Most
Negative Experience
As
much "fun" as school is negative things do happen. Now I know that must
be hard for you to believe and I hope by now you're catching the sarcasm
because I'm throwing it at you pretty hard. So now I will share with you
one of the "precious few" negative experiences I have had at good old Century.
It
was Friday and I had to take the test I didn't study for. I kept hoping
the teacher would do something stupid like spill his coffee on the test
but fate was not on my side that day. The teacher picked up the tests,
walked down the row and handed a copy to me. Suffice it to say, not good.
Obviously I was drawing a blank. So I took some educated guesses and turned
in the test. The next school day the teacher handed back to me the graded
version of the test I didn't study for and I found my guesses were not
educated enough to pass the test I didn't study for. On that paper was
an F written in red ink. It didn't stand for fantastic either. I had failed
and received my first F. A pretty common negative experience shared by
many others.
Fight
To Be In Front
Every
family has a ritual of some sort and if they know it or not it is probably
performed on a daily basis. More than likely its probably something as
simple as eating dinner together or watching a TV as a family.
No
matter what you think, you and your family do something regularly enough
to be called a ritual. So now I share with you my family ritual.
The
front seat, yes I said the front seat. That's because it is the family
ritual that sticks out most vividly in my mind. If you have kids or are
a kid yourself and have a brother or sister you know what I'm talking about.
In my family when the parents say we're going somewhere the battle for
the front seat is eminent. Why you ask? I can't tell you. Maybe it's because
the view is better or the air is cooler or warmer, depending on what season
of the year it is. Don't just assume it's just children who fight for the
front either. M y sister is nearly eighteen and still puts up a good battle.
I guess the front seat makes a person feel important or something, but
personally since I turned ten I really don't care. Although it is fun to
start a little fight for the front every now and again. So I guess you
call this a ritual, because it's close enough.
I
Just Leaned Back Too Far
At
some point in your life you have been so embarrassed you wanted to run
into a place of solitude and hide. Most everyone has, but what is important
to remember in times of embarrassment is to take it in stride. Oh, and
don't worry about the people laughing at you because your time is coming.
So to give you an example of how to handle embarrassment I am going to
share one of my embarrassments with you.
I
was in Social Studies class, if my memory serves me correct, and I was
leaning back in my seat and the leaned a little too far backwards. So,
at this point I'm laying in the floor listening to the totally unnecessary
laughter when I start to laugh myself Why? It was funny because I know
if it would have been someone else. Sure, my face was red but like I said
it will happen to everyone. By it you know I mean embarrassment. So take
Embarrassment in stride and remember embarrassment is just a part of life.
Feeling
Guilty
Sometimes
we see others get into trouble and we know we might be able to say something
to save them from the yelling of parents and the horrid thought of groundation.
However, you know that if you say something the yelling and grounding will
be squarely placed on you. What do you do? Well I'll tell the decision
I chose to make when I saw someone else get into trouble.
A
friend and I were playing basketball in his basement on one of those indoor
goals. When I shot the ball, it bounced off the goal, and broke the lamp.
I told my friend I would take the blame but he refused and said he would
take the punishment that was surely to come.
So
my friend told his mother about the lamp" he had broken." As my friend's
mother began to speak a definite feeling of guilt, or bad hamburger, came
over me. I was just about to confess when his mother said" It's just a
lamp it can be replaced." How about that, all those feelings of anxiety
for nothing. He did get into a little trouble but nothing major. I know
what you are thinking what a coward, I can't believe he didn't fess up.
Like I said I was just about to.
Game
From My Childhood
Everybody
has a game or toy from their childhood that they couldn't live without.
Maybe you still have that toy or play that game. I know I still play my
favorite game from my childhood and probably always will. When I was two
my mom and dad bought me a Larry Bird basketball goal. I really don't remember
playing on it but I have pictures of me shooting on it. My love for basketball
started with the first shot I took on that goal. My dad is the person who
taught me how to shoot and to this day I still shoot a basketball the same
way I did when I was two.
When
I was about three I saw some one who would change the way I play basketball,
Michael Jordan. I was watching a game on TV when Jordan did one of his
spectacular dunks. From that day on I tried to be like him and do the things
he did. I think Jordan was why I kept playing but now I play for myself
because basketball is just fun for me. Basketball has had a great affect
on my life. That is why basketball is my favorite game from my childhood
and is still my favorite game now.
Most
Positive Experience
As
long as there is school students will say they hate it and how they don't
learn anything important. However, you know, I know, and they know that
you do learn things at school and that positive things do happen. I know
this because every adult I know talks about that one "big game", "the longest
home run"' and how much fun they had while they were in school. So now
I will share with you, as much as I hate to admit it, a positive experience
from school.
It
was a day just like any other day, and now I know what you're thinking.
You think I'm going to say" At least I thought it was like any other day."
