Reason #79 Justice for all?

It was a  Friday unlike any other....so filled with memorable moments..

"I just came to visit you."  As he was sitting on Georgette, la giraffe Alain shared about his weekend. He seemed heavy-hearted which is unusual for him.  How lucky I am to have known him since his first day of Freshman year. After two years he is a special person in our class family.

I got a lesson in birthday parties which are completely the opposite from ones I experienced as a kid. How can there be 90 kids and 15 families invited? Sounds like fun to me!  I always wanted big parties but had to wait until an adult to throw them for myself.  Maybe after 15 or so a change would be exciting!  How funny it was to hear his excitement about going to Family Dollar, buying a bunch of snacks and spending his whole birthday watching Netflix.  It reinforced the fact that my son is not the only teenager to experience such joy from this type of day.

I could relate to his sharing his mom’s insistence that he have a big party.  What a struggle that is to give up, a heart-wrenching one that I experienced last year when my son did not want a party.  He said that “maybe in six months, I will celebrate my half birthday.”  Really? What is that about?  Needless to say it never happened and the days of fun party games, cool bug Rice Crispy treats, and anthill cakes are over.  It is the end of an era, a very fun one.  Another lesson in appreciate every moment because they truly do not continue forever.  When I suggested that birthday funds be used to go to France, he commented "I can’t leave the country.  There is this “situation” with family, not my immediate, maybe if I marry an American and I could...one day…maybe"   When I was in high school the obstacle I had in realizing my dream of going to France was money. That was so hard for me.  It is heart-breaking to hear that some obstacles are more difficult to surmount, seemingly impossible.

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How do I respond to a situation like this?  It is so unfair.  “I try to not let it get me down, but sometimes it is hard.”

How can it be that such an amazing, hard-working, focused young person suffer consequences for things beyond his control?   In addition, I was shocked to hear about the amount of money involved to make things possible in the future, $800 here, $1,500 there. 

"It is hard because I can’t follow my dream even though this is the “Land of Opportunity”.  I would feel safer knowing he was on the streets working as a police officer, protecting the innocent, maybe even working with the DEA.

If everyone had the chance to experience this conversation as I did they would see kids in his situation differently because they would see him, not just an issue. And people worry about test scores?  Really?  How can we help?   What can we do to help young people just like him achieve their dreams, once that will add goodness to our world?

In the end all I could do was share with him how much I respect him for all his efforts and being so present despite the obstacles that loom above.  Moved to tears, yet again and now, my heart will continue to be touched in unimaginable ways. 

...tu es formidable! Merci pour partager ta vision, ta passion, tes rêves. Je ferai n’importe quoi pour t’aider à accomplir tes rêves. Pourrais-je t’adopter?  : )   Sois courageux mon chou!

For the opportunities to be inspired by the strength of young people who are facing things so much more difficult than me, thank you for sharing. 

This is why I teach! 

#74 A one-of-a-kind shirt by Séraphine

Ma chère Séraphine, thank you for making my t-shirt and one for Alexis as well!  Having one made by you makes it so much more special.  It means so much to me that you wanted to make sure that I had a t-shirt too and took the time to create one for me!  I will always remember that!  Your enthusiasm and energy Is so amazing and makes me more excited; I know some people don’t think that is possible, but it is!  I always enjoy our talk and appreciate all you share. 

One thing that I will always remember you sharing with the class was the day when you said “Madame, why do we écrivez so much in here?”  I can still hear your voice saying that and it makes me smile. I guess that it had an impact because I did have you write less.  Bravo in using your voice in a way that made the whole class laugh and get out of writing a 5 sentence paragraph!

Merci Séraphine pour ton enthousiasme et énergie, en classe et en dehors.  Tu es toujours de bonne humeur et c’est amusant de te regarder quand tu parles avec Alain ! Tu me fais rire et sourire.

For a one-of-a-kind t-shirt made with love….

This is why I teach! 

Reason #68 What’s an Instagram?

Do the brains of young people just naturally adapt to the additional technology that just pops up out of nowhere? 

I am thankful that my students have happily volunteered to share our project through the social media of their choice!  They jumped at the opportunity to be in charge and I had no idea that there was an Instagram?  The cool thing I that I don’t need to know what they are. I have surrounded myself with perfectly capable and excited people who love all this technology and know how to use it efficiently.

Now, what does it mean when I send a Tweet to a student and they respond within seconds? If only they would do their homework as quickly!  No. I gave that one up a long time ago!   Next idea, I will teach them all the texting abbreviations in French and give them extra credit for using them in their tweets, tumbles, and updates.  First Simon’s Cat, now this! 

