The fact that the ire of so many has been raised is, I think,one of the =
best reasons to keep the celebration as it is. But to ask the question, if =
the spirit of the asking is generous, not spiteful, not onerous in any =
way, should be allowed in this community. It allows for introspection and =
examination of our own attitudes, and begs us to be our biggest selves yet =
one more time.
We have all responded in an angrier tone than we might have wished, in our =
personal and professional lives, excepting the saints and angels among us =
(and I am convinced there are some).=20
We have all asked a question which we later rued asking, being insensitive =
to the asked, or ignorant of the bigger issues, or in too big a rush to =
hit "send," later wishing we had hesitated before our hurried sentiments =
were disseminated to all of our colleagues in the known universe.=20
There are still open wounds that need healing, huge pockets of ignorance =
and indifference that need enlightenment and education. But the thought =
that maybe, just maybe, before the next millennium, we might be so well =
acquainted with each others' hurts and traditions and history--black, =
Latino, native American, women, handicapped, fill in any group with an =
identity that has been wronged--that having a week or a month of acknowledg=
ement would seem not only unnecessary but a little insulting (in the =
spirit of "I have read many opinions that say it is NOT good as a message =
that Black Americans are only important one time of the year").=20
There will be more heat than light generated for a long time to come for =
the exact reasons of the huge injustices that still need righting, in =
coded law and peoples' thinking. This is a slow process! In the process of =
educating ourselves and our society (even the most enlightened among us =
would admit there is much to learn!), tempers will flare less often, and =
we will all, we can hope, respond with more reason and generosity of =
spirit. In the meantime, could we all take a deep breath before venting, =
and before hitting the "send" button, change the "to" box to our own name, =
to re-read a message and consider it in the light of the next day? THAT =
would be my wish for all of us in this new year. (We wish for no less from =
our students!)
Sincerely,
Margaret Wuersten
Librarian
Aylen Jr. High School
Puyallup, Washington
mwuersten@puyallup.k12.wa.us
>>> Wendy Paige <wpaige@WARREN.K12.IN.US> - 1/8/03 6:34 AM >>>
I couldn't agree with you more, Karen, that that statement was not a nice
one to have made.
I have often pondered the debate about whether it is a good idea to just
focus one month on Black History -- I have read many opinions that say it
is NOT good as a message that Black Americans are only important one time
of the year. It seems like a good idea to make sure all important people
of all heritages are focused on every day in every way in every lesson =
that
is relevant.
I don't think there is any one right answer but when I used to teach high
school English, I did a unit on Black Lit in February and then rethought
that and just infused Black Lit throughout the year in thematic units. I
liked that better because it said black writers make contributions in many
areas, genres, themes etc. -- their work should be saved and lumped
together just in February.
>"Clearly you have little respect or knowledge of the role that Blacks =
have
>played in the formation of this country."
>
>That's not very nice of you.
Wendy W. Paige
Media Specialist
Eastridge Elementary School
10930 E. 10th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46229
wpaige@warren.k12.in.us
317-532-3160
fax 317-532-3189
http://eastridge.warren.k12.in.us
"The best thing for the inside of man is the outside of a horse" --
Winston Churchill
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