but it all had to do with improvising. This is when humor broke out from every angle of the class! It’s funny to see a side of people you’ve never expected to see. That one-year in drama really brought out the best in everyone. I remember Farah acting as if her water broke while she was sitting on a public bus and oh boy, the way she screamed was just hilarious, it was as if she’d already experienced what bad contractions felt like. It was hysterical. Also, we were lucky enough to be graced with two of the silliest, Mr. Salman Haji and his partner in crime James Zhang as well. These two boys put together was absolute chaos, but in a good way. They were so entertaining and would get the whole class on the floor laughing.
Mrs.Lopresti, what an amazing character this lady is. She just has such a strong presence. She has so much positive energy and life to her, whether she’s in class or out. I know I’m not the only one grateful for having met such a wonderful woman, friend, and teacher. She’s created scores of unforgettable memories with the people I love and will soon graduate with.
So glad you enjoyed this class so much. sounds like it would have been fun to watch.
DeleteWithout hesitation, my favorite class at Tasok was Mrs. Lopresti’s drama class in 11th grade. Although the class required lots of work, it was enjoyable. At the beginning of every class we had to write a little script or a little paragraph about ourselves in our journal. Usually in this class, we would play numerous games that helped us improve our confidence levels and allow us to be more confortable in front of an audience when performing.
ReplyDeleteMy most memorable moment of that year in drama class was when we had to get ready for the “Drama Night”. Mrs. Lopresti (our director) divided our class into two groups, both of which had to do a different show to perform. Mine was about a family composed of a father (me), a mom (Noni) and our children (Rachel, Margo and Hendrick). This event will always stay with me. We had loads of fun; every single day whilst rehearsed, we would consistently laugh all the time and joke around, but at the same time stay focused on what we were doing. The day of Drama Night had finally arrived. Although we were really nervous, we managed to pull off a great show thanks to everyone’s support. I do not think I will ever forget this great moment in my life, because it made me a more confident and changed person.
wish I'd see you do this!
DeleteIt’s a pretty hard question to answer because I’ve only spent 2 years here but as much of the time spent in Tasok my favourite class was Algebra II with Mr.Lindstorm last year. First of all math is one of my favourite subjects so I loved that class and second of all it was a small class with just 6 of us. This year’s huge math class made me realise that one of the reasons I preferred math class last year was due to its size. I know that’s going to be a huge problem in university but I think with a smaller class the teacher is able to interact and teach more efficiently. I loved this class more was because I had the best classmates and we had a great time together. Mr.Lindstorm was pretty chilled and always allowed us to do whatever we wanted after finishing our assignments. We all understood the class very well and also did amazing at the end of year. At the beginning of the year I wasn’t much pleased to be in Algebra II because most of my classmates were in per-calculus and that made me feel like i was a bit behind while I love math and wished to do more. No matter what I loved Algebra class last year and I so wish I had the same this year.
ReplyDeleteWill you continue studying Maths in university? I didn't realize you were so enamored of the subject.
ReplyDeleteOne class I will never forget is Algebra II in 10th grade. It is by far the class that I will remember the most. Not because I am a nerd and I love math but because of the teacher we had, Mr. Waugh. I have seen and known many smart people but Mr. Waugh was and is one of the smartest and most brilliant I have come across. This might sound a little cheesy but his intelligence left me in nothing but awe. Not only was he good at math but he had a more than basic knowledge about everything. Another intriguing thing about him was the way he taught which was just different. I really do not know how to explain it so I will just leave it to different but good different.
ReplyDeleteMr. Waugh was an encouraging person as well but what I loved was that he was very realistic. One thing that I will never forget was during a test one time. So we were taking the test and he said, “you can use your calculators” hearing this I told him that that its cheating if he let us use calculators. His reply to me was, “the reason why I’m letting you use them is because I know even with those calculators you wouldn’t be able to cheat.” This is something I will never forget. It sounds discouraging but it is one of the most encouraging things someone has said to me. Why? You may ask it is because that is when I actually started taking interest in math. In all Mr. Waugh is just an intriguing person, he just thinks differently from everyone, which makes him stand out. I wish he was not transferred to Nepal.
