Making a Difference

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary a volunteer is, "A person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses willingness to undertake a service." A volunteer can be a person of any age, race, gender, background, personality, or experience. The benefits of volunteering are endless. You are able to help people around you, the community in which you live in, change people's lives, make yourself feel better, and just know that you are making a difference.

I started getting involved in many volunteer activities my freshman year when I became part of the student government organization at Kennedy. I love all of the opportunities that are available and that I got to experience because of this. Between in school and out of school opportunities there are so many things that you can do to make a difference. In my opinion this is why I think there should be some sort of volunteer service requirement in order to graduate.

Volunteering betters a person, there is no doubt about it. There is something about knowing that you are making a difference and that makes you feel better as a person. I think this is important for students to experience before they are off in the real world somewhere. Simple volunteering helps make people well-rounded in the things that they do. Instead of just being an athlete or a musician being a volunteer plus those things makes you look much better for scholarships, jobs, and other opportunities.

I don't think an enormous amount of volunteer hours should be necessary to graduate. Twenty hours would be a good example, 5 hours for every four years of high school. This ensures that every person has had opportunities to help others and make a difference. It also wouldn't be difficult at all to achieve. There are so many things that students could do to volunteer and make a difference. These could be as simple as working at a concession stand or ticket booth or working at the staff Christmas parties. Around the community there are events every day and weekend that use volunteers. Churches, schools, and organizations are always looking for your help.

In the end it is very clear that it doesn't take much to make a difference. I challenge each and every person to make it a goal to do at least a little volunteering each year, there are only benefits!

Thoughts on Thank You's

Thank-you notes are one of those things in life that you rarely think about but they are pretty meaningful in many cases. It is just one of those unwritten rules that after certain events or occasions writing a thank-you note is expected. Examples would include birthdays, anniversaries, wedding showers, baby showers, weddings, and holidays. There are many other occasions that a thank-you note should be written for as well.

I am sure that writing thank-you notes is commonly overlooked whether it is for a long period of time or forever. It is extremely easy to get swept away in the planning and anticipation of an event and then enjoying it when the time actually comes. Then when everything is getting wrapped up you sort of let it slip your mind. Whether this be a wedding, birthday, or baby there are many more things on your mind, before and after the occasion, than thinking about writing thank-you notes to your family and friends.

It is a hassle it really is. I am not going to try and tell you that writing thank-you notes is a blast. I have grown up with the expectation that, if for example you receive a gift, you write that person a quick note to thank them for the present and/or coming to your party or whatever. It is a pain to gather addresses and to address envelopes and such but if that person made some sort of effort for you, this is the least you can do. It is always sort of a downer having to write thank-you notes because most likely your highly anticipated event is over with. By writing a nice thank-you note you can try and keep the memories alive with your friends and family.

Most of the time if you are the receiver of the thank-you note you don't think a second about the fact that you should have a thank-you note coming your way, most likely that just doesn't happen. But when it comes you are grateful that that person took the time to thank you. I have experienced a few instances in which the thank-you notes were completely overlooked. My cousin didn't take the time to send anything out after her wedding shower or wedding! I think that is just rude especially because we made two road trips to attend these events.

It is the thought that counts people, better late than never. That is the name of the thank-you game!

What Does Easter Mean to You?

Chocolate, eggs, bunnies, baskets, flowers, bonnets, family, friends, spring. These are all words that I would associate with Easter. This past Sunday, millions of people celebrated the Easter holiday. What does this holiday mean to you?

There are many Easter traditions that people partake in leading up to the holiday and on actual Easter Sunday. One of these is the dyeing of Easter eggs! This has been a tradition that I have grown up with and it never gets old. First it was always fun to make the solutions by dropping the color tablet in a cup and adding the smelly vinegar. Then we would have contests to see who could come up with the most fun or cutest design. By the end of the day all of the colors would be mixed together and the eggs would end up a nasty shade of greenish blackish brown.

Digging through your Easter basket and going on an Easter egg hunt around the best thing to wake up to besides the traditional Christmas morning activities. I would always check certain places around the house before my sister would wake up so I would know exactly where to find the largest and fullest eggs. There is something so exciting about opening a plastic egg and having chocolate and quarters tumble out of it.

To me, Easter Sunday always means family and church as well. It is a time that we get together with our extended family and go to church. Many times we follow this up with a delicious feast after the service. The afternoon is spent playing games, hanging out, and just having a good time together. Most of the time Easter Sunday lands on a beautiful day which makes this time with family and friends and even more enjoyable experience.

Amongst all of the chicks, eggs, chocolate, dresses, candy, and baskets the most important thing to remember is why we are celebrating this holiday. No matter what Easter means to you, I hope you all had a great opportunity to spend a beautiful day with family and friends!

Iowa Assessments...Too Many Incentives?

It is that time of year....the time we all get to sit in our desks at eight o'clock sharp and take standardized tests. Many students dread these three days while others don't particularly mind it. This is the very first year that the Iowa Assessments are being given. When those of us were in elementary school and middle school we knew them as the ITBS tests or Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Then when we reached high school they transformed into the ITEDs or Iowa Test of Educational Development. Three different versions, same exact idea.

Many things are associated with these standardized tests. For three days we get to have shortened class periods and hopefully less homework, which is always a plus! The administration wants each and every student to do their absolute best and they are willing to do whatever they can to make sure that happens. This includes providing granola bars and cheese sticks during breaks and rewarding students with candy at the end of the day. On top of that there are numerous incentives for students to do their personal best and to show up each and every day to take the test. Homerooms that have perfect attendance can earn pizza parties or doughnut parts. Juniors who have their personal best score out of all three years of high school can receive hooded sweatshirts. There are also class money rewards, broken down into three 500 dollar checks for highest improvement amongst other things.

