The Discussers

Lockup for Dropouts?

2006-10-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

Jordan O’Connell

Lockup for dropouts?
There is a huge problem facing our country. Too many teenagers are dropping out of high school and giving up on their futures. Currently one out of every three teenagers in public schooling does not graduate high school. The National Education Association, NEA, recently proposed a 10 billion dollar plan to make teenagers earn a high school diploma or attend school until they are twenty one. This may seem like just one more breach in our rights as Americans but it could likely fix the epidemic of dropouts.
This may seem like an extreme tactic. I agree with trying to use an extreme idea because our problem is so extreme. It would be a sin for America to sit back and let this keep occurring. The dropout rate has kept increasing and will continue to rise if actions are not taken. I hate to know that the future of our society is being increasingly contaminated with individuals who have chosen not to learn the most basic of human skills. A person can only grow when their mind is active. Leaving high school early leaves young men and women undeveloped mentally. Students with tons of potential will never realize their waste because their brain never developed past eleventh grade. The issue of high school dropouts should be a major issue in our next presidential campaign. If our dropout rates continue to rise, our crime rates will rise as well as our homeless rate. The NEA’s idea to require students who do not graduate to go to school until the age of twenty one is a perfect plan to get America’s future back on track. Students who do not comply with these laws will be arrested for delinquency similar to many state laws that require high school students to attend until the age of sixteen.
It almost seems silly to need to make laws to make people smarter. One statistic that proves my point is the average lifetime earnings of a high school graduate compared to a that of a dropout. Those who graduate make an average of a 1,000,000 dollars while a dropout only earns 600,000 dollars. How can someone who doesn’t understand the basics of economics understand their financial situations? A change needs to be made and we are only harming ourselves by standing back and watching this revolution of idiots.

Improving Education

2006-10-15T13:43:00.001-07:00

Brad Rovira
English 1002
Mrs. West
10 October 2006
“Improving Education”
Currently our grading system is much too lenient, and the majority of students who receive passing grades never properly study and don’t actually learn the required material. While proposed ideas to improve our educational system such as smaller class sizes, longer school days, or giving more F‘s may work, the fact is that students must no longer be allowed to just sail through school without ever learning, and these three options alone will not achieve this. Harder tests may provide the motivation students have been missing. This will force students to work harder, let teachers know which students need the most help, and ultimately better our educational system.
In school, many students who can get by studying the night before a test because they know the test is multiple choice will forget the required material soon after the test is over. Unfortunately, while those students may make good grades, they haven’t learned anything, other than that little or no work is required to pass. Hand in hand with the need for a pass fail grading scale is the need for a new testing format. Throw out multiple choice tests whenever possible and opt for essays instead. In an essay test, unlike a multiple choice test, the majority of the information comes from the student, what they’ve learned and analyzed from not only studying the material inside and out, but thinking about the material as well. A well answered essay not only regurgitates information, but also goes beyond the books into a personal analysis of that information. While its true that not everyone does well on these tests, whether they study or not, a harder test format will force students to study thoroughly if they want a good grade, and will allow teachers to see what students need more individual attention.
While smaller class sizes are clearly not an option for many schools, because of low budgets and/or a lack of teachers, harder tests will show teachers which students are learning material and which students are not. While this doesn’t eliminate large classes, it does show the teacher which specific students need help with either proper study skills, or with understanding the information. The ultimate goal is to transform students mindsets from just wanting to get by to actually wanting to learn the material, whether they’re interested in it or not.
Its hard enough to get most students to study, but to actually persuade them to want to study is seemingly impossible at first glance. However, if the school day was extended for a mandatory study session an extra hour or two, two to three days a week (especially on a Friday) for those students who are falling behind, many students would try exponentially harder to pass tests just so they wouldn’t have to go. This may not seem like the most conventional way to get students to learn, but I believe that if it actually persuades students to learn, then it’s worth a shot.
The argument could be made that harder tests, longer school days and more failing grades will push students away and increase the dropout rate, which will evolve into higher crime rates and a strain on the average American citizens’ budget to support these dropouts. This argument simply doesn’t work, because I’m not proposing that we force or encourage students to leave school; I’m saying we need to keep kids in school, and they need to actually learn. An education is the only path to success for the majority of us, so we must keep kids in school at all costs.
While these proposed ideas will not completely change our educational system, they will change students. By showing them that tests will no longer be easy to pass, and that teachers want to help them learn, I believe we will ultimately see higher grades, which were actually earned, and happier students who have realized that all it takes to pass tests is a little studying every night. In the long run, these modifications will benefit everyone.

