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Reasons why I am an observant creator

Omar Paulino

11th grade

Janice Esau

Doulos Discovery School

February 22, 2023

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A few days ago, I was thinking about what to do in my next project, and then I started

reading the tenets of Observant Creator and I realized that I comply with almost all the tenets

that are written in that ability. An Observant creator can learn through investigation, asking

why and how, he can develop his talents and envision new ideas or solutions, an Observant

creator can take responsibility for their own learning and serve the community by his ideas

and talents and those are all the things that define me. In this essay, I will show how this

ability is a strength of mine through all of high school.

Learn through investigation, asking how and why

I show this tenet almost every day in my classes when I'm curious or if I have any

question about what the professor is teaching. One example of me applying this attribute

happened in Sociales class, when we were talking about the Tainos and their beliefs. In an

article I read that the Tainos were polytheists and that they believed in many gods, so I asked

Miss Andrisy where do these beliefs come from? And she answered, saying that they inhaled

hallucinogenic drugs and that's how they saw “gods” and “spirits” all over the place.

Another example of me using this tenet is in Bible class. There we are learning about

salvation and how Jesus said that we need to be born again through water to be saved, the

problem was I didn't understand that concept of being born through water. So I asked Mister

Sawyer, and he said that that's a way to represent the little sac of water in which babies are

located in mothers' womb, and how by baptizing, you are a totally new being.

Envision new solutions and products

One of the best opportunities I ever had to demonstrate this tenet was in science class.

We had a project where our job was to make a homemade speaker out of materials we could

easily find at home. The problem with our project was that it was too big and impractical for

what I wanted to do. So I asked my partners to get some toilet paper cartons and two plastic

cups, because before the project started, the teacher showed us an example of how a speaker
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can work with plastic cups. With materials in hand, we started our project again, and the final

result was excellent, with a minimalist design and a clear and loud audio output.

Utilize resources at hand to implement ideas

I have many examples of me showing this tenet of an observant creator, but I've

chosen two that best represent me utilizing resources to implement ideas, Beginning with the

summer of the previous year, when I was serving as a group leader on a summer camp. The

problem was that the kids in my group wanted to learn how to play the drums, but we didn't

have any drums available for them to learn on. So, when I was walking around, I noticed that

there were pieces of a drum set all around the campus. Then I picked all the pieces up, I built

my own drum set, and I started a drum class for the kids, and I was told by my superiors that

they had never had that idea before, and I was thanked for that class because it was really

helpful for them.

The other occasion of me using this tenet happened in chapel, when I was playing the

drums for worship. It was all running well, we were getting ready to play, but suddenly the

bass drum pedal broke and stopped working. I got really nervous because the bass drum is

such an essential component of a drum set, because it marks the time of the song we are

playing. Then I had an idea, Mister Alfonso had a bass in his classroom, so I asked Anel to go

get it and play it to improvise the sound of a bass drum to mark the time. No one even noticed

that the bass pedal was broken as we played regularly.

Use arts such as drama, art, writing and music to express themselves

As I previously mentioned, I started playing the drums, and it has served as a form of

therapy for me because it's a way of talking without opening my mouth. I didn't know I

would get this far or that playing the drums would mean so much to me that it even became

one of my main languages when I initially started at a music school called Kairos. While I'm

playing, I like to portray what I'm feeling at that moment, and I consider myself a really
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unpredictable person that can go from a calm and relaxed state to an excited one. That's why

my favorite genre to play is jazz; it is where you can best express yourself without being

afraid if it's too fast or loud, or if it's too slow and calm.

Pursue and develop unique talents

I've always been passionate about music, particularly the drums, and that's the main

reason I attended a drum class in Kairos. When I started playing, the teacher was surprised

because despite it being my first class, I had no trouble playing the songs and rhythms he

asked me to, and that is where I discovered that I had a natural talent for playing the drums.

where I began to pursue that talent and tried to develop it the best I could, and that's why I got

into jazz class with Mister Alfonso, not only because it is my favorite genre but also because

I felt the necessity of getting better each day and learning something new to improve my

talent. Also, thanks to that class, I've had the opportunity to play in several Doulos events.

Take responsibility for their own learning and seek opportunities to further their

education

I started noticing a few weeks ago that I was finishing my homework fairly late at

night. This is because I used to take a long break after returning from school, and that made

me start my homework late in the afternoon, affecting my sleeping schedule. As a result, I

found it harder to pay attention in class, I wasn't as focused as I would like to, and some of

my grades were affected because of this. So, I made the decision to set an alarm on my phone

to serve as a reminder for when I should start my homework. This will help me manage my

time better and fix my sleeping schedule. If for any reason I decide not to do my homework

when the alarm goes on, I've asked my parents to please remind me when I need to start

working.

I consider myself a person who does not let opportunities pass me by, which is a

quality that has benefited me on several occasions. My mother's request for me to join the
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church choir was the most recent example of this. At first, I was doubting whether to attend

or not because, although I had already played for a small audience in chapel here at Doulos, I

had never done it with so many people in a big church. Anxiety and fear took over me, but

then I took a deep breath and realized that if I take this opportunity, it would be a good

chance to learn from this experience of playing in front of a big audience.

Show courage to venture into unfamiliar tasks, even when there is no precedent to

follow

I've always wanted to play in the high school chapel band when I first arrived at

Doulos, but I was afraid to perform in front of an audience because I still haven't had the

opportunity to play in front of people. Time passed, and as I had said before, I discovered my

talent to play the drums. As a result, one day during the first semester of 11th grade, I was

offered the chance to play during worship, even though I was afraid, I accepted and started

practicing every day with Anel. When the day finally came, I sat down, and started playing

with an audience for the first time.

In conclusion, I can say with confidence that I'm an observant creator as a result of all

these experiences. One who will always seek for self-improvement, and one who will always

continue moving forward no matter what. The most significant lesson that Doulos has taught

me over the past few years is that I must be brave and open to trying new things.