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MIchael Oher was born. #41
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Period: to
From Rags to Riches
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#1 MQ
“It’s true that we can’t help the circumstances we’re born into and some of us start out in a much tougher place than other people. But just because we started there doesn’t mean we have to end there.” This quote is motivational, it encourages a person to become or do whatever they want no matter what they been through. -
#2 IP
An important person in his life was his mother. He describes that even though she did drugs and wasn’t always sober, he felt that she tried her best when she was able to. Times when she wasn’t around it became a routine for them. -
#3 RM
In this part of the book Michael talks about not really knowing his father. He only met his father a few times as a young child, he wasn't really part of his life. I can relate to this in some ways as my father left when i was a young child. I only have some memories of him and don't have any contact with him. -
#4 SE
MIchael describes when he was almost seven and his brothers would joy ride in cars. to him at that time it was something that was totally normal. It never occurred to him that this was something bad or even against the law. It was simply normal routine because this was the environment he was raised in. This just goes to show how the type of environment he was exposed to while growing up. -
#5 ID
In early June of 1993 child protective services came to the Other home and removed some of the children.Even though he and his siblings had made plans to run and hide it didn't work. The ones who went and hid did not get taken but the little ones who couldent run and hide did get taken. This is an important date in Michael's life because this is the first time his family was separated.
When Michael saw them take his brothers and sisters from the house and he felt like he failed to protect the -
#6 ID
A year after they took the younger kids out of the home, child protective services finally picked up Michael and his brother Carlos at school. His mom decided to enter a drug treatment program. This is when they finally realized that the grown ups always got their ways and they had to make do with whatever decisions were made for them. He knew this was bound to happen eventually. -
#7 SD
The first time he was in the foster home he had responsibilities
and had to do chores. Going to school was no longer optional it was mandatory. This is the first time he had a responsibility and was expected to follow the rules all the time. He was use to doing stuff his way. -
#8 MQ
“ But I also knew that just wanting something was never going to be enough to make it happen.” This statement from Michael clearly means that no matter how much you want something it will never happen unless you do something to get it. -
#9 SD
Even though in foster care Michael always had a warm bed to sleep in and food on the table he never felt like it was his home. He believed that no one could care for and love him except his own family. This shows how important family was to him. He would rather be cold and starve if it meant he could stay with his family. -
#10 SD
During this time he never stayed at a foster home longer than 2 months. Every time he changed homes he usually had to change schools as well. Because of this he started not to care about thing such as school and was now labeled a troubled kid. Some of the places he started to stay at were even worse environments then when he was living with his mom.
I can see how this could be hard for him having to start over in new schools and being a stranger. -
#11 SE
An important Event in Michael's life is when he was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was sent there because the counselors were concerned that he had anger management issues. In reality Michael didn't have problems with his anger, he was a shy and quiet kid and controlled his emotions differently than other children his age. Because of this Michael was treated differently because they were sure something was wrong with him. -
#12 MQ
“It's better to build boys than mend men.” S.Truett Cathy Michael liked this quote because he thought it was very true. He thought it would be easier to teach kids a better way of living when they are young than to try to teach them an entire new way of life when they are adults. -
#13 SD
When Michael ran away from St. Joseph’s Hospital social services did nothing to try to find him. He was finally allowed to stay with his mother even though his home environment never changed. I think this goes to show how broken the system of child services is. In this situation Michael wasn’t in any physical danger but in a different situation a kid could have returned to a harmful environment and social services wouldn't have been there to protect him. -
#14 SD
When Michael was a student at Manassas High School all he cared about at the time was eating lunch and playing sports. He didn't care about his classes but he still had teachers who passed him even though he didn’t do his work. If you don’t have teachers who hold you accountable then it doesn't help you to become a responsible person. When you are surrounded by people who don’t care it makes you not want to care about anything as well. -
#15 MQ
“it’s a lot easier to fall down, or to stay where you are, then it is to fight gravity by trying to pull yourself up.” Michael is trying to show the reader that if you really want something you're going to have to fight for it. The journey to our goals is not an easy path so you have to keep on trying. -
