Blog Entry
On my last day of spring break I find myself doing alot of thinking. I am consistently re-evaluating my decision to become a teacher. besides the fact that i felt unprepared to teach 5 different classes (algebra, pre algebra, math, reading and writing), i felt thrown into teaching as a whole. and i felt, to put it eloquently, bullshitted by TFA., i also felt an unexplainable pang in my heart. My purpose in becoming a teacher was to educate and motivate the minds of african american children like myself who may not have any positive role models in their lives. The systematic demise of the black man is more prevalent now then when the white man had us in chains...why you ask. let me explain The black man (and when i say man i DO mean woman as well) has lost the one thing that has always put us one step above the rest. the one thing that separates the black man from his multicultural counterparts. the one thing that got us out of those chains...PRIDE when i say pride that encompasses motivation, drive, sense of self, self worth, and PRIDE in COMMUNITY. during reconstruction the black man could not be stopped. children walked miles to get to school just to try to better themselves and their families. parents worked all day and night to make sure that their kids rose above. people stuck together and the commuity raised the child. where are the communities now. i live in a society where south park and the boondocks have a bigger effect on our children than parents do. television raises our kids and teachers dont give enough of a damn to really sit down and talk to their students about something other than what they are paid to. i know the age old argument, parents should teach life, manners, and motivation and teachers should teach content. but the parents arent doing it, so who will. there is a void in my heart and the only way to fill it is to get back to my original plan. to educated black children and to help them undrstand that thre is power in that skin. immeasurable power that can only be tapped with hard work, motivation, and an end in mind from the very begining. we need to start talking to our kids about where they are going to they can get their heads beyond where they are. once im done with my masters, im going to get my Phd in african american history and i am going to educate my people on where they are from, who they are, and where they can go. i have been wondering what i really want to do with my life and now i feel as if i know the direction i want to move. the biggest weakness of the black man is none other than fear of self. doubt holds us down, but truth and knowledge can pick us back up.