A Booming Voice

It started with a rule. No Gum In School. Every day, my students would ask why they couldn't hew gum. They would list multiple reasons why gum would benefit them as students and they would culminate their arguments with the promise that chewed gum would always end up in the garbage can as opposed to the desks or walls. Personally, I never have a problem with my students chewing gum, but since the school's policy was No Gum In School, I enforced it in my classroom. After two weeks of "ayy, Misss, let us chew gum," I told my students this: your voices are amazing and if you want something changed, like a rule, you have the power to do that with your voice, and if you combine your voices, you're even more powerful. With that, I found various studies on the internet that detailed the ways gum has helped students in school. I had my students read the studies and write letters to our principal with the mission of persuading him to change the rule. No Gum In School.

After that, anytime my students wanted to change something I had the same response, "Use your voice. Your voice is powerful. Your voice can instigate change." I tried so hard to instill my students with the idea that words can be the most powerful medium in change. Words can bridge gaps and change communities. I tried so hard to encourage my 14 year olds to find their voice.

Sadly, in this effort, I've forgotten to use my own. I've watched injustices happening every single day. I've seen students treated unfairly, I've seen students forced to believe that their academic worth is bound in a test score. I've heard people say awful things about my students. I've watched my students' minds dulled by simple crossword puzzles and videos...

And I haven't said anything...

I haven't lived a life of affluent privilege, but my life has been a constant gift. People have been beyond generous in creating and cultivating me as an individual. When I've needed friends, they've come in bounties. When I've wanted parental guidance, I've had two biological ones and hundreds of others to lead me. I've never not had enough, I've never been hungry or cold or naked. I have never had reason to doubt that my voice isn't valuable because so many people have encouraged me to speak.

For most of my students, that is not the case. My students do know hunger and tiredness, they know the feelings of worthlessness and defeat. Some don't have parents some have parents who are forced to work miles away just to make ends meet. They have multiple reasons to believe their voice isn't valuable, but yet, they recognize injustices inherently and they use their voices to make change. My students, with a minute vocabulary, speak wonders; they understand compassion and kindness far more than I can comprehend at times.

My sweet students deserve more than this world will ever be able to give them.

I'll clear my voice and I'll speak for them.