Keep your grades up!

Did you know that if your grades are below a 2.0 GPA than you can’t have a license? I didn’t until my teacher brought in a news paper article about it. The law has been around in WV and other states for about 20 years now. It’s been in my county for a year already. Some counties are just starting to utilize it this year. This law is kind of a good idea if you think about it. It will tell kids that they really have to step it up and stop slacking. I like it at least. I think it will help me because I want my license when I’m 16. Keeping above a 2.0 average won’t be that hard.

I do have some questions about this law. How will students benefit from this law? Could this be a way to cut down on the teen related car accidents? I’m a kid and I even understand that this law is to keep teenagers in school that want to drive and most of us do. This doesn’t mean that students are going to follow this law.

How will students know about this law? Should they be told about that if they miss too many days? Should they be told about it beforehand?

Have you ever heard the song...

“dear Mr. President,” by Pink? Some people may not have because they don’t play it on the radio much. This is sad because it is a good song. Instead of just a whole lot of rhyming words, this song uses expression, like all songs should. The fifth line in this song is “I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.” There she brings up our right to speak honestly. The sixth line asks what does the President feel when he sees all the homeless on the street? What does he feel? I know I feel that it isn’t at all right, but is it always his fault?

No, these people could have made bad choices or they may not be able to afford to live. Also, can we blame President Bush for a problem that was years in the making? In the line that says they’re all sitting in your cells, Pink is relating to the youth of today. It is not the president’s fault that people break the laws, so how can we blame him for this? The lines that bring up the war that says, “How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say good bye.” I think it is the President’s fault that we went into war, so I can understand why Pink would include this in her song.

A lot of people may feel differently about this song than I do. I agree with some things, and I don’t agree with others. However, I think this song needs to be played on the radio so people can be aware of what our world is coming to. We could make our world such a better place. Some people are selfish and don’t care about others. Some are shooting people for no apparent reasons. I think we should try to make our world a better place.

I believe this is what Pink is trying to accomplish. She used her right of freedom of expression to show us what is wrong with our country. Now, we accept our responsibility as productive citizens to help correct the wrongs. How do we do that, I wonder? And, wouldn’t it be great if the world were a lot better?

Why do students skip school?

According to ED.gov "Truancy is not the problem -- it's an indicator of other problems. When students aren't in school, we need to understand why they stay away before we can effect solutions."

Why do students cut classes or miss full days of school?Is it because they don’t like it, is it to hard, or are they bad into drugs? What if they get bullied? My biggest problem with truancy was that I didn’t like to get up in the morning. I missed over one hundred days of school, but not all at once. I went two or three days in the week, but I didn’t think about it all adding up. They sure did though. At the end of the school year, I found out that I was pregnant. I was scared, only fourteen, and still in middle school.

That’s when everything made sense, and I just realized that I had to go to school. No one could make me go to school. It was all up to me. No one can make me do or like anything. It’s up to me to make my own choices.

But, that means I couldn’t take anyone’s advice. The truancy law is great. If there was never a law then I would have never got in trouble, and if I would have never gotten into trouble then I would have never gotten pregnant. And, if I had never gotten pregnant then I would have never realized that school was very, very important. My baby is the reason I get up in the morning.Now this doesn’t mean I am encouraging young teens to get pregnant.

I am embarrassed to be pregnant at age fourteen. I would have much rather waited until I was out of college and had a career. I am still scared that I am going to fail. Sometimes, I wonder if I am going to fail to make it anywhere in life, but I think I really would have been stuck if I didn’t have an education. I’m thankful for all the trouble I got into, and I’m also thankful for the people that cared like my mother and my caseworker.

Why do students skip school?

Holly to state: END THIS LAW!

As a mom-to-be and a daughter of a mother of seven, I understand how hard it is to balance a job and about five kids to get ready for school. Of course, if there was a good, caring neighbor who would keep an eye on your children for an hour or so you can go to work, any mother would be thankful. And, if your children will be in a warm house until the school bus comes, then again I’m a sure any mother would be thankful, even if their neighbors aren’t licensed to be a daycare provider. Although in some states that is the law, I think that law is ridiculous and needs to end. I would rather my son stay in a safe house with a responsible adult than me having to lose work. I honestly don’t know why people would waste their breath to worry.

Holly to state: end this law!

What rights do students have?

According to the U.S Supreme Court, “Students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression at the schoolhouse gate."

Just like every where else in the U.S we have laws and rules. If we go against those laws or rules we will have consequences. If we are in a school we have to go by the school’s rules, and also the laws still apply to us. If students do not follow the rules, they will have consequences such as detention or suspension. Why can’t student cuss out the teacher and treat the teacher without respect?

Well, in my opinion the first thing that would come to mind is it isn’t polite and would really hurt their feelings. I think it’s because we live in a civilized community. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of civilized is “Polite, well-bred; refined; having an advanced and humane culture.” Even if you want to say something that will hurt someone’s feeling you can’t because it just isn’t the right thing to do. Yes, we have many freedoms, but God has also given us the common sense to be responsible for our mouth and what comes out of it.

They always say practice safe sex, but I say PRACTICE COMMON SENSE!

What do you think would happen if we were allowed to be disrespectful to teachers and adults without any consequences for us?