"Going Nowhere Faster," by Sean Beaudoin, is the story of Stan Smith, the typical 17 year old high school boy. This novel surely fulfills every high school stereotype and clique as Stan battles his way through senior year, or attempts to anyways. He is be what would be considered today, a genius. He knows the answer to any question someone could ask and even has an IQ of 165, yet has no clue who he is or what he wants to do with his life. He has no idea what he is doing tomorrow, let alone next year for college. Stan has not been accepted to a university, let alone applied. As Stan struggles for a sense of belonging and the attention of Ellen Rigby, the Jock's girlfriend, he dodges it from his parents. Stan has the average set of parents, a mother and father who are anything but normal. His six foot tall mother is a tree-hugging, organic food selling vegan. She is constantly with her spiritual guru who helps guide her in day to day life. His unusual father on the other had is a carpenter, a lousy one at that. Although Mr. Smith builds things a little lopsided, he is always willing to give his son a little advice. Through all this craziness, Stan has found one thing he loves. He works for Happy Video, the only video store in his down and has developed a passion for screen play. Despite Stan's uncertainty of his future plans, he know it involves writing movies and the love of his life Ellen, she just doesn't know it yet. This novel has a quirky way of depicting a near-accurate account of a senior year in high school. From drunken parties to romantic interests, this story falls nothing short of a few good laughs.
Discussion:
1. Do you believe most high school kids are like Stan? In other words, do all high school kids have a good grasp of who they are and what they want to do with their lives, or are they more unsure like Stan?
2. Does high school have a big effect on the outcome of someone's life? Does it play a major role in developing people to become who they really are?
16 comments:
1. I think for the most part, kids do not have an idea for what they want to do. Some might have a few ideas, but are no where sure of anything yet. High school is where people "become" who they really are. By dealing with many more people of different ages and interests, the true personality blossoms.
2. I think high school is a testing ground for how people will live their lives. It provides many challenges and by dealing with those challenges differently, people figure out who they really are.
1. I would think that most people in high school feel the same way Stan does. Senior year can be a difficult time. Although it can be full of fun times with friends, it also involves difficult decision making. Senior year approches so fast, and it seems that many students are caught off guard with everything senior year brings. It's important for seniors to get a grasp on things and start making decisions involving the future. Sometimes it's hard to accept that "the future" is so near, but its the truth and we must start preparing for it now.
2. I think high school does have an effect on people, but it does not define them. As a high school student, kids are introduced to a whole new world, both socially and academically. They are faced with many new challenges, whether that be making new friends, going out for a varsity sport, or passing all of their classes. The high school experience helps students figure out what kind of person they are, and at times, the potential that they have. High school does not, however, define a person. After graduation, a student can go off to college and completely start over. Their high school life will be a part of their past and may have some effect on who they have become, but it will not define the future.
1. I think that most kids don't know what they want to do with their lives while they're still in high school. And the ones that think they know what they want to do will probably end up changing their minds at least once. I think once they leave high school and mature a little more, then they get a clearer picture of what they want to do with the rest of their lives.
2. I don't think high school has a major affect on most people's lives just because you don't really start making major decisions for and about yourself until after you graduate. That's they can really figure out who they are.
I think during high school your in the process of figuring out who you want to be and start to have an idea of what you want when your older. So going through high school you are still unsure but exploring your options, just like Stan.
And I don't think high school has a huge role in who you become because you still have so much time to change. You also have so many things after high school that really shape you.
i think a majority of the kids dont really know what they want to do with their life or their future plans, they just kind of take life day by day.
i think it has a big effect on who is a person is and how their life is because it shapes the kind of person that you are going to be and is basically what gets you started in the pathway of your life, but ytou can also change if you dont liek where your life is going, so i think it depends on who the person is and who they want to be
2. Does high school have a big effect on the outcome of someone's life? Does it play a major role in developing people to become who they really are?
