Well, not enTIREly tireless, but motivated and inspired by my students.
Students in this 8th grade history class have been learning history and history skills with me since they were brand new 7th graders. They are a fantastic group of students from whom I take inspiration. I continue to learn from my students as well. They have unique ideas for ways to process some historic topics. Connor, for example, loves a good debate. While I couldn’t necessarily work that in to each unit, there comes a time when I see that students are ready with the background knowledge and understanding they need to hash out two (or more) sides of a historical but relevant issue. Then we go for it. I will post an example of a collaborative lesson in a future post. Stay tuned.
I’ve asked my students to introduce themselves here. A scan of their comments on this post will help you gain an understanding of what California students like, how they spend their after school and weekend time, and you will see that within our class there are lots of differences of opinion and perspectives. Please reply to a student’s comment by telling a bit about yourself. We can’t wait to get to know our peers across the globe.
Hi my name is Jaylynn and I’m a 13 year old student that goes to Toby Johnson. At Toby Johnson we have 4 classes a day , each class is ninety minutes long. We switch classes every term, this term I have honors history and bridge. I also have P.E and I’m a T.A (teachers assistant) for Mrs. Quan, my science teacher. Outside of school I have tennis practice every day and I have to practice an hour of piano a day. Every day I play tennis for about 3 to 4 hours. It is alot of work balancing piano, tennis, and school. What do you do outside of school?
We do not change classes. THe classes we have now we also have all to the end of the year.
Why do you change classes?
Changing classes is supposed to give us, kind of like a break from certain classes, some people like it and some people don’t.
Hi my name is Kylie and I am in eighth grade. School in the U.S. is 7 hours long and at my school we start at 8:15 and end around 3 pm. I live where it’s very sunny and when it’s warm enough I like to go swimming outside of school. We have 4 periods every day that each last 90 minutes. Right now I have history, math, physical education, and leadership. My favorite class is physical education. How many classes do you have?
We have maths, science, social studies, english, bahasa melayu, pe. bat, MIB and drama.
We have many of the same classes! What is bahasa melayu and MIB? When school ends, I like to hang out with my friends and watch Netflix. Do you have Netflix? I also like to play soccer and bake. What do you like to do outside of school?
Hi my name is Matthew and I am a student at Toby Johnson Middle School. My school day is from 8:15 to 2:47 with a 35 minute break for lunch. On Wednesday we start at 9:15 and we have a shorter day. When I am not in school I play lots of video games and I also play baseball. What do you like to do after school?
Why is wednesday a short day?
We also like playing video games.
What is your favourite video games?
Wednesday is short because the teachers need to be able to have their meetings before school. I don’t really have a favorite video game because I play a lot of them. Our town is the fastest growing town in northern California. What video games do you play?
Hi, my name is Sam and I am in eighth grade. Our school goes on a 4 by 4 block system. This means that we have 4 classes, and each one is about one hour and thirty minutes. My favorite class is p.e. because it is the easiest. When I’m not in school, I like to go with my friends and play basketball. What do you do when your not in school.
When we go home from school we like to watch television and play games.
I usually do the same before I go to play basketball
In our town we have the best middle school.
Hi, my name is Jaime. I am 13 years old and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. We have many fun elective classes and four periods a day, not including lunch. My favorite classes consist of Video Productions, PE, and English. Video Productions is an elective class in which we film and edit our own videos. The teachers here are mostly very nice but give a lot of homework.
Some things I like to do outside of school are go on my phone, go places with my friends, and practice cheer. I really want to cheer in high school and I want to get better at it. My friends and I like to go to the park, Starbucks, and the movies. The phone I have is an iPhone 4s, but I really want to get the iPhone 5/5s. I don’t play sports right now, but I really want to get into cheer (like I said), swimming, and gymnastics again.
What sports do you play?
Wow… you are so lucky to have iphone. Iphone is so expensive here. We cannot buy because it cost too much.
We have HTC or samsung. That is not so much money.
Hi my name is Kaitlyn and I am an eighth grader. Our school day is around seven hours long. School starts at 8:15 am and ends at 2:45 pm.We have four class periods.On Wednesdays we have advocacy, we either have advocacy or we have an assembly. On my free time I like to play soccer and hang out with my friends.What do you like to do on your free time?
We only have general assembly sometimes. General assembly is good. We all go to the hall and sit on the floor and listen to the principal or other teachers talking.
They tell us news in the school. Sometimes they yell at us too.
Our assemblies are usually rallies or assemblies about bullying. We have guest speakers and we sit on bleachers. We sometimes don’t have enough room for all of the students so maybe one or two classes sit on the floor. What do you like to do when you are not in school? I like to hang out with my friends and watch movies on Netflix. Do you have Netflix?
Hi, my name is Eric. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. Our school day consists of four classes that are one and a half hour each. After school I eat a little snack then do my homework. After I do my homework I go play basketball or football outside with my friends. After I play outside I eat dinner. After dinner I watch t.v. and then go to sleep. By the way, what is your name and what do you like to do in your free time.
What do you eat for dinner?
We eat rice for all our dinner. We also have chicken or fish with the rice. Sometimes we have corn or cabbage too. We don’t like vegetables.
I work out at the gym for at least an hour a day. I am getting an iphone six soon. Here they cost 200 to 1,000 dollars in American dollars. Do you work out or have an iphone?
I eat many different things for dinner everyday. I eat pizza, tacos, and burritoes. But sometimes I eat rice for lunch or dinner too. I live in California the western part of the U.S.A. We have a lot of fun here in the US what do you do for fun.
Hi i’m Dustin. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. The school is a pretty good school. The classes are pretty fun. But when i’m not at school is when i have the most fun. I have the most fun after school because i play two sports and those are fun. I play soccer and basketball and altogether i am on 6 teams. What kind of stuff do you like to do in your free time?
Wow 6 teams. How do you practice so much for 6 teams?
We like to watch television and play games like computer games and xbox.
Do you have xbox?
I usually practice every day of the week for the teams. I also like to watch television and play games. I do have an xbox but I usually like to play with my PS4. What kinds of xbox or computer games do you like to play?
Hi,
My name is Taylor and I live in California. I am an 8th grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. I am a competitive soccer player. I have practice Mondays and Wednesdays with training on Fridays. I normally have a game all weekend and so it is very hard to do homework, especially when I travel, but I get through it. Next year I hopefully am going to be able to ref, which will give me some money which will be nice.
Where do you travel?
We travel to the big city or to Miri in Malaysia. Some students already travel to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore too.
We don’t travel out of the state, just out of town. The farthest we have gone was around four hours. I am on a first year team, so we don’t get to travel that far. How far is the big city that you travel to? Do you enjoy to travel?
Dear Students of Borneo,
My name is Mason of the United States, California. I attend Toby Johnson Middle School, and am an 8th grader at 14 years of age. You may be wondering what I do in my spare time. One of my hobbies, for example, is constructing improvised armor derived from plaster of Paris and other materials I can find. I recently have made a breakthrough on a special polymer that I cannot divulge more about. Other things include: playing video games, and developing polymers. Now, I have a question for you: What do you do in your spare time?
From,
Mason
What is polymer? Is it a game?
In the spare time we like watching television and playing games.
A polymer is not a game, sorry. I should have been more clear. The polymer is a kind of flexible substance that I use to reinforce armor. The armor, in recent stress tests, has held. The plaster cracked but the polymer coating held multiple stabs and slashes until it failed. That model used repeated layers of Elmer’s glue and Tempera paint, cured under approximately 90+ degrees. However, I have not yet tested it for fire and heat resistance.
Hello!
My name is Kileigh! At school I take all honor courses. Each class is 90 minutes long. We only have four classes a day. We have lunch between each class. How’s school for you? My favorite class is leadership. What’s your favorite class? Outside of school I like to hang out with my friends, go shopping at the mall,go on my phone and cheer. What do you like to do? After school my favorite snack is cup-o-noodles. What is your favorite after school snack? Do you enjoy school? What is your favorite color?
