Let the Leaders Lead

    As school elections are coming up and people begin signing up for positions there is something nagging at me. Some students throughout my high school have worked incredibly hard to have a good reputation and help improve the school. These students are the ones who have wanted leadership positions all four of their years and for their senior year this is their final chance. Then there are other students who have held leadership roles and continue to work hard in those roles to maintain their position. These students have every right to hold their spot if they are accomplishing the tasks given to them. Finally, there are the students who party all weekend and have just realized they need to improve their grades for college and have some sort of leadership role. Unfortunately, they have realized all of this way too late. Colleges aren't oblivious when a student becomes involved in twenty clubs their senior year; it is obvious for the show. But these are the students who end up taking over the leadership positions. Since they have partied with everyone in the school, these students are quite popular. When people vote, they vote for their friends, not the best one fit for the job. In other words, the leadership positions end up in the hands of those who don't care and have it to just put it on their resume. Really?

    Whenever students do this, I am extremely frustrated. As someone who has worked hard, I realize what it takes and am willing to give everything my all. To be completely honest, I don't really care about my resume. I am confident I will get into college for doing the things I love to do. These positions should not go to the slackers. So a bigger question arises. Should the democratic process be applied in schools? Should there be some sort of application process instead, or will "teachers' pets" get all the positions? I think if we want the school led correctly and a representative organization in the hands of the students, it should be the best ones. No more of this "resume building" shenanigans; let the leaders lead.

Being Myself

    A few summers ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C. for a leadership conference. I find that at all of these conferences I attend, people are so unique. There are those who like to brag about all they have accomplished and those who one wonders how exactly they ended up at a leadership conference. Then, there are the people I find who are a lot like myself - people who have been very fortunate for everything they are blessed with, but don't like to tell others about those things.

    I feel I have this innate sense. It is a sense that when meeting someone I can tell who I will be friends with. Maybe this is just the over confidence effect, but I truly think I can just tell. When traveling to this specific conference, I had one goal in mind, to meet as many people as I could and be extremely outgoing. While waiting for others in the airport I talked to the students around me. There was one girl who I knew I was going to be friends with. She was extremely talkative, but also very friendly. This girl (B we will call her for the purposes of my blog) exposed herself to the world and didn't have a care what other people believed. She was the type of person I've always wanted to be.

    B was from a wealthy family in New Orleans, however B never bragged about her wealth. She knew she was wealthy and it was clear based on the name brand clothes she wore among other things, but she had so much compassion for others, her clothing didn't matter. B was also incredibly outgoing. In a sense, I believe she kind of helped me become a more outgoing person. I distinctly remember one day we danced around her hotel room without a care in the world. I was quite self conscious at the time, and this became a completely new side of me. I realized how much fun it was just to be myself. There were days when visiting monuments that B and I would make new friends. We would talk to other people in line with us, learning their stories as they learned ours. To say the least, it was great.

    During this particular conference, my grandfather passed away. This was especially hard for me as I never was able to say goodbye. From the time I heard the news, I was a wreck. But then B stepped in. The empathy B showed for me was true. Many people can tell me they are sorry for my loss. But are they really?

    People like B are those who seem to come into ones life, change it, and then disappear. With the distance between us, we no longer talk. But I am so glad I met B, who showed me the true meaning of being myself.

Growin’ Up Way Too Fast

    The world is quickly changing around us. I am aware of the cell phones improving and computers having the ability to do unthinkable tasks, however when do we put an age limit on when children can have access to the booming technology and just be kids before then. My younger sister is currently a 5^th grader. All of her friends have cell phones and are constantly calling one another. My sister doesn't have this luxury, not because we can't afford one, but because she doesn't need one. My parents have put their foot down. We just stopped getting cable, so all we have are the "boring channels." I don't have unlimited texting, and very rarely do I spend time watching television, but I seem to be a minority.

