Ryan+St.Clair-Mr.+Ackman

= = = =  This section started with Alfred hanging out with the wrong crowd, and almost quitting his boxing. While Alfred almost quit training altogether, he decides to stick it out and continue training. Soon there after, he has his first two fights and he wins. Alfred’s third fight ended in a draw, and Mr. Donatelli tells him he has no killer instinct. Mr. Donatelli notices that Alfred can’t finish off an opponent when he sees their weakness, so he advises him to retire. Alfred decides to fight one more time to prove to himself that he can do it. He loses the fight, but shows great heart in finishing the fight against a superior opponent. After the fight, Alfred goes home and hears that James has broken into the Epsteins’ house and is on the run from the police. The story ends with Alfred attempting to get help for James. I really enjoyed this book. Once it started talking about the boxing, I was really able to get into it. I think anyone interested in sports should read this book. It teaches good lessons and shows how a little hard work and determination can go a long way. The main character, Alfred, changes from being unmotivated to very motivated several different times throughout the story. I think the author was trying to show the reader that through hard work and dedication, anyone can be successful. One question that I would like to be answered would have to be “What happens with James?” “Does he get the help he needs?” If I were to change the ending of the story, I think I would have Alfred win his last fight and go on to box professionally. = Week 4 = = Adult Mr. Ackman = Student Ryan St.Clair Book Title: __The Contender__ Pages Read 136

The book ended with Alfred coming home from his final fight to having to go look for James because the police were after him. Alfred ends up finding James in a cave in the park were they used to hang out. James is cut badly and has already lost a lot of blood. Alfred tries and succeed to talk James into going to the hospital whether the cops were after him or not, and that is how the book ended? I didn't get it. I think the book could have ended differently. It just kind of left the reader there to wonder is what it seemed like to me. The book didn’t really have an ending. I mean what happens to Alfred? Will James be alright? Will he go to jail? Does Alfred keep boxing? The reader could think of so many questions to ask about the ending of the book. I just didn’t think the ending was very good at all. Over all I did start to like the book toward the middle. It started off slow but then once he started all the boxing stuff it got more interesting. I think people that like reading realistic fiction and who enjoys this kind of plot in a book would be a good type of person to read this book. Alfred changed more at the beginning of the story rather than in the middle or at the end. At the beginning of the story he was this street boy who walks the streets and always gets in fights. Soon after he gets beaten up good he wants to leave all of that stuff and become a contender to where all the fighting counts for something. He changed from a person who could have gone to jail for what he use to do to a person who wanted to make something of his life instead of ruining it. I think that the author was trying to tell the reader that, making something of your life is more important than the life that Alfred was already living. You will never know unless you try. Don’t try you will never know. Alfred wanted to try and make his life something more. So he tried and found out that life is worth correcting and trying to succeed even if you have already messed things up. Some questions that I wanted answered were the questions that I had stated up above at the beginning of the paragraph. I would change the ending of the book to telling the reader exactly what will happen to James and Alfred. I would defiantly try to make the ending more clear to the readers.

I will do the partner chat as soon as I hear from you. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Week 3 = = Adult: Mr. Ackman = Student: Ryan St.Clair Book Title: __The Contender__ Pages Read: 91

The protagonist of this story is Alfred. Throughout this section of __The Contender__ was mainly about Alfred dealing with his training and some other minor events that could have changed the way he seen things or use to see things. Alfred was more focused on his training in this section up until the part where he went to the clubroom. Once in there Alfred seemed to change his personality. Alfred does not really remind me of myself because I don’t think that I could do what he did. He pushes himself hard on his training. He is really determined to become a contender. I don’t think I could handle all of the training thahe is going through the he handles it. I would try my best but I would probably eventually give up. I would like to have his confidence and his determination toward things, because I’m not a person with a lot of confidence. When it comes to something such as having to stand up in front of the class and give a five minute speech, like we will have to do here pretty soon in language art, I just get the thought of not being able to do it, or messing up and things like that. I just need to have more confidence in myself. And his determination to do things is just really great. He wants to improve and he wants to become a contender but some bad choices may ruin his chances of even reaching those standards. At first I thought well this was a guy I could probably hang around with and be good friends with but as the story went on Alfred’s actions seemed to change my mind.

I also believe that Alfred will come to make the right decisions and pick back up on his boxing. I think soon Mr. Donatelli will come and let Alfred fight in the gym.
 * Partner Chat**

I don’t really have a character that I think I relate to very much, because I wouldn't made the same decision that he did. I would have looked at my training and how far I have come and would have made a better decision in the clubroom. He just seemed not to care what he has done. I would have felt different in that type of situation.

No, I don’t have any big plans for the summer. My family doesn’t do much. When my family does do something in the summer we fish in the river for cat fish, turtle, basically fishing for anything that we can. Sometimes it gets pretty intense in the boat, especially if we get a garr on one of the bank poles that we set out. No. I don’t play any summer sports. The only sports I play is basketball and track.

What do you do in the summer? What sports did you play going through school? Do you have any hobbies of any sort? If so what is your favorite? What was your favorite part of being a student teacher here?