DRIVE Process Essay
The following is a essay about my process preparing for the DRIVE event. I interviewed two people live onstage, looking to get to the heart of their stories and the source of their motivation. This essay summarizes the work I did to prepare for those interviews.
___________________________________________________________________________
Where is she?
Walking into Muddy Waters on a cold Tuesday evening, I glanced around, feeling out of place. I was looking for Heloise Williams, eccentric singer and songwriter– and also my interviewee.
Trying not be too obvious, I spied on the tables with people drinking coffee and chatting lightly. Is that her? None of them looked right. I had studied her pictures online and assumed I would be able to recognize her in person…and then the door opened.
In walked the unmistakable Heloise. Her bombshell blonde hair was mostly covered by a hat, but her distinctive visage and high cheekbones made it clear to me who she was. Even in casual clothes, personality exuded from her attire, and I wondered if I should have dressed up more.
Awkwardly, I followed her to the coffee counter, before introducing myself as Cypress, the student who had come to meet her. Shortly we got a table, giggled a bit, then at last I explained what I had planned.
Just a few weeks before, I had asked to be one of the live interviewers for the Drive event. I still didn’t really know what the event would look like, but I knew that I wasn’t as interested in the other project options and thought that if I were a live interviewer, it would improve my social skills for formal situations.
Like the rest of the students in my class, before I could do my interview, I needed to perform extensive research on my subject. Unlike the other students, I would interview my subjects live at the event, which meant that I would need to get a sense for what they were like in person ahead of time.
A little more than a week after I met Heloise, I met Jon Groveman, who works for the State of Vermont in environmental law. I had also researched him to be sure that I would be prepared to talk with him extensively before the live interview. If I felt clumsy around Heloise, I was downright nervous about meeting Jon, who I was afraid might confound me with his extensive knowledge about issues I had yet to fully comprehend. When I met Jon, however, I was delightfully surprised to find him friendly and easygoing. Right from our introduction I felt better. He gave me a warm handshake and followed with inspiring conversation.
Jon had always been interested in the environment and protecting it, but it wasn’t until later in life that he saw the career potential in his passion. Similarly, Heloise had always loved singing, but it wasn’t until she was told outright that she should be the lead singer for a band that she saw her potential. Today they are both working successfully doing what they love, which I can’t help but admire.
My conversations with Heloise and Jon before the interview tonight were key in helping me develop the questions for their respective interviews, but without the research – reading article after article about the many environmental issues Jon has addressed during his career and listening to Heloise’s album forwards and backwards and reading her various biographies – the interviews I am conducting tonight would not be possible.
I want to thank you, the audience, for tonight’s event, for coming to Drive and supporting my class and all the work we have done thus far. I know that after tonight’s event, I will probably lament what I could have done better, but in spite of that, I have learned a lot about conducting myself in formal interviews and preparing for events such as this. I might even go so far as to say, I feel more confident talking to adults about their lives and careers and being curious about what they have to say.
___________________________________________________________________________
Where is she?
Walking into Muddy Waters on a cold Tuesday evening, I glanced around, feeling out of place. I was looking for Heloise Williams, eccentric singer and songwriter– and also my interviewee.
Trying not be too obvious, I spied on the tables with people drinking coffee and chatting lightly. Is that her? None of them looked right. I had studied her pictures online and assumed I would be able to recognize her in person…and then the door opened.
In walked the unmistakable Heloise. Her bombshell blonde hair was mostly covered by a hat, but her distinctive visage and high cheekbones made it clear to me who she was. Even in casual clothes, personality exuded from her attire, and I wondered if I should have dressed up more.
Awkwardly, I followed her to the coffee counter, before introducing myself as Cypress, the student who had come to meet her. Shortly we got a table, giggled a bit, then at last I explained what I had planned.
Just a few weeks before, I had asked to be one of the live interviewers for the Drive event. I still didn’t really know what the event would look like, but I knew that I wasn’t as interested in the other project options and thought that if I were a live interviewer, it would improve my social skills for formal situations.
