Monthly Archives: April 2004

By Amanda Mull
Staff Writer ’04

One day, the phone call comes. It’s some guy you don’t know on the other end. He’s older, maybe. The name on the caller ID doesn’t look familiar. What could this possibly be about? You’ve told the Army recruiter on the phone time and again that camo just doesn’t flatter your complexion – he couldn’t still be after you to join up. You pick up the phone, greet the person in your best my-mother-told-me-not-to-talk-to-strangers tone of voice, and once you hear ‘Hi, this is *insert name here* from *insert school here*…’ on the other end, you know what’s up:
It’s time for a college admissions interview. They want to meet you at Starbucks on Johnson Ferry and Route 120 on Tuesday afternoon to discuss your application.
So, what does that mean? How should you act? What should you talk about? More importantly, what should you wear? Is your dream school actually rich enough to send someone to reject you in person? Did you make yourself look like an idiot by asking if Roswell Road and Route 120 are the same thing (don’t worry, I did that too)? Wonder no more, my fellow seniors, the Laureate has your back.

First, let’s start with dress, because a first impression is everything. Let’s try some do’s and don’t’s first. Don’t forget to shave that morning and then try and delude yourself into thinking it gives you an artistic, ruggedly-handsome appeal. Do appear neat, clean and freshly bathed, even if that isn’t your usual state of being. Don’t wear your Corona Spring Break t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. Do wear something you might wear to a nice restaurant – a button-down shirt and khakis or black pants are perfect for both genders. Don’t overdo it – being overdressed makes you look silly. Do make sure that you alter your dress relative to the location – if the interviewer wants to meet you in Roswell Park and walk around while you talk, and it’s February, bring a jacket and wear flat shoes. This may all seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at what you don’t think of once you start to realize that your interview could decide if you get into your dream school or not.

Next, what do you talk about? What issues should you stay away from? You’re going to get a lot of questions thrown your way, and they’re all going to be sort of mundane. Do your best to make them interesting and liven them up, because first and foremost, you have to keep your interviewer awake and entertained for an hour. If your test scores and grades are the most interesting things about you, don’t let on that that’s the case. You joined all those service clubs for a reason, and it wasn’t because picking up trash in the front parking lot was your idea of a fun Saturday. The college interview is the forum in which all the trash collecting and peer mentoring pay off (besides the warm fuzzies you may or may not get from the actual experience, of course).
Talk about how collecting clothes for needy families changed your perspective on wealth or about how your biggest regret is that there are only 24 hours in the day and you couldn’t fit the endless things in that you wanted to accomplish. Colleges want students that are hungry, passionate, and self-motivated, but they don’t want to teach you these qualities once you get there. You have to exhibit them yourself, and stuff like that doesn’t always come through in an application. Sure, your SAT score is on there, and it might be good, but there are literally millions of other kids out there that got a 1400 or an A in AP US history. Try and express to your interviewer the intangibles – what makes you an asset to the school that they represent?

Be prepared. In many ways, a college interview is just like a job interview – they ask you nearly exactly the same questions. The following are some that you can be almost sure to come across:

What is your biggest accomplishment?
What is your biggest failure?
What is your worst quality?
What has been your biggest obstacle?
Do you have any regrets?
What experience has meant the most to you?
What makes you different?
What are you most proud of?
What actions or experiences have best shown your leadership abilities?
Why should we let you in?

While it’s not necessary (and probably not even a good idea) to write down answers to these questions, you might want to spend a good half an hour before the interview going over possible answers. Nothing is worse than getting asked a question you hadn’t anticipated and sitting there, in stupefied silence, trying to think of a decent answer. Get to Starbucks early, get yourself a venti carmel apple cider, sit down, and go over what you want to communicate to the interviewer. Make sure that you’ve preplanned at least a few interesting things about yourself that you can fall back on if you’re caught off guard, especially if you’re the sort of person that gets nervous quickly or easily.

