We're all different, no one is the same in this mad world. We're all unique, we have different names, different stories behind us. We look different, act different, and sound different. We believe in stuff that is different. We dress different, we move different. We hang out with different people, talk in a different way, eat different foods, try different things, take different risks, we're all just; different. But we're in the same game, only in different levels. But we all stand united, united by one rhythm. That is the Inter Class Competition theme that the class of 2017 chose. We are all different, but ever since the Cajamarca Class Without Walls trip we became more and more united. There was a bus, specifically bus 2, who was made up of students with no particular bond. Obviously, they saw each other at school, but never talked. Music brought them together, the rhythm of Spanish "Reggaeton" was what they usually danced and this eventually brought the students and teachers together and they became united by that rhythm. My bus in Cajamarca was bus 1, I wasn't friends with anyone there, but thanks to musica and having boys sing songs with weird lyrics, we started laughing and making memories. An now, ever since that trip, my "prom" has become more united. We hang out with different people, some who we never imagined in doing so. We became united by one rhythm. And now, this is our ICC quote, not only because the quote is nice, but because it is true, and it reflects on the anecdote that we share as a grade. We are all, together, united, and prepared for this ICC week to make in the best it can be! |
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How far away are we from being close? You know how when a child gets in a car, they keep on asking, “are we there yet?” so many uncountable times? It’s like going on a car ride, an endless one. You never know where your next stop is. That’s how life works, you never know where you’ll stop next, expect the unexpected.. I never expected to drop what I’ve worked for so hard. I had worked for it, a lot, and then it dropped, broken; and it was my decision if I would fix it or not. My A-game flew out of my arms and smashed against the floor. I was surprised when it did. My teacher told me that I wasn’t there yet, what had happened to me? I use to enjoy writing, and when I set my mind up to it, I was actually good. I would write in a way in which people felt the feelings I was trying to portray through writing. But still, I didn’t understand how from one day to another it had all dropped. I wasn’t as good as I use to, why? I wasn’t taking risks, that’s why. When was the last time I did something for the first time? The last time I took hours on end of my day for writing? The last time I wanted to write for pleasure? The last time I did free writing, and not was school made me? The last time I made drafts? Or when did I try to free myself through writing, like I use to? When was the last time I did something for myself? Not just writing for a grade, but writing for me, without worrying about the grade. I stopped taking risks, I wasn’t me anymore. My writing style had vanished, how could it? So I decided that this had to change. I started to write, write, and write. I completed homework. I started driving myself in the right direction. I’m trying to take risks, and to make this a habit. Taking a risk. “Getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks, is what life is. If you’re not good enough who cares? You got out there and tried.” –Anonymous. I am going to get out there and try, take a risk and hopefully I will get there soon. I may not be there yet, but I am closer than yesterday. How far am I from being close? "Is someone against this idea?" I raised my hand. Nerves hit every single muscle in my body. I wasn't use to being in a class like this one, a class where the teacher asks you what you think about your summative assessment. I wasn't use to being the only person, the only one who fired against the teacher and gave her opinion against his. Mr. Bonnici had asked what we thought about his idea of writing a class magazine on how the school could be great. My brain kept on giving me thoughts of denial against his idea. I kept on overflowing it with thoughts about how this was more of an English project then one for the Innovation Academy. When I thought of Innovation, I thought of something new, unique, different. I thought that the Innovation Academy would allow us to think outside the box, and act as true writers, the ones that we're meant to be, the ones that we'll grow to be. I explained my point out loud to the class. I kept on debating on how we were supposed to do an Innovation Academy project, and not an English one. Until, finally, our class discussion became a good one. Everyone was really into the discussion. We ended up concluding to create a project where we could go beyond what the rubric told us and step outside the school grounds. In conclusion, we would all be able to create a project in which we'd create a magazine about how different company's in Pery have succeeded. I felt proud, after all it was I who raised my hand.
Going up to present my pitch made me nervous. I'm not good at public speaking. I blew my SBG speech since I could barely read the paper because I didn't stop shaking. Nerves. I felt myself shiver as I was going up there. Nerves. I walked up in front of the class and looked at everyones eyes staring at me boldly. Nerves. An amazing presentation had just been given by the group before me, and I was supposed to go up there and debate against them. Nerves. I felt my entire body shake, I took a deep breath and started arguing on what I thought and expressing my ideas in the best way possible. Nerves. I paused, looked around the classroom to find everyones eyes, and once I did I felt as if I couldn't go on with this presentation. Nerves. I looked at Mr. Topf and kept my eyes constantly looking at him while I spoke, I felt more comfortable doing this. Nerves. When the presentation was over I sat on my chair. Nerves.
