Student
Mrs. Kirk
11(1) Composition
1-31-12
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don’t mind, and
those that mind, don’t matter.”
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don’t
mind, and those that mind, don’t matter.” When he said that, did Dr. Seuss realize
how hard of a thing that is to do? Honestly, being one hundred percent yourself all
the time and not worrying about what others think are two of the hardest triumphs
a person can overcome, especially in high school.
People always say, “Just be yourself.” Yeah, right. Nothing is worse than when
you do act yourself and someone just gives you “the look.” Everyone knows “the
look.” The “Who are you? Why are you here? I am so much better than you,” look. So
there you are just trying to do what every one tells you to do, and you get shut
down. Well, guess what? They are right. Yes, you have to be yourself, and if those
people are giving you that look, I say give it right back. You are you, and you have no
reason to change who you are because of someone else’s opinion. I believe that
those people were put on this earth to challenge you. Their job is to push you to
strive to be you no matter what the situation. And, I realize this all sounds silly, but I
endured these people, “these haters,” firsthand.
Tryouts for anything stress me out. But, I can only name a few times that I
have been more stressed out and more nervous than I was for my freshman year
lacrosse tryouts. I guess all that worrying paid off though, because on our first day of
practice the Varsity head coach walks over to three other freshmen and me and
says, “Oh you guys can come practice with JV and Varsity.” I thought my stomach
was going to explode with the butterflies ravaging around in there.
While practicing with upperclassmen, I, like my fellow freshmen, were trying
to make friends with them. I’m not sure why it is exactly, but sophomores are
basically the worst. Maybe a malicious virus consumes all of them over the summer,
but who knows? I’m allowed to say this because I was a sophomore. They hated me.
Literally, everything I said or did wasn’t right to them. I distinctly remember one
time; my friend and I were studying for an Environmental Science test during
practice by asking each other questions. Wow, you would have thought that we
committed some evil and horrifying crime. The glaring eyes, that shot upon us
probably, sent daggers all the way to China. “Uh, what are you guys doing?” And just
like that four other heads whipped around and the cackling began. Now, really, who
cares what we were doing? So what if we were studying? But, from then on, any tiny,
insignificant, miniscule thing that we did that was not “right” in their eyes became a
source of ridicule. This doesn’t sound like high school, does it?
I was out of my mind frustrated. But, I realized the wisdom in Dr. Seuss’s
words. “…Those that mind, don’t matter.” Those girls did mind. They minded a lot if I
was myself. So, they don’t matter. It took me a while to be able to completely be
myself and not worry what they think. This quote is my motto for lacrosse this year.
I’m a self-confident junior and I am my silly, goofy, blissful self. And I love it. The
girls have learned to respect me because I respect myself.
Dr. Seuss has taught me to be myself, which is not as simple as it seems. He
taught me how to be a strong leader. My goal is to make the freshmen feel like I
didn’t. I want them to walk into lacrosse and be themselves, not who they think I
want them to be.
____________________________________________________
Student 2
Mrs. Kirk
11(1) Composition
1/30/13
Keep Moving Forward
World War II hit Great Britain very hard. Daily bombing perpetrated by the
Nazi Air Force leveled the heart of London. British citizens cried out in desperation
as they saw their homes, churches, and places of work destroyed while young men
were losing their lives on the battlefield. In this war, Britain had many victories, but
also many defeats. It was at this time, they sought leadership and guidance from
their Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Delivering these words, Churchill inspired a
nation in despair to keep moving forward, to get past this dark time; “Success is not
final, Failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” Upon learning
about Churchill and reading his quote, I have attempted in all ways possible to apply
this to my life.