See this expertise in action. Join, like, follow, tweet, and tumble so you, too, can experience the inspiration and evolution of the Wall.

 

Facebook – Highland French Project

Tumblr – We all have a voice

Twitter – @highlandfrench

Instagram – weallhaveavoice_hhs

The opportunity for a world-wide community experience of inspiration…

 

That is why I teach!

Reason #67 The reality of changing the world

We really were on the news today!  There is evidence that we are changing the world!

I did miss the first live broadcast, however. It is Spring Break and I just couldn’t get up to catch the 4:30 am show.  Yeah for video on demand!  Now we can share it with everyone else too!

I actually had to plug my television back into the cable box since I don’t watch it anymore. I know, may sound lame, but that is how I found the Ted talk by Candy Chang that was the inspiration for this whole project!  Ideas worth sharing!

After watching the first hour and a half of news in over a year and experiencing the sad stories, I am so happy that my kids have created this inspirational reality.  It has already made such a difference at our community. So many people are now gathering, talking, laughing, sharing things they would not otherwise share.   

It is now their story but there will never be an ending, ever. This will go on far beyond our wildest imaginations.  How cool is that?   

Tweeting, Tumblring, Facebooking, and Instagramming along the way to the reality of our story being in the world has been surreal.  It is really out there now.

We have been carrying on thought-provoking conversations for months about sharing one’s voice, impacting other people, loving others, transforming the lives of other people, and believing in one self and others. We have watched French films, Ted talks, written personal reactions, talked with others in our community about their ideas. This project has evolved and is constantly moving and growing. It has been fascinating to sit back and watch it transform and make a difference for us all.

Watching my students share their voices with news was exciting. They have worked so hard and have such strong beliefs about this project.  I am thrilled they were able to share their voices and connect with an even wider community.  It was also fun to write with them and put chalk handprints on the wall together.  The day before it was chalkboard paint handprints!  They laughing and sharing reflects the spirit of the project…I am sure that will continue!   

Here is the link to the report:  Highland Students Cover Walls with Hopes,Dreams

They have started a revolution and it is going to go on and on and on…..what a beautiful thing!  Passing on inspiration! 

I am so happy that the news saw this inspiration, this desire for positivity and connection. The school district felt it as well…even in a tweet!!!  That must be pretty powerful to get the attention of our district in one tweet!  Yeah for our team!

Thank you to the news team for sharing the heart of our story and joining us as we all share our voices!  You have given us a gift in spreading our message even farther.  

Merci mille fois!  May you have a beautiful family, get to tailgate at a UT Austin game, and speak at a college graduation!!  May you produce DocuArt   May you live in your mother’s homeland – Italy. 

Meeting amazing people and sharing inspiring dreams…

This is why I teach!

Reason #64 Delays are always good…really they are!

The news found out about our Wall on Tuesday and wanted to come Wednesday. My principal was able to delay them until Thursday. With only three days since the “grand opening” of our Wall, we still had more work to do.  I was living in a surreal world where I was outside before school, between all classes, at lunch, and even afterschool.  Not only was I outside, but I was learning such amazing things about everyone in our community.

After writing about 5 pages in my journal to “clarify” my ideas for the interview, I practiced with a friend on the phone on the way to school.  His advice to “just be yourself” and “You have been jumping every time you talk about this to me and they will feel that energy too. Just share from your heart” was helpful.  I just didn’t want to jump too much for tv.

When I got to the Wall, my students came out with the principal and they were all upset that the interview was delayed until Friday.  I was almost jumping for joy. Not that I was happy they weren’t coming, but happy that we had another day to prepare. That meant we could bring in the international students, finish the stencils, and put up our hand prints!!  Yes!

My students were very surprised by my response. I simply told them that, based on many things I have experienced in the past year or so, delays have always been in my favor. There are always good things to come out of a delay, even if you don’t know what it is right away.  Just wait because you will. 

So we were able to add international languages…our goal is to include every language spoken at our school! We need to celebrate our diversity. It is what makes us so special!

We were also able to add handprints….even my seniors somehow managed to put theirs 8 feet up in a spot not in my plan for handprints.  Didn’t someone tell me there is beauty in imperfection? All students who help will add theirs to the wall. We will watch our community of creators grow and grow. We also made a call for help with duct tape on the wall and a sign for all the social media connections.

If these aren’t reasons enough, Claire came running over to me later in the day and said “Hey Miss….I got my permission slip to have signed. That is a good reason for a delay!” Little did she know then that she would be interviewed individually and share her voice with the world!  Bonus good reason!

They do listen to me sometimes…

That is why I teach!