Being in the Delta for over a year has given me a wider insight on how I see things, places, communities, and most definitely people.
We as teachers are not here to "save" anyone. We as teachers are not here to make a judgment call on a student's background or home life. We do not make assumptions on how much someone can achieve by how much their parents earn. We as teachers are here to give them the best tools possible. Whether they want to be electricians or politicians, or even yes, football players. I am here to tell them they can do anything they are willing to work hard enough for. They.can.do.ANYTHING. They have that choice.
I've seen colleagues with Ivy League degrees who storm into these poor Delta schools with words like "savior" and "disadvantaged" etched into their minds. I've seen people with brilliant minds but poor hearts. There is nothing that makes me angrier. As a former poor student, as a former bougie corporate worker. There is nothing that stirs my passion more than being unfairly judged. I wish we as an organization would clarify what our intents are here. Are we here to help or are we here to prove a point? For the sake of our students, I hope we find our true motives.
I don't think everyone is good. I'll give people the benefit of the doubt, sure. But I think it's a disservice to those who actually try, to say that everyone is good. I think that good people are hard to find, and when you do find them you should hold on to them with all of your might. You should love them, and appreciate them. You should wish with every ounce of moral fiber that they never get hurt or taken advantage of. You should give yourself selflessly to protect something so good. And in turn, perhaps, become a little bit better yourself.
In life we won't be defined by where we grew up, how many times we made honor roll, how much money we made, or what kind of cars we drove. In life we will be defined by how we treated others. Did we treat them with fairness and compassion? Did we give more than what we owed? Did we shake hands, did we smile at strangers? My deepest hope is that they remember me as a good person before they remember me as a good teacher. My hope is that they know they made me a little bit better.
