In
the Harry Potter series, a “sorting hat” divides students into four “houses.”
Each house has its own characteristics that can roughly be translated as
bravery, intelligence, ambition, and duty.
If you were to create a sorting hat, upon which characteristics would
you base the sort? In which “house”
would you put yourself?
Growing
up immersed in the world of Harry Potter,
I was always drawn to the idea of the four different houses. Desperate to know
where I fit in, and even more desperate to know why, I developed the notion
that these houses could represent the different sectors of high school students.
I’m surrounded by thespians and jocks, mathletes and history buffs. Everybody’s
different, but somehow, everybody’s connected. And so I’d simplify the
disparities into the following: creativity, logic, spirit, and diplomacy.
Students in the house of diplomacy would be defined as
tactful and judicious. They would be the speech and debate kids—the editors,
the leaders, and the speakers. Sagacious and intuitive, they would handle
situations in a most politic manner.
Logical
students would excel in anything that involves problem-solving. They would be
the thinkers—deliberate and precise. Math and science would be their language;
equations and riddles would be their drugs of choice.
In contrast, the spirited students would be the dreamers.
They would be impassioned and energetic—contagiously enthused. Here one would
find students with an extensive knowledge of show tunes or outstanding athletic
ability. Fervent and driven, they would pour their heart and soul into
everything.
The final house would be for the creative ones—the
artists. Bright. Resourceful. Their common room would be littered with
scribbled poems and quick sketches on paper scraps. One would find students
wearing headphones and writing feverishly in notebooks. Their imaginations
would run rampant, filling them up, making them whole. This would be my home.
The sincerity I pour into my work and interests combines the varying
convictions that would make each house unique. I choose to invest my youthful
exuberance into self-development, and I seek to inspire. To create. To dream.
To make the world I want out of myself.