    The internet is a crazy place. A simple leakage of one mistake could ruin someone's life and identity. Facebook is no longer needed for staying connected. Facebook has gone to the extreme and created an afternoon hobby called creeping. Yes, I am aware everyone does this, but is this ethical? Should people have access to everything about me? Should they be able to see the pictures I took with my friends over the weekend when we were just goofing around? Well, that is why Facebook has security settings. I try my best to monitor what others can see or who I choose to be friends with, and I'm pretty sure I'm successful at this, but do children really know the implications of what they are doing on the internet.

    My sister's friend (a 5^th grader) just requested to be my friend on Facebook. Wasn't Facebook supposed to be an only high school and older site? Weren't there rules for a reason? Social skills are lacking. People no longer know how to communicate in person. Everything is done through e-mails or texting, but no expression is then being shown. People cannot convey their emotions. Relationships having lasted years are now being broken over a simple message. Where is the emotion? Children are getting fatter; I hate to be mean but this is the reality. Whatever happened to playing outside when returning home from school instead of playing on the internet? Whatever happened to letting one's imagination run wild, instead of cartoons making an imagination for children?

    The fact is, kids are growing up way too fast. As I prepare myself to enter the adult stages of my life, I have realized everything I miss. I miss those nights where laying in bed day dreaming was okay. I miss those nights where I wasn't required to read a certain book but got to choose my own. I miss those days when any long book was considered a chapter book. I don't even think I know how to read books without chapters any more. I miss being a kid. Within society we are encouraging kids to grow up faster. Society needs to slow this process, because these are the days that will create brilliant minds. Don't worry, children will eventually learn how to run the technology. I truly hope our world realizes this and someday I can meet all of the "kids". But for now, let kids be kids.

Anti-Social Personality Disorder

    This past week in my AP Psychology class we were discussing many personality disorders. One such disorder was the anti-social personality disorder which causes people to not really have a conscience while doing things. The disorder affects many mass murders who have committed horrible crimes.

    While in class, however, our student teacher told us of one of the most famous murders. Our teacher discussed how he grew up ten miles away from the man's home. Sons of many of his teachers began disappearing. No one knew what was happening. People reported weird smells from this man's home, but the man was so nice, no one bothered to investigate. Eventually a search warrant was issued. Twenty-two bodies were found with lemons on them, hoping that would preserve the bodies. I find it quite frightening there are people out in our world who are this crazy.

    Maybe this explains why my mom is leery to let me travel or camp with my friends alone. However gruesome and unpleasant people like this are, we can't live our lives in a box. Can't students and parents alike use common sense? I have no interest in meeting mass murderers, I do however have interest in meeting others. So if someday I happen to stumble upon a mass murderer, I will be polite and smart about the situation, because I can't live my life sheltered. Going out into the world is when one learns the most.

Sad Reality

    All students are required to learn about the Vietnam War. Many of us realize the tragedy that occurred during the war, but we don't understand the extent to which it happened. Earlier this week, two Vietnam War veterans came in to talk to my AP United States History class about their experiences in Vietnam War. Listening to the two men talk opened up my eyes (not to sounds cliché) to what a traumatic time the war was for the men.

    One of the men told us about his friend who had a new born child back home, which he had not yet met. The man was expecting pictures of his child in the next few days and would make his fellow comrades read letters written about his child his wife had sent. Two days before the pictures were supposed to arrive, the man who was expecting the pictures, died. As he slowly passed away, he laid in his comrades arms. His comrade was crying, hoping and praying he would make it. Two days later when the pictures arrived, as a respect for the man, his comrades opened the letter to look at the pictures – the pictures of a child who never meet his father.

    Another story was told about a man who always wore a black glove. Although, the soldier who talked to us had never met this man, one day after a big assault, he watched a bag of a dead man being carried. From the side of the bag, dangled an arm with a black glove on it.

    Even though some of the stories were depressing and sad, there were also some funny stories told. For instance, one story discussed the native animals living around the camps. Usually the soldiers only received one hot meal a week. On this particular evening the soldiers were supposed to receive a hot meal and hadn't done so in a while due to the air strikes. The food arrived and all of the men were happy. When taking a bite into the food, the men realized how full of grit and sand it was. One man decided to throw his food to the monkeys that circled the camp. The monkey looked at the food, picked it up, and took a bite. Upon taking a bite and realizing its texture, the monkey could not chew through it, he stretched it out. The monkey, disgusted by the food, threw the food right back at the soldiers.

