Skip to main content

One Thing I Can Teach You

So, I've been under pressure from seniors to start a blog. They said they will read it and as a teacher, I can't pass up any excuse to get students to read.

Since this is the last week for seniors, I'm going to focus on the last few things I want them to know before they graduate. However, these are good lessons for everyone.

In class, I often use the phrase "If there's one thing I can teach you before you graduate...". Some have pointed out that the "one thing" changes daily, but that's fine. They can all be the one.

So here's a top 10 list of advice for graduating seniors.


1. No one can force you to do anything.
    Life is all about choices. Just because you don't like the alternatives doesn't rob you of your ability to choose.

2. High school is not the best time of your life.
    You've just begun to live. If these were the best years, that would be a sad life. College (while fun) is also not the best time of your life.

3. You don't have to Google something just because you are curious.
    The internet has some truly shocking things on it. Curiosity is good, but learn when to restrain your curiosity.

4. Live deliberately.
    So often we eat when we are hungry, drink when we are thirsty, sleep when we are sleepy. Nothing too wrong with this, but animals do that too. Think about why you are doing things.

5. No one thinks that they are the bad guy.
   Except maybe crazy people. Even people that you don't like, even people who think that everything you do is wrong, think that they are acting to make the world better.

6. Embrace silence.
    In today's world, we don't let ourselves just enjoy doing nothing. Turn off your phone, go outside, and just relax.

7. Science is a verb.
    It's not just what you know. It's how you find out and what you do with the knowledge.

8. Your time at Savio means something.
    You may not believe or understand that yet, but trust me.

9. Question everything you think you know.
    The world is infinitely more complex than you think.

10. You are a unique person who is loved for being you.
      Even if it doesn't feel like it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Issues with Harry Potter: Part 4 - The Education System

Okay, maybe it's because I'm not British, but the education system in the Wizarding world makes very little sense to me (a teacher). Granted, the American system doesn't make sense to much of the rest of the world. Here in the US, we don't have college entrance exams, so I won't criticize things like OWLs or NEWTs. However, I am going to have to criticize the entire theory of education. Primary Schooling A Hogwarts letter arrives on a student's 11th birthday (sort of). What are the options for students before they are 11? Rowling says that they may either go to public schools or they are home schooled. It sure seems like most magical parents choose the latter option (most wizards know nothing of the Muggle world, which should not be the case if they attended public school for 6 years). Here we run into our first problem. What exactly are these children being taught? In the US (and from what I can tell, the UK), parents are not required to fol...

Analyzing Goertz Memes

 I often find myself on the Savio meme pages. Let's take a look at a few: 1. Handbooks I do read it quite a bit. We do some massive updating each summer. 2. Airpods I'm an Android user myself. I do think of the Airpod memes everything students walk past me wearing their earbuds (against the handbook, by the way). 3. Caaaw! Dr. Garcia started the noise. I don't do it as well. 4. Let it Go Well, yes. I was the one with the microphone and tiara. 5. Blue Shirt/Gold Tie Thank you. I think I look pretty good as well. 6. Saturated Because one time I said that the grass was saturated with rainwater. 7. Lunch There's a lot of lunch memes about me. Yes, I walk up and join conversations. I'm a socially awkward person, but it's allowed when you are an administrator. 8. Doors If you go through the wrong doors, I will find you and I will stop you. 9. History I don't know. Also, apparently my name no longer has a Z. Alright! First post in years.

Social Contract in Disney's Wish

Spoilers for Disney's Wish This isn't a post attacking the movie. It was enjoyable. The music was okay. There were a lot of Easter eggs (you caught that each of her friends is based on one of the 7 Dwarfs, right?) But I take pleasure in overanalyzing things. Scroll down for today's issue. Mrs. Goertz brought up an interesting point this morning as she was singing This Wish from Wish. Was Magnifico's plan all that bad (not the monster that he became, but the original situation from the beginning of the movie)? Magnifico and Amaya founded the kingdom of Rosas to be a safe place free from the trauma of his own youth (the details of fuzzy, but I'm thinking war). Rosas seems like a good place, as near as we can tell: low crime, fairly egalitarian society, no concerns of outside attack. In fact, one of the first scenes shows that there is enough immigration that there is a position of tour guide to show newcomers around. Yes, the castle is a little large for one couple, ...