Aim High, But Reach Low

Today was my first day back in the classroom after a much needed winter break. I tried to spread my positive rays and refreshed way of thinking upon my students as I debriefed them on what was to be expected this semester. Instead of being greeted with the excitement I hoped for, I was met with the normal sighs and blank stares that I left in December. One of my students in my first period class verbosely stated that she hated school. Despite her polite and deliberate matter of fact demeanor, I wasn’t shocked at her response. I was however hurt and intently concerned.

I asked her why she felt that way and she responded simply stating that she doesn’t like to get up in the morning. I chuckled lightheartedly at her comment, but I was paying vey close attention to the dynamic of the class discussion in response to her remark. To change pace, we started talking about goals, planning, life and expectations. I decided that constructing vision boards would be an excellent teaching tool and reinforcement in regard to our discussion. Once again, I experienced a sense of great despondence as my students struggled to glue their hopes and dreams on a piece of colored construction paper.

My kiddos reluctantly completed their boards and I listened proudly as they presented them. The majority of the boys in my classes stated that they wanted to be rich, football or basketball players. Only two male students stated that they wanted to be a chemical engineer and restaurant owner. The girls occupations consisted of hairdressers, models and actors. Two of my girls mentioned that they aspired to be an athletic trainer and a doctor. Immediately, the clinician and social scientist in me started collecting data.

I noticed that my student’s sense of value and potential rested solely in their physical capabilities and materialistic ideologies. Needless to say, the majority of my students had little to no experience in what they aspired to be or do. Some ignored their true talent in effort to fit into the roles that society had adopted for them. This solidified my theory that states that we as African Americans are systematically groomed or more so conditioned to be mediocre and/or utilize our bodies instead of our minds as a means to make a living.

I believe that this skewed superficial way of thinking  is a result of a diminished sense of self worth, absent values and a whitewashed form of racial identity that remained after the effects of slavery. In the African American community, value is quantified by the type of car we drive or the cost of the trendiest gear we can afford. Identity is expressed through our ability to afford bundled weave instead of the packed hair that line the rows in our local beauty supply. Our worth rests in the amount of likes we can gain on various social media sites because being internet famous has become more important than life itself.

Who is to blame for this necessarily? Simply put, we all are. The child that excels in sports is praised publicly while the child that is exceeding academic expectations is simply told good job. We make these secondary constructs like sports immensely important while diminishing the roles of professionals that work just as hard, if not harder, but are compensated way less. We encourage our babies to be whatever they want to be, but don’t provide them with the tools to understand who they really are absent of what society perpetuates. Instead of our children becoming the doctors or attorneys they possess the potential to be, they end up settling for the laborer positions they were purposely groomed for.

Even with the opposition I was met with today, I will still push my students above and beyond what they believe their potential is. I am fully aware that once they leave me, all will not be able to travel the road to success that I have mapped out for them. As for now, I can only remain hopeful that I am giving them the tools they need to be the best them. In my class, the sky will continue to be the limit for those of my students that have dreams that are larger than life. I hope the others can grab ahold of that same magic carpet as their peers and float into the abyss of their individual personal success.

Today’s lesson: accountability breeds excellence. All of the words on the board work together to ensure success. If one is lacking or suffering in nature, our efforts can be in vain.

My kiddos vision boards!

Nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream. When he is truly awakened, his dreams hold the blueprint to his success.~Z.Reed💋👍🏾✌🏾️