Billy Joe and Mary Sue Advice Column

Billy Joe and Mary Sue are two fellow high school students who provide you with answers to everyday questions. If you have a problem with your current relationship, we can help you. If you have a question about a school policy, we’ll have the answer. If you are worried about college, we can help. Please submit any questions to the comment section at the bottom of the page. Feel free to submit questions anonymously and know that every question is screened before being posted.

Billy Joe and Mary Sue Advice
I am having some trouble with my teachers and their respect for me. What do I need to do?
-Not Respected
Well, Not Respected, the only way to really gain the trust of an adult, and especially a teacher, is to respect them. Try saying yes ma’m, no ma’m, and being quiet and attentive in class. The more you respect your teachers, the more likely they are to respect you back. It may take a while to earn it, but eventually you will see a change.

One of my teachers talks while we are taking quizzes and tests and I don’t want to be rude but she really needs to shut up!
-Talky Teacher
The best advice we can give you is to politely raise your hand next time she talks during your quiz or test and ask her to stop. After one attempt, encourage other students to raise their hands and ask her to stop talking as well. If she doesn’t stop then, take the problem up with administration; they are really the only people who have control over the teachers.

Why can’t we wear what we want, I understand we need a dress code, but it’s to the point where we can’t express ourselves.
-Dress Code Crisis
Well, the dress code is in place for many reasons. And if you really understand that we need one, then you’ll realize that the dress code keeps people from being ridiculous. There are a few ignorant people who would be given and inch and take a mile when it comes to dress code. If they’re given a small window and are allowed to wear short shorts, then somebody will where booty shorts that let their “butt cheeks” hang out. Because of these ignorant people, all of us are restricted to a certain dress. The option of expressing yourself is not available for discussion because some people could claim that showing their cleavage to everyone is “expressing themselves.” The idea of free expression is so broad and general, that it is easier on administration to give us all general dress restrictions to eliminate the problems all together. Eventually, the style will evolve and the dress code will become more of a joke than a code. So don’t worry, the dress code will change; give it time. Check out some of the dress code articles on TYJNA.COM for more information on this topic.

Well, my boyfriend and I have dated for about a year and we have had some really good times. He and I love each other a lot but sometimes he gets angry with me and hurts my feelings. I don’t want it to be ok for him to do that, but I don’t want to break up with him. What should I do?
-Jaded Girlfriend
If he truly loves you, it sounds like he does, he’ll take the time to sit down with you and discuss what hurts your feelings. When you get the time to talk about it, tell him exactly what it is that he does to hurt you and tell him that it bothers you. He should respect your opinion and make a valid effort to change the things that hurt you. If he just gets mad that about what you’re telling him, then maybe it would be better if you just weren’t with him. If a guy doesn’t respect you enough to listen to your feelings and change himself to better your relationship, he isn’t worth it. There is a saying, “It’s better to leave the broken pieces of a relationship broken, than to hurt yourself trying to put it back together.” If you aren’t truly happy anymore, get out of the relationship now, before it’s too late. If you think he’s willing to change and the good far out-weighs the bad, then stay with him and work together to make the best of your love.

What should I do if I want to increase my SAT scores, but I can’t afford to go to special classes?
-Sucky Scores
If you can’t afford special classes, maybe you could buy the SAT practice books from local book stores. If you still don’t want to or can’t spend the money on those, try to find someone who has really high SAT scores and ask them to tutor you. The College Board offers online SAT practice tests that you can print and do yourself. If you don’t want to do it alone, take the tests with a group of students in your similar situation.

Halloween: Teens, Tots and Looking Hot

Halloween has been a classic holiday for Americans since it began in the early nineteenth century with European emigrants. Trick or Treating did not become a way to celebrate until the 1920’s. The original purpose of Halloween is determined by which culture was celebrating it. The most widely known reason for the holiday is to celebrate the saints of the church. The holiday traces back to an Irish origin. Americans have turned the holiday into a chance to dress up in all kinds of costumes, party, trick or treat, enjoy frights in a haunted house, carve pumpkins, and scare people.

Here in North Augusta, most of the children have grown up in the tradition of trick or treating. Parents love to see the unique costumes, children love to get free candy, and teenagers love to scare friends and family. As the children get olderand enter their teenage years, some still go out candy snatching. For many people, it’s fun to dress up and it’s not so much the candy that draws then in, but the opportunity to dress up.

The outgoing and creative sophomore Carter Turner still takes the opportunity, “When you become a teenager it’s more about hanging out with friends rather than candy. I still get excited to dress up every year. The older you get, into the teenage years, you’re too old. But then again…I went last year,-laughs-.”

When is it time to give up the dressing up and trick or treating? Maybe there is an invisible age limit that some people cross. Should we high school students be trick or treating? Junior Trey Lambert is a little too mature for the t-o-t: “I think that high schoolers should not trick or treat. 12 should be the age when you stop trick or treating and start going to parties.”

Katye's future husband . . . not dressed up for Halloween.

Junior Greg Bush gives out candy, and dresses up, “I don’t trick or treat anymore. I do dress up as a dead clown every year. It scares my 24 year old brother more than the little kids.” Giving out candy to young trick or treaters is a great way to have fun, see everyone dressed up, scare a few little ones, and dress up yourself. Too boring for you?  Or, maybe you don’t want to spend anymore time at home that completely necessary.

This brings us back to the party aspect. In a town as small as ours, it’s not hard to find a party to attend on October 31. Once you’ve found the party to go to, the next step is to decide if you will dress up. The most common choice is to dress up and some people destroy the pure concept of dressing up. In the movie Mean Girls, Halloween is described as a night that you can dress like a “total [promiscuous]person” and nobody cares. Sophomore Katie Shreve closely agrees, “It’s a night for everyone to be whoever you want to be. And it’s one night that you can dress [inappropriately] and not be judged.”

If a teenage girl is going to dress up for a Halloween party, what is too far? Party city and other costume retailers advertise skimpy, scandalous outfits such as the Sexy Pirate, Sexy Convict, The Rocky Costume, and Sexy Cinderella. Teenage girls often take the chance to dress sexy and take it to an extreme. The night may be for some girls to dress provocatively, but some people don’t want to have to see cleavage and half-moon butt peeks all night.

Some sexy costumes.

Before going to the party, evaluate who will be at the party, what kind of costume is appropriate and how long you’ll have to stay in the outfit. Junior Molly Gibbs is a lady and wants to show it: “I think that it doesn’t matter how you dress on Halloween, if you respect yourself enough, then you shouldn’t be too revealing. It’s all for fun and not all girls who dress up, do it for the wrong reasons. Just be who you are and hope you don’t make a bad impression.”

So what have we learned? If you chose to go to a party, dress appropriately and don’t make it an excuse to show your butt. If you really must trick or treat…at least have a younger relative along side you, it’ll make you look like less of an idiot. If you want to hand out candy, make it more fun by dressing up and scaring people. Whatever you chose to do, make it a safe and scary Halloween.