Your friend,
Kileigh
Our favourite snack for many students is Mamee noodle snack. We like it very much. It is dry noodles with flavour. The chicken is a good flavour. But also we can buy the bbq flavour.
That sounds really good! Here in Elk Grove it is very foggy. Also it is cold and I miss the summer time.
Sincerely,
Kileigh
Hello! My name’s Jocelyn, and I’m an 8th Grader at Toby Johnson Middle School in Elk Grove, California. I’m an average teenager, with hobbies like drawing, travelling, watching anime (Japanese cartoons/television shows), and cooking. I’m a huge fan of a game called ‘The Sims’, my favorite being The Sims 3. I’m not sure if any of you watch anime there, but I’m a huge fan of it! I’ve been to 25 different places outside the United States, including places like Russia, Germany, Japan, China, and even Brazil! I’m really excited to hear back from you guys!
Sincerely,
Jocelyn
Wow you are so lucky to go to so many countries.
Why do you go to so many countries?
We can easy go to Malaysia. Brunei is right next to malaysia. Sometimes we will go to malaysia for shopping. It is easy. We drive to malaysia from Brunei.
My name is Jonathan. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. We have 3 teams that the students are separated in, Aggies Tigers and Hornets. I am an aggie. We begin the day in the morning, eight fifteen am and finish the day at two forty seven pm. At Toby Johnson we have many different cultures and the school provides students with a handful of electives. We have a 4×4 block schedule, four terms and four classes. Each class is an hour and a half long. My favorite classes are physical education, video productions, and algebra one. On my free time i penny board, a plastic skateboard, with my friends and play basketball. What are your classes like?
Our classes are very good. We like our classes very much.
We have so many different classes and different teachers. We like our teachers too.
They are all so nice.
Hello!
Once again, my name is Jonathan and I am glad to meet you! How many classes do you have, and what are your favorite classes? Also, have you heard of penny skateboards? Do you like playing video games and basketball? Lastly, do you have a Playstation 4?
Hi, my name is Leland. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. I have classes each day. Each class is a hour and a half. My favorite class is P.E. We play games with our class. Science is very fun because my class is very fun. We also have these classes called electives. My elective is drama. we have to act out many things in class. After school I like to play basketball. I play for five basketball teams. How long are your classes? What sports do you play? What are some of your classes?
We have drama too. We have a nice teacher called Miss Ann. She is very nice and is teaching us how to act in our drama class. What do you do in your drama class?
Hi, thanks for replying. In drama we do little short plays and we are graded for it. I live in California. It is the most western part of the United States of America.What state do you live in? Do you guys have different stores and malls?
Dear, Friends
Hi my name is Pieman. I am in 8th grade. I go to Toby Johnson a school in the US.We have four semesters. For 1st and 3rd term i have history, Bridge, PE, and elective. Bridge is the combination of math and reading. For 2nd and 4th term I have science, English, math and elective. Each class is about an hour and 30 minutes long but on Wednesday classes are about an hour long and school starts later. My favorite subject at school is history and PE. My favorite sport is basketball and football. When I am not at school I play sports, games, and hang out with family. What is your hobby, favorite sport, and subject in school?
Sincerely your friend,
Pieman
Why is your school different on a Wednesday?
We have school on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
We do not have school on Friday and Sunday.
Special events happen on Wednesday. That is why we have a different schedule on Wednesday. Also I live in a big house. Also school is different on Wednesday because teachers have meetings and other important stuff to do. How is your family and siblings? What is school like over there? Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Hello! My name is Gianni. I go to Toby Johnson Middleschool. My hobbies are video games and soccer. Everyday at school, I have three core classes and one elective. My first period is Social Science, next is Bridge or Reading/Math. Then I have PE, and lastly TA. TA is when we help out a teacher for our elective class. The teachers here can be very nice, but still give lots of homework. How does your school work?
We have English 3 times every week. We have maths 3 times every week too. We have P.E just one time every week.
We have other subjects too. But they are 2 times every week.
Dear friend,
my name is Gabby. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School and I’m in the eighth grade. I have four classes that are an hour and a half long except on Wednesdays when we start at 9:15 and classes are forty five minutes. My hobbies include, dancing, drawing, eating, sports, and watching T.V.
We have so many hobbies too. We like to watch television. We also like to play on xbox and playstation. What do you like drawing?
Hello, my name is Arielle. I am in eighth grade and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. It is an interesting school and I like it because of the extra-curricular opportunities; especially the Color Guard team. I am on the Toby Johnson Color Guard team and so far, it’s been a great experience. I’ve performed in parades and I am soon going to perform in several shows in March. I heard that my team is even going to go into the Championships to perform. Hopefully, my team wins first place. We practice before school and sometimes after; that means I have to come to school earlier and stay after. My team has surely been working hard and we hope it all pays off. Are you involved in anything at your school?
Did your team win first place?
We like to work hard. We always want to get good grades in school. We study so very hard. Do you study hard?
Actually, I have not performed in my shows yet. They are coming up in a few months. But my team is working hard and we hope it is worth it. Besides all the practices, I do study as well; but I don’t do is as often because I’m busy with other things, like family. What is your family like?
Hi. My name is Ryan. I am 14 years old! When I am not in school, I am playing sports. I also like eating food. My favorite food is pizza. I also like going on my phone. Another thing I enjoy is watching television. Some sports I play are rugby and baseball. I’m a savage. That means that I am very cool and fantastic. What do you enjoy?
Can you tell us about baseball? What is baseball?
We never know about it before.
Baseball is where there is offense and defense and the pitcher throws the ball where the batter on offense tries to hit the ball. Then, the defense tries to get them out. Also, what type of music do you enjoy listening to?
Hey there!
My name is Haelee, I’m 14 years old. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. When I am not in school, I’m usually hanging out with friends or writing. I’m also a musician, I sing in a club called Jam Session. Another thing that I enjoy doing is texting. What’s an activity that you enjoy doing?
We like texting so much. We do sms on what’s app. Do you have what’s app in your handphone?
We have what’s app group chat with Miss Tania. She send us message to remind us to do our homework.
Texting is so much fun! I don’t have what’s app but I do have Kik, which is another messaging app for smartphones.
Who is your favourite musical artist? I love Paramore, Beyonce, and Chance The Rapper.
Dear friend,
My name is Amanda and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. One of my hobbies I like to do outside of school is basketball. I currently play on my school’s team and another team called Rebels. Do you have any hobbies you enjoy doing?
Hobbies we like is watching television, reading books, playing on playstation and sometimes on the handphone.
Hi i’m Eric. My school is Toby Johnson middle school. Our school is divided into four quarters. In the first and third quarter we get History with is also called Social Science, and we also we P.E. In the second and the fourth quarter we have Science and English. One of my favorite class is math, which is in all quarters. When i’m out of school i like to play basketball. I also love to swim on the weekends. When i’m done with homework i like to play games. What do you like to do when your out of school and what is your favorite subject?
We do not play basketball here in Brunei. I think it maybe because we are not very tall people. All Brunei people are very short. Not like in America where you are tall.
Miss Tania is more tall than other teachers in our school. She is very tall.
Hello, my name is Sarahi. I attend a middle school that is very diverse and roughly has 1,400 students. When I am not at school, I am most likely hanging out with my friends, at home watching TV and finishing my homework. Sometimes during the weekends I would go to visit my grandmother and have a barbeque with my family. My family and I are Mexican and we enjoy having long parties and making delicious food. An old hobby of mine was to dance, yet I do not attend classes anymore. What do you do when you are not at school?
When we go home we like to play on the games and the computer. We also like to watch television. It is very much fun.
