Getting to Know Students by Rashad Dalton

Fall of the year 2005. I came into high school with high standards of playing varsity football for the following fall season. Working out all summer with the older guys and getting to know them wasn’t too hard, because of what I had achieved in middle school playing sports. The older guys knew that I was going to compete for everything I earned on and off the field. High school principals and coaches knew that I was willing to be a part of the program. Before the ninth grade, I was considered the “problem child” of the school. All throughout school, the teachers and I didn’t see things eye to eye. They had their opinions about things and I had mine. I was never really willing to be wrong, so I argued, cursed, and disobeyed them. The high school teachers knew that I was going to argue for what was right, but we really didn’t have any problems much, so it never got to that point. Senior year of 2008, I transferred from my hometown school to a bigger school just across the county line. Enrolling into Cedar Shoals High School wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. Medical shots along with other requirements had to be completed before I could attend school.

Throughout those things I learned that I have to get more things done on my own. Signing up for extra classes, turning in attendance waiver forms, overall just getting things done that needed to be done. Taking care of college decisions on my own made me realize that it’s time to face the reality of life and that it’s time to grow up.

I think before teachers judge students on their appearance. They should actually give the students a chance to express the way they are. I think that teachers should stay on the students pretty hard so that the kids won’t think that it’s easy after high school. They should prepare the kids for things that are more real to life. Most of the students go to school to see their friends not to learn, but there are some that care about their education, so the teacher should actually teach about everyday things and the requirements for college in case they do decide to go to college. It’s the teacher that determines a student’s education. I think that is a valuable thing in life, so I think that the teacher should take that very seriously, because education is the key to success in life. Without it, we could find ourselves locked out of life. Teachers should open up their plans, sit down, and get to know the students, so that they’ll get an idea of what that kid wants out of life.