Education is coveted where it is not easily had. Those that have the privilege of not fighting for it rebel against the forces that push them towards it. There are children taking dangerous trails to a schoolhouse because they thirst for knowledge. Because it’s understood that knowledge is what progress is made of. For many, education is a requirement. Education is dull and useless. The unmitigated importance of education is lost in the responsibilities that surround it. For others, knowledge is a power to rival gods. The opportunities granted with education stand between servitude for corrupt leaders and the ability to provide yourself with a stable foundation to build your life off of. I desire to work in the education field because I understand how important literate competency is. I need to provide my students with structure and a creative outlet. I need to teach my students what kindness and compassion is. I need to be a positive role model for children because too few have one. I want to teach my students that their education should never be taken for granted. I want them to understand that to learn is to grow. To learn is to live. To learn is to be. To begin with, I am pursuing a career in elementary education because I want to give my students the building blocks necessary to continue expanding their knowledge. I also want the children I teach to develop creative hobbies and interests by incorporating hands-on activities and projects in my classroom. I understand that many kids learn better when interacting with their concepts physically and I want to offer multiple opportunities for my students to digest the foreign information properly. My goal is to provide them with the tools they need to grow. Secondly, I have witnessed too many children struggle with overwhelming emotions. I understand that as a teacher, one of my responsibilities will be in the form of imitation. I know a lot of children will mimic behaviors they witness. I want to be able to teach my students that being gentle and kind are very important traits to develop. I want to help my students build habits that allow them access to a compassionate and empathetic mindset. I want to be a role model that makes them feel heard. Seen. I want to show them that my classroom is a safe place to develop new characteristics that benefit their mental health. To build off of that last goal, I know all too well that I will be teaching many children that don’t have that behavior modeled at home. I have a lot of preparing to do in order for my actions to be what is right for them. I know not every student will require the same care. Some will thrive by themselves and others will need me a little more. I will deal with a lot of behavioral issues. I want to be able to help my students through their problems without making them feel like one. I need to teach them that they all have value, regardless of where they come from outside of the classroom. In summary, it’s going to be stressful, but I want to make a difference. If not for the world, then for my students on an individual level. I want to be able to focus my attention on what items and projects will best intrigue my students. My students deserve an involved teacher. They deserve my full attention and patience. I have many goals, some more difficult than others, but my students will be worth every second of it.

Education is coveted where it is not easily had. Those that have the privilege of not fighting for it rebel against the forces that push them towards it. There are children taking dangerous trails to a schoolhouse because they thirst for knowledge. Because it’s understood that knowledge is what progress is made of. For many, education is a requirement. Education is dull and useless. The unmitigated importance of education is lost in the responsibilities that surround it. For others, knowledge is a power to rival gods. The opportunities granted with education stand between servitude for corrupt leaders and the ability to provide yourself with a stable foundation to build your life off of. I desire to work in the education field because I understand how important literate competency is. I need to provide my students with structure and a creative outlet. I need to teach my students what kindness and compassion is. I need to be a positive role model for children because too few have one. I want to teach my students that their education should never be taken for granted. I want them to understand that to learn is to grow. To learn is to live. To learn is to be. To begin with, I am pursuing a career in elementary education because I want to give my students the building blocks necessary to continue expanding their knowledge. I also want the children I teach to develop creative hobbies and interests by incorporating hands-on activities and projects in my classroom. I understand that many kids learn better when interacting with their concepts physically and I want to offer multiple opportunities for my students to digest the foreign information properly. My goal is to provide them with the tools they need to grow. Secondly, I have witnessed too many children struggle with overwhelming emotions. I understand that as a teacher, one of my responsibilities will be in the form of imitation. I know a lot of children will mimic behaviors they witness. I want to be able to teach my students that being gentle and kind are very important traits to develop. I want to help my students build habits that allow them access to a compassionate and empathetic mindset. I want to be a role model that makes them feel heard. Seen. I want to show them that my classroom is a safe place to develop new characteristics that benefit their mental health. To build off of that last goal, I know all too well that I will be teaching many children that don’t have that behavior modeled at home. I have a lot of preparing to do in order for my actions to be what is right for them. I know not every student will require the same care. Some will thrive by themselves and others will need me a little more. I will deal with a lot of behavioral issues. I want to be able to help my students through their problems without making them feel like one. I need to teach them that they all have value, regardless of where they come from outside of the classroom. In summary, it’s going to be stressful, but I want to make a difference. If not for the world, then for my students on an individual level. I want to be able to focus my attention on what items and projects will best intrigue my students. My students deserve an involved teacher. They deserve my full attention and patience. I have many goals, some more difficult than others, but my students will be worth every second of it.

