Writing has always calmed me down. As a young child, I was always doodling on a sheet of paper or just writing quotes from the encyclopedia. This is how I began to write in my journal.
Growing up in the late ’80s and the ’90s, I did not have a computer to keep myself busy. As a teenager, I spent time in my room listening to music and writing poetry.
My journals were always filled with entries of my emotional state of mind. I easily put into perspective what went on in my day at school, and the boy I liked. Over time, my journal entries focused more on relationships and less on what I should have been focusing on. I spent too much time writing about grown-up topics when I should have been developing a career, which would have been more appropriate. The past, however, cannot be changed. But my writing style and subject matter today are definitely more versatile, flexible, and helpful to readers.
Students who do start a journal should be positive. Entries should focus on their courses, their progress in school each year, and what parts of their courses they need to improve in. Students need to focus on getting a job at 16 and on how to conduct themselves in the real world. Entries can also focus on extracurricular activities like sports, band, or academic clubs.
I’ve taken this position because I regret a lot of the things I focused on when I was a teenager. I never allowed myself the chance to be a kid; I was too mature at a young age. So I want students to realize that keeping a journal should be about good things, and they should develop friendships instead of relationships at a young age. There is always time later for those grown-up things. School should be about learning and learning to make good friendships, not romance.
