my morning routine is almost always the same.
my alarm goes off. i snooze it twice. then, i grudgingly prop myself up and begin my day by watching cookie decorating videos and seeing what my people (and their dogs) are up to on facebook and instagram. i'm not saying it's the best way to start the day, but it works for me. today, i was disheartened as i scrolled through the posts of multiple friends, male and female, who have been victims of sexual assault or harassment. i was shocked by the astounding number of friends who had showcased the message "me too," after actress melissa milano made a public call for victims of sexual abuse to come forward in solidarity with one another. there were so many "me too" statuses. women i know from church. women i know from my hometown. women i've known for years and years. women i've only met recently. mistreated. violated. hurt. silenced. i cried for them this morning. i wept for their pain. i wept for the way they have been harmed. and i wept because, in a small way, i know how they feel. i know what it's like to be groped and told that i was "asking for it." i know what it feels like to be judged for the size of my breasts instead of the content of my character. i know what it feels like to be walked home by a man and then told that he needs "payment" for his services. i know what it's like to be oggled and sexualized and told that i should "take it as a compliment." i know what it's like to be diminished and minimized by men who think that women exist for the sole purpose of serving and pleasing. i have NOT been raped, thank god. but i know too many women who have. and it makes me sick. and it makes me mad. it makes me so freaking mad. in my classroom, i teach my students to be respectful and kind. i teach them to show compassion and be truthful. i teach them to keep their hands to themselves. i teach them to take responsibility for their actions. i teach them to take care of each other. i can't tell you how my boys will view women in the future, but i can tell you that for now, they view women as equals. they see their female classmates as friends and peers. i don't know how to fully tackle this despicable epidemic we have in our world of mistreating women. but i can tell you that for me, in my classroom, i will continue to teach my children about equality. i will do my best to help each and every one of my students understand the dignity and value of all human lives. i will teach my kids that equal work demands equal compensation. i will teach my kids respect. and i swear, "boys will be boys" will never be an acceptable excuse for male behavior in my classroom. this is my solemn promise. me too, ld
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well it's october and feeling like august. thanks a million, ohio weather!
i've been teaching kindergarten for a couple months now and i've learned a few valuable lessons. 1. do NOT tie shoes if the laces are in ANY way wet. it "may be" pee is not a gamble i am willing to make. 2. 5 year olds are like teenage girls on their period: they are constantly crying and they don't know why, they are eating EVERYTHING and they don't have a lick of sense. 3. emergency pants are absolutely positively indispensable. despite the newly found grey hairs and inability to stay awake past 9 pm on a school night, i truly feel i have found my people. one of the parents in my class told me i seemed like the perfect fit for kindergarten because i get as excited as they do about pretty much everything. accurate. i took that as a compliment and i love teaching these little sponges, not only about math and reading, but also about empathy and integrity and curiosity. i have found that kindergartners are my spirit animals and it is truly a privilege to get to do life with them. on most days, my classroom is wild and loud and bursting with energy. we are "those people" and i am perfectly ok with that. we are messy and goofy and loud and at times downright ridiculous, but isn't that exactly what a kindergarten classroom should be? last week in math we were discussing "same" and "different" as they relate to numbers and objects. i had the kiddos do several different activities which asked them to identify similarities and differences as we worked through the week. for fun, i had them look at one of my family pictures and identify what makes my family members and i the same and what makes us different (everyone agreed, i am like dad and marge and emmy are like mom). i also had them identify similarities and differences between each other, bringing two or three up at a time and having the rest of the group observe them. do you want to know what i found downright lovely? they never once mentioned race. they never once mentioned gender. they brought up things like favorite colors and hobby differences. they talked about how "o" runs fast at recess but "v" is really good at jumping. they talked about character attributes. in short, they talked about the important stuff. the stuff that matters. it was really profound for me as a teacher watching them do these activities. it reminded me that things like hate and racism are not innate. they are taught. differences don't have any meaning until someone decides they mean something. i choose to teach love. i choose to teach respect. i choose to teach that differences make this a more beautiful, colorful and diverse world. and if you ever find yourself losing hope in this broken and sad state of things, come spend a day in kindergarten. i promise it'll put just a little more happy in your heart. until next time. xo, ld |
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