As the smacking of gum and extremely loud voices travel down the hallway, people stopping for no reason, and others failing to hold a door open, I am disgusted. Every day I am confronted with people my own age who act like animals.

What happened to common courtesy? The young people of my generation need a serious wake-up call. Teenagers need to stand up and become leaders for their peers. There must be more people than just me who are tired of the insanity. Perhaps if we all stand up, speak up against the trashy behavior and set a good example, more people will join in.

So next time you find yourself wanting to scream at rude people who will not be quiet long enough to listen to a teacher, stand up and speak up. When tempted to be rude or gross, think about the effects. An entire generation of unmannerly, disgusting individuals may last into adulthood. Hopefully more mature behavior will rule over the act of being “cool” when belching at the lunch table, or to “picking a winner” during a boring lesson at school.

Claire Buendorf

Albert Lea High School

English class

Kiester