Es ist schön zu sehen, zu welchen kreativen und guten Leistungen die Schülerinnen und Schüler fähig sind, auch wenn die ein oder andere Formulierung noch zu verbessern wäre. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler der 10a haben folgende Texte zu den Gewinnern erklärt:
Kurzgeschichten
- Platz: Niklas Pastoor
- Platz: Tomke Jaster
Blogs
- Platz: Lara-Sophie Schepers
- Platz: Luca Knipper und Niklas Pastoor
Niklas Pastoor: Ice skating
"What is going on over there?", Maria asked herself as she was in the park on the way to university.
Like every year the lake was frozen but since it was still in the first state of freezing it was kind of dangerous to go ice skating, like she had loved to do when she was still a kid. Sadly, there are still enough people who are light-headed enough to think they could go out on the ice, so she expected to see someone.
She could have sworn to see some hectic movements near the other end of the lake, which seemed odd in this quiet environment. At first, she just glanced over it because she was just too fascinated by this wonderful winter landscape. But suddenly she heard a slight scream. Her eyes were now stuck looking at the figure, who was now right in the middle of the lake with only his head sticking out of the ice layer. "The ground must’ve collapsed below him", she thought to herself as she identified the person as a little kid. She didn’t know his name, but she had a good memory regarding faces. He also stood out to her because of his careless way of playing in the snow. How much she would have loved to be in his place and forget all the worries and fears she carries around with her every day. Absorbed in thoughts she totally forgot the situation the poor little boy was still in.
She now stared at his helpless attempts to get out of the cold water. His call for help seemed to be fading into emptiness since hardly anyone goes to the park at this time. This reminded Maria of her own screams which went silent. Again, she had the feeling of being there and she started to panic. A bird flying away snapped her out of this idea. She wanted to help him, but nobody helped her back then, so she just kept looking at him admiring how he also keeps on fighting in a seemingly hopeless fight. How gladly she would have switched places with him again, because as soon as he realized that he would lose this fight, he would be free. How much she would have liked to let go and forget everything that has happened to her in the past.
All of a sudden there was another person who noticed the boy and was trying to help him. She watched the spectacle enviously, enviously because nobody came to her rescue when she had needed it. The second figure was a jogger who was taking his daily lap around the park. Unhesitatingly he ventured onto the ice and approached the boy. Somehow, he managed to get to the boy without breaking in and after a few miserable attempts he could get him out of the water.
Maria continued to look at the salvage operation from a safe distance, but she didn’t make a move to help him. "I couldn’t have done anything now anyways", she thought to herself.
"Nobody helped me but he’s getting help now; Life is just unfair", said the voice in her head. As the Jogger arrived at the shore with the boy on his back, he looked for help. Maria had only noticed him as their looks already crossed.
Like a scared deer she ran in the opposite direction before she could hear what the jogger said to her. When she came home from university that day, she didn’t regret taking a long way around the park. She also didn’t think about telling her friend what had happened.
Later that evening she sat down on the couch and started to indiscriminately switch through the programs on TV in search of something reasonably good to watch to hide the incident that happened to her that day. As the local news came on, she suddenly stopped. Maria couldn’t believe her eyes. They were reporting the incident that happened earlier that day in the park. Recordings with cell phone cameras were shown, which filmed the event. She wondered how that could be if she wasn’t able to see anyone other than the jogger and the boy in the park. She startled as her boyfriend shouted at the TV: "Why did no one help that poor boy?! I can’t understand how you could just stand there! I hate those rubbernecks!"
Maria nodded and didn’t add anything to his comment since it was easier to just agree than to find a reasonable explanation for the other side. The attempt of a justification would have only led to another dispute. She usually avoided those situations and took the easy way out. The article ended with an interview of the jogger and the parents of the little boy who thanked him. After the article ended her boyfriend switched the program to an action film. He knew that Maria wasn’t really a fan of that genre, but he knew her well enough that he could tell if she’s off with her thoughts or not.
It was one of those evenings, when she didn’t regret what she did that day, though it shook up her memories of what had happened to her back then, which she had already repressed. She had not thought about them for years since she had not seen him after prom five years ago. Shortly after that she met Felix and her life has become very simple. Her whole life is basically already planned ahead but her past seems to always catch up with her just like a shadow, step by step.
