That's a lot of pressure.
For a gazillion good reasons, that truncating of boyhood no longer happens in our modern American culture, but it does not give you a free pass on responsibility; it does not mean you deserve to have things done for you, and it does not mean that we adults can't or shouldn't expect a lot out of you. You can and should start practicing what it means to be a man because willing or not you are flapping your wings on the edge of the nest, and you'll soon fly or fall.
Why am I writing this?
Because I need and want you to take ownership of your prodigious potential, and I want you to take advantage of the opportunities placed daily at your feet--and I want you to enjoy the free fields of boyhood like you should. I want you to think about these admonitions when approaching your work in our class. It us as good a place as any to start.
I shouldn't have to remind anyone what to do. You should be able to figure it out and where and how to find the work you need to complete, and if you are here reading this, you are in the right place, doing the right thing, for the right reason. This should be the only place you need to go to find the work, to view your classmates' works, and to access the resources you need to complete your work.
With that said, I understand and I am sympathetic to those of you who are suddenly realizing that four journal entries are due on Monday, and if you are one of those students who are looking at an empty blog, I will grant you a mulligan--as long as you post at least one more decent blog entry along with your required narrative paragraph AND you comment on your classmate's blogs. If you have been diligent, came to this blog and read and completed the assignments listed on the sidebar of the eighth grade blog, I will give you extra credit.
I have no desire for any of you to do poorly in this class, and I will do my best to help you do well, but it is up to you to step to the plate and swing at the pitches thrown to you.
Deal?