Eat Your Art Out

One day while in the art room, I believe it was my freshman or sophomore year of highschool, Mr. Kerns played a Ted Talk, as he did religiously in order to inform his students of certain topics and to educate them while they went about creating art. I’d say confidently that throughout my four years here at Buckeye I have listened to well over one hundred Ted Talks, but this specific one really stuck out in my memory. I remember it really touching me on an emotional level, which eventually lead me to this article. It was a speech given by Ken Robinson, an English author, speaker, and professor of arts education at the University of Warwick, on how schools are killing creativity.

That got me thinking. Every educational system in the world has the same exact hierarchy of subjects, as Robinson pointed out during his speech. There’s math and science and history, next are the languages and humanities, then at the bottom are the arts. I’d say mathematics is fairly important, but so is drawing. No school in the universe teaches drawing daily and as diligently as they teach math. And why is that, exactly?

Robinson said, in a speech he wrote in 2001, “Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

This made me think of a quote by Picasso, “Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” This coincides with the Robinson’s point exactly, he believes passionately that we do not grow into creativity, we grow out of it, or rather we are educated out of it.

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original,” Robinson said. “By the time they [children] become adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this. We stigmatize mistakes. And now we’re running national educational systems where mistakes are the worst things you can make.” The result is that we are ultimately educating people out of their creative capacities. All children have tremendous talents, and we squander them, pretty ruthlessly.

Senior Ariana Zingales, one of Buckeye’s many artists, said that she will most likely not be attending an art college out of fear that she will not have an idea of her plans after graduating art school.

This is a major factor that all students are contemplating when deciding which college and what major, but this is a constant concern for artists. You have probably, if an artist of any genre, been steered away from focusing on certain things that you like on the grounds that “You will never get a job doing that.” I can’t even begin to fathom an estimate of how many times I have been told that. It is a piece of advice so profoundly mistaken that people everywhere are trying and succeeding, attempting and failing, proving people right and wrong. The world is engulfed in a revolution.

Gillian Lynne, a British ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre/television director, was a precocious dance talent from a young age. Her parents were told early on by her teachers that they believed she had a learning disorder. They, instead of putting her in a slower program, enrolled her into a dance school.

After her first day of attending a school of various types of dance, they asked her “What happened?” as any caring parents would wonder aloud. Lynne’s response was, “I cannot tell you how wonderful it was. I walked into this room full of people like me. People who couldn’t sit still. People who have to move to think.”

This is a perfect example of how society’s fixation on people’s academic ability is so incorrect, based off of the main subjects they are establishing one’s intelligence. This leads people who are brilliantly talented not to realize their brilliant talent because they failed a math test or something like that. Their skills are not valued in an educational setting, therefore they classify themselves as shortsighted.

This reminded me of a quote by Albert Einstein where he said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

As Robinson said, “I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, one in which we start to reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity. Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth: for a particular commodity. And for the future, it won't serve us. We have to rethink the fundamental principles on which we're educating our children.”

What I've Learned Throughout High School

As someone who has endured more than my fair share of experiences, both positive and negative, throughout my four years here at Buckeye High, I have taken it upon myself to condense all the things I have learned into one article for my reader’s pleasure. These are just a few of the most imperative points that students should definitely pick up before departing from high school and entering the “real world.”

    First of all, high school, not just this one, but in general, is breeding grounds for judgement. First impressions, unique styles, different interests, certain mindsets, various skills, etc. These people will judge you for every little thing you do, and there is not one thing anyone can do about it. As cliche as this advice is, just be yourself. People may be a little cautious at first, but they’ll soon develop a deep respect for your ability to stay true and neglect to be concerned with the opinion others have of you. Caring about things that most people don’t acknowledge makes you interesting, and that makes you stand out. Good publicity, bad publicity, whatever. Nobody wants to just blend in throughout high school. Make a statement while you’re here, create something, express your opinion, start a trend, introduce an overlooked activity. Whatever you do, just be bold and don’t stop and wonder what anyone thinks as long as you are pleased with yourself.

    Secondly, go to the dances. I don’t care if so-and-so said that they are “lame” or if you don’t have a date, just go. You’ll only regret not going, trust me. Once the instagram activity starts picking up and you’re alone at home watching the news feed grow longer with photos of your peers all done up, you’ll wish you were there. If you go and it isn’t up to par, you are allowed to leave. At least you tried, and most likely got some nice pictures out of it. And who knows, maybe it will be everything that you imagined. Dances are a traditional part of one’s high school experience and it would be a shame to miss out! Plus, student council works pretty hard planning and setting up, so just go to the school dances.