Hello, I’m Connor. Outside of school, I like doing stuff with boy scouts; like skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, and camping. I also love video games, with my favorites being “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” and “Assassins Creed: Unity”. I’m currently waiting for “No Man’s Sky” to come out.
What’s your school like? What do you do outside of school?
We like the same games as you.
We like playing on xbox.
We like playing on playstation.
Do you have the xbox or playstation?
I like to play on the playstation 4 and 3. What other kind of games do you play besides Call of Duty and Assassins Creed?
Hello! My name is Arianna and I am 13 years old. I am an eighth grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. I have PE, Mrs.Groves’s history class, math, and criminology. I enjoy going out with my family to the movies or other fun places. I also enjoy reading, taking pictures, and going on my phone. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Some of the students in our class like to go to the movies. We only have 2 cinemas in our city. Some of us have already go to see the movie The Hobbit. Did you go to see it already?
Most of us like the movies too. I haven’t seen The Hobbit yet but my little brother has and he loves it. My favorite movies are Disney movies. Other than The Hobbit, what movies do you like?
My name is Jean Paul and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. My school runs on a block system. School starts at 8:15 and ends at 2:47. On Wednesdays we start an hour later and we have another class called Advocacy. Each of our periods is about 90 minutes long with a 4 minute break in between each period to give us time to walk to our next class. After second period is when we have lunch, which is about 30 minutes. A hobby I like to do out of school is play basketball. I play for an AAU team called EG Warriors and a church league team called SJUMC Samurais. I have Warriors practices every Wednesday and SJUMC practice every Saturday. What is your hobby you enjoy doing?
We do not have lunch at school. We go home for lunch. We have a break time at school. It starts at 10am and finishes at 10:25 in the morning.
DO you have a break at school too?
We have a lunch break at 11:14am to 11:49am. We eat at a cafeteria at our school. We do not go home for lunch.
Lucky you guy get to go home for lunch. We just have to go to the lunch room for about 35 min. The lunch is our break.
Hi, my name is Jazmyne and I am thirteen years old. When I am not in school I enjoy playing soccer and softball. My favorite out of those two sports is soccer. In America we call it soccer, but you may call it football. Also my favorite subject in school is Social Science. In this class we learn about major and minor events that happened in the world. Have you ever visited a country besides Borneo?
We like soccer here. Our favourite teams are Chelsea and Man U’td. What is your favourite team?
Is that the same as your football?
I really don’t have a favorite team in soccer. Our football is different than soccer. A football is an oval shaped ball with pointed ends, which you throw through the air. The goal of the game is to score a touchdown, which you do by getting the ball across the field with out being knocked down
My favorite team is Real Madrid and my favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo. This is not the same as American football. American football is more aggressive and involves more players. The Superbowl is an upcoming football game that happens every year and is usually the most viewed game of the football season. Have you ever heard of the Superbowl?
Dear corresponding students of Borneo,
I would like to extend a formal greeting your class of Brunei. My name is Eric, and I am one of the three Erics on my school team, so dearest apologies if you are confused. I am a thirteen year old and a male student attending the acclaimed Central California school of Toby Johnson Middle School.
You probably already know about how our school works, so I’ll tell you a bit about myself. When I’m not at school, I am hanging out with friends, practicing piano at my home, or attending a competitive swimming practice. On weekends, I play computer games, watch movies, go skiing, and more.
What kind of sports or activities do you participate in at Borneo? Are there any other interests you have?
I am very excited to hear about your life. Hopefully in the future we will exchange more about our lives with each other.
With regards,
Eric
We like to play badminton, sepak takraw and futsal here.
Do you know these sports?
Many people in Brunei play the games.
They are good games and keep us very fit if we play.
Greetings again, students of Brunei!
I was glad to hear from you and your life sounds quite interesting. In some ways, it’s so different from here in America, but I was surprised by how many similarities there were.
I do know badminton and football (Soccer.) I used to play soccer for a good number of years, both outdoors and indoors, before I decided to continue swimming. I swim for Consumnes River Aquatics (competitive team) in Fall and Winter seasons, and Elk Grove Pirahnas in the Spring-Summer Season. (Recreational). The practices are tiring and difficult, but I enjoy the competition.
I have forgotten to mention beforehand that I’m Chinese. I’ve been to China several times and I have met some Malaysian people. From what my parents told me, they learned English similar to you, such as using British English (Ex. Colour instead of color.)
What is sepak takraw? I don’t think I’m familiar with the sport.
Your school life sounds fun, from what I’ve heard in other replies. Can you tell me more details about what you learn in your classes?
Again, I’m glad to hear from your class and I hope that we can both learn more from each other.
With regards,
Eric
Hi my name is Molly. When I am not at school and I don’t have any homework to do I like to read. I have read many books, my favorite type of books are books set in the future. I also like to perform; I was even in the school musical this year and just stared a new one. What type of things do you like to do?
We have a lot of school work and do not read much at home. But we read a lot of homework and school books.
We have to study very hard to get good grades at school.
Do you study a lot?
Hello, my name is Sameer. I’am 13 years old. Usually when I’am not in school I play basketball or use my phone. I play basketball everyday, and I also made the basketball team for my School, Toby Johnson. I probably talked too much. What do you like to do?
What phone do you have? We have HTC and Samsung. Some students have different. Samsung is very popular here in Brunei. What about in your city?
In our city and country we use many phones. Although the most popular phones we use are iphones and samsung phones.
Hi, my name’s Milly, and my favorite class this term is math. When I’m not in school I like to play video games like the Legend of Zelda, watch anime, and draw. I’ve been swimming on the CRC league for eight years, my specialty being butterfly, and I’ve also been playing tennis for 2 1/2 years and I’m planning on playing on both teams when I go to high school. What do you like to do for fun?
We like anime here in Brunei.
We have 2 channels on tv with anime on them all the time. We like these channels.
It’s cool how you guys like to watch anime there too. I like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Utapri, and Free Eternal Summer. If you guys haven’t watched any of these(though I think you have) I totally recommend them! What’s your guy’s favorites?
Hello, my name is Meena. I enjoy playing tennis, which is a sport. I play tennis for a team. When I’m not in school, playing tennis, or doing homework, I listen to music, hang out with friends, watch movies, and bake. My favorite color is green and my favorite number is 21. I like making treats like cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. What do you do when you’re not in school? What is your favorite color and your favorite number?
Miss Tania said we can just talk about everyone for this time.
So everyone have different numbers and colours they like.
Miss Tania likes blue colour and likes the number 13.
Next time we can tell you more information about each person.
Oh okay. So what seasons do you have in Brunei, Borneo? In California, we have Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. It is very foggy and cold outside right now because we are in our Winter season. It is not fun. My favorite season is Summer because I like to swim to cool off. Do you guys swim on hot days?
-Meena 😀
Hi, my name is Ibrahim, I am thirteen years old. When I am not in school or not doing school work, I play basketball and baseball. I have been playing baseball for seven years and basketball for three years. I like playing video games especially Call Of Duty. I did Karate for a little bit when I was younger. So… what do you like to do when you’re not in school?
Call of duty is so cool to play. We like that too.
Do you like league of legends. Or clash of titans?
We like these games too.
I haven’t tried League Of Legends but I have heard of it. I”m going to have to try it some time. Are there any other games you like to play?
I too like League of Legends. If you like League of Legends, then you should try Vain Glory. It is for Iphones only. If you have Iphones, then you should try it. I think it is better than League of Legends. Do you have Iphones?
Hi!
My name’s Janessa. When I am not at school I like to watch T.V or video chat my friends. I want to be a wrestler. Wrestling is a very difficult sport. For now, I help the coach at wrestling practice clean and roll out the mats.
Do you play any sports?
In Brunei the best sport that many people like is badminton. Do you know about badminton? We can teach you about it if you want to learn about it?
Yes, I have heard of badminton, but I have never played it. Is it hard to play?
Sure!! I would love to learn more about it!!