Teen Sex Classes

2006-10-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ron Narcisse
Mrs. West
English 1002
Sect. 3

Editorializing About Education
Teens face a lot of challenging decisions during their high school years but one that is increasing in popularity is on how schools should go about teaching their students about sex. It is estimated that about half of teens are sexually active and therefore teen pregnancy rates are up. It is estimated that the four million new STD cases comes from teens. The Bush Administration saw this as a growing problem and knew they had to address this problem immediately. There were two methods that the president and his staff could choose from: The Abstinence Program and The Comprehensive Sex Education Program. The President went with the Abstinence Program and many scholars thought this was not the right way to go about this issue.
The Abstinence Program embraces the teen sex issue by telling teens why you should not have sex until marriage. The program is more than just saying no to sex by showing students why you should not have sex . It teaches you about the problems that come along with having sex such as the risks, the emotional stress, and the benefits it can have it you want until you are married. The program wants to teach and equip teens about the risks of STDs and pregnancy, the emotional issues that come with having sex, and the benefits of marriage as a tool to stop teen sex. They think that if teens buy their arguments, that they will say no.
One issue that I have with the Abstinence program is that it does not direct its programs towards teens that are already sexually active. Half of teens are having sex and you can not have a national program that addresses only half of the teens. The program should have some sort of special program for the students that are having sex to get them want to stop. In the Comprehensive Sex Program, it addresses all teens whether you are having sex or not by teaching them the dangers, safe ways, and letting them make their own decision.
Another issue I have with the Abstinence Program is that it makes the choice for you. I think teens should make their own choice when they should have sex because it is your decision if you are ready of not. Also, it uses shame and guilt as a tool to stop teens from having sex. I think the program should address sex as adults and not as being ashamed of talking about sex because it can make you not want to have sex for the rest of your life. The Abstinence Program does not teach about the safe ways to have casual sex. You would not know about condoms and birth control pills that also can help prevent teen pregnancy through this program. The Comprehensive Sex Education Program goes about telling teens that is okay to have sex but also gives you the safe ways to go about having sex.
I think the Abstinence Program should change the time frame of waiting until marriage to whenever the teen gets ready. Not every situation where a teen has premarital sex ends up a disaster. There are situations were no emotional stress happened because both partners were serious with each other and got married. This can also says that if you do not get married that you are forbidden to have sex. So I guess we should develop a new program for adults that are still practicing abstinence at an older age because new things can develop such as new STDs and new methods about avoids sex. Not to mention if you lose your virginity at a young age because of some kind of sexual abuse. I bet sitting in these classes about how bad it is to have sex can hurt you physically and mentally.
I think both ways can be effective but I think we should not have one standard way of stopping teen sex. It should be a team effort and not a situation of ‘I am in power so this is the way I am running things’. I think the government should talk it over with the opposition of a way where both can be used and it can be directed to every teen instead of half and show them if they decide to do it, this is the safest way.

Standardized Tests are Psychic?

