I'm Surprised I Even Found the Time to Write This Blog

I'm not gonna sugar coat it. It doesn't deserve a mulligan. And it definitely doesn't deserve to be ignored. Unlike most of our politicians out there, I'm not gonna try and spin this in my favor. Not that I could if I tried.

I have been a terrible blogger fourth quarter. Actually, let me rephrase that: I haven't blogged fourth quarter. Period.

It's embarrassing. Frankly, it was hard to force myself to boot up my browser and type that. But in the spirit of an american studies student, its time to be critical of myself. Its not time to piece together 8 blogs to get my total to the required amount. Its not time to make excuses. Its time to look in the mirror and ask the american studies question: WHY?

After thinking about the reasons for my failure, I realized why I have failed in my duty as an american studies student: I lost sight of the importance of the little things like blogging. Even if I have had to dedicate large portions of my time to the ACT, SAT, AP Tests, Track, Junior Theme, and Finals, I still have to find time to fulfill my duty as an american studies student and blog. I have battled the monster that is Junior Year, and though I have survived, I have lost. Even through all the tough accomplishments I have succeeded in, I have lost track of the truly important goal: to develop as a student and citizen of todays world. I forgot that although the big things like AP Tests are important, so are the small things like blogging. How can I expect to succeed next year if I do all the hard things that people lament about, like writing college essays, but then forget to put it in the mail. Seem like a relatively easy and simple thing to do, that you don't need to worry about? Well then, I guess you're not going to college.

And in the end, although I have failed, I have succeeded. Although I don't expect to get a good grade in blogging this quarter, I have learned a much more valuable lesson than any A on my report card could ever teach me: To lose sight of small and seemingly inconsequential things in my time management process is the same as not doing the big things that seem more important. You need the yin with the yang. The peanut butter with the jelly. The good with the bad. You cant choose one and hope for the best.  If there was one thing I still remember from second grade, it was Mrs. Morris telling the class that "fifty percent of doing your homework is remembering to bring it to school." This lesson couldn't be truer now. Sure, I turned in a solid Junior Theme. But without the blogging to go with it, I'm losing an essential part of the american studies learning experience.

So fine, Mr. Bolos and Mr. O'Connor, you can give me a bad grade on blogging for fourth quarter (its not as if I expect this one post to change your mind. I fully expect to fail). But it won't matter. Because the lesson I have taken away from looking critically at my own writing overshadows anything I could have learned from blogging,or the benefit of a boost to the GPA. By neglecting my duties as an american studies student, I have succeeded at the same time.