Friday, August 31, 2018
Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Manifesto
I AM a teacher who stands up for a student's right to a thorough and meaningful education and against a world that tells these same students that ignorance and thoughtlessness are the order of the day. I am a teacher who is in favor of schools against bullying. I am a teacher who is a supporter of those against gun violence so that students can live to apply the education they have had outside of a school building. I am a teacher who is a defender of all against exclusion, against the censorship of knowledge, and above all against the idea that anything is impossible. I am a teacher who favors the permanent struggle against boredom and against bigotry. I am a teacher who rejects the status quo because it is RESPONSIBLE for complacency. I am a teacher full of hope in spite of people who say, "You'll never be rich," and "Why would you want to teach in a public school?" It's that kind of attitude that makes me shudder. If I didn't do what I wanted to, if I didn't do what I'm passionate about just because it's hard, then I'd never get off the couch. I am a teacher who refuses to give up the pursuit of a dream. I am a teacher proud of the legacy of teachers in my family. If I do not struggle for the betterment of my students, then I would no longer be a teacher. If I were not a teacher, then what would I be?
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Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mention having hope despite people's words of not living a luxurious life and wanting to be in the public school system, that you want to be a teacher in spite of these "facts." But it all comes down to what you believe has value, right? What somebody else considers rich might not be rich for you... there's richness in enriching the lives of our students that makes money pale in comparison; there's no competition, really. And I hear you on if I didn't do this, I wouldn't get off the couch... that's a sentiment I know very well. Thank you for this.
Katie -- I really appreciate "the permanent struggle against boredom" -- Yes! And overall there's this real political clarity expressed here, from gun control to censorship and bullying.
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