Well I'm not because I didn't know what was going to happen that night
and as far as I know, no one else did either. That day I went to school,
followed the ever so joyous daily routine, and went home. That night the
Century Middle School Centurions had a basketball game, and no I don't
remember what I ate or how I tied my shoes. Like I said it was just like
any other day. So I went and caught the bus, put up with the downfalls
of riding the big yellow machine, and arrived at St. Joseph's school in
Cairo.
We
played the game , I took my shots, and we won. The game was over. Except,
I scored thirty-six points and that was a little out of the routine since
I only averaged seventeen a game. It may not sound like much to you but
it is my most positive experience and not yours.
My
Name
Matthew
Robert Miller. At first glance it seems kind of plain, but how many people
do you know' besides me , who's name is Matthew Robert Miller. You don't
know anybody else with that name do you? So when you think of it that way
my name isn't as plain as it seems. I guess ft just shows you to never
judge a book by it's cover.
The
story of how I got my name is a pretty simple one. Why the name
Matthew?
My parents liked it so they gave it to me. The Greek origin of Matthew
means gift of God. My middle name , Robert, came from my uncle who's name
is obviously Robert. Of course Miller came from my dad.Honestly,
I like my name and usually people call me Matt instead of Matthew. Well
what else can I really say?
In
Trouble
Everyone
at some point in their life gets into trouble. From the time we were old
enough to crawl we have heard the popular phrases" Get your hands off that"
or "That isn't yours." Yeah, we have all been in trouble and no matter
how major or minor the trouble is the consequence is eminent. So I guess
I should share with you a time I got into trouble.
What
I did is not the most stupid thing I have ever done, but it was pretty
stupid none the less. The reason behind what I did is simple, I'm a teenager
and it is one of those things teenagers do. Yes I knew I would get into
trouble but I honestly didn't care. What I did was this.
I
had gone out with some of my friends and after that we all went back to
my best friend's house. We were all hanging out and having a good time
when I looked at my watch and it read four 0' clock a.m. This time was
quite a bit over curfew, which you probably recognized. So when I arrived
at my house it was around six o'clock a.m. Seeing as no one was awake there
was an outside chance I wouldn't get caught but my parents are smarter
than that.
So,
when I awoke later that day and headed downstairs to the kitchen their
stood my parents. They were staring at me with that look, you know the
look I'm talking about, the look all parents have when you're in trouble.
I didn't fight, I got caught and that's all there was to it. I took the
fair punishment of one week of nothing but school and my house and kept
my mouth shut. Did I learn my lesson you ask? It's possible but I wouldn't
count on it.
Advice
From An Adult
In
our lifetime we have all had a piece of advice given to us by an adult
that has changed the way we live our lives. Weather it comes from your
parents, grandparents or some guy you met on the street on never saw again.
It doesn't matter who it came from because it was important and useful
information that you could apply to life. My advice came from my dad.
My
dad told me that no matter what you do try the best that you can. That
is great advice because you can apply it to anything you do in life or
apply it to life itself. Sure I have received advice from other adults
but it just hasn't affected me like those words from my father have. In
Everything I do, if I don't feel like I'm trying my best, I just think
of the advice my father has given me and I try harder.
Sports
At
this point in my life sports have been responsible for most of my better
accomplishments. If you name a sport I have probably tried to play it,
or at least some type of version of it. Basketball is definitely my favorite
sport to play. I love basketball and I have played it since before I can
remember. I have won quite a few awards for basketball and I' m going to
play as long as I'm able. However the sport I have earned the most awards
for is track. I have over fifty ribbons, was the long jump regional champion,
and finished sixth in the state in the one hundred meters. I also play
baseball and took karate for nearly four years. I won many awards for karate
as well. I continue to participate in sports and probably always will.
My
Neighborhood
The
term neighborhood is not exactly a fitting one for where I live, but what
else can you call it. I guess it depends on your definition of a neighborhood.
If you think a neighborhood is a place where you know the people who live
around you and they care for one another, I guess I do live in a neighborhood.
Considering the only people who live around my "neighborhood" are family.
Maybe you see a neighborhood like I do. Houses casually placed from one
to the next, the local hangout where everyone goes on Friday nights, sneaking
into the room of the girl next door who until you hit puberty was your
best friend you played in the dirt with. Now that is what I call a neighborhood,
but you know what ? All that is important to me is that in my 'neighborhood"
is that we love each other unconditionally and that is something everyone
needs no matter what kind of neighborhood they live in.
My Parents
Now
I couldn't write this whole thing and not talk about my parents because
I probably have the two best there are in the world. They have taught me
so much and continue to prepare me for the harsh world that I have yet
to meet. They provide for me and have put the world at my feet. Yet I feel
like I don't do anything for them. My parents lift me up when I am down,
make me feel good about myself, and support the decisions I make, weather
they are good ones or not. There is only one way I know of to pay my parents
back. That is to be the exact loving, caring, and supportive parent to
my children that my parents are to me.
