A Remarkable Man, My Idol, My Grandfather
Dr. Benre’s comments: Marty paints a telling portrait of her step-grandfather, but never relies merely on telling the reader. Small anecdotes about her grandfather, as well as some of his habits, gave Marty’s story a much more powerful presentation that it would have if she had simply told the readers that he was neat and kind. More importantly, she maintains a significance to her story which travels from beginning to end. She uses her story to play on emotions without crossing the line into melodrama and makes a telling point in her conclusion. Marty has written an excellent story, not just an essay about someone she remembers.
Though he was an overwhelming three hundred pounds, my grandfather was a very neat, well-kept, respected man. His thick, ash colored hair always had to be just right. From the direction of the part to the brand of hairspray which held it in place, everything had to be just so. His shirt was always tucked in, and his belt always matched his shoes. Because of his huge girth, he had a seventy-eight inch waist, his legs reminded me of a penguin's— short and stubby. Everything about him amused me—from his love for the holidays to the way he continuously chewed ice and the incessant manner he had of rubbing his feet together.
Although he was my father's stepfather, he loved us as if we were his own. Several times throughout the year, he would organize what he called "family time," which involved all thirteen grandchildren who gathered in one place to socialize. He also had a great love for holidays. For example, we all spent Christmas Eve on the levee looking at the bonfires, and for days preceding Christmas, we rode through town enjoying the ...
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... day he died, he taught me a valuable lesson. If we love someone, we should tell the person often. I sometimes wonder if he knew just how much we loved him. All I have left are the memories we shared and the lessons he taught me, but they are good memories, and they are exceptional lessons. My grandfather was an astonishing man.
Unfortunately, my son will never get to meet my grandfather, but I will instill in him the love for people my grandfather so diligently instilled in me. I never looked at him as "fat" or "different." I simply viewed him as more to love. Even though he is not physically with me anymore, I still do things with him in mind, wondering if he would approve or disapprove; I try to make the choice I think he would admire. He taught me life; he taught me love; and he taught me what was right. This remarkable man is my idol--my grandfather.
The book Grandpa and Thomas provides many opportunities for students to make meaning of this text. Text-to-self connections can be made by students remembering times when they have ever gone to the beach, or gone on a special outing with their grandpa. Relating this text back to other Pamela Allan te...
Williams, D. R., & Jackson, P. B. (2005). Social sources of racial disparities in health. Health Affairs, 24(2), 325-334. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.24.2.325
The review of literature corresponds to the African Americans risk of getting hypertension. It showed that African American are at a higher risk for hypertension because many of them are unwilling to seek medical care and even when they do they do not take their medications as prescribed.
According to CNN article, “Schools Struggle to Feed Kids Healthy Foods” by Jen Christensen, “A 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 94 percent of school lunches failed to meet the U.S. Agriculture Department 's regulatory standards.” This staggering statistic proves that the majority of American students are not provided nutrient rich food ti fuel their minds at school. The public school system argues that food low in nutrients is cheaper, however this does not have to be the case. According to Dwight Eschliman’s article “Give (Frozen) Peas a Chance-and Carrots Too,” frozen food, picked and preserved at the height of ripeness, are abundantly nutritious and affordable. If schools invested in frozen produce rather than high sodium, high fat lunches, their students would be consuming a more nutritious lunch, therefore receiving more fuel for their brains. Families also have a responsibility to provide the best food for their children. Along with problems in the American diet, children today are far less active than generations before them. Much like schools, families will profit from frozen produce; a cheap way to purchase fruits and vegetables and easy ingredients to cook with. TV watching has become a nightly ritual taking away from children’s time to run around outside. This sedentary lifestyle promotes a dependency
I was taught the value of food by going to farms and milking cows. I learned how nothing is wasted. I saw traditions through own eyes and experienced them for myself instead of hearing vague stories that never seemed to be finished from getting choked up on nostalgia. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for thinking of them differently without having met them. They treated more like a daughter than my dad ever has. They made me feel included and loved. They’re everything I always imagined a family to be
“New School lunch standards implemented as a result of First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign have led to more than 1 million children leaving the lunch line, according to a new report.” (Elizabeth Harrington 3). Because of The Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act “ New meals are required to offer a whole grain,protein,fat free or low fat milk, fruits and vegetables”(Arit John 10). Even if the government regulates school lunches to prevent obesity and diabetes, the government should not be able to regulate them because students are not happy with the new school nutrition requirements, schools should be responsible for providing a nutritious lunch children will eat.
To begin, school meals do not set a solid foundation for children regarding the diet habits they will have for the rest of their lives. For example, they are teaching kids that greasy pizza and corn dogs are a part of a healthy, nutritious diet. One student says, “We think school lunches are healthy because they have all these posters in the cafeteria telling us to eat healthy food and be active; we think the school is doing their part by serving us healthy food too, but they are not” (Jimenez). Not only do children think that this cheap food is a good choice, but schools also think they are benefiting because of how much money they conserve.
