I had a whole end of the year reflection planned this week, and then I saw this poem.
It’s easy, at the end of the year, to lose sight of the “why"-- why are we in this work? What are we striving for? What does it mean to be an educator when we understand the vast and sometimes turbulent seas we want to help our students navigate?
If you were or are asking yourself these questions like I was, take five minutes to hear this and recenter yourself:
Two favorite pieces:
But I've always been a thorn in the side of injustice. Disruptive. Talkative. A distraction. With a passion that transcends the confines of my consciousness -- Beyond your curriculum, beyond your standards.
and
An injustice is telling them they are stars Without acknowledging night that surrounds them. Injustice is telling them education is the key While you continue to change the locks.
As Livingston reminds us, we must acknowledge night, but also remind students of their “celestial potential.” To deny either would be a diservice to our work.
I hope you hear this and, like mine, you are reminded that our souls dance among the stars.