Rock Star Living- Not Just On Stage

Rock Star Living- Not Just On Stage

The tones of the last song have not even finished, but her blond curls are disappearing behind stage. The crowd is screaming and waving glow sticks in the air as the music dies down. But the music doesn’t stop! Instead, it changes beat and begins to increase amplitude again. She comes back on stage- but wait!- She has on a completely different dress and her hair is braided now!

Dozens of outfit changes weren't the only impressive aspect of the Taylor Swift concert I attended with a few of my best friends. She also was suspended over the crowd and had dancers performing on trapeze bars, and props such as life size trees, staircases, and bridges that were used and relocated throughout the performance. The dancers were always in sync, the musicians always on the same page. Not a single flaw could be seen. Nothing had been forgotten.

Seeing such a massive production run so smoothly put me in awe. How did they do it? How did nothing go wrong? Even when I put all my effort into something, there is always bound to be that one thing that goes awry. But here was Taylor Swift performing in front of 50,000 people, switching instruments and outfits between every song, and still giving a five star performance.

This made me think: If she can do that, why is it that I am able to forget a book for class, lock my keys inside my car, or forget my concert ticket. (Yes I did that. Don't worry; it all worked out with relatively little difficulty- I just felt like an oaf in the process.)

The answer? Preparation. There are endless hours of practice that go into preparing for a concert. Although we don't get the opportunity to spend all our time in preparation for each day, the principle is the same.

“The harder I work, the luckier I get”-Samuel Goldwyn

Something else I loved about the concert is that even though Taylor has probably sang those songs a thousand and a half times, she still seems to feel the emotions she had when writing them. Maybe its an act, but if so, then she's a pretty good actress. Because she was prepared for the performance, she was able to spend that time in the moment- actually feeling what the songs are meant to make people feel- instead of worrying about where she had to be next and what clothes she was supposed to be in when she got there.

We too can have the opportunity to live each moment to the fullest if we take the time to prepare and don't have to waste time worrying about what we are forgetting or messing up. The reason I forget my books for class is because I haven't taken the time to prepare. By spending time preparing for the things I consider priorities, I can ensure I give them the best of me- not just what's left over when I get there. Don't waste your abilities by not preparing. Give everything you have to the things in your life that matter most.

The only part of the rock star life we see is the fun part, when they are on stage. Next time you wish you could live like a celebrity, remember the hard work they did to put on that performance.

Education Past the Textbook

Education Past the Textbook

Growing up, I never really had a specific role model, unless you count Pocahontas. I just couldn’t find one specific person that I wanted to be just like. Clearly, I had a little misconception about role models. Role models are not someone you want to be for Halloween. This realization opened up the world of mentors to me. I have TONS of people that I look to for guidance. With school being back in session, a few specific ones come to mind. (There’s no way you’ll ever guess the first one!)

My advisor, Mrs. Weltmer (Ok, so you might have seen that one coming.) As is true for many FFA members, my advisor changed my life. She pushed me to try new things, encouraged me to apply myself in classes, and was always ready with a listening ear when I had something in my life to figure out. Not to mention she was a great friend. To take a clueless freshman in an introductory ag class to a state FFA officer, and all the stages in between took a lot of extra work and hours on her part. I am incredibly grateful for the direction she helped me find and how much she helped enrich my high scho

ol years.

But all the help she gave me is not the reason she is one of my role models. Mrs. Weltmer cares ultimately for the individual interests of each of her students. Whether they are interested in public speaking, welding, or anything in between; she takes it upon herself to encourage them and find opportunities for them to excel. She keeps others’ interests at

heart.

Daily investing in others is a skill I want to learn. Another one is to have a strong foundation, just like Mr. Evangelidis, AKA Mr. E, my high school science teacher. Mr. E is from Greece and has an accent we all love to attempt to imitate. He lets us get away with nothing and sticks to his beliefs, no matter how they are challenged. That is one of the reasons Mr. E is my role model. He doesn’t have to work for respect from his students, pure and simply because he deserves it- just by being himself and sticking to his values. It is apparent to anyone who meets him.

Finally, the latest addition to my list of role models is Dr. Davis, my Landscape Design professor at K-State. I have only been to four of his classes so far this semester, and already I can tell I am going to learn a tremendous amount from him. He challenges us to get to know the students around us and their perspective, instead of just memorizing the material. He opened the first lecture with the idea that we ‘never let our education get in the way of learning.’ To Dr. Davis, learning is a task we must take personal responsibility for; and it doesn’t just happen in class. It happens everyday, with every person you meet, and every opportunity you have.

These leaders in my life do not hold an office. They are simply teachers, just another educator in a sea of others. They could force students to read chapters straight from the textbook to teach, but instead they take the impact they can have seriously and use their strengths to mold our minds and habits as students. Without seeing their actions, it would be difficult to know where to begin being a better person.

You can learn from teachers- and not just Monday through Friday from eight to three-thirty.

You have impact too, whether you want to or not.

Who are you teaching?