We have definitely improved school lunches in America, however they still leave something to be desired. This is something that seems so simple to fix, but why is this problem so prevalent in our society? Mark Bittman explores this issue in an article “Serving up School Lunches of Tomorrow.” Bittman builds credibility by “joining forces with researchers from the Department of Agriculture and the University of California, Berkley’s School of Public Health to evaluate a program to increase school lunch participation, improve nutrition, reduce waste, and ultimately counter tendencies towards obesity.”(Bittman par1) And what they are doing to improve school lunches for their students. This article makes the claim that America needs to make an effort to make school lunches healthier and a lot more accessible for all of its students.
Low-cost meals are not worth the price of the medical bills that are promised to come and it is still very possible for schools to distribute nutritional lunches for an affordable price. It is necessary for legislation to make the change. Furthermore, it is ridiculous that emotional disorder numbers among adolescents have skyrocketed due to the lack body image, which is highly influenced by the way the eat. Therefore, it should be encouraged for schools to improve their meals, but that is only going to be achieved if a series are strict laws are placed, limiting calorie, sugar, fat, carbohydrate, pesticide, and other chemical intake. Lastly, Americans have always focused on exams and performance in a classroom environment, but they ignore the fact that what students eat, highly influence their performance. Ergo, increased meal funds would only benefit different school systems, through increased academic accomplishment rates. Although it is a grueling process to pass new regulations, it is vital for all students that school meals be improved in order to protect their physical and mental
Gran, as I frequently called her, stood at five feet seven inches tall. She was an elderly woman in her mid-50s that enjoyed living life and helping others in any way possible, whether it is at the market selling produce, donating to a charity for the less fortunate, or participating in walk-a-thons. On the verge of going into her sixties, her behavior protruded was one of a woman in her early thirties. Dressed in a tight, knee-high khaki pants, a black V-cut top, and a black sandals, with her hand held on her hip saying, “I might be old in age, but I am young and strong at heart darling” as she responded to my comment, in my dialect, “Yuh feel you too young.” This brought much humor to the room. The joyou...
I don't have a lot of fantastic memories of childhood. There were no spectacular family adventures, no unique family projects that taught some sort of moral lesson, no out-of-the-ordinary holidays. We ate family meals together, but most of the time the children and adults lived in different worlds. The kids went to school, did homework, and played; the adults worked. I was lucky, though. When I wanted a little of both worlds, I could always turn to Grandpa.
What does phenomenal mean to you? One dictionary states phenomenal means very remarkable. My great grandmother was a very sophisticated and remarkable woman. Phenomenal should have been her first name, because that she was. My great grandmother was a rare breed; many do not come like that anymore. Memories of my great grandmother take me to a happy place, and hold a special place in my heart.
To make the best of who we are. Our parents were raised by our grandparents with similar beliefs and expectations, as were we. My grandfather has influenced my life in numerous ways. I have many memories of him, he has made me laugh through all the fun times that we had together, but he also made me cry. When I was a freshman my grandfather became deathly sick. As the months flew by and I stood by his side, he became increasingly ill. In the early spring of that year my grandfather passed away right before my eyes. That was an unforgettable moment in my life. My grandfather taught me to accept, to accept both life and death. He showed me that life moves on, people you love will leave you and that through it all it only makes us stronger in the end. It's loved ones in our lives, like my grandfather, who are the breath within us that give us courage to follow our hearts.
Schools are spending too much on subjects or activities that don’t influence children’s future as much as quality food. Reprioritizing the way schools spend money can help free up funds for healthier lunches. Schools don’t only hold the proverbial lighter in this wild fire, so do parents. Parents need to get involved. They need to serve healthy food at home, exposure to healthy foods should start with things such as planting a garden at home if possible. The facts are simple. Students should be taught to eat healthy, shown to eat healthy, and given the opportunity to eat healthy. In that case, the issue will almost certainly work itself out with everyone involved parents, students, schools, and the
He was calling him upstairs to show him something. As he entered the room, Grandpa opened the door of his cupboard. There were uncountable boxes of gifts inside. “Is there somebody’s birthday today?” he asked. “No, I used to keep a present in this cupboard every year, on your birthday” Grandpa replied. “We celebrated your first birthday together, and after that I used to miss you a lot”, “As you are here now, I want you to take these gifts back to your house” He added further. He was speechless; he tightly hugged his Grandpa, with tears in his eyes. He was feeling ashamed of thinking that he will have an awful time there. He had no clue that every one of these years, he was actually ignoring the love and affection they had for him, not the “boring” relatives. According to Jane Howard, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need