Angel, High School Student, CA
"We have schooling because it helps some people so they're not stuck later on when they get older. It’s like a small jump start into working - so you learn how to do it."
Angel is a high school student in California. He was interviewed by his classmate, Annie, as part of a #schoolpartnership #studentvoice collaboration with REENVISIONED, through which students across the country are reflecting and sharing on their ideas about school.
Okay Angel, tell me about yourself. How would your friends and family describe you?
I am 16, I am in 11th grade. After school I might go out and play soccer with my friends or go and sleep at home. I think my friends would describe me as tall, kind and passive aggressive (sometimes). My family would describe me as respectful person.
Okay, can you take me through your day at school yesterday? It can be yesterday or today, whichever you can remember the most.
I mean, I came to school, then I went to class then on to my next class, then my next class, then my next class, then got home, then I fell asleep.
When do you feel the most alive at school? If you even do feel alive at school.
Second period, third period or lunch. Just around those times.
Why?
I don't know, I just enjoy it more out of the whole day.”
Is it because that’s when you can talk to people?
Oh no, I can talk to people in all my classes. I don't know…
In second period, we do more hands-on work in a way, I guess more physical work in there. I like third period just because it's more entertaining in a way. Something funny might happen or the teacher just makes references to other interesting things to explain the lesson.
What do you think are three central things that would make it a good or a successful life for you?
A good life is being successful - holding a job, having a house, and a dog; any kind of dog.
I want to be a mechanic or an electrician - anything with physical labor would make it a good job. I prefer to have hands on work.
I own a dog now. H is 7 years old and he is a mix between a poodle and something else (I´m not sure what). But he is calm and lazy like me so we get along very well.
Do you think your parents would answer differently?
Probably – they would probably want those things too, and others. Probably having a good job, a nice family and finishing school... But I'm not a hundred percent sure, so I really don't have a response.
What would you like school to do for you to help you achieve that good life?
A high school diploma. Yes. Just so I can move on to politics to see where I can go from there. I've been looking into it already - I'm trying to graduate so I can actually go and start working on it.
How do you think your parents would answer that question?
It's probably the same thing - just as long as I can get my education, then I'd be able to do what I want to do with my life. Anything that will help me achieve that.
Yeah.
Do you think school will help everybody achieve that good life?
I mean, depending on what they want to do later on affects whether school would help them. I feel like it depends on the career you choose and what you want to actually do with your life.
What do you think is the most important thing you've learned in school so far?
Hopefully math.
Why?
Because later on in life it can help you do a lot, depending on what job you do. For me, learning different measurements stuff like that is about something real. But you have to eventually get into it and understand prices and what they depend on and everything. I feel like this is all about later on, but it’s important.
Why do you think we have schools as a society?
We have schooling because it helps some people so they're not stuck later on when they get older. So it’s just like a small jump start into working, so you learn how to do it so when they're working later on they’re not stumped or not knowing what to do.
10,000 Stories. One Shared Vision.
REENVISIONED is a national movement to redefine the purpose of school. We believe schools should foster flourishing individuals and a thriving democratic society. But what does it mean to thrive or flourish?
To answer this, we're building the world's largest collection of stories about what it means to live good lives and the role schools should play in helping create them: 10,000 stories from people across the country. We'll use the stories to learn about our shared values and dreams and to create a new vision for why we send our children to school.
We work with people like YOU across the country: Catalysts - individuals, classrooms, schools, and community organizations - who interview people in their communities and foster empathy nationwide by sharing the stories on our website and social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (@reenvisioned).