Saturday, 11 July 2009

• Friendly Advice

  Here's the second part of Some Encouragement:
  
  

  Over the next 20 minutes, Mr. Walters calmly went over school guidelines including the dreaded late policy which he strongly hinted students don't make a bad habit of. Standard stuff but still Alex didn't want to fall into that lazy category. He had a pretty good track record missing class only four instances the past three years. But that was done and this was a new place where he'd have to build up a new reputation. As he quietly glanced around the room, Alex wondered which kids would fall into the trap and why with the latter him not comprehending. A few sat together and shared a laugh in the middle part of the room before Mr. Walters spoke over them, grabbing their attention.

  
  

  His presence impressed upon Alex. It didn't come off arrogant or upset even though those kids had chuckled. Instead, it was handled in a very mature manner which made him appreciate this teacher. He seemed to really not let it bother him and continued laying down the law. This was different from intermediate school where sometimes, some teachers let this sorta stuff fly off the handle. Perhaps it was because they were older now with more expected.

  
  

  Following Mr. Walter's announcement that homeroom would meet weekly every Wednesday, he gave everyone a little friendly advice.

  
  

  “The next four years are an important chapter in your lives. Just do the best you can. If you put in the effort, no matter what happens, your parents won't be disappointed. I realize the challenges kids face today. Don't sweat it. If things get tough, it's because sometimes they are. If you feel overwhelmed, you can always ask for help. Our doors are always open after school. Compared to where you came from, it might be a bit of an adjustment. If it starts out badly, don't panic. Rome wasn't built in a day. Stick with it. And most importantly, have fun. Try to enjoy these years. It can't always be work, work, work. Best of luck from a proud Benjamin Franklin High School graduate!”

  
  

  Before the bell sounded for their next class, Alex and Becky just looked at each other almost in astonishment. They could tell what they were thinking. What a well thought out speech it was. Alex could only hope this was a good sign moving forward. He really liked what was said.

   

  “So, what's your first class?” asked Becky. “Oh,” he said before glancing at his program and answering, “Math.” “Ah. Mine is social studies. Guess we won't be in that together. What do you have the rest of the day?” He quickly looked and they each compared schedules. They discovered that they had the same lunch in fifth period and would also have Biology together two periods later.

  
  

  “At least we're in a couple of things together,” she pointed out. “Yeah, that's not too bad. Especially for biology. Maybe we can work on assignments and study,” Alex said.

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