World History Humanities Portfolio

1. World History Humanities Portfolio Kelly 2nd Semester, 2006 Port Charlotte Seventh-Day Adventist School

2. Introduction This portfolio is going to be a way for me to show that there is more to people then what meets the eye.

3. Table of Contents 1. Acceptance of God 2. Commitment to the Church 3. Interpersonal Relationships 4. Responsible Citizenship 5. Healthy Balanced Living 6. Intellectual Development 7. Communication Skills 8. Personal Management 9. Aesthetic Appreciation 10. Career and Service

4. J2E1- Acceptance of God In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing much better in this goal. This is mostly because I got baptized in the beginning of February. Not many people believed me whenever I told them that I was going to be getting baptized. One of the things that inspired me to do it was my family. Without going to much into detail, I can see how certain people in my family are. I see their lifestyle and their choices. Slowly, I was turning into them. I never wanted to become somebody that I myself hated. I had to do something about it, so I made a promise to myself to change. I searched around until I found a pretty cool church. The assignment that has helped me with this J2E goal is the 2-2 HU-J-Bible assignment. This assignment helped me because it made me start to think and wonder this: what would really happen if Jesus was coming? That question made me want to change my life around. So I did. That is when I got baptized. I see myself progressing in this J2E goal in the future by becoming a stronger Christian. I can already see how my choices have been different from the past ones. I would hope that as the future approaches, I will become stronger in my faith. I have one specific person in my life at this time that is extremely strong in their faith. At times, I get jealous of this person. I look at their life and I see a life that I wish that I had. I can’t really do that to anyone else. I am not just jealous of this person, but I admire them as well. Their character shines through everything that they do. I think that it is because they are so committed to God. I can only hope that I will become like that someday.

5. J2E2- Commitment to Church In the beginning of this semester, I felt like this was a hard one for me to do. I would be doing alright in it, but there is one problem. The goal specifically says “of the Seventh-day Adventist church.” Since I am not a member of a Seventh-day Adventist church, it was rather difficult to do this goal. I do not want to be a Seventh-day Adventist for two reasons: my own personal reasons and because my beliefs differ from theirs. So, I will think of this goal as applying to ever denomination. If that is the case, then I am doing well in this goal. I have been studying the Bible more and asking certain people questions about it when I am clueless. It is a new thing for me that was hard at first to get into the habit, but it is now getting easier for me. I have attempted to share what being a Christian is about to some of my friends. The problem that I am having is that they do not take me seriously because they assume that being a Christian is just a phase for me. The assignment that has helped me grow in this area is 3-15 HU-J-Gandhi. This assignment helped me because it showed me just how weak I was in my faith. It helped me grow stronger. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by being able to share Christianity with others, being able to understand the Bible better, and going on at least one mission trip this summer. I already have plans to go on a mission trip to Jamaica with my brother Chad this summer. We have been talking about it for a few months now and we decided that if we don’t go this summer, then we will never go. So, we made arrangements and that is going to be my first mission trip. This summer, I am going to be able to grow in this goal.

6. J2E3- Interpersonal Relationships In the beginning of this semester, I was doing differently in each aspect of this goal. I had a very low self-esteem. Little by little, my friends have been changing that. They have shown me that I am worth something. They have been raising my self-esteem. As for interpersonal relationships, it depends. At times, I can go up to anybody and start a conversation. Other times, I just want to be by myself. When that happens, I kinda shut everyone else out. I need to work on that. When it comes to being responsible in my family, I couldn’t do any better if I tried. I do all that I can in my household because my parents refuse to do much of anything. As for being sensitive to other people, I think that I am doing good. I help out my friends as much as I can. I always try to be sensitive when it comes to their feelings. That is how I would want them to treat me. The assignment that has helped me grow in this goal is 4-07 HU-J-Free. This is because the assignment showed me how I really feel about my family and why. I never fully understood why I felt the way I do about them, but this journal has showed me why. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by becoming less reserved and needing less alone time. I think that, as time goes on, my self-esteem will get higher. I can only hope that my parents will start to be active in my family. I hope that they will one day realize the error of their ways and grow-up. As for other people, I will continue to give them advice when they call upon me to do so. I hope that I will become better in this goal as time goes on.

