Brooke Basten
Mr. Andy Smith
Writing 1020-018
27 April 2009
Life’s Necessities: Food, Water, Oxygen, Shelter, and High School
It is customary for students to proceed from elementary school, on to junior high, and finally high school before they are able to graduate. But have you ever wondered the true purpose of high school? Behind all the exams, homework, and deadlines, why do we all have to go and what is the point? High school forms the foundation of maturity for every teenager—the time in which you get your driver’s license, play varsity sports, or become president of a school club. Despite author and school administrator Leon Botstein’s opinion that America needs to discontinue high schools in his essay “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood,” high school creates the core of teenage life experience, an essential part of growing up. In high school, students find their own individuality and place, and without it, society would suffer.
Some cases such as MTV’s Laguna Beach and Fox’s The O.C., show the superficial and clique-infested hallways of television’s version of “real high school.” Yes, it is entertaining to sit back and observe these teenagers blindly explore the social world and drama of television’s version of high school, but in all reality, these television dramas do not accurately portray true American high schools. Some people believe that high school is a germ pool of popularity contests and varsity sports, yet these believers themselves have not experienced high school with an open and welcoming mindset. Botstein has the same way of thinking when he writes, “Insiders hold sway because of superficial definitions of good looks and attractiveness, popularity, and sports prowess” (139). The hurtful assumption that high school exists for only the social elites and athletic persons is a sham. Those who are against high school may have been social outcasts or perhaps just unwilling to get involved during their high school days. Yet every single high school in the United States offers some sort of extracurricular activity and numerous and varied organizations that beg students to get involved. It is the student’s attitude and effort that determines his or her success in high school, whether it be socially or academically.
High school is not solely about education, but is also about social experience. American high schools are places in which teenagers are tested to find their own path and adventure. There is no handbook on high school. It is all about starting something new and real and finding your own unique individuality. Botstein again gives high schools a negative vibe. He alleges, “Individuality and dissent are discouraged” (140). Of course, high school administrators have rules in order to keep students from chaos, but the whole experience of high school is to find yourself and express your own individuality. High school molds young teenagers into young adults because they are faced with new responsibilities, like schoolwork, friends, family, athletics, clubs, and other after-school activities. These responsibilities help to mature teenagers and prepare them with necessary information and skills to use after graduation. High school and high school activities also help with leadership and accepting a role with responsibility and fulfilling that role successfully. High school prepares students for the start of the “real world” and life after high school. College has many responsibilities that high school prepares them for. For example, waking up and getting to class on time, getting assignments finished, and just overall earning the desired grade. High school is the place for opportunity and learning as well as a place to figure yourself out before entering the “real world,” where your decisions have a great impact on your life. Therefore, high school not only trains students for life beyond school but also gives them a greater chance of success with numerous social and academic activities.
Botstein’s solution to abolishing all high schools is to extend elementary school until the sixth grade and then secondary education will continue until graduation at the young age of sixteen. His solution is more like the start of a disaster. Today, a little less than half of college students will leave higher education without receiving a degree and seventy five percent of these students will leave in their first two years of college. Most students drop out because of failing grades due to excess partying or simply because they are not prepared for the intensity of college. In other words, maybe Botstein is right in the sense that high schools may not entirely prepare students for college, considering that some students need to drop out because of failing grades. But, the solution for this is not to lower the age in which students graduate from high school even more. There is a strong truth in Botstein’s opinion that “young people today mature substantially earlier in the late 20th century than they did when the high school was invented” (140). Yet, college is a new way of life with new choices and freedoms and is not a place for sixteen-year-olds. Not only does this young graduation age propose problems for new, unprepared college students, but also creates extreme pressures at a younger age. It is very common for the majority of students to be exposed to drugs, sex, and alcohol in college. We have enough problems with underage sex and drinking in America. This new graduation age will only lead to these pressures at an earlier age. All in all, there is an overwhelming amount of cons to Botstein’s proposed solution for abolishing high school. Not only will graduating at sixteen bring on the pressures of drugs, sex, and alcohol at an earlier age, but it will also lead to unprepared and immature college students.
Botstein attempts to bring high school down with ugly assumptions and bitter ideas. No matter what the situation may be, all educational programs want their students to succeed. High school is a place of new beginning, experience, and opportunity. It is not every day that students are able to attend football games and socially connect with others in the bleachers. Students even have the opportunity to run for student government president. You become socially involved, and even if you do not win you still learn from the experience and better yourself from it. Botstein is really missing the point with his essay; by abolishing high schools, we do not just abolish the educational program. We also erase the educational and social experiences that students need to mature and prepare themselves for life outside of high school.