Hello my name is KB. I am an African male and I live in California. The weather is very unpredictable, meaning that it can be very cold and very hot in the same day. I like eating food because it’s good. Outside of school I play sports like soccer.
We like your name. Our town is called Kuala Belait. But we all call it KB. That is the short name.
Is your name short for a long name?
Yes, my name is Kwabena. It is an African name from the country of Ghana.
Greetings from California. I attend Toby Johnson Middle School in the eighth grade. From 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, I go to school. After school, I go home to finish my homework. However, I take some breaks to eat and have fun. After all my homework is done, I go to sleep. When it is not a school day, I do weekend homework (if I have some), play video games, watch television, eat, and sleep. I play piano as an instrument. Playing video games and watching anime (a type of animated television show) are my hobbies. Do you use Google search engine as an academic resource?
When we use the internet we use google. It is fun to search the internet for videos and fun stuff.
We like to watch videos on you tube. Do you have you tube? What do you like to find on you tube?
Yes, we do have YouTube™. I do not use YouTube™ that much, but when I do, I watch people playing video games.
Hi! My name is Emily and I am an eighth grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. As you already know from the other previous comments, we have a block schedule where we go to four periods, or classes, each day at school from 8:15am to 2:47pm. I have Geometry Bridge (math and reading), Social Science, Physical Education, and Career Exploration currently. Besides school, I do swimming for our Elk Grove swim team and play piano. For my free time, I like to read books, go on my phone, go outside, and watch TV and movies. What is your school’s schedule, what are your activities, and what do you like to do during your free time?
~Emily 🙂
Our school starts at 7:15 in the morning and we finish at 12:30. We go home to have lunch. Then we come back to school for religious studies. That classes are from 2pm until 5pm.
Your schedule is so cool! We stay at school for lunch instead of going home. What do you learn in religious studies? It sounds interesting. In history class, we currently are learning about the North and the South in the U.S. We are about to take a test on it tomorrow. Anyways, what’s your name? What sports do you play?
~Emily 🙂
Hi Friend,
My name is Theresa and i’m 13 years old. When I am not at school, I go on social media or watch shows like The Walking Dead. But of course, after finishing homework. Sometimes I watch while doing homework. During weekends, I sometimes hang out with my cousins and buy stuff since our eldest cousin recently got her driver’s license. Another thing I would do is Track and Field but only during the season. Do you listen to music? Who is your favorite singer?What do you do during breaks of school?
In our break at school we go to the canteen. Sometimes we buy food and sometimes we do not buy food.
When we get the food we go back to the classroom to eat our food and sit and talk with our friends.
Do you have a canteen?
What food can you buy in the canteen?
Forgive me for asking, but what’s a canteen? What kind of food do you eat, too? Lucky you’re allowed to eat in your classroom. Sincerely, Theresa
Hi people
My name is Lucas, but you can also call me L Saucy. I have P.E., Social Science, Bridge, and Career Exploration. After school, I go home and relax. When I’m relaxing I listen to music, watch TV, hang out with friends, eat, go on my phone, play video games, and sleep. When I’m not relaxing, I’m either at school doing my homework, or playing sports. I love my life.
We got lots of homework. The maths teacher gives us so much homework.
For english we get one piece of homework every week.
This week we have to draw a suitcase and draw clothes and write things in it.
Hello, my name is Colby, and I go to Toby Johnson. After school I have wrestling practice everyday and workout three days of the week.Then I do a bunch of lame homework. What do you do after school ? Do you know what Nike or Adidas are? Do you know who Superman is?
Hi my name is Sophia and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. When I’m not in school, I stay home most of the time. I watch tv, play video games, and draw. I draw things mostly from animes and mangas. My favorite video games are RPGs, role playing games. I live with my mom, my two brothers and my dog, Jack. I also play soccer, I’ve been playing since I was four. Do you like school?
The boys in our class all like soccer. Who is your favourite team?
We like Chelsea and Man U’td.
My favorite team is Real Madrid, my favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo. We get a lot of homework, especially in Social Science and Bridge. In Criminology we take notes and do labs. Yesterday we had to run the mile in P.E. and last week we had pacers. How much homework do you get?
Hi, my name is Ryan. I go to middle school which is 7th to 8th grade in California. I like to play American Football, not “soccer”. I love to play video games also. I like the army. I want to be a Navy Seal so I can protect my county. I have three dogs, their names are Charger, Steeler, and Shadow. Do you have any dogs? What are their names? Do you have any video games, if you do, which games are your favorite?
We do not have dogs for pets. We have other animals like cats and guinea pigs and turtles.
We will do a list of all the pets and the names of the pets.
Why don’t you have dogs as pets? What do you like to do outside of school? Do you play any sports? Please answer as soon as possible? Thank you – <3 Ryan
Hi my name is Gabriel and I like to play videogames after school. I have a Playstation 3. Do you have one or a computer that you play games on, if not then what do you like to do after school. I also do tae kwon do, which is a form of Korean martial arts. I have my first degree black belt, and I also want to play soccer when the next season starts. The thing I am most interested in is airplanes, and I plan to join the US Air Force when I get out of high school. They have a college called USAFA, which stands for United States Air Force Academy. There is a computer game called War Thunder, and it is a World War II air battle simulator. I enjoy making model air planes. What do you like to do for fun? Do we have any similar interests?
Brunei has an Army too. The army have cadets too.
No one in our class is in the cadets. But we can join this year or next year.
Many of us like to play computer games.
What computer games do you like to play? I like to play League of Legends. League of Legends is a MOBA game. MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battling Arena. You control one character and attack enemy players. It is a team of five against five. You should try it if you can.
Do you know what Steam is? What games do you like to play? Are the cadets a junior program or is it the actually army? Do you have an aviation or Air Force?
Hello 🙂 I’m Michelle and I am 13 years old. I’m currently an eighth grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. When I’m not at school, I do my homework, and I study for any upcoming tests/quizzes. During my free time I like to check out social media apps on my phone, read books, play piano and draw. I also love to watch a good movie with my friends but that only happens once in a while. So what do you like to do during your free time?
You have a phone too? We have handphones. What is your handphone brand.
Some students in our class have HTC, and some have Samsung. What is your phone?
We like to chat on What’s App… do you have that?
Really? That so cool! I wish I was there to run with everyone. Do you like movies? Besides running, I love movies, and my favorite movies are all three of the Hobbit movies.
I have an IPhone and it is from the brand, Apple. No, I don’t have What’s App but I would like to chat with you more. On my phone I like to listen to music, watch Youtube and other activities. What kind of music do you like?
Hi my name is Arianna. When I’m not in school I like to read, draw random things, play the flute and piano, and eat food. I also play with my dog and I love to run so I also do track and field, which is a kind of running team. When I’m not doing any of those activities, I relax in my room, play video games, or watch anime, a kind of animated TV show. What do you do when you’re not in school?
We like to run too. We have to run in our P.E. Class.
Miss Tania is organising a 5km run for next saturday. That is on January 31st.
The run is because there are special visitors from Australia coming to visit our school.
We all want to run in the run.
Hello. My name is Ivan. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. I am an 8th grader. I like math because I think I am really skilled at it. I also play basketball at lunch. When I don’t have school, I play video games, play basketball, watch TV, spend time with my family, and take care and help my siblings. One question I have for you is what do you do in your spare time?
We all help our family so much. Some of us have very big families.
We do cleaning and some in our class also do the cooking and help with the other children in the family.
How many people in your family?
I have five people living in my house. There is me, my mom, my dad, and my two younger sisters. One is 10 years old. Her name is Vivian. My other sister is only 5-6 months old. Her name is Mia. How big is your family? Do you have siblings? How old are they if you have any?
Hi!