Like the rest of the students in my class, before I could do my interview, I needed to perform extensive research on my subject. Unlike the other students, I would interview my subjects live at the event, which meant that I would need to get a sense for what they were like in person ahead of time.
A little more than a week after I met Heloise, I met Jon Groveman, who works for the State of Vermont in environmental law. I had also researched him to be sure that I would be prepared to talk with him extensively before the live interview. If I felt clumsy around Heloise, I was downright nervous about meeting Jon, who I was afraid might confound me with his extensive knowledge about issues I had yet to fully comprehend. When I met Jon, however, I was delightfully surprised to find him friendly and easygoing. Right from our introduction I felt better. He gave me a warm handshake and followed with inspiring conversation.
Jon had always been interested in the environment and protecting it, but it wasn’t until later in life that he saw the career potential in his passion. Similarly, Heloise had always loved singing, but it wasn’t until she was told outright that she should be the lead singer for a band that she saw her potential. Today they are both working successfully doing what they love, which I can’t help but admire.
My conversations with Heloise and Jon before the interview tonight were key in helping me develop the questions for their respective interviews, but without the research – reading article after article about the many environmental issues Jon has addressed during his career and listening to Heloise’s album forwards and backwards and reading her various biographies – the interviews I am conducting tonight would not be possible.
I want to thank you, the audience, for tonight’s event, for coming to Drive and supporting my class and all the work we have done thus far. I know that after tonight’s event, I will probably lament what I could have done better, but in spite of that, I have learned a lot about conducting myself in formal interviews and preparing for events such as this. I might even go so far as to say, I feel more confident talking to adults about their lives and careers and being curious about what they have to say.
Trailblazer and This I Dream Poster
In planning the DRIVE event my class began by researching people we looked up to for their accomplishments. Then we created posters highlighting the unique contributions they made to their fields of interest. After this, we made personal connections and created posters about our dreams and ambitions and how these compared to the figures we had studied.
Letter to Tony Wagner
The following is a letter to Tony Wagner, the author of Creating Innovators which I read for Senior X. In this letter I am responding to Wagner's ideas about my generation and how we might face current world issues in new and innovative ways.
___________________________________________________________________________
Dear Tony Wagner,
I’m a senior at Cabot High school, and like the rest of my class, I read your book! I found it to be well written and concise. Interestingly, I related to a lot of the experiences of the young people highlighted in your book, because I went to Montessori school, had a lot of unstructured time, and parents that always encouraged me. And I do think that having these kinds of experiences can be extremely helpful for early development. Given that, I think this book is very useful for parents and teachers alike. For me, though, it was little overwhelming. In that, whenever I hear (and I do hear it a lot) that my generation is going to have to be the generation to save the world, I fear things won’t go as planned. Quite frankly, they won’t. It is in the nature of plans to disregard reality.
I do want to make a difference in the world. I care about my community, and about people I met when I visited China, and the people I’ve never met. I care about the people who live in this country that suffer because of the economy. You wrote that my generation cares about these kinds of things, and that we want to make a difference. And you’re right.
When I think about the world situation, in almost any context, I tend to think of it as pretty bad. I think a lot of kids do, as well, because all the media we consume tells us that it is. Time and again, I’ve heard that my generation is going to inherit the world, and so it’s up to us to find solutions to the problems that plague it. I hear this, generally while in a classroom, sitting in the same seat I always sit in, taking homework, and in return, getting a number to evaluate what I’ve done. I do this because one day I’m going to need pieces of paper that I can exchange for basic necessities. To get that paper, I must do some form of work, and presumably all the forms of work that offer the most pieces of paper require a different piece of paper that can only be acquired from getting the best numbers. I am told to save the world, but still expected to do my homework, extra curricular activities, and pass the required standardized tests.
And I don’t go to a typical school. My school is incredibly progressive, with huge amounts of student voice, class discussion, and independent work. But it doesn’t matter. All students who attend are giving up a portion of their free will. It’s the easiest way to fit in with society, but the single most draining experience of childhood.
