Onehou

“If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will” – Abraham Lincoln. This quote is a special one for me. I first heard it in the movie Pollyanna. High school was where I truly experienced it.

I had two older sisters who during their time at school built a reputation for their opinionated demeanour. One teacher in particular was not a fan of their outspoken ways. She viewed them as insubordinate and arrogant. As a result neither my sisters nor my mum liked this teacher and I believe the feeling was mutual.

Knowing very well the reputation my sisters had built in her class, I was very worried to find out she was going to be my subject teacher. I decided that I was going to try immensely hard to change her preconceived idea of me, to listen, do my work and not be so outspoken. In the beginning I kept my head down and tried my best but I still struggled with punctuality.

As a result of being late one day, I was punished by this teacher, grilled in front of everyone and then taken to a junior class where I was seated in the corner and made to work for the remainder of the day. It was probably minuscule to her but I was humiliated, insulted and angry. The whole thing felt so unjust. I had tried so hard but It seemed before she even met me her idea of me was already set in stone, I wasn’t able to change that.

I have tried hard to carry Lincolns words with me and trying to put my preconceived ideas aside. Because of this I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some absolutely wonderful people who have very complicated pasts and reputations. Many of these people are from the place I call home, South Auckland which has its own reputation. A lot of people have this idea of what it’s like in South Auckland. If they come here expecting to see the bad side of it, they’ll completely miss the rich culture and sense of community – they’ll miss all the beauty it has to offer.”

Looking back I am now thankful for my experiences in high school. It has helped shape me as a person and inspired some great poetry and stories.”