Day 3 - The Movement

Flowers blossoming like feathers, glowing in the settling sun. The rays of the sun pierced through the curtains and disturbed James, who had woken up much earlier than his normal routine. James was still feeling uneasy after his meeting with Samantha the day before. Something was off about her behaviour but James couldn’t put his finger on it.

James showered and got dressed, today was the start of orientation week and he knew that today meant business, he started to plan how he would get people to join his movement of which he now called it “ the writeitright initiative” to correct the errors of the past and  to stabilize and uplift the future.

James had a burning passion for education which came from his childhood tutor who had the patience and determination to teach James when everyone else had failed. James had to leave primary school because his teachers were not equipped on teaching a child with ADHD and most of the time he was referred to as a ‘disturbance’ in the classroom. After many hardships and tremendous help from his tutor, James excelled and was enrolled in one of the top private schools and that is when he met Samantha Ashburn.

James was taught to believe that all children are individuals and should be taught in a fashion that addresses their individual learning styles and passions as frequently as there is opportunity. Consequently, he believed that education should be inquiry based and related to existing schema as often as possible. He knew that if you allowed the student’s curiosity to lead their voyage into the unknown, not only will they be interested in the topic, but it then becomes personal to them and far more important thus creating an opportunity for remarkable results. 

James now wants to instil the belief that by allowing varied instruction for differing skill levels. By allotting extra one-on-one time for struggling students and allowing more challenging opportunities for advanced students then each child is enabled  to better fulfil their potential because each child brings his/her own history and knowledge to each class. By varying the fashion in which the curriculum is presented, you have a better chance of successfully turning each child into a motivated learner.

James knew that finding members to join his movement would be difficult but he also knew that the end result would be very rewarding and that he was not going to quit just yet. James had several meetings with the university’s guidance counsellor because he knew that there would be many people that came from a situation similar to his. After much deliberation and advice from the counsellor, James knew that forming a support group first would be the right way forward in launching the 'Writeitright Initiative' and so it began the first step towards a brighter future, a future everyone could be a part of.

Day 2 - The Move

James sat at the coffee shop and wondered whether he should call his parents and let them know that he was okay but he knew that if they didn’t even bother driving up with him to the university he wasn’t going to put in any effort either. He knew that this would have happened but he wasn’t willing to give up on his dreams just so that he could have his parents’ approval. He wasn’t going to let their decisions influence his life. They had done enough damage already. James had just moved in a few hours ago and was exhausted with the amount of unpacking that he had to do. A treat was definitely long over due.

James decided to study teaching at the University of California. He was really excited to start making a difference and he knew that the future lied in the hands of the children. His parents and grandparents all came from a political background so you can understand why his parents were not keen when he told them about his teaching career. His father would soon be running for senator and for them this seemed like a big smack in the face. They wanted to know how being a teacher would help a political campaign.

James came from a wealthy family so he moved into his own place that wasn’t too far from the University. He knew that the only support he would get from his parents would be financially but he seemed to be able to make peace with that idea. The less they were involved the better for him, less complications for his future career. As it is, children would prove to be too much too soon.

James had big plans on improving the education system and he couldn’t wait to begin sharing his ideas with his soon to be peers hoping that he could find a few people that shared the same ideologies as him and perhaps even start a movement to create about this change. According to James, the current education system was failing simply because the teaching methods that were used in the classroom was by far out dated and the syllabus focused on ensuring that the children would be helpless out in the real world. James always taught that education should be more practical and scenario based rather than just regurgitating information from a textbook. James washed down his Mozart cake with the last remaining sips of his latte and rushed out of the coffee shop.

He was late to meet his high school sweetheart, Samantha Ashburn, they were together from high school and were still going strong, so it seemed from the outside. Samantha was accepted to study Biogenetics at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) but they decided not to stay together because they were both not ready for such a commitment and their future careers were more important to them than anything else. James wasn’t sure if that meant that they were on a break but he was certain of one thing and that was his love for her.

James could still remember the first time that he and Samantha shared their first kiss. It was warm, soft, touching, real. Never again was he able to recapture the magic of that moment, no matter how hard he tried to squeeze his eyes shut! Strawberries. She tasted like fresh picked strawberries.

Day 1 - The Truth About Myself

My Journey to Redemption (Finding love in a world that deemed in impossible)

by Riaz Ismail

 

After many breakups and countless hook-ups, I set sail on a journey to find myself, to create meaning in my own life and feel like I have accomplished something worthy. I recently arrived in Washington DC, just having cum laude my law degree. I was beyond ecstatic.

It was July 4^th, a frigid overcast day when I walked into Allen O’ Brien, the most successful law firm in DC. I felt proud, I was top of my class, had a strong letter of recommendation and I wore my favourite double breasted navy blue suit. I was practically unstoppable.

I walked to the front desk, explained to them that I was here for the junior lawyer position and was directed to the interview room. I sat outside and watched as many prospects went in and out hoping that they had secured the vacancy. In my mind, I laughed at their feeble attempt because let’s be honest the job was practically mine already.

My interview didn’t last very long, but I hadn’t given it much thought. I knew that stressing over something that wasn’t in my control would be very futile. I headed downtown and continued searching for an apartment. Many of the apartments that I had gone to see in the week were great but the neighbourhood was not a friendly one. I knew that I was being very picky and soon enough I would have to settle with whatever came my way.

Alex, my college buddy didn’t mind that I was staying with him but I needed to get my own place. Alex was a great host, but he didn’t know the boundaries of personal space. Even if I had found the right place, I would have to wait for a few days since I couldn’t access my money in the trust fund. Matthew, who was our family lawyer for as long as I could remember, promised that it would all be sorted out by the end of the week. I kept my thumbs crossed.

The relationship between my parents was not something that I could have been proud of, so when people asked me how they were, or who they were I pretended like they were dead. I knew that it would make me seem like a monster, but they really didn’t have that maternal/ paternal gene that qualified them to be parents, I personally think that they were bored and wanted to try something new.

I had a sister; well a step sister but that really didn’t bother me. She is younger than me, so I try to stay in contact with her as often as I can so that she has someone to support her but life always gets in the way, well that’s the excuse I tell everyone simply because I don’t think that I am capable of being a ‘family’ guy. I always prided myself on being a strong person but I never imagined the extent to which my strength would be tested.  My name is Oliver James Dean and this is my story. This is how I got to where I am today.