    Of the two men who talked to us, one clearly had post traumatic stress syndrome. It's hard for me to understand the implications it has on this man's life. He sat in his chair and rocked while telling the stories, often shutting his eyes to block out the horrid memories. Both men had been drinkers when returning home. One of them held 41 jobs within the first 10 years back. The fact bothering me the most about this situation, is our country never welcomed these men back. After multiple years of waiting, a parade was held in their honor. Our soldiers need to be recognized. The soldiers selflessly give up their lives for the future generations, and we need to pay respect.

Prom?: Part II

The list continues:

 

1. If the girl you want to ask plays a sport, bring a poster with prom on it to an event. Go to the sporting announcer and have him announce there's a special poster for (insert girl's name) in the crowd. Have her look up into the stands and stand up with your poster. There is no way she'd be able to deny you.
   
2. Find a local place in town where she goes a lot. Make sure they have a sign that can be changed. Change the sign for a day asking her to prom. Have her meet you there for something. With so many people driving by, it would be tough to say no.
   
3. Buy a cheap alarm at a local store. Put the alarm under her first hour desk and set it for the middle of class. On the alarm put a post-it note asking her. Don't find it alarming, but you will have a date for prom.
   
4. Send the girl on a scavenger hunt. Plan places with riddles and things she has to figure out. At the very end, spell prom somewhere and be standing next to it.
   
5. Buy a local newspaper and in the very center of it write "PROM?" Be sitting in your desk at school and say, "Hey (insert girl's name here). Have you seen the headlines?" Of course she will say no. Then say, "Well look at this," and show her the message.
   
6. Buy a cheap puzzle at the store. Put the puzzle together and spray paint it one color. Paint a design with your asking on it. Let the puzzle dry and put it into a box. Set it on her doorstep and ring the doorbell and leave. Your puzzle of who to go to prom with will be solved.
   

 

These are just the ones I thought were cute and ended up well. I encourage every guy out there to be creative. The more creative and personal you are, the more likely she is to say yes and be excited about going with you. And please, don't chicken out. Every girl wants to be asked and guys are responsible for doing so.

Prom?: Part I

    The time of year is quickly approaching. It's the time every senior girl in high school waits for – getting asked to prom. As the prom gets closer and closer, I continuously see people asking one another. There are so many cute ways a guy can ask. Regardless of how hard the initial asking may be. I highly encourage every guy to ask someone. And don't just walk up and ask her. That is completely lame. Being asked to prom is something every girl will remember; so make it awesome. Composed below are the top eleven coolest askings I've heard about or seen so far in my high school career.

 

1. Light a bunch of candles outside in the shape of "PROM" for her to see. Either do this in her driveway or somewhere where she is likely to walk soon. Stand by the candles until she gets there. Lights out, you will have a date.
   
2. Ask the girl to give you a ride somewhere that you know both of you are going. Leave a general item in the car such as a notebook. On the back of that item write "Prom?". When she picks it up and flips it over, she will notice what it says and come back to say, "Yes!"
   
3. Although this is a generic one, it always seems to work. Get some window paint and decorate her car. To make it a little cleverer do something to make you stand out, such as standing on the top of her car or singing in the parking lot. When she sees what you have done, you will definitely have a ride to prom.
   
4. Go to the beach with a group of people. Before the girl gets there write "PROM?" in really big letters in the sand. Suggest to play a game or something with the group and have someone say, "Woah. What's over there? Is that a sign?" Upon seeing the words in the sand, the girl will say yes.
   
5. Have a bunch of your friends get white t-shirts. On the front, have each friend write one letter to her first name. On the back have each person have one letter of the word "prom" and any question marks or exclamation points for left over letters. Have your shirt be an exclamation point and stand at the end of the line. Line up in a hallway or in her garage. When she opens the garage door, have everyone face forward. As soon as she steps out of her car have everyone but yourself turn around. It will be a sure yes.