The Beauty of Insanity by Kirsten

The Beauty of Insanity by Kirsten - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

For the past two years, I have been the student inputting every senior quote into the yearbook. Too often, as I type the words onto the page, I think to myself “five years from now, this poor student will regret making this the quote people remember them by.” Some quotes attack a specific group of people, some poke fun at the student writing them, other are outright inappropriate. Some students chose Bible verses, others write puns, yet each quote reflects something about each student.
Years ago, I read Alice in Wonderland as a school assignment, and stumbled across a peculiar line; little did I know what significance the quote would later hold. In the book, the Mad Hatter asks Alice if she thinks he has “gone round the bend,” to which Alice replies, “You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” Three years later, I was speaking to one of my teachers, and the significance of the quote finally hit home.

Ever since I can remember, people have told me I am “insane.” Perhaps this started when I saw Cambridge University as a child and assured my entire family I would go to college there (acceptance rates mean little to a seven-year-old), or maybe when I bought an astronomy textbook from the library book sale at the age of four (despite my mother’s protests that I would not be able to read it). I have always had a love of learning and a love of helping others; I suppose the combination of these two traits have branded me “insane.” However it was not until my history teacher explained to me that every time he tried to help someone, or fix something, or simply do the logical thing, that I realized the abnormality of the whole situation. Has helping others and loving learning become such rare traits that the people who display them are branded “insane?” By definition, insanity is a state of mind that prevents normal perception. If this is the case, then selfishness and ignorance have become the norm.

At the school I attend, the counselors encourage students to stay in-state for college, scaring most students into believing that out-of-state is too expensive, despite the numerous scholarship opportunities available. I have been told numerous times that I am not able to take certain classes because they are “too advanced” or due to scheduling issues. Last year, my counselor not only informed me there was no way for me to take AP English a year early, but discouraged me from pursuing alternate options. Being the “insane” person I am, I ignored that advice and took it from an online school. I currently have taken nine online classes. Oh well, I suppose it is just another example of my “insanity.”
For a long time, I felt alone in my frustrations, however at the beginning of the year I started talking with my history teacher, who I soon discovered, felt the same frustrations I did. However, he immediately began trying to fix things. I was speaking to him one day, and he mentioned how every time he tries to fix the lies the counselors tell, people look at him as if he is insane; a feeling I can sympathize with. Immediately, the quote from Alice in Wonderland came to mind. I suddenly realized what it meant. My teacher and I may appear insane to the rest of the campus because we are striving for change, striving to fix what could be improved. We both love learning, love helping, and we are branded “insane” because of it. I would choose this line to be my senior quote because it speaks volumes about the struggles I have faced at my school. After taking nine online courses, attending three community colleges, and two online high schools, above and beyond the classes I take at the high school I attend, even my parents have begun to think me insane. And I am okay with that. Because in the words of Lewis Carroll, “all the best people are.”