My name is Izabella and I am 13 years old and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. When I am not in school I play competitive soccer for our town. I play soccer two to three times a week with a game or tournament every weekend. A tournament is a series of games you play with your team and you can win medals! I also love to hang out with my friends, bake, and eat. What is your favorite food? What do you like to outside of school?
Sincerely,
Izabella 🙂
We like Malay food very much. We like to eat Nasi Goreng. This is fried rice. We like to eat mie goreng. This is fried noodles. We also like nasi ayam. This is chicken and rice.
What food do you like?
Dear students of Brunei,
Hello! My name is Jazelle. I live in California. My daily schedule for school this term has me go to bridge (math and reading) first period, followed by physical education, history (which I am in right now!), and ending my day with a fun leadership elective. My favorite class is either leadership or P.E. because the environment is a lot more social and enjoyable. When I’m not at school I play soccer (or futbol) for a local club as well as study my Catholic religion. A few of my teammates go to the same school as me as well, and we have become close friends. On the field, I play center/right forward, so I am very involved in the scoring of games. Also, I go to Sunday classes at my church where we do fun activities that help us learn about Catholicism. What is your daily life like? What are your favorite hobbies? Is soccer popular in Borneo? What kind of technology do you have? I would love to learn about where you’re from as well.
Sincerely,
Jazelle (or you can call me Jazzy)
Every day we go to religion school. Our normal school ends at 12:30. Then we go home for lunch. Then we go back to school to study religious studies. We go to religious school at 2pm and go home again at 5pm.
Wow! What time does school began in the morning? I find it interesting that your religious studies are part of your school day. My religious studies are more on my own time at my own church. What religion do you study? I’d love to learn more about where you live and what it’s like to live there. Do you have any hobbies?
January 20, 2015
Hi,
My name is Emily. I’m fourteen years old and I’m from California. I’m fully Chinese so my home country is not far from you, but I’ve never actually been there before. My favorite color is pink, and I enjoy shopping, hanging out with my friends, and watching movies. My favorite food is ice cream, and I love the TV show “Teen Wolf.” I also like swimming and tumbling. Outside of school, I play the piano and play tennis. What is your life like in Borneo? What do you know about America?
Sincerely,
Emily
We like ice cream too. Our country is hot all the year. Sometimes our weather is wet and sometimes it is dry, but it is always hot.
We have 30 degrees until 34 degrees all year.
(Miss Tania: In Brunei the temperature is measured in Celcius)
In summer, our temperature is from about 95 degrees to 100 degrees. In winter, it cools down to about 52 degrees to 65 degrees. Our temperature is measured in Fahrenheit. My favorite season is summer because it’s much warmer. Since it’s always warm over in Borneo, I think I would love to go there someday!
Hello, my name is Vi. I’m a fourteen year old student of Toby Johnson Middle School. My hobbies are being club president of the AMK club, or Art Manga K-pop, watching anime, reading manga, fangirling,or getting overly too excited about certain TV shows or book series, participating in my local swim team, and drawing. What are your hobbies? I also enjoy listening to Korean pop music while I do my homework after school. I’m excited to get to know you!
Wow you like Korean Pop Music?
Who is your favourite group?
We like Exo and other Kpop stars too.
Oh my gosh I’m so surprised that you like K-pop! I love Exo and Kai is my favorite band member. I also love Big Bang and K. Will. Girl Korean bands that I like are Sistar and Girl’s Day. DO you watch Korean dramas? I watch dramas sometimes but they’re kind of predictable. My favorite drama right now is Pinnochio, a drama about a woman and her childhood friend. Do you listen to J-pop? I don’t really but sometimes I do. I hope to hear from you soon and tell me more about your favorite K-pop bands!
Dear, Students of Brunei Borneo
Hi, my name is Zachary and I go to school like any other kid would. At the moment, I am in eighth grade and our school is on a block schedule. That means we have only four classes every day each ninety minutes long. The only exception would be on Wednesday where we have either advocacy or an assembly added, our classes are roughly sixty minutes long, and we start school an hour later than we usually do. My favorite class is P.E. because I don’t like the feeling of being stuck in a classroom for a long time. Speaking of Physical Education, when I’m not in school I do gymnastics. It’s a sport with six different events called Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bars, Still Rings, Floor Exercise, Vault , Pommel Horse. Its and indoor sport, so I practice all year but compete only in the winter. I practice every day of the week except Sunday. I practice for four and a half hours on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and I practice for three hours on Wednesday and Saturday. I’m wondering, how much you know about the U.S.A.?
Sincerely,
Zachary
We do not know about America much. We see some things on TV.
Miss Tania is telling us a few things. She has been to your city already. She says it is beautiful.
What is beautiful in your city?
If you don’t know already, we live in a city called Elk Grove. There are a lot of pretty and unique houses in our city. Some houses in our city look exactly the same but when you get into the more country area you can start to see huge mansions everywhere. Somewhere in Sacramento (our county), there is a mall called the Arden Fair Mall with a lot of food and places that you can shop.
Hi, my name is Emily and I am in 8th grade. I attend Toby Johnson middle school. My favorite class is history because I like to learn about the people from the past who helped shape our world today. On my free time I like to play the piano and spend time with my family and friends. I have been playing the piano for seven and a half years. What do you like to do on your free time? Can you please tell me what is your favorite subject and more about your everyday life in Borneo.
Brunei has very big history.
We have a King. He is called a Sultan. This Sultan is number 29.
The first Sultan of Brunei was in the year 1368.
That is very interesting! Here in America, we don’t have a king. We have a president which rules the entire United States. This is our forty-fourth president. How many hours are in your school day? What do you do when you get out of school?
Hello, my name is Claire, and I am an eighth grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. Our school day consists of four periods, each 90 minutes long. We have four grading terms, each nine weeks long. My classes are history, math, English, P.E., science and leadership. When I am not in school I enjoy hanging out with my friends, shopping, and swimming. What do you like to do on your free time?
We have 3 terms in Brunei. We start our school year on January 5. Then our first holiday is in March. Our second holiday is in June, and our last holiday is in September.
We have a big holiday in December. That holiday is for 5 weeks.
Miss Tania tell us to ask you… when is your big holiday.
We start a new school year in the middle of August and go without a holiday until the end of December. After the new year begins, we continue the same school year on January 6th. We have one week of holiday in March, which is called spring break. At the end of May, we end the school year. We have a 12 week holiday when the weather is warm. This holiday is called summer vacation. This past summer I spent a lot of my time watching the television show called Gossip Girl. I love that show. Do you watch Gossip Girl.
Greetings!
My name is Jaden and I am an eight grader at Toby Johnson Middle School and I am 14 years old. I enjoy playing video games and watching TV.
We like watching tv too. We have many things from America on our tv. We watch movies too. We like movies. What is your favourite movie?
My favorite movie is Sweeney Todd. It is a really old movie that most people do not know. It is about a barber who had his life stolen by a rich man, the barber comes back for revenge after twenty years and has a very odd way of going about it.
Hey, my name is Antonia. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. In my spare time, I am usually skateboarding around my neighborhood, or baking. What do you do to pass time?
Rizal and Azarya really like to go skateboarding.
They have skateboards and use them every day after school.
Some of the girls like baking. They like to make cupcakes. What do you like to do for baking?
Hello! What kind of skateboards do Rizal and Azarya ride? I have a penny board, which is a miniature version of a skateboard. It is used for cruising. I like to make cookies, brownies, cakes, and cupcakes. I live in Elk Grove, California. It is boring here, being stuck here for 14 years. However, the scenery and cities are gorgeous. How is it in Brunei, Borneo?
Hi my name is Bianka. I live in California. California is really fun during the summer because the weather is perfect for swimming. I love to swim because it’s good exercise and lots of fun. I don’t like to swim in oceans, lakes, or rivers because I don’t know what’s out there. Some things you should know about me is that I’m a cheerleader, my favorite color is pink, and I love cupcakes and brownies. If I had a million dollars I would buy a mansion with a pool, donate to charity, and buy a private jet. Some questions I have for you is: Do you live near the water? What would you do if you had a million dollars? I don’t take any sports at my school or clubs. Write back soon.
