"Go Fish!"

 I was young and naïve. I thought the home I lived in was safe, but I was the one to discover Trevor.  He laid there on the kitchen floor.  He didn’t look good at all.  I stood there in shock and disbelief as Trevor writhed in pain.  My father was also there and quickly comforted and cleaned him.  Trevor never mentioned what happened that day.  That day he turned 23. 

At home I shared a room with Kyle who was a little younger than me.  Trevor shared a room with Butch.  They were roughly the same age but didn’t get along very well.

Two weeks later Kyle and I were playing “Go Fish” in the dining room while Trevor and Butch were eating in the kitchen.  Suddenly there was a splat followed by a violent commotion coming from the kitchen.  Kyle and I quickly ran to the kitchen to see what happened.  What I saw froze me in place.  Kyle ran to tell my mother.  I didn’t want to believe the scene in front of me.  There was Trevor, flailing on the ground.  And there was Butch, looking down at him with a cold stare. 

The next day when I came home from school I ran to Trevor and Butch’s room.  I wanted to show Trevor the picture I drew for him.  I knew it would cheer him up.  But Butch was the only one there.  I asked where Trevor was but Butch didn’t even look at me.  I asked my dad.  He didn’t respond right away so I asked again.  This time my father took a deep breath and said that Trevor had died.  “How!?” I asked.  “He jumped out of his bowl when no one was home,” said my father.

Trevor was 38 days old. 

The point: Speak up if you know someone is being bullied.   

word count without "The point" : 297

With the good comes the bad

     The typical senior year is suppose to be easy.  Mine was anything but, due to Mr. Smith and AP Physics.  Easily the most challenging course I've ever taken, it required knowledge of calculus 3 in order to solve many of the problems.  Three years later I'm finally taking calculus 3.  My teacher demanded excellence.  Because of this, I ended up placing out of physics 1 but just missing physics 2.  In that class I learned a lot about physics and even more about how to approach any problem life throws at you.  To this day I love and hate Mr. Smith for stealing my senior year.  
 (100)
     If it were possible I would take my calculus 3 class online.  In 10 weeks this professor has taught me one thing; how to read a calculus book. I never thought a professor could simply not care for his students.  I will avoid his blatant rudeness and disrespectful acts and simply comment on his lecture style.  He is very soft spoken and has a thick accent.   His handwriting is small and faint but that's hardly the issue.  He rarely turns around and somehow blocks most of the board.  I am convinced that Yen Mao Lin could not get re-certified as a teacher. 
(100)
Word Count: 200

Working hard or hardly working?

If I learned anything from high school it was this: find something you want, figure out a way to achieve it, and work as hard as possible for it.  For my four years spent there, I had one goal.  Everything else in my life was secondary.  Hereford was once known for its prestigious running.  I wanted to restore the name of Hereford and show the rest of the running world that Hereford was not just a cross country course but a team of proud dedicated runners with a rich history.    

I worked as hard as I could every day.  Every day I was confronted with the same choice; do I run until I pass out or take it easy?  Taking an easy day was rarely an option and usually only done because the coaches told me to.  This level of intensity quickly caught on to most of my teammates.  It didn’t take long for us to see the results. 

It’s true what they say, “success breeds success.”  The new incoming classes would see how my class trained and think that we’re all crazy.  But then they’d see us at races and notice something.  We were winning.  They wanted to win too.  It didn’t take long for the new class to become just as crazy as mine.

It isn’t a hard concept to understand.  The harder you work at something, the more you’ll appreciate it.  For me, running was my life.  For four years I had feared my final day of practice.  And on that day I experienced a level of pride that I can only imagine happens seven or eight times in a lifetime.  Those years were the most painful years of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  

Word Count: 292

FREE BEER! XXX! F*@#

Generation Desensitized.

“’sup, bitch!”

  “Not much, man.”

This is a normal greeting between me and my roommate.  Most people on campus that are my age are unaffected by this, but this greatly unsettles parents in tour groups.  This is just one example of how my generation has become desensitized. 

Two people are sitting on a park bench; a skate boarder crashes and gashes his leg.  One person says to the other, “I’ve seen worse on Youtube.”   This is not uncommon amongst my generation.  We’ve been scarred by the media so badly that we seem to be nearly unaffected by almost anything.    

word count: 100

King of the Hill

Hereford is evil. Hereford is gruesome. Hereford is terrifying.  Hereford is hell.  These are just some of the things you will hear about the Hereford cross-country course.  The course has been the host of the Maryland state cross-country meet since 1957 and the world famous Bull Run since 1996.  Most knowledgeable high school runners and coaches considered Hereford to be the “toughest 3 miles in cross-country.”      

Being a former runner from Hereford I take great pride in hearing outsiders smite my home course.  But I’m not the only one.  Every year, the whole community of Hereford is buzzing about Bull Run.  Many come to the school to watch the races. Nearly all of them bring a cow bell to clang as the runners go by.

