Season 20, Episode 21: The One Where They Were Seniors

Hey everyone, second semester is officially upon us! We're in the home stretch of our high school careers before we are off to college. I feel like I have been fantasizing about this moment for my entire life. Dreaming about graduation, prom, and water wars with my friends but the reality that we are currently living in is vastly different. Even though we haven't had a normal year, my senior experience hasn't been all that bad. Somehow I managed to get even closer to my friends and family- something that I think only happened due to the pandemic.

School on the other hand has been quite the handful this year. Personally, I have always loved schools and learning new things but something about logging into Zoom every morning has drained me of my normal excitement. All I see now are deadlines pilling up and tests to study for. In regards to my mental health, I think I have been able to take a lot of time to myself and even space out my work to lighten my workload. I actually had the opportunity to find new hobbies like embroidering, photography, and baking cakes! Also, in regards to my plans for the future I have always been interested in medicine and I think the pandemic has solidified these plans for me. I was able to see first-hand how diverse medicine can be and how much help is needed to stop epidemics and help save lives. 

Regarding this class individually, I have really enjoyed this first semester. I really enjoyed how we got the opportunity to step outside of our roles as readers and writers and connect with one another about our shared experiences. We even got to read classic texts like Oedipus Rex and The Stranger and talk about our interpersonal connections to each one. Something about this class feels less like a requirement and more like an opportunity to find a text that we can truly connect with and resonate with. A text that helps us see the world in a new light. One of my favorite parts of this class is the Harkness Discussions where we can have honest discussions with one another about what we liked or disliked about a certain story. Instead of writing essays about our perspectives, we can have conversations with people that may have vastly different opinions and compare them to our own. 

As a reader and critical thinker, I think I have pushed myself to read novels from authors from diverse backgrounds which is something that I realized I was lacking before this year. I also realized that I have found my writer's voice. The voice that I can write with both casually and in formal analysis essays. Also, this newfound voice and perspective has helped me understand the world around me more clearly. I would read the news regarding the election and I would be able to create unbiased opinions about different parties and analyze both sides on a literary level. I cannot wait to continue this year and push my boundaries further to make myself a more coherent reader and person overall. I think my goal for this year will be to voice my opinions more and even try to discover what my core motivation in life is. I truly want to know what drives me and I wanted to say thanks to everyone reading my posts, hope you enjoyed Storytime with Sejal!