“A part of kindness consists of loving people more than they deserve” (Joseph Joubert). I believe one of the most disappointing traits of our community is the lack of acceptance and encouragement in an already challenging time. I am not so ignorant that I believe this is all reversible with my effort, but I’m fully aware that my effort is not wasted. It is my experience that many people believe that personal servitude for individual people is not nearly as effective as community efforts. I disagree. I know there will be stories more overwhelming than my words, but that doesn’t make them lose their meaning. To begin, I have always dealt with insecurities. This altered mindset affected my social life and how I dealt with other people. I desperately wanted someone to see me. To be noticed. I needed someone to show me I was still worthy of attention. Of affection. Like most children, I equated my self-worth to how many people liked me. I changed into someone I didn’t like. I couldn’t recognize myself. This realization led to a distinct shift in me. I decided that if I couldn’t find someone that complimented others, someone that uplifted others constantly, then I would be that person. And I did. It started slowly. It is a much harder habit to form than one would think. To go from seeing the negative in others so I would momentarily feel better about myself, to complimenting every little thing. My first thoughts tended to be negative, but I was always able to point out something positive. Another thing I’ve learned is that your first thought on something is your ingrained opinion. It’s something that was formed due to influences from outside and inside your life. Your second thought is what matters. It means you are working to undo the patterns of hate that guided your life. There is so much unlearning, especially since many teenagers thrive off of insults and hate. I’ve become the change I wanted to see and I believe that is a worthy achievement. I attempt to compliment each kid I pass in school. I sing praises to classmates for the smallest of things, because I know how much I could've used a compliment. I compliment people when I’m out doing errands. I know how powerful a compliment can be. Many times, those compliments give people the encouragement they need to start a conversation. Many times, people jump at the opportunity to talk to a friendly face. This leads to my second behavior. One reason numerous people stay silent about the issues they’re dealing with is that they feel like they have no outlet. They feel like nobody cares and speaking about what they’re facing will only be bothersome. Going out of my way to compliment someone has led to a lot of conversations. I am a student aid for our guidance counselors and it still surprises me how many kids are so receptive to compliments. Many children come into the office just looking for a listening ear. There are a lot of kids who need to vent about circumstances they can’t tell a counselor about. I happen to supply them with a channel of free communication. I’ve had a variety of discussions and conversations with kids I’ve never talked to before that moment. I can’t say it made an immediate impact, but it allowed them to announce their problems out loud, which can help them recognize how damaging their problems truly are. Occasionally the problem itself is that they couldn’t talk about it to someone. I don’t always have the advice to give but I always have my attention on them. If I’m lucky enough to get updates, I try to encourage and enforce healthy actions, which brings me to my last point; positive reinforcement. In my experience, most kids thirst for validation. I primarily take advanced classes, and the majority of those students thirst for academic validation. Complimenting students on their kindness and compassion makes them feel seen, even when it comes from a peer. I actively voice my praise when anyone does something praiseworthy, even if it’s the bare minimum. I believe praising the bare minimum can be so monumental to many people. To me, it may not seem like much, but to them, they could be giving their all. For some people, that is all they can give, and they deserve praise too. A lack of recognition can lead to depleted motivation. My goal is to make sure everyone knows their best is enough. They should not have to reach impossible, neck-breaking heights to garner validation. Every attempt deserves attention. This mindset is why I’d like to major in elementary education.

Feminism encompasses the women who wear flower crowns and wield words like daggers. Feminism encompasses the women who wear chainmail and dance in the rain. Feminism encompasses the women who exist. Who have existed. Who will exist. Women made of sunsets and teacups. Women made of mud pies and horseback riding. Women made of the stars and all things glitter. Women granted the gift of gods are treated as inferior. Women with the power to foster life. Women with the power to cultivate, or extinguish, humanity. The void remembers the screams of women held down. The universe remembers the tears of women sold. The babies brutalized. The little girls married off to grown men. The forced pregnancies. The forced abortions. The universe remembers every battle cry of women worn down. Beaten. Broken. Feminism is war. For the right to live. For the right to have a say in our existence. Women are not commodities. Feminism is women persevering against all odds. Feminism is a war against the Patriarchy that stands for everything against women. Feminism has been centuries in the making. Women have fought with no end in sight. For our daughters. Our mothers. Our sisters. We have heard their stories. We have felt their pain. 97% of women have a story. It is not all men, but it is all women. That is what feminism stands for. Feminism is etched into the existence of women. As long as women exist, so will feminism. It stands for every inch gained and every inch we have to go. Feminism is for women without voices. Those with blackened eyes and mutilated genitalia. For every woman that is tired of accepting a hindered existence. It is for stay-at-home moms. For female entrepreneurs. It is for feminine women. The masculine women. The proud women. The angry women. Feminism stands for all the power womanhood stands to offer. This is why it is important. Losing feminism could mean death for so many women. Losing feminism could mean the defeat of generations of knowledge and feminine pride. Feminism means everything to so many women. The future is female. While perhaps not a popular choice, my inspirational person is Jane Austen. I am a frequent reader and Jane Austen is my favorite historical romance novelist. Her heroines are unapologetically outspoken. They openly reject social norms and challenge patriarchal ideals. One of her most famous books, Pride and Prejudice, features a strong female protagonist. She makes it very clear that the expectations of women are ignorant and lacking. Elizabeth forges her path and speaks her mind without much fear of consequences. I find Jane Austen inspirational for her lack of hesitancy when it came to showcasing defiance of social norms. Her strong character helped me realize that you can enjoy feminine luxuries without falling at the Patriarchy's feet. I find the most rewarding actions I can do to support the Feminist Movement is to stay educated and calm. I can defend my existence without showing emotion, which is what misogynistic people tear you apart for. As soon as you show how emotionally invested you are in the topic, you've lost all defendable grounds. I defend our movement with the strength of my ancestors. I also take full advantage of my education opportunities because there were so many people who were never given the opportunities I've been given. I'm currently a senior in high school, and I'm on track to receive my Associates in General Studies before I actually start college in the Fall. I want the women that came before me to live vicariously through me.