MS Health I Instructional Guide

The Perfect Student: Role Play 1

Characters

Moderator Alexa Owen

Instructions: Student moderator reads the Background and Introduction sections out loud to the class and facilitates the discussion questions between scenes with assistance from the classroom teacher, as necessary. Background: Owen is a straight-A student and a varsity athlete. His parents are very strict and put a lot of pressure on him to be perfect. Owen just got an F on his final research paper in English, bringing his otherwise perfect grade down to a C. His GPA is in the tank. Because of this, his parents have grounded him and taken away his cell phone. Introduction: Owen’s friend Alexa finds him in the school library staring at his homework rather than doing it. Alexa: Owen, what’s wrong? Were you crying? Owen: No, no I’m fine (wiping his eyes). Why? Alexa: You don’t seem yourself today. Are you sure you’re okay? Owen: Yeah, actually I feel a lot better. (He crumples up a take-home test and throws it in the trash.) As a matter of fact, now that I’ve decided not to do this test, I feel great. In fact, I’m not going to do any homework anymore! I’m not going to go to college or get a job, and my parents can just deal with it! Alexa: Owen, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? Owen: Because I’m tired of being perfect, tired of doing what other people want me to do, and just tired of my life! What’s the point? I feel like I’m doing all this for everybody else, but nobody really cares. Even my best isn’t good enough. Alexa: Umm … but you’re so good at everything you do. You’ll see, you’ll go to a good school, and get a good job and make a lot of money … Owen: But I don’t care! That’s what my teachers and my parents and everybody else want, but what about what I want? Alexa: Well, why don’t you talk to your parents and tell them that you don’t want to do this anymore? SCENE 1

Page 1 of 3

LIFELINES PREVENTION GRADES 7–10 CURRICULUM: SESSION 3

Copyrighted material. All rights reserved.

CANYONS SCHOOL DISTRICT - SANDY, UT