During my time in Mr.Meechins U.S Honors History Class, I've learned about everything from Gangsters in City Slums, to the strategies of war our country used in both World Wars, to the reasons, which most of us will never come to terms with, for the brutality of genocide. I've learned about how the presence of socioeconomics in our country deprives children like us of their right to equal educational standards, and I've learned what lengths people fighting for equal opportunity during the Civil Rights Movement went to. But when you look beyond the words on a smart board, past the countless dates, and through all the notes, you'll see that we've learned a lot more than names, dates and places.
I learned to think outside the box. When we spoke of the hardships people of our country, or other countries, endured during the course of our history, I learned that in order understand what these individuals felt, you had to attempt to put yourself in their shoes. I learned that at this point in time, a good education is unfortunately a privilege instead of right, and that if you have the opportunity to learn and grow with a wonderful teacher who truly does care what his students learn and become, you should take it and run with it, because you'll never know where the possibilities could lead you. And I learned that diversity is a blessing, not a curse (especially in my 6th period class) for different opinions and perspectives can open you up to whole new horizons. And I learned that through the power of discussion and debate you can learn more than a whole month staring at a white board. I realized through the course of this class that history really does repeat itself, and that with the knowledge we learn in classrooms today, we may be able to better ourselves and better our community, or maybe even the country or the world. You always said that as long as we took something away from this class, then you did your job. Well, I think this year you can walk away feeling like you completed that job. In the future, I know that I’ll use the tools I gained in this class in whatever I may do. Because if I’ve learned anything at all this year, it was that in order to change the future, we have to know and grow from our past.
