Harriman High School

Harriman, Tennessee
Teacher: Nancy Newcomb

 

  

What I Could Do For My Community

By Jo-Jo Edwards

Grade: 10

 

 

I would like for you to focus your attention on what others and I can do to help our community.  Many people don't let things sink into their brains. They hear the information and it goes in one ear, and goes our the other.  There are many things I can do to help my community.  If I listen and remember things others tell me, it helps. I want to talk about a couple of major topics. Education, abstinence, and drugs are some major issues.

           

Education is something every kid needs while they are young. As a kid, you should always go to school and pay attention. Some kids just want to lay out. They think school sucks.  It's not so bad. You only come for seven or eight hours anyway.  The rest of the day is free.  If you maintain high grades you can get scholarships to colleges. 

 

Think about the money you could save. Every kid is going to have to have some kind of future career to succeed in life. All you have to do is take a book home and study. Five or ten minutes a day will help. Even if you are going ahead of the rest of your class. If you have an education you will be successful in life.

 

I want to discuss abstinence. A normal person is supposed to abstain from sex until marriage.  In school we have had sex education classes. It's just another thing that slips in and out of the ear. We hear about diseases. There are a number of diseases you can catch.  Kids need to have a class that actually shows what kind of sick diseases you can catch. After I see some of that stuff, it disgusts me. If you are a person who's having sex two or  three times a week; Don't you think you might get a sexually transmitted disease or something? And how will I feel about dedicating my life to a single woman. I wouldn't be able to do that.  I would end up cheating on her. This can happen with anybody in their community today. If we abstain from sex until marriage we won't break a home, or maybe a family. Teen pregnancy rose four points form year to year. I know a girl in the seventh grade who is pregnant. That is just unnecessary.  Teenagers shouldn't ruin their lives. Kids are supposed to have fun during the younger days of their lives. Abstinence is another key to be successful in life and with your future loved one.

 

           

Drugs is the last topic I will talk about. It's probably the most serious issue also. Drugs are everywhere in every community. People make drug deals in the streets. Many even die over drug deals. The best thing we can do is to stay away from drugs. A two year old could walk down the road and come back with a pocket full of different drugs. That is how easy it is to get what you want. If you get addicted to crack or some hard drug like that your life may be ruined. All of your money or maybe even your life savings goes to your addiction. You will  almost do anything to get what your body needs. Crime is a resort to getting what you want. Prostitution and robbery are the main crimes committed by crack addicts. The thought of people selling their bodies for crack is sick. If you get caught robbing anything and are over eighteen, you're going to do some hard time in prison. The torment your body goes through is incredible. Extreme weight loss occurs and also your bones are weakened over and over. A person can put himself in a bad situation when they take that first hit. Just say no! Don't go there.

 

Hopefully, you get the point I am trying to get across. I want to be a successful man with a wife and kids one day. I don't want to ruin my life for anything. I will get my education. I will abstain from sex until I am married. I don't want to have a kid at a young age. I can't handle the responsibilities of a kid right now. I would have to quit school and make some money to raise a child. That's not for me. Drugs will definitely not stop me from my future career. I don't want to be addicted to a drug. I will not mess up my life. I will think before I act.

 

Answers To Questions Regarding Required Reading

 

1.         Manus contributed financially to the marriage.

 

2.         I interviewed 10 people and they all had different responses.

 

3.         Our goal should be to dematerialize society without reducing quality of life.

 

4.         My community needs more activity. We need a swimming pool or something like           that.

 

5.         I don't think a doll could teach a kid anything. Children don't even know what                human connection is.

 

6.         Lawyers are trained well to support you in the court. They are expensive though.           They help between individuals and the state.

 

7.         I think there should be regulations. Everything should be regulated to some extent.          If we had no rules or regulations, life would be different.

 

8.         The cost of elderly care facilities would be offset by increased productivity.

 

9.         I don't think he is serious. We will stop hearing about it pretty soon. It won't make         a real impact.

 

10.       Both of them like kids. Both of them established a foundation for kids, and they             both started from small beginnings.