Sebastian, High School Student, CA
[I think we have schools] to correctly function in society and to learn to become a better citizen.
Sebastian is a high school student in California. He was interviewed by a fellow student, Joshua, as part of a #schoolpartnership #studentvoice project with REENVISIONED, in which students interview each other and adults in their lives, and reflect together on school and what makes a good life.
Tell me about yourself, how would your friends describe you?
I Guess my friends would say i'm a friendly and outgoing, that I'm a funny guy.
How would your family describe you?
Intelligent, Nice.
Can you take me through your day at school today?
It was a normal day, there was my auto shop at my old school and regular classes at Costanoa, like English and history.
What was the best part?
Probably the auto shop because I love cars and technology. Cars are the best of both worlds. Cars fascinate me, the technology is amazing.
What was the worst part?
Waking up early was the worst part
Was it a normal day?
It was a kind of normal day, but not really because there was a career expo.
When do you feel most alive at school?
Most likely at my auto shop class and when I talk to my girlfriend.
What are the best parts of your life right now when do you feel like life is really good?
My girlfriend, and when I'm working - making money.
Now imagine you are all grown of let's say you're thirty, where do you see yourself?
I see myself out of college and working as a software engineer. I think having a family, money, and stability will make it a good life - that will make me content.
What would you like school to do ideally to help you get to that good life?
I'm not sure. But i think school will help me gain the skills I need to have a successful life, and have a good life.
What do you think is the most important thing you're learning in school?
I believe it is math because math is involved in many jobs, and especially in jobs that involve computers.
Who has been your favorite teacher and why?
I'd say Aron because he has good lesson plans.
Can you tell me about a time when you learned something and it felt really good and empowering like you just wanted to keep learning more? This doesn't have to be in school it could be outside of school.
When I’m in my auto shop in school or learning about computers. Because I love cars, they're very interesting, the technology is fascinating. Really all sorts of technology, anything that uses electricity is amazing.
Why do you think we have schools?
To correctly function in society and to learn to become a better citizen.
Is there anything I didn't ask or that you expected me to ask but didn't, or anything you would like to talk more about?
I don't think so, no.
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).