Felix always had very clear perceptions and opinions in life. This made it easy for Maria because as long as she blended in, she had it easy. Of course, she also had her own thoughts, but she always goes along with his opinion to avoid any conflicts.
The next few days proceeded like every other day and she only sometimes thought about the incident in the park. Since then this is the first time Maria came back to the park to the same place. She glanced at the lake and saw the faces of laughing children. Only a few days a go there was a person fighting for his life out on the lake and now silence and happiness everywhere. The lake was completely frozen since it hast been getting colder now. Felix had suggested to go ice skating.
As she proceeded to walk through the snowy landscape, she noticed how fast-moving life is and that people don’t want to think about the bad things in life for too long.
That’s why people need to talk about everything bad that happened to them because that’s the only way you can leave events like that behind.
Tomke Jaster: Everything’s gonna be fine
I opened my eyes. I felt very tired and everything was spinning around in my head. Whose voice did l hear? I knew it but l can’t remember whose it was. Besides, what kind of noise is that all the time? I looked to the right and could see the outlines of an infusion. When I looked to the left I could see a person. She kept looking at me and was mumbling all the time, everything’s gonna be fine, Lucy. Little by little, I woke up and finally knew who the person was. It was Noah, my older brother. I asked him what happened, but all he said was that everything would be fine again and that he would tell me everything when I be discharged from the hospital.
After two weeks in this dull white hole I really wanted to see my parents, but Noah still said that everything was good and that we still had each other. I finally wanted to know what was going on. A week later I was allowed to go home again, because I slowly but surely remembered more and more. I remembered the car and the highway, Mom, Dad and I were on our way to Grandma’s, but suddenly there was a big bang. From then on, I didn’t know anything except that Mom screamed bitterly.
When Noah and I arrived home, he told me everything. . . the drive, the accident and the loss . Noah tried to reassure me by saying that our parents had "gone away", but that only made me more nervous. I didn’t know what to feel: Anger, since they are gone; grief, since we are now on our own or should I just keep my feelings out of it in order not to make it even harder for Noah? Cause he’s had enough on his plate. I noticed how he always had to call the youth welfare department about child custody. I didn’t want to leave here, he’s the only thing I had left and that’s supposed to be taken from me now?
After about two months the custody issue had finally been resolved, I thought at least. I was allowed to stay with Noah for the time being. It was so nice living with him. We helped each other with everything and we did a lot together, such as cooking together, playing games or trips to amusement parks. Despite all this, I always wondered how my brother was really doing, but I didn’t want to ask him because he seemed to be fine. Sometimes I blame myself for not asking him. I think it would have done him good to have someone to talk to. Little by little he started working again, I thought at least. He usually came home late in the evening when I was already in bed. I got to see how he broke things and how he kept screaming and crying violently. One day I crept out of my room and moved slowly and quietly towards him. As I sat down, he wiped his tears from his face. He put his head on my shoulder and mumbled again that everything was going to be all right.
Gradually my patience was exhausted. I involuntarily threw things at Noah’s head. My outburst of emotion led to a violent quarrel between us, which resulted in us not talking to each other for days - only when it was necessary. I noticed how much he suffered from it and how his evening outbursts became stronger and more frequent. But what confused me most was his dazed nature and his almost staggering running. I started to worry more and more about him day by day, because he was driving in spite of that condition. In school my grades got worse and worse, because I was always somewhere else in my mind, because I became more and more afraid of him.
When I came home one afternoon, everything was as usual. I put the bag next to the dressing room, took off my jacket, ate something, did my homework and after all I prepared dinner for Noah and me and waited for him. Meanwhile it was normal for him to come home around 9pm. Time passed, but Noah could not be reached far and wide. I tried to reach him on his cell phone several times, but he didn’t answer. I started to become more and more restless. Around 10:30 pm a call came from his cell phone. I answered, but it wasn’t Noah on the phone. It was a policeman who told me that Noah was off-lane on the highway. After these words I could not and did not want to follow him any further.
Lara-Sophie Schepers: The usage of social media – when does it become critical?
Hey guys!
You may all know and use it: Social media!
Whether Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or other media. We all use at least one of them. Well, they can be very useful, but to be honest I don’t like to overuse social media.
You don’t know what I mean? Don’t worry, in this post I want to share my opinion and my personal experiences with social media with you.