#16 ID
When Michael was 7 watching the NBA Finals it was inspirational to his life. This is when he decided playing sports was going to be the ticket out of the ghetto. In his life he never had any role models to look up to, but because of sports he found someone who he wanted to be like -
#17 IP
When Michael moved back in with his mother he met a new friend named Craig. He was an important person to Michael he was the type of friend he needed in his life. Michael and Craig shared the same goal, they both wanted to better themselves and get out of the ghetto. They weren’t into the gang and drug life and offered support to each other. -
#18 IP
Michael met a man named Tony, he was a coach of the local basketball team. He had a positive influence on michaels life. He also helped him to get more involved into sports. one of the reasons Tony was important to Michael is he taught him how to be more disciplined in organized sports. He also opened the door for new opportunities such as sports camps and better schools. -
#19 SD
This is a point in Michael's life were he stopped staying with his mom and began spending the night with who ever he could. Eventually he ended up staying with his coach Tony and his family This is the first real family life that Michael was apart of. He had a bound with Tony because he was also from the ghetto. -
#20 ID
It was the middle of Michaels sophomore year that he got accepted to Briarcrest High School. This was a private christian school. Michael was still struggling with school work during this time, but he never gave up and tried as hard as could to succeed, this was the beginning to new opportunities . -
#21 IP
Ms. Macki Lavender was his ESS teacher. she was the one who helped him to learn how to learn successfully.She provided a safe place to ask questions and never made him feel dumb. She finally made Michael confident with his school work. He was now able to study and really understand the things he was learning. She was one of the first persons to care about his success. -
#22 IP
There was three families that were important to Michael during the summer before his junior year. They were the Saunders family, Sparks family, and the Franklin family. Each of these families opened up their home and allowed him to stay there whenever he needed. Provided him with food when needed and never made him feel like he was a birden. -
#23 IP
The Tuohy family became an important part of Michael's life they opened up their home to him and provided him with new clothes. They put money into his lunch account at school and often fed him dinner. This was the beginning of the family relationship that Michael would develop with the Tuohy’s. They became a supportive group for him. -
#24 SD
When Michael started staying permanently with the Tuohy’s he developed a very close relationship with S.J.and Collins. These were the children of the Tuohy”s. He felt like they were truly brother and sister to him. They fought and got on each other's nerves, and often teased each other. -
#25 SD
When Michael started playing football it was hard for him to find a position that worked well for him. He had to work hard with the coaches especially knowing that if he wanted to go to college he had to work hard for it. He finally found his spot at left tackle. He felt like this position was not only physical but mental work as well. He was proud of himself for being able to succeed in this position. -
#26 SD
During Michaels senior year in high school several colleges began to notice what an amazing player Michael was. It was then that he was offered opportunities to play for many different colleges. This is when he finally felt like he was on his way to achieve his goals. He had a new family and he was still part of his old family, and he was ready to embrace his past and prepare for the future. -
#27 IP
Miss. sue is the person who helped tutor Michael during high school and college. She encouraged him and believed he could succeed. She was hard on him and always made him try his best. Michael says she was so important in his life because she was the one to give him the confidence to know that he could learn and he believed that this was the first step in beating the odds. -
#28 MQ
“it’s amazing how a life can turn around with some encouragement, some support, and someone willing to say i believe you can do what you have set your mind on doing.” I believe that this quote shows how important it is to have someone support and encourage you in your life. Sometimes we need an extra push to help believe in ourselves and what we can accomplish. -
#29 ID
Right after Michael graduated high school he became a legal member of the Tuohy family. Even though he had been part of their family for a long time this was the last step to make it official in the eyes of the law. Even before this he knew he was already part of their family. -
#30 SD
When he finished his junior year in college he decided he was going to go pro and skip his senior year. He was ready to complete his final goal. after he thought more about not finishing school he realized that not finishing wasn't going to be a option for him. He knew football was important to him, but he realized that an education was just as important so he went back to complete his senior year. -
#31 MQ
“If you make the wrong decision, it’s never to late to make the right one.’’ I think this is a great quote from michael it just goes to show that even if you make the wrong choices in life its never to late to go back and make the right one within reason. -
#32 ID
