My class just watched Freedom Writers, as did this cool class in Croatia that is corresponding with us via ning/skype/etc. We're hoping this experience will spark some conversation. Conversation about being change agents.
If you haven't seen the movie, go rent it, buy it, or download it, borrow it, ....then come back for a challenge. Once you have seen it, read on.
Here's my thinking...
We all need to make a toast to change. Perhaps Thanksgiving is a perfect time to do that. Perhaps tonight at dinner, perhaps this Saturday at 3pm, perhaps next math class. Whenever suits you, get some Sparkling Cider - and make a toast for change.
But please, realize what you are doing. You are saying - that you have noticed a change that needs to happen and that you are the one to do it. Daily.
I'm thinking anyone who watched the movie must feel in some degree.... - thank goodness that's not me. My first thought goes to kids who actually experience that, or kids in Uganda - part of the Invisible Children. I start thinking of ways to help them. Because it seems so unfair - the hardships they endure.
But in reality, (absolutely no disrespect or triviality placed on ones who do go through true hardships), we all experience some type of roadblock. Sometimes I wonder, in America especially, if we are less fortunate, because our roadblock isn't so blatant. I'm thinking that for most of us, our comfort, our abundance, our perfectionism (fear of failure), our system, our isolation, our freedom,.... are the things that, while they aren't life-threatening, keep us from caring enough to do better. Or that keep us from just taking notice that we need to and could do better.
What is your/our roadblock? What's keeping you from becoming remarkable. What's telling you that you can't really follow your dream.
Or, what's keeping you from dreaming... I mean dreaming big?
Look at Mateo. Mateo trains 7 hours a day for swimming.
Now Mateo's life is not in danger if he doesn't train. Mateo won't lose his family's love and respect if he doesn't train. There is no hardship forcing Mateo to swim.
So why does he do it? Seven hours a day...day after day?
Mateo has a dream. Mateo has a deep love for swimming. Mateo makes a choice daily that his dream is worthwhile. And nothing can overcome that.
We need to capture that.
I'm thinking - for most of us, roadblocks would disappear if would listen and pay attention to things/people around us more. When students don't listen to students, teachers don't listen to students, students don't listen to teachers, that limits us. We let it go, because it's not life-threatening. But I wonder, how much the reality of our dreams would change, if we only worked on that one thing...listening.
We have so much to learn. We have so much to learn from each other. We really should listen more, whether it be through words, writing, song, art, music,.... We should treat each other's voice - like it were our only meal for a week, or our ticket to freedom, or a scholarship to college, or pay for rent.
I think if we listened to each other more...
teachers might learn how to better steer their students;
students might see a bigger dream, a bigger purpose, more direction in their life;
admin and parents and stakeholders and presidents might realize that the system and comfort and tradition should not only be questioned, but continually morphed, ...sometimes overhauled.
I wish we could see the need for change as clearly as people who face death, or hunger, or whatever, daily. I think if we felt that urgency, the world would change...school would change.
So please... like in the movie - where they toast to change... celebrate your fairwell to everything that has ever told you you can't.
Make a toast to change. we did
And then every day, decide again, that it matters.
examples of people deciding daily:
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