Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Just Ten More Minutes: What AP English Has Taught Me About Hitting Snooze


Going to any class first period proves a struggle for high schoolers as our beds become increasingly more comfortable the older we get. Waking up has always challenged me as my mom used to physically drag me out of bed. I have progressively gotten better with only a few yanks from mom, yet I still struggle to process that people mandate me to go to school so early. As I wake up every morning, my only motivation to get out of bed flashes on the screen of my phone; an alarm that reads that I cannot arrive late to AP English. Hearing the annoying ringtone reminds me that I should not press the snooze button ten more times because I have something to get up for. While the internal conflict between the semicircle of desks and my bed that occurs every morning continues to prove a daily struggle, I never fail to get up and take my place in the seventh seat on the left. This quarter, Ms. Seresnky’s English class has encouraged me to set priorities for myself and has taught me to find something in life to motivate me to get up rather than hit the snooze just one more time. In the world today, people tend to do what they want to do rather than what they need to, resulting in an unproductive and generally lazy society. If our world had to go to first period AP English then I think everyone would function a little differently. The world would finally understand the heart-pounding fear of desks in straight rows and pens unexpectedly running out of ink and the question of the contents of a soapstone would never arise again. In addition to new fears and facts learned, I believe that people would also learn the importance of self motivation and the ability to honor a commitment by not sleeping through the class. This skill will undoubtedly help me as I continue my struggle to wake up in college. Without my mom pulling the covers back or the looming threat of having truancy filed on me, finding the motivation to attend an eight AM class would have the old Blythe pressing snooze and going back to bed. Yet with the skills that Ms. Serensky has taught me this quarter and from experiencing first period English, new Blythe will use this newfound self motivation to get out of bed and pursue more important things than just ten more minutes.

1 comment:

  1. When working until midnight studying for a test or finishing a project, I also find myself questioning if I should go to school late the next day. However, before this dream progresses I remind myself that I cannot miss AP English. Lately I have even questioned if a field trip trumps AP English 12. When in doubt I just ask myself: "Do I want to write a paragraph to make up for class or should I just wake up on time?"

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