The World We Live In

     Scary stuff out there this past week would be an understatement!  Here's what I'm thinking:  Is this the legacy that we want to leave our children?  One of my favorite units to teach is the one I do as we approach Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January.  Every year, my students are surprised that there used to be segregation.  In their world, they have not been segregated, at least not the way it was in the 60's.  When I separate my students into dark-skinned and light skinned groups and ask them to take a look at who is in each group it really hits home!  Most of them can't believe that in the 60's, they wouldn't have even had the opportunity to meet some of their closest friends.  In my classrooms, past and present, we don't see skin color.  We learn together, we grow together, we make mistakes together, we build friendships together.
     Tolerance is taught in most schools.  I know it is in ours.  We also teach rules and expectations.  This is harder for some students than others.  The struggle is real.  As teachers, we work diligently to help our students understand that.  We have little control over what our students go home to each night and what our students are being told there.
     Making the world a better place for the next generation needs to be a joint effort between the community and home.  When we see the reports on the news, I firmly believe that some of the fault lies with the media. They only tell part of the story and people get all riled up. Then they have more to report, while innocent lives are lost. It's job security for them. That being said, do I believe that, in some instances, there is police over-reach.  Sure I do.  In other cases, if the person, regardless of color, did as they were asked, they might still be alive.  Rules are in place for the betterment of our society.  We teach our children to follow them in school.  The rules also work in the real world, for the most part.  However, just like in schools, there are some who have a hard time following them.
    Am I naive enough to think that there are still people out there that judge by the color of skin only?  No, I am not that naive.  Do I think racism is learned? Yes.  This is not a "Black Lives Matter" hot topic.  ALL lives matter! EVERY person that dies is someone's child, someone's brother or sister.  Think about that as the new school year rapidly approaches and you have discussions around the dinner table.