You should know that last September, I intended to hate Junior year and everyone in it. This was largely due to bitterness over my two best friends going off to college shortly prior to the beginning of school, an ongoing riff between my mom and I, and stale annoyance and general dislike towards my class and Jesuit as a whole.
Now, in June, at the end of my Junior year, things are entirely different. Rather, I see everything in a completely different light. A lot of the change in my perspective has to do with circumstance – situations I’ve found myself in, and previously unfamiliar feelings and concepts that I now experience on a daily basis. Throughout the year, I’ve collided with people and things that have aggressively challenged me to seize the immense risk of being honest with myself. It sounds so simple, but I suppose a part of the perpetual fear is that everything in life is so much more simple than everyone wants to make it out to be. Now, overshadowing the inevitable annoyances, I appreciate both the greatness and shortcomings of my class and Jesuit High School. Somehow, I’ve come to love life.
I can’t claim that our Fourth period English class was solely responsible for this drastic change, but I will be the first to explain that it played an essential part.
Through class discussions, creative writing, and the interaction that began to grow beyond room 42, the individuals in our class opened up in their respective styles to reveal parts of their own true selves. This surprised everyone involved, but because of the trust we all invested, we grew to become an unlikely but strong community of friends.
I’ve accepted the fact that I will never find a place where I like every person around. But this Fourth period English class showed me the deep value that exists in the journey of finding the beauty that resides within everyone. I truly believe this – that beneath logistical differences, disagreements, and other pettiness – the core of peoples’ existence is composed of a simple yet radiant love. Fourth period English has affirmed my belief that the human race is not necessarily doomed for destruction.
People are good. And people are what make life worth living.
So thank you, Ms. Festine, for being such an integral part of this experience. I wish I could provide a less overused adjective than ‘life-changing,’ but why complicate things? This class made a huge difference in my initially doomed Junior year, and therefore, a meaningful impact on me, myself.
You have been a part of this class in helping to shape who I am and to change me, hopefully for the better. And isn’t that the point?
With sincere love and gratitude,
Allison
posted by Allison Francis @ 8:37 AM
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