Today and yesterday I had my students work on a paper topic that is mostly for me and mostly for them, even though they don't know it yet. I began the prompt for their in-class writing by talking about how language is loaded and meaning differs from one person to the next. We talked about the word "green" and how one person's green may not be the green of another person. I drew a bowl on the board, and we filled it with words that hint at what green is to them.
As I led them into what they were going to write, I erased all the green stuff, and I stood close to the board in order to hide what i was writing. I had written the word "patriotism" on the board. When I moved away, I was met with a collective sigh that just about broke my heart.
I asked them to write what they thought about this word, what is means to them, how they understand it. I have looked at the submissions from yesterday, and I can already see the trends. They are associating it with freedom and the military and nationalism.
Mostly, I am just crossing my fingers and hoping for something that stinks of insight from my second class. There are so many faces in these classes that just don't give a fuck about anything we are doing in this country.
I figure I have two options. I can either invest in the space program so that I might have a place to live when these people are in charge. Or... I can work my ass off trying to get through to at least one or two of them enough that they carry the message of activity and involvement to others. This choice is an exhausting one, and I know that is the path I choose for now.
How long before I give up? Will I be old before my time, with wrinkles of unrewarded effort, before I finally throw in the towel? Will I look back on these words and remember a time when I had fire? I hope these words will still ring true decades from now. I hope.
greetings, human!
9 years ago
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