Hush Little Baby

If only our parents could still sing a lullaby to put us to sleep like they used to when we were little babies; then we would all live happier. I think that every student would love to get to sleep in the hours of the mid-afternoon instead of having to attend classes. Although the same number of hours spent sleeping is not needed now, we are often more worn out than our bodies can handle. After 7 classes a day, sports practice, and hours of homework my body can no longer sustain itself anymore. I am often so tired during my studying that I have to take a power nap in order to rid of my flickering eyes. All teenagers are turning into these sleep-deprived people who run on only a couple hours of sleep each night.

Many teenagers just wish that they were back in Kindergarten, where they could take naps every single day. We not only got more sleep when we were younger, but we were also less busy and a lot healthier. The entire condition just seems to be getting worse as we grow older and take on more tasks. The problem is that we are still expected to finish all of our homework and to succeed in everything else that we do. How do teenagers manage time and the stress that builds up from the lack of it? All we know is that the days get harder and harder until the first day of summer appears. For the next three months you are able to catch up on sleep, only to get farther behind again in the fall.

Many people are unaware of where the actual problem persists; whether it is to blame on the children or on the teachers who are piling up the assignments each night. Or does it get blamed on the parents who are not controlling their children enough to get more than four or five hours of sleep? Just think if a policy was created where teachers could not give out any homework on certain days of the week. Just one thing to look at is the fact that no sporting activities can be scheduled for Wednesdays or Sundays because of church activities. I don’t understand why homework is not abolished on those days too.

Sleep deprivation is a huge problem that has increased greatly for teenagers who are becoming too involved in high school activities. Now if we could just get our parents to sing us a lullaby and allow us to sleep for hours on end. We would be hushed like little babies.

April Showers Bring 'AP Tests'?

I can almost feel it now; the joy of finally being able to say goodbye to those dreading AP classes that only seem to take away your beautiful free time. I’m just one day away from the uplifting happiness that is going to sweep over my cheeks as I walk out of the testing site tomorrow afternoon. Finally I will be able to relax a little bit and pay less attention to the terrible college tests that are to come. All AP students experience this same turmoil when the May flowers begin to pop up all around them. It not only means that spring is finally here but it also represents the relative approach of the Advanced Placement tests. This is what it all comes down to. It’s one test; determining whether or not you get the college credit that you have been working towards for the past 150 days.

The tensions begin to build up among all of these students when the first week of May rolls around. No matter if it is going to be your first or your last AP test during your high school career it still means a lot. The hours spent preparing for the multiple hour tests are finally paying off. There will be no more studying, no more anxiety, and no more stress built up over a class. My opinion on these classes has remained the same over the past three years, seriously I see no point. Most colleges have begun to disregard the credits that high school students work so hard to gain and have un-weighed the GPA’s of the kids who are trying to get into college. This is not fair and it proves invaluable to taking the courses in the first place; completely replacing the encouragement by teachers to take them. I just wonder how much time I could waste in taking some of these classes.

For the next three weeks I will be able to relax, well in a way at least. Now I will have to deal with projects and papers that are even more invaluable to my success as a high school junior. At least the tests are over and there will be a little less homework to cope with after school. Summer is finally on its way and the hot breezes are nearing, but for now I will have to deal with school and the classes that I have grown to deeply dread.

The Prom Buzz

It’s the one night that every girl waits for her entire life and it’s the night that prom king and queen are finally announced. The day has arrived and will be full of exciting events, crazy disturbances, and full on nervousness. Some people look forward to the dinner, others to the dance, and even more to the after parties. But no matter what the importance of the day is, it signifies the end and the beginning of something new. Just days before graduation, high school seniors get decked out every year for the marvelous prom celebration activities, despite the slam that it puts on their wallets.

While the night is quite an important one there are times when I feel like it gets a little out of hand. When is the money spent just too much for one night? After hundreds for a dress and tuxedo, a few hundred for the limo, another hundred for hair and nails, and the hundred for the tickets prom begins to turn quite costly. Just think about going through this process a couple of years in a row. But after the money is spent, all good is supposed to arise from the night through carefully organizing and planning. Sometimes these same dream nights turn out in disaster for teenagers who are not prepared to control themselves and their peers around them.

First comes the Grand March, an event signified to simply show off how good each girl and guy thinks that they look. Walking in front of their classmates just to get a scream and whistle out for their pretty dress or tuxedo can prove worthless to some students. That is why more and more people each year just forget about Grand March altogether, using the extra two hours to finish getting all primped up. King and queen are finally announced and the tensions from all of the candidates wear off just before they have to leave for prom. But when its not you that wins, it probably stays on your mind for the rest of the night anyways.

Dinner with food of galore and a beautiful scenery comes second in this long night. It’s the time to sit with close friends; talking about the past and talking about the future. You eat and talk, and every so often your mind switches to the future and what it means for you. The entire dinner concept shows the importance of prom night. It is almost a method of closure for close friends and the people who they will leave after graduation.

The common identity of prom is the dance and the music that is played there. People look forward to this and the excitement that they get just hanging out with their close buddies. Actually some people get a little bit out of control while dancing, but I have to excuse them. They are simply having fun during one of the last few days of high school that they have and I know that I will do the exact same thing.

Other people look to the post parties and the fun that they tend to bring. Some chose the school facilitated event of post prom while still others chose to go and party it up by themselves. Really it is worth attending the school event. You get free food, bowling, and there are hundreds of prizes that you can win. The morning also entertains you with a hypnotist and the enjoyment of getting to laugh at your crazy classmates.

Although prom is costly and it raises the tensions of every single senior, it is definitely worth it to take the jump in. The night is the end of the old days, but it is the beginning of everything new that is going to come into your life. The prom buzz is the one to wait for