Luis Rodriguez Speech

Rodriguez’s speech means that intellect is not simply defined by going to school and getting conventionally good grades, but by the pursuit of knowledge. He means that education does not end after high school or even college, our minds should constantly be feeding and learning new things so we can continue to grow. Learning is messy, learning contains mistakes, it may look like a series of failures but if you persist you can achieve great things. Learning even looks different on everyone and that is not strange. We can become so focused on just getting by with good grades in school we can forget what an amazing opportunity we have, and when we can access to each other’s minds the possibilities are endless. I definitely agree with Luis Rodriguez. I notice myself leaving behind the spark of learning just to complete a task and move on to the next. I may even change my answer on a test because I think that is what the teacher wants to hear but is not what I think. I see this in others as well. We become so wrapped up in attempting to achieve perfection, and along the way we lose a piece of our learning experience as growing minds. Even adults fall victim, becoming consumed with productivity, they forget to grow themselves and their minds before their career.Curiosity is what makes us grow and all to often we move on in order to save time instead of exploring new ideas. This speech connects to the best sellers class because the purpose of the class is to
encourage growth of the lifelong skill of reading. Reading allows us to explore new ideas and even new worlds. This is what keeps our minds healthy and gives life substance. As a child I loved the story Stellaluna, in which a young bat is separated from her mother and is rescued and raised by a family of birds.
I remember my big sister reading to me, she was ten years older than I and we were very different but I loved when she would read to me in silly voices. My favorite book for her and I to read was entitled Ramona and Beezus,a story about sisters like us.I remember my mother constantly reading mysteries as I grew up. She consumed her mystery books faster than I could read Dr.
Suess. As I grew older I started to love books only that everybody else loved, in school however I was given opportunities to read new books that were not necessarily beloved by my teenaged peers. Freshman year I absolutely loved the book To Kill A Mockingbird, it was like nothing I had ever read before. The character's were so real and captivating and the history of it all was so intriguing. Sophomore year, I learned that as much as I could love a book in school, I could also hate one. I disliked the book All Quiet On The Western Front because it was a stale story on a topic I knew more about than I would ever want to. Over the summer I liked to try and read books on my own, and one I enjoyed was Six of Crows it was fantasy which I don’t always enjoy but the group of six misfits was so quirky and loveable and their stories so interesting it was hard not to love. Another novel Ir ead over the summer, at the recommendation of my sister, captured my imagination with its eerie neo gothic writing that was realistic but haunting, called White Is For Witching. I also read another novel by the same author entitled Boy Snow Bird which was a modern telling of snow white from a racial standpoint. In this book I really associated with Boy and her inner struggles. This summer I attempted to read Pride and Prejudice but I was not able to, so Jane Austen is something I pretend I understand but really don't. My favorite genre of books is historical fiction, an example of a book I enjoy is A Northern Light.
To be literate is to be able to understand words and convey thoughts through them. Literacy is important and can impact your path in life and our struggle, but it does not affect what you are capable of achieving. Literacy can be gained at an individual's own pace. I do not think that reading is valued at Niwot because freshman year I attended book club and there was only one other person in there with me. Niwot is a school full of perfectionists and there is a lot of pressure on students to achieve not only in school but also shine in sports and extracurriculars as well, this leaves little time for leisurely reading.Reading is not vales in my house because my parents’ time spent at home is usually doing chores or watching television. I know I do not value reading as much as I should because during the school year I am short on free time and I have no motivation to use my brain in any effective way.At Niwot not everyone has equal opportunities to become readers. Every student has different schedules and language levels which lead to problems in reading.
My goal currently is to get into college, and my dream is to go to college in New York City. Reading can help me get there by helping m cognitive skills and improving my standardized test scores, and also making sure my time at a university is not wasted, and that I continue to learn and grow throughout whatever career I choose