Tuesday 26 June 2012
Monday 25 June 2012
Saturday 16 June 2012
Open letter to my year 9 class
Recently, my school closed down. This was upsetting to everyone concerned, most of all to my students. I gave a little speech to my year 9 homegroup - kids that I had looked after for 2 1/2 years and was looking forward to seeing them graduate in 3 1/2 more - and this is how it went.
Hi guys, I’m sorry it had to
end this way, but none of us here had any say in the matter. The one thing that
we do have control of is how we deal with things. No matter what you are
feeling, it’s right. Cry if you have too. I have. Just don’t ever give up. Make
this the moment in your life when you realise that life isn’t fair, we don’t
get what we want sometimes, but how we deal with things is how we live our life.
Remember Mowbray’s motto: We
learn and we grow. Think about that. Learn from your and others mistakes. Grow
from them. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. Be afraid not to try.
Don’t try to be the best. Be the best that you can. If you don’t succeed, try
again or learn what you did wrong.
Don’t be afraid to learn new
things. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is sexy. Long after you’ve grown old,
grey and ugly, (like me) your brain and what you know is what people will find
attractive.
Now here are a few things
that I wanted to say to you when you got older, but I guess I won’t get that
chance.
Girls don’t try and be stupid
for a boy. Boys actually like smart girls and you’ll get better, kinder more
loyal boys that way. If a boy only likes you for what you look like, they’ll
leave you for someone better looking when you get old.
Boys go up and talk to girls,
they like that. Make them feel special and unique and wonderful. Ask them about
them selves and what they like. Listen to them and look them in their eyes when
you talk to them.
The worst thing in life is
regrets for something that you were too scared to do. I’ve made mistakes – lots
of them and the biggest regrets that I have are the things that I never did. Go
up to that person that you like and talk to them, ask them out. What’s the
worst that can happen? They might say no or say something horrible. If they’re
rude or horrible to you at least you’ve learnt that they weren’t worth it. I
can’t imagine anything worse than lying down and dying and saying “I wish I had
do this or that” Just go out and do. It’ll probably turn out better than
expected.
There’s always going to be
someone who wants to put you down, tell you that you can’t do something because
you’re stupid, worthless or a worst of all because girls can’t do that. You can
do anything you want. You have the potential to be anything that you want to
be. The only thing that can stop you is not trying and giving up because it’s
too hard or you don’t think that you’re good enough.
Be faithful to whoever you’re
with. Don’t cheat on somebody. It’s the worst thing that you could ever do. And
no one deserves it.
Keep learning. Don’t ever
stop learning. Read books, watch films and TV from other countries. I know you
might not like subtitles, but other cultures are interesting and you can
understand people better if you know what they believe in or like.
Stop listening to top 40
music. It’s horrible. It always has been from before you were born until you
die. Pop music is the lowest form of culture. Don’t listen to music because
it’s popular’ listen to it because it’s good. There is so much music out there
and it’s fun to find it. Go see as many live bands as possible. Find out about
old music. Remember the bands that you like listened to old music before they
recorded their songs. Nothing in music is new; it all goes back to some caveman
banging rocks together.
Go overseas. Travel as much
as you can. It’s a big, wide world and no one that’s ever existed has ever seen
it all. You learn more about yourself than you can ever imagine when you have
to buy food in a place where no one understands a word your saying.
Don’t judge people on what
they look like, what they wear, whether their straight or gay, Christian or
Muslim or ugly or attractive. Judge them on what they say or do. The tone of
someone’s skin or their accent or their boyfriend never made anyone a better
person. It’s their personality and their actions. Good people do good things.
Arseholes are just arseholes, no matter where they were born.
Don’t be stupid. Don’t get
into fights – especially with drunk people. Apologise even if you’re right and
walk away. It’s better to do that then get yourself beaten up by some drunken
idiot.
Think before you act. What
are the consequences of your actions? Who’s going to get hurt? Why would you
say that? What would Nigel do?
Dance. Dance and laugh and
have fun. Dance like no one’s watching. Laugh like no one cares. Live like your
grandmother is in the room.
Be strong. Never give up.
Never give in. Don’t do something that you know is wrong just because somebody
told you. Do something because it’s the right thing to do.
Think for yourselves. Act for
others. Smile at strangers. Help lost tourists with maps. Help people with
luggage get off trams. Let people out before you push in. Stand on the left of
escalators, walk on the right. Join the queue and don’t push in. Be kind and
polite. People remember that and will help you. No one likes a bastard.
Above all just be yourself.
You are beautiful and amazing. I know I’ve seen it.
Thank you for putting up with
me. I know I’m moody and forgetful and yell at you for no reason sometimes. But
I love you all and I’m grateful for every single day that I had with you.
Look me up when you’re 18.
We’ll go get a beer together.
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