Standing out in front of the school this week, I was enjoying one of our sunny afternoons. The warm weather reminded me of the fact that spring is just around the corner, if not here already, so it is time for few common sense reminders for all of us.
Go to your classes. Seems simple enough, right? But for some students, the sun causes them to make choices to do things other than go to class. It is tempting to take the long lunch or to not go to school at all. One of the fastest ways to find yourself “knee-deep in alligators” is to get in the bad habit of skipping classes. Your grades will be negatively affected but more importantly, you will become personal friends with Sue VanSenus, who can be very persistent when it comes to tracking students who are having trouble getting to class.
Do your homework and stay on top of major assignments. Again, another no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many students struggle with this one. It is much simpler to do your work when it is assigned and turn it in by the due date than it is to start digging out of holes that you have caused by not turning assignments in. Once you start missing homework deadlines, the work piles up and you tend to fall farther and farther behind.
Be kind to your teachers. They are here to do a job and sometimes that job gets really hard when faced with mountains of paperwork, students who need extra help, and required meetings to attend. You’d be amazed at how much mileage you can get from simply treating your teachers kindly.
To the seniors, keep a lid on “senior-itis.” Stay focused on June 17, 2010, the date for graduation. I have heard this time and again from seniors, “But this is my senior year and it is supposed to be the best year of my life.” I would counter that by saying that if your senior year is supposed to be the best year of your life, does that mean it’s all downhill from here? I don’t disagree that your 12th grade year should be a fun, exciting year. But do not lose track of the fact that you have many more years ahead of you that are going to be made even better because you took the time now to make your school work and graduation priorities.
Drive safely. Every year there is a tragic story about teenagers who were injured or killed in auto accidents. Please do not be a statistic or a terrible story on the evening news.
Make good choices. Every one of you is important to many other people, both here at school and in your life outside of MTHS. Please be safe, make good choices and do not put yourself in any situation that could cause harm to you or to others.
Ok. I’ll climb down off my soapbox now. I hope you all have a great spring and that these final weeks of school are fun and successful for each and every one of you.