7. J2E4-Responsible Citizenship In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing okay. I didn’t know how wrong I was until we began our legacy project and ADRA came. I couldn’t believe how sacrificial ADRA is. That is amazing how they are always ready to go to anybody that needs help, whether it be in this country or not. The legacy project was extremely beneficial to both those who worked on it and those who received it. The legacy project took a lot of hard work. The thing that made it worthwhile in the end was seeing the peoples smiles and eyes light up when they received their Christmas present. It makes you see just how much worth every being has when you work with them. The assignment that has helped me grow in this goal is 2-23 HU-Retell. This assignment helped me toward this goal because it showed me what it truly meant to be sacrificial. I also learned form being in class when ADRA came. As I said before, the ADRA program is truly amazing and beneficial. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by becoming more intuitive to what people need. You see, we are all selfish beings. That is a fact. If we would stop focusing on ourselves and start focusing on others for a change, we could see what is truly important. We have so much while other people have so little. Instead of wanting the newest technological device, we should want what is the best for other people. It will take some work, don’t get me wrong. Our first instinct is to think of ourselves. I highly doubt that Jesus thought of Himself a day in His life. When He was on that cross, we were his first and only priority. We should really take that to heart.

8. J2E5-Healthy Balanced Living This is my worst J2E goal. In the beginning of this semester, I felt a little bit better. When it comes to physical health, I am usually one of the worse. That changed this semester. For health class, my teacher decided to make us exercise three days a week. That was the first time that I have ever started an exercise routine. I hate to say it, but I do feel better somewhat. Not a lot, but a little. That is at least something. I am not the exercise type. My usual exercise routine would be thumb exercise thanks to my many hours invested into video games. My teacher has changed that for the better. For mental health, I have been doing the best that I can. It has always been hard for me to balance my job and my homework. This semester, I have learned how to do it. It is most likely not the best thing, but it works. I have been doing my homework while doing my job. Since I am a secretary and am usually on the computer, it works out. As for spiritual health, I have been doing better. Ever since I was baptized in February, I have been studying the Bible daily. I have also been asking people that I trust any questions that I have on religion. The assignment that has helped me in this area is 1-05 HU-J-CLQ. This assignment has helped me because that is when I first tied together that physical, mental, and spiritual health go together. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by eating better. One of the reasons I have such poor health is because I eat food that I probably shouldn’t. It might come to a surprise for you, but one of my favorite things to do is eat. If I can actually start to eat food that is good for you, then I would be much better off. I think that physical, mental, and spiritual health all tie in with each other. If you are doing failing in one, then you will not be able to do that well in the other two.

9. J2E6- Intellectual Development In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing horribly. In my opinion, I am doing the best out of most people. By your standards, I would be doing horribly though. I am not one of those logical people that actually do that thing called thinking first. As far as decision-making goes, I do whatever I want. I have no approach. I do not approach it logically or biblically. I just do what I want. It usually works. When it doesn’t work is when I am usually screwed. I am very stubborn. It is already extremely difficult to change my viewpoints on something. To add to that, I am also a person who thinks using my heart rather then my brain. That gets me in some interesting situations at times. I was never exactly what one would call a logical person. I think that it would be very boring to think using strictly logic all of the time. I bet that it does come in handy, at times. I think that people would be much better off if they thought the way that I do. The assignment that has helped me grow in this area is 4-13 HU-J-BIc. This assignment has helped me progress because it was all about logic. I see myself progressing in this J2E goal in the future by, hopefully, becoming a logical thinker. Once I do this, perhaps life itself will make more sense. Also, I would like it if I used biblical principles in everyday situations. That would be interesting and would help me as well as others big-time. I always believed that you can’t change your thinking. It is a habit, in a sense. I think that, unlike other habits, you can’t change your thinking. Once you think a certain way, you can’t change it. You can only enhance it.

10. J2E7- Communication Skills In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing pretty good. I think that anybody would agree with me when I say that communication is important. I do need to work on the whole talking form of communication, though. I have always felt the most comfortable by communicating through words. I think that I will always feel that way. I think that the main reason that I don’t like to talk is because my eyes change whenever I do. Whatever emotion I am feeling at that time, my eyes change to that specific emotion. I hate knowing that people can read me that easily. I used to refuse to talk in class. I am not really sure why. I am assuming that it is because the teacher and the students would look at my eyes whenever I talked. I know that it is the polite thing to do and all, but I dreaded it. I have had strangers come up to me and ask me the weirdest questions. They ask because they can read me through my eyes. If it is that easy for strangers, then it must be effortless to the people that are closest to me. The assignment that has helped me grow in this area is 1-05 HU-J-CLQ. This assignment has helped me progress because it was all about communication and the importance of it. Mostly all of the Food for Thought quotes for that week were about communicating. I thought it was interesting because the quotes all differed so much. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by getting eye surgery. That way, nobody can read my eyes. I’m kidding. I think that I will become more at ease with talking. I hope that I can just start to ignore my eyes. I know that ignoring them would help me to become a better communicator.

