James Baldwin Is Saying "I Told You So" Right About Now
I found Baldwin's "A Talk to Teachers" to be an inspirational read, and more importantly, highly relevant to today’s world. His concluding sentence, "If this country does not find a way to use that energy, it will be destroyed by that energy," left me speechless. It felt as if he had peered into a crystal ball, foreseeing the political and social turmoil we face today. Baldwin reminds us that teachers have the power to cultivate change through our students—the future leaders waiting in the desks of our classrooms.
As Smith noted in his commentary on Baldwin's text, "...while Baldwin’s words have always felt relevant, this year they feel particularly so." Over the past eight years, students have lived through some of the most unique school experiences we've ever seen: the Covid-19 pandemic, the BLM movement, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the boom of social media, and the rise of gun violence all affecting students in profound ways.
I think back to when news broke about the Uvalde school shooting. As a senior with less than a month left of school, I was mentally checked out. I remember scrolling through social media, seeing videos about the shooting, and feeling a wave of fear wash over me. I began mapping the fastest and safest routes to escape in case a shooter entered my school. While that may reflect my own anxious tendencies, it was a moment that hit me hard.
However, I couldn't help but notice my teachers' silence. We went through the following days as planned, as if nothing had happened. Only my programming teacher addressed the elephant in the room. He set aside the day’s lesson and created a space for us to discuss our feelings and thoughts following the tragedy. Often, school feels like a bubble where the outside world cannot enter, he popped that bubble and reminded us that we exist in a world much larger than just students. He showed us that we have power and can be agents of change, not just passive recipients of knowledge. Baldwin puts it best "...it is up to him to change these standards for the sake of the life and the health of the country."
So what does this mean for us, the future teachers of America? How will we remind our students that they are in charge of their own futures, capable of achieving their goals regardless of where they come from or the challenges they face? What practices will we implement to ensure students receive the necessary support to thrive? How can we show up for our students in ways previous educators may not have?
As we reflect on Baldwin's powerful message, it is our responsibility to create classrooms that empower students to be change-makers. By fostering critical thinking, embracing inclusivity, and encouraging activism, we can help our students navigate the complexities of their world. We have to commit to making our curriculum relevant to their lives and experiences, ensuring they learn more than just content but also how to engage with and impact the world around them.
I think part of the issue lies in the fact that many of kids are experiencing these changes as "normal", when it wasn't something normal for us growing up. I'm 27, and aside from the occasional lockdown drills, we didn't really have a concept of school shootings other than Columbine to go off of, as opposed to now where we witness it almost every other week it feels like.
ReplyDeleteThe world is changing in front of our eyes and we're facing the same changes that the kids are going through. One of the biggest differences there is that we have the words, knowledge and experience to make sense of it all and have to find ways to explore as well as teaching that in our classrooms. I love the idea of revolutionary thought (I'm a contrarian at heart) and really resonated with Baldwin's idea of knowing one's own history, in order to change it, otherwise we're setting ourselves up for oppression and a society that chooses to be abused by a minority which should have no say in how we live, express ourselves and challenges us in our upward mobility, whatever that may look like in your eyes.
This text really resonated with me, including your response to it, mostly due to the fact that I can remember so many traumatic and upsetting moments during middle and high school. Horrible shootings, a world shattering pandemic, violence within our own communities and other frustrating things have left kids feeling anxious with very little space to discuss and process these things. It's critical to channel this energy in a way thats healthy. In an increasingly anxious world, kids need an outlet and educators need to be conscious and create space for these feelings to become heard. Like Baldwin says, understanding your own history, is a huge step to creating change in the world and in our communities.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we are constantly at a time of social upheaval turmoil. So much so that James Baldwin's "A Talk to Teachers" feels just as, if not more, relevant now than before. Yet, we as a society are becoming so desensitized partially because of the rate that new domestic and international tragedies occur. Despite community involvement and protesting, the systems made to combat these tragedies seem to not address them.
ReplyDeleteI am in complete agreement with you, but I do also worry about how this push for activism might be interpreted by the community outside of the school. Already teachers are accused of "brainwashing" students into certain ideologies and even the act of protesting has seemed to have been politicized despite it being a first amendment right. That being said, we may not be able to affect change within our lifetime, but we can sow the seeds of change that will bear fruit after our time has passed.
There are times where we have to "put content aside" to develop students as people which includes having them think critically and "be the change they want to see in the world". Our job is a thankless one, but crucial in the development of the future.
I can relate to your experience of when the Uvalde school shooting occurred. In high school, I remember my history, English, civics, and Spanish teachers addressing current events issues. For these subjects, I feel as if it’s easier to discuss and incorporate meaningful activities. My math and biology classes however proceeded to teach as usual. For these subjects, I understand why speaking about the outside world may not be aligned with what the curriculum is about. Nonetheless, these same issues occurring outside may be affecting a student in the classroom, in the classroom next door, and in the school community. How can we not talk and act about politics, race, systems, policies, and social classes when they want to talk about us? Establishing a safe classroom environment makes it normal to address serious topics even if it’s “out of curriculum.”
ReplyDeleteSmith described a conversation they heard at a community meeting. “ I’m tired of having to teach my two-year-old how to duck; I’m tired of having to teach my two-year-old that certain nights when we get home from school we have to sit on the floor.” At two years old, I was probably worrying about what trouble I would get into, what food my mom was making, and eagerly waiting for my dad to get home. I was fortunate enough to not worry about school shootings until it became a standard procedure. It is unfortunate yet necessary. In the current state that we are living in, it is better to be precautious, aware, and informed than to be ignorant.
There have been many instances where I've felt complete silence in the classroom as a major social event social event unfolded. I've had some teachers who have paused the procedure of their curriculum to address issues such as Uvalde or even the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan in 2021, but any teacher who felt that a current event didn't have to do with their discipline, would completely ignore it. My senior year English teacher would use up class time to go on unapologetic rants about injustices of any kind that dealt with race or oppression and would even give us an independent study period so we could reflect on our own opinions. She would even go as far as to admit that the books she gave us to read and the lens we used to examine texts would be too controversial in other academic environments and would cause her to be fired. I'm honestly surprised at how I thought it sidetracked from our education at the time.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading James Baldwin's statement, I realize that education is so much more than just a fixed agenda of assignments/pre-planned discussions and that it's not a bad thing to postpone that agenda if current events call for it. The very concept of official knowledge is dangerous can be dangerous if it's the only framework students are taught from. I'm kind of surprised that your programming teacher of all teachers was the only one who addressed Uvalde. Even though all kinds of teachers should address these issues equally, a history or English teacher has a greater responsibility to bring that up.