Back to school and other musings

I recently returned to school after being out for 13 years. I participated in my graduation ceremony, but I never went back to take the 3 classes that I needed to graduate. There was just so much going on, I couldn’t focus to make it happen. I took some classes at Temple University, Lincoln University, I even did an internship at UC Berkeley. I joined the Navy (more classes) trained to be a weatherman, and had two kids.

So here I am, in 2005 taking my last class so I can finally graduate and get my BA. It’s really humbling, being around so many bright young people. I was never as “on it” as these kids are, so I am learning. I am learning from my classmates, my instructor and my section leader, who happens to be a guy close to my age.

Being a student is what I do best, it’s what I was trained to be from childhood. No wonder that I am a teacher now. In any case, all I want to do is go to graduate school, get out and get busy teaching. I say this a lot but let me write it here-I don’t like working in cubicles or offices, I’d much rather be somewhere hanging out with some young people doing something fun. I love young people and all I want to do is teach and write.

My Aunt Mary left behind a tremendous legacy. I hope to work in Urban and low income schools as she did, and also to work on the community schools model. Our schools need to be revolutionized. The ways that we teach our kids, the ways that we educate our whole communities has to be changed drastically. There are bits and pieces being done here and there, but for the most part our young people are still terribly underserved by the schools.

EDUCATION

Education should be a tool that serves the cause of personal and communal Liberation. What we have now, what passes for education in most of our schools is training, training that doesn’t do anything but perpetuate the conditions that our communities find themselves in. A true education is one that serves to increase the intellectual capacity of the educated. A real education transmits skills that empower young people to become independent and self sufficient. I tell my students that education is a two way process, that their job is to learn, and the teachers’ job is to teach. If they are not learning in school, the failure is the teachers and the students.

"I Am Because We Are"
-Afrikan Proverb

I write that on the board every day when I teach. I know my students look up to me, and so I try to teach by example. I want them to know that I am basically just an older version of them. I have gone through a lot of the same things they go through and came through on the other side ok. The other day I explained to my kids about the love that I have for them as my students. I have brilliant kids, but for whatever reasons, many of them are not making it in the schools here. It is not for lack of brainpower, all teachers have had some brilliant students who just don't make it. But the saddest thing is that these kids don't know how brilliant they are, they think that these grades mean something, that they really judge how smart the kids are. My young people desperately need to understand that they are beautiful, that they are brilliant, that they deserve all the best things in life. I am a grown man of 35. It has taken me my whole life to unlearn all the shit that I learned while I was trying to make it.
Somehow, I never learned to expect the best from myself, and I got used to being lax and lazy. I relied way too much on my natural intelligence and just getting over. That doesn't work for the long term. At some point, natural talent, or intelligence is not going to be enough, and hard work has to kick in.
That being said, I am teaching that to my students. We write, we talk, and they are learning to demand more of themselves.
I wanted to write here about a true friend, Child. Child is a music producer, DJ extraordinaire. I have a few friends who DJ professionally but I've been kicking it with him pretty tough for a couple of years now.
Anyway, I really respect the opinions of my friends. I went to his house last week to read some of the stuff that I've been writing. I expected to get an honest opinion, but I got something way more than that. He basically told me that I was not incredible, that my stuff was predictable and sounded like a whole lot of other stuff out there. It really threw me off, because all this time I've been thinking I am a pretty good writer. Apparently not. I am, but not incredibly so. Childs' advice to me was to write more like I talk, that would be better. He said that I am more compelling in person, that he would rather hear me talk about something that I am passionate about rather than read my poetry. Damn, right? No it was great!
So now, I am still going ahead with my book, fuck it, it's still my shit. I still think that what I write is relevant, but what I have to do more is to push myself to make my writing sound more like me when I am just sitting around with my folks.
My only aim is to communicate to have an impact with what I have to say.

Okay that's enough for now.
Peace to the Peaceful
-M