We live in a small town called Kuala Belait. Our town is near the beach. We can go to the beach, but we do not swim in the water. There are crocodiles in the waters of Brunei, so it is not safe. Have you ever seen a crocodile?
My name is Vincent. I am an eighth grader in the American state of California, which is located along the Pacific Ocean. In Toby Johnson Middle School, I take four classes a day. First, I have Bridge, which is a class combining reading and geometry. Then for the rest of the day, I take Physical Education, History, and Career Exploration. In P.E., my favorite class, we are learning to play the game floor hockey. In my free time, I like to read, play video games, and practice karate. What is your favorite class, currently, and what activities are you doing in it?
What is floor hockey?
We like to play a game here in Brunei called Sepak Takraw. It is a game with a small ball made of bamboo. Maybe you can google it to find it.
Hockey is a game played by hitting a small disc into a goal with sticks, usually on ice. However, when we play floor hockey, we play on the floor outside. I have searched up Sepak Takraw, and it seems like a really exciting and fun game to play. Do you have any kind of martial arts that you practice there in Borneo?
Hi my name is Czaria I am thirteen years of age and I attend Toby Johnson Middle School. At are school we have four period classes we attend every week day. Outside of school hours I enjoy being with friends and playing sports. Some sports I play are basketball, cheer, tumbling, and track. I have been involved in all of these sports since I was little. How is you daily lifestyle in Brunei Borneo?
Sincerely, Czaria
At our school we have 10 class times every day. Our classes are sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. Each class time is half hour.
Daily life in Brunei is very good. This country is very quiet. We like living here.
Hi! My name is Julia and I am a 13 year old at Toby Johnson Middle School. My favorite class in school is P.E., also known as Physical Education. In P.E., we do different activities like running a mile or powerwalking. I participate in Track and Field, which is an afterschool sport in my school. When I’m not in school I like to hang out with my friends, text my friends, go out for a run, listen to music, and exercise. What do you like to do when you’re not in school?
We like P.E. too. We have P.E every week at school. If it is raining we just do indoor games. Sometimes we go in the hall and do fitness training. That is like situps, sprints, and stretching.
What do you do in your P.E. class?
We do similar things in P.E. too. First, we do a warm-up. The warm-up includes doing jumping jacks, jogging in place, stretching, sit-ups, and push-ups. Then we move on to doing a fitness activity like running a mile, powerwalking, jumping rope, and intervals (which is running the track at different speeds). After that we do games like gymnastics, volleyball, and basketball. Also, I want to tell you that I’m from a country that’s very close to yours, which is the Philippines. It’s cool that the countries we’re both from are close together. I’m really happy that you replied to my post. (:
Dear fellow pen pal buddy,
My name is Gabriel and I am in eighth grade and attend Toby Johnson Middle School. Our School starts at 8:15am and ends at 2:47pm. The classes that start in the first term of the year are Bridge, P.E., Social Science, and an elective. The other term is Geometry, Science, English, and an elective. These terms alternate until the end of the year having classes that are about 90 minutes long, with lunch after 2nd period, which is about 45 minutes. The term I am in right now is the one that starts with Bridge and my elective is Career Explorations. All of the teachers here are very nice and are willing to help anyone with what they need. Our school has many friendly people and is a great learning environment. Throughout the school year we have many different events which is a great way for you to hang out with your friends. We also have assemblies that are all about different things. My personal favorite classes are P.E. and Math because you are able to be active and take part in fun sports, and in math you can learn how to solve equations and many other things. How are things going at your school and what are some of your favorite classes?
Sincerely, Gabriel (pineapples are yummy to my tummy)
We all have different classes that we like. We like English a lot because Miss Tania is so much fun.
We also like Maths, but not when the teacher give us so much homework.
Most of the homework load comes from either social science or English in both terms. I spend a lot of time at home doing homework, also because I procrastinate a lot. Besides school what are some of your favorite activities? I like to play basketball and hope to make the freshman team in high school.
Hello I’m Sophia, and I’m an 13-years-old. I am Filipino and was born in Maui, Hawaii. I moved here to California when I was about five-years-old. For most of my time out of school, I do tons of homework. Other than that, on Mondays and Wednesdays, I take Polynesian dance classes(Hula and Tahitian). On some Tuesdays, I go to a church group where we talk about being a Catholic and do lots of fun activities. I also enjoy baking cookies. I live with my mom, dad, older sister, and my two one-year-old Bengal cats. What do you do out of school? Do you have any pets?
Philippines is very near to us. There are many people from Philippines living and working here in Brunei.
In our class many people have pets.
Miss Tania has the most pets. She has 23 turtles and tortoises. She is crazy for turtles. She even has jewellery and bags with turtles on them.
Hi my name is Jai-Ren and I currently go to Toby Johnson Middle School! Some of my favorite classes here are my elective classes, because we are given a variety of classes to choose from. The classes range from Creative Expressions, Video Productions, and Art. When I’m not in school I like to binge watch YouTube videos, play video games, or call friends. One question I have is do you listen to the same music we have or different styles?
We listen to the same music I think. We like Taylor Swift and other artists like that.
Who do you listen too?
I like music from artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, and Megan Trainor. These are some examples of some artists that I listen to and that are pretty well known here!
Hello, I am Jadan. I attend Toby Johnson Middle School in Elk Grove, California. When I am not at school or do not have any work to do, I go to my Muay Thai studio. Muay Thai is a combination of Mixed Martial Arts and kick-boxing which originates from Thailand. I also like to play lacrosse and soccer which are very competitive. Most days after school I go to Sushi Burrito one of my favorite restaurants in the world. What do you like to do when you are not in school?
When we are not in school we like to do so many things. All our things are at home. We like the computer games. Internet. Facebook and other games.
Cool! I play Clash of Clans. However most of my time I am always at the Muay Thai dojo. My hair always gets messed up there because of our intense training. What type of games do you play? Do you work out at a gym or just work out in your house?
Hi,
My name is Courtney! I am a 13 year old girl that lives in California. I’m an 8th grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. I like to be very involved in school activities so I chose leadership as my elective. In Leadership you get to help plan dances, festivals, and rallies. My favorite class is science because I have an awesome teacher and I love chemistry, but not physics. Outside of school I am a competitive gymnast, I also like to spend my free time painting my nails, shopping, and hanging out with friends. My favorite food is strawberries and any kind of chips. What do you like doing your free time?
From, Courtney
From the girls: In our free time we like going to the mall too. We do not have a mall in our town yet. They are building one now. We will send pictures when they open it.
I will try to send pictures soon of our mall, too. We have two close to us. What are your favorite stores to shop at? Do you have any pets? I have two dogs. They are pugs and one bearded dragon. I’m so excited that we are in contact!
Hi, my name is Lauryn and I am an eighth grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. When I’m not in school, doing homework, or studying, I enjoy photography, drawing, and spending time with friends, whether it is in person or electronically. Not only that, but I play on team sports such as softball and soccer. What do you like to do on your free time?
We all like soccer. We watch the FIFA every time it is on. Soccer is very good. What team do you like.
Some of us like Chelsea and some of us like Man U’td.
It’s all about the boys in blue. Chelsea is love, Chelsea is life. I don’t really like Man United very much. I have liked Chelsea ever since I knew what soccer was. I was about five when I found out what soccer is. I also, have two Chelsea jerseys one is Azpilicueta jersey and another is a Hazard jersey. I like both of those jerseys because I play left back or on the left side of the field.
I do not have a favorite soccer team. However, I always enjoy watching the World Cup and the Women’s U.S. soccer team.
Living in Elk Grove, California, there is not much to do. However, places in California, around Elk Grove, are fun. What fun activities do you do in or near your home town?