That pretty much takes care of the bulk of the interview, but there are a few quick suggestions that I need to make. Eye contact is great, and you should make a lot of it, but unbroken eye contact gets just a tad creepy. The same thing goes for smiling. Happiness is great, it makes you look well-adjusted, but don’t grin like a fool the entire time; that’s creepy too. Psychosis isn’t something most schools look for in their admissions criteria. Last of all, though, just remember that the schools aren’t looking for reasons to reject you, they’re looking for reasons to let you in.
Put your best you forward, and problems most likely won’t appear. If all else fails, take heart – some schools just use interviews to gauge your interest in the school and the content of the interview is not considered. It’s like a completion grade – show up, get a 100. It shows that you’re willing to take an hour out of your schedule in order to sit down and tell someone how much you want to go to school at wherever you’re applying, and that’s a big plus right there. The more competitive the school, the more likely it is that they’ll take the content of your interview into consideration, so make sure that you know your college’s policy before you breath a sigh of relief and just fire off any random answer. You shouldn’t have a problem, though, the preparation is minimal and you know the material. Besides, who doesn’t like talking about themselves for an hour?

Just remember, no creepy eye contact.

By Dania Haider
Centerspread Editor ’04

So it turns out Barbie has a new beau. Barbie was introduced to children all over the world by Mattel in 1959, and her boyfriend Ken made his debut two years later in 1961. Their relationship must have dulled, because after 43 years, Barbie has a new man in her life, a music-lover named Blaine. Word on the street is that Blaine digs his guitar, loves hanging out in music stores, adores hip hop, and wants to be a radio DJ.

The Generation Girl line was discontinued in 2001 along with some of Barbie’s multicultural friends. However, there was still a demand for a new male adult doll. Introduced by the Generation Girl line, Blaine promises to bring a Barbie and her new friends a new wave of coolness. Mattel claims that Blaine is a more mature version of the “Totally Yo-Yo Zach” that was set to come out sometime last year. Zach was reportedly too old for the Skipper line, so he was never produced. This year, after modifications on Zach, Blaine was formed. With his “hair” and longer sideburns, Blaine models the kind of guy that Barbie, who has been remodeled herself several times, would fall for. Mattel plans on releasing Blaine in June of 2004.

Blaine is not the only male doll introduced into the line of Barbie’s friends. In 1988, Mattel introduced “Steven,” giving Ken a friend. This African-American doll became Barbie’s friend and Christie’s boyfriend. In 1997 Steven was sold wearing a swim suit; his head mold changed, and he was now known as Jamal. These dolls were introduced as a part of Mattel’s Shani line meant to reflect the influence of their cultural traditions.

For Skipper, Barbie’s younger sister, there was Kevin, who debuted in 1990 with huge, turquoise eyes. After six total versions of Kevin, Skipper’s former beau will be discontinued along fellow ex-boyfriends Ricky and Scott.

Unfortunately, it looks like nothing remains constant, not even in our childhood world of Barbie and Ken. Despite Barbie’s malformed girlish figure, it seems as if even these dolls have come to represent the inevitable changes of real life.

By Harmoni Dossie
Copy Editor ’05

Between group planning, dinner reservations, picture parties and so much more, many of you guys have heard us girls complaining more than usual which normally means it’s that certain time again. Prom is right around the corner. For many juniors and seniors (and the occasional underclassman), prom is a time to get together with friends, dress up and have one heck of a time.

The 2005 Prom Committee, along with sponsors Mr. Peacock and Mrs. Arogeti, have been working extra hard to make the night unforgettable. With this year’s theme, it sure won’t be an impossible task. Mrs. Arogeti and Mr. Peacock both agree that the prom committee “has been working incredibly hard with decorations and such.” Others who hope it will be enjoyable are Lassiter students.

Krista Stire (12) commented, “I’m very excited. It’s senior prom; I’ve been looking forward to it and I can’t wait to wear my dress.” Junior Amanda Morse stated, “Prom is definitely gonna be a lot of fun; I just have to get past the strenuous planning!” Jackie Favara agreed. She said, “All of the hard planning will be worth it because it’ll be a fun night.” For other junior girls, it will be all about dressing up. Lauren Dilbeck said, “I can’t wait to get dressed up and get my hair and nails done.” One lucky sophomore, Shira Lewbow, exclaimed, “It’s cool to be one of the only sophomores going and I’m really excited about going with Jeramy.”

The girls aren’t the only ones excited. Steve Enriquez (11) says, “I can’t wait to get crunk at prom.”

For those who do not know, prom takes place on Saturday, March 27 at Fernbank Museum. Tickets are on sale now in the gym concession stand for $60 a couple or $30 for a single ticket. Starting March 15, tickets will be available in the morning as well. Hope to see everyone there; don’t forget to have an amazing night!

By Lauren Eudy
Features Editor ’05

“The headstock of my Hohner 6-string was broken in a car accident…I was actually more upset about my bass being broken than my car being totaled,” admitted Lassiter’s resident bass addict. This statement is a typical one for Ross Arney, who has been teaching himself to play for over five years. “[Teaching yourself] forces you to learn more about what you’re doing on the fretboard,” he claimed, explaining his choice to skip lessons.

