When I was a senior in high school, many moons ago, I had a falling out with my English 4 teacher. She ended up refusing to take my senior research paper because it was 3 minutes late. As a result I did not graduate and I had to face the humiliation of canceling all those invitations I sent out and to face my mother whose only child wasn't going to graduate.

Course at that time of the year I placed all of the blame on the school district and this mean ole teacher who failed me because she was a mean hateful woman. The principal couldn't over rule her, the school board wouldn't listen so I was destined to summer school and a summer school "graduation".

But now that I have matured a few years I look back and realize that I can place the blame on anyone I choose to and hate those people forever. But the long story short is that I failed to meet the graduation requirements and as a result did not get to walk across the stage.

Why should we allow these seniors, who have not met ALL of the graduation requirements by not passing the TAKS test, walk across the stage with all of those hard working students who did meet all of the requirements? What are we teaching these students who worked their butts off to ensure that they had everything needed to graduate?

I might be more forgiving if the students were given the TAKS test one time their senior year and it was make or break. But these students start taking this test in the 10th grade and are given many opportunities to pass this exam. There are tutoring sessions, extra classes, and teachers willing to go the extra mile all in regards to passing the TAKS.

So stand up at the next board meeting and see if we can't add more things to the list of "questionable practices" within the Dallas ISD. While we're at it....vote no on the bond too..(oops sorry had a flashback)

Who knows....maybe that slight failure helped shape who I am today....

My name is JTF and I approve this message.

[Ed Note: Almost sounds like a commercial!!]