One Moment Can Change your Life Forever

Dear Junior,

It is summer right before my junior year of High School. I am currently sitting at the Chagrin Valley Recreation Center, my place of employment. There are several incoming seniors who have already experienced their AP English 11 journeys and I am asking them what I should expect and what to focus on in my summer reading book. This book, "Lucky" is currently in my hands,waiting to be opened for the first time.

What a coincidence it is that you have the same name as my most pivotal class in High School-my "Junior year" English class, otherwise known as "AP English 11". The voice in your head which informs you of future events in time seems to have a striking similarity to my the words of my wise co-workers' advice. They tell me, "you need to make sure that you annotate your summer reading and take very detailed notes". I respond, already intimidated, by saying, "Please stop trying to confuse me"(213). "I have no idea what "annotate" means. Is this some sort of sick joke? I mean, I always expect the worst"(244). They then go on to tell me that I will be very scared of Ms. Serensky upon my arrival in her classroom the first day. But not to worry, because at first, "she tolerates [everybody], but nothing more"(277). They then advise me to stick with the class, no matter how challenged and confused I may feel, because it will all be worth it in the end, somehow.

As the year progresses, my in-class writing skills remain mediocre. However, as soon as the AP test occurs, the lightbulb in my head finally flips the necessary "on" switch and I realize that "anything, anything, anything is possible"(302). I realize that this has been one of the best decisions I have made in high school thus far. The single moment I decided it was time to challenge myself and take this grueling class significantly changed my educational life for the better.

The Absurdity of our School

Lately, I have begun to feel quite suffocated by the way our school is run. I believe that we students, especially seniors, deserve much more freedom than we that amount what are allowed. For example, today during commons, I was studying for a test which happened to be the following period. I realized that I did not have the necessary book, so I quickly left the cafeteria in a swift power-walk to my locker in order to save as much time as possible. However, behind me, I heard Mrs. E yelling "JAAAACKIE, JAAAACKIE". I knew right away that she was talking to me because she never has been able to tell us apart. Each time she sees either one of us, we are both referred to as "Jackie". I

guess this method of attempting to tell us apart is easier than the Meghan or Jackie guessing game? Although it was probably disrespectful of me to continue walking down the hallway, I was, after all, in a very big hurry to get to my locker. She finally caught on and realized that my name is Meghan and said, "Oh. Meghan, Im sorry honey, but you cannot leave without a hall pass". Inside, I was screaming. First of all, I have never in my 3.75 years at CFHS have been stopped in the hallway for not carrying a pass. Second, I am almost eighteen years old. Why can't I not be trusted to walk about 100 feet down the hallway to my locker? She then forced me back into the commons and made me wait for the bell to ring in ten minutes. I did not have the time nor patience to obey this rule, so I quickly went to the bathroom in order for her to wait to turn her back. Once she turned her back, I took off running and reached my locker in about thirty seconds without her noticing me.

Looking back on that moment, I laugh thinking about how sneaky I had to be in order to enable myself to study for a difficult upcoming test. It makes me realize how little trust most of the administrators have in the students. Does anybody feel the same way?

My Inspiration

With lacrosse pre-season already in full-swing, I can hardly contain my excitement for the first game and the rest of the season. Our favorite assistant coach from last year, K.C White is now our head coach. She brought with her Coach Gus, a new, odd, yet energetic and optimistic assistant varsity coach. Beginning monday, their coaching quote for the week is "pain is fear leaving the body". This quote exemplifies our grueling conditioning and muscle soreness as a result of our hard work. However, none of us have experienced as much pain and setbacks as Coach White.

She was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF),an inherited disease that causes thick, sticky mucous to build up in the lungs and digestive tract. It is one of the most common chronic lung diseases in children and young adults, and may result in early death. This mucous builds up in the breathing passages of the lungs and in the pancreas, the organ that helps break down and absorb food. This collection of sticky mucous results in life-threatening lung infections and serious digestion problems. Millions of Americans carry the defective gene but do not have any symptoms, It is the most common, deadly, inherited disorder affecting caucasians in the United States.

Each day, Coach White spends about three hours on a machine which vibrates her lungs to loosen up the mucous build-up. She lives a life of uncertainty, not knowing when there will be a cure, or how much longer she has to live. Her positive outlook on life has really impacted me. She really puts life in perspective for me, because I often take my life for granted and fail to realize how lucky I am to be healthy.

Nerves

As I sit in the hotel room in Massilon on my coach's laptop, my mind cannot concentrate on anything besides swimming. This weekend will reflect my entire life of hard work and dedication to this brutal, yet rewarding sport. My mind is on autopilot, similar to the poem we studied today in class- "Out of Sight, out of Mind". I am constantly thinking, "drink some water, shave my legs, stretch my shoulders, eat a power bar" in a rythmic pattern in order to prevent myself from becoming incredibly stressed out. The more systematically I think, the more I will be able to push out my dramatic emotions and think logically. This idea is very similar to an audience and purpose of today's poem. The author speaks to those who act on their heartfelt emotions, and encourages them to make decisions and think more from a logical and mindful standpoint. If I acted on my emotions right now, I would probably curl up in a ball and cry out of nervousness. So, thank you group one for indirectly helping me prevent a nervous breakdown.

Although I am about to rip my (leg) hair out...

College preparation.
Less Time.
Papers Win.

Some Days You're the Bird, Some Days You're the Statue

I always find myself staring at this poster in Ms. Serensky's classroom, and I equally enjoy this message each and every time I read it. So, I came up with a list of how you know when you are living your day as the bird, and another list of how you know you are living your day as the statue. Feel free to comment with additions to the list!

You Know You're The Bird When...
1). In class you rudely cut someone off during the discussion and do not feel bad about it.
2). You glance over at your writing partner's graded poetry paper and nonchalantly shove yours in their face showing them you got a higher score.
3). You make the blog banter.
4). Ms. Serensky comments on your comment during a discussion.
5). Ms. Serensky praises your blog banter theme song

You know you're the statue when...
1). You forget to do turnitin.com
2). Someone steals your best point during the discussion.
3). You are belittled and ridiculed about your pathetic attempt at a blog banter theme song.
4). You walk into the classroom and see the journals sitting anxiously on your desk.
5). On the calendar you see the words Data Sheet Due

Mother Kills Two Children for Being "Mouthy"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41319561/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

How many of us "talk back" to our parents or say something they deem "disrespectful"? If some people say they do not then they are definitely lying. It is teenager's second nature to question authority and challenge the status quo. First, "talking back" is a term used very very commonly by many parents in the average argument in a typical American household. I feel as though this term is made up by parents for them to assert their "authority" over the younger ones. For example, today, when I forgot to clean the dinner dishes, my Dad stomped up into my room and demanded why I did not do my chore. I simply replied (without an attitude of course), "I'm sorry Dad, but I forgot". He then proceeded to yell at me for "TALKING BACK". This tends to happen a lot in my house with me and the rest of my siblings. And every time, I find myself scratching my head with confusion. Does my Dad not want me to respond? Because If I do respond, I will be "talking back". However, if I do not respond, that would be "disrespectful". What is a kid to do when they're damned if they do and damned if they don't?

This article included shocked me and definitely makes me begin to watch what I say to my parents, because apparently, this mother of two from Tampa "was your average housewife and soccer mom who loved spending time with her family and neighbors". This description probably describes about 75% of our mothers. So, this blog post is a warning to all of you disrespectful back-talkers out there. Wear a bullet-proof vest even when you're blogging just in case your mom decides to get revenge for all of those times when you questioned her authority.