Finding Hope in Dark Times
In many ways these are dark times to live in. Those of us in our 50's grew up in the 70's and 80's during the cold war. We remember not Code Red drills but nuclear blast drills where we hid under our desk. Perhaps that might have saved us from flying glass but likely little else. The threat of nuclear war was ever present, especially when Ronald Reagan became US president and began to speak of a winnable nuclear war. Thoughts of the future seemed bleak for many young people including myself. When the cold war eventually, and suddenly ended in the 90's, it seemed like a new lease on life, that somehow we have dodged the bullet and a different future was possible. Then 9/11 happened and once again there was something to fear. Terrorism and climate change are now the two headed hydra threatening our future, and nuclear weapons are still around!
Beneath all of these threats is something far more sinister however, and that is fear itself. Whatever its causes, fear undresses our civilized veneer and exposes the deepest darkest haunts of human nature – ignorance, prejudice and in its worst form, violence. This was no more clearly displayed then in our recent federal election. The call to "out" bizarre cultural practices, and the niqab debate were both the children of fear. The fact they were used for political gain made it even more vulgar. Once again after the horrible massacre of innocents in Paris, fear has found fertile ground. A mosque set in fire in Peterborough, a Muslim women attacked at her children's school in Toronto, and calls to refuse refugees from Syria - despite the fact the Paris attackers were French and Belgian nationals. What are schools to do in such an environment of fear?
As teachers we are merchants of hope, our efforts with each and every child every day, is to prepare them to create a future that might be better then the one we have inherited and created for ourselves. Each child represents this hope, and each child - Muslim, Christian, Jew, whatever, is an opportunity for this better future to come about. For public schools the path is clear - building a better future involves mustering "every" child we can under our umbrella of hope and letting them know that not only are they part of the future, the future needs them. Syrian, Afghan, refugee or native born Manitoban, we make a place for them in our schools and work.
Toward that work, I invite you all to consider what action you can take to build the future through the opportunity to engage in an ETA Equity and Social Justice Grant this year. You'll receive more information in an email shortly.