    Another thing I’ve learned during my stay here at Buckeye is that social media is essential, but deadly. Nowadays, teachers have twitter pages where they “tweet” the homework and websites for examples of problems. People use social media to stay “in the loop” and to be notified of what theme whichever sporting event everyone is attending is that night, which is convenient when you just can’t remember if it’s a blackout or strictly beach attire. It can be really handy, but also very dangerous. Some kids these days take it too far. When someone walks in the cafeteria, they won’t see someone getting beat up or a bully taking someone’s lunch money; they’ll see kids looking down at their phones furiously typing with their thumbs. That’s where the torment takes place in high school; online. My advice would be to steer clear of all of that, because high school is hard enough as it is, it’s only harder when it gives people the ability to torture someone behind the screen of a phone. The “likes” and “retweets” just aren’t worth it. Trust me.

    One of the most important things someone can do while at school, and you can quote me on this, is pay attention in math class. and, if you hate school and don’t pay attention in any subject, at least pay attention in math. Whether you’re in Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Trigonometry, I don't care, just pay attention in math class. If you fall asleep or have something on your mind and for whatever reason zone out during your math period, you’re automatically behind like five chapters somehow, it’s crazy. Math is insane nowadays, the teachers have you using numbers to find letters and there’s continuous decimals named after pastries… I have no idea who invented this stuff, but I’ll bet he didn’t even understand it. Sometimes I suspect they’re just making stuff up to kill time, but then it shows up on the test. Take my word for it There’s always that one kid that poses the question aloud that everyone is thinking: When are we ever going to use this? Well, I’ll tell you when you're going to use it. Now. In class. On the test Friday. Regardless if you ever use this outside of school which, depending on your desired field of study, you may not, every student needs a certain amount of math credits to graduate, so you’re using it now. I'll say this one more time for emphasis; Pay attention in math class, kids.

    High school is where people begin to find themselves. Students of both genders undergo many changes throughout these imperative four years. In high school, we’re all in high school. That’s it. No one is better than the other. The only problem is that not everyone sees it that way. Girls are ruthlessly mean and boys are incredibly immature. That’s not a proven fact, but an accurate statement. Girls will be nice to you one minute and then flip a switch and become your worst enemy the next. Boys will be polite when they feel it's necessary and when they don’t they’ll be rude. The way people treat each other in high school is very sad, but it’s something everyone has to endure. There’s always going to be someone who just doesn’t like you, and that’s okay, you’re not going to get along with everyone in life, and if you do then you probably have no personality. Just keep in mind that you are not defined by other people’s opinions of you, and that jealousy in not an appropriate reason to dislike someone. Take that advice and you’ll be okay.

    Another really important thing everyone should know before they graduate high school is that a starfish is NOT a fish. I know that may sound silly, but it’s really important to know that. The word “fish” is literally in the name, but that’s just false advertisement. A starfish is not a fish! I still can't believe it. You’ll all thank me for this one day, and if not then I apologise for taking up thirty seconds of your life that you used to read this paragraph. For me, I wish someone else had told me this before I entered high school. I had to learn the hard way. Although this may seem like common sense to some people, to those of us who are not very talented in the subject of science, this came as quite a shock! One year I took a class called Invertebrate and Vertebrate, taught by Mr. Koeth (it is a very fascinating class, I would highly recommend anyone take it if they are interested in science or just want that last science credit without taking chemistry). Anyway, he assigned a project where we had to do a report on a fish. Easy peasy I thought to myself, right? Wrong. I so uncharacteristically procrastinated until the last moment to chose a fish that no one else in the class has picked to do their reports on yet, and to my excitement, no one had chosen to do the starfish yet. After presenting my report and awaiting a final grade I finally received my project back with a note that said that I did a lovely job, except for the fact that I didn't do my report on a fish. I failed that project. That is how I learned that a starfish is not a fish. So, if you did know that already, good, you’re one step ahead where I was, and if you didn’t, well, you're welcome.

