Final Essay/Assignment

In early August of 2014, I, Stevie Wisz, was very hesitant and sketchy about taking this course. "You can do anything you want; have your phone out, relate to and connect with the teacher, and basically are free to "do" you." Hearing these words were abnormal because in the traditional school setting of modern day school is nothing like that. In almost every classroom setting there is the teacher who acts the authority figure demanding and forcing the students to complete "core" assignments for a letter grade. When previous students told me that this class was nothing like the "traditional" class, I was really nervous. I didn't know what to expect because of the fact that I, along with all of the people I have gone to school with since day one, have been conditioned and trained to work and fit into the traditional, letter grade based schooling. As time went by and I was exposed to the intense amount of freedom and creativity this course provides, everything changed. I loved it. I was no longer restricted to the assignments the teacher assigned. I was able to both do assignments that I had great interest in as well as those that you assigned. I could freely express myself and my work via blog which I loved. Everything that the previous students told me about your class was true and awesome. This is the story of my own bildungsroman in which I transformed into a shy, reserved girl who hated to have her work seen by others to a confident, anxious girl who urges for feedback and insight on publishing's I revealed on my blog.

Granted by Dr. Preston himself, I have been treated as a colleague and as well as been given a great deal of choice in the course which represents a high level of trust. Because we have all been conditioned to the traditional, point-letter grade-based classroom setting, I believe my classmates and I all deserved this freedom. It enabled us to freely express ourselves and as well as our passions to the external world and classroom when we weren't allowed to before. Because of this power and freedom, I met and learned so much about so many of my classmates in this class than ever before. As the year progressed I did notice that some individuals took advantage of the freedom and didn't complete all of what Dr. Preston assigned, although I still believe that the freedom granted was deserved even though they "checked out." Throughout the entire year, especially while presenting our masterpieces, my classmates and I honored the freedom and trust. We were finally granted the ability to show our classmates our true selves without the fear of being judged. Having a teacher that encourages and supports expressing oneself is rare and I believe that this course is specifically special and unique because of the fact that the "teacher" is one of the rare and unusual ones. Without this course, I would have never overcame my fear of expressing my true self and I am so thankful for this course!

Out of all of the works we read and authors we studied, I would have to say Shakespeare's Hamlet rang true enough o make me feel like they described parts of me and my journey in life. Although, Macbeth had a similar affect on me like Hamlet did and that is because in both stories Shakespeare featured an individual who struggles internally and my life has basically been an internal struggle because of my heart disease and insecurities. Lastly, Great Expectations was a story that represented me and my journey because it is based upon a belittled man who then grows and develops into a matured individual. Over the duration of my life, I have been so conflicted and exposed to hurt and pain that I struggled with determining who I wanted to be in the future. I loved Great Expectations because it taught me that not all things special and important are money and wealth but can be as small as love.

Because of my heart disease, I have always been passionate about the medical field and becoming a doctor of some sort. Although, this course, because of the Masterpiece assignment, has strengthened my passion for the medical field and ignited the spark/drive inside me to make my dream of becoming a doctor come true. Thanks to my masterpiece I have reconsidered what kind of doctor I want to be and that is to be a Pediatric Cardiologist rather than a regular Cardiologist. This is because I feel that I will benefit more from satisfying and making children healthier than older folks. To make it happen, I will continue to do all of the schooling it takes to reach my goal and become a doctor. I am so excited to pursue a career I love and am passionate about.

Something in this course that has made me literally laugh out loud was Joey Beulow's Masterpiece presentation. The images he photo-shopped and edited were absolutely awesome and hilarious. Specifically the image of you with the statement concerning Open Source Learning!

A unifying theme that ran through some of the Masterpiece presentations were "The smallest acts of kindness are more than the grandest intentions." My masterpiece, Elizabeth's, Courtney's, Melissa's, and Victoria's all portrayed this theme in which all of us girls focused on making others feel better about themselves and their lives. We were not doing the masterpiece for us or for the content of the project, but yet we were doing it for others which makes it all worth it. It is an amazing feeling knowing your actions, words, or behaviors positively impact others and that is what we all elaborated on via our Masterpieces. For instance, my masterpiece was donating gift bags to the ill children in the hospital. Seeing the grins on the sick, kids faces was what made all of the struggle and business worth the while. Courtney's fits into the theme in which her aspirations were to make the Mentally Disabled feel "normal" and "special" which those individuals do not get a lot. They are often belittled and made fun of because of their illness but what Courtney did is make them feel GOOD about themselves by assisting them be successful in a community soccer game! Elizabeth's hair donation was very generous and giving. By chopping off her own, long, beautiful hair she provides a ill, hairless child somewhere in the world with a wig so that they will no longer have to feel "naked" or "ugly" with no hair. Melissa and Victoria's presentation fit along with the theme because by going out and interacting with strangers and the homeless, they made those individuals feel as if they weren't invisible any longer and that they actually have a purpose in the world! <3 I loved all of our Masterpieces because not only did they make us feel good and happy but others too!

Honestly, I do not see myself as a hero, yet. Because my life has only been existing for a short eighteen years, I have not been granted nor been exposed to the instant where I will become the hero I have always wanted and aimed to be. My goals are by becoming a doctor for the purpose of giving back to all who have helped me in my journey, I will eventually be acknowledged and appreciated by my patients who will then visualize me as a hero for keeping them alive and healthy.

Writing this essay, I began to cry. Not because its sad or anything but simply because this is the last assignment I will do in this class which means high school is almost over. I have gone through so much, lost yet gained so many friends, formed new relationships with teachers and peers, and loved every minute of it over the last four years of high school. I loved Righetti, still do and always will. All of my teachers and friends have contributed to who I am today and I am so blessed for that. Graduating from high school bookmarks a new chapter in all of our lives as we begin our journey to college as well as what we do after college. I know all of us will do just fine and be ever more successful in our near journeys. Who ever is reading this, I wish you the best of luck in your future and don't forget to remember me! Such a bittersweet moment in our lives. Thank you Righetti, thank you friends, thank you Dr. Preston, and lastly, thank you Stevie Wisz. <3