I sometimes forget about the beauty of the view from my house because I see it everyday. My friends from somewhere besides the Berkeley hills are always amazed by the sight of the Golden Gate Bridge covered by fog, hit with sunlight; while my friends from the Berkeley hills are uninterested. Things that we value can become mundane and boring after a while, but when someone with a fresh perspective appreciates that thing, they can renew our appreciation. When a person is amazed by the view, I enjoy and value it more. I realize that other people have views of houses, highways, or concrete walls, and cannot see this beautiful sight to which I am so accustomed. We need to share the things we value, to show the community and introduce a new thing, so more people can value and experience it. If we hoard the things we value, some people will feel superior/inferior to others, thus creating classes. But, if we share, our appreciation will be constantly renewed.

Education is a very valuable thing; because it is so valuable, we need to to share our resources with the whole community. In my school we value the arts; arts are important because they create inspiration for other subjects and spark an interest outside of school. Unfortunately, only select schools have access to those resources. When I was in public school, we would sing the same song in music every time, while in private education we sing different songs and learn how to play many instruments. Sometimes students take this for granted because they grew up with these arts and are unaware that public education doesn’t provide as many chances. We need to share this value and resource. A good arts program helps you think about other things differently and creatively. Arts are also important because they lead you to a new passion. An immersive arts program can inspire you to pursue something on your own. In my education we also value the connection between student and teacher. When I was in public school the teachers taught the class but they were too busy to meet us outside of class; while, in private school, teachers often say to come in at lunch if I have any questions. We take being comfortable enough to ask the teachers for extra help for granted. Many students are deprived of this kind of relationship. Also, some public school teachers just don’t have the time to help students individually because of the many students and heavy workload.

When young people lack exposure to other perspectives and experiences in their community, they struggle to be grateful for all the resources they have. Students should learn to admire and appreciate things that they've grown accustomed to. A lot of the kids at my current school (BPC) always complain how bad the food is -- I have always thought the food was pretty good compared to the food I’d had at Kensington. At Kensington there would be soggy grilled cheese sandwiches in plastic bags, while at BPC there is coconut curry and burritos. This is also true with other things like “bad” Chromebooks. Though it is true that sometimes the Chromebooks are a little slow, they all function well. BPC students often disparage them because they are acting slow, but these students ignore how much of a privilege it is to have one Chromebook per student. Back at Kensington there were ten boxy computers for everyone in the entire school to use. Having a Chromebook right away when you need it is a very big privilege. Students disregard how much money goes into buying Chromebooks for the whole school. They don’t just underappreciate these pieces of technology that they’re used to; they go even further and complain about them. As long as they live in their privilege bubble, they will never learn to appreciate the resources they have.

After I saw my friend’s admiration of the view from my home, I renewed my appreciation and valued it more. People need comparisons to appreciate things and to go out of their way to share with others. We need to educate our community members about what it’s like to be poor and to teach them to appreciate everything they have and share their precious resources. With all of this, we can avoid having a reservoir of precious resources in one small community and a desert in another; instead, let’s share the resources with everyone.