2006-10-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Standardized tests are tools used in predicting how well a student will perform at the college level and life after school; but are these tests the best way to predict a student’s future? In the article, “SAT Study Says Test Is Good Predictor Of College Success,” the author states that students who do well on standardized tests are more likely to earn higher grades and graduate. The author also indicates that these test are used in predicting the ability of a pupil to handle college criteria. I believe that standardized test can be a convenient way of measuring a student’s success and ability; however, I also believe that the author does not factor into account the many different perks towards a pupil’s learning and future, like their variety of knowledge, pace of learning, and motivation towards education.
Throughout elementary and high school students are taught to think outside the box and learn interesting information from multiple subjects. Standardized tests consist of a student’s core classes, but leave out many subjects that are taught in school. Yes, Math, English, Reading, and Science are a student’s basic set of knowledge; however, these subjects are not the only kind of information a student learns. Knowing how an x-ray machine takes pictures, how a muskrat avoids predators, and how the foreign exchange rate is determined is useless information a student may learn when it comes to taking a standardized test. Just because one person acquires different information than another person does not mean that one of them has more potential in succeeding in college; therefore, a standardized test fails to calculate a student’s variety of knowledge, and cannot be highly accurate when determining their future and ability to learn.
Every student has a strong subject in school amongst the many they are taught; therefore, a student may take less time to understand the information or question in their stronger subject than for a weaker one. Some students also take a longer time to study for a test, but get the work done in time and do just as well as a student who may do great without even studying. It always helps for a student to be quicker on their feet, but just because they may take more time to understand and apply information does not necessarily make them less likely to achieve in the future. Standardized test are timed based test that do not take this into account and therefore has trouble showing the full potential of a student.
College is a new beginning for students to work towards their career and apply their full potential. Some students take advantage of this new beginning by creating a new desire to having better study habits than they did through high school. Standardized test do not measure a student’s desire to learn and therefore create another down flaw in measuring a student’s success. Success is created by desire and achievement. Motivation towards achievement is a key in having a successful future and our motivation cannot be measured by taking a test.
When a student’s success is measured by a test, their variety of knowledge, pace of learning, and motivation towards learning should all be factored into account. Standardized tests do not factor in these key features and therefore cannot measure a student’s percentage on succeeding in life. Doing so is like trying to find a good employee without having any of their background information. Standardized test can be used to see the future, but it is definitely not the best way of finding the truth inside of a student that may one day become the president of the United States.

Cold as Death

2006-09-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Jason Gremillion

English 1002

Instructor: West

Cold as Death

Four and a half years ago I experienced a monumental revelation that changed the way I looked at life. I was a sophomore in high school and as most teenage guys feel, I felt I was indestructible. Even though I knew I wasn’t indestructible, I acted like it. I knew and had heard about things that had happened to my friends while they were either drunk or high, but I thought, “It won’t happen to me.” I think that is one of the worst mindsets you can have, to think that nothing bad will happen to you.

Everything was going wonderfully in my life. During my sophomore year, I had been the second-string quarterback all season and next year I had the expectation of being the starting quarterback. I was also getting ready for baseball season to start up and we had a team that was full of talent. That year, there were four seniors on the team that signed scholarships to play baseball in college, and one junior that went on to sign a scholarship to play in college. Football was my better sport when compared to baseball, but I played baseball to keep me busy and prevent me from getting too lazy. Just as everything looked great, that was the year when my great-grandmother died. Her last name was Jules.

I wasn’t particularly close to her, although I enjoyed seeing her when we visited my grandparents that lived out in the country, so I only saw her about three times a year. We got a call one day from my grandmother saying that MaMa Jules had past away, and that the funeral would be in two days. I didn’t cry when my dad told me the news, but I was upset because I would miss her. I can recall going to about four funerals prior to that, so I didn’t think anything would be different about this one. I thought I would walk by, pay my respects, and stand with my family waiting until they would bring the casket to the cemetery to bury her next to her husband. Although I didn’t cry, I learned and came to understand something that had never before crossed my mind.

While we were at the wake, it was nice to see the whole family together, which didn’t happen often. The mood was very somber, but there were flowers that decorated the room that had amazing colors that helped soften the mood. We were also grateful for each other’s company. I even “met” some members of my family that hadn’t seen me since I was a very small boy. Almost everyone, especially the women of the family, had puffy, red eyes. Prior to this funeral, I cannot recall having a true picture of death. I did not have the full understanding that when someone dies, there is a ripple effect that touches every friend, family, or even enemy of that person. I definitely didn’t have a true understanding of the whole process of recovering from the loss and how my immediate family would react.