The first thing that must be known is my life evolves around two aspects;
schoolwork, and Golf. From my pee-wee years to this very moment, I have
developed great measures athletically, but more importantly, academically. At the
start of my freshman year, I was an average student with poor study habits and a
bad attitude. During this time, I suffered many bad grades. To make matters worse,
my scholastically high-achieving brother was renowned for his excellence in the
classroom. Compared to him, I looked foolish and pathetic. At this point, I first
implemented Churchill’s quote into my life. “…failure is not fatal; it is the courage to
continue that counts.” I used this quote to look past a bad grade and learn from my
mistakes as well. My attitude and demeanor changed too; I saw myself as a happier,
jovial kid.
When school is not in session, my passion is golf. Using proper golf jargon, I
am a range-rat: somebody who spends hours upon hours honing his skills at the
practice range. I am a very social person, but during the summer I disappear for the
three months we have off. I can be found at my home golf course, White Manor,
practicing my skills. If I am not practicing, I am playing. When I am doing neither, I
am participating in national tournaments. To be a successful tournament golfer, one
must have a balanced attitude. During the summer of 2011, it was obvious that I was
not balanced. When I had a great round, my emotions showed on my face. When I
had a bad round, my emotions showed on my face. This led to my shooting very
inconsistent scores. At the mid-point of summer, I thought of Churchill’s quote once
more. From that point forward, nobody could tell if I was having a good or bad
round. My newly balanced demeanor worked to my advantage, as I saw my scores
trend down because I would no longer let my emotions influence my performance.
Winston Churchill talks of success, failure, and courage. Contrary to popular
thought, I believe that they are all the same. One cannot have success without
failure, and one cannot go from failure to success without courage. It is the courage
that drives mankind forward, to innovate, and revolutionize the world as we know
it. Michael Jordan once said, “I have failed over and over again in my life, and that is
why I succeed.” The only way we can improve as people is to know failure does not
mean the end. Learn from your mistakes, and have the courage to improve upon
them. For it is the courage that drives humanity forward.
Name
Mrs. Kirk
Composition
2/1/12
“Be the Change You Want to See in the World”
I can’t say that it immediately changed my life, because it didn’t. I can’t say
that, at the time, it opened my eyes to the rest of the world, because it didn’t. I can’t
say that it was important to me when I first saw it, because it wasn’t. I can say,
however, that since I found out who I am as a person, it has changed my life, opened
my eyes, and meant something to me.
In middle school, students are like Play-Doh; they can be molded and
manipulated many different ways. Everything that occurs during these oh-so
awkward years will shine through when each individual eventually develops his
own personal identity. So, when I first saw this quote, “Be the change you want to
see in the world,” it was simply an old, wrinkly poster on my middle-school
teacher’s wall. When I was bored in class, I would stare at it as if it was written in
another language. I was never really sure what this quote was telling me, or how it
was helpful in life until I was in a situation where it actually applied.
Everyone remembers recess: playing four-square, running around the fields,
and swinging with your best friend. Although, in middle school, recess was about
being “cool;” therefore, there was a lot of standing around, talking, and very little
playing. This was also the most vulnerable place for kids because there usually was
not a lot of supervision. One day, I encountered someone getting “made fun of” while
we were outside. Suddenly, the quote from Gandhi appeared into my thoughts. “Be
the change you want to see in the world.” I had an unsuspected impulse to step in
and help. No one likes to feel as if they are inferior, and I would rather not have a
world full of rude people who think they are so much better than everyone else. I
told those students that it was not funny; maybe it did not change the world, but it
did make an impact on the student I defended.
So, to me, being the change that I want to see in the world is not just about
middle school, standing up to bullies, or changing the world; it is about being the
kind of person I would want to be around. Have you ever been in a situation where
you thought someone else would take care of how it turns out? If you saw a tree
lying on a road, would you call the emergency number to let them know? Or would
you assume someone else would take care of it? If you see someone litter or deface
property of a place that you are proud of, would you confront them? Or ignore it
because it is “normal?” This quote really encourages me to stay true to my morals
and the things I believe in. If I want to see this world change for the better, it does
not start with the government, the army, my friends, or the enemy; the change starts
with me.