On the other hand, he is more than willing to give lessons to the would-be bassists of Lassiter. When asked how he goes about teaching his own peers a craft which he originally taught to himself, he was thorough in his explanation: “I usually start the ‘future virtuoso’ where they want, but I make sure to teach the fundamentals, along with the cool techniques.” His main student is junior Bryan Carlton, who has been learning for almost a year. After seeing each of them perform at Open Mic Night, everyone there was impressed by both the musical abilities and enthusiastic attitudes which led them to play in front of potentially critical peers.

The passion that possesses Ross was evident when he was asked about why he gets such a high from playing his music. Lighting up at the mere mention of it, he said, “Bass is the way for me to release my musical expressions; I really enjoy writing and performing my music because I love the feeling of accomplishing something that makes people stand back, look at the big picture, and say ‘wow’.” Not only does he meet the criteria for inspiring music, he also holds his own as a third degree black belt at Starr’s Tae Kwon Do. “That is definitely not as important to me as playing bass though,” he admitted frankly.

Every aspiring musician holds an admiration for those incredible players who continually inspire him to improve his music. Ross cited Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne fame, along with Victor Lamonte Wooten, and two Lassiter students, Nick Jenkins and Joey Weigel. “Check them out,” encouraged Ross.

“I hope to become famous in a band one day, and later, after the band has ended, I would like to do some recording work for various artists, as well as release some solo CD’s,” he confirmed candidly. While his lofty goals may seem unrealistic to the common person, there is no doubt that Ross is driven, possessing both the grit and the essential skills necessary to fulfill every one of them.

Thinking that perhaps other hopeful musicians could pick up some tips from this determined guy, I asked him what advice he would give to others. Without flinching, he said, “Don’t play bass with a pick!” Moving on to a general piece of guidance, he said, “ Don’t settle for what’s easy to achieve… try to break away from what’s easy, and push yourself to become great.”
There’s no doubt that he’ll accomplish all that he strives for and blow mediocre musicians out of the water on the journey.

By Rachel Reinke
Staff Writer ’06

Lassiter’s sophmore ballerina extraordinare

Most people at Lassiter who know of sophomore Danielle Berke would never guess that she has a fondness for the good old days of listening to Raffi, that she has been known to play in the creek behind her house with her dog, Max, or that she has a mouth like a sailor. To many, she is the quiet, hardworking scholar who is never less than humble about her incessantly excellent grades. Well, if you have heard anything less than that about Danielle, then you clearly have much to learn about this fabulous girl.

The fact that Danielle is an outstanding ballet dancer may not come as a surprise to those who have seen her tiny 5’3″ figure. A dancer of thirteen years, she began at the Academy of Ballet Arts, simply so mom could picture her only daughter in a tutu. Ballet clicked for Danielle, and it soon became her passion. After attending a summer dance program in Milledgeville, she realized that, by moving on to become part of the prestigious Atlanta Ballet, she could receive better training in the hobby that was quickly becoming a huge part of her life. Atlanta Ballet soon became a second home to Danielle where she has devoted twenty-plus hours a week for four years in classes and rehearsals in addition to seasonal productions at the Fox Theater and four- and five-week programs in the summer.

Having this much devotion would seem to leave no room for grades or concern for school at all. However, Danielle is more than concerned about school: she makes her honors and A.P. classes her top priority. She’s kept up the juggling act for as long as she has been dancing, through both middle and high school, and it’s now more of a normal fixation than something incredibly complicated. “It’s gotten progressively difficult, but I’ve had a lot of practice,” Danielle says in regard to keeping up with her marvelous performances at school and at dance.

She learns from everything in her life, not only through friends, dance, and school, but also through her family, especially her twin brother, Michael. “Being a twin is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve always had someone to experience things with; even in preschool, Michael and I were always together. I’ve always had someone to relate to; we share experiences. He’s always a part of everything I do.” A constant companion has had no effect on Danielle’s uniqueness, and even though she and her brother spend lots of time together, the inexpressible closeness of their relationship still baffles many of those who come in contact with them. Rather than loathe each other, Danielle and Michael remain each other’s closest friends, biggest fans, and a have the kind of sibling relationship most parents only dream of for their children.