When we were passing by the beautifully decorated casket to pay our last respects before they closed it and brought MaMa Jules to the cemetery, I finally got a slight understanding of life and how fragile it really is. Standing in a line that slowly inched closer to the casket, I could feel the heaviness of the mood. I was directly behind my grandmother, who was always a very strong-willed, disciplined woman. Her name is Bertha Gremillion and she is a devout Catholic. I can remember multiple times when I was sleeping on the couch in the living room at her house because all the rooms were taken, and ever so slightly I was awoken to hearing her say her prayers at five o’clock in the morning. I would watch her out of the corner of my eye, absorbing the moment and the words flowing so beautifully from her mouth. I went back to sleep, but only because of the softness of her voice and the sweetness of her prayers. I smile when I think about it. I could not remember seeing her cry this way, and while she was paying her respects, she bent down and gently kissed MaMa Jules’s forehead. Only out of seeing my grandmother do it, I bent down and did the same while I was passing by. This was a first for me, to kiss the forehead of a lifeless body. When my warm, nervous lips slightly touched her cold, motionless forehead, I had a huge revelation. My whole body felt the cold chill of death creep up my spine. I got goose bumps all over and gradually prostrated myself and walked on into the next room. Words cannot completely explain the feeling I felt, but for those of you who haven’t had this feeling or come to this realization, I hope that there is one day you soon do because the older you get, the more distressing the experience may be. From that point on, I have done my best to be grateful for my life and every day that I am blessed with to wake up and enjoy. The coldness I felt from that kiss will rest with me forever, until the day I am the one lying in the decorated casket.

I am still young. I know that I will have this experience again or at least one that is similar. I am thankful that I haven’t had to bury any of my grandparents, yet, and even more blessed that I probably won’t have to bury either one of my parents for a very long time. I know that I will mourn over my grandparent’s deaths, especially because I am very close to all of my grandparents. I believe that there is life after death, but I have only the slightest understanding or imagination of what that will be like. I am trying to take one day at a time and live life without any regrets, by showing God my appreciation in all that I do because He has blessed me above and beyond what I deserve. I feel secure now that I can lie there on my deathbed, young or old, and rest assured that there was nothing more I wanted to accomplish or feel the need to hang on to this ever-changing world. Rather I feel free to let go and meet my Creator on the other side.

PEER RESPONSE GUIDE

2006-09-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Your job, between now and the time we come to class on Tuesday, is to thoughtfully read and respond to the peers in your group, helping them to see how they can improve their essays.

How you’ll go about that:
1. Post your draft to your group’s blog (IF YOU DON'T SEE YOUR DRAFT HERE, YOU NEED TO REMEDY THAT IMMEDIATELY!)
2. Read through the drafts your group members have posted, and post comments for each draft.
3. Read the drafts of the members of the Favorites' group, pay particular attention to the ones you've been assigned.

Guide to Responding
Use these questions to guide the comments you make (you don’t have to answer them question by question; just use them as you write to each writer):

What do you think the specific focus is that the writer is trying to communicate? What suggestions can you make to help the writer sharpen that focus or make it clearer? Are there ideas that don’t fit into that focus?
Do the events of the essay come to life for you? Point out places where you’d like more details. Do you want to know what the teacher looks like? What the smells, sounds, sights are in any particular part? Etc.
Do you understand the “so what” part of the essay? Is the writer drawing you to understand the significance of these events on who they are? Where does the significance need to be clarified?
Does the organization make sense to you? Are there places you could suggest to have stronger transitions or a more logical order of ideas?
Finally, you don’t need to focus on grammar and style, but if there are common mistakes you see (the writer is consistently misspelling a word, for instance), feel free to point them out.
Make some final suggestions for the writer about your overall impressions.

DUE: Your responses are to be posted by the time you come to class on Tuesday, September 26. Don’t put this off until the last minute: these responses are your primary responsibility this week. Half-hearted attempts won’t be helpful to your group (and consequently, won’t earn you the points for participating either). If it's useful to you to think of the comments you and the other members of your group are making as a conversation, feel free to refer to the comments others have made, agreeing or disagreeing (of course, "I agree with everything she said" and nothing more won't be helpful, but "I agree with this point, but I wonder if maybe you need more details instead of..." might be a useful way to dialogue). The point is to help the writer see her or his essay in a new way.

