Megan Middleton: On the Scene

The chapter is closing on 2007.

The memorable moments, as well as the ones you're a bit more eager to forget, are silently fading into the shadows of history. The year 2008 is just days away - full of potential, full of hope, full of sweet dreams that just might come true.

So, what are your resolutions for the New Year? What are your hopes - what are your goals for 2008?

As an education reporter, I thought that question belo-nged to some Tyler ISD students.

And if you think, as do many adults, the whippersnappers talked about getting in shape or eating right, think again. Some of their wishes for 2008 would put most adults' resolutions to shame.

A group of high school seniors and another gathering of fifth-graders shared their thoughts on 2008 with me before their Christmas break. And while naturally some answers from the two groups were different, I found a surprising common thread running among the students as they looked ahead to '08 - all were anxious about big transitions looming in the new year.

The group of fifth-graders at Dixie Elementary was eager to share thoughts for the coming year.

Ten-year-old Sheldon McGowan didn't need any time to sit and ponder his answer to my question. He quickly scooted his chair up to the table, folded his hands and said, "I'm ready."

"I have two goals - my first goal is to make the 'A' honor roll and my second is to help the community be a better place ...

"I have one more goal," he added.

"My last goal is to help children be safe."

When I asked him why those were his goals, he explained that his goals "are high expectations for me."

"If I help the world be a better place, I know I'll feel better and the community will feel better."

And doing well in school - that will help "to keep my brain in focus," Sheldon said.

Eleven-year-old Danielle McNaughton said her resolutions for 2008 include making all As and "to help people be better - and for me to be a better person."

Ashton Ates, 11, said that in 2008 she wants to make straight As each six weeks.

And she knows just why that's important.

"If you don't make good grades, you can't move on and get an education and be a pediatrician"- which is what she intends to do.

And for Caleb Green, 11, he wants to go on to the sixth grade where he hopes to learn more about animals - because his goal is to rescue animals.

Other things these elementary students are looking forward to in '08? Summer vacation, a new president of the United States and passing the TAKS test.

"If you pass your TAKS test now ... you won't have to come to summer school," Sheldon said.

Smart kid.

Danielle also said that they all want to be leaders.

"We want to set a good example for the kids who are younger than us," she said.

Sixth grade awaits these fifth-graders in 2008, and they have some mixed feelings about the change.

Junior high is a place full of uncertainty - from changing classes for the first time to having teachers they don't know. These are some scary prospects, students said.

"It's so much pressure," Sheldon said of the transition ahead.

Yet, the precocious student also said he was excited about May, when he gets to march down the stage for fifth-grade graduation.

And Danielle, who had also expressed some apprehension at the thought of middle school, said, "I'm really excited to go into sixth grade because that means we're another year older."

It immediately struck me how much the fifth-graders sounded like the high school seniors I spoke to a day earlier - nervous and excited about the unknown ahead in 2008.

A few seniors I interviewed from Robert E. Lee High School said they were much more focused on college applications than on New Year's resolutions.

The seniors, all student council members, wanted in 2008 to have good study habits and to see future student council members continue their work for various causes, such as cystic fibrosis, hunger and blood donation. They were also looking forward to voting for the first time. But what they all were focused on first and foremost was college.

"Everyone talks about college," Mallory Cook said. "There are very few people I know who know where they're going and what they're going to do."

So for 2008, these seniors say they just want to get into the college of their choice and have the assurance of "knowing it's the right choice," Grace Guinn said.

When talking about graduating and leaving high school behind, it was clear they also had mixed emotions. Sad, happy, excited and scared were how they described what they felt about their big transition.

College is "a whole new life" full of questions, they said, from "what do I major in?" to, "who is my roommate going to be?"

"It's a big year," Paige Pickens said. "It's the end of one thing and it's the beginning of another ..."

I got a chance to pose the question of New Year's resolutions to TISD's new leader - Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid.

His hope seems to be just that all these students' goals can be realized.

He wants for TISD to help all students achieve those personal goals, those personal "resolutions," in 2008 and beyond - from making As to getting into the right college.

His resolution, he said, is "that we are able to put a plan into action that helps every TISD student become the best person and best student that they can be."

Megan Middleton covers Tyler schools for the Tyler Paper.
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