I came to TASOK in August 2011, which means that I have only taken 14 classes in total in TASOK. Among those subjects I took, Comparative Government and Art would be my favorites. (I couldn’t choose only one because I like these subjects in different ways.)
ReplyDeleteI was oblivious to politics before I took the AP Comparative Government class. I did not know- didn’t even wanted to know- what was going on around the world. Especially, if it was related to politics, I almost hated them. (And think about it… AP “compgov” teaches the political systems of 6 different countries…) It was a big change and challenge for me to take a politics class – I think I wanted to teach myself that I need to do something new and learn how to deal with things that I don’t like. When I told my friends in South Africa that I am taking a course that deals with politics, they were SHOCKED! “ You….? Are taking politics?,” was what I heard but…AP Comparative Government was…fun! I was learning things that I never knew and it was thrilling. Mr. Cramer leads our class – he knows how to teach. I have never regretted taking AP Comparative Government but I am glad that I made such decision last year.
Comparative Government was a subject that made me study and Art was a subject that made be relaxed. Stresses from SATs and TOEFLs were all relieved every time I drew or painted in Art class. Art made me to have a momentary rest on my way, which was rough and painful. Although AP art works were very stressful, I think I survived because I had art for both 11th and 12th grade in TASOK.
Writing this blog post, I realize that I will miss these classes so much. Not only the classmates but also the teachers and the atmosphere…
One of the purposes of high school electives is to help give you a "flavor" of subjects. You can still use art to destress and now you know you like some political ideas. Pretty good flavor.
DeleteMy favorite class is this years AP French class, maybe a little obvious but everything about it makes me like it. It all starts from the fact that it is a French class. French is my home language and coming to Tasok everyday is like leaving my world and walking into another. It is like my small French village in the middle of nowhere, and I love that at the end of an A day I can walk into that room and be somewhere in this school that I have lots of knowledge about. Because I studied in the French system before, the class is easier to grasp than any other class I take at Tasok.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing that makes me like the class more than any other is the fact that I know every student in it and I share and have shared many moments with all of them so it is like a little family reunion every time we get together for class. We are all so intertwined and the class always turns into a huge hot mess or just noisy room with a whole bunch of laughter. As much as we argue with each other and disagree we are all so close and that makes the class special.
I completely understand the oasis feel of entering somewhere where everyone comfortably uses your mother tongue.
DeleteI have spent two years at TASOk and until now, I do not have a favorite class or a teacher. The only class I enjoyed working was in ART but it was not or is not my favorite class. I like it because I love to draw. I feel good when I draw and I am able to express my emotions better through drawing and that is the only reason I choose this subject. I also enjoyed studying AP Comparative Government with Mr. Cramer. At first I thought it would be a boring class and I had made a big mistake choosing this class since we would be studying about politics and that is one subject which least interests me and later I would regret for taking this course but to my surprise I really enjoyed being in that class and learnt so much about the six countries that we studied and I don’t regret taking the class at all in fact am happy I choose AP Comp Gov.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a joy to discover a new interest. Congrats on your newly developed interest in government.
DeleteThis topic is easy to write about because I have taken this class almost every year of my school life. This is the class that keeps me motivated and helps me wake up in the morning. Without Physical Education (PE in other words), I would have probably been lazier than I already am. PE has always been my favorite class, mainly because of the exciting games we play. Not only that, but PE is taken by all my closest friends, which makes it all the more enjoyable and competitive.
ReplyDeleteJust competing with the same students in school energizes me. I have a very competitive character and most of the time my aggressiveness comes while I am doing PE. I also compete outside of school which is the complete opposite from competing in school. I consider myself an average sportsman when it comes to all sports. What I mean by “average” is that, at some sports I am either extremely horrible or I dream of going pro.
At school, the students are constantly introduced to new games, and progress in their skills at basically the same pace. This way evens out the competition. PE has, no doubt, helped me develop quick reaction abilities through participation in rigorous activities.
There was a time when our PE grades depended on how well we performed in class, and that was horrific. I was not the fittest of people, but I still joined the class as I enjoyed the overall fun it brought. Luckily, that same year, our coach quit the job. It is indeed a sign that I must continue to partake in PE throughout university.