While dance has given her an expert lesson in becoming disciplined in every aspect of her life, she doesn’t let her passion or schoolwork get in the way of what she loves most-having fun. “If I could only do one thing for the rest of my life it would be to laugh,” Danielle says with a signature cackle. She knows not to take life too seriously, and this philosophy shines through in her individuality, spontaneity, and ability to cheer anyone, no matter how angry at the world they may be. As far as friends go, Danielle says, “I like to surround myself with people who can see the positive in life so I’m not bogged down by the negativity.” To many of her friends, these words describe Danielle perfectly.

By Rachel Reinke
Staff Writer ’06

As more and more is expected of students, many turn to the easiest way out – cheating

A trend at Lassiter is quickly on the rise, and I’m not talking about the hemlines of those fabulous spring skirts. Now more than ever, students are taking it upon themselves to receive their grades in the easiest way possible—and with the least amount of work possible—by cheating.
Whether it’s copying answers down like mad before a test in an unsuspecting spot on a desk, programming formulas into a calculator, or just copying someone’s homework, lack of academic integrity really doesn’t seem to bother most students these days. As long as the work gets done, the test gets aced, and the GPA stays where it needs to be, it doesn’t really matter how it happened.

Everywhere you turn, more and more is being asked of students today. They are more greatly challenged in higher-level classes and expectations to succeed from everyone from their parents to their peers are constantly thrown at them. So, it’s no wonder that students conveniently turn to the easiest possible method to make not only that highly sought-after A, but sometimes just to maintain a passing grade. According to junior Jessica Leterle, when the thought of receiving a better grade is as simple as glancing onto someone else’s paper, students “feel compelled to cheat,” and get a one-up in a “society that forces kids to excel and succeed.”
Time management is probably not very high on the list of many teenage students’ lists of talents, and with so many other things keeping them busy, it’s easy to let schoolwork become a low priority. When there is someone else to ask for homework answers, countless outlets online, or even a strategically placed test answer sheet, it seems inviting to take one of these routes. This way, the time that would have been spent on studying can go into something more important, like soccer practice or the latest episode of “The O.C.”

Another appeal of cheating is the rarity of getting caught. “It would be so much better if teachers realized when kids are cheating and actually punished them when they do,” sophomores Claire Richie and Kaylee Niemasik agreed. Every syllabus that is handed out and signed in every class is graced with Lassiter’s infamous “Academic Integrity Policy.” However this policy is taken less than seriously and is easily bypassed, especially when it is carelessly enforced.

On the whole, Lassiter students are learning to love the easy way out, cheating to get grades they don’t deserve in the face of a society that has come to expect it of them.

By Joey Kaufmann
Staff Writer ’06

The five young boys set out for their long adventure, knowing that the road ahead would be difficult. Sure, they had gone on small excursions close to home, but nothing could really compare to what they were about to encounter. Johnny, Howie, Wes, John, and Joey made sure they were prepared for the long trip by talking to others in their town about what they would experience.

You see, it had all started with the rumors of the monster in the East. He was a small but powerful guy, widely thought to hold the highest order of authority. This monster looked over vast oily fields and lived in a large white castle, a castle that no man could honorably enter without successfully overthrowing the monster. Luckily, many people had told the five boys that the monster was idiotic and needed to be defeated: “The things he does to the world are wrong.”

The boys traveled together in a pack, thinking that teamwork would be the only way to defeat the monster. They rode upon their saddled donkeys, entering town after town to accumulate support for their trek. Various strangers encouraged the boys and passionately cheered for their victory. These fools didn’t know where the boys were from, their strategy for victory, or even their whole names. They didn’t care—as long as the evil oil monster was crushed.

Along the way, the boys encountered fifty enormous roosters. With each fowl came a different outcome for each boy; on more than one occasion, a rooster would be knocked down by a boy, only to get back up again and peck him unconscious. Johnny prevailed over the Iowani rooster, but all five seemed to be losing their momentum. Were they really cut out for the adventure? It didn’t matter, they decided; giving up was not an option for these five.
Although the boys had originally hoped that their collective efforts would defeat the monster once they arrived at the castle, most of them now resorted to insulting each other. “You’re too much of a monster yourself, Wes. You don’t belong with us,” Howie said. Soon enough, one boy prevailed as the cream of the crop. Johnny, the sole survivor of the rooster fiasco, enjoyed his victory over the other boys thanks to two maneuvers. One trick involved throwing mud and dirt at the other boys to blind them. The other tactic called for using mirrors, smoke, and fire to distract and confuse the roosters and grant Johnny the kill.

