don’t forget to the laundry- you need something to ear; this is how to work the telephone; if Mike calls, get his last name; if your Mike calls, get out of the room; what do I tell your parents when they call

Tellings #1: Pressures of High School

as modeled from Jamiaca Kincaid’s piece “Girl”

work on getting good grades; work on your studies; concentrate on your work; sleep is important but not imperative; you must take all hard classes; you must study for every test; you must study for standardized tests; you must study for unexpected tests; you should turn everything in on time; you should arrive to everything on time; you should do as well as your friends; you should do beyond your best; you should have a goal; you should have a dream—you’ll need one for college application essays; be an officer in every club; be active in every group; be head of every project; but you can’t neglect your school work; cramming isn’t enough anymore; studying isn’t enough anymore; working isn’t enough anymore; knowing isn’t enough anymore; nothing is enough anymore; community service looks great on your transcript, but don’t become a philanthropist; then who am I, exactly?; look, act, talk as if you’re smart, but make sure people still like you; don’t go against the grain; don’t be different from the in crowd; don’t do your own thing—people don’t like individuality, they like incarnations of themselves; then who am I, exactly?; don’t do too much stupid work; don’t do too much busy work; don’t do too much extraneous work; good grades come first; good grades should always be better; better grades should always be perfect; perfect grades should always be more impressive; be the person your parents expect; be the person teachers expect; be the person people expect; be the person you expect; be the person colleges expect; then who am I, exactly?; that doesn’t matter, just write 250 words about it NOW!