In a million years, I didn't expect to have this reaction to the election. I knew how I felt about Obama, knew how I voted, knew what my inner hopes were.
I didn't know that what I would feel was a sense of peace I haven't experienced for a long time. I go to school every day, I look these kids in the eyes, and I tell them every day that they can do anything they want to do, they can be anything they want to be. I have always believed it, personally, but I think I have had my doubts about the world. I think I have wondered, silently, with my inner voice, whether the world can really be blind but to the qualifications of the individual. I too have wondered "when will I be satisfied".
I am not satisfied, but I am at peace, because the world has restored my hope. I can look them in the eyes, and not only say what I believe, but know that they believe it too, that the world spoke on not the color of a man, but the qualifications, the content of his character.
We ran a mock election at my school, and there are pictures I would include if I could do so without jeopardizing their anonymity, but trust when I say that my heart was full when I left school. We CAN change the world-- one step at a time, one day at a time, shattering one misconception at a time. I believe. YES, WE CAN.
1 comment:
We held a mock election at our school, too. There were no classes that day but teachers had to be there for PD. About half of our students came into school especially to vote. They had such a sense of pride as they cast their ballot. It's a shame that kids' votes don't count for anything. Because kids usually see the true nature of a person.
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