Now, in order to establish his domain over the world and reside in the towering white castle, there was only one more foe to beat—the oil monster of the East.

Johnny knocked on the massive white doors of the castle and demanded that the dreaded monster come out. The boy yelled and screamed, declaring that the oil monster was not right for the job and that anyone could do better. The door slowly opened, and Johnny prepared his mirrors and mud and waited, sweating with anticipation.

When his opponent became visible, Johnny nearly fell to the floor. A small elephant carrying an even smaller shrub approached him. Instinctively, Johnny tried to throw his mud at the shrub, but to no avail. He tried his fire-and-smoke-and-shiny-objects tactic, but that failed as well.
Finally, after realizing his petty strategy was only humiliating him, Johnny lowered his head in defeat and slowly walked away. After fooling so many into believing in his ambitious campaign, he had not actually come up with a plan to defeat his opponent. None of Johnny’s tactics, it turned out, had helped him claim victory over the elephant with the ominous shrub.

The boys had now all been defeated, and the shrub presided over the entire world and maintained peace for yet another term. As it turns out, it had all been just pretense about the “evil monster” from the start. The elephant, despite cynicism from some of the townspeople, had actually been a decent ruler and kept the people safe from cruel and powerful tyrants in distant lands. People who had not been riding on the monster’s bandwagon had actually been enjoying the shrub’s policies over the last several years.

And so, it would take another four years before others would attempt to overthrow the leader of the world. Would it be another complaining, insignificant boy, or perhaps a girl, that would try next? That is another story for another time.

By Michael Mayer
Sports Editor ’04

High school has been quite an experience. So many people I’ve met and labeled. So many people I’m probably wrong about. An example is a girl I liked. She turned out to be a guy. No, not really, but you get the idea. Students are too quick to judge and care too much about their judgment by others.

Looks are the first thing anyone judges. It’s the first thing we notice. You don’t see a greasy-haired fat guy with acne all over his face and run up to get his autograph. I judge people by their appearance all the time. See a girl wearing too much make-up, label her trashy. See someone with an Auburn hat; label them slightly dumber than the average rock. Digging deeper, the girl might just have self-esteem issues, and the Auburn fan might be smart but just has illiterate Auburn-educated parents or something. A lot can be learned about someone from their looks, and I’ll judge women this way until I die. However, looks can be deceiving. Just consider Kellie Gerbers. Looking at her today, you would never imagine that just two years ago she ballooned to 300 pounds.

Reputation also has a lot to do with how you are judged. For instance, I’ve got the reputation of being a jerk based on what I have written (among other things). That reputation is pretty dead on, but reputations are still unfair to judge by. I’ve met supposedly cool people who are cool people. I’ve met supposedly cool people who are as cool as Martha Stewart. So just keep in mind where the reputation is coming from, and give everyone a chance, unless they have red hair.
It seems that in response to all this judgment several factions of students have developed here at Lassiter. There are kids who act extremely fake and nice, obsessed with being liked and everyone’s friend. These people are depressing and can often be found in skylight. There are EMO kids who just want to be unique and get attention. Their identity centers on making and listening to terrible music. These people are amusing. The major faction consists of kids who just want to fit in. They often have to screw up their state of mind with drinking and drugs in order to have fun and feel good. At the risk of sounding like your Mom, that’s pretty lame. There are elitists who patronize others based on politics or religion. There are shy kids who keep their mouths shut afraid of judgment. Then there are jerks like me who make fun of it all.

The people I respect are those who are comfortable enough to not care, and just let it slide. When someone laughs at you, just laugh with them. Then, in the middle of all this laughing, you smack them in the face with a golf club. Hey, I said the people I respect let things slide, not that I

By Kevin Ewalt
Senior Page Editor ’04

The Democratic nomination for president is all but official now, and it looks like John Kerry will be the nominee. And with many political scientists and pollsters claiming this fall’s election to be the election for “NASCAR Dads,” John Kerry is tirelessly wondering what “it is Republicans who didn’t serve in Vietnam have against those of us who did.”

John Kerry went as far as writing an open letter to President Bush stating, “Over the last week, you and your campaign have initiated a widespread attack on my service in Vietnam, my decision to speak out to end that war, and my commitment to the defense of this nation.” He later wrote, “Just today Saxby Chambliss was carrying out this attack for you.”
Did anyone know John Kerry served in Vietnam?

