There have been many people that have influenced me throughout my life, but if I had to choose the most significant, I would pick Suzanne Graft. I believe Mrs. Graft influenced me the most because of her relationship she had with me, her relationship with people in general and her attitude and experiences at the end of her life.
I first met Mrs. Graft in the fall of 2004. I had just moved to Minnesota from a small town in Ohio and was not adjusting very well. Mr. Graft was my fifth grade teacher; my first teacher in the Wayzata School District. More than anyone, Mrs. Graft helped me make the transition from a small school to Wayzata; the big time. She made me feel as though I was no different than the rest of the kids in the class and had known each of them since kindergarten. She introduced me to my first friends; friends I still have today. Mrs. Graft also influenced my academic success. She helped me through the gaps between Ohio and Minnesota curriculum and soon enough I was at the top of the class. She had a way of making me feel like I was her best friend and that she would always be there for me. Even when I moved on to middle school, she continued to stand by me. When I moved here, I was sure I was going to hate it, but Mrs. Graft changed that.
Side from Mrs. Graft's relationship with me, her relationship with other students, parents and other people in general was also inspiring. I'm sure she had the same affect on the rest of the school that she did on me. Even kids who weren't in her class found themselves opening up to Mrs. Graft. Her quirky personality made her easy to relate to and her fun, hip style drew kids in. In Mrs. Graft's eyes, no student was better than another. She made us all feel special and like we had her full attention at all times. Toward the end of fifth grade and on through middle school, I realized that Mrs. Graft was exactly the kind of person that I wanted to be. Open, honest, and caring towards everyone; impossible not to love.
In October of 2009, I was heartbroken to find out that Mrs. Graft had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. She lived for three months after her diagnosis. During these months, her outlook on life never changed. She was the same old Suzanne that everyone knew and loved. She continued to inspire me and everyone else around her. In January, she wrote me a note, just like the ones she gave me in fifth grade, that made me remember why she was so special to me in the place. When her time was up, hundreds of past students and their families gathered to support the Graft family. She meant a lot to many people and at the funeral, we all came to realize that she had the same affect on all of us. Mrs. Graft made us feel loved and special. She made us believe that anything was possible if you put forth a little effort. Overall, Mrs. Graft made life fun. She was such a giving person. It was hard to see her go at such a young age, but she lived her life to the fullest and she had said, she was ready to go.
"She was ready to go." This statement is what inspired me the most. Mrs. Graft lived her life to the fullest every day. She was surrounded by people she loved and who loved her back. She achieved her life goals and ambitions. Because of this, a long life wasn't necessary. She had served her purpose. As one elementary student said after Mrs. Graft passed away, "The kids in heaven must have needed a really good teacher." Her influence on me was profound and I strive every day to live life to the fullest, spend time with the people I love, and live like Mrs. Graft.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Why I write
Writing. Why do I write? I honestly have no idea. I write because I want to. Because I have to (I mean seriously, I'm in high school). I write because I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't trust anyone but the paper to listen to me.
Journaling is something that I've been trying to pick up for a long time. It never goes as planned. I decide to do it, get a cute little journal and for the first few days I'm so excited to put my thoughts into it. To unload my feelings that I don't want anyone to know about. Then I get to the point where I'm thinking "Well i really don't WANT to write right now." "My day was boring, why write it down?" and then it gets to the point where I forget I have a journal. If I don't get this point within 3 weeks, I start to get paranoid and wonder if my family members are reading my journal. Because of this I start to sensor my thoughts and hide the journal where sometimes even I can't find it. Lets just say that journals don't work out for me.
I think that if I had to choose between Didion and Orwell and say which one I connected to the most, I would have to say Didion, because I admit, when I write, it doesnt' always make sense. She said in her essay that "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." I think this is very true for me as well. Sometimes when I'm confused about my thoughts or what's going on in my life, writing it down can help me think it through and organize my thoughts. Help me put my thoughts into a logical sequence so they finally make sense to me.
The main reason that I don't feel like I identify with George Orwell is becaue of his motives for writing. I don't really think that I posses all of these these motives. Of course I posses egosim to an extent. Of course I want to be talked about and remembered. Yes i have Aesthetic enthusiasm. I love sharing my experiences and learnings with other people. But when it comes to Historical impulse...I'd rather focus on the future and not dwell on the past. Lastly, Political purpose. I am not even remotely politically aware, therefore I feel like a political purpose is not something that I have.