I don’t get enough sleep. No one I know gets enough sleep. I’m tired of being told I need to save the planet when really I know I just need sleep. Frankly, I don’t need to save the planet. I need to save me. Everyone else, they need to be able to save themselves, too.
Rather than being referred to as innovators, I would prefer my generation be known as people. We are not so very different from any other generation, we’re just under incredible pressure to do everything right. The effort to have our generation vastly improve the world is going to crash and burn if those supporting it don’t realize how much we’re struggling with the most basic aspects of human life. Respecting us is not enough. Supporting us is not enough. The rest of the world must work with us and recognize that we’re human, too.
I will be an innovator. But not for the sake of innovation, or for the economy. I will be an innovator because it’s who I am, and who I have to be to help myself and my community.
I think that in Creating Innovators, your effort to inform parents and teachers about how they can influence the futures of children is tremendous. I think it could really help change the way people think about my generation. Although your book may not have resonated with me in every way, I think it is a wonderful tool and resource for teachers and parents.
Sincerely,
Cypress Ellen
___________________________________________________________________________
Dear Tony Wagner,
I’m a senior at Cabot High school, and like the rest of my class, I read your book! I found it to be well written and concise. Interestingly, I related to a lot of the experiences of the young people highlighted in your book, because I went to Montessori school, had a lot of unstructured time, and parents that always encouraged me. And I do think that having these kinds of experiences can be extremely helpful for early development. Given that, I think this book is very useful for parents and teachers alike. For me, though, it was little overwhelming. In that, whenever I hear (and I do hear it a lot) that my generation is going to have to be the generation to save the world, I fear things won’t go as planned. Quite frankly, they won’t. It is in the nature of plans to disregard reality.
I do want to make a difference in the world. I care about my community, and about people I met when I visited China, and the people I’ve never met. I care about the people who live in this country that suffer because of the economy. You wrote that my generation cares about these kinds of things, and that we want to make a difference. And you’re right.
When I think about the world situation, in almost any context, I tend to think of it as pretty bad. I think a lot of kids do, as well, because all the media we consume tells us that it is. Time and again, I’ve heard that my generation is going to inherit the world, and so it’s up to us to find solutions to the problems that plague it. I hear this, generally while in a classroom, sitting in the same seat I always sit in, taking homework, and in return, getting a number to evaluate what I’ve done. I do this because one day I’m going to need pieces of paper that I can exchange for basic necessities. To get that paper, I must do some form of work, and presumably all the forms of work that offer the most pieces of paper require a different piece of paper that can only be acquired from getting the best numbers. I am told to save the world, but still expected to do my homework, extra curricular activities, and pass the required standardized tests.
And I don’t go to a typical school. My school is incredibly progressive, with huge amounts of student voice, class discussion, and independent work. But it doesn’t matter. All students who attend are giving up a portion of their free will. It’s the easiest way to fit in with society, but the single most draining experience of childhood.
I don’t get enough sleep. No one I know gets enough sleep. I’m tired of being told I need to save the planet when really I know I just need sleep. Frankly, I don’t need to save the planet. I need to save me. Everyone else, they need to be able to save themselves, too.
Rather than being referred to as innovators, I would prefer my generation be known as people. We are not so very different from any other generation, we’re just under incredible pressure to do everything right. The effort to have our generation vastly improve the world is going to crash and burn if those supporting it don’t realize how much we’re struggling with the most basic aspects of human life. Respecting us is not enough. Supporting us is not enough. The rest of the world must work with us and recognize that we’re human, too.
I will be an innovator. But not for the sake of innovation, or for the economy. I will be an innovator because it’s who I am, and who I have to be to help myself and my community.
I think that in Creating Innovators, your effort to inform parents and teachers about how they can influence the futures of children is tremendous. I think it could really help change the way people think about my generation. Although your book may not have resonated with me in every way, I think it is a wonderful tool and resource for teachers and parents.
Sincerely,
Cypress Ellen