Growing Up in Grammar School

2006-09-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Brad Rovira
Mrs. West
English 1002
18 September 2006
“Growing up in Grammar School”
Third grade was a rough year. I had just unwillingly moved from my old school, where I had been ‘the man’ since Pre-K, to a new place where no one knew me. I doubt that anyone has had the exact experiences I’ve had, but when I was in second grade, there were already tightly woven groups, and I had made several close friends. Social classes had been established too, the cool kids, the nerds, and the others who were just there watching. I was comfortable there; I knew the place and people, and they knew me, so when my new step-dad, who was Baptist, said he didn’t approve of me attending a Catholic school, I wasn’t happy. I hated him for it then, but looking back on the series of events that took place as a result of the move, I realize how beneficial it was. Through emotional struggles, physical challenges, and rigorous class work, I learned how to be a motivated student, a competitive yet humble athlete, and an upright and moral person.
The first three years at Memorial Baptist Christian School, or M.B.C.S. were frustrating in more ways than one. Making friends was a difficult process; impossible at first, and I was constantly made fun of, especially since I put on a few pounds the Summer before starting there. I learned what it felt like to be an outcast, to sit alone at the lunch table, and to be treated as I had treated so many other people. Harsh words cut deep, and it was emotionally exhausting to pretend I didn’t care every day. It hurt, and although I eventually got past it and became ‘one of the guys’, the experience taught me that compassion and respect for everyone is a necessity, and blind hatred coupled with crude comments toward anyone is unacceptable, not to mention a clear sign of ignorance and fear. A quote by Herbert Spencer that serves as a daily reminder of my past says, "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is contempt prior to investigation". I always keep this in the back of my mind.
Once middle school came around, sports were all that mattered. Every year, we played flag football, basketball, and softball. I always made every team, and practice was what I looked forward to the most each day. Team work on the field prompted team work off the field, and the fact that we played week after week with heart, determination, and a good attitude despite losing every season was a clear display of our perseverance and character. The score didn’t matter; I had fun every weekend at the games because I didn’t value winning as much as I valued the continual effort put forth by myself, my teammates, and the parents who came out religiously to support us. Those games evolved into something more than just sports; it was about bringing the school together. It was about fellowship between families, and time with school friends away from school.
In seventh and eighth grade, with High School right around the corner, it was important to shift focus to my grades. I had the same teacher (Mrs. Mohr) both years, and I honestly believe that I will never have another teacher quite like her. She was a devout Christian woman, and it showed. Her commitment to our success was often times greater than our own commitment for success. She strived to be the perfect example for us to follow, and she succeeded. With an eighth grade class of only twelve students, we all got one on one time with her very often, and to have that kind of attention made such a difference. Mrs. Mohr taught me the value of hard work both in and out of the classroom. On one field trip, she brought the class to a shelter where we prepared food and fed needy families all day. It was both amazing and saddening; an experience I’ll never forget. Regardless of what I was doing, she encouraged me never to settle for less than my best work, and she served as living proof that hard work and determination will get you places.
For most people, High School is where you have experiences that truly shape you into the person you will become, but I’m not one of those people. Rather, the moral values, academic determination, and physical self motivation I gained in Grammar School stuck with me through High School and still remain as much a part of me today as they did back then. As upset as I was when I changed schools, now looking back I’m scared to think of the person I could have become. I guess it‘s true; everything happens for a reason.

