You're going to get a great deal of advice over the next few weeks. Whenever you tell someone that you're a freshman in high school, inevitably you'll hear the following:
- Enjoy high school. The next four years are going to fly by!
- Even freshman year counts for college, so don't slack off!
- The pool is on the fifth floor. (This is the only piece of advice here that won't be said in an enthusiastic tone, rather with a smirk on the faces of the speaker and his/ her cronies.)
I wish I could say that the advice I'm going to extend were less cliche, or more profound than the above, but I can't. Though you may hear it from many other people, please keep it tucked in whichever mental file you review every now and then: be you.
I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked at the Boston Opera House last year. Though I enjoy The Wizard of Oz, I don't claim to be a super enthusiastic viewer of the movie. I like it, but I don't go crazy when it's on TV. (I save my excitement for the likes of Elf, Steel Magnolias, or any of the Bourne trilogy.)
Anyway, I love musicals, I like The Wizard of Oz, and everyone I've ever met goes crazy over Wicked. It did not disappoint. It wasn't just that there are scenes of boarding school reminiscent of Hogwarts or that the music is fabulous that made me love the show. It was Elphaba, the "wicked" witch, who made me love the show.
She's green, she's a pariah because she's green, and even though it is hard, she embraces her verdigris as well as a teen trying to fit in can. I don't want to write any spoilers, but she stays true to her beliefs even amidst some fierce opposition. As I watched the other characters shun Elphaba, and saw her pick herself up--or try to dance her blues away--I thought of you all and hoped you'd all be your own versions of Elphaba.
Whatever your "oddity" might be--your offbeat ideas, your atypical fashion, or whatever might set you apart--do not bow to others' thoughts about what normal or cool is. By the way, I have some authority on this topic. As a freshman I once busted out the African Anteater Ritual from Can't Buy Me Love at a dance attended by all four grades. (Ask your parents...or YouTube it if you don't know why that might be kind of strange.)
What makes being a high school teacher so much fun is that I get to know each of my students' unique personalities and learn from perspectives I might never have considered. As Miranda Lambert says, "ever since the beginning to keep the world spinning it takes all kinds of kinds..."
For a rich classroom community, the more diverse the better. Conversations go deeper and class always goes by much faster. So don't stifle who you are because it might please others or garner you favor with a certain crowd. You'll find your niche.
Oh, and enjoy. These next four years are going to fly by!
