my first entry
Hey guys (by the way I’m picturing this as an audience) this is my first ever entry. I’ve been inspired by my thoughts and so I’m going to share them with you. That is the point of this right. So, I guess I’m going to try it on for size. This is going to be more of a dialogue than a journal entry.
Mr. root: hey josh how’s it going
Josh: hey how you doing
...Exchanging pleasantries
Mr. root: so what’s this about?
Josh: this is about honor society. I talked to Mr. Widrick who is on the committee and he told me that anyone with a suspension will bottom line, not get into honor society. So basically I want to remove the suspension from my record.
Mr. Root: I'm sorry josh we can't do that there’s a system we have to go by. Id love to help you but I just cant.
Honor Society council: he’s right josh I’m sorry there’s nothing we can do
here it comes...
Josh: a system? The point of school is to get good grades so you can go to college. And honor society is there to help you get into a good school. And this system should be designed to help kids. Not hold them back. National honor society, a group of talented young adults who have thus far done well in there lives academically and socially. I have gotten good grades throughout out high school. I have been heavily involved in my community. And this system, this is not a system. The word system is fear disguised as authority. Fear. The fear of standing up against your peers and the "system" and saying, no this kid is a good kid.
But no, it won’t happen
Still Josh: What is worth more? Years and years of academic success, years being heavily involved in my community. Constantly volunteering for whatever organization is there at the time. Ask anyone. Ask my teachers, my guidance counselor, my friends, people that I pass in the hall everyday. I am great kid, that’s right, a spectacular kid, and i like to think that I am a leader to those around me. For years I have been. And what is worth more? That, or the five seconds where I didn’t take the time to think and just slipped the pastry into my pocket, the bagel with frosting…? Your trying to tell me that one dumb mistake in my life cancels out all good that I’ve ever done in my life. You’re telling me that I have no honor and I don’t deserve your society. Well that is what you don’t believe, then you don’t deserve this honor either. I’m asking you to look into your brains, not your hearts, and think, what is the right thing to do.
After seconds of fake expressions and sighs
Honor Society council: I’m sorry josh we’ve made our decision. We can’t let you in.
Josh: Don’t be sorry. Honor society is really not that big of a deal, a couple thousand dollars in scholarship money. ill get it somewhere else. A lesser chance at a great school, ill make it up somewhere else. So no don’t be sorry. Because I’m not. I am sorry for you however. I feel very bad. I feel bad that you are so afraid of whatever it is that your afraid of that you cant stand up in a group of your peers and say the thing that everyone has on their minds. This system is dumb. Lets just let him in. And you use the word system to hide it. One more time for impact.
The word system is fear disguised as authority.
And you know what I thank you. The goal of any teacher is not only to teach kids things they will hopefully use later on in life, but to influence at least one. One out of a hundred. To become something more than what they were. To inspire them about life. Well congratulations you have done that. You have inspired me, to never, ever, be like you. And I can guarantee you I will remember that. So congratulations again, amidst your stupidity and blatant ignorance, you have influenced me for the better.
Then all the board members will go home and think about that speech, and the next day someone will say, maybe he has a point. And then five, ten years later, the “system” will be revised for good of the student, and not the system.
But more likely nothing will ever change. Because, unfortunately none of this is true. This conversation hasn’t happened, and it never will. But it made a great story. And you know what, it inspired me.
(Most of this is dramatized; this isn’t nearly as cool or dramatic as I made it sound. But come one, first entry you got to impress.) And you know what, I like how it fits. But for all of you crazy fans out there, don’t be expecting anymore any time soon. I still can’t figure whether I wrote this article for me or for the people who read it. And then I thought about it, and no matter what you people say their reasons are for doing things, 99.99 % of the time it is for themselves.
But you know what else
6 billion people in the world
That’s still 600,000 people in the world that I have faith in.
That means that there three people in central New York who are completely selfless.
I am going to find you and make an elite team of super good heroes. Hopefully you will influence me to be more like you.
(my math is roughly accurate…check it I dare you…double dog?)