Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Power of Simplicity

I was in Bill's shop and I passed a box of clothespins, and I thought, "I have to bring this to class for my students to draw." At school the kids said "Ma'am it's just a box of clothespins!" And I said "Yes, isn't it beautiful?" Maybe teaching is the most subversive activity I have ever encountered. Each day I have the opportunity to be present and honest and to respond with dignity, sincerity, and humor to my students. Every day teenagers are thrown out and abandoned by their parents and by society. Mostly it is because of fear. I was abandoned too and this is why it is so empowering to hear them and support them. It's mending my old wounds while celebrating new lives.

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