My First Cursive Word

     I sat there staring with my mind in a knot. How could something look so beautiful, yet be almost impossible to follow. As my eyes went in circles tracing the thin black line it felt like it just was never going to end. I sat back and attempted to take it all in. As I looked around all the others were already in deep thought staring blankly at their papers. I then looked down and let my thoughts race.

     I dragged my hand over to my paper as I gripped my pencil with my sweaty palm. As the tip touched the dotted line it felt like the temperature of the room had risen fifty degrees. Up, then down; swinging left to right. Loopty-loop, then a flip at the end for a finish. My mouth dropped as I looked at the squiggle on my paper. I looked to the left then to my right to see my classmates work. I then looked back down at my own paper and saw that my classmates were far ahead of me. With panic, I quickly started trying to copy the board. By this point I was not even in the lines anymore. It was official, I was incapable. The devastation that filled my head became aggravation that was apparently noticeable because my teacher had walked over to me. She said that if I took my time I was capable of anything. She grabbed my hand and swung it in little circles as my mouth dropped in awe. It was like she sent a magic touch through my hands onto the paper. After a sentence of swirly lines, it was then my turn.
     I wiped the sweat off my hand onto my blue jeans. I sat up straight, then grabbed my pencil that my teacher had just quickly sharpened. As I gripped the thin piece of wood I dragged it back and forth through the dotted line. I picked my pencil up off the paper in excitement and relief. I had just written my first cursive word. With applause, my teacher smiled and said “I told you so.” My grin was shining from a mile away. I could not wait to go home and tell my parents that I was just like them and could write in cursive. It felt like I was a grown up for the first time.
     Before I knew it I had written an entire sentence in cursive. The exaggerated loops and swirls became my signature mark. It was fun to see how fast you could write, or even how sloppy or pretty you could make it. It was a habit now and made writing enjoyable. Cursive had turned into a mature trendy thing for us third-graders. As class ended it felt like only a few minutes had gone by. But, one thing was for sure, cursive became my new hobby.

Meeting Nicole Littlefield

Nicole Littlefield was born in Norton, and as she says “I’ve been here all along.” She is currently 16 years old and a junior at the Norton High School. Her birthday is on April 18^th. Nicole did gymnastics for ten years and now loves to longboard. In her free time, she likes to do yoga, make jewelry and long board. Her favorite pro sports teams to watch are the Boston Bruins and she also likes to watch the Olympic Gymnastic Games. For her hobbies, she enjoys making necklaces, baking, and drawing, especially drawing tattoos. One of her many talents is that “she can roll a mean burrito.” Nicole has one older brother. Her favorite colors are green and blue. If Nicole could be an animal, she would be either an owl because “they just get to fly around by themselves whenever they want” or a wolf because “they’re amongst animals and they travel and go around controlling a lot, and we are alike because I like the moon, too.” Nicole’s favorite memory was when she went to Jamaica and climbed up a waterfall. “I got a lot of blisters from it, but I didn’t mind because they were from legitimately climbing up a waterfall.” Another favorite memory of hers is going to New Hampshire. She says, “When I’m there I always have a good time.” Her favorite school subject is science or biology class. “You’d be pretty surprised with what you learn especially because in biology, it’s all about you and what’s inside” is what Nicole expresses about her interests in those classes. Her opinion about school is that she has never liked it, but she also adds “it is really a good opportunity for most people, but too many take it for granted.” She says that if she could do anything at all with her life after school, she would move to Hawaii and buy a shack on the beach. Realistically, after she finishes school she says that she would like to become a tattoo artist but if that doesn’t turn out so good, her “plan B” is to become a baker.

Rolling Stones

  

Despite the inappropriate photo placed as the cover on the Rolling Stones magazine, the article was rich in detail and said a lot about Jahars background information and told a lot about his life.  On April 15, 2013 at 2:49 pm, Boylston Street in Boston Massachusetts had an unforgettable tragedy. The annual Boston Marathon was bombed by a young foreign boy named Jahar Tsamaev and his older brother, Tamerlan. America’s heart had been wounded in this sudden attack. However, shortly after this attack Boston had become “Boston Strong.” People were becoming heroic for chasing the wounded down instead of running for their own lives. It seemed as if this tragedy had brought the city of Boston together. However, the minds of these lowlanders suddenly turned when the famous “Rolling Stone” magazine put out a bizarre article and cover of “The Bomber” himself, Jahar Tsamaev.               

“The Bomber” edition went viral when it was released on July 17. The caption read “How A Popular, Promising Student Was Failed By His Family, Fell Into A Radical Islam And Became A Monster”. This article turned the heads of thousands, including myself. The expression “don’t judge a book by its cover” was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard about this article. The position this article takes follows this saying. People agree stereotypically thinking that because Tsamaev’s ethnicity is Islam that bombing America was in his blood. The Rolling Stones are arguing the opposite stating only what is truth. Tsamaev was “so sweet” and “never picked on anybody” exclaimed friends of the suspect. Rolling Stone stated that “during their first month in America, Jahar and his parents lived in Boston” where Jahar’s friends were a “diverse group of kids from both the wealthier and poorer sections of Cambridge…” Parents called his group of friends “the good kids”, so how can one judge a normal teen?

               My older sister has many friends that attend Umass Dartmouth who were friendly with Jahar. One played soccer, and another had dinner with him the week before it happened. In my mind, he was a normal teen. He was a genuine friend and person from what witnesses have said. Jahar bombed America’s most beloved city so either way he was never getting out easy. He bled on the floor of a twenty-two foot motorboat, dry locked behind a white clapboard house locally in Watertown. Jahar attempted suicide but failed. As he bled on the floor, police took him into custody where justice would then be served.            

    The sources that stated these facts about Jahar were either friends or family. My own sister has friends who were agreeing that he was a genuinely nice teen. These sources are more than reliable. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was something every person learned by the age they could speak. "There are kids we don’t catch" says Peter Payak, "but this guy was seamless, like a billiards ball." He says that Jahar was not like those kids who fall through, "No cracks at all." Doesn’t it seem so hypocritical of America to be so cruel just because of his ethnicity? But, isn’t it just as hypocritical of “The Rolling Stone” magazine to put out such an article when they should be jumping on the “Boston Strong” bandwagon? These are the questions that we need to ask ourselves. Whose responsibility is it to go against stereotyping and defend a well raised teen that made the biggest mistake of his life? Was this bias of America’s most famous magazine? Or was it “The Rolling Stone” who tried to make the valid point subliminally?            

    Obviously justice will be served and Jahar will suffer for his gruesome, disturbing actions. Personally, I believe that “The Rolling Stone”  magazine was outputting a valid conception that could be strongly argued. This edition was clearly made to turn heads and that is exactly what it did. Jahar himself has become such a controversy around the world. But, didn’t you ever learn to not judge a book by its cover?