“Domestic Violence: The Effects on Children Who Witness Abuse” by Andrea Borroel Trujillo

 

          “He accused her of sleeping with the neighbor. All the while, he was pushing her, throwing her on the ground, hitting her in the head. Finally, he threw her into the brick barbecue pit next to the house, hitting her repeatedly after she hit the bricks. When she didn't get up, he suddenly quit and went into the house. She got up slowly. It took weeks for her back, which was injured from being pushed against the bricks, and the bruises to heal.” This is a short part of a story out a child who grew up living in domestic violence, this is also what some children witness everyday in their lives when they get home,

      Domestic violence is a problem some children face at home, it can affect kids later on in their lives as teens. The adolescents who are being abused can have bad grades at school because they don't pay attention in class. They could also have low self-esteem, feel lonely/insecure, this occurs because their whole life they have been put down. Adolescents that live in domestic violence start to use drugs and alcohol at a young age, they use this as a way to get away from problems and away from everything and everyone. They also use drugs and alcohol to forget things and to find their “happy place”, later on the teens can become addicted to these substances that are very harmful to the human body. As the teens are growing up they start to develop criminal behavior. For example the teens may get involved with gangs, guns, and drug dealers. They can also start to get more aggressive because they start to have anger issues, committing crimes or bullying is a way to get their frustration out. Some teens could become parents at an early because they feel pressured to have sexual intercourse. This can happen when they are drunk; or because they are not thinking straight. Some teens also try to run away, and some have suicidal thoughts. 50% of kids living in domestic violence committed suicide, and others are 6x more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.

    “I grew up witnessing domestic abuse. My mum would get beaten by my father. When she wasn't there he would turn to me and my brothers. I used to sit in my room and hear them fighting then I'd hear my mum scream and I'd know he'd have hit her. To be honest, at the age I was at, I actually thought it was normal. I thought that many families were like this but now when I think about it I was in denial because I never mentioned it to my friends or teachers.” - Jay

          There is many causes of domestic violence. Some are low-self esteem, anger issues, and possibly depression. Low-self esteem can cause domestic violence at home because the abuser feels the need to be in control of their partner. Some abusers are overprotective and get jealous easily, this can cause them to use extreme measures and they will do anything to make them obey. Anger issues and depression can also be a cause because the abusers don't feel satisfied with their life. This can cause them to have many emotions inside of them and hurt their family to get that anger out. Some kids who live with domestic violence are 3x more likely to do it too when they are adults.
         
          Some ways we can help abusers (the person that is responsible for the abuse) are: going to family intervention programs, speaking up, telling them your opinions, and giving them tips. Family intervention programs are designed to help the abusers understand that violence and use of control is bad and they should stop.Telling them your opinion about how you feel maybe will make them reconsider their actions. You can tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, that they shouldn’t hurt their loved ones, and domestic violence (abuse) is a crime and they can go to jail for that. You can also give them advice or tips. For example telling them ways they should change, or telling them about programs that could help them deal with their problems. Victims of domestic violence also need help. There is counseling and mental health interventions that can help the victims affected by domestic violence. Individual therapy can help the victims work through emotions and help them feel safe again. Dyadic treatment groups can help the victim feel like they are not alone and this can help them overcome the abuse.

Nonfiction Article

         The article “Pluto’s icy heart may hide an ocean” by Lee Billings tells how astronomers found evidence that says there could possibly be an entire ocean under the surface on Pluto. NASA’s New Horizon flew by Pluto last year, the probe saw a hearth shaped plain that had many cracks around and other parts of the planet. They also found another plain that is similar but this plain is lined with the moon Charon, scientists suggest this happened because the pain is heavy and it made the Planet tilt.

          There is many things I found interesting in the article because it is about space and I learned new things. One interesting thing I found in the article is that in Pluto there is a lot of ice and, “There, nitrogen and other ‘volatile’ gases freeze solid in the cryogenic conditions, and water turns to rock-hard ice. For decades scientists have theorized how that ice might act as an insulator, preserving vestiges of warmth and moisture deep within Pluto and other objects so far from the sun.” I find this interesting because last year in science we did a whole unit on planets and we didn't learn anything about possible oceans in other planets. Another reason I find this interesting is because the whole planet is pretty much ice, but there is 2 regions where there is water freezing under the surface. An ocean under a surface sounds unusual but then again scientists found lakes under the ocean so it doesn't sound as weird. Pluto is an exo planet, meaning it is not in our solar system and astronomers can see the planet and even send probes by Pluto and that is startling.

         There is many things I learned and many things I won't forget. For example one thing I learned that I will probably never forget is about the 2 plains the astronomers found because they are craters filled with ice. I think I'm most likely not going to forget this because this was one of the main ideas and one of the things I took from the article. A heavy crater filled with ice is interesting to me because I had never heard or thought about something like that. Knowing this I feel like I am more open minded to things that seem impossible because there is still discoveries to be made.

