Individuality is Key by Ashley

Individuality is Key by Ashley - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Every year students learn new lessons by a wide array of teachers. Some of these lessons pertain specifically to the certain field that the teacher is qualified in, like where to properly place a comma in the middle of a sentence. While others, teach students not only educational lessons, but life lessons as well. One of the most valuable life lessons I have been taught, was by my junior behavioral science teacher, Mr. Porter.
The assignment Mr. Porter gave the class was to video tape one other classmate and yourself going against the social norms of society. A social norm is what people are accustom or conform to, such as when in the United States, many shake hands when you greeting someone they have never met before or have not seen for a long time. For my project, Taylor and I decided to dress like we were cowgirls. Knowing that almost all of the students at our school would not approve.
The next day we went around the halls while being filmed, square dancing with people at their lockers and whooping and hollering as we went to our classes. Some encouraged our behavior while many glared and whispered when they believed we were not looking. But Taylor and I did not mind, we were having the time of our lives. This lasted the entire day, until the last bell rang.
When we came into Mr. Porter's class the day after and took our seats, we were given a lesson on creativity. Mr. Porter inquired us if we liked the assignment and if we would do it again if he asked. He was given a resounding yes from the whole class. Everyone must have enjoyed their projects. Mr. Porter then explained that this was not just to look at social norms, this was about students going outside of their comfort zones to try something new, even if it was not deemed to be "cool".
This hit home with me. It took a lesson from my teacher where I had to go against everything I knew, everything I believed to be true about popularity and what seemed like the best option, to always conform, but instead I truly ended up enjoying the experience. I was taught that I should never be afraid to be different. Even though I had not learned this until late in my high school years, it is a life lesson I can hold dear to me for the rest of my life. Be who you are, not what others say you should be.