Hello My Name Is...

Julia Bozyk

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My name is Julia Bozyk, and I am a special education paraprofessional at Clara B. Ford Academy. I earned my B.A. in English from Western Michigan University in 2004, a teaching certification in 9-12 English from the University of North Carolina Asheville in 2008, and my M.A. in English from Wayne State University in 2014. In my free time, I enjoy drinking coffee and reading. This is my first year at CBF, and I am enjoying getting to know our students and helping to facilitate their education. I have also appreciated the opportunity to work with and learn from our staff of very caring and talented educators.

For Tutors:

As with any discipline, writing requires practice, practice, and more practice. Below is a list of engaging prompts that students may use as inspiration for journal entries. Beginning writers should aim for 3-5 complete sentences, and more advanced writers should aim for 5-7. When finished with their writing, students should check that each sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with correct punctuation.

Journal Prompts:

·         If you were on a deserted island, who would you want with you and what five things would you want?

·         Who inspires you most and why?

·         Is it easy for you to accept help when it is offered to you?  Why or why not?  Will you ask for help when you need it?  Why or why not?  Can you think of a time when you received very valuable help or of a time when you probably should have asked for help but didn’t?  Consider describing this situation in detail. 

·         Describe what is unusual about you.  (Consider, for instance, any strange fears or odd habits you have or any unusual pastimes you enjoy.)

·         Of what accomplishment or accomplishments are you most proud?  Describe the accomplishment, and why it makes you so proud.

·         Do you think men or women have it easier in our society?  Explain your answer.  Do you think life is easier for men in some ways and easier for women in other ways?  Explain your answer.  Do you like things the way they are in regards to this situation?  Why or why not?  How might you go about making men and women more equal in our society?

·         What is the best movie you’ve ever seen?  Describe its plot and its characters.  What makes this movie so great?  You may write about several favorite movies.

·         What would you do with one million dollars? 

·         Pretend you were captured by an alien and taken to his/her show-and-tell. How would you describe earth to his class?

·         Describe your extended family.  Who are your favorite members of your extended family?  What are your best memories of time spent with extended family members?  What values and traditions do you share with these family members?

·         What is the strangest dream or dreams you’ve ever had?  Describe it in detail.  Do you have a recurring dream?  Describe it, in detail.  Why do you think this dream reoccurs so often? 

·         Compare the personalities of two of your friends or family members.  Be detailed and specific.  If you need more to write about, explain how your personality compares to theirs.  How do the differences in your personalities affect your relationships with these people? 

·         Is honesty always the best policy?  Why or why not?  Describe a situation or situations (real or imaginary) that explain your opinion.

·         Is there something you have always wanted to do but have never had the opportunity?  Describe.  Why have you always wanted to do this?  Do you plan on doing it sometime in the future?  Have you recently done something new?  If so, describe the experience.

·         Imagine your ten-year high school reunion.  What do you think you will be like?  What do you think all of your friends will be like?  (Consider writing this journal entry as a story.)

·         Rank the five senses in order of personal importance, and explain your reasoning.  What sense could you most easily live without, and why?  What sense could you least easily live without, and why?

·         What is your favorite season (fall, winter, spring, or summer) and why?

·         What do you like about being a teenager?  What do you dislike about being a teenager?  What would you change if you could?  What might you most miss about being a teenager when, as an adult, you reminisce about these years? 

·         Can you think of a time when you chose not do something you wanted to do because you wanted to spare someone else’s feelings or make someone else happy?  Why did you make that choice?  Do you think this was the right decision?  Why or why not?  

·         Can you think of an event or activity that may begin as simple fun but has the potential to become dangerous?  Why do you think this happens? 

·         What is your biggest worry or concern right now?  Describe it in detail.  Is there anything you can do about this problem right now? Why or why not? How do you make yourself feel better when you’re very worried about something?

·         What are three qualities you admire in others?  Why do you admire these qualities?  What people exemplify these qualities?

·         If I were the teacher I would…

·         Creative Writing Prompt: It all started on Monday morning when several citizens of Hendersonville noticed that the sky didn't look quite right…

·         Is it important to be a good listener?  Why or why not?  What are the characteristics of a good listener?  Do you consider yourself a good listener?  Why or why not?  What friends and family members do you most count on to be good listeners?  How do they help you by listening?

·         Imagine you could stop time and/or travel through time whenever you wanted.  What time period(s) would you visit?  How would you use this power to your advantage?

·         Is honesty always the best policy?  Why or why not?  Describe a situation or situations (real or imaginary) that explain your opinion.

·         If you could wake up tomorrow with one characteristic or talent, what would it be, and why?  What would you do with this new characteristic or talent?  What would your life be like?

·         Who is your favorite person, and why?  Consider writing about a favorite memory of this person.

·         Have you ever had a pet? If yes, describe it in detail. If no, is there a pet you would like? Describe it in detail. If you would not like a pet, why is that?

·         Describe your earliest memory in detail.  Is it a positive memory or a negative memory?  Why?  Has this memory shaped your life in any way?  How? 

·         Of what are you most afraid?  Describe, in detail, or tell a story.

·         What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?  Describe, in detail.

·         Do you adapt easily to change?  Why or why not?  Can you think of a time when you had to make a big change?  Maybe you moved, or stopped being friends with someone, or had to change some habit…  Was this hard for you to do?  What helped you?  Describe the situation, in detail.

·         What are your “pet peeves”?  Go ahead, vent!

·         What are your feelings about forgiveness?  Do you consider yourself a forgiving person?  Why or why not?  What acts could another person commit that you would have a difficult time forgiving?  Have you ever been in a situation in which you chose to forgive someone when it was difficult to do so?  Describe the situation.  Have you ever been in a situation in which you chose not to forgive someone?  Describe that situation.  Describe a situation in which you had to ask for someone’s forgiveness.  Was it difficult for you to do so?  Why or why not?  Did the person forgive you?

·         Describe, in dream vacation. Where would you go, and why? What would you do, and why?

·         What is your favorite subject in school, and why?

·         Who is the nicest person you know? The smartest? The funniest? The most talented? Describe each of these people in detail.