Hello. My name is Sterling. My favorite color is blue, and my favorite foods are eggs. Some of my hobbies are swimming, beat-boxing, writing, and gaming. Although I still swim from time to time, one of my older hobbies was competitive and recreational diving. Beat-boxing, or using different sounds from your mouth to create music, is one of my favorite hobbies. I usually beat-box at random times, for practice, but at other times I show off my talent to other people. Writing is one of those time-consuming hobbies, that not only is fun, but it is also entertaining. I write all the time, with English being my favorite class in school. English is a class designed to teach you about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Video gaming is probably one of my most performed hobbies, taking up the time I have after school and on weekends. I play my video games on a gaming console called an Xbox 360. Some of the games I play include Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Halo. Before I go, I’d like to know a few things about you. What hobbies do you have, and which of those hobbies is your favorite?
Miss Tania’s favourite colour is blue too. She always wear blue clothes.
We do not swim in Brunei. There are no places to go swimming because we have crocodiles in the rivers here.
I think it’s interesting that crocodiles live in your rivers. We don’t see many here in Elk Grove, since they don’t live here. Do you play any video games in your free time?
Dear friends from Borneo,
Hi, my name is Michael and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School, otherwise known as TJMS. My class schedule, this term, begins with Bridge (Math and Reading together), Physical Education, Social Science, and Leadership. My favorite class is Leadership because we get to hang out after all the hard work is done. When I’m outside of school and not invested in tons of homework, I like to hang out with friends and family. Either that or I’m on my laptop watching Netflix. Plus, I like to play sports such as basketball, football, and baseball.That’s basically my life. Now what I’d like to know is, what’s daily life for you like?
-Michael
What is netflix?
We like playing futsal here in Brunei. This is a local game kind of like football and soccer together. We play on a small field at the school. But we can also play anywhere.
Hi again.So, Netflix is a program where you can watch movies and TV shows, old and new. Of course it costs money every month. My favorite TV show right now is Once Upon A Time. It’s a show where fairy tales are true and it tells of their fights against evil.
I saw that you like to play futsal. Can you tell me more about this football and soccer mash- up?
Dear Borneo, 1/19/15
Hi, my name is Nathan and I’m an eighth grader. During lunch, I am with my friends or at our neighboring school’s library. During my free time I play video games or watch YouTube or anime, a Japanese cartoon, or playing the piano.
On YouTube I watch many Minecraft YouTubers who play the game and make it funny as well. I also watch other YouTubers, such as Markiplier. When the YouTubers haven’t uploaded any new videos I am reading a book, playing video games on the Xbox 360, or playing Minecraft on the computer.
When I’m on the Xbox 360 I play Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare where plants try to defeat the other team. It’s a really unique game compared to Plants Vs. Zombies, which is less competitive. I also play Call of Duty which is a shooting game with a campaign, story mode, or a multi-player mode.
I also play in instrument, piano,but I don’t enjoy playing it. My teacher, piano teacher, is really stern and is very confusing. She tells me to play a certain chord, then tells me I played that chord wrong even though it was right. Now that I have told you some facts about me, I hope you will to, and answer my question. What do you usually do during your free time at home? What is your school like?
Sincerely,
Nathan
Wow, you play so many games. We like the Zombie game too.
We also like to play League of Legends and Clash of Clans.
Hi pen pal, I’m glad we have a common interest and you are interested in other games I’m interested to. Clash of Clans is a cool game, but I don’t play it anymore because I just lost interest, but I hope you enjoy it! I have heard of League of Legends, but I’ve never played it. Is it fun? I hope so, because in the U.S. in Ohio, I believe, there is a college that accepts students who play League of League of Legends and they play competitively in tournaments against other teams/schools. Please tell me more about League of Legends. 😀
You guys play league, too. What is your rank, and do you play on NA Sever?
Wow… you like the same games as us.
We like playing league of legends and minecraft too.
They are great games.
We also like you tube too. What videos do you like to watch on you tube?
Wow, many people play League of Legends, I wonder why it is such a popular game. Please tell me why you think it’s such a fun game. I usually watch Minccraft related videos, but I also watch other funny youtubers. I watch Markiplier, OfficialNerdCubed, and Gaming Lemon. I’m also starting to watch Smosh Games and the youtubers within the group, Mari, Sohinki, Joven, Lasercorn, and the others, I forgot. 😛 What videos do you watch?
Hello.My name is Joyce and I am from Toby Johnson Middle School.My classes are geometry,science,social science,and math attack.My favorite subject at school is science because I think it is really interesting,especially the periodic table and biology.I like to go on the internet,read books,draw,play games,and write stories.I also like to look at the sky because I like to look at the moon,stars,sunset,sunrise,and clouds.When I get back from school I eat a little,take a nap,then do my homework.What do you like to do?
Now is our rainy season. We can not see the moon or the stars at night because almost every night we have rain. Almost every day too.
After school we like to go home and have a sleep.
We do our homework at night time after dinner.
Dear friends from Borneo,
Hello, I am Akul from America. I have a strong love for dogs, and I am a boy student. I am Indian, and I love curry. I have a dog and she is as majestic as a swan swimming through a subtle ocean. In school I have four long classes, each very educational. My first period class is bridge (a mixture of math and reading), my second period class is physical education, my third period class is history, and my fourth period class is leadership. In America we walk from classroom to classroom to get to our next class. We also get a lot of homework from each of our classes. In Borneo how is the school system? Do you get a lot of homework?
Your Friend,
Akul
What colour is your dog? What is your dog’s name?
In our class the students have cats, a snake, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters for pets.
We get maybe 2 pieces of homework every day.
We get about 2 pieces of homework every day. Sometimes the maths teachers give us more homework.
Our school system is very good. We all start school when we are 3 years old.
We have nursery school for 3 yr old.
We have kindergarten for 4 year old
We have PRA for 5 year old
Then we have primary school – called Sekolah Rendah.
Then from year 7 we have secondary school – called Sekolah Menengah.
After Sekolah is Universiti.
We usually get two pieces of homework per class and we have four classes so about eight pieces of homework. My dog’s name is QT and she is black and white. QT is shih-tzu.In my free time I usually play with her. When she is sleeping I can’t play with her so I just watch television on Netflix. My favorite shows are Gossip Girl and Say Yes to the Dress. Do watch television? Do you have dogs?
Hello my name is Zachary but my friends call me Zach. When I am not at school I enjoy playing soccer with my friends. Also, I went to a college soccer camp in Las Vegas, which is a city that is not to far away from where I live. Lastly, before I go, I am going to leave you with a riddle, There is a bus driver. He picks up three people, then drives on and picks up five more people. Next he drops them off at the amusement park. What is the bus driver’s eye color?
That is a good riddle. We do not know the answer. Please tell us the answer.
The riddle’s answer is that you are the bus driver, so it’s what color your eyes are.
Dear students from Borneo,
Hello, My name is Montserrat, and I attend Toby Johnson Middle School. At school, I like to read or draw. My favorite class is Leadership, where we plan all the events that take place at school. When I’m not at school, I stay at home most of the time. Sometimes I go to the park and play soccer, shop at the mall with friends, go to the movies, or hang out with my friends. What do you do in your free time?
We like movies too. Here in our town we only have 2 cinemas. We just saw the Hobbit movie here at our cinema. Have you seen this movie yet?
We do not have a mall in our town. BUT, we are so excited because very soon we are getting a mall here.
Hello! My name is Joia, I attend Toby Johnson Middle School. At my middle school each day is seven hours long. I have four classes that are ninety minutes long. However, on Wednesdays it’s only a six hour day and classes are only about an hour long. My favorite subjects are math and science. When I’m not in school I like to listen to music and go on the internet. I usually listen to music while doing my homework and after wards I’ll go on the internet and play games. What is your school day like?
Our school day is from 7:15 until 12:30… we have 5 hours and 15 minutes of school every day.