In years past there have been attempts to move the state meet because parking had become a serious problem.  But once the community got wind of this they did their part to save the “Hills of Hereford.” Several businesses now allow their parking lots to be used.  And most notably, the farmer that lives across from the high school opens up two of his fields for spectator parking.

The course is not only important to the community but to the runners as well.  As the state meet approaches, some teams commute to the Hereford Zone so they can better prepare themselves.  Upon completing the course, the runners will feel exhausted, nauseous, lightheaded, and disoriented; but they will also feel something else, pride.

word count: 247

King of the Hill

Hereford is evil. Hereford is gruesome. Hereford is terrifying.  Hereford is hell.  These are just some of the things you will hear about the Hereford cross-country course.  The course is the host of the Maryland state cross-country meet and the world famous Bull Run.  Most knowledgeable high school runners and coaches considered Hereford to be the “toughest 3 miles in cross-country.”      

Being a former runner from Hereford I take great pride in hearing outsiders smite my home course.  But I’m not the only one.  Every year, the whole community of Hereford is buzzing about Bull Run.  Many come to the school to watch the races. Nearly all of them bring a cow bell to clang as the runners go by.

In years past there have been attempts to move the state meet because parking had become a serious problem.  But once the community got wind of this they did their part to save the “Hills of Hereford.” Several businesses now allow their parking lots to be used.  And most notably, the farmer that lives across from the high school opens up two of his fields for spectator parking.

The course is not only important to the community but to the runners as well.  As the state meet approaches, some teams commute to the Hereford Zone so they can better prepare themselves.  Upon completing the course, the runners will feel exhausted, nauseous, lightheaded, and disoriented; but they will also feel something else, pride.

word count: 242

Who's teaching who?

            Over the past century the institutions of higher learning in America have experienced a great amount of change.  One such change is how the professors are presenting themselves.  Today’s professors are becoming more like their students than ever before and I believe it’s having positive results in the classroom.   

            The change in how the professors dress is one example.  In the early 20^th century, the classroom was a very professional environment; both the teachers and students wore very strict business attire.  Between the 1950’s and 1970’s there was a shift.  The students began to dress differently; they dressed more for style than for business.  Unlike the students, the professors, for the most part, were still wearing professional attire.  Today, the classroom seems like anything but a professional environment.  Most of the students, and professors, seem to dress more for comfort.  It’s not an uncommon problem on the first day of class to be unable to distinguish the professor from the rest of the students. 

            The way the professors speak is another example.  In order for students to learn the course material they need to be able to understand what’s being said in lecture.  The easiest way to accomplish this is for the professors to speak in terms that the students understand.  This has always been common in the classroom.  Being able to explain the same thing in many different ways is what separates the good professors from the great professors.

To me it seems as if the students are slowly rubbing off on the professors.  Every year the professors seem to become more like the students.  The gap between the students and professors is shrinking.  It’s becoming easier for the students to relate to the professors.  Because of this, the students have become less intimidated to seek help and ask questions.  In this ever changing world of technology, it’s much easier for the students to communicate with their professors. 

Overall, I believe these changes have benefited both the students and the professors.  It’s much easier to succeed in the classroom and they both come out with a positive relationship.

Word Count: 349

How to teach a professor.

Over the past century the institutions of higher level learning in America has experienced a great amount of change, some more obvious than others.  One such change that may be difficult to notice is how the professors are presenting themselves.

Throughout the years the student body has gone through many changes as far as appearance goes.  In the 1940's the students and professors dressed very similarly.  Both dressed very professionally, they would all wear a button down shirt accompanied with a vest, jacket, and matching tie.  Also worn was a pair of slacks that would require a belt, a pair of nice dress shoes and matching socks.  Their hair would also be combed.

Now onto the 1970's.  The fashion of the student body has changed tremendously.  Long gone are the days of combed hair and bow ties.  In fact nearly every aspect has changed for the students, ranging from long hair to bell-bottom jeans.  As for the professors, the style is now simply a common suit and tie.

And finally back to present day.  Calling the fashion of the students professional is laughable.  The normal attire of the student is a t-shirt and jeans.  Sometimes the students don't even bother getting dressed in the first place. They just go to class in their pj's.

Unlike last time the professors have undergone a great deal of change.  It’s as if the students’ lack of professionalism is rubbing off on them.  It is very rare to see a professor give a lecture while wearing a suit and tie.  You are more likely to see them wearing a button down collar shirt with a pair of slacks.  However, in some cases it is nearly impossible to distinguish the professor from the students based on appearance alone.

I believe that this new semi-lack of professionalism is a good thing.  One thing that it does is allow the gap between the student and professor to decrease.  Decreasing the style of dress between the professor and student has allowed more students to approach the professors and seek the help they need.  

Word Count: 345