Category Archives: father

On Family Values

Two parents, two kids: the average, American family.
Grandma has a stroke and moves in.
Dad gets fed up and moves out.
Mom meets Rick, a systems analyst for a large corporation.
Dad meets Candy, the lingerie model with the large…never mind.
Grandma meets Abe. He likes to soak his teeth in your science project.
Rick is average too. Randy and Jack move in.
Candy (who’s above average—wink, wink) has five kids with Dad.
Tootsie, Hershey, Sweetie, and the twins, Mark and Mindy, M & M.
The average, American family:
Approximately two parents, two kids, two stepparents, two step siblings,
Two and a half whole siblings, a grandma, and Abe,
Who likes to soak his teeth in your science project.

by Scott, 10th Grade

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Biography of Chesney D.

Chesney was born and raised in a family that is real hot-headed. She has two tattoos. Her mom knows about both of them. Her daddy doesn’t really know, and she’s not planning on telling him. She has a habit of shopping non-stop. She cannot make eggs for nothing. This girl is petrified of heights and bugs. She can tie a cherry with her tongue. It’s easy for her to make jewelry out of money. Her daddy used to drive trucks, and she got to see Mount Rushmore once. They also moved 20 times in 6 months. When she was born prematurely, her daddy got her this kitty cat that she still has. Chesney just started taking guitar lessons. She cannot live without her purses or Baby Phat or her cell phone. She has been collecting crystal and snow globes since her 7th birthday. Chesney’s favorite character is Winnie the Pooh, and she is addicted to shopping, money, and jewelry.

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by Chesney D.
UCP High School/High Tech Program

Calabazas (Pumpkins)

El hombre y la semilla

pumpkinseeds.jpgEl hombre siembra la semilla. La semilla le da el fruto, y con el fruto el hombre puede hacer dos cosas: comer y vender. Así vive el hombre; cuando come, se mantiene fuerte y saludable, y cuando vende, puede con el dinero darse gustos. Puede comprar cosas que lo hacen feliz, puede comprar ropas, comida para él y para sus animales. Puede comprar además semillas, abono, y tierra.

Con esa nueva tierra, el hombre puede cosechar y dejar a sus hijos una buena herencia. El hombre trabaja duro para ayudar a su familia. Siembra y cosecha todo el día hasta que llega la noche, después va a su casa y se da un baño de pies a cabeza, se limpia las uñas, y se sienta a la mesa para cenar. Lo que más le gusta es tomar café. Se levanta muy temprano, y antes de que cante el gallo, el hombre está en la cocina friendo un huevo y calentándose una taza de café fuerte. Luego cuenta las semillas que sembrará ese día, se viste y le da un beso en la frente a su mujer que todavía está durmiendo. La hija lo siente irse, y sale a despedirlo.

Todavía no amanece, y ya está el hombre sembrando semillas de calabaza. Esas calabazas darán de comer a su familia, servirán para hacer frituras y sopas y también para vender en el mercado.


The Man and the Seed (Translation)

The man plants the seed. The seed becomes the pulp. Then the man can either eat or sell the pulp. The man does both throughout his entire life. When the man eats the pulp, he keeps himself strong and healthy. When the man sells it, he can buy a lot of things with the money he earns. He can buy, for example, clothes and food. In addition, he can buy new seeds, fertilizers, and land. He can make himself as happy as any human on the earth can be.

The man works hard and takes care of the seeds all day long to help his family. After the sunset, he goes back to his house, takes a shower to relax, cleans his nails, and dines. Nothing is more enjoyable than drinking coffee, thinks the man. He wakes up very early, goes to the kitchen to fry an egg and heats a cup of very dark coffee. Then he counts the number of seeds he is going to harvest that day, puts on his clothes, and kisses his wife on her forehead while she is sleeping. His daughter hears the sound of the door and runs to say goodbye to her dad.

There is still the moon above the world when the man begins to work. He places the pumpkin seeds underground. The man will feed his family with those yellow pumpkins of the future. They will be used to prepare soups, to decorate the garden on Halloween, and to sell in the market.

by Alejandro, 6th grade

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Rapping for the Dads


This Father’s Day rap by Akeem and James is about teen dads who don’t get to see their children. (Time = 2 minutes, 30 seconds.)

The View

I was holding my father’s hand.
We lifted our necks high into the air.
The sculpture was so high.
We gasped in amazement.

We lifted our necks high into the air.
Your mother would have loved to see this, he said.
We gasped in amazement.
It was a breathtaking view.

Your mother would have loved to have seen this, he said.
My neck hurt.
It was a breathtaking view.
I looked down to ease the pain.

My neck hurt.
I was holding my father’s hand.
I looked down to ease the pain.
The sculpture was so high.

by Kadie, 6th grade

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Red Cheeks


My mom’s cheeks get red when she falls in Love.
She fell in love with my dad when she first saw him.
This is how it happened:
First my dad saw another man bothering her,
So my dad went over there and said, “Stop bothering her!”
My mom said thank you and her cheeks got red.
My dad’s did too, and he told my mom,
“I will pick you up tomorrow between 5:00 pm and 6:30.”

by Paola, 3rd grade
(painting by Adrian Wallet, via flickr)