Works Cited
Botstein, Leon. “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. 6th ed. Ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Pearson: Longman, 2007. 139-141

Poem readings

The Love Song by J. Alfred Prufrock was a very interesting poem because I was really confused at its meaning in the beginning, but it all seemed to get explained in the last paragraphs. The man in the poem must remain reserved and polite from the rest of the world because he is an attendant to a high prince. He is only to be quiet and give advice to the prince when asked. He wants to speak out and say his peace and especially tell a girl that he loves her. Yet, he never does but he wonders what would happen and constantly questions himself whether he should speak out or not. It was a good poem and I liked the visual poetry at the end because it gave the poem more feeling as you read with the quickness of text gave the poem emotion. London by William Blake was really depressing and sad because he writes of a person walking down the streets of London in the dead of night and he can hear the fearful and sad cries from people around as if everyone is scared. The last paragraph really grabs the reader’s attention because it talks about a young teenager who must have gotten impregnated and the person can hear the newborns cry and how this is also like a cry from the girl because now she has this baby and a marriage she does not want. I could not get Alison Watkins poems to work and load to my computer, but with her artist statement she really seems to enjoy her poetry and really put herself into her work. I like that she says that she is convinced that poetry must be heard to be complete. She seems very interesting and I want to read her work soon.

Public Space

I was really moved by the section “Shopping for Pleasure: Malls, Power, and Resistance” because nowadays the “hang out spot” for teens is the mall. Most teens do not have any intention to go to the mall and buy anything; it is just a place to hang out and horse around with their friends. I never realized how much a strain this can be for shop and mall owners. Teenager abuse their rights when the mall is opened later for shoppers because they not only have their presence all over the mall, but cause even more trouble when they start fights and disguise their drugs and alcohol and smuggle then into the public space. Teenagers have a privilege and it is so disappointing when they lose it. Public spaces, like malls, should be safe and free of trouble at all times. Authorities try to handle the situation, yet teens continue to abuse these public spaces. There are many extremes to handle trouble in public spaces, but the Woodruff Park example really pushed the limit. The problem is that the park had too many bums and nonsense in the park, so their solution was to revamp the once beautiful park into looking and feeling more like a prison. There is now barely any grass, only small walkways, benches with armrests so nobody can lie down, and sprinklers that pop up randomly so people cannot lay in the grass. I can see that maybe there was a problem, but they took this renovation too far and ruined the park and made it inhospitable to the public. Lastly, the article on cell phones really struck a nerve because I do not realize how rude I am when I use my cell phone. To me it may seem harmless, but to others it is so rude and annoying when people are constantly talking on their cell phones. I really enjoyed that article because it really set my mind right about how people should be more courteous when using their cell phones in public.

Workshop: Concentration and Memory

I went to the workshop on “Concentration and Memory” in the tech pride room this week. This workshop was really interesting and went through studying habits that will enable you to concentrate better. The speaker made us take thirty seconds and circle all of the E’s on our paper. We did this and she pointed out some of the habits that relaxes us and helps us concentrate. Some students had twitches or foot taps that make them focus, while other students sat perfectly still and hammered out the task. The speaker also gave us a question form with questions like: Do you start you work as soon as you sit down at your desk? These questions helped her know what kind of concentration we have and what easily distracts us. Many people listen to music when they study, and some cannot stand it, like me. The speaker also really focused on the environment in which we study and how it greatly influences our concentration. Television, facebook, and phone texting are very popular examples of distraction. The handout we received went through four key ways to concentrate, they were: be organized, be physical, be clear, and be smart. It is good to take breaks when studying and to use mnemonic devices to help you remember information. I find that mnemonic devices are great and help me the most with remembering information. This workshop gave great pointers and really helped me out. I really suggest for anyone to attend these free workshops for many reasons. One, they are during dead hour so you have some free time to go. Also, they are free and offer excellent information that simply betters you as a person and makes you that much more intelligent.

