It’s hard to think of anyone who deserves to be star student more than Cymbeline. It’s not just her work ethic and English ability, but it’s also her leadership in this year’s Student Council.
If you go to our school library and check out the records of who has been checking out books, you might be surprised at the number of books Cymbeline has read. You might be even more surprised to hear though that Cymbeline didn’t always like reading. She actually “hated reading all through middle school.”
She attributes a lot of her improvements in reading to a program she joined called “Toastmasters” where people join together to discuss books. She pushed herself to read books so that she would have something to talk about at “Toastmasters.” She also improved her English through academic course she attended last summer at UC Berkley.
When it comes to learning English though, Cymbeline believes that speaking is the key. Speaking more builds more confidence, it makes you more hopeful. Then, you feel better about doing more things in English, which in turn helps to build more confidence, and on it goes, thus establishing a virtuous cycle.
This year Cymbeline has been working on an enrichment course with Mr. Hazel. In this class, she has done extensive research on the psychology of abuse and written her own analytical essay. Throughout this process she has been open to suggestions, continually improving her essay and doing more research. In fact, I found that being open to criticism is part of who Cymbeline is and it has helped her improve a lot over the years.
When I interviewed Cymbeline, I congratulated her for all the good work the student council has done this year. Planning events every month, communicating with students in person and electronically (wechat, posters, weibo…), making the student newsletter, recycling, the list goes on. However, she was quick to point out that it was a team accomplishment. She was also quick to point out the challenges she faced as President, for example saying that she “learned to stand in their [other student council members’] shoes.”
Believe it or not, Cymbeline originally didn’t want to be a leader, she was scared to join this type of thing. She told the story of how in grade 10 Mr. Misquith said she was shy, and explained that “when you do things, you become more energetic.” So she pushed herself to try new things, and now she’s glad that she did. As Cymbeline said, “I opened a new chapter for myself.”
No matter what goals Cymbeline sets, I am confident that her critical mind, English ability and leadership will allow her to reach her destination.