Leadership speech ( was chosen to read this for the National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony)

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader,” said John Quincy Adams. And I truly believe he’s correct. Leadership isn’t telling people what to do and bossing them around, it’s inspiring others to do the right thing. True leaders are looked up to with people saying, “You know, they did a really cool thing the other day. I’m going to try to be more like them.” Leaders are not managers, they are not royalty, and they are not dictators. Leaders are just average people who stand up for their beliefs and inspire others to do so as well. They are people who stand by the sides of their troops, motivating them, not bossing them around. It’s an important role with lots of responsibility that takes courage to fulfill.
So who are these special leaders? And how can we, as members of the NJHS be like them? Let’s look at Joan of Arc. At age 17 she was said to have been called on by the Saints to lead an army against the English in France. She went to Lord Robert de Baudricourt to tell him this and request the opportunity. He refused and she went home. She persevered and tried two more times, but with the same result, until France was in a terribly hopeless position in the war, and Baudricourt finally allowed Joan to take control of an army. This was the one chance she needed to prove herself a great and victorious leader in battles to come. She is an excellent role model who showed dedication to her beliefs. Let’s look at another example, Martin Luther King Jr. He was someone who was a respected and admired leader in the African American community who fought for freedom and equality of all races. He led many protests and gave numerous speeches; he stood for what he believed in and wasn’t going to let anyone stop him. Despite many violent reactions and opportunities to be violent in retaliation, he kept his cool and stayed true to his ideas without fighting. He won the respect of many and was, and is, looked up to as a courageous leader.
So how can we, as 8th graders, strive to be like Joan and Martin? It’s not an easy feat. Leaders can’t make everyone happy all the time, and have to deal with those who oppose their beliefs. They have to be strong and stubborn, but flexible. They have to work with their troops, not above them. They have to be brave and level-headed and never afraid to admit they were wrong. They take other’s advice fairly, and listen to all sides of the problem. But most of all, the one great quality that all leaders have is respect.
It’s one thing to admire someone, want to be like them, but it is an entirely different thing to respect them. Leadership revolves completely around respect, giving it and getting it. Think about it now. You may listen to your teachers, and enjoy hanging out with your friends, but how many people can you honestly say that you respect? And could you say why? Would you say that you are respected by others? Leadership is being respected because you respect. It’s about having enough respect for everyone around you to listen to their ideas fairly without shutting them down. It’s also about people following and respecting the leader willingly, not begrudgingly. Leadership and respect always go together, because a leader can’t lead if no one respects them enough to follow, and why on earth would you follow a leader that you have no respect for?
Basically, leadership is an important skill that few have, but those who do are some of the most admired and respected people around. It’s about being kind but firm, never giving up, but most of all, respect. Today, notice the leaders in your community. Notice what they do to gain respect and give it. And let today be the day that you inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more than ever thought possible.

Fall

An old friend has returned, blowing in from across the globe.

Fresh, clean, brisk.

Bringing feelings of the past, appreciation of the present, and anticipation for the future.

Changing the world around, memories swarm around.

The crispness brings some uncomfort.

But i do not care, i embrace it.

Come in, old friend. How was your year? How have you been? I have much to tell.

Stories of pain, and anger. But that does not matter, because i am surrounded by leaves and the friend i have missed, who is here to make all right again.

Welcome back, old friend.

Stay a while.

Cupcakes are Deeper than you Thought

Cupcakes are deeper than you thought.

They come in all different flavors and colors but they never fight about it.

They're pretty, but they don't try to out-do each other. No one judges a cupcake by the number of sprinkles.

No cupcake is ever "weird" because everyone knows that under the frosting every cupcake is sweet.

There has never been, and never will be, a cupcake war.

Cupcakes are enviromentally-friendly.

Cupcakes are brought into the world for one purpose only-to make people happy

Live life like a cupcake.

♥☺♥

Something to think about....

