1. Who is Your Boss? By Terrie, Jeff, Dustin, and Sierra
2. Today it seems like no matter where we turn people are pushing kids around and telling us what to do. In the book Holes, Stanley Yelnats is very familiar with this theme. Our group decided to interview other students from the middle school we attend and asked them what adults pushed them around, and what they were told to do. You are SO not my boss! Following is a link to a website for teen opinions on multiple topics from fashion to obedience http://www.truetube.co.uk/
3. Stanley’s parents bossed him around, and because he had both respect and love for his parents even though they were not successful and they were odd, he almost always did what they told him to. His mom told him to write letters to her and he did although other kids made fun of him for doing it. He told his parents lies, in the letters, about his experiences, so they would not worry about him. Parents
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5. The majority of students stated they thought their guardians’ rules were not always correct, but they usually followed them.
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7. Our survey showed that students only follow the rules of the teachers they thought worthy. Some teachers don’t appear to care how their students behave, so the students try to disobey as they want. Some teachers are to strict, and the students find sneaky ways to disobey. Some teachers are cool and fair, and the kids will more willingly obey. Some kids said that a few of the teachers gave too much worker or graded to hard, so they just didn’t try anymore even though it affected their grades.
8. Police Stanley was arrested, and, although he had not actually committed the crime, he was forced to obey. Stanley was required to attend the camp though he was innocent. He went along with the police because he believed there was nothing else he could do.
9. All but 6 of the students stated they had respect for the police, and that they would follow the instructions of the officials if necessary. They obey because they don’t want to be in trouble. Some students said that some of the town’s police pick on kids and accuse them unfairly. Two students said they were caught in the act of doing something wrong, but the police were good about it. One student stated that the police always treated he and his family unfairly, and that he tried to trick them.
10. Most of the time, it is the intelligent thing to do what adults in charge tell you to do or you could get into trouble, be punished, or get poor grades. Sometimes, though, like poor Stanley, you do have to go against bad adults, and although it might be difficult, it is the right thing to do to prevent yourself or others from being harmed. Who IS Your Boss?
11. ConclusionsThe events and characters in Holes are similar to events and characters we have known or experienced because………. Like Stanley, there are people in our lives that hold a position of authority over us and we must make the choice of whether or not we will obey. Like Stanley, we must decide who to obey and when it is appropriate and when it is not. Life is a series of choices, and we must weigh our options and then determine our course of action.
12. The book Holes made an impact on us because we saw how a boy our age responded to real problems. When Stanley had to deal with being treated unfairly, he made the best of the situation by trying to get along with others. When he saw that something was not right, he showed bravery and stood up to those in authority to do the right thing. He was smart and used his intelligence to do something important. Most importantly, he was a loyal friend and family member!
