Each morning I wake up
Before I put on my make-up
I say a little prayer for you.
Who needs strength to endure, care and grace, energy and guidance?
I am keeping student organizers in my heart these days. The students who are organizing our nation's response to the shooting in Parkland (and all gun violence) are vocal and relentless. I listened to Emma González's speech at the rally immediately after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and found myself hitting "replay" multiple times -- not just because of her words, but because her victimhood was making her stronger, not paralyzing her with fear.
Teen leaders in the Movement for Black Lives continue their work, even as they fight racism that is deeply woven into the fabric of our nation and their cause feels less meaningful, less palatable to so many in our nation. They persist, even when faced with hatred.
And I look to my own community, to the students at my high school who
* Write for our paper, boldly asking adults to address incidents of sexual harassment and abuse
* Change policy, fighting for equal protection for LGBTQ students (how did we not already have this in place?)
* Create a student chapter of the NAACP
* Organize our walkout(s) in protest of gun violence
* Take a knee to bring attention to police violence against blacks
These kids are my neighbors. And even as they fight, they are also saying "I feel alone. I feel unheard. You make my life frustrating." So today, I not only pray for them, but I am moving beyond my prayers to reach out to these students (and their teachers) to make sure they know: You are not alone. I hear you. And I want to listen, to learn and to help you. AMEN!
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Want to know more about current students who are working to change our current gun control laws? Here is a Padlet I put together:
http://bit.ly/GunControlTeenActivists
Want to know why all teachers should reflect on understanding the Black Lives Matter movement? Here is an important read from Teaching Tolerance:
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2017/why-teaching-black-lives-matter-matters-part-i
Want to teach about teen activists? Here is an incredible unit put together by a teacher in Springfield, Illinois (clearly inspired by the Units of Study in Writing):
http://www.sps186.org/teachers/lisadent/?p=103572
Before I put on my make-up
I say a little prayer for you.
Who needs strength to endure, care and grace, energy and guidance?
I am keeping student organizers in my heart these days. The students who are organizing our nation's response to the shooting in Parkland (and all gun violence) are vocal and relentless. I listened to Emma González's speech at the rally immediately after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and found myself hitting "replay" multiple times -- not just because of her words, but because her victimhood was making her stronger, not paralyzing her with fear.
Teen leaders in the Movement for Black Lives continue their work, even as they fight racism that is deeply woven into the fabric of our nation and their cause feels less meaningful, less palatable to so many in our nation. They persist, even when faced with hatred.
And I look to my own community, to the students at my high school who
* Write for our paper, boldly asking adults to address incidents of sexual harassment and abuse
* Change policy, fighting for equal protection for LGBTQ students (how did we not already have this in place?)
* Create a student chapter of the NAACP
* Organize our walkout(s) in protest of gun violence
* Take a knee to bring attention to police violence against blacks
These kids are my neighbors. And even as they fight, they are also saying "I feel alone. I feel unheard. You make my life frustrating." So today, I not only pray for them, but I am moving beyond my prayers to reach out to these students (and their teachers) to make sure they know: You are not alone. I hear you. And I want to listen, to learn and to help you. AMEN!
=====
Want to know more about current students who are working to change our current gun control laws? Here is a Padlet I put together:
http://bit.ly/GunControlTeenActivists
Want to know why all teachers should reflect on understanding the Black Lives Matter movement? Here is an important read from Teaching Tolerance:
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2017/why-teaching-black-lives-matter-matters-part-i
Want to teach about teen activists? Here is an incredible unit put together by a teacher in Springfield, Illinois (clearly inspired by the Units of Study in Writing):
http://www.sps186.org/teachers/lisadent/?p=103572
Amen! I stopped reading and added them to my prayer list. What an inspiring post about inspiring young people. I really appreciate your insight and motivation to do what I can to support these mighty warriors.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much for these young people to fight for. I love that so many of them are not going to just sit back and watch it all happen.
ReplyDeletePower to the children! Like you, I feel so inspired by these kids. It is giving me a new passion to teach. Thanks for using this platform to not only share your thoughts, but some very tangible information--links and all.
ReplyDelete