Student ID Cards are Not Necessary for Safety :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Wearing Student ID Cards is Not Necessary for Safety "Stop right there, young lady!" echoed through the empty hall of White Knoll High School. I broke my fast stride and turned around slowly, slightly breathless from my power-walking. When I saw Mr. Johnston striding towards me with a pen in one hand and a pad in the other, I suddenly realized what else I had forgotten that morning. Before I could reach into my book-bag pocket for the ID I had yet to put on, Mr. Johnston was beside me and slipped me the small sticker. He shook his head and said, "Now, now, Tina. I thought you would have set a better example than that. Let's try to keep that ID on, okay?" With the sticker in one hand and my tardy slip in the other, I walked to the first block class that I was already ten minutes late for with the hanging cloud of after-school ID detention waiting for me the next day. Pushing my way through the stream of people trying to leave the school at 3:20 the next day, I found my way to the discipline office. Taking my place at the end of the line that stretched out of the room and halfway down the hall, I found myself listening to a discussion about why everyone else had detention that day. "Yeah, man. I had my ID card under my jacket so they couldn't see it." "Well, I'm here for an hour today, because I had to skip detention yesterday for a doctor's appointment." "Oh yeah? Well, I've got you all beat, 'cause I got two detentions yesterday. The first one was because I left my ID in my car. Then, my sticker wasn't showing, so I got another one." After listening to all their sob stories, I shared mine involving a faulty alarm clock, an early school bus, and just plain forgetfulness. Despite the shared pity of the group, we had all taken the detentions without complaint. The routine had gone on since the first day of school, and we all knew by tha t point that there was no escaping the punishment. After finally checking in with the poor teacher stuck with the task of watching over us that afternoon, I looked at the other students in the room with me.