I am so old that we were required to take PE every semester of every year of junior and senior high school. The skills tests at the end of every quarter horrified me as well: I remember never being able to volley the ball against the wall (over the net line) the required 50 times in a minute, not being able to hit the shuttlecock between the two ropes (8 inches apart) 10 times in a row from the service line, not being able to hit the stupid golf ball inside the 5 foot circle from a 65 yard drive. PE, ugh. But I actually double majored in it in college. Go figure.
DeleteI actually have a few classes that I have really enjoyed during high school. But the one that came to mind first was IT. I took the IT class (taught by Mr. Minu) for three years in a row. But each year we learned different things. Each year I was able to learn new things and work with different friends on many different projects. I was able to get a broad introduction to the many areas of study that all make up how computers work. From identifying the particular components within a computer as well as learning how to put one together, to learning all sorts of programs, to learning how the computer possesses with the use of ones and zeros. Everything in that class was interesting to me, and it was also all very helpful. TASOK doesn’t offer many computer classes, so it was mainly through this very broad computer class that I determined my major. While I enjoyed everything I learned in the class, I obviously enjoyed some parts more than others. In this class and with the help of my game making hobby, I discovered that I really enjoy programming. I enjoy so many different forms of art, but I don’t just want to enjoy them, I feel the need to create and give something back to the world. Programming is clearly an art form in my eyes. There are many different ways to write a program that will make it do the same thing, it’s all about how you approach the problem, and how you want it to look when it’s done. It also is what ties everything on a computer together: you use programming to add the color, pictures, visual art, and also sound, music, and all the musical art. I will enjoy tying all these art forms together with the art of programming.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many ways to create and give back to the world. I'm thankful that we have people like you who take such joy and pride in something I appreciate,but don't have any interest in understanding. Balance is healthy.
ReplyDeleteComparative government is my favorite class. I was very sceptic, when I made my schedule as a junior and chose to make it one of my classes. Only reason which motivated me then is that in college I will be taking International Relations, so I figured I could do with some knowledge on governments and how they function. At the beginning of the year I cannot say I really liked the class, we had a lot of work and the tests were hard.
ReplyDeleteI loved Mr.Cramer’s way of teaching though. He can make a really boring class fun and entertaining. The constant sarcasm and comic comments are really amusing. Besides being funny he happens to be a really smart man. His opinions and thoughts have a way this way of clicking and making so much sense. Even his way of running the class has a mesmerizing side to it with all his constant pacing and fidgeting. Like he often tends to say “he is a smart man”. Even though he is a great teacher, he is not the only reason why I like Comparative government. I have many of my good friends in the class, so I really like the atmosphere. We have a lot of cheery and “special” people so the mood is all-high. It is never really competitive; it is either joyous or lazy but never negative, even on Mr. Cramer’s bad days. But the best thing about that class is being able to sleep during your last hour on Wednesdays. His presentations have a drowsy side to them that put you to sleep in less than ten minutes. No noise, or teacher yelling at you to wake up, and after the peaceful nap, which usually lasts 20 minutes, you somehow feel like you are ready to face what is left of the day. Man, I really love that class now.
I'm confused. You say he keeps moving and joking and keeps you interested, then you say he puts you to sleep and you nap. These are two different things, aren't they? Glad you enjoyed the class, though.
DeleteWhat is my favorite class? I have to think hard about this one because there is real competition between French and African Studies class. I will say African Studies class. This was my first year taking African studies at Tasok and in all the other schools I have ever been to. Usually the history classes I had were general history classes, on the whole world or then they were history classes of the country I was in. So African studies was a really different class. And what made the course so unique from the others, was that we had no set curriculum at the beginning of the year, what we did and have done through the year, was not really prepared for in advance. The class felt like it was ran spontaneously and impulsively, like you wake up one morning and “Tada” here is what we will be doing in today’s class. Besides all the reflections we had for homework, that I still profoundly hate writing, the class was fun and varied a lot. We had speakers come in and talk about their different jobs and how they contributed to the society.
ReplyDeleteI acquired a lot of knowledge on the African continent and its history at the beginning of the year when we were doing Africa and it’s early civilizations. We recently made masks that we had to present on a field trip to a restaurant on the riverside. I am even proud to say that I know every country and capital of the African continent; I am ready for every quiz.
I love the fact that we have a class on the "local" governments. Glad you enjoyed. it. Keep writing.
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