Hyndman High School
Hyndman, Pennsylvania
Teacher: Janet Phillips

 

The Role of Personal Responsibility in Improving
The Quality of Life in Our Communities Today

By Shana Shoemaker

Grade:  11

 

 

 

I think that my personal role of improving the quality of life in our communities is based upon many things. My community is small and not a "high crime rated" area. Many times through out my life, I have been asked what I could do to make my community a better place. I always think about the problems that I couldn’t change, such as taxes, pollution, and high unemployment rates. I realize that all these problems are in some way related to many other communities so that is why I try and resolve the problems that I can handle without having to be an adult or an official.

           

Obstacles in our community can be overcome if we just pay more attention to them. Most people in my community have to travel out of town and in many cases out of state just to get to work every morning. Without factories or big businesses in our town, people are forced to look elsewhere. There is a lot of vandalism in our community also. Over the past few years many incidents have occurred: windows have been broken out of small shops and even our town pharmacy, bottles have been broken on the road, and our soda machines have been vandalized. 

           

Our town has no public transportation, with the exception of school busses. There is no help for the elderly, handicapped, or teenagers who need to go from place to place safely. My community also has no police force or any other form of public protection. The nearest police station is more than twenty minutes away.  This may cause many problems because we cannot get help fast enough.

           

Our society is affected by these problems every day. Traveling out of state to get to work every morning can cause many problems for the people who need to spend gas money. Whenever there is a any type of vandalism in our town, the parents and students always blame it on the fact that there is nowhere for kids to go to stay out of trouble. I think that investing in an arcade or recreational center for kids to keep them off the streets would be well worth the time and money. Without a public transportation system many people will be left with limited means of transportation.This could lead to many car thefts. We have no police protection only causes problems for many people. The fact that there is no police around here causes people to drive faster, road hunt, drink and drive, hang on the street corner, and get involved in domestic disputes. 

           

Our children may be affected by the problems that we have around our community.  Why would we want anything bad to continue knowing that our children and possibly grand children will have to put up with the exact same thing? I realize that not all the problems will be fixed right away, but at least we can get started as soon as possible. Since there are only a few jobs around here now, I predict that many people will move just to be closer to their jobs.  If this happens, our little town, as we know it, will soon become deserted. Without jobs in the area, many people may turn to welfare to solve their problems. The only point that I’m trying to make is there will be more problems in the future unless the teenagers of today’s society can come together.  If many teenagers contribute to their community, then it is just another step in improving the quality of life around the world,  as well as their home town.

           

In conclusion, I think that I can help my community and start that cycle of improvement. The low employment rate can be helped just by going to the town council or mayor and asking for help. By building bigger building and providing jobs, out community could become a better place.  In my town there is a lot of vandalism and teen pregnancy. I think that setting up things for teens and their friends to do after school can really help. In my own personal experience, I think that if I would get involved in school sports, it would be easier to stay out of certain dilemmas. The fact that we have no public transportation can be helped but not completely solved. Many people can volunteer to deliver medication, groceries, and other supplies to the people who need it. If a lack of public protection is an issue, then I can start night watches with friends around my community. I don’t think that in my town that would be necessary, but people can still look out for your neighbors when they're away or post restricted area signs to help keep teenagers out. Whatever I do to help my community may not be recognized, but will help out in a positive way.

 

REQUIRED READING QUESTIONS

 

Q1-      The society invests in marriage by providing money to help pay for marriage counselors.  The society invests in Manus by providing money to the financiers who in turn invest that money into marriages.

 

Q2-      In the result of my interviews, four people who’s marriages ranged from 17,8,12,and 17 years said that there advice to a long healthy relationship would be communication.  Another four people said that they believed trust was the answer to a long relationship.  Their marriages were anywhere from 35 years to 15 years, and 9 to 24 years.  The last bit of people I interviewed was married for 3 years and 21 years.  These people said that the key to a good marriage would be commitment. Obviously all these things are needed to have a healthy and happy relationship.

 

Q3-      Our collective goal should be spending more time trying to understand what is going on as far as growth and expansion in our world as well as the effects of that these changes may cause.  We also need to look for better alternatives.

 

Q4-      The most obvious goal for my local community should be more recognition and                         support for our children.  I think that by paying more attention to the needs of today’s             youth, many benefits may arise.  If children are treated decent, they treat others               decent.  By treating others decent a positive change will occur in the way that                       people treat other people.

 

Q5-      The excerpts from “Tomorrow’s Child” are not what I would call realistic.  The idea of giving a child a doll in place of a mother is not humane, nor is it logical thinking.  Is a doll going to save a child's life if the child is choking or drowning?  I do not think that a doll would be capable of such things.  A child would absorb many aspects of a so called doll.  Good or bad many functions of a doll could cause a lack of understanding             and communication for a child.

 

Q6-            Kathleen Sullivan thinks that lawyers are useful in the world today.  She said that             lawyers settle many cases out of court and help people out by anticipating future conflict.  Kathleen Sullivan also says that lawyers are particularly helpful in the United States and it’s democracy.  Lawyers are bringing lawsuits against states for providing legal aid to people who have little or almost no money, but still in need of help. 

 

Q7-      If people want to sue other people over what I like to call petty differences, then they need to understand that the world wasn’t made just for them.  I read in a magazine about a woman suing McDonalds for making the coffee too hot.  The woman purchased a cup of coffee at McDonalds, and went to pull out when her coffee spilled all over her burning her.  The woman sued The McDonalds company for thousands of dollars in damage.  I think that this action was not thought out or very constructive. I think that if more people learn to complain less about little things and start complaining about more important issues like child care, education, and drug-use then the US would be in a better state of understanding.

 

Q8-      The retirement of baby boomers can ause a great number of available jobs for our Generation X’ers.  By starting up there own businesses they will allow many more jobs to  open up. If the people of my time will step up and take these jobs there will be an increase for the needed help of elderly care facilities.  Many people who  retire within the next year could cause a major change in the retirement programs.

 

Q9-      These plans to help fund poverty may cause more problems for the U.S.  If the people of the United States of America won’t pay higher taxes for this funding then who will? The U.S. is supposed to be a rich country so who could blame countries in need for coming to us.  If Americans have to pay for the needs of other people outside of there country this could cause  a major  uproar in the citizens of the U.S.  If we continue to pay for these tactics then we could lose communication with a more productive country if that country dislikes the country that we are trying to help.  I  personally think that a good president should put the needs of his own country first. If we need to help out another country that is fine as long as the stability of our Country remains strong.

 

Q10-            Truett Cathy and Tom Lewis both have a big dream.  I think that they both worked hard for a really long time to accomplish there goals.  They both think that children should be loved and under the same roof as there parents.