As you grow up, vital questions arise: Who am I? What am I suited for? What is my place in the world? What do I really think? At times you may feel like a scrambled jigsaw puzzle, and you are trying to find the right pieces to complete the picture. Beginning to find answers to these questions, to find the pieces that fit, may be the most important thing you do in your school years.
We don’t answer these questions in a vacuum, of course; we are all part of a family, part of the greater society, and part of a school. We, as individuals, look to others for support and clues as to who we are. The family is close and supportive, but society can be indifferent and is out of our control. The school stands between, not so intimate as family, but not huge and uncaring as society, or at least, it shouldn’t be.
You can’t help but deal with those questions in school, and teachers and classmates help you see how the puzzle pieces fit together. They do this in every conversation, game, quarrel, or project.
The school community is tremendously important in helping us see who we are and who we might be, by telling us that we count and by confirming our best selves and discouraging our worst. Needless to say, if you are in a place that makes you feel bad or insignificant, you will think differently of yourself than if you are surrounded by people who value you.
