Summer is a great time for reading.  Make a list of recommended reads.  Find a bit of shade, a comfy chair, and an hour to lose yourself in a new culture or imaginary world.  I just finished my first selection, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS.  It was fantastic.  This novel really made me ponder the ways of the world, specifically Afghanistan.  Characters of this novel had the ability to make me so mad, yet others reminded me that for every bad out there, there are a million more good!  High recommendations coming from me...next THE TEA ROSE (historical fiction/trilogy).

WORDS FOR TEENAGERS

The following was a posting on FACEBOOK not too long ago.  I thought it to be very thought provoking.  Read it carefully.  Ponder what it means to you and to the world around you.  Actually, I think it can apply to all age groups.

WORDS FOR TEENAGERS

Northland College principal John Tapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth. 

“Always we hear the cry from teenagers, ‘What can we do, where can we go?’

“My answer is this:  Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons and after you’ve finished, read a book.  Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun.

The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something.  You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in sickness and lonely again.  In other words grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone not a wishbone.  Start behaving like a responsible person.  You are important and you are needed.  It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday.  Someday is now and that somebody is you!”

End of the Year

We return to the back stairwell, hearts filled with excitement and sadness.  We have survived AP English Language and Comp.  At times we were frustrated.  At times we laughed.  At times we thought the end would never get here.  Suddenly, the test was over, and we were walking out of our classroom for the last time.

AP is hard.  No one will say otherwise.  It is, however, what you make of it.  If all you do is complain, then you will receive none of the benefits.  If you talk, ponder, respond and learn to appreciate the opportunities ALL COURSES, AP or not,  can offer, no matter the grade, you will have gained what education should be all about in the end.

Congrats on your 2012-2013 accomplishments.  Enjoy your summer.  Best of luck in your future adventures!