I Don’t Have Any Homework

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Charles Royal, Second Place
Middle School Division, Grade 8
Barb Babka, Judkins

I walked into my house with an upside down grin on my face. Once again I was swamped with homework. Almost every period, I had homework. I sat down on the couch, relieved that school was over. The first thing my dad asked me as I sat down was, “Do you have any homework?” An impulse of thought surged through my brain, and then I replied, “No.” I lied. My parents had normally trusted me most of the time. I thought that I could get away with something I shouldn’t have done. In the end I realized that I had just made a very bad mistake.
In certain ways, we as humans, are different, but being human is what also makes us alike. One of these major things that make us alike is our mistakes. The mistake I made was lying. Once I lied the first time it lead to more and more and more. Petty soon, I was doing no homework at all. Then it came to the end of the second quarter, boy was I in for a surprise. I had a D- in math and a C- in language.
After my parents found out about this, they were quite mad. I realized that I would have been too it someone else lied to me. I was now sick of the phrase, “I don’t have homework.” I learned that with something done wrong, there will always be consequences. For now it was two weeks grounded off the computer, but also something else. That something else was that my parents had lost trust in me. Trust is the best thing to have with someone else. I don’t think I will ever lie again (at least I hope).
In the end, the benefit of lying went to no one. I had gotten in trouble, my parents had gotten stressed out, and my teachers were disappointed. I now have good grades in all of my classes. Through this ordeal though, I have learned from my mistake (or mistakes). I also know that you can change your ways if you really try. This is what all should strive to do in life, even if you think you can’t, I think you can.

Facing Reality

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Jennifer Farias, Third Place
Grade 8, Middle School Division
Barb Babka, Judkins

It was a bright sunny day and I was getting ready for school. As I got to the entrance of Oceano Elementary School my mom said bye and left my sister and I at the door. I was really excited because it was the last day of school before Winter Break started. During lunch recess my friends and I were talking of what we would do, everybody was talking at once. One of my best friends, Alexa, was really nervous for our math test.
The bell rang and it was time for the big math test everyone had been worrying about for the past few days. As we walked in the classroom Alexa said to me, “Look, there’s Ruby and Ashley”. Ruby and Ashley were the meanest girls in the sixth grade. Halfway through the test Ruby raised her hand and told our teacher, “Alexa is copying my test!” I couldn’t believe it. I knew Alexa wouldn’t do anything like that! It wasn’t the truth; Ruby just said that to get Alexa in trouble.
After class our teacher held Alexa in. Alexa looked really hurt and said, “He believed Ruby, and gave me an F.” I was really angry. I grabbed Alexa by the hand and told her, “Come on, we have to do something about this. It isn’t fair that Ruby gets away with everything and you get blamed for something you didn’t do.” Then I stopped walking and asked Alexa, “Did you really cheat?” She replied, “No, I didn’t and even you know that I wouldn’t do something like that.” I nodded and kept walking.
Ruby and Ashley were playing on the basketball courts. Ruby looked at us and said something we couldn’t understand. When we got to Ashley she said with a mean attitude, “What do you guys want?” I stared and said, “Ruby needs to tell the truth; she knows that Alexa didn’t cheat on that test.” Alexa stepped up and said, “I kept my eyes on my own paper the whole time.” Alexa and I walked off proud because we had faced the meanest girls. On our way to our classroom Alexa said, “Thanks for sticking up for me.” She looked up and hugged me, I hugged her back.
Unfortunately this problem wasn’t beneficial to anyone. After school I stayed to talk to our teacher. Alexa and I asked if we could see Alexa’s test and then asked for Ruby’s test. Then a grin appeared on Alexa’s face and I knew why. I told the teacher, “Alexa’s answers are all correct and Ruby’s answers are all wrong so how could she have copied?” Our teacher just looked and looked at the test over and over. I was right! As for Ruby and Ashley, they got in trouble for lying to the teacher and disrespecting their classmates. Our teacher apologized to Alexa and gave her test an A, which was the grade she deserved. Alexa and I are still close friends. I’ll always put my friends and family’s life before mine.

Saying Goodbye to the Past

Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
Brendan Pringle, First Place
Grade 11, High School Division
AGHS

Although a senescent, tarnished moped may not seem like an object of value, my family considered our 1980 moped a member of the family. To my father, it symbolized the beginning of a newfound freedom and the advent of a brand-new lifestyle. After marriage, my parents took weekly trips on the Puch to enjoy the freshness of their youth. With the arrival of six beautiful children, the moped changed its function to suit family life. One of the most vivid moments of my childhood involved sitting in front of my dad on the worn leather cushion, grasping the rusty handle, the wind pounding against my shirt as we accelerated into the distance. Every Sunday afternoon, my dad would take turns with each of us for a thrilling ride around the block. I recall every single one of my siblings waiting in almost desperate anticipation for their turn to “go for a ride with Daddy on the moped”. These memories ended abruptly on one cold, Sunday night, as the moped was torn permanently from our lives. The thief of the Puch failed in all facts of the 4-Way Test, as he/she committed a crime far beyond material possessions, stealing hours of delight and exhilaration from my whole family, and a gleaming symbol of the past.
This criminal gazed over the first and most crucial question of the 4-Way Test—”Is it the truth?”, or in other words, “Is it true that I deserve to take possession of this bike?” An old moped is not required to sustain the life of a person in any way. It is only made for occasional rides, not to permanently take the place of a vehicle. Therefore, it was an act of personal desire and excessive gain, not necessity. Secondly, stealing is never the truth under any circumstances. Lying is ominously present in the act of theft, as one is directly deceived by the criminal in his wrongful accruement of a possession.
Beyond this, the thief neglected to acknowledge the unfairness of the theft. This crime was unfair to every single person in my family. Both my mother and father lost a bike that was reminiscent of their glory days, including the abundance of free time that they once had to themselves. My siblings and I felt as though our Sunday afternoon would never be the same again. We could not easily overcome the loss of excitement that we had looked forward to every weekend. Additionally, it is unfair that the criminal was not caught for the sake of society. In understanding the psychology of a thief, one could truthfully say that the thief will repeat his offense. Therefore, the concept of fairness was virtually nonexistent throughout the whole crime.
This crime did not build good will and better friendships. My whole family experienced the loss of something special to them, a major impasse to the creation of a basic fraternal relationship. Every single one of us rued the act of injustice committed against us, and was bitter about this loss, including my six-year old brother. This crime did not distance my family, but the presence and further utilization of this special vehicle would have veritably created an even closer bond between my sister, brothers, and parents. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, a symbol of brotherly love had been tragically taken in silence, leaving us with utter resentment.
As a result, the criminal did not benefit from the action. Correction was not provided to change his moral state. In contrast, I have used the 4-Way Test in recent years to reflect upon this incident in a new light. It would be untrue and unfair for the thief if I did not express forgiveness. Also, resentment toward the thief would not be beneficial to anyone, and moreover, would impede the establishment of good will and better friendships.
In today’s society, criminal justice is meant to treat the psychological issues of a criminal in using the principles of Adlerian therapy on a minute scale. In punishing individuals with a fee or through directed counseling, they are more inclined to change their ways. However, in the case of an anonymous criminal, lessons are skipped and change is impossible. Usage of the Rotary Club motto, “Service Above Self’ was implausible due to the concealed nature of the crime. The 4-Way test, if utilized in the decision-making process, can ultimately prevent crime in premature sense.