11. J2E8- Personal Management In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing alright. I have gotten my personal management skills down pretty well. I have found my balance between my job and my homework. When it comes to using Christian principles in the economy, I really don’t know how I am doing. When I am in a good mood, I attempt to put a Christian spin on certain things. If I am with my friends and they are talking about Wicca and whatnot, I will try to preach to them. It does more harm then good. Since I am still a baby Christian, I cannot answer most of the questions that they ask me. When I am in a bad mood, I listen to them talk about Wicca. Sometimes when I am listening to them talk about Wicca, it makes me miss it. I get so intrigued by their conversations about it. If you have ever researched Wiccan practices, then you can see how it can be appealing to someone like me. I do miss it, but I only do when I am in a bad mood. I am happy that I am a Christian now. The assignment that has helped me grow in this area is 1-8 HU-Pride and Prejudice. This assignment has helped me progress in this goal because it showed me exactly how different that peoples viewpoints and opinions can be about certain subjects. The book itself taught a lot. It had a good message. I didn’t like the writing format, but I did like the message that it gave. I see myself progressing in this goal in the future by being stronger. I hope that God will someday give me the strength to forget about the person that I used to be. I know that once he does, I will become a stronger person.

12. J2E9- Aesthetic Appreciation In the beginning of this semester, I was doing great. I mean, I am definitely an individual. There is no question about that. I have my own unique style when it comes to anything artistic. I like paintings that show emotion. Anything that shows a flower or a dog is wasted on me. Something that is abstract I usually enjoy. Abstract painting is a form of art that captures what the artist was feeling at that time. When it comes to literature, I prefer subjects that are far-fetched. Poetry is my favorite over-all. I admire Edgar Allen Poe because he was able to create images in the readers mind. That to me was a truly great author. As for music, I love rock. Not many people would agree with me when I say that music is a form of an art. If you actually define the term “art”, you will see that I am on the right track. Music makes you feel emotions. It is no different of a feeling then what the feeling that a painting or a poem can create. My music portrays much emotion. I hardly ever listen to anything modern because society has no clue what emotions are anymore. They are pretty empty-headed when it comes to that sort of stuff. I do appreciate God’s creation. Where I live, it is really easy to see the beauty in all that He has created. The assignment that has helped me grow in this area is 4-21 HU-J-Media2. This assignment has helped me progress in this goal because it showed me how every commercial and media-related subject is the same. There is no depth or difference in any of them. I see myself progressing in the future in this goal by staying the unique individual that I am. I think that this is the most important goal because it teaches you to remain true to the person that you are.

13. J2E10- Career and Service In the beginning of this semester, I felt that I was doing fine. What I mean is, I volunteer quite a bit. I usually reserve one day of each week to help out somewhere. It isn’t always easy to do, but I feel like I owe it to God. The assignment that helped me grow in this goal was 4-07 HU-Legacy Project. This assignment helped me progress in the future because it is an assignment that is solely based on a volunteer project. So, obviously, this assignment helped me the most. I think that the whole concept for the legacy project was a great thing. Many people were touched because of it. In the future, I see myself progressing in this goal by being out of school. I am getting out of school for good in less then a week. Once I am out of school, I can start volunteering a lot more. During the summer, I volunteer at a homeless shelter that is close to my house. That is always cool to have the people tell stories about their lives. Another thing that I do is hang out with old people at retirement homes. That is always fun because many of them like to play chess and checkers. Plus, they usually have an interesting story to tell and they always have something edible to give. One of the things that I want to volunteer at this summer is going to hospitals. I really want to do this because I think that these are the people that need it the most. They are cooped up in a building all day and they can’t do anything, really. I am going to conclude this by saying that every school should have a legacy project or some other volunteer project that they do.