Friday, April 20, 2007

Choices and Responsibility

Throughout my life I will have the opportunity to make many choices. Whether or not the choices I make are the correct ones is not the business of anyone but me. One major example of this is ditching class. By me ditching class, I give up my ability to gain new knowledge. In my opinion, which I’m sure by no coincidence is the opinion of every other student in school; it is punishment enough to get points taken off our report card for doing this. The fact that an essay is then “assigned” in addition to the point subtraction is absolutely moronic. These purposeless essays don’t teach students a lesson, but rather turn nice calm students into cynical haters.

I know that in my case, throughout my oh-so wonderful high school career, I have been hassled about my hair about six times a year a minimum. Until the first time that I was threatened to be suspended if I didn’t cut my hair I was a particularly nice, quiet, respectful young man. Once the administration started to stick its head into my business (which by the way it had no place being) I was transformed. Since the administration asked me to cut my hair, I have had one question, which to my disappointment, has never been answered. The question is this: Did the Patriarchs of our religion cut their hair? Did the giver of our Torah from God to the Jewish people, Moses, cut his hair? Did anybody cut their hair before this new era of modern orthodoxy? The response – or perhaps more appropriately the excuse of an answer – that was given to me was: “It’s not Mentsch-like.” Now don’t get me wrong, I respect the choice of the rabbis perhaps not answering me, but unfortunately this was not the case. Instead of either ignoring my question, or giving me a proper explanation, they chose to give me a ridiculous response barely relevant to my question. Their response was like someone responding ballet to the question of who is your favorite band. I wanted to do my best to mirror the ways of my Jewish ancestry who in yeshiva are talked about oh-so highly, but the administration took that right away from me – threatening to kick me out of school.

Choices are an integral part of someone’s life. The school is always preaching about preparing us for college and life thereafter. Then answer me this: in college do they make you write ridiculous essays if you choose not to go to class? When I’m married, will my wife make me write an essay for choosing not to go torture myself at a dinner party? Just in case you can’t figure it out these questions were rhetorical. The answer is NO. Nobody will ever make me write an essay for choosing to not do something. All in all, in my opinion, the title of this oh-so well thought about essay should be called “Not Having the Freedom to Make the Proper Choices and Responsibility” rather that just “Choices and Responsibility,” because that is what the administration is doing – not allowing students to make their own choices. I think that the administration who spends days sitting down doing nothing but annoy students by unjustly taking their possessions away should get together and make use of their time by maybe thinking up some more brilliant topics to help us students brush up on our English skills. I just ask one thing, try not to make them as much fun as this one was (– this was meant as a punishment right?)

No comments: