The first day of school in history class I was fully prepared to do board notes and textbook work. Mr. Seward came in and asked us about topics of history and wrote them down on the board. We were about twenty minutes in and we had created this giant think wall with all these topics. We were asked to pick three. For my first project I picked a soldier biography. Being completely honest I had no idea what I was doing. The thought of writing about someone whom I don't even know made me nervous, I wanted a really good mark in this class. I thought I was just going to write down his height and weight hand it in and pray for a good mark. The following days, we would come to class and Mr. Seward would talk about world events and ask us our opinion. I thought to myself “Why does he care what we think? It's not like it really matters, right?” I was wrong. One day in particular I had heard about the Ukraine crisis. I decided that was my second project. I would come to school everyday with my laptop and watch Russian Television,an English news channel that talks about the Russian point of view in the crisis. I learned a lot about perspectives around the world. But I started realizing something about myself… I really loved history.
I still had one more project to pick and I wanted it to be something easy. I had two really great projects that I needed to work really hard on so I could get a good mark. So I picked Women's Rights. I thought I would just look up the answers and write them down hand them in and once again pray for a good mark. I started watching videos and reading articles and actually finding out a lot about what women’s rights is actually about. It led me to become a feminist. I was so hooked on everything now, I was on a roll. It gave me confidence and I started voicing my opinion in class more. I actually felt smart. I felt like I was doing things that mattered. I felt like just a little bit, I was changing the world, and then I realized it was changing me. Working on my Ukraine Crisis project I taught myself how to put myself in other peoples shoes. I learned about two different countries perspectives. I would go back and fourth and look at what Canadian and American people thought and then about what Russian and Ukrainian people thought. I hung off of every word they said, and I was so excited to come and tell Mr. Seward the latest news that was happening. It wasn't about the marks anymore. It was about hearing the voices from people around the world. In my woman's rights project I learned that I should never back down, and that I can do anything I set my mind to. I voiced my opinion more because I learned that it matters. I learned the definition of feminism and realized that the definition was myself. For the second time it wasn't about marks. It was about being proud of who I am. I was so into my soldier biography, I felt like I knew him. I felt like even though I couldn't see or hear him he was right there, telling me about his life and his battles. Believe it or not, once again, it wasn't about the marks. It was about honouring him. In the end I was so in love with history. Being able to go in this trip has changed my life. The connections I've made, the places I've been, the things I've learned, the people I've come to know very well. If you would have told me last year that I was going to be here, I would have laughed at you and told you that I wasn't smart enough. But here I am so passionate about everything that is history and voicing my opinion, and it being heard. In the end I forgot about the marks. It wasn't about memorizing answers for a test that I wouldn't remember the following week, or finding a straight answer to every question. It’s about so much more than that. Emily Doyle Student, Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute Smiths Falls, Ontario
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AuthorsParticipating educators and high school students share reflections on their professional and personal experiences during and after the program. Some posts link to the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society's blog, Studeamus bellum causa pacis. Archives
August 2015
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