Yes, apparently the haughty, French looking, Massachusetts Democrat was responding to remarks made by Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss who said “[Kerry’s] 32-year voting record to cut defense programs and defense systems” is what the people of Georgia would look at when deciding who to vote for.

Chambliss did exaggerate a little, as Kerry was first sent to Congress in 1985. But since he was discharged from service in 1969, Kerry has made it a point to speak out, when he can, to all things involving the military. Since Vietnam, Kerry, on principle, has gone against the United States military with such passion that he even has supported communists in Nicaragua. In regard to Reagan’s foreign policy regarding communist rebels and communist dictators in South America, the Democratic frontrunner said, “I see an enormous haughtiness in the United States trying to tell them what to do.” Nicaragua held its first free election in 1990, despite Kerry’s best efforts to stop it.

What voting record was Chambliss talking about? According to the Washington Post, Kerry has opposed spending and development on the latest weapons that would help keep America’s servicemen safe, which include: the B-1 bomber, the B-2, the F-15, the F-14A, the F-14D, the AH-64 Apache helicopter, the AV-8B Harrier jet, the Patriot missile, the Aegis air-defense cruiser as well as Bradley Fighting vehicles and a whole other assortment of conventional weapons.
Kerry’s biggest weakness is his 19 year Senate career, which has left him with a long voting record. However, if Republicans cite the numerous occasions Kerry has voted to gut defense spending as proof of him being weak on national security, Kerry’s camp, as well as other prominent Democrats, lash out in outrage and wonder how people could question Kerry’s patriotism. The only problem is that Republicans are not questioning this man’s patriotism; they are rather questioning his voting record. Although Republicans could question his patriotism since Kerry has spoken out against the troops who fought in Vietnam, he “threw away his medals” he received in service (but miraculously trumps around his three Purple Hearts), and has admitted to committing war crimes.

Kerry also sought to disrupt many Vietnam homecomings during the war with Hanoi Jane (Fonda) whose patriotism everyone knows is non-existent. (According to the Wall Street Journal, he lobbied many prominent New York politicians to cancel any sort of government sposored rendez-vous.) Be that as it may, Republicans are more interested in Kerry’s voting record, and that is one of the campaign strategies they will use in the next few months.

Kerry has so far dodged questions about his voting record during the Democratic primary, which comes to no surprise, since partisan Democrats who vote in primaries usually agree with the voting record of an establishment Democrat. But come this November, the general population of voters is going to be a lot less forgiving when it comes to changing the subject.

By Shea Schulman
Staff Writer ’06

Nothing is quite as frustrating as getting lectured on your behavior by your “superiors”; who wants to hear that their habits need reforming? The worst aspect of this scenario is when those lecturing you base their lectures on their own opinions. Just the other day, I endured a long speech on how the younger generation is deteriorating. This may be true, but the reasoning behind the statement is the fact that children these days avoid challenges and instead seek the easy way out.

When given a project rubric, I look at the requirements. By meeting all the requirements, I should get a 100 or at least a high A grade. However, these days, meeting the requirements often earns the student a low A or even a B grade. It is expected of students in many classes to embellish their project and go beyond the specific requirements. Just meeting requirements and not exceeding them is considered mediocre and not an example of good performance. Even though you completed all that was asked of you, the project is not perfect. This example, found commonly in almost all classrooms, is a deep injustice.

Finding the “easy way out” should be something practiced in every class. The American way itself is all about facilitating everyday practices. A great invention is one that makes life easier. Maybe we should go back to the time before the Industrial Revolution and before machines were made to weave and make fabric and textiles. Maybe weaving and picking by hand will help build character.

The fact of the matter is that life revolves around taking the easy way out. Those who find this quicker route most often succeed. This better route is not always easy to find. In fact, many times, it is more trouble than it’s worth. Yet finding the route shows motivation and a keen sense of intelligence.

If all this is true about the so-called “easy way out,” then how come teachers and others discourage the use of it? This would probably have something to do with the belief that goes in direct contrast to my own. It is the belief of many that hard work and stress are the best ways to produce high quality work. That sounds quite similar to the combination of things used to produce a heart attack…

Though the American way, in truth, does revolve around finding the easiest and most to-the-point method for accomplishment, there is little hope for change in the classroom. Teachers will continue to look for work that goes beyond what is required, and students will keep producing this work. However, let it be known that the easy way is not the bad way. The younger generation may be deteriorating in our country, but as long as kids keep thinking of new ways to find the infamous “easy route,” things will always turn out for the better.