Remembering there is a human being there is a fundamental marker for me. Freire talks about "radical human love" and this is something I try to live by. It's harder for me when the person is hate-filled; I often do not succeed in loving that person for their humanity, but the principle is still something I strive for. I find radical human love to be a key goal in our work at East High school. Without this, changing the culture of low expectations of urban youth will be impossible.
What a lovely message for a Tuesday morning! This would be a wonderful beginning of a "morning reflection" for our writing students at the beginning of the year--and possibly throughout the year, as interest wanes or ebbs. I particularly liked the comment about criticism--something that I struggle with. The important and often forgotten observation that behind every work of art is its creator who risked putting the object out there is a life-affirming and compassionate reminder of the true beauty of the artistic process. I hope that this sort of message hits home with my worried 9th graders--who for the first time are looking around a room full of potential writers and beginning to "place" themselves into categorical boxes. How many of our young writers give up so soon, expecting words on a page to come "naturally" and fluently--when the process is tangled and the passage forward rough and steep.
Remembering there is a human being there is a fundamental marker for me. Freire talks about "radical human love" and this is something I try to live by. It's harder for me when the person is hate-filled; I often do not succeed in loving that person for their humanity, but the principle is still something I strive for. I find radical human love to be a key goal in our work at East High school. Without this, changing the culture of low expectations of urban youth will be impossible.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely message for a Tuesday morning! This would be a wonderful beginning of a "morning reflection" for our writing students at the beginning of the year--and possibly throughout the year, as interest wanes or ebbs. I particularly liked the comment about criticism--something that I struggle with. The important and often forgotten observation that behind every work of art is its creator who risked putting the object out there is a life-affirming and compassionate reminder of the true beauty of the artistic process. I hope that this sort of message hits home with my worried 9th graders--who for the first time are looking around a room full of potential writers and beginning to "place" themselves into categorical boxes. How many of our young writers give up so soon, expecting words on a page to come "naturally" and fluently--when the process is tangled and the passage forward rough and steep.
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