As our year winds to a close, our Grade 12’s share their wisdom and experience with our AP kids and friends via a Ted Talks style 5-15 minute speech. The students’ truth and wisdom brought us all to tears for well over two hours. Here are the highlights as shared with us by Jade’s great note-taking.
Highlights from grade twelve Ted Talks:
Claire, on “Why I am Funny”
- -“If I’m funny, they’ll have to keep me around, right?”
- -insightfully describes humour as a source of validation, inspiration and perhaps even a coping mechanism
- -a wonderful speech about finding and establishing a sense of belonging and a safe, comfortable space
- -exploration of the idea that funny=likability=happiness
- -relatable–we are all looking for validation, for something to cling to, how we have a tendency to compare ourselves to other when we don’t feel like we are good enough
- -a funny, heartwarming story about finding and knowing our own worth–reaching our full potentials–how sometimes it’s a matter of patience
- -surrounding ourselves with humble, caring people who advocate for our success
- -taking chances, trying new things in order to find a place where we are passionate, where we feel safe, and where we feel like we belong
Emily on “Dear Someone, from a child of divorce”
- -we all love people differently
- -spoken word style–LOVE
- -“matrimony, like bones and roses and poetry is fragile”
- -“it breaks the bonds, love and lovers”
- -fear of loving, of giving others too much of ourselves, fear of sacrificing dreams and hopes in the name of love
- -“I will likely take more than I can give”
- -“married, mothered, and monstrous”
- -“my hair, my sheets and clothes all smell like you”
- -how our upbringings predispose us to loving a certain way
- -how do we love selflessly without losing/destroying ourselves in the midst of doing so
- – dear, someone–word someone makes it applicable and relatable to anyone.
- -BRAVO!
Harmehar on “the harm of minimizing your self-worth”
- -a universal suffering we have all experienced
- -why do we find confidence intimidating?
- -some of the most confident people have also felt the most insecure
- -who do we surround ourselves with?–we need to find people who love us unconditionally, those who are accepting of us, flaws and differences
- -don’t surround yourselves with people who are afraid to see you succeed!–cut them out of your life.
- -knowing what makes you happy and practicing those things; hobbies etc
- -sometimes where you feel you are supposed to be isn’t contributing to your own growth, development, and positive sense of self worth
- -self fulfilling prophecies
- -“realizing the potential that surrounds you”–never accept less than you deserve, do not short change yourself
- -we all deserve to feel good about ourselves
Bryna on “finding your true path”
- -overriding convention of society
- -Tumblr and spiritual awakenings—LOVE it
- -from catholic to pagan
- to look up and realize my spirituality is Apollo and his mates shining down on me
- -finding our own connections and passions–not letting others choose it for us
- -anti-conformity
- -“when one god comes in your life, more are sure to follow” – each to teach us their lessons
- -wonder, confidence, pride
- -“Apollo told me to never let go of my morals”
- -“Hermes is my closest companion”
Sadia – the validation of one’s self
- -the relationship you should value most is the one with yourself
- -the only validation that can satisfy you is the validation that comes from yourself
- -“if you make a mistake don’t lament…”–they aren’t meant to be a deterrent
- -“keep your humanity close to you.”
- -“don’t silence compassionate thoughts”
- -don’t let others decide your worth–only you, as an individual can do that
- -“our world is not without magic”
- -“become aware of the power and influence your mind is capable of”
Timi on “imperfections and the pursuit of happiness”
- – beautiful, biographic story
- -we are all born with an inclination to love ourselves–with child-like wonder, something that often begins to deteriorates as we grow older
- – “body image became a must pay attention to”
- -“In a few months I went from being the most confident to the most self conscious”
- -“I looked for love in the wrong places”
- -our trials, imperfections and flaws are contributors to our strength and happiness
- – abuse
- -“we all want to be somebody.”
- -embracing imperfections
- -“know the difference between and imperfection and a liability”
Sania on “Islam is beautiful”
- – stereotypes vs reality
- – harm of stereotypes
- – peace, love, dignity, respect, a source of comfort in times of despair
- – my world of Islam was peace, beauty, and love
- -“so remember me I will remember you”
- -“and he is with you wherever you are”
- -open, trusting, reliable community
- -“it felt like everyone is Saudi Arabia was one person”–unity
- -the fatal generalizations and incorrect assumptions made about Islam: comes from a place of fear, ignorance
- -“every nation has seeds of corruption”
- -“fear reveals what we care about most”
- -“all the hardest, coldest people you meet were once as soft as water. And that is the tragedy of living” ~ Iain Thomas
- -“Islam is good”
Sajan on “grade thirteen”
- -serendipity
- -the significance of second chances
- -self discovery
- -“I provided the spotlight for other people but I never gave it to myself”
- -it’s okay to ask for help when we don’t know how to help ourselves
- -heartache–muse, inspirational
- – finding home
- -“it’s never too late to get your *@!$ together”
- -the perils of sleep walking through life–find yourself instead
Malika on “learning to let go while continuing to love on”
- -“I can’t leave you, my heart screams…but I have to”
- -“goodbyes remind us that we are human and that everything must come to an end”
- -“maybe the key to letting go is accepting the fact that forever doesn’t exist”
- -“love has no sense of time nor placement”
- -“love is a promise to never forget”
- -letting go doesn’t mean you stop loving
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