Education Autoboigraphy

2006-09-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ron Narcisse
Ms. West
English 1003
Section 3
My Educational Autobiography
My educational autobiography was an experience that shaped my life. I found out things about myself and things I needed to work on. It was an experience that led into the ultimate lesson of my life so far. It hit me all at once and I needed to change my habits quickly.
When was I in elementary school, I was pretty much one of your smarter students. I got thru elementary school with at least a high B or a low A grade point average. I did my homework after school and studied with my parents at night just a few days before my tested. It was routine that I used until I got into junior high.
In junior high, my routine switched to doing everything at night time. I was getting out around the house a little more so I wanted to play longer than I did in my younger year. This routine didn’t affect my grades but I put in less hour throws school. I only studied when I thought I needed too. Our junior high wasn’t a hard school from my point of view. I was always one of the smarter students and most of the time we spent more time teaching the other students what I picked up the first time. This was the time I started getting bored and started putting my attention elsewhere. My behavior began to change and I was getting more punish work than ever.
My parents notice this and wanted to send me to a catholic high school with good academics and strong discipline. The public school in my area was known as a high school that focused on sports and just trying to get you out of school. My friends were telling me how fun high school was. I wanted to go to that school and I eventually got my way. I was in honors classes and was looked upon to do very good in high school. My laziness from junior high carried over. I hardly ever studied or did homework. My teachers often told me about my work habits and how it would hurt me in the long run but I did not think it would be much of a problem. By this time, my parents started getting the notice about this and ask me about my school work. I would tell them that I did not have a test coming up or I did not have homework. I got by all of high school like this and graduated with a 3.4 grade point average with honors. I started to hear the phrase “just imagine if you would have studied”. I realized that all I had to do was pay attention in class and I did not need to study. This got me cocky and I started giving myself more credit than I deserved.
When I got to college, I thought I could pick up things like I did in high school. After my first semester, I received the lowest grade point average of my life. I was very embarrassed and upset with myself. Many looked at me as the one that will make it. It got to the point where if a person would ask about how I’m doing in school, I had to lie to them. My parents were furious and were wondering what the problem was. They started asking questions about my work habit and founded out that I did not spend enough time studying. The next semester I studied harder and longer and I improved a little bit I was not satisfied and either were my parents. My parents thought I was not studying enough again. I studied hard but there was another reason why this did not show up in with my grades. I went to class, paid attention, and took notes. It hurt me because I started to think I was not college material and I should drop out and get a trade. After narrowing it down and checking with myself, I realized I was taking bad notes. I knew that my work ethic in high school would catch up with me but not all at once. I began to rewrite my notes and ask people to see their notes if I did not understand rather than blow it off like I used too. I knew my parents eventually would have made me transfer or pay for my own college. I really want to stay and knew I could not make enough money to stay here.
After that, I been more focus on school than I ever been. I wish I can have my first year of college back but I look at it as a learning experience. I learned that I will have to put forward a lot of effort to maintain my high standards. I was proud of myself because was hard for me at those time and I could have easily given up but I did not. It showed that I had to drive to do what I had to and I was not a lazy bum. It was tough for me personally but I would not change the way it happened one bit.

Educational Autobiography

2006-09-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Kraig Cason
Ms. West
English 1002
18 September 2006
A Time to Learn
Hi, my name is Kraig Cason and I am a young man who lives a very privileged life. I have faced few hardships throughout my life like most people I know. My family is very wealthy, which allows me to have expensive cars and also receive a great education. I attended a prestigious all boy Catholic high school, which has integrated my faith into my life. The friends I have now are extremely intelligent and outrageously athletic. Soccer, cross-country, track, football, basketball, and baseball are sports at which I have shown success throughout my life. There is however, one main period in my life that has shaped me into the caring, Christian, sporty, and open-minded man I am now.
When I was eight years old I played on a local basketball team that was all white. My team played against squads of all black players who seemed to beat us with ease in every game. Despite my team’s disheartening record, I made the all-star squad that year and joined fourteen talented black players who were also selected. My first few practices with the all-star team were rough because of my color and lack of friends. We lost all three of our games in our first tournament, showing that we had a lack of stability. The disappointment of our performance showed in the team’s next practice, but that practice happened to be the changing point in my life. A special event occurred when I drove to the basket during a scrimmage towards the end of practice. One of my teammates yelled my name as I was dribbling the ball up the court. He cleared the lane by stretching his arms as far as he could reach to block the defenders, and shouts, “Watch out, I am clearing the lane for Flash.” From that moment on I had a feeling of acceptance from the team, and they called me Flash the rest of the season because of my quickness. I became better friends with my teammates over the next two practices and was ready for the next tournament.
We arrived in Mandeville, Louisiana, with high hopes of winning the entire tournament. Our first game was a breeze, winning by a quiet twenty-four points. The second game would not be as easy as the first, but we pulled through, winning in the last minute by five points. Two games passed by and we were now two and zero; however, the third game was against the defending state champions, the St. Bernard Parish All-stars. During warm-ups the white parents of our opposing team were harassing my teammates and me. I heard racial comments that really got into our heads, especially impacting my newly acquired friends, such as, “What is that white boy doing playing with all those niggers?” and “Them niggers are poor and don’t have any chance against us rich white people.” The pestering of the opposing side really got under our skin and affected the entire team’s play. My team walked out of the gym with our heads down and our pride taken away, with a fifty-two to forty loss. The racial impact of the comments toward my teammates really showed me how every person has feelings, no matter what color they are. I took the experience of the loss and criticism to my team’s next practice and made a vow to care for my friends at all costs.
With a new sense of concern I asked my mom if we could pick up one of my teammates for practice, which she happily agreed to do. When my mom and I arrived in our Lexus at my teammates house, our jaws dropped as we saw a trailer half way burned down with the other half covered in graffiti. My mom blew the horn nervously and my friend Ryan ran out of the half burnt trailer, carrying his worn out tennis shoes and boasting a smile across his face. I got to practice that day and could not stop thinking about the way Ryan lived. When practice ended, Ryan and I jumped into my mom’s car and headed back to his house. After we dropped him off, I asked my mom how someone is able live the way Ryan does and have no one around to care for him. My mom told me that no matter how someone lives, we are all equal in the eyes of God, who cares for all. I took what my mom said to heart. The site of Ryan’s house strengthened my faith and expanded my Christian beliefs. Putting the image of Ryan’s home aside, I looked ahead to tomorrow when we would play in the state tournament.
Like our last tournament, we won our first two games. However, the third game this time was a breeze as we played Hammond and cruised past them with a twenty point win. We reached the finals, but once again had to play the hateful St. Bernard Parish All-stars. This would be our team’s test of resilience. We passed our test by crushing the St. Bernard All-stars by forty points, ignoring everything they had to say! My team celebrated with joy and happiness, which proved to me that no matter how hard life may be, happiness can always be found. We later won the national championship by embarrassing all of our challengers. This incredible team has shaped my thoughts and abilities and I am grateful for every experience I had that year.
I have always considered myself an athletic person. Playing with fourteen of my best friends the year we won the state championship has helped make me into a good athlete, and has also shaped me into the man I am now. I am caring, Christian, athletic, and open-minded toward every race and style of living. I do not make a fast judgment when I see a certain neighborhood or the way someone looks. I have learned that the person you criticize may grow up to be the person you cheer for one day. My teammate is a great example of someone who has changed in the eyes of many people. Many people considered him poor, black, and hopeless, but now he is the athlete who astonishes everyone. My all-star teammate’s name is Ryan Perriloux, the future LSU quarterback.

