As I sit here in front of a blank screen I am transported back to my youth. To a youth much different to yours. A youth without mobile phones, Facebook, or iPods. A youth where the words Youtube, internet and OMG were not part of our everyday language.
But this isn't a "we had nothing and you have everything" rant and what strikes me most as I think about it, is how some things never change. As they sing in "Casablanca", "the fundamental things apply as time goes by". But what are these fundamentals?
Well, here is my guess.
1. Good friends are sure shelters. In your time at CCS, I wish you good friends.
2. You are more brilliant than you think. (This applies to 99% of you. Some of you need a reality check!)
3. We all have our insecurities.
These are just three, but I'm sure you can think of loads more, what with you being so much smarter than your teachers and all. However, it can all be brought back to one simple truth: we are all human.
We live and learn, we grow, we try.
And so, as I sit in front of one of my biggest fears - the blank screen, nothingness - I identify with you and I am one of you again. The secondary school student wondering how to begin.
The difficulty of knowing what to write: finding a voice to break the silence.
This website has been born out of our wish, as your teachers, to help you find your voice.
This site is ours - yours and mine. It will work best when you leave comments, read the notes and let us know what you want to see here.
In return, we hope to teach you that the fear of Nothing is nothing to fear.
But this isn't a "we had nothing and you have everything" rant and what strikes me most as I think about it, is how some things never change. As they sing in "Casablanca", "the fundamental things apply as time goes by". But what are these fundamentals?
Well, here is my guess.
1. Good friends are sure shelters. In your time at CCS, I wish you good friends.
2. You are more brilliant than you think. (This applies to 99% of you. Some of you need a reality check!)
3. We all have our insecurities.
These are just three, but I'm sure you can think of loads more, what with you being so much smarter than your teachers and all. However, it can all be brought back to one simple truth: we are all human.
We live and learn, we grow, we try.
And so, as I sit in front of one of my biggest fears - the blank screen, nothingness - I identify with you and I am one of you again. The secondary school student wondering how to begin.
The difficulty of knowing what to write: finding a voice to break the silence.
This website has been born out of our wish, as your teachers, to help you find your voice.
This site is ours - yours and mine. It will work best when you leave comments, read the notes and let us know what you want to see here.
In return, we hope to teach you that the fear of Nothing is nothing to fear.