Even after writing this and getting all of these thoughts out, I still don't have specific reasons for why I write. Sometimes it just isn't clear. There's just a need to put things on paper.
Journaling is something that I've been trying to pick up for a long time. It never goes as planned. I decide to do it, get a cute little journal and for the first few days I'm so excited to put my thoughts into it. To unload my feelings that I don't want anyone to know about. Then I get to the point where I'm thinking "Well i really don't WANT to write right now." "My day was boring, why write it down?" and then it gets to the point where I forget I have a journal. If I don't get this point within 3 weeks, I start to get paranoid and wonder if my family members are reading my journal. Because of this I start to sensor my thoughts and hide the journal where sometimes even I can't find it. Lets just say that journals don't work out for me.
I think that if I had to choose between Didion and Orwell and say which one I connected to the most, I would have to say Didion, because I admit, when I write, it doesnt' always make sense. She said in her essay that "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." I think this is very true for me as well. Sometimes when I'm confused about my thoughts or what's going on in my life, writing it down can help me think it through and organize my thoughts. Help me put my thoughts into a logical sequence so they finally make sense to me.
The main reason that I don't feel like I identify with George Orwell is becaue of his motives for writing. I don't really think that I posses all of these these motives. Of course I posses egosim to an extent. Of course I want to be talked about and remembered. Yes i have Aesthetic enthusiasm. I love sharing my experiences and learnings with other people. But when it comes to Historical impulse...I'd rather focus on the future and not dwell on the past. Lastly, Political purpose. I am not even remotely politically aware, therefore I feel like a political purpose is not something that I have.
Even after writing this and getting all of these thoughts out, I still don't have specific reasons for why I write. Sometimes it just isn't clear. There's just a need to put things on paper.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
THE INAUGURAL POST!
Hello everyone. This is Elizabeth! This is my first blog and I'm really confused about what to write about....so i guess I'll just ramble. School starting yesterday was basically the worst thing that's ever happened. i'm already behind on sleep and anxious for our first break!
I suppose the only thing semi interesting that I can think to write about is my summer. In the beginning of July I went with my church on a mission trip to Jesse. A small coal mining town in Southern West Virginia, with a population of less than 500. West Virginia is one of the most impoverished areas in the United States. The people live up in the mountains, isolated from the rest of the country. We had gone last summer as well and it was really fun to go back and reunite with all of our friends there. We split up into five different work groups and on monday set out to change some lives. My group and I found ourselves weeding, scraping and painting a shed, building stairs, repairing plumbing and laying tile. We worked on this for a while and felt good about helping someone less fortunate. However, near the end of the week, it became very clear that we were not just helping the West Virginians, but they were helping us as well. During that 10 days, I felt myself opening up to people that I barely knew and building stronger relationships than I ever imagined. Relationships weren't just built between West Virginians and Minnesotans, but between the kids in my youth group. I learned about my peers' lives and struggles. Things that I never even imagined were going on with them. It really taught me not to judge others without knowing their whole story. You never know what they're dealing with.
If you've never had the chance to go on a mission trip, DO IT! You get the amazing feeling of helping others and may just learn a lesson or two and find out about yourself along the way!
I suppose the only thing semi interesting that I can think to write about is my summer. In the beginning of July I went with my church on a mission trip to Jesse. A small coal mining town in Southern West Virginia, with a population of less than 500. West Virginia is one of the most impoverished areas in the United States. The people live up in the mountains, isolated from the rest of the country. We had gone last summer as well and it was really fun to go back and reunite with all of our friends there. We split up into five different work groups and on monday set out to change some lives. My group and I found ourselves weeding, scraping and painting a shed, building stairs, repairing plumbing and laying tile. We worked on this for a while and felt good about helping someone less fortunate. However, near the end of the week, it became very clear that we were not just helping the West Virginians, but they were helping us as well. During that 10 days, I felt myself opening up to people that I barely knew and building stronger relationships than I ever imagined. Relationships weren't just built between West Virginians and Minnesotans, but between the kids in my youth group. I learned about my peers' lives and struggles. Things that I never even imagined were going on with them. It really taught me not to judge others without knowing their whole story. You never know what they're dealing with.
If you've never had the chance to go on a mission trip, DO IT! You get the amazing feeling of helping others and may just learn a lesson or two and find out about yourself along the way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)