The Importance of Teachers

There are three teachers that I can think of off the top of my head that have made a significant and profound impact on my life. They made a conscious effort to get to know me, figure out my plans for the future, and help guide me on a path to fulfill all the hopes and dreams that I aspire for. Without the guidance that these teachers provided me, I would have never uncovered the passions that I have discovered within myself for history, graphic design, and the environment. Having in-depth conversations with these instructors--and even just listening to their lectures--helped ignite a powerful enthusiasm, of whose existence I was not even aware, and progressed a drive that helped me to attain my goals within the class, as well as conspire about viable career options concerning my future in said subjects. These few teachers, along with all of the others that I have had throughout the years, have shown me the undeniable vitality of educators. I think that it is essential to any successful learning environment that there is a mutual respect and set of common interests between a teacher and his/her students, and it seems to be that Mr. Blow shares this view with me. It is extremely beneficial for students to have someone there that has blazed the trail for them, that can assist in any way possible to help ensure a bright future for their pupils. I am who I am today because of the teachers that I have encountered in my life, and in my opinion if an educator is even able to make a difference in merely one student's life, as mine have done for me and Mr. Blow's has done for him, then there is proof that the education system in or country is doing its job in providing the tools for the advancement of future generations of our society.

The Labyrinth

Each and every one of us lives our lives in our own secluded bubble, some of us for a couple years, but some of us never escape. Most people are born, and grow up protected by their elders from the true antics that accompany society. Particularly in the early teen years, one tends to think of their lifestyle as the only viable way of existence, with no regard to the way the rest of the world around them lives and functions. In grown years, however, the bubble is used to suppress one's self from their true wants and desires of a life they often times envision, but never strive to attain. The bubble is a confining entity of sorts, that incarcerates your body and mind. Author John Green refers to this bubble in his novel Looking For Alaska. He calls it the labyrinth, and describes it's effects throughout the story. He claims, "You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." These complex webs of desire, hurt, sacrifice, and lust, however, are more universal than one would anticipate. A crowded, busy city street could perhaps be one of the loneliest or most comforting places in the world, depending upon one's viewpoint. The setting itself connotes an undeniable and perpetual sense of sonder, or "the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk," as defined by The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Regardless of one's status in society or any other social, emotional, or physical barriers, everyone shares the struggles of the labyrinth and how their complexities intertwine with those of the 7 billion people who surround them.

"I REMEMBER..."

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. December 9, 2000 is, and will forever be, engraved in my head as the worst day of my life. My dad was on a business trip, he used to travel quite frequently, so it was just my mom, my two brothers, my sister, and me at home. My older brother, Eric, aged 19, had come home from hanging out with his friends and tucked me in to bed, as he did every night. He did the same to my older brother, Matt (age 7), and my older sister, Meghan (age 5), said goodnight to my mom, and went to sleep in his bedroom in the basement. Little did I know, this would be the last time I would ever see Eric. In the middle of the night, around 3 A.M., my mom was awoken by a police officer at our front door. He regretfully informed her that my older brother had just passed away in a car accident. My mom instantly thought that was impossible, as she had just told him goodnight a short couple of hours prior. She went down to the basement, and sure enough, the back door was unlocked. My mom was then horrifically faced with the task of informing my dad of the heartbreaking, earth-shattering, agonizing, traumatic news. You see, Eric was my half-brother. Meaning that my mom was his step-mother. Though my mom loved Eric as if he was her own, she very well knew that Eric and my dad had a bond that was only truly experienced between father and son. I was 3 when Eric's accident happened. One can collect that I was not overwhelmingly comprehensive of the entire scenario. However, you would be surprised by how much a 3 year old can recollect. I remember my dad being home when I woke up, which was joyful because we weren't expecting him for another couple days. I remember wondering where Eric was. I remember the pain and hurt in my parents' voices as they told us that Eric was in heaven, and we would see him again someday, but it wouldn't be very soon. I remember the memorial service, with everyone distraught and speechless at the passing of such a generous and kind young man, whose life was cut short due to a series of unfortunate events. I remember all of these feelings on the 9th of December each year, and I remember that Eric would want us to rejoice in his life, and all of the love that he radiated to those around him.

RIP Eric Hamilton Mills
October 13, 1981 - December 9, 2000

FIRE

Fire is an interesting concept. Initially, fire was used by cavemen in order to cook food and keep warm during the harsh winters. It is considered by historians to be one of the most impactful inventions due to the fact that it helped greatly to advance and civilize medieval society. Today, fire is still used by many people to run their stoves, hence maintaining its initial purpose. In developing countries, fire is still used as the main resource for preparing food and heating homes as well. Fire is also used recreationaly for fireplaces, candles, incense, etc. However, despite fire's productivity, it also has a "dark side" per se. Within minutes, a raging inferno is capable of destroying an entire building. Every inch of carpet, every momento, every belonging, every memory--gone in the blink of an eye. Perhaps that goes to show a metaphor for many things in life. In any situatuion, there is more than one vantage point to be taken. Fire can be seen as a necessary facet of life, providing several accommodations required to sustain vitality. However on the flip side, some may see fire as a relentless monster, destroying everything it comes in contact with.
Determining whether or not fire is a good or evil entity is dependent entirely upon one's perspective. One who opposes fire may value its opposite, ice. However with ice we encounter another polar (no pun intended) situation. Lack of ice conducts that greenhouse gasses are too potent and hence global temperatures are increasing too much. However, too much ice would produce another ice age, blanketing all of Earth under a irreparable permafrost. The contrast of fire and ice brings me to the thought of a poem by Robert Frost that I had to memorize for the 1st Annual Dolvin Elementary Poetry Slam.
"Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great And would suffice."