In my opinion this is getting a little out of hand. What is wrong with our society and education systems that we have to bribe students to do their best on a test? Just because it isn't for a grade many, many students take advantage of that and just screw around with it. That is uncalled for and just immature. We are high school students people, can't you just suck it up and do your best without bribes? I am all for a little bit of a reward for a job well done but I just think that something like this doesn't require all of the incentives that we are receiving.

That Time...Finding the Right Fit

Every high school student will go through this time in their life. The time in which the first letters and pamphlets from colleges are waiting on the kitchen counter when you get home from school. The time when your teachers and counselors encourage you to start prepping for the ACT. The time when your parents and principals strongly recommend researching colleges and programs that you might be interested in. This is a time filled with excitement, confusion, stress, and happiness. Its one of the first times that you really think about your future and can say, "Wow, I am really going to be gone in a matter of a year or a few short months." Its scary! Knowing what college is right for you is a very difficult decision and should be taken quite seriously. Personally, I don't really know what I want in a college so its hard to know where to start and I am sure many other students are in the same position.

Last summer I started this journey of finding the right college for me. In general I feel as if a medium size school would suit me best. As for private or public or in-state or out-of-state I don't have much of a preference. My visits last summer consisted of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. This was just the start, I have family ties to these schools and they are medium size and in the Midwest, my only preference.

Recently over spring break my family took a bit of a road trip and visited four more schools. A few of these I felt somewhat interested in going into the visit unlike some of my visits from the summer before. These consisted of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, St. Louis University, and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Every single one of these schools have a lot to offer both academically and socially. I liked things about all of them and hope to break each school down in future blogs.

This is a time for important decision making, you are essentially deciding where your going to live for four years and where your going to start your independent life. To all you high schoolers out there going through this time of your life, good luck!

Hitting you Where it Hurts

Getting in trouble is a part of life, everyone has experienced it. Punishments are never fun and I suppose that is the point right? For the most part my sister and I are pretty good kids, we rarely get in trouble so therefore our parents rarely have to punish us. When the occasional time comes that it is necessary for a punishment to be given my mom always says, “We need to hit you were it hurts.”

Hitting where it hurts would be different for every toddler, kid, or teenager. It varies with age, personality and certain situation. Having a fifteen minute timeout might devastate a three-year-old but a teenager could care less. When I was younger we would have punishments like no TV for a few days, no dessert after dinner, or going to bed early. Currently I have no time to watch TV, don’t eat much dessert and would absolutely love going to bed early! This is why having no phone or no car is the better punishment for me at this age.

Unfortunately this sort of makes sense; I am just a bit reluctant to say this because I’m living without my phone, car, and computer for the week. I will probably carry on my mom’s style of “hitting where it hurts” type punishing when I have kids someday. Punishments are supposed to require you to think about what it is that you may have done wrong. After the thinking has occurred the goal is to never want to make that mistake again. Believe me, it’s working! I have a lot of questions though and I’m sure many parents wonder the same thing, what is the perfect punishment for parents to give? Is there such thing as being too strict? Not strict enough? I don’t know these answers I was just wondering. I am 99 percent sure there have been multiple studies that could answer this….oh well maybe for another blog down the road.

Book Review: The Kite Runner

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. The Berkley Publishing Group: New York. 2003. (371 pages)

            My experience reading The Kite Runner was unlike anything I have ever had. I haven’t read a historical fiction novel yet this school year so I decided to give it a try. This book was recommended to me multiple times so I was excited to see what it was like. The Kite Runner was an extraordinary read; it consisted of action, violence, love, history, friendships, sorrow and drama. This ultimately was a combination that made an unforgettable story.

            There were many aspects of this novel that made it challenging and a new experience for me. I have never read a book that is set in places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, I didn’t know anything about the politics, cultures, religions and lifestyle of these people.  Throughout the story, Hosseini describes many places, neighborhoods, towns, traditions and activities that are all in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These things were new to me and it was challenging to remember what was what because sometimes he would write them in the native language. I thought reading some phrases and words from these languages was really neat and added a unique element to the book.

            The fierce cruelty and violence that took place in The Kite Runner was challenging to read in itself. The dramatic political events and revolutions that took place in Afghanistan and Pakistan were vividly described and narrated as part of this story. As historical fiction, many of these events actually happened, which is really sad to imagine. Some of the imagery Hosseni used to portray his situation nearly made me sick because it was so upsetting. 

            As I mentioned, there were riveting and unexpected happenings throughout this novel. I loved how it was action-packed but still dealt with love, friendships, and sadness. There were multiple times I couldn’t put this book down because the haunting events and deep relationships were almost addicting. Hosseini also did a great job of linking past and present time periods and different locations. As the book took place over almost 30 years and on different continents, the clarity was needed and was well done. 

            I had a difficult time trying to come up with a book that I have read that is similar to this one. The Kite Runner is one of a kind in my opinion and there isn’t much else that is comparable. When I read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks during first term, it was one of the first novels I had read that was narrated by a male. The Kite Runner would be the second book narrated by a male that I have really enjoyed. I like seeing things from a different perspective and a male narrator does just that. It’s probably a far stretch but in The Lucky One, Logan Thibault has vivid memories from his days fighting in the war. In The Kite Runner, there are a lot of powerful scenes from the impact of the revolutions in Afghanistan described by Amir. The violent, dirty, rugged and war-like components of these books are pretty similar. In conclusion, I would, without a doubt, recommend The Kite Runner to anyone who is looking for a moving and unforgettable book.