A Little Poetry In Me

     Last week in class we were told to write about poetry. I immediately rolled my eyes at this task, as I'm not very interested in writing or reading poetry. I know that poetry is a way of expression, but I've never quite been so good at putting my big thoughts into such fluid and easy rhymes. I'm always open to new challenges, and after giving it some thought, I had decided that I wanted to create something that I was going to be proud of. Not just something that was going to give me a good mark. To get inspiration, I headed to YouTube.
     While browsing one of my favourite YouTuber's channels, I came across a spoken word poem she had written entitled 'Skinny'. Dodie Clark is the owner of the channel 'doddleoddle', and is known for her covers and original songs.

     After watching this video, I found the inspiration I was looking for. Writing my first poem came easier than I thought. The other two quickly followed, and I realized I was actually enjoying writing poetry. Although I may not be the best poet, it's something I think I will continue to try once in awhile in the future. I've gotten past the stigma that it has to rhyme or be super symbolic. Instead, poetry can be more free and creative than that. The story doesn't have to be hidden away in some symbolism; it can still be told. 

Our Education System Is Broken - Sorry.

     In my (almost) 14 years of school, I have come to learn one thing more clearly than anything else I have ever been taught: our education system is broken. When I say sorry, I mean to all the students that have been told that they are too dumb to continue on with something they are passionate about, and sorry to the teachers that are forced to teach something that they do not feel passionate about themselves.
     The fact that I'm being told that I control all my results, is personally just a lie that I'm being fed to ensure that I don't blame anyone else except myself. What I find especially disappointing, is when I try my hardest but am still told, "You know, you could have done a lot better if you put more effort into it." (Something I have been told countless times- last time being last week) Excuse me? I put my heart and soul into that, and the fact that I'm being graded on my creative efforts by a teacher who wants nothing but perfection is dissatisfying to say the least. I'm not perfect, and neither is my work in any teacher's eye unless I do it by the book.
     When I got a bad grade in math last year, of course I was to blame. No one would dare blame a teacher who is forced to teach curriculum in a dated, boring way, even if everyone else in the class was barely passing.
      The truth is, the best way to get a good grade, is to not do your work in the way you want too, but instead, to do it the way the teacher wants it. If you feel strongly about a subject but it isn't what the teacher wants to hear, then write about something else. If you describe the scent of a person as nostalgia but are told to change your phrase to a scent that exists (although what you wrote made perfect "scents" [that was a pun] to you) then you must change it, unless you want a bad mark. No disrespect or anything, of course.
      I would say that ninety-nine percent of the time, teachers pick favourites. It's just what happens. When this happens, the teacher will take all their effort into making sure that the student is thriving in the environment of their classroom and that they get where they want to go.
     The only time that I have ever met an instructor's expectations while following my own interests, is when I can read about a subject and then rephrase it to exactly what the teacher is expecting, and then slapping my work on a poster board that I have painted to fit the subject. The work is relevant to what the teacher wants, but what is seen was my own work. Something that I wanted to do.

     In Finland, students learn happily. By high school, they are fluent in several different languages. I know this because this is what my friends tell me over Skype. Teachers enjoy their work. Testing isn't about memorization but actual forms of knowledge. Teaching methods aren't outdated, but instead, they are keeping up with current times and teaching methods. They help them to get jobs in fields that interest them. The learning, is paced to their needs and they enjoy what they're learning.
     I think it's time we get to those things; things that matter to teachers and students alike.

#SorryNotSorry

"Be As A Bird"

     Victor Hugo was born on February 26, 1802 in Besancon, France. He was passionate in expressing himself through literary and visual arts. Victor was a poet, playwright, novelist, visual artist, statesman and a human rights campaigner. He is best known for his novels 'Les Miserables' and 'Notre-Dame de Paris' (known by English speaking men to be 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'). I found it facinating how long I've been inspired by his quote: 

"be as a bird
perched on a frail branch
that she feels bending
beneath her, still she sings
away all the same
knowing she has wings"

yet, I had never bothered to look up who actually wrote it. To my surprise, the author (Victor) is actually very well known, and now inspires me with his art as well as his poetry. Victor has over 4000 drawings that he kept mostly to himself. Van Gogh and Delacroix are two well known artists artists that had the pleasure of seeing Victor's work. He would share his art with close friends and family, but it is believed that if he shared it with the public eye, that he would have outshone artists in his century. Victor only drew as a hobby and didn't want to overshadow his literary pieces with his artwork. 

Le Rocher de l'Ermitage dans un paysage imaginaire ("Ermitage Rock in an imaginary landscape")

      To me, his quote on being a bird means that you have to believe in yourself. Sometimes you're placed in tough situations, but you have to perservere. I can relate this to my writing as well as my art because sometimes in the middle of working on a piece, I decide that it's not good and that I have to scrap it. I know that all artists get writers or creators block but when you were so inspired to start something and then in the middle of working on it, it becomes a chore or a disaster, it is very discouraging. In times like those, for me it is important to remain as a bird. I have to believe in myself and learn from all experiences, knowing that I can pick myself up and create something better. A bad piece of work is still better than one I did not even attempt to do. I know that Victor will continue to inspire me in the future; now with not only his poetry, but his art too.

