The art of proving people wrong
At age 12, I was told that I couldn’t write.
My family and I had moved from Colorado to Florida and it was my first week at a brand new school. I walked into my advanced writing class, excited to write and pursue something that had always been a passion of mine. I sat down in the front row eager to learn and grow as a writer. In walked a tall, thin woman. She had bags under her eyes and it looked like the the world had been cruel to her. The first words out of her mouth went a little something like this: “Everyone knows what a thesis statement is, right? Who doesn’t know what a thesis statement is?” Now, I had never learned what a thesis statement was at my old school, so being the honest person my parents raised me to be, I raised my hand. Someone else was bound to raise their hand too, right? Wrong. I immediately was called into the hallway.
For confidentiality purposes let’s call this teacher… Ms. C. As I stood outside of the classroom with Ms. C’s condescending eyes glaring into mine, I couldn’t help but panic. She proceeded to tell me that she “doesn’t know what they taught me back in Colorado,” implying that I was some sort of an uneducated hick, but here in Florida students are expected to know what a thesis statement is, so I should get a tutor as soon as possible. Being a new student at a new school was hard enough, but being told that you were incompetent at a subject you have always loved is beyond disheartening. I immediately went home crying about it to my parents. Then the next day, my mom, being the protective woman she is set up a meeting with herself, my dad and Ms. C. Let’s just say that the meeting didn’t exactly go smoothly.
Apparently, Ms. C revealed to my parents that no one in the class knew what a thesis statement was according to their writing samples, but I was the only person to raise their hand. Cool. Needless to say, I didn’t raise my hand for quite a while, until I realized something. I realized I wanted to be a writer. You know why? Because she told me I couldn’t be. She told me that if I didn’t know what a thesis statement was, then I would never be a successful writer or student. She punished me for being the only person brave enough to speak up and tell my truth. I think that was when I realized I needed to write. This could have just been my stubbornness or need for revenge, but I don’t think it was any of these things. It was my passion. She made me realize that I truly was passionate about writing and connecting with others through words. I wanted learn about different cultures, backgrounds and ways of life. I didn’t want to be like my seventh grade advanced english teacher, who knew nothing about other places besides the small bubble she lived in. I wanted to learn. I also realized, I didn’t want to be like my class. I didn’t want to be afraid of looking dumb because I didn’t know something. News flash, no one knows everything and I realized that’s ok, sometimes it’s better to be curious and humble rather than ignorant.
I think in society today, criticism is taken as something that is negative. No one wants to be told they’re wrong, or are that they can’t do something. I think we are all looking at this the wrong way. I thrive off of people telling me I can’t do something. Please tell me I’m incapable of achieving something, it’s that sort of motivation that drives me to live my life to the fullest and become the successful person that I hope to be in the future. I’ve learned that it takes a lot more than a thesis statement to be successful at something. It takes passion, dedication and perseverance. It’s one thing to prove someone else wrong, but it means so much more when you believe in yourself and prove yourself right.
So, as I sit here as a journalism major who writes for the Collegian at Colorado State University, I think it’s fair to say that I do know what a thesis statement is, but more importantly I know that I love to write. I also know that that through curiosity, humility and perseverance I can create my own destiny and negative words will only help me to get there faster.
