My job gives me the opportunity to speak with 50 – 100 random Americans every day. And, the cool aspect of my job is that the company I work for, Boost Mobile Telephone, permits us to talk with our customers about what ever we want and/or the customer wants.

It has given me a larger vision of who Americans are. I have absorbed much. I've learned of their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations, their children, girlfriends, boyfriends, and about their frustrations, parents, grand parents, their town, or city, their street corner, the front of their house, their safety, their fears, their lineage, and their histories.

And, after eight or more hours, and sign off time comes, I always think for a few minutes before leaving to go home. What great people make up the United States of America!

Last week I spoke to an Honors student in East Chicago, Indiana. She was sixteen, and a junior at a public high school. It was a real joy to have some time to talk with her one-on-one. I got to hear first hand what some of the hopes and needs are of a teenager in the 21st Century.

Her reason for calling was her text-messaging was not working, and, after-all, as, she pointed out; "I'm on the Chat Plan and its unlimited texting." (I never imagined how seriously important TEXT messaging is, had I not been with Boost Mobile Telephone. Text Messaging, and the Nextel Walkie-Talkie are BIG business for Boost. 90% of Boost's business is aimed at the under-30 demographics.)

Getting back to the young lady from East Chicago. As I started to troubleshoot her phone, somehow she brought up the recent failure of a school district in Georgia. It's the one that just lost accreditation (I think it was Clayton County), thus, making its high school diplomas worthless.

She told me that just up the street, ten miles from her high school the diplomas are worth something. She said, “our diploma's are just as worthless as the ones in Georgia. And, I'm worried about no value diplomas, and I'm in the Honors Society.”

So, what happened to “no child left behind?” These are real sad words to hear from a sixteen year old. Shame on our nation! Schools have discouraged, rather than encouraged young people through out-dated teaching styles, and tenure, without recertification, lack of money, and lack of teachers.

More important, for the moment, was the TEXT messaging problem. She told me, “I live to text! I, mean, I text from bed before I get up and then text, text, text. Schools getting ready to start, and, texting is easier and cheaper than phones. I text all the time. I need to get hold of my friends...”

“You know,” she said, “Boost called me personally in July about my text messaging?” I, thought for a minute, and then ask her, “why would we call you about your text messaging?” “Well, she said, I guess I over did things in May. They said I was overwhelming their system.” “Oh, yea,” I said, “how is that?” “They said I had sent over 25,000 text messages in May, but, it is unlimited!”

I almost fell out of my chair!

25,000 text messages in a month? I was dazzled! I can only imagine how dazzled Boost must have been? I, mean, gosh, 25,000 text messages. I ask her, “how do you have time to do anything else? “What do you mean,” she said? “Texting is just something you do. It's part of everyday life. How could you possibly live without texting?"

I got her text messaging working. You, know, I figured out how many messages that is per day. It's 834 text messages per day or 34.7 per hour. And, yea, I know people can say anything on the phone, but, this young lady had the vocabulary and etiquette to be an Honors Society member. You could hear it as she spoke.

And, although our conversation was just twelve minutes, it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. A small peek into the life of teenage America. She also told me about the one phone we offer than can be taken through a metal detector, and how metal detectors are standard at her high school, how her pack is searched every day, and about the way the phone is smuggled into school. And, no, I'm not saying any more, because what she told me she must have felt I would hold the information in confidence, and I will.

I wish her only the greatest of success and prosperity in the future, one with only great things, yet to come, and good health...

I just thought I'd write about what she said to me, because it has never left my mind. She is a voice from within America, 21st Century America...

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