He encouraged me to post my response, so here it is:
It's hard to articulate the energy I experience here. I am tired in ways I've never been. My eyes hang heavy like the like the saturated summer heat, but my breaking, enraged heart is effervescent. Through sleep deprived pallor, I glow everyday. I glow because here I get to spend everyday learning about being a teacher for social change. And everyday I am surrounded and supported by others who are just as committed to inquiry in practice, critical awareness of bias, and the tireless pursuit of providing every child in this country an education that's worth something.
But what am I learning?
In the way of answers? Not much. But I have turned questions over to find more, deeper, less comfortable questions. I have been digging through history and rhetoric shifts and pedagogical movements to see how our seemingly insurmountable messes have been made. I am learning court cases. I am learning white privilege. I am learning the ghettoization of black America. I am learning the evolution of public schools. I am learning grade and education inflation. I am learning power structures, political corruption, and the curricular reinforcement of it all. I am learning that all children want to learn and be successful, even if they don't show it to you. I am learning how Taesha sees the world, what Marquis thinks about violence in his neighborhood, why Nasir had a bad weekend. I am learning about Silly Bandz (they glow in the dark!). But mostly...
I am learning that I am in the right place. That I have meaningful things to say and do in this community. In this world. I am learning that I will never be done learning. I am learning that this thing I want to do is hard, it is never finished or perfected, it is always in process. Yes, I am learning that this is, and is going to be, very, very hard. But it's the hard that makes it worth doing.
But what am I learning?
In the way of answers? Not much. But I have turned questions over to find more, deeper, less comfortable questions. I have been digging through history and rhetoric shifts and pedagogical movements to see how our seemingly insurmountable messes have been made. I am learning court cases. I am learning white privilege. I am learning the ghettoization of black America. I am learning the evolution of public schools. I am learning grade and education inflation. I am learning power structures, political corruption, and the curricular reinforcement of it all. I am learning that all children want to learn and be successful, even if they don't show it to you. I am learning how Taesha sees the world, what Marquis thinks about violence in his neighborhood, why Nasir had a bad weekend. I am learning about Silly Bandz (they glow in the dark!). But mostly...
I am learning that I am in the right place. That I have meaningful things to say and do in this community. In this world. I am learning that I will never be done learning. I am learning that this thing I want to do is hard, it is never finished or perfected, it is always in process. Yes, I am learning that this is, and is going to be, very, very hard. But it's the hard that makes it worth doing.
Emily, post yr papers, or portions thereof, at this blog!
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