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in this Mac (I pointed to the PowerMac next to me) is far superior to any Pentium IV,” I said with an aura of “in-case-you-didn’t-know.” “And this Mac can do far more, too.” I was moving my troops in for the attack. “This Mac has much better hardware than any PC over there (I pointed to the PC side of the store) and is easier to use. For instance, Mac OS 9 is far simpler, yet is much more powerful. And the hardware on this machine is the same: better, more reliable, and easier to install and use.” I felt like throwing in a few of the thousands of Mac facts I’d memorized for an occasion such as this, but, after seeing the man’s blank eyes, I decided to slow down. I’d let him ask a question. “But isn’t there a lot less software for the Mac than for a PC?” he asked, looking at the bare desktop of the Mac beside us. Aha! I thought. He’s hitting me at my weakest (though not very weak) point. I gestured to the wall filled with colorful Mac software boxes. “There are rumors about the amount of software for the Mac, but don’t believe any of those unknowledgeable PC salesmen. There are over 11,500 software titles for the Mac, including most major PC programs. And if a PC program doesn’t have a Mac version, there’s usually another Mac program that will suit your needs. I assure you that software is plentiful for the Mac. There are many people out there who try to discredit Apple, but they’re unsuccessful. That’s because Mac users know their machines are better. There is no doubt in my mind that if you buy a Mac, you’ll be a hundred times happier with it than any PC.” I was unsure if my oration had worked. The man seemed a bit bewildered but thanked me for my time. As he began to walk off, I felt my heart drop. I had failed as a zealot! But then, as if a response from God, the man took a sharp turn and started experimenting with another Mac. I felt my heart leap as Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” began in my ears. I jumped, raised my fist into the air, then glanced around for spectators. As my Mac Evangelist suit morphed into my civilian clothes, I turned back to video games. But then I glanced at my watch. I turned west, toward 999 Infinity Lane, Cupertino, California, home of Apple Computer, and lowered to the ground. It was time to pray. 22
A Narrative or Short Story—Kristen Price My Hardest Test I stared down at my hands, trying to control the shaking. My breathing came out slowly, if it came out at all. I felt like bursting into tears. I stared at the boards in front of me. My head was spinning, and my mind was racing. I couldn’t believe I had missed that break. I had practiced this break time and time again. It was my best break of all. Normally, my foot went through the board like a hot knife through butter. I could break double boards with that sidekick and not blink an eye or break a sweat. But now—now that everything was on the line, my foot jammed the board long before it should have penetrated. My hands were still shaking furiously. I jumped from foot to foot, trying to shake off the first two misses. Two misses. Two out of three possible chances wasted. The third chance was do or die. No break, no black belt. Normally I was a star student. My instructor even called me a bragging right. What was happening to me? Why couldn’t I make this break? “Face me,” Mr. Haungs demanded. “Yes, sir.” Tears were beginning to well in my eyes. “Listen carefully,” he began to talk. I felt a hundred pairs of eyes on me, but as he stared at me and forced me to focus on what he was saying, the crowd began to disappear. I could only hear what I was being told. It was the only thing that mattered now. “If you break this, you pass. You become a black belt. If you miss, you are nothing more than you were yesterday. You may come back to try in three months, but that’s not you. You don’t need to come back a second time. You have never failed before. Don’t start now. Now, ask-” Before he could finish, I was at attention, and broke in, “Permission to break my board, sir!” “Are you going to break it?” he demanded. “Yes, sir!” “Louder!” “Yes, sir!” “Break that board!” In one swift move, I threw everything I had at that board, every last drop of anything that I had. And my foot stopped—again. I stared at the board in disbelief. I knew the crowd was staring at me exactly the same way. I even heard my mom gasp. I know I did. My board holder handed me back my board, fully intact. I accepted his hesitant offering in a daze. With a clouded head, I silently took my seat at the back of the room with all of the other candidates. I felt soft pats on the back and heard whispers in my ear: “It’ll be okay, honey. You’ll get it next time.” All that I could manage in response was a quick glance, a forced half-smile, or a simple nod. I knew that I couldn’t speak. If I opened my mouth, all that would come out would be sobs. Even if I didn’t have my rank, I still had my pride, and I absolutely refused to let my classmates and my students see me cry. 23
Page 1: Miami University Best of Portfolios
Page 4 and 5: Acknowledgements In 1990, Miami Uni
Page 6 and 7: The Best of Miami University’s Po
Page 8 and 9: All four of these reflective letter
Page 10 and 11: Your gurgling stomach now seems les
Page 12 and 13: one must prohibit the words from be
Page 14 and 15: And as the result of many enjoyably
Page 16 and 17: would remain viable in the new mill
Page 18 and 19: all of the qualities represented in
Page 20 and 21: honors for past dances, but I figur
Page 24 and 25: There was only one person in the wo
Page 26 and 27: over 500 men sleeping on the dirty
Page 28 and 29: An Explanatory, Exploratory, or Per
Page 30 and 31: decrease will not allow the schools
Page 38 and 39: to make a greater quantity of tires
Page 40 and 41: Response to a Text—Jessica Keel R
Page 42 and 43: the entire novel, but she remains b
Page 44 and 45: “my little squirrel” (2). Torva
Page 46 and 47: status. The Ranevskaya family is on
Page 48 and 49: A Response to a Text—Stephanie Wo
Page 50 and 51: life, showing her growth as a perso
Page 52 and 53: Scott Gruenbaum—Reflective Letter
Page 54 and 55: Scott Gruenbaum—A Narrative or Sh
Page 56 and 57: Scott Gruenbaum—An Explanatory, E
Page 58 and 59: another creature for survival is in
Page 60 and 61: Scott Gruenbaum—A Response to a T
Page 62 and 63: Complete Portfolio—Camilla Hilema
Page 64 and 65: Camilla Hileman—A Narrative or Sh
Page 66 and 67: Camilla Hileman—An Explanatory, E
Page 68 and 69: Camilla Hileman—A Response To A T
Page 70 and 71: Complete Portfolio—Pamela Spellma
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Pamela Spellman—A Narrative or Sh
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Pamela Spellman—An Explanatory, E
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Pamela Spellman—Response to a Tex
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2001 Scoring Guide for Portfolios A
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Guidelines for Using Non-Sexist Lan
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Advice from Portfolio Scorers Each
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5. Be creative: Don’t be afraid t
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What’s the difference between a
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2002 Portfolio Information 88
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Essential Instructions Papers writt
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Supervising Teachers 2001 Kristen C
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Julie R. Hagerty Mount Notre Dame H
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Craig E. Potter Perry Meridian High
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