Spread Joy Fridays
Every last Friday of the month Mrs. Sutton had us take a break from whatever project we were working on and spent the class making cards for people with kind messages in order to spread joy. I particularly liked this project for two reasons: 1) Because in the fiasco that is 6 classes a day, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to walk into class and do something as calming as arts and crafts. It made you remember that not everything always has to be about due dates and tests. 2) It made you take note and appreciate the people around you. Often times I wouldn't remember or take note of something I should have until I was forced to think back upon it-- "Oh yeah, she spent all of class trying to make me laugh on that day I was feeling sad. How sweet. I'm going to make her a card saying thank you". I always left second period on those particular days in a good mood and very optimistic about the rest of my day.
The Bully Project
The subject of bullying is a sensitive one. There are many different results of bullying and many different opinions on the subject. In each class, you have four types of students: ones who experienced bullying and were negatively effected bu it and therefore are completely against it; students like me, who've experienced bullying and grew from the experience; the students who have never been bullied; and of course, the bullies themselves. Or, that's my theory anyway.
The sensitivity and the opinions on the subject of bullying made this project unlike any other because it made you really take a step back and see the stories of the people around you. People who you never expected came out with horrific cases of them being bullied and others admitted to bullying on certain cases.
On top of that, the documentaries and articles that we had to read really gave us perspective into the experiences of other people from different places. A noticeable similarity of the victim being blamed was apparent throughout the articles and documentaries and also in some of the cases of bullying that people experienced at school.
Even though I think that the issue of bullying is some thing that can't ever be solved completely, this project definitively helped a lot of people realised the actual effects of bullying. Not so much for the freshmen that we presented to, but more for us seniors. In our research, we learned a lot that will stay for us and make us second question our actions.
The sensitivity and the opinions on the subject of bullying made this project unlike any other because it made you really take a step back and see the stories of the people around you. People who you never expected came out with horrific cases of them being bullied and others admitted to bullying on certain cases.
On top of that, the documentaries and articles that we had to read really gave us perspective into the experiences of other people from different places. A noticeable similarity of the victim being blamed was apparent throughout the articles and documentaries and also in some of the cases of bullying that people experienced at school.
Even though I think that the issue of bullying is some thing that can't ever be solved completely, this project definitively helped a lot of people realised the actual effects of bullying. Not so much for the freshmen that we presented to, but more for us seniors. In our research, we learned a lot that will stay for us and make us second question our actions.
Documentaries
It's strange to imagine that one of the biggest impacts in a class that's focus seems to be to destroy all classroom tradition, would be something as common as documentaries. But that just goes to show that not everything about school is wrong. Unlike most documentaries that are shown in school, Mrs. Sutton's documentaries are handpicked and specifically chosen with the goal that we leave her class asking ourselves what WE can do to change our lives and the lives of the ones around us. Even though there is a clear educational focus on many of the documentaries, the subject it is on, unlike many of other classes, actually is appealing.
First semester was focused on harnessing our lives to live to the fullest. We watched documentaries such as Happy and The Human Experience to give us perspective into what might possibly be the key to happiness. Overall, each documentary seemed to come to the same conclusion: happiness rooted from the feeling of being important. No matter the circumstances, the happiest people were always ones who felt as if they had a sense of belonging or family.
That message spread across to second semester which focused more on 'what made people sad?' and eliminating said sadness. In the documentary Bully, many different circumstances of bullying were documented but it was clear that the ones who had no friends, not anyone they could turn to, were much more sad and hopeless than victims who had one or two friends.
We recently watched a documentary entitled Kumare in which a man pretends to be an Indian guru and inductions yoga classes on his made up teachings. Despite his lessons being complete nonsense, people said they felt that he was genuine and caring and left happy and refreshed. There was nothing in the lessons besides incoherent chanting and synchronized movement but everyone in the room felt as if they were all connected and belonged. That is what mattered. Not the yoga or the fake prayers, only sitting in a room full of accepting people.
First semester was focused on harnessing our lives to live to the fullest. We watched documentaries such as Happy and The Human Experience to give us perspective into what might possibly be the key to happiness. Overall, each documentary seemed to come to the same conclusion: happiness rooted from the feeling of being important. No matter the circumstances, the happiest people were always ones who felt as if they had a sense of belonging or family.
That message spread across to second semester which focused more on 'what made people sad?' and eliminating said sadness. In the documentary Bully, many different circumstances of bullying were documented but it was clear that the ones who had no friends, not anyone they could turn to, were much more sad and hopeless than victims who had one or two friends.
We recently watched a documentary entitled Kumare in which a man pretends to be an Indian guru and inductions yoga classes on his made up teachings. Despite his lessons being complete nonsense, people said they felt that he was genuine and caring and left happy and refreshed. There was nothing in the lessons besides incoherent chanting and synchronized movement but everyone in the room felt as if they were all connected and belonged. That is what mattered. Not the yoga or the fake prayers, only sitting in a room full of accepting people.