Workshop: Concentration and Memory

I went to the workshop on “Concentration and Memory” in the tech pride room this week. This workshop was really interesting and went through studying habits that will enable you to concentrate better. The speaker made us take thirty seconds and circle all of the E’s on our paper. We did this and she pointed out some of the habits that relaxes us and helps us concentrate. Some students had twitches or foot taps that make them focus, while other students sat perfectly still and hammered out the task. The speaker also gave us a question form with questions like: Do you start you work as soon as you sit down at your desk? These questions helped her know what kind of concentration we have and what easily distracts us. Many people listen to music when they study, and some cannot stand it, like me. The speaker also really focused on the environment in which we study and how it greatly influences our concentration. Television, facebook, and phone texting are very popular examples of distraction. The handout we received went through four key ways to concentrate, they were: be organized, be physical, be clear, and be smart. It is good to take breaks when studying and to use mnemonic devices to help you remember information. I find that mnemonic devices are great and help me the most with remembering information. This workshop gave great pointers and really helped me out. I really suggest for anyone to attend these free workshops for many reasons. One, they are during dead hour so you have some free time to go. Also, they are free and offer excellent information that simply betters you as a person and makes you that much more intelligent.

Workshop: The Myths and Realities of Eating Disorders

This week I went to the workshop in the Tech Pride room that was on the “Myths and Realities of Eating Disorders. The speaker was a really nice woman and she began her PowerPoint presentation by asking us questions and seeing who thought was the correct answer. It was funny because usually the audience was about fifty fifty in answering the questions correctly. It showed how ignorant we are about eating disorders in general. This workshop really answered some questions that most people think about but do not ask. For example, both men and women can have eating disorders and eating disorders are medically considered an illness. This workshop was really informative and went through all eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating. You usually hear about anorexia and bulimia, but I did not realize that compulsive overeating was even termed as an eating disorder. The speaker gave us a lot of handouts that explained signs of eating disorders and what to do if you see signs of this in a friend. At the end the speaker game time for the audience to ask questions and people's questions were very interesting. One person asked how do you know if you are a compulsive overeater. It surprised me to know that there is actually a list of signs to look for in a compulsive overeater. I am really glad I went to this workshop because I learned much about eating disorders and I do not feel as ignorant about the subject. I had a friend in high school that had an eating disorder and I wish I could have known some of this information so I could have helped her out more. Overall this workshop was beneficial because now I am more informed about illnesses in our world today.

EXPW's Bachelor's Auction: Benefit for Mustard Seed Ranch

I went to the EXPW bachelor auction this week. My major is EXPW Licensure so I found out about it because there were signs posted all around memorial gym. I really wanted to go to this event to see what it is all about. It was really fun to see all the tech boys volunteer themselves for a good cause. There were about fifteen guys and the starting bids were for ten dollars. I ended up buying two guys, my boyfriend, and one of his best friends because he needed somebody to buy him. It was really funny and we all had a good time. It was especially funny to watch and listen to the girls in the audience as new boys were brought in. The highest somebody was sold for was thirty dollars. I think the EXPW club made about two hundred dollars to donate. The cause was for the Mustard Seed Ranch, which is a home built here in Cookeville that has many young children living there with selected parents to take care of them and provide a home and care for the kids. The EXPW majors club is really involved with the Mustard Seed Ranch and not only did they raise money for the home, but they also helped build the home this year. Many students donated their time in framing, painting, and roofing the home. Also, they continue to help out as they donate their time in tutoring the children, or just simply going over there to hang out and be a friend to them. I really thought it was a great idea to have this benefit auction and I know next year I will definitely be involved with helping out with it. EXPW is a really great and fun club to be involved in.