Revelation
By A Former CVU Student (Class of 2005)

I grew up in a small neighborhood and eventually made it to CVU. As a kid, my parents acted as guides. They helped with decisions, before I needed to make them and while I chose. They instructed me to eat my banana at lunch rather than trade it for a pack of Dunkaroos and described what may happen if I throw apples at passing cars. It seems simple and logical, but this is a big help to a kid who can’t imagine all of the consequences. Once in high school I was able to make it farther from my parents’ observation. I started to choose my classes, buy my lunches, and I was the one held accountable for doing my work. I got my license and quickly drove even farther from their helping gaze.

The decisions were all mine and I didn’t want a speck of advice. I had learned what I needed to learn from them: don’t swear, don’t fight, do your work, be nice to others, don’t speed, don’t drink, eat well, and tip fifteen percent. There was one thing I didn’t catch from years of instruction – WHY I should do all of these things. I was expected to have thought about why, as I made choices for myself. I saw Vermont’s beautiful roads as mine and speed limits were only a game against the police. The drinking age was a small hurtle to the world of alcohol. And then drinking itself was a strong act of rebellion. The worst that could happen was losing the game and getting a ticket, or a ‘slap on the wrist’ for drinking, as all of my friends called it.
But I was wrong. I was caught up in the game of adolescence, a game that the low police patrols of Charlotte and Hinesburg make too easy. The game was progressing and took hold of my thoughts; I never gave myself the chance to learn what my parents hoped I would learn. These rules are in place because every action has an effect on the people and place around us. If you speed, you could lose control, you could kill someone, destroy a building, and destroy your own life. It has never been about getting busted and having to pay the ticket. The police department doesn’t function off a $145 dollar checks. The police department functions from the cyclical nature of a good community. A community where people care about each other and where people consider the change their actions may invite.
I write to fellow teenagers in the Champlain Valley of my realization. The message has been told many times, but as someone who figured it out through a situation that could have been terrible, I ask for anyone who reads this to consider what effect their next actions may have on the community and places they love. We live in a place where it is easy to forget about the people around, but it is there. Thought through decisions will help to keep this place beautiful and safe.