Rachel Robinson, Charger Staff
If there was one thing that I could change about me, it would be my ability
to deal with, or rather not deal with, changes. It feels like when I, or anyone
else for that matter, starts to get the hang of something, an unexplainable
force makes something happen that changes everything around me.
For example, when I turned 13, I didn’t feel any different than when I
was 12. And, just as I was getting used to acting like a 13 year old, my birthday
stared at me right in the face saying, “Guess what? You’re turning
14 today! Time for more responsiblity! You get to mature even more! Aren’t
you excited?” Needless to say, I wasn’t.
Just when I have gotten used to high school for two years, everything is changing.
The school board has decided that every school in Putnam County is to have a
“balanaced calendar.” So now, we go to school for nine weeks, and
then we have two weeks of vacation.
Although this sounded nice at first, I no longer agree with the decision. We
have a two week break in October, but this is in the middle of football season.
The football team, the cheerleaders, band members, and all of their parents
will not get a “break.” Depending on their coaches’ decision,
they could have practice during the vacation. If the family wants to take a
vacation during the two week break, their child’s extracirrucular acitivites
may put a damper on things.
Dr. Michael Martin said that all of the games scheduled during the break will
be played, and as this schedule becomes more popular with the surrounding counties,
the games will be scheduled around the two-week break.
This schedule is also a change for people who do not work in the school system.
If a family has younger children, parent(s) who work outside the school system
will have to find childcare during the two weeks, which could be costly.
Anyone who has a summer job will only be able to work for two months, and if
someone wants to work during the two-week break, the choices of jobs are limited
because most employers won’t hire someone for only two weeks.
There is also the fact that we will be going to school at the beginning of
August. In Tennessee, August is the worst month to be in school. It’s hot.
It’s sticky. It’s miserable.
It’s change.
And, like all change, I will be forced to accept it and move on whether I like
it or not.
Home page | Archives | More February 2002 Articles