Creating Student Voice, Let Yourself Be Heard!

Yesterday, a student came to school upset.  He was questioning the election, struggling to come to terms with wars fought by Veterans, with protests and athletes who did not pledge allegiance to their country.  After some conversation it became clear that he was really trying to define why he should be proud to be an American.  This is what I told him.

We as Americans are not the sum of our leaders, our President or policy-makers, we are the guiding voice behind the leader.  And real change does not come from tears and protest but from action.  So today you need to find the truths, perhaps brought forth by candidates in our recent election, heroes, Veterans and role models, and meld those good ideals into your own personal mantra.  This is mine:

I am not pro candidate,

I am pro student, youth and all who seek knowledge.  

I am pro working families. 

I am pro education. 

I am pro freedom. 

I am pro equality. 

I am pro the values of love and kindness, 

And the freedom to choose how I will use them. 

I am pro America and pro all peaceful countries of the world, and I am proud to be an American regardless of what anyone says.  Today, I stand with my fellow Americans, side by side, a nation of all races, colors and ideas. Today, I will work to make this country the best place it can be for myself my family my neighbor, even my enemy.  And if I see something I don't like, I won't walk by but will change it peacefully.

We are the voice of the nation, the voice of future generations. We are the voice of yesterday, tomorrow and today! If we listen to each other we can build the brightest future, one we can be proud to say we had a hand making.

We are Americans. 

We do not cry. 

We dust ourselves off.

We pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and we get busy.

All of our parents came here to start a new life, whether they came by ship, by plane or walked the Bering Straight.  It is our job to make sure that life is inclusive of all people, an idea that is fundamental and written on the heart of every American yet challenged at every turn. 

Ignite your passion let it burn! Build a country you that you can be proud of!

Today, put aside your arguments and stand up for your rights. Decide how you will make a difference then unite, and go after that change with a passion and integrity that is unparalleled!

I'd like to note at this time that the student I was working with is of color and at risk.  Not that it should matter but it seems that today more than ever before students need to understand that they can use their words and ideas to effect change and make a better life for themselves and others in their country regardless of their race, sex or any other unique qualities they possess.  I've helped this child and proudly watched him change from a person who used his fists to a young man who has found passion for activism reading about Rosa Parks, MLK and Harriet Tubman, who has seen dreams launch with Amelia Earhart and P.T. Barnum, who has fought in the Alamo.  By empowering our students with a lust for history and showing them the successes and failures of others we can teach them to see trends in the world, we can show them there is value in acting-not just getting upset and raging, that they can band together to create real change.

Students today have more opportunity to be heard than ever before.  

It is our duty as teachers, parents and people of all nations to let the voice of our youth be the "shot" heard 'round the world.  After all, it is their world to inherit and at this tipping point of globalization, war and ecological change they have a right to speak and be heard.  Be the teacher that facilities the change, you can do it!  And who knows, the student you are teaching may in turn change the world for the better for all of us.

God bless you all 

God bless America

Remember our Veterans today.

-Laura

True Grit

Grit

/grit/ noun courage and resolve, strength of character

Grit is a term I've heard used often and loudly in scholastic arenas.  The word itself means to have strength of character, resolve, a certain stick-to-itiveness embodied by a clenched jaw and John Wayne-esque stance.  In education arenas I have heard it used to describe desired student behavior and as a battle cry for modeling that behavior, teach students to have grit and they will succeed!  I thought I knew grit, what it meant and how to use it, but then something happened that changed my mind.

Me after my second surgery

In fact, two things happened that gave me pause for some deep reflective thought.  One was very personal, in April I was diagnosed with skin cancer, which had formed on my nose and back.  This was a very treatable cancer in which the affected area was surgically removed.  I had my first two operations in April, the last three in June and July, I won't say it wasn't painful physically and emotionally (nobody wants a surgeon cutting away at their snout) but nothing compared to chemo or radiation treatment.  At the same time my father fell and was hospitalized for months requiring surgery for a fractured hip and rehab, two friends died suddenly, one of heart failure and the other as the result of a fall down a flight of stairs and my insurance dropped me in the middle of surgery for not checking a box on the renewal form.  I was an emotional and physical mess.  If there was ever a time for grit, this was it.

The other thing that happened was a student I was working with was removed from her family.  I have been working almost exclusively with kids at risk for the past year and had gotten to know this child as an extremely bright student with a lot of potential.  I had watched this student struggle to continue excelling as home life deteriorated complicated by drugs and lack of authorative presence.

Ava and Kayla raising funds to
buy supplies for Save-A-Pet

We went down our paths simultaneously, me choosing to channel my powerful emotions fueled by pain and anxiety into creating and giving, helping my daughters get involved with Kindness Heroes a program in beta test sponsored by Misha Collins and his Random Acts Of Kindness program; my student struggling to make sense of what was happening.  I was able to channel my frustrations into a new gallery show titled the Celebrity Series, I rekindled my love of rock drumming and hiked wooded climbs everyday to get strong again.  While I poured my energy into wellness and art I noticed that many colleagues I relied on took my illness as an opportunity to advance themselves and as some doors closed I found a whole new set flung wide open with support pouring in from the artistic community, teachers and giving institutions.  My student also found an outlet on stage building self-esteem and like me, finding support from unusual sources.  We both found out what true grit meant.  It can't be taught, it is not a label, it is an experience in which you pull yourself up out of hole, that experience strengthens you and makes you grow as a person into someone who is more empathetic, determined, confident in what you can achieve and give, knowing you will succeed if your willing to go the mile.  

So what’s the point?

As you start your school year you will find yourself in challenging situations-motivating students, managing behavior, searching for funding, rethinking classroom set up, administrative differences, difficult colleagues, children at risk, cultural barriers in the community.  I would challenge you this year to not get frustrated but instead to look for the silver linings.  Use your grit to come up with creative solutions to your problems and model this for your students.  Who knows, that kid that can't sit still could be the next robotics genius, that administrator who drives you crazy could come up with funding for your pet tech project.  

I was once told the story of a teacher whose very studious class was faced with a noisy ruckus outside their classroom door.  The teacher asked her students for suggestions to quiet the noise.  Half said to yell at the noisy students while the other half suggested calling an administrator to quiet them down.  The teacher simply walked over and closed the classroom door.

We can only control our own behavior.

Use your grit this year to model by leading who knows what you will accomplish or what you will learn.

-Laura