What makes me happy

Dear pupils, colleagues and people in general,

school should be a place to forge open minds, to stimulate creativity, to share bright ideas. Instead it is becoming more and more a place to follow imposed programmes, to achieve a status above the others to ensure a precarious future, a place to rule in microcosmos of small and vicious power.... it is becoming a vampiric world that sucks our blood and leaves us hollow inside. I apologize for being such a pessimistic human being at the moment but I face my days as a succession of tasks to be followed and tiredness as a reward...

Anyway I found myself in such a year of deep and exhausting work that I had no chance to publish regularly in this blog. Today, I took the time to share an essay from a pupil of mine. I asked the pupils from the eight grade to write an essay about what makes them happy. It was not a fair proposition, I know. They did it: some with copied ideas, some with ideas they thought I wanted to ear and a hanfdful of others with real personal ideas. From those, I chose this essay I considered one of the best. Enjoy!

What makes me happy

"I think it's true (that some people have forgotten to take care of their personality) because some people just care about their appearance. But I'm kind of the opposite. I care about my personality and what makes me happy. I don't really care about the people that say I'm ugly because that's not the most important thing  in the world. I like to relax and go out with my friends or watch a movie with my family. That makes me happy. Of course, I like to look good and I know what I can and can't change in my body. I brush my hair and I like my clothes but I can't change my entire body. Well, I'm happy the way I am and who doesn't like it, can look away because like Lady Gaga says: "I was born this way"!

Luís Victorino, 8ºF, Escola Secundária Fernando Namora