Good for you. You found me.

This post is intended for any student of mine that tries to find me online. 

Giselle is a human. Giselle is also a high school teacher. In my 38 years I’ve learned a few things. Let me give you a little advice…

This world is going to kick your ass. So be ready. Build up your toolkit.

Some of you grew up with money. Most of you didn’t. Some of you grew up with familial support. Some of you didn’t. Regardless of your starting point, you can choose to invest in yourself and seek out every opportunity for growth.

First things first, LOOK UP. Look up from that damn screen that is providing cheap dopamine. It wastes your time and sucks you further down the individualistic rabbit hole where you become more and more isolated in your echo chamber.

Use your voice. I know many of you became introverted after the pandemic, and feel social anxiety towards unpredictable human interactions, but you need to push past the fear. Shy ain’t cute after 18. The world will not come to you if you sit around and wait. You need to actively pursue and confidently chase down your dreams. It begins with learning how to communicate with others, and this is a skill I cannot stress enough. Read. Write. Speak. I know it’s wrong, but people judge your intelligence based on how you sound when you open your mouth. Depending on your audience you will need to adjust your language and your tone. The more practice you get, the more artful, persuasive and eloquent you can become. It also helps in telling really funny jokes!

Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers. Please be safe. But when I say strangers, I mean the interesting characters that colour the background and foreground pages of your life’s story. When you leave your home, you never know who you might meet. Even in the briefest of conversations, you can learn something new. See things differently. Or at the very least, have a laugh.

Travel. Take the train to Montreal or book a flight to Vietnam. Go places, and enjoy this big beautiful world! The best thing about traveling somewhere new is your eyes will never be more open. You never pay more attention to a place, than the first time you experience it. Try something new. Eat a dish you have never heard of before. Have a conversation with the person sitting next to you. Allow yourself to be curious, and then feed that curiosity!

Screw appearances. So much of your teenage world is based on looks. Social media, body image, fashion trends…it’s all vapid bullshit. Please shower, wear clean clothes and put on some deodorant. Your teacher and peers thank you. But the way you look is perfectly fine. It’s human to care. Just please be kind. To yourself and others.

Leave a trail of positive impressions. You never know when a person you once met might be the exact person you need 10 years later. Build constructive relationships in your community, and over time you will have a network of people that you can connect with for a variety of needs. One day you might need a plumber, a real estate agent, a cat sitter, a job… and it never hurts to call upon a fond acquaintance.

Be realistic. Your dreams will not be fulfilled overnight. TikTok or YouTube fame and fortune is extremely rare. Good things take time. It’s going to take years of hard work before you begin to see the life you wanted. As a Millennial, I know I had it easier in many ways. A.I. is replacing many entry-level positions and the job market is increasingly harder to enter as a young person with no experience. Please, do not give up. Good social skills is a dying breed, so practice your ability to listen, understand, empathize, cooperate, problem solve and generate ideas to help move things forward – without using ChatGPT – and you will find success.

Laugh and Love. I’m getting reeeeeeal basic here… For real for real, I know this is lame. But ENJOY your life. The world has always been fucked. And it always will be. I hate to say it, but it’s true. We just know more because of our damn phones. Prioritize joy. Laughter is my number one favourite thing in the whole entire world, and I want so much of it for you. And love. It can be so scary. Because when you really love someone, it can destroy you to lose them. But don’t let fear stop you from feeling this much. An incredible friend of mine once traveled overseas with a ukulele etched with a Chris McCandless quote on the back as a surprise gift for me. It says “Happiness Only Real When Shared.” And I couldn’t agree more.

So, in conclusion, have fun, take risks and don’t be a jackass.