Jordan O'Connell's Educational Autobiography

2006-09-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jordan O’Connell English
Essay #1 Educational Autobiography 9-18-06

My entire life I have been fascinated with nature and everything outdoors. As a child I
collected bones, skulls, hides, shells, fossils and other interesting specimens. My parents
encouraged my hobby and even allowed me to build a makeshift museum in our garage made out of two by fours and paint cans. I was able to enjoy my interests first hand thanks to a very
special tutor I had as a kid. Once again in high school I was inspired by a teacher to take interest
in science and nature. I learned about protecting our environment through a series of
experiments and volunteer work. These very special teachers gave me respect for my
surrounding wildlife and have shaped the person I have become.
My interests in wildlife blossomed when my parents hired me a tutor for math and English. My tutor did not only help me with math and English but she would show me her wildlife books and take me to museums and the San Antonio Zoo. Thanks to her I knew every kind of bird, deer, rabbit, and fish in Texas by the time I was fourth grade. Each week she would give me different wildlife books to take home and read. Sometimes we would even trade our fossils and bones from our own collections. She taught me to appreciate every plant and animal and showed me how interesting and mysterious our world is. Her guidance proved useful as I got older and began taking science classes. She had ignited a spark in me and I loved reading and studying our biology textbooks.
Around fifth grade I got rid of my fossil museum in my garage but my love of the
outdoors still remained. I filled the void by hunting and fishing. Despite our reputation, hunters
and fishermen have total respect to the environment. I eat everything I kill and use my
knowledge of animals to help give me an advantage.
A unique opportunity to be a part of a water test on the Buffalo Bayou arose my senior
year in high school. Fortunately my school had a bayou running through its campus so my
biology teacher was going to be teaching an environmental science class that consisted of a
semester long study on the water properties of the Buffalo Bayou. I immediately signed up for
this class. Within a week we were in canoes running as many as twelve different tests on the
bayou water at a time. I loved how the bayou was our classroom. I felt like I was on an
adventure, not at school. The first day of class Mr. Shepler spoke about our service projects we
would need to complete. The whole class groaned when he told us that we would have to drive
to Galveston and complete three half day beach clean ups. I was shocked to see how much
garbage littered the Texas beaches. The only part of the beach I had ever seen was in front of
beach houses. I really felt good after I had personally cleaned an entire mile beach property.
Since the first day of beach service, wildlife conservation has become an important issue to me.
I have become an active member of Coastal Conservation of America and contribute annually
for this cause.

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2006-09-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

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