First of all, I use social media too. I mean, why not, it’s easier to stay in contact with your friends or other persons (especially if you’re a shy person) and you won’t have much pressure if a person doesn’t answer you calls. You and the other person can take the time you need to answer the message you’ve received. And it can be a lot of fun, for example, when you´re bored and you have no idea what you could do.
I remember the time when my generation got their first mobile phones. We were all proud of being great kids now and just used it if we had to. However, today’s kids sometimes really overuse social media.
Like I said, social media can also bring people together, but not everyone is a master of controlled behavior.
Here is an example:
Last week I read an article about the "head down generation". In the beginning the article says that there was a situation in which four boys were sitting in the same room and instead of communicating directly, they texted each other via WhatsApp. Why can’t kids just be kids and go outside to play with their friends?
Isn’t that frightening?
Besides, that’s what I meant when I spoke about the overusage of social media.
I´m just wondering if there’s gonna be a social isolation if it goes on like that. Many parents ask themselves that too. A man made a video about it and shared it on YouTube. He says he has 422 (internet-) friends but he still feels lonely. Furthermore, he shares his video through the networks he speaks against. You notice the contradiction?
In addition, most of the people who really criticize social media just don’t know what potential there are. As soon as even 60-year-old people use social media, there won’t be big problems anymore. That’s what Professor W. Kalminski (media education and media research) from Cologne and U. Wagner (media education) in Munich say.
After all, social media can be very practical and most of us couldn’t imagine life without it anymore, could you? But don´t forget: Don’t overdo it.
What do you think about that? Write me your opinion in the comments below.
Well, that’s all for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post.
Yours, Lara-Sophie
Luca Knipper: Manipulative Games?
I recently read an article which deals with a shooting that happened in Florida in 2018. The article mentioned that the person who started the shooting was strongly influenced by games which are based on a war-like setting. These games include the opportunity to use weapons of all kinds to their full extend, which means that the whole gameplay is basically a great massacre of digital soldiers murdering themselves. So, the article’s author concludes that this setting is very similar to simulators that are used in the military to prepare soldiers for gun usage or something alike. I think that we can all agree that these kinds of games aren’t meant to encourage people to try doing the things that are done in the game. I’m not saying that games don’t influence the player at all, you are always influenced to a certain extent by anything you enjoy doing. But having problems that cause someone to start a shooting at their own school isn’t just because of games.
Apart from games being a tool for psychopaths to enjoy killing digital people, they come with quite a few benefits. Depending on what genre you’re playing, you could experience a great increase in your reflexes or your eye-hand coordination. When I was in second grade, I started playing a game called "Dungeon Defenders". It’s a coop game in which you have to defend a big crystal from being destroyed by monsters. And because you usually play it with three other people, you’d need to rely on your teammates and on them communicating with you. Which lead to me being able to have a basic conversation in English in second grade. What I’m trying to say is that you’ll probably always benefit from the things you love, whether that’s useful for your daily life is another thing.
To cut a long story short, don’t believe everything you see or hear, games aren’t created by the devil to encourage us to kill people. And lastly keep doing the things you love.
Please share your thoughts on this with me.
See ya!
Luca
Niklas Pastoor: Is it easy to be a famous person?
We all have seen ’em. There are so many famous people whose daily job seems to be boasting on us on social media about their new Lambo or their new AP Watch or Rolex, but have you wondered what the daily life of a famous person really looks like? I sure did and this is exactly what this blog entry will be about.
As I watched several V-logs of celebrities, I am sure that their daily life really looked like this but I soon had to realize that being a famous person is not always that easy and that living a life of a celebrity is not always an easy thing to do. If you go to a random person and ask them if they would want to be famous, most of them would answer yes but I’m sure that’s because they haven’t thought about what comes with being a famous person other than money and fame.
But if you really think about it, is it really worth living the life of a superstar? I thought about it and I came to the conclusion that you should be giving it a second thought because you basically don’t have a private life anymore. Yes, you can get yourself a mansion and lots and lots of expensive cars, but you will have the feeling that you are being watched 24/7 by paparazzi and fans, which don’t seem to know any limits in disturbing somebody’s private life.
To put it in a nutshell I’d say that famous people are not spoiled and though they do have it easier than most of the people because of the money they always have to keep up a good image and look like they have a perfect life. Remember they always try to be an idol and I’m sure there are some celebrities that can acknowledge this.
Share your thoughts and let me know whether you would want to be a famous person!
Yours, Niklas