Dear Mr. Sznajder

Your class has had a very big impact on my life. Before I stepped in you’re learning milieu I had a negative attitude about school. I hated taking tests. I hated doing my homework. I hated having to wake up every morning and know I had to go to school. And I was very indolent.  I basically did not like school AT ALL. When I first stepped into your class I honestly thought that i was going to hate it and that it was going to be one of my worse classes. Then when you started speaking to us I had no idea what you were saying and I didn’t know 50% of the words that you would use in one sentence. I felt somewhat abashed at the beginning of the year. But now I’m a  changed person. My attitude towards things is very different now. You helped me learn that my attitude is a big reflection on how well I do. For example, on the STAAR test this year I never once thought that it was going to be a waste of my time. There was no complaining involved, instead I did what you taught me to do I kept a positive attitude throughout the whole test. Instead of thinking negatively about it I kept on telling myself that all the STAAR test is, is that it’s another opportunity for me to  learn something. And i’m not just applying this at school, I also tried my best to stay positive during my volleyball tournaments because I noticed as soon as I started getting mad at myself for making mistake after mistake there was no way that I was going to get any better. So instead of getting mad at myself right away I would have to take a moment to fix my outlook on things and stay positive. Without your helpful advice I have no idea what would happen on those volleyball courts and to my test grades. And if I keep having a negative attitude towards tests then that would also indicate that I don’t CARE. Caring is very important because if you don’t care then what is the point of even trying to learn something. I learned that if you’re not engaging yourself into what you’re learning than you’ll get nothing out of that lesson. Now I try to engage myself in everything that i’m learning even if it’s in a subject that i dislike greatly (science). And sadly if it weren’t for you then I would not know the myriad of words that I learned this year in your amazing class. I try my best to use these words every day but it could be challenging because people will have no idea what i’m saying. But  I’m glad that I get to know and understand the meanings of the words and I often finding myself getting really excited when I hear someone on the TV use them because I actually understand what they mean. I could go on all day listing things that I appreciate you teaching me this year. I’ve really enjoyed being one of your learns, and I could not thank you enough for being my teacher this year.

Sincerely, Itzela Darkenwald

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Dear Dr. Stichler

My name is Itzela and I have really enjoyed becoming a panther this year.  I enjoyed learning on this campus and love being a part of our wonderful athletic program. All of our coaches put a lot of time and effort into their jobs, and each of them do a wonderful job at coaching us. But I think it would be a good idea to have our small gym larger. It would be good to have two large gyms because during basketball season the girls get the small gym before school and then we switch with the guys for first period. It would be nice to stay in our own gyms and have a larger one because it is always good to practice in a full sized gym. If we have another large gym it wouldn’t be a hassle to go across the street for volleyball games and basketball games. Because there would be seating in both gyms and both would be full sized. And this would also be a benefit because we would be able to use our concession stand. I also believe that  we should allow boys to try out for volleyball. This will be good because I know there are professional boys volleyball teams and just like for the girls it would be good for them to start at an early age. Even tho it’s not as usual for a boy to play volleyball it’s not as usual for a girl to play football either but I believe that we are allowed to try out for football. Another thing that would make our school even better is that we should get rid of the lockers. The lockers take up space in the hall ways that are badly needed when the bell rings. It’s always crowded and sometimes difficult to get from class to class with the halls so crowded. The lockers rarely get used so when they are gone it wouldn’t be that big of a harm, and it would give us more space to wlad around in to get to our next class period.  I really love being a Moorhead Panther but those are just two suggestions that I have to make our school an even better place.

Sincerely, Itzela Darkenwald