My World Transformed

This exhibition is a culmination of middle school students [Enrichment Class] at Raul Yzaguirre School For Success (Houston, Texas) working to explore their personal environment at home as Digital Art

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Brandon Aleman

Maribel Andrade

Maribel Andrade (2)

Liza Garcia

Liza Garcia (2)

Enrique Gonzalez

Enrique Gonzalez (2)

Rossy Martinez

Rossy Martinez (2)

Vanessa Talavera

Vanessa Talavera (2)

This project is under the instruction of Tom R. Chambers at Raul Yzaguirre School For Success (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.).

The students were tasked to explore their personal environment [bedroom at home] to provide photo documentation for the making of Digital Art. During the process, a greater awareness of self through possessions came to the forefront.

Yvonne Jayne, M.Ed., Yahoo! Contributor Network: "There is not a teenager in the world who wouldn't prefer to stay at home, close to a familiar bedroom, with photos of friends nearby. For a teenager, the bedroom is a cave, safe and private, somewhere to crawl into, after being out on life's front lines. Teenagers needs privacy. They need privacy to sort out their swirling emotions. They need to feel they can escape their parent's prying. A parent should never go into a teenager's room out of curiosity. This is a violation of the teenager, and is one of the biggest reasons teenagers run away. While it may seem harmless to the parent, it is a serious betrayal to the teenager. To the teenager, it represents loss of control, parental authoritarianism, and injustice. Teenagers have a strong sense of justice, and will go to extremes, to stand up for it."

Student responses to Yvonne Jayne's statement:

"I definitely have to agree with Ms. Jayne. Every teenager needs privacy once in a while and a place where they feel comfortable with who and where they are. I am speaking for those, including me, that our bedrooms are places where we can cry, laugh, and pour out all of our emotions. Like Ms. Jayne said, parents cannot intrude into our bedrooms without notice. It would be like stalking someone who doesn't want to be bothered. I do not think of my bedroom as a place where I can sleep. My bedroom is my private world where I feel amazingly great."
Rossy Martinez, 7th Grade, RYSS [age 13]

"It's one thing to knock, and go in, but it's betrayal if you go in without permission. A teenager needs his/her privacy and comfort, and it all comes from his/her bedroom. A teenager's bedroom is where he/she can get away from discomfort and drama. He/she can keep his/her secrets. I agree that parents want to know what their teenagers are up to, but they should knock before entering their bedrooms. If they don't knock, this might make their children not trust them anymore. Teenagers have their privacy, and they want to keep it in their bedrooms. Parents have to let their teenagers be themselves. They should never betray their children."
Maribel Andrade, 7th Grade, RYSS [age 13]

"I agree with Ms. Jayne because we do need our privacy sometimes to just relax and be ourselves. Our bedrooms are places where we can think straight, and not worry about our troubles. Ms. Jayne made an excellent point when she said that our bedrooms are very important to us. Our bedrooms have our memories over the years. We should be grateful that we even have bedrooms."
Enrique Gonzalez, 7th Grade, RYSS [age 13]

"I agree with some of Ms. Jayne's statement about feeling safe and having privacy in a teenager's bedroom. I don't completely agree because it's okay for my parents to go into my bedroom without asking me. I wouldn't run away just because they go into my bedroom. I go into their bedroom all the time, and it doesn't bother them, so why should it bother me if they go into mine?"
Vanessa Talavera, 8th Grade, RYSS [age 14]

"I feel that this is very true. My bedroom isn't just a simple room. It is a roomful of imagination and art. My old bedroom [pictured above] is just like all of my others. The way I see it, my bedroom is a secret place - a place where I let out all kinds of emotions [happiness, sadness, anger, etc.]. It's a place where I can hide in - a place where life happens."
Brandon Aleman, 8th Grade, RYSS [age 15]

"I strongly agree. Teenagers need space and freedom. Bedrooms are the most private areas for teens. Bedrooms are everything to them. It's their safe zone, hiding spot, and their life. Thank you for understanding the minds of the young and the confused."
Liza Garcia, 8th Grade, RYSS [age 15]