It is very easy to say, out of site-out of mind. But as educator in a town that has its own issues with race, poverty, and inequities-any social injustices cannot be out of site, out of mind. I might not know what it is like to walk in the shoes of a Black woman or a Black man, but I know deep in my soul that the crimes being made upon Black lives is wrong. I do believe cops do their job and they uphold the law, but in many industries, a uniform or position does not give you any more power then another human being-in these many cases a Black life. In all professions, we really should not have "bad seeds." I don't want a bad seed doctor or dentist, even a lawyer. Politicians seem to mirror bad seeds. In police and does who serve ALL, I definitely do NOT want to have bad seeds. And in my profession in education, where ALL people experience, bad seeds should not exist. AND YET....here we are in ALL those professions with bad seeds being exposed, and in this case in our nation killing lives. Killing innocent lives. Lives don't comeback, apologies don't make things right, and not pursuing justice is wrong. Even Inside the NBA, a sport and show I watch to help me just enjoy things- get's real. They get it. Our nation sucks. We cannot glorify Black lives in sports or in movies, and not treat other Black lives with disregard.
Historically, I was raised with ideologies that I do not agree to. I respect my upbringing and have no doubts that my parents were doing the best they knew in their own capacity. Now, I am the adult-and although my parents may say things that are wrong, I have the opportunity to teach them how our world is now. They still brush me off, and that is okay-but what is important is that they understand I see the world differently then they do, and that I have the opportunity to guide them to a new understanding of our society. And as an educator- although my job is to teach math, and teach math I will. I also know that I have a duty as a human being to teach my students to be kind to others, to understand a person-not the color of their skin, the amount of money one has, or the education level. Know the person! Do I know how to do this? No. But we are all learning together. We will make mistakes, but with mistakes means we can learn and BE BETTER.
I know this post is not about school. But at the same time it is. It has been long days...really long days. We just can't keep taking 10 steps forward, to only go back 50. That is logically unproductive. In my personal days, CrossFit is back in my life. But not as intense anymore, as I should be more careful with the weights I lift. Screen time is taking a lot of my time, and grading is hard since I have to click, load, scroll, and give feedback. I sure do miss the classroom, where I can instantly check and monitor around and give feedback in real time. Remember teachers, take the time for yourself.