A Letter of Gratitude

     In an assembly today, we were shown a video by 'SoulPancake' on Youtube entitled "The Science of Happiness- An Experiment in Gratitude". The video showed several individuals being asked to write a letter to someone very influential to them. After writing this letter, they were then asked to call up their influential person and read their letter aloud to them. The people in the video got emotional as well as who they were expressing their gratitude to.
     After seeing this, it was clear that telling other people how much you appreciate them doesn't just impact them positively, but also yourself. Back in the classroom, we were challenged to write a letter of gratitude to someone that has affected us in a positive way. For me, this task was easy. The most influential person in my life is easily my mom. Here's my letter to the most amazing mother anyone could ever ask for:
      "Dear 'The Mother', 
Through all the ups and downs, and all the grey hair I seem to be giving you, you are still always there for me. I know it's never easy. Not just because I can sometimes be a brat, or the fact that you have to drive me thirty minutes to school everyday, and then come pick me up. It isn't the fact that I complain about eating rice a billion times a week, or when I get so moody and emotional that I'm either crying or screaming. It isn't a struggle because you're a cook, chauffeur, story teller, or expert fashion critic (obviously to make sure I look fab at all times) but because of all the challenges you face every single day. Being on disability is a battle you have been facing even before I was born. This means you wake up every single day in pain, but your first thought is always of your family. Our financial issues definitely have been stressing you out beyond belief, but you're always thinking of us when you see something in the store you think we might like. You are the most selfless, determined, and beautiful person I have ever met- inside and out. You're the glue that is holding our family together. When I have a problem, you're the one I can always go running to. Since I was little, you were my nurse, my shoulder to cry on, and my best friend. However, as amazing as you are, you're not perfect. Far from it (sorry mommy). Just like you wake up everyday in pain, I wake up wondering if my best friend will be well enough to do all the things you want to do as a mom. Some days it gets harder for both of us, but my mother isn't the kind of mom to back down from a fight. She will kick, and scream, and survive. That's what I need you to keep on doing for the rest of forever. Thank-you mom for always being the brighest smile and loudest laugh in my day. I will never be able to express how much I love and appreciate you, but here's me trying.. I will always love you - forever and always, 
      Your favourite daughter (not just favourite because I'm your only daughter), Bridgette"

'Banned Books Week: 13 Authors Speak Out'

      After watching and clearly analyzing what the Authors have to say, it becomes obvious that banning books is widely unaccepted. Just because a book is banned doesn't mean that the content isn't any good, or that the writing is bad. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on a topic and some might find it more sensitive than others. 

     I personally believe that banning someone's book is discouraging to the Authors writing and could possibly silence them. It is taking away their creative license and freedom of speech. 

     Similarly to banning books, in schools there is censored learning put into place. These rules are to try an avoid violent situations to arise. In class, we learned about a boy who was arrested for writing about killing his neighbours pet dinosaur. I think this shows how sensitive people can be, but also how certain rules can be taken too far. A creative writing assignment should not be limited of ideas as long as the well being of someone else is not in danger. The line that everyone is worried about getting crossed, only gets crossed when someone is threatened. If you are purposely targeting someone in your story, then it becomes a problem. This could endanger someone else's well being. 

     As long as people aren't in danger, creativity should be expressed, not bound by the fear of being banned. 

The Key to Success?

Grit; courage and resolve; strength of character.

     In the "Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit" video posted by a channel on Youtube called 'TED', Angela talks about what she firmly believes to be the Key to Success. Grit. She describes grit to be passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Angela analyzed every aspect of human life to determine who had grit and how they displayed it. She states that just because you're talented, doesn't mean you're going to follow through on your commitments or long term goals. Just because you're talented doesn't mean you have grit, and when you have grit, you're not always talented. Grit is determined by your growth mind set. It is the determination you have for yourself, under any circumstance. It appears that students aren't reaching their full potential based on their test scores, but that it doesn't mean that this is a fixed mind set that can't be changed. Youth can learn to be inspired and committed. 
     I strongly agree with what Angela has to say on her views of success. In order to inspire future generations, we must be willing to persevere when we fail. We can't give up after every failure, but instead to learn from it. To reach for those long terms goals when they seem so out of reach. In my personal life I have seen the lack of motivation far too often. There just doesn't seem to be much grit in students I interact with on a day-to-day basis, and often in myself. This isn't that say that we're not gifted; just often unwilling. With no motivation to reach their goals, youth today seem to be stuck in a phase of not knowing where they want to go because they've failed one too many times. How do we get out of this state and learn to be gritty? Believing that failure isn't permanent, as stated by Angela Lee Duckworth. 

An Open Book ; Who Am I?

Well. That's the question, isn't it? Who exactly am I? To start with, my name is Bridgette Kemeny. A seventeen year old girl attending Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School. I love listening to all kinds of music, engaging myself in art and writing, and I'm a hard worker. Although, I must admit that Dairy Queen isn't the hardest job. I'm an open book. People describe me as predictable and quiet but I often find that I surprise myself. Tattoos, creative classes and the social arrangements I often find myself in isn't what I pictured my life to be when I first started High School. Throughout the years I've realized I changed quite dramatically. Change can be scary. In the effort to find out who I really am, I've lost many of those people I used to call friends but I've also gained new ones. These are now people who support my passions and my creative drive and determination to finally make something of myself, and to be who I really want. The truth is though, I'm still trying to figure out who I am and where I want to go. I haven't had a chance to get out and see the world, and let it impact me and help me grow. I'm still on this journey called life. I won't let my struggles with health, family, and financial problems determine who I am. Even though all those experiences help shape who you are, I don't believe it makes you. I'm still trying to piece all these experiences, feelings, and passions together in an attempt to find out who I am. I don't have it all figured out, but this is me for now. A mystery. 

I'm an open book; you just have to be willing to read.