Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong.  But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care?  You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions.   You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct?  That's the way we saw each other at 7 o'clock in the morning.  We were brainwashed.

As the opening lines of John Hughes' classic 1980s movie The Breakfast Club illustrates, generation after generation, we've been able to stereotype each other as we come of age, but today, with the emergence of social media and participatory practices, teens have more opportunities to play with their identity and avoid being typecast.

At school, a teen might, like Ally Sheedy's character, be labeled the "basket case" but online, she can reinvent herself and practice the new media literacy, performance-- the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery. Social media allows this new door to open for the girl who sees herself as a dull caterpillar but hungers to be a beautiful butterfly.  With assurance from her new group of friends who welcome her not on looks but on what she has to offer to the community, this girl gains confidence that then informs her other identities she partakes in throughout her daily activity.

Not only will John Hughes be remembered for his ability to connect to teens but my cousin who huddled with me on the couch through all hours of the night watching 16 Candles and Ferris Buehler's Day Off sent me today this blog post that really shows a touching side of someone we all might consider untouchable because of his fame.  

Sincerely, John Hughes reflects on Alison's personal pen pal experience for two years with John.  This post is filled with stories of what it's like to receive positive encouragement from someone that cares. Taking time to be a mentor is not just about giving to someone else, it's about improving and learning something new about yourself in the process. What's so interesting about this post is it's the personal connection we see of John Hughes, the Hollywood director and how meaningful relationships with fans like Alison was the highlight of what pushed him to be so good at what he did.