~Owen Beauvais, Class of 2024
The Pillars of Character
“You are a citizen, and citizenship carries responsibilities.”
~Paul Collier
The weight of the world is on my shoulders. School is incredibly stressful and on top of that, I am playing four sports currently. The way my mom puts it, you only have twenty four hours in a day and I have thirty hours worth of things that I need to do. I arrive at school everyday with bags drooping under my eyes. And somehow, I manage to get through the day. During my day, I am challenged with being a good citizen, and I am also challenged with being a responsible teenager and it’s up to me to make the right decisions.
In order to succeed in life you must take responsibility. Taking responsibility for my education in the classroom has brought me to where I am today, which is a place I am very proud to be. The importance of responsibility i prominent at Fenn especially in the classroom. I was in math class on a Thursday and the tests were being handed back. Mr. Sanborn handed me the paper and I received my score. It crushed me looking at the paper. I had to make a change because something wasn’t working. I was hit with the realization that I needed to seek help. Until this point, I had shunned the idea of asking for more practice problems and extra discussions. Now, I realized that this was going to be my path to success. So I sought help. I talked to Mr. Sanborn about extra practice and I asked clarifying questions to help better my understanding of the material. The next test came around and this time I was ready. I had done a great deal of studying and had even skipped hangout sessions with my friends to study. I took the test and scored the best I had all year. Responsibility was the key to my academic success; Fenn played a major role in this; I have learned the value of responsibility. Previously, most things came pretty easy to me. I had to develop the skills and courage to seek help. I now apply these skills in many different aspects of my life in and out of the classroom. I learned that if something is hard you can either give up or be responsible and make a change. Taking responsibility can not only improve your own life but improve the lives of others as well and is a part of being a good citizen.
Being a good citizen is a two way street of joy. I have learned that being a good citizen is important because it brings joy and happiness to you and to all those around you. You can show citizenship in the classroom or even just when you’re playing a game. I personally have shown citizenship during games. It was a Monday afternoon. I had just been let out of class so I went to the MPR for recess. I decided to play wrestleball with my friends. While playing wrestleball I noticed a person in my grade sitting on the side. I could tell that they really wanted to play but were nervous to ask. I remembered what Fenn had taught me about being a good citizen so I asked him to join us. His eyes lit up with excitement and he agreed to play. We played for the rest of recess together and we all had an amazing time. At the end he thanked me for inviting him to play and that made me feel really good. Citizenship is so important; you never know how somebody’s day is going and you can make an impact; thus, this skill can take you far in life. This small act of kindness had clearly made this kid’s day. Being a good citizen is a two way thing. After he said thank you I was rushed with joy. I felt like I had made an impact on him and we had even connected during that recess.
In the words of Paul Collier: “You are a citizen, and citizenship carries responsibilities.” Citizenship and responsibility are the building blocks of character. We are forced to make tough decisions and these pillars guide us to make the right decisions.
