By Glenda Heflin
Guest Columnist
This is a message for high schoolers everywhere, but especially the class of 2023.
You are about to enter adulthood so it is high time you are reminded of guidelines that will serve you well.
1. Always respect yourself. Do not try to be popular, nor should you try to be different, for already there is only one person exactly like you and that is you. Respect yourself.
2. Respect your parents— and when you discover that they have been taught some incorrect information (that may have been wrong from the start) respect them even more, for it is love, hard work, and guidance that has enabled you to arrive at the realization that information is constantly changing and rearranging itself. Respect your parents.
3. Give those who are different than you, those who hold different beliefs, or those who simply dress differently, your full respect, too. It would be a boring, monotonous life if everything were the same. Always respect and champion the underdog and his right to be heard.
4. Respect your teachers. Your teachers are being paid to transmit knowledge to you and your classmates. Do not interfere in that learning process. When you exit the class, show your teacher your genuine gratitude for her/his desire to ensure your future. Respect your teachers.
5. Respect your school leadership. When you, as students, do all of the above, there will be few discipline problems for the administration to deal with and when your principals are not required, daily, to correct student behavior, they can truly become the greatest of all educational assets— the school instructional leaders. Your school, your community, your state will soar.