    Another important thing to know when attempting to survive high school is that friends come and go, and often times if they go, they come back. Everyone loves and hates each other, it’s an oddly unhealthy cycle of emotions, but everyone goes through it. I bet you believe that the person who you are the closest to now will remain your best friend from when you begin freshman year to when you graduate senior year, right? Wrong again! From the moment you step foot into Buckeye High School everyone has a new best friend, which, depending on the first letter of your last name, could be one of two people. Throughout high school, your guidance counselor is your best friend, without a doubt. Their job is to make sure you get in, survive, maybe even excel, and get out. They will do anything in their power to help you through any obstacle you face during high school. They are available almost always, and are there for you regardless of everything. Your guidance counselor is definitely your best friend in high school.

    Lastly, and probably most importantly, what I have learned while attending high school is  that high school doesn’t really matter. Of course, education is key and learning is an incredible luxury, but high school really doesn’t matter. Right now, the most stressful things on your mind are most likely a mixture of what you’re wearing tomorrow, how long of a nap you can take depending on the amount of homework assigned, and who you’re going to prom with. Everything that is important now will not be significant at all in a couple years, and it is important that you know that before graduating because then you will be able to focus all your time and energy on what really matters. Whether it is getting accepted into your dream college, finding a job, saving money, or whatever it may be, your future is the most important thing to you, regardless of who commented what on whose instagram photo, and it is imperative that by the time you are graduated you realize that.

    There are a thousand more things we are taught during high school, but I hope this small list helped you even the slightest bit. You are welcome to save a copy and refer back to whenever you begin to lose sight of your purpose here. Good luck to everyone, whether you just got here and are loving it, anxious to become an upper classman, excited to be a senior, or cannot wait to graduate. High school is a major yet small part of life that everyone is required to experience, and with these tips your high school experience will fly by smoother than anyone could have ever imagined.

Cyberbullying: High-Tech Torture

    Bullying: teachers preach against it, adults notice it, students endure it. Bullying may as well be a meaningless cliché. It is a term so overused that no one tends to care about or know the baggage it entails. Bullying is so much more than just the daily confiscating of someone’s lunch money or unfortunate adjectives being spat in someone’s face. Bullying has evolved and escalated to a repetitive activity that can take place within any environment without a trace of detection. If proof is found, which can happen, there is really no punishment that can be bestowed upon the bully when taking into consideration the specific circumstances, which is a main reason as to why bullying is something that has been around for centuries and will only progress from here.

Cyberbullying is, by definition, the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature, but modern bullying is so, so much more than that. Bullying has advanced to a point where it is now lethal, indirect, public, and sometimes even anonymous.

    People of  both genders are often times reassured that bullying is just a pathetic act triggered by jealousy.

“That sounds great and all and it an easy way to label it,” an anonymous source said, “but that doesn’t make sitting in a class full of people that hate you any easier. It doesn’t make losing friends any easier. It doesn’t make spending your lunches in the library instead of the cafeteria any easier. It doesn’t make your accomplishments and hard work being shamed any easier. But thank God somebody envies you.”

Jealousy is something that, whether or not someone is willing to admit, everyone feels at some point in their life. It’s just human nature, and that is not something to be ashamed of, but the way that most people go about handling their jealousy is what is wrong about it. People need to be taught to accept and embrace their jealous tendencies rather than viewing it as a sin and negatively projecting their jealousy at an innocent person.

    “I would be lying if I claimed to have never felt the cold shame of rejection or endured attacks from those who are verbally confident behind the screen of a type of technology, and for the longest time, I neglected to reply with any sort of response at all, refusing to give them what they wanted most of all, a reaction.” said anonymous. “I thought that I was being the bigger person and that the bullying would soon cease to exist out of my lack of participation, but I was incredibly incorrect. The bullying continued, and even increased. By not saying anything I was   just making myself an easy target, rather than leaving it to dwindle to insignificance. I eventually learned that, after years of taking [verbal] hit after hit, there is a fine line between stooping to their level and standing up for yourself.”

    Remember that time someone betrayed your friendship? Or when your significant other broke your heart? That hurt, didn’t it? They bullied you. If you are someone who has dealt with the hardships much like the examples I gave you, which everyone has, then you know exactly how much, for lack of a better term, it sucked. Therefore, why would you want to purposely inflict that pain onto someone else? What makes this implication of hurt justified in a social setting? There is never an excuse for bullying.

    “I will not go as far as to ridicule bullies, because what moral or ethic am I then upholding in my personal sanctification of humanity if I belittle, berate, and dehumanize them as they have done to me?” anonymous said. “What I can say is this; it is never right to treat another human being with unkindness. There is never an excuse for inundated contempt of another person who feels hurt just as you do.”