Signed, your friend with the pen,
Tarla

Back to School

Yes, August 31st is rolling around again and we're all dreading it, the homework, the early wake up, the sudden lack of free time. But is it really that bad? (Stop nodding the answer is NO.) If you really don't like school and aren't looking forward to it, here are a few simple truths to help change your mind:
*School is coming, whether you like it or not. You can't change it, you can't stop it. Accept it.
*Hellooo, SHOPPING! This is the best time to catch up on all those Back-to-school deals on fall and winter fashions and school supplies. Even if you haven't received your list yet, you know that you'll definitely need the normal stuff like pens, pencils, binders, and a pencil case, etc.
*Even if you won't see your friends quite as much as now, you'll still get to see them in the halls or at lunch and basically most of the day for 6 hours. And if most of your old friends aren't on your team, make new friends! I can still remember my first week last year when i lended a pen to the girl who sat behind me who I didn't know. We chatted and became good friends, she introduced me to her other friends, and i introduced her to mine, and before we knew it, i had a whole batch of new best friends that were in my classes. And even with new friends, you can still always keep in touch with old ones.
*The first few weeks of school aren't as boring as the rest of the year that you remember. Everything is new and exciting, from new teachers to new friends. Nothing is same-ol' same-ol' yet so make the most of it.
*Yes, work sucks. But maybe this is the year to actually do the work. Grades weren't that great last year? Make this the year that you'll really get the grades you want.
*School isn't just work and homework. If you're in middle or high school, chances are there are TONS of different electives, clubs and sports to join. Sign up for a few that you like and you'll have lots of fun-thats right, i just used fun and school in the same paragraph.
*Sad about missing out on free time? Well the good thing about the American school system is that we get a lot (probably too much but who's complaining?) of time off. Five days of work, then two days off. Plus there's oodles of long weekends and vacations thrown in there too. So don't worry, even though there wont be as much, there will still be enough time to just relax.

So school may seem bad, but really, it's not as bad as we think. And you can't change it anyway so make the best of it. It's coming, so be ready with a positive outlook.

Signed, your friend with the pen,
Tarla

Schools out- yay or nay?

People have said to me, "you're gonna miss school? are you SERIOUS?!?"
well yes of course i will. be suprised, but they don't really know what they're asking.

they've just asked if i will miss seeing my [friends] for 6 hours straight
if i'll miss my [crush]
if i'll miss eating [icecream] and gossiping at lunch
if i'll miss the [dances] where all my friends are there
if i'll miss starting the day [chatting] and shooting rubberbands in homeroom
if i'll miss the amazing amount of [funniness] in advanced math
if i'll miss my bazillion clubs where we [just. hang. out.]
if i'll miss the drama-fun-craziness-laughs-tears-boys-music-ups-downs associated with being a middle schooler
seriously, u just asked if i'll miss one of the biggest parts of my teenage [life]


(although, i am DEFINITELY not regretting time off to do whatever I want ;-) )

Weird vs. Normal

*/yes, my peeps from LA last semester will know this is old...but it still deserves 2 go on the site!\*

Weird vs Normal

People think

I’m weird

But what is that really?

What

Is weird?

Is it different,

odd,

strange?

Who decides what’s weird

And what’s not?

Maybe weird is just not normal

But then

What is normal?

Is popular normal?

Is majority normal?

Is WEIRD normal?

And if it isn’t

Describe what is

Hollister shirt

and Abercrombie jeans?

That’s what the majority wears

But

Is that normal?

How can we say what

is weird

Without comparing it to normal?

Maybe it’s not looks

It’s what we do.

In that case,

Weird is something not done before

If it is new

and original

Then why does society shun weird?

They make is sound as if it isn’t good

Just because eggnog

And cereal

Is not usually done,

Does that make it

Bad? Is it

“Weird?”

Why not turn the tables

Lets live a day where the weird is normal.

Then who is the weird one?

I suppose it’s personal preference.

But

Who’s preference?

So many

Questions

With so few definites

Can we

Really label

Someone or thing weird

When we don’t know what

Weird is in the first place?

