“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi
Change is a hard thing.
It makes many people nervous, including me. Do we really want to change? Do we really want to stand up and say, “Something
is wrong and we need to change?” if we
are really honest, most people would say no at first, but when faced with the
inevitability of change, we are forced to change, if not be the agent of
change.
As I reflect on the things that are happening in the USA at
this time, there is so much going on… We’re about to elect a new president,
many issues that we were once silent about are coming to the forefront, and personally,
I’m being taught new strategies and techniques to use as I teach my English
classes. Change is all around me. And it’s SCARING me to death!
When I pay attention to the national landscape of change, I wonder
if Colin Kapernick thought about what he would face when he decided to “be the
change,” and not stand for the singing of the National Anthem. Did he imagine that he would be the “talk of
the town?” Did he imagine that a
well-known sportscaster would cast aspersions on his “BLACKNESS?” Did he know that people would burn his
jersey? Did he think that it could cost
him his job? I wonder.
However, Colin’s action has caused us to think, read,
evaluate, and process what we value as Americans and humans. Will anything change because of his
actions? Perhaps. Will Americans come together and work towards
some solutions. I don’t know. But, Colin made a stand, and it has affected
us all in some way.
As I think about the changes going on in my own small, diminutive
world, it seems insignificant compared to the world at large. So much is going on, that I often think… “Will
making a change in my life or in my teaching make a difference?” The conclusion I come to each time I ask
myself that question is… YES!