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Gratitude Blog

          There is many things I am grateful for this year. I am grateful for my family and I am also thankful for my true friends. This year has been hard for me and also good, I lost many people I used to consider a friend but I got to see who were my real friends. I want to thank those that care for me because it is nice to feel cared for and to know you can count on someone when you need help. Also I want to thank the people who have hurt me because that helped me become a stronger person and it has helped me learn how to overcome things. The people I am most grateful for are my parents because they have done many sacrifices for me and because they love me.
           I am thankful for having a home and food each day because there is people who are starving around the world. There is also many people that are homeless or their home is not a good place to live in, and they're suffering and luckily I’m not (thanks to my parents). I’m also grateful that I don’t live in a place where it is not safe and I don’t have to worry about my family and myself. I am thankful for my health and my education because some people aren't able to go to school and they won’t be able to have a good future. I’m also grateful that I do not have to go through really bad struggles, and when I do I am able to overcome them.
            The last things I am grateful for is god because I am still alive and also he takes care of us. I am thankful that when my grandparents got sick really bad and had to go to the hospital they survived. I also want to thank god because he is there when you need someone (if you believe in him). There is many more things that I am grateful for but I would never finish if I talked about them.

AOW Gallery Walk

           Today we did a gallery walk in ELA for article of the week, and I learned may things. I went to 13 different people and took away many things. For example one of these things is that Astronomers found another earth. This planet has not been proved that it exists because it is beyond pluto and it is very difficult to see. It is also 10x bigger than earth and it's an exoplanet. I also learned about Bonneted Bats and how they are unique. These bats don’t live in caves or dark places and they can fly higher than an average bat. They use sound to survive, but they are endangered because of a fungus.
            When it was time for me to present I was excited and I felt ready because I annotated my article and I reread the article so I didn't forget any important information. I also felt ready because I forgot any information I could simply take a quick look at my summary and keep presenting. I liked having the gallery walk because I got to learn new interesting things about what's going on around the world and I also got to present and improve my presenting skills more. I think that the first time I presented I didn't do as good as the last time because

Donald Trump Won the Election

        The election happened last week, and Donald Trump won. I am really disappointed because i didn't want him to win and I am also scared for myself and the country  because he is probably the person who is least qualified to become president. I'm sure of this because he is the only president without military knowledge. This means that if we get into big conflicts happen and the military is needed, what will he do? What strategies will he use?
         I also think this because Donald Trump has said things that are not what a leader should say. For example Donald Trump has said many racist things towards Muslims,Hispanics, and African Americans. He has also said that he wants to build a wall and he is going to make Mexico pay for it. This is honestly really dumb because Donald Trump says things that make no sense, and he thinks he has a lot of power so he says things like that. He wants to deport immigrants because he thinks this is going to solve immigration problems. It is not. Immigrants actually help the country grow economically and in other ways too. There is also many immigrants in the USA (most of the population are immigrants)and it will be really hard to deport all of them.
          Throughout the whole election I was wondering who would vote for Donald Trump, and why? I also thought people weren't going to vote for him, but I was wrong. I still wonder till this day why people choose him. Why did people want him to be the leader of the country when he obviously doesn't care about others? I was thinking about this and I think I know why. Some people didn't vote for Hillary because she is a women. I think this because I saw this YouTube video (I forgot the name) and this guy asked women why they didn't vote for Hillary. I remember a women said, “Because she is a women, women are weak and she can't take a lot of responsibility, but man can.” I was really surprised when I heard her say this because it's sad that she thinks of herself as weak. When I found out Donald won I was shocked because he could destroy America. Then I remembered that Congress has to approve Donald's laws and things like that so he won't be able to do all the things he wants to do. Also congress can impeach him if he's not good enough.

"Brave They Stand"

Brave they stood when they said goodbye to loved ones,

not knowing if they would return

Brave they stood when they set out to fight for peace,

and to protect our country

Brave they stood when they saw everyone around them scream in agony,

and collapse on the ground like the twin towers on 9/11

Brave they stood covered in dirt, gasping for air,

 remembering all the things they accomplished,

and wishing they could be back home to see their loved ones again

Brave they stood after trying to recover from injuries, wounds, scars,

and having to deal with memories of grief and misery

Brave they stood, and they will keep standing,

 because brave is what they are and what they will forever be

"Springfield Money Stolen from HMS"

         On October 18 there was an unfortunate accident that took place on the school Heritage Middle School. The  Springfield field trip money was stolen. 8th grade students were informed the next day at breakfast by their homeroom teachers. Ms. Hauer made a video explaining what had happened, she then shared it with all eighth grade teachers, but she didn't give much information. Ms.Hauer had many things to say about this incident, one was, “This is not a time to point fingers, but to tell teachers any information you know.” The money was stolen from the school but the exact location is unknown. Students were very distraught and devastated because they wanted to go on the field trip. Many students from Heritage were trying to determine who was the colporate that stole the money, so they started pointing fingers. Heritage students were also trying to put the puzzle together and figure out why the person did it. This is not the first time something like this happens. If anybody knows any useful information report it on “Stop It” or tell a teacher.