Popularity

Popularity-what it really is

We all know what “they” do. We all know who “they” are. But we don’t all know exactly what “it” is. Popularity. It used to mean someone who was liked by everyone. Now it’s almost the opposite. Now let me say this first-whatever I say popular people usually look like, I am STEREOTYPING. I can do that, this is an editorial. I am NOT saying that all people with those characteristics are bad or wrong. It is MY opinion.
When I think of popular, I think of this: the Hollister clothes, the highlights, the mascara, the looks. Yes, my first point is the ‘look’. The way you look at someone can mean a lot. I know a few of the most common ones, including the “ok, why are you not giving me what I want” look and the “oh, you poor thing you’re partners with HER” look. Now, we ask what gives those people the right to do such things? That brings me to the most important thing of popularity-the HOW.
I don’t quite know how it started. I mean, I bought a Hollister shirt, and I didn’t become magically popular. I wore mascara once, and the same thing. But the popular kids do it, and they’re a hit! Why, you ask? I don’t quite know. I think it’s something they’re born with. They turn into a strobe light flashing, “I’m popular! I’m popular!” You can’t not notice it. It’s just an air that they have around them that whoever sees them knows they’re popular. I have noticed these few patterns among them-
Members of a sports team
PRETTY
Nice clothes
Were once girl scouts
The last one is where I think it started. The little groups of brownies who, while trying to do good, formed a clique. Since then, it has snowballed. That’s not saying anything bad about the girl scouts only about the people who abused the privilege. I think back to kindergarten Daisies, when I wanted to sit next to a girl, and she wouldn’t let me. (No, it wasn’t my breath) It was because I didn’t have that many badges. That’s kindergarten!
We know that popularity starts when you’re little. It doesn’t have to though. From my observations, people who become popular later on in life, (as in 5th or 6th grade) aren’t as bad. They’re more down to earth, since they can remember pre-popularity. However, I don’t know how they do it. I’m not sure anyone actually knows how to become popular. And if they do, they should write to the paper about it!
The main problem with popularity is that those who are popular think that they are better than everyone else. They think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. And what stinks is that usually they can. I have had a few experiences with this myself, but I won’t tell you about them. All I’ll say is that I was made to feel ‘lesser.’ Recently, I got a ‘look’ when 2 girls wanted to take my friend’s seat in a class. She had left her binder when she went to get a drink before the bell. The two wanted to sit next to each other. They asked if someone was sitting at my friend’s seat, and I said yes. Then they were quiet until they asked if they could move the binder. I said no, and they were kind of surprised, like, “Wait a sec, I want to do something and I can’t. Wow, that’s not supposed to happen,”
Another problem is sometimes the put-downs. I actually haven’t seen much of this, but the most common one is “that’s weird” or “you’re weird”. Then, all of a sudden you’re WEIRD. As in, ‘not cool’ and as in ‘why are you still here, you’re WEIRD.’ They don’t say it though, they just say it in a look. That look is evil. It makes you feel like you’re an outsider and you don’t want to be. Let’s face it. No matter how much you don’t like them, we all secretly crave the attention of the “popular people”. Goodness knows why, but even I do! You want them to like you, so once you’re their friend, you can dump them the way they’ve dumped you. But they never do, so you never can.
Now I’ve classified the popular people into two categories. One is the classic annoying, perfect, stereotyped snobs I’ve been talking about, and the other type, the down-to-earth type, which I like MUCH better. I call them “Ambassadors”. They are free to go between the popular group and the normal people and be friends with both. Those people have the nice clothes and the fancy cell phones and all, but they don’t flaunt it. I knew a girl who moved last year who was like that. I know one now, we’re science partners sometimes. You’ll know one when you see one. At first, you’re a little nervous because they’re almost royalty. Then you get to know them, and they’re cool.
Now, does that mean that “popular people” more privileges? Do teachers and coaches have a bias? As popular Glenda the Good Witch once said in song, “…heads of state or ‘specially great communicators, did they have brains or knowledge? Don’t make me laugh! They were POPULAR! Please, it’s all about pop-u-lar” As far as I know, teachers would never be unfair to a student based on their social status, but popular people do have that bubble around them that just make you want to be their friend. So, no matter what you have to work really hard to pop that bubble.
I could tell you now that being popular isn’t everything, and that you’re really popular with your friends. But I won’t, since you couldn’t count the number of times you’ve heard that. All I’ll say is this: There are popular people in the world. They’ll be there you’re whole life; there’s no getting out of it. All you can do is deal with it, hopefully without making a huge deal out of it. Just ignore it. Even if they think they’re better than you, let them think that. They aren’t really. Whatever you do, just don’t give into them. It’s just another speed bump on the road of life.
Signed, your friend with the pen,
Tarla