Why Not You?

March 7, 2019

I don’t believe in coincidences.

I was thumbing through a bookshelf in a classroom and came across the book I Am Malala. Now, I would like to tell you that I have read it cover to cover and it changed my life, but I have not. I have never read the book, only the headlines around Malala Yousafzai, and I listened to her podcast on Oprah. But, I am pretty sure she is amazing and wonderful.

On the other hand, I HAVE read the book What’s the Best That Could Happen? by Debbie Miller and there is a visual inside it (on page 97) that shows a student’s timeline of important events in Malala’s life.

Around the same time that I was reading Debbie Miller, I went to a different school. While sitting in a classroom there, I looked up to see this quote:

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” ~ Malala Yousafzai

As I connected finding Malala’s book to the image in Debbie Miller’s book to the Malala classroom poster, I realized this was not a coincidence. It felt more like a message.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”

Really? Yes, really.

So there it was. The universe was sending clear information to me. And while I was listening, I started to wonder if we have forgotten the truth in the statement above.

I spend a lot of time in schools. Being able to work alongside teachers in real time is an amazing way to spend my days. Watching teachers teach, talking about teaching and learning, and seeing the inner workings of schools is not something most “outsiders” get to do. It gives me a glimpse of what I call “real school,” and because I LOVE school, I think it is really fun.

However, because of this access, I sometimes see the downside of school, too.

People get tired.

People get bored.

People lose focus.

People get burned out.

People make mistakes.

We have legislation and policies that often contradict each other and diminish what we are able to do with kids.

The system feels broken.

BUT!

What if we started to think like Malala?

What if what she says is true?

Could we change things one person at a time?

What if we believed we have the power to do this?

What if we no longer gave other people our power by focusing on the negative space?

What if we started one person at a time, one classroom at a time, and started changing the world?

I know what you are thinking… why me?

Why can’t I wait until there is policy change, a new leader in my school, or a new budget?

Why can’t I wait until they clean this up a little, or why can’t I wait until I am better at this education thing?

Because kids.