Be A Role Model To The Generation Below

I am quite fortunate to have a reasonably great relationship with the grades above and below me.

I always looked up to my superiors, then still giving my respect to my subordinates.

Usually, these relationships popped up through shared interests, like playing music, or being friends with their siblings.

Friendship does not have an age.

The biggest gift you can give them is your wisdom and experience.

Even if it is only one, that's better than none at all.

Music Camp

Once every two years, there is a competition held that provides opportunity for ensembles to receive feedback from their playing.

For our school, the students who participate in this competition get the opportunity to go on camp and work with our repertoire closely with our teachers.

I only just came back (as of writing this) and it got me to reflect about how much gratitude I have for being mates with people a grade below me.

It was going to be my last one, ever.

At the start, we had to organise our rooms for who was sleeping where.

Luckily, I got to stay with the grade 11 boys.

I wished I had taken photo, but we had the whole set up.

We agreed to take our shoes off outside in one straight line.

One of the boys kept his shoes on, even when sleeping!

So, as we got in the cabin with our shoes on, I started cleaning the floor.

Why did I do it?

No one likes dirty floors, especially the ones you sleep on.

But, I cared for my fellow brethren.

I didn't have to do it at all. I could have had someone else do the work for me. Maintain my senior status and let my subordinates do my bidding.

For me, I do not have a large superiority complex. I treat them as equals.

But, by that simple gesture, it shows what kind of relationship you have with the people around you.

After cleaning the floor with a broom, some of them opted in to do it themselves as well.

We created a standard for ourselves.

We didn't deserve to sleep with dirty floors or a dirty room.

And throughout, we kept the room in perfect condition because it showed how much we cared for each other.

But after that, camp was a blast.

I am grateful to have the grade 11 boys as my cabin mates.

And I know they are grateful for having me as there senior and friend.

Two Boys In The Hallway

It is a gift to be interacting with your subordinates.

I don't know if it is just me, but I have naturally looked up to my seniors and helped my juniors.

Even the other day I made friends with these two boys who were wagging from music class.

Period 4 on a Tuesday, I had extension collaborative study.

In my class, some of the students work out in the hallway, while some stay in the main classroom.

A student from my class who was in the hallway asked about a math question

Took me a second to figure out the answer, but after she left, I came back to explain how to solve it.

After explaining, I did some talking with other students I was friends with.

Then there were these two Indigenous boys in the hallway.

They were obviously wagging, but I interacted with them without judgement.

I was curious.

They were already having a conversation with some of my friends.

One of the boys told me his dad was a professional boxer. Then, he followed saying he wanted to be a professional boxer himself.

I thought to myself, "Good on him!"

Then, I went back to my study class.

Something didn't sit right within me though.

I didn't compliment on the fact he has that dream.

That fact kept eating inside me, until I gave in.

So, after 10 minutes, I went back.

Saw him again, then said aloud

"I support your dream."

I know it's something small, but I couldn't keep it to myself.

Then, that led down a domino effect of giving even more.

I asked the two boys what grade they were in, grade 8.

So, I told them no matter what they do, graduate.

I know it's going to sound shit, but when I did study on Australian Indigenous rights in my grade 11 Modern History class, we came across an alarming statistic.

Only 50% of Indigenous people graduate with a Certificate of Education.

That's important in getting, you know, a job!

Even if it is an apprenticeship, just get the certificate so employers don't reject you outright.

Then again:

You cannot distil 16 years of knowledge into 20 minutes.

Still, leaving the interaction, I made sure I remembered their names and faces.

I read from a book a person's name is the sweetest sound in the human language. It takes effort to remember a person's name, that's why they'll appreciate it.

And whenever I see them, I give them a handshake, and make effort to remember my name as well.

What To Take Away

You can influence, not teach.

It's very hard to directly change someone, but if someone can influence how you speak, think and take action, that's more powerful.

The people you want to teach must come from a place of wanting to be taught.

It can be as simple as a handshake.

That shows how much respect you have for the generation below.

Because you might not think it means anything, but it means a lot to them.

And if they have that self perception of being respected by the older grades, they will probably have more self-confidence.

Then again, I suppose we say the grade sevens are getting worse every year.

Circling back to music camp, we actually had a dinner discussion about Tik Tok being the most likely candidate for ruining future generations.

Dopamine and attention deficit is what can blame their annoyingness and pain when interacting with them.

To that I say, let them fail.

It is not your responsibility for them to succeed.

Failure is a large component to success.

But, still be optimistic.

Not all of them are the same.

Keep doing you.

If you're doing better and interacting with people, hopefully it inspires someone to do the same.