I am born and raised as an American, and this is the home I have only known. My parents are immigrants who came to America to "have a better life." I went to wonderful public schools, public university, full-ride financial aid, and now I work in a public high school. My entire life has been set on goals that I continuously check-mark because my parents believe in the "American Dream." Growing up, educators have taught me to think for myself, analyze text, question the world around me, and be the change I want to see in this world. I am a teacher, I influence the young minds to some extent to be the change we want to see in this world.
Educators have always told us to learn from our past mistakes, and now this is the first time in my life where I feel we are going backward. I have faith in the checks & balances of our government, I have faith in the judicial system, and I have faith in mankind. But every day as I watch or read the news I am ashamed to be apart of an administration's ideas. In this entire month, I have learned that money will buy you power, that the use of checks & balances is exterminated, and that historical patterns are eerily similar to today's events.
At the end of the day, I hold onto hope. I hope that I can educate my students just like my past teachers did for me, to be the change they want to see in the world. I hope that I can influence change at its roots. I hope that I can protect my students from the harshness of reality. I hope our nation's morals are not neglected. Lastly, I hope we remember we are all human beings: gender, race, color, social standing, religion does not change the fact that we are all human beings.