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.

How to Spend Precious Study Hall Time Without Actually Studying

When students hear study hall (usually when signing up for classes for the following year.) it seems like a great idea. It’s nice to get all of that homework that your math teacher gave you out of the way, right? Or maybe you want to study for that English vocabulary test when you get home so you can go straight to the computer to update your Facebook status, practice your flugelhorn, or play guitar hero on your new Play Station . . . You know all that good stuff. But maybe you just cannot seem to actually study in study hall, and you want to waste wisely spend your study hall for anything other than homework.  Luckily, I have some fun suggestions for you…

• Play tic tac toe with yourself. You would be surprised who actually wins.
• Count the number of times the kid in front of you sneezes.
• Draw on the bottom of your shoes. (this way, your parents won’t see you “ruining” them)
• Create designs on a piece of notebook paper by punching holes from the tip of your pencil. Kind of like a light bright!
• Try to fold a piece of paper in half more than 10 times; It would be really impressive if you even make it to 8.
• See what kind of text messages you can come up with, with your eyes closed. (not advisable, but if you do, just remember Mr. Smith is EVERYWHERE.)
• Draw an infinite amount of three-dimensional cubes.
• See if you can block out all sounds other than the obscenely loud clock on the wall. It’s all mind power.
• Draw a tattoo on you arm with your non-dominant hand. Good luck.
• Create miniature origami. Again, good luck.
• Fill a sheet of notebook paper with a bunch of “squiggles.” Try to draw your monitor for study hall, or another student. Just throw it away when you are done.
• Try to touch your tongue to your elbow, attempting not to look like a complete idiot.
• Tear off little pieces off of notebook paper and roll them into tiny balls. Create a neat pile of them.
• Stare into space.

Well there you have it. All the fun little things you can now do when you are dying of boredom in study hall. You’re welcome.

Whats Really Behind the I.D’s..

“Excuse me sir, please put your I.D. on”, “Where’s you I.D?”, “Go get a temporary.”

Since it is the beginning of the school year, these are questions and commands you hear in the mornings from teachers. What is it about these plastic cards hanging off a piece of cloth that cause so much interest? Some students despise wearing them-; some are excited to wear them because they are new to them. Then you always have that handful of students that just don’t wear them at all. So here is what some students really think about the I.D policy.

Taylor Guerrieri, a junior, thinks that “Teachers shouldn’t give you detention if you don’t have your I.D. They know who you are.”

Savannah Hiatt, also a junior states that “In a way it’s smart, but in another way it’s stupid. It’s a piece of plastic; it’s not like its going to protect us from a bullet.”

Freshman Shelby Kendrick thinks “It’s understandable, but if you don’t have one there should be another type of punishment if you don’t have a dollar to buy a temporary.” Martiese Griffin, also a freshman states that he “doesn’t care about the I.D. cards.”

Generally, students at North Augusta High School do not like the I.D. policy and the punishments that follow them.  Other students think that I.D’s are pointless but don’t mind them like other students and think that they make sense for checking out books and making sure there are people in our schools that shouldn’t be.

Teachers Furloughed Five Days

Teachers in Aiken County have to take five days of furlough. For those of you who don’t know what a furlough is, it is a leave of absence from duty.

This might not sound bad to some of you. Who wouldn’t want five days vacation from work? The problem is that they aren’t getting paid and even if teachers want to come in and work in their classrooms without pay on these days, they can’t. Essentially, all Aiken County teachers are being given 5 days of unpaid “vacation.”

The building will be completely shut down for the furlough days in order to conserve resources. The days teachers will be furloughed were used for parent-teacher conferences and time for teachers to catch up on grading and planning.

All of these actions are being done in the name of budget cuts. Aiken County is in debt so far over their heads that they had to cut money in multiple places (including the new agendas). While these furloughs might make sense to some, many of our teachers still aren’t happy.

While talking to teachers about their opinions on the furlough, all wished to remain anonymous.

When asked how she felt about the furlough, one teacher said she felt it was “necessary, but aggravating.”

Her biggest complaint was that she had to do “the same amount of work in less time with no pay.”

Another teacher says that her biggest grievance about the furlough was that she “is going to have to do more work at home in order not to penalize the students.”

Some might ask what is more important, keeping within a budget or making sure that our teachers have time to prepare lessons. This question has been answered with actions by the Aiken County Board of Education. Unfortunately, the Aiken County Board of Education could not be reached for comment about the furlough days despite repeated attempts.

The furlough will not only affect the teachers, it will affect their families. “We will have to watch our money more” says one teacher.

Ironically, one teacher’s pay cut will affect her kid’s education. “I have one kid in college and one about to be in college.”

“The money doesn’t make me as mad as the fact that we can’t even come in the building; if I wanted to work on my lesson plans or do things in my room I can’t” says a teacher. Another teacher is especially angry about the fact that they weren’t “consulted about the days.”

While most teachers are angry about the furlough, there are some are looking for the bight side of the situation. “I’ll enjoy the three-day weekends and more time with my daughter” says a teacher.

“It won’t affect me, luckily my husband makes decent money, if we had to live off my pay check we would be in the poor house anyways” laughs another teacher.

The furlough is not reason enough for most teachers to leave Aiken County. One teacher states “if I didn’t want to come to work I wouldn’t.” One teacher says, however, that leaving Aiken County is “a possibility.”