Pulse
Success or Just a Broken Promise?
As the summer came to a close and the fifth of September rolled around, it seemed so surreal, it almost seemed like my class and I might actually just meet in our little classroom, and embrace each other like we did every year, and say how much we missed everyone, and have many conversations about all our adventures that summer. But it become apparently clear that this was not how it was going to happen. And somehow I ended up in a brand new school where I knew no one to hug or tell about my summer.
It also was harder to grasp than I think I...
Another man, slightly older, stood beside him, also in uniform. My peers looked curiously over at the table, and most of them wandered over and talked to the two men. The kids asked them questions and looked through all of the material the men had brought.
Later, I talked to one of my friends, who had gone over to talk to the recruiters. He announced that he had decided that day to join the Marines. I asked him why, and he told me he wanted to do something with his life. He wanted to be a hero. He told...
Meeting the status quo. That's what it's all about. Don't do too well, don't stand out. Kids use the term “rebel” fairly often in my school. In dictionary terms, this means someone or a group of people who rise up against the government. In my school, it's someone who fails. Someone who steals. Someone who is not in a good place in their life. The Rebels are revered.
For the first time in my life I have felt pressure not to...
It was the end of the day and I was walking with my friend to basketball practice. My teacher stood in the hall. I called to him, "So, did I get an A on that assignment?" in a joking tone. You see, we had to create these books for our social studies class, and I was laughing about...
English 9, period 2. We were all hurrying into our places at our desks before the bell rang. My friend swore loudly and announced he had forgotten his homework.
“I am so getting a detention,” he said unhappily.
You see, if you forget your homework, come late to class, come unprepared to class, grab the wrong binder for that class, fail a test, speak out of turn, or goof off, you receive a mandatory one-hour invite to an after school detention. If you miss, skip or are unable to attend this detention, you receive a two-hour detention on Friday. If you fail to attend the Friday attention, you get a “quiet” detention on SATURDAY FROM 8 TO NOON. (That's four hours!!!) During quiet detention, you are not...
I loved school. Every minute of it. There wasn't a day when I thought it was a drag to go to school. It was perfect for me. We learned to learn. My teachers taught to teach. We weren't tested, graded or analyzed. I had a second family of twenty-four kids my age and a teacher who probably knew me better than I knew myself at most times. The thought of leaving broke my heart a little every time I thought about graduation. It seemed almost surreal to me. I had known nothing else my whole life. But the inevitable day came when I...
Posted on Mar 22, 2010 - 08:00 AM by Claire Russell
Before the beginning of this school year, I made a promise to myself. I vowed that no matter what happened in my new school or whatever experiences I would have or problems I would encounter, I would not change who I was or what I believed in.As the summer came to a close and the fifth of September rolled around, it seemed so surreal, it almost seemed like my class and I might actually just meet in our little classroom, and embrace each other like we did every year, and say how much we missed everyone, and have many conversations about all our adventures that summer. But it become apparently clear that this was not how it was going to happen. And somehow I ended up in a brand new school where I knew no one to hug or tell about my summer.
It also was harder to grasp than I think I...
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Uncle Sam Wants YOU… and he’s waiting in the cafeteriaPosted on Feb 15, 2010 - 06:16 PM by Claire Russell
He stood there like a statue -- dressed head to foot in the full uniform of a United States Marine. His hands were behind his back with unmatched pride. He stood behind a table that was sitting in the middle of my cafeteria. The banner on the front of the table read "Marine Recruits."Another man, slightly older, stood beside him, also in uniform. My peers looked curiously over at the table, and most of them wandered over and talked to the two men. The kids asked them questions and looked through all of the material the men had brought.
Later, I talked to one of my friends, who had gone over to talk to the recruiters. He announced that he had decided that day to join the Marines. I asked him why, and he told me he wanted to do something with his life. He wanted to be a hero. He told...
Read More... 2 Comments
Reverse Pressure: The Pressure to FailPosted on Jan 10, 2010 - 05:20 PM by Claire Russell
In schools across America, young teens walk their halls with the heavy burden of perfection always upon them. Whoever instills this need for being flawless is often the one pushing young people. Their parents, their teachers, their family. However, at my school there is a new kind of pressure that is exceedingly different from the classic one: The pressure to fail.Meeting the status quo. That's what it's all about. Don't do too well, don't stand out. Kids use the term “rebel” fairly often in my school. In dictionary terms, this means someone or a group of people who rise up against the government. In my school, it's someone who fails. Someone who steals. Someone who is not in a good place in their life. The Rebels are revered.
For the first time in my life I have felt pressure not to...
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Bullied by a Role ModelPosted on Dec 20, 2009 - 05:00 PM by Claire Russell
I write today from my heart, which, like my head is very confused and upset. I have been at my new school for nearly three months and I am happy to report I have not once been bullied, or teased -- until today. We all went through getting teased when we were children, and I have to admit I even did my fair share of teasing when I was young too, but it's an easy thing to fix. When you're teased as a child, you run to your teacher for comfort and advice. The scary thing is, this time the bully was my teacher.It was the end of the day and I was walking with my friend to basketball practice. My teacher stood in the hall. I called to him, "So, did I get an A on that assignment?" in a joking tone. You see, we had to create these books for our social studies class, and I was laughing about...
Read More... 3 Comments
The Mention of DetentionPosted on Nov 22, 2009 - 05:39 PM by Claire Russell
Just so everyone knows, I will be blogging every two weeks. Usually on Sundays.English 9, period 2. We were all hurrying into our places at our desks before the bell rang. My friend swore loudly and announced he had forgotten his homework.
“I am so getting a detention,” he said unhappily.
You see, if you forget your homework, come late to class, come unprepared to class, grab the wrong binder for that class, fail a test, speak out of turn, or goof off, you receive a mandatory one-hour invite to an after school detention. If you miss, skip or are unable to attend this detention, you receive a two-hour detention on Friday. If you fail to attend the Friday attention, you get a “quiet” detention on SATURDAY FROM 8 TO NOON. (That's four hours!!!) During quiet detention, you are not...
Read More... 1 Comments
From Student to ConformistPosted on Nov 06, 2009 - 09:58 PM by Claire Russell
Hi, my name is Claire Russell. I am a freshman at a mainstream public high school in rural Maine. I attended a "Waldorf-inspired" alternative school from the moment I walked into my first day of kindergarten, until the day I graduated from eighth grade last June.I loved school. Every minute of it. There wasn't a day when I thought it was a drag to go to school. It was perfect for me. We learned to learn. My teachers taught to teach. We weren't tested, graded or analyzed. I had a second family of twenty-four kids my age and a teacher who probably knew me better than I knew myself at most times. The thought of leaving broke my heart a little every time I thought about graduation. It seemed almost surreal to me. I had known nothing else my whole life. But the inevitable day came when I...
Read More... 3 Comments