The school year is drawing to a close. For my grandson Mark he will be exiting middle school and entering the ranks of the " high schoolers. " Ever wonder why we call it high school ? I expect it comes from years past when a education past the eighth grade was higher education ! Back a couple of generations boys would be leaving school to work on the farms and in the factories. I can see that, they are becoming young men at this point. In society today we do not expect as much maturity at this age as we did in years past. The ironic part of that is we teach much more " mature " subjects. We encourage the young men and women to openly discuss topics that were ,shall we say, backroom topics not so many years ago. For you grandparents out there all you need do is compare your curriculum and subject matter to what is taught today.
At Lockerman middle school, were Mark attends, an end of year project involved presenting an current issue in a powerpoint presentation. The students must research and write a presentation explaining the issue and their findings. It is quite a big deal. Last night we all went to watch his presentation. Mark's chosen topic was Gun Control. His position is that we have the right to have guns and that they can be beneficial. He began by sighting the second amendment but not dwelling on it. Mark is a good speaker and quite comfortable in front of an audience. I can see him in a boardroom or as a public speaker of some type. He projects confidence in his speech and his material. It is possible that a small amount of bias may be presented here but I do think he did an outstanding job. What is especially impressive to me is that he choose this subject on it's on merits. Mark does not hunt or have any particular interest in guns at all. His father does not own guns and has pretty much the opposite opinion regarding gun control. I don't own guns and seldom speak of them, although I am with Mark in my opinion. The fact that he would support something that he really has no direct vested interest in shows me maturity. He is aware of the issues and takes a measured approach to them.
I did enjoy his presentation and those of the other young people. It is an eye opener to listen to them. The topics were varied and some controversial. I will say this, it wasn't stuff I was thinking about in the eighth grade. I know quite a few of the kids from soccer and dance. It is something to see them grow. The future looks bright. I can see Mark leading the way. Now on to high school and starting at the bottom of the pack again. High school is a different environment for sure but I believe Mark will be a leader there as well. He is not easily swayed from his opinions. His opinions are usually based in fact and he will cite the reference. That is what makes it hard to refute. The next few years are crucial ones. I'm confident that Mark will do just fine.
This is Marks' presentation should you wish to listen.
At Lockerman middle school, were Mark attends, an end of year project involved presenting an current issue in a powerpoint presentation. The students must research and write a presentation explaining the issue and their findings. It is quite a big deal. Last night we all went to watch his presentation. Mark's chosen topic was Gun Control. His position is that we have the right to have guns and that they can be beneficial. He began by sighting the second amendment but not dwelling on it. Mark is a good speaker and quite comfortable in front of an audience. I can see him in a boardroom or as a public speaker of some type. He projects confidence in his speech and his material. It is possible that a small amount of bias may be presented here but I do think he did an outstanding job. What is especially impressive to me is that he choose this subject on it's on merits. Mark does not hunt or have any particular interest in guns at all. His father does not own guns and has pretty much the opposite opinion regarding gun control. I don't own guns and seldom speak of them, although I am with Mark in my opinion. The fact that he would support something that he really has no direct vested interest in shows me maturity. He is aware of the issues and takes a measured approach to them.
I did enjoy his presentation and those of the other young people. It is an eye opener to listen to them. The topics were varied and some controversial. I will say this, it wasn't stuff I was thinking about in the eighth grade. I know quite a few of the kids from soccer and dance. It is something to see them grow. The future looks bright. I can see Mark leading the way. Now on to high school and starting at the bottom of the pack again. High school is a different environment for sure but I believe Mark will be a leader there as well. He is not easily swayed from his opinions. His opinions are usually based in fact and he will cite the reference. That is what makes it hard to refute. The next few years are crucial ones. I'm confident that Mark will do just fine.
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