On April 26th Michael Oher was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens during the NFL Draft. This is the point in his life when his biggest goal was accomplished. -
#33 SD
When Michael officially became a pro athlete he realized this wasn't the finish, but it was actually the beginning. Michael was inspired when he reached his goal. He realized that he wanted to continue to push himself to make sure he always gave everything he had. Wanted to make the most of his opportunity. -
#34 SD
Michaels first year with the Ravens was in 2009. His team advanced to the Playoffs. He was nominated and received several awards for his performance for his rookie year. Michael says he wants to be the hardest working guy in the NFL. He knows that there will always be other players looking to replace him because thats how football works. -
#35 IP
Michael Lewis came into his life when he was a junior in high school. He was an old family friend and became interested in how Michael Oher became part of the Tuohy family. Lewis released The Blind Side in 2006. The book later on became a movie. Lewis helped to bring Michaels story out to the public. -
#36 SD
During this time in the book Michael explains how his real life is different from his life that is portrayed in the movie The Blind Side The movie shows that he was new to football and didn't know much about it. But he really did know about football as he grew up. -
#37 SD
In this chapter of the book Michaels shares many stories from fans across the country. Some letters are from people who have made a difference in a childs life, and some are from the children themselves. Michaels book and movie has been very inspirational to many people. It has provided them with encouragement and the courage to fight and beat the odds. -
#38 MQ
“ Make the decision today to commit yourself to something better. It’s going to take work and its going to be tough at times, but you already taken the first step by thinking about wanting something different. Michael encourages everyone to fight for something better. It will be hard work, but rewarding when you reach the end. -
#39 SD
He describes how it is important in who you choose to be your friends. He says how it can be really hard to find good people to hang around with. I think he is right about this. The people who you hang out with really do reflect the kind of person you are. -
#40 SD
In Michaels last chapter he encourages adults to become involved and to step up and help youth from at risk environments. He gives many examples of the available programs that work to assist the youth. Some of these include boys and girls club, Big brothers and big sisters, and Study buddies. -
#41 ID
Michael Oher was born on May 28, 1986, Memphis, Tennessee. This is the day Michael was brought into the world not knowing what he was going to go through. -
#42 ID
In Michaels 2012-2013 season he helped lead the Baltimore Ravens to Super Bowl XLVII. They defeated the 49RS 34 to 31. Michael has been working towards taking his team to the Super Bowl, he always fought for his goal and he accomplished it. -
#43 MQ
“ I came so far- from nothing to a Super Bowl championship.” This article has a video with clips and quotes from Michael. This shows how far Michael came to overcome every obstacle in his life. -
#44 SD
Michael played his first year of football when he was a Junior at Briarcrest Christian High School. He took over the position of left tackle. Michael conquered the position and didn't allow any sacks in his 2 seasons and was credited with 200 pancake blocks -
#45 MQ
“ If you know where your next meal is coming from, you are not poor.” As a child Michael often went without food. He didn't always know when he would eat next.A lot of times he only got to eat at school because it was always free. -
#46 MQ
“ Don't ever allow yourself to feel trapped by your choices.Take a look at yourself. You are a unique person created for a specific purpose. Your gifts matter. Your story matter.Your dreams matter. You matter.” Michael wants everybody to realize that no matter what everyone is special. Everybody has talent and has the potential to become anything they want. -
#47 IP
Collins first met Michael when she was 15 years old and she was in Junior high school. She was the one that introduced him to her dad. Mr. Tuohy realized Michael was in need of lunch money so he started buying him lunch. If collins hadn’t mentioned Michael to her dad he might not have became part of the Tuohy family. Without them it might of been impossible or harder for Michael to reach his goals. -
#48 SE
An important event from the movie when Michael and S.J were in the car accident. They were on there way to buy the new Madden game when the accident occurred. The movie was correct when it showed Michael hurt his arm protecting S.J from the airbag, But i didn't show everything because S.J really got hurt, but Michael helped him from getting worse injuries. -
#49 SD
Michael Oher helped Briarcrest to reach a winning record in 2004 a 10-3 run and helped them win the championship. He also earned two letterings in football. No matter where Michael played he always worked hard and helped lead his teams to several wins and to beat several records. -
#50 SD
Michael was very athletic and lettered twice in basketball and track. The basketball team was very successful and had a winning record while also winning the championship. No matter what sport he was playing he always worked hard and did his best. He was determined to be successful in order to get out of the ghetto. -
#42 superbowl
has met asll of his goals in life and has necome a very successful person.