I think high school has a big impact on a persons life. Depending on how they were treated in high school, or viewed as, it can shape how a person thinks. If a person was a "nerd" in high school, and unfortunately got picked on because of this, later in life they may become unselfconscious about how they act or look.
I think that high school is definitely a place to test out ideas of who a person wants to be but once high school is over it doesn't really matter what it was like. Someone who was really popular in high school could struggle in the real world. Likewise someone who barely made it through high school could find something they are good at and excel in life. So high school is not as important as it seems to be at the time and by no means defines a person.
I agree with almost everyone on question one. Most people are unsure what they want to do with their lives in high school. I personally think it's way to early to be making such huge decisions, such as where to go to college and your profession. However in high school, I think most people have a sense of what they're good at and what they enjoy doing, which can eventually help make major decisions.
I don't think most high schoolers have any grasp at all on what they want to do in their lives. While this isn't true for everyone, I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of teenagers aren't completely set on one dream or vision of thier future. So many are set on being young and "living in the moment," which, unfortunately, often leads to more partying then studying. Even the few kids who DO have an idea often end up changing their career paths and certain goals before they end up reaching their final destination. It is human nature to follow curiousity and find new things that interest you, which ineveitably leads to changing what you initially intended on doing.
Secondly, I think high school has a HUGE effect on the outcome of the lives of people. Who you befriend and the habits/mannerisms you develop in your high school years are more than likely going to be the ones that follow you througout your entire life. The teenage years are the last few before a person reaches adulthood, which means that they are the most impressionable when it comes to determining who a person will end up becoming.
to answer question 1: I think that most students definately are alot like Stan. Personally, I don't even know what or who I want to be as an adult. Those are just the things you learn as you grow up. I want to be a kid for as long as I can I know that for sure, and I don't want to rush myself into being all adult like.
1) I think that most high schoolers have a slight idea of what they might want to do in life, but for the most part are unsure. I personally feel a lot like Stan; I know what I enjoy doing, but I'm just not quite sure how to make a living out of it.
For question one, I believe most students are undecided as to their future no matter how gifted they are. It is generally difficult to see what the future holds.
For question two, I think that high school hasa major impact in the life of a teenager. I believe one's true life if molded through the environment of college, which is the next closest step to the real world.
To answer the first question, I think it depends on the person. There are some lucky kids out there who grow up knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. But, I think for the most part, not many high school kids know what they want to do with their lives at all. There are so many opportunities out there that it is hard for someone to pick out one thing, or anything at all. I myself just decided what I want to do out of no where because I am that unsure. But colleges are definitely prepared for those kinds of students.
I believe that high school does have a big effect on the outcome of someone's life. Throughout high school, a person starts to become someone. Usually they develop certain character traits, personalities and things like study habits that carry into thier college life, if they chose to go to college, that is. Colleges look for who the student is during their high school career. But as I said before, it depends on the person. Someone may go to college and change who they are as a person completely. I think that high school is a starting point to what a person becomes.
I don't think any high school kid has any idea what they're going to do in the future and if they think they know they're just kidding themselves. There are so many different jobs in the world that its a small chance a kid will know about their ideal job when they're just leaving high school and if they think they like a job they might end up hating it once they realize what the actual work is.
I feel that highschool is vital to a person's development. Socially, its extremely important to build people skills while expiriencing what its like to be involved in groups and classes. All this while they grow acedemically and prepare for either college or the world of occupations.
I think that kids may think they know what they want to do with their life in high school, but they really have no idea. Its impossible to understand all the options and oppourtunities that are out there while still in the confines of high school. It takes more time and experience to learn what you want to do, even if this changes multiple times in your life.
I think that, even though you do not know the specifics of your life in high school, it is an important time because it sets the stage for the rest of your life. The harder you work in high school the more oppourtunities you have for your future. Also, if you see high school as insignificant and treat it as such, you future may be very limited and you may never find your perfect career. High school may seem silly now, but it is the first place where your actions can really affect your future.
Post a Comment