Even though I kept on thinking that this presentation was a total failure I learned so much from it. Since it was an informal presentation I received a lot of constructive feedback from my peers in the Innovation Academy. They told me that I did everything well but that next time I should improve my eye contact and look at everyone and not only at Mr. Topf. This would've helped me improve what I was trying to deliver. Making people smile, it became a habit. I decided that even the saddest souls could give me a smile. It could be a pity smile, a smile of happiness or a smile that you fake before you cry. But a smile can sometimes change someone's day. They're different, some people don't show their teeth when they smile, other's do. Some people have dimples, other's don't. And some people's laugh comes out, others just smile. Smile. I decided to make it a habit. Making people smile. I tried to make at least two people smile each day. And after, I realized that it wasn't all that hard. I could tell a joke, or do something silly. And by making people smile, my day would become more positive, and so would my attitude. I would get along better with my sisters, share stuff with my parents and make them laugh, crack up so hard with my friends that our ribs would start hurting, but in a good way. I realized how the people with the saddest frowns, would change their face completely when they smiled. That's all it took, one smile a day, to get people tone happier. The first day only one person smiled, the second day I made two people smile, the third day I saw three people smile, and so on. Until I reached day 30, and with a lot of hard work I got 30 people to smile. I believe this habit taught me how easy it can be to get a smile from people, and how a smile can be like a warm hug. Once you receive it you feel happier. And by making people smile I would feel more positive and be in a better mood.
Going to sleep every night was my worst fear. Sleep was usually what got me through the nights, a day couldn't go by without me sleeping. But during July, sleep became my worst enemy. I would stay up for nights on end because of my fear of not waking up. What if there was a bomb in the middle of the night? What if there was an attack? And I would just be, sleeping, and wouldn't wake up.
I was living in a war, a world of surprise, in a country with fear. The news haunted me, it showed every single detail that happened, yet it gave away too much information for a tourist like me. I was afraid, afraid of the soldiers. I saw them go out to war, feeling honored that they were the chosen ones who would protect our country. They seemed so, brave. Some of them died in combat, giving their lives for the rest of us. Protecting us, they would enter Gaza and fight against the HAMAS. I had never lived through a war, a war in which an alarm would sound and you would hide in a bomb shelter not knowing what would happen next. And then, you heard the boom, you never knew if the bomb actually landed or if the Iron Dome had stopped it. I was there, hoping for the best, yet expecting the worst. The first attack by the HAMAS happened when I was in sleep away camp. We were in the pool and suddenly the camp headmaster announced that we had to return to the camp, which was five minutes away, immediately. The counselor's were scared; therefore, they agreed on not telling us what was happening. As soon as we arrived to camp grounds we were taken into a bomb shelter and we stayed there from 10-12 pm. All of the campers were frightened. No one understood what was happening and we all simply wanted to call our parents. The next day the counselor's explained that there had been a bomb threat and we had been ordered to come back to the camp. As soon as I heard the words bomb threat I felt scared. I did not understand what it meant. I felt as if my life was in risk, and this feeling was one I had never thought about before. How to save myself? How? I kept on thinking. I spent that night in the bomb shelter. Imagine growing up, with a fixed mindset. Thinking that you are the smartest person in the world. It’s you who knows everything and you who is the best. You go around believing you have natural talents, traits that are set in stone, that you were born to be a gifted child. And suddenly as life goes on you take a test and fail. What if all those talents that you thought came natural to you never existed? You thought you were a genius, what went wrong? Your label. You grew up with a label, one that you read every day. Perhaps your label said smart, and maybe someone else’s said athletic, and someone else’s said artistic, mine said talented. I read my label everyday, I though I was a gifted child because that’s what my parents told me. They told me I was a talented singer in order for them not to crush a 7 year olds dream. I would constantly sing everywhere; whenever I had a chance I’d do it. Even in music class my teacher kept on insisting that I was talented and had been gifted. As I grew up I realized this was completely fake. I was devastated, it was like I had been living a lie and that what I thought about myself up to this point of my life wasn’t the truth, but something that adults had made up in order to make me feel better. I felt furious.
At that state in my life, I would’ve wished my parents had raised me in a way where they applied the growth mindset. I wish they would’ve encouraged me trying, showed me that success comes with effort, practice and hard work. They should’ve emphasized those words: effort and hard work. They should have told me: “Noa, in order for you to be as good as you can ever be, you should try.” Until this point in my life, I’ll never know if I was actually that bad, or if I could’ve been good. Maybe if I tried, and worked on it, I could’ve been a talented singer today. I could’ve been good, but everything I could’ve been is just something that might have happened. It was on me if I wanted to make it happen or not, and since I though I already was born with the talents, I barely worked hard on this. A growth mindset is one that comes with effort and practice. Carol Dweck says that you shouldn’t tell a student that he/she is smart. Shouldn’t tell a student that he/she is talented. Tell a student that he/she engages a good process. Tell a student that he/she is trying their best to accomplish and meet their goals. A mindset like this one promotes love of learning, embracing challenges, confidence, and happiness. This is what the innovation academy promotes. From now on, I’m not living life with a fixed mindset, a manipulated one, I’m living life with a growth mindset, I’m going to work hard and get what I want. Having the privilege to travel around the world is not one to be taken advantage of. I have luckily been able to travel to two continents and three countries during these vacations. Therefore I decided to take photographs of every place I stopped at in order for me to not forget them. When I stopped in Cannes, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Saint Tropez, in the ocean, or simply in the airport I took a shot to remember moments and capture the memories. I'm going to post my pictures on twitter later on and share them with my friends so that I can explain where I was and how different stops that I made in Israel helped me connect with my religion and heritage.
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AuthorStudent at FDR. Archives
May 2015
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