Declaration of Humanhood

Here is another piece of writing from one of my students. She is a very bright, outspoken, always-going-to-speak-her-mind young woman at age 13. Here's a glimpse:

Declaration of Humanhood

I hereby declare that I am human.
I am human in my joy and laughter, and I am human in my pain and tears. I am human in my need to love and help others, and in my need to be loved and helped by others. I am human in my dreams and accomplishments, but most of all I am human in my flaws and mistakes.

Being human, I am entitled to the following rights:

1. I have the right to be imperfect.
2. I have the right to make many (sometimes huge) mistakes.
3. I have the right to learn from my mistakes and then move on with my life.
4. I have the right to forgive myself.
5. I have the right to feel what I feel.
6. I have the right to laugh until it hurts, and cry until it stops hurting.
7. I have the right to live as I choose.
8. I have the right to happiness.
9. I have the right to my own beliefs.
10. I have the right to true friends and true love.
11. I have the right to be loved by others.
12. I have the right to be loved by me.
13. I have the right to be who I want to be, not what others expect me or want me to be.

She still has a lot of things to figure out, and she needs to work out her rebellious streak. But all in all, she has a good head on her shoulders. Catholicism is a part of her culture, but not of her individual life or choosing. Sometimes I am blown away by her, and I can't help but wonder about her future. She could go off and do so many things after graduating from AMS this spring. We shall see.