Most of our classes are one hour long. But sometimes we have 1 and a half hour lessons, like for P.E and Bahasa Melayu.
Bahasa Melayu is the language that we speak here in Brunei.
That is very cool, I wish I had school for 5 hours and 15 minutes. My teacher told me that some of the students in your class can speak about 4 different languages. I wish I could speak that many languages. I could only speak English but I’m determined to learn many more. Are there any languages you want to learn?
Hi my name is Ethan. The school I go to is very unique. Our school has divided students into three teams: Aggies, Hornets, and Tigers. We start at 8:15 in the morning and end at 2:47 in the afternoon, which is about seven hours long. Except for Wednesday, which is considered a late start day. On Wednesdays we begin school at 9:15 in the morning and end at the same time as other days. At our school we have four different classes and four terms. Every term is about nine weeks and each term we have different classes. Most classes are about an hour and a half long. Some classes we have are science, physical education, math, humanities, English, and electives. We have so many electives that make our school unique. Some electives are video productions, photoshop, computer technology, career exploration, math attack, art, and creative expressions. My favorite classes are math, social science, and video productions because I like numbers, learning about history, and making videos. When I’m not at school I like to hangout with my friends, skateboard around my neighborhood, play basketball, or play video games. How is school there? What is it like? What do you do on your free time?
Our school is divided into 4 teams. We have green, red, yellow and blue. They are called Jaya Negara for blue, Maharaja Setia for green, Indera Negara for yellow, and Indera Perkasa for red.
Our school is awesome. We are in a very big school called Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali, but for a short name we call it SMSA.
That is very cool. After school I go skateboarding around my neighborhood with my friends when I’m done with homework. It is really fun. Do you like skateboarding? My favorite sport is basketball. My dad taught me when I was about 10 years old and I really love the game. Do you play basketball? Do you like it? If not, what sport do you play?
The things I like to do outside of school is eat, play baseball, and be with my friends. My favorite food is pizza. I play competitive baseball, and I travel a lot for baseball. When I’m not playing baseball I am usually with my friends. Do you have television where you live? Whats your favorite activity to do outside of school?
Hi my name is Parker, and I am 14 years old. I love to play sports like football and rugby. I have been playing football for eight years and rugby for three years. I also like to sleep and play video games my favorite game is GTAV.
Hello my name is Kenny. I am a middle school student at Toby Johnson Middle School. There are many things I enjoy doing. At school my favorite class is P.E. After school I usually have tutoring, and then after that I do homework. The fun part is when I finish with my homework I get to play games on my computer and more. The game I play is League of Legend and Hearthstone. There are many questions I have to ask you. Do you play games? What games do you play? Do you play League Of Legend? If you play League Of Legend, my Name on the game is Searing Flame.
Hi, my name is Jacob. I go to Toby Johnson middle school in Elk Grove, California, United States. I go to school five days a week, Monday through Friday. Monday through Tuesday and Thursday through Friday are regular school days, starting at 8:15AM. On Wednesday school starts an hour later at 9:15AM. Our lunches are around 12:00PM and last for about 35 minutes.
Hobbies I do when I’m not at school are basketball, BMX, and working out at the gym. Usually I have one to five basketball games over the weekend and I try to go to the BMX park twice a week. I go to the gym when I have nothing to do and work out for about two hours. What do you do on your free time?
Nice to meet you Jacob. How old are you?
It is amazing that you spend 2 hours in the gym. You must be very strong. How much can you lift?
Dear friend,
My name is Ashlyn. I’m 14 and in the 8th grade.I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. I go to four, 90 minute classes every day except on Wednesdays we have 45 minute classes. When I’m not in school, I like to go to Starbucks and read. One of my hobbies is collecting snow globes. I travel love to travel so I have many of them. What is the name of your school and what do you like to do outside of school?
From,
Ashlyn
Hello! My name is Cherish. I am from California. We have four classes, and lunch in between our second and third class. Each kid has their own schedules, depending on what classes we need to take. P.E. is my favorite because I have friends in that class. School starts at 8:15 on everyday except for Wednesdays, when it starts at 9:15. Some kids do extra-curricular activities, so they leave school late. What is school like where you live?
-Cherish 🙂
Hello!
My name is Lexie and I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. My favorite class is probably physical education. I don’t really like P.E. but my friends are in my class.
After school, I do the usual boring homework. When I’m done with my homework, I like to read, or watch Netflix. I’m as boring as my homework.
How does your school work? What do you do after school?
— Lexie 🙂
Hi, I’m Jenna,
I like to play soccer a lot in my free time. I play on a competitive team, and I’ve been playing soccer for 11 years. I like watching a lot of T.V. My favorite shows are Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, and Pretty Little Liars. What are your favorite shows?
That all sounds very good! I love noodles and rice. My favorite foods are tacos, ice cream, and pizza. What do you like to do outside of school? What is your name?
Hey, My name is Kyleee!
On my free time I like to cheer, dance, bake, hang out with my friends and shop at the mall. Some of my favorite T.V. shows are The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars. One thing I’d like to know is, what is your favorite food? I’d also like to know, What are your favorite T.V. shows?
Hi, my name is Lupe. I go to Toby Johnson Middle School. My favorite subject in school in science. When I’m not in school I like to listen to music and watch movies. What do you like to do on your free time?
I’m an eighth grader who plays gta5 ,and soccer when l’m not busy.I love food all kinds as long as its good. I also love to sing and dance. My favorite bands or artists are Pierce The Veil, 5 SOS, Asking Alexandria etc.
Hello again friends! I’m sorry, but I haven’t watched that movie, though I have read the books. It must be very excited to be getting a new mall. Here, where I live, there aren’t many malls close by. But, there are many parks. Do you have any parks in your town?
My name is Bryce, I am 14 years old and love to wrestle. Do you guys have a wrestling team over there?
Hello!
My name is Josh, and I am currently an 8th grader at Toby Johnson Middle School. My favorite subject is P.E., and I like playing basketball with my friends. When I have free time, I like to play video games and watch TV.
Hi my name is Jose and right now I’m in 8th grade (still 13 D:) I attend Toby Johnson, and I would like to know how you feel about your king. Is he nice or not nice? Luckily we don’t have a king. Instead we have a president. He is kind of superior, but if we make a move others will have to agree to it, too, so that the president doesn’t get too greedy.
Hello, my name is Ian. I’m a half-blooded Filipino and American male. I enjoy playing sports a lot. I hope to someday go to college and start a career with sports. Even though some people think all I do is play sports, that is not true. I’m like every other teenage boy and enjoy playing video games. I was looking through what you guys have been responding to my friends and noticed that you like to play League of Legends. It just so happens I like to play that too. I main Yasuo, but if necessary I’ll go top lane. Now that you know about me. I’d like to know about you!
I my name is Teyha. I attend Toby Johnson Middle School, I enjoy the diversity and freedom of my school. Also, I found it interesting that you guys live in other countries and are able to blog with us. I was also wondering; Mrs.Groves How do you enjoy teaching at Toby Johnson?
Teyha, Like you, I love that our school has so much diversity. When students here want to become involved in their school community, they have a wonderful middle school experience. As I teacher here, I feel that I get to see future leaders and members of society pass through my classes. I enjoy that a lot! Thank you for asking.
Hi, my name is Summer and I attend Toby Johnson Middle School in the city of Elk Grove, California. I am a Vietnamese American who is second generation. I am astonished to see such diversity in ethnicity, religion, and backgrounds at our school. I really appreciate that you put much effort into making this school year as normal as possible. I do agree with your thoughts on teachers teaching the future and put much admiration in your thought about students being important people in society. What motivated you to teach Junior High students at Toby Johnson?
I think that the view of how you teach is interesting. You make us question every single detail which is nice to see.
Thank you, Saffiya. I love that you are a deep thinker. 🙂