Unity Part 2

This week we have a special guest columnist.  He is one of the best educators I know.  Thank you Pat Dobmeier for this inspirational piece.

I felt like a hypocrite.   

For 17 years, I told my students to persist even when things were bleak.  For 17 years, I tried to teach them not what to think, but how to think.  For 17 years, I emphasized the importance of empathy and respect.  For 17 years, I shared motivational quotations with them to remind them to look at the big picture

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But I was becoming disillusioned.  I couldn’t sleep at night.  I could not stop thinking about how divided we were as a nation—in seemingly every way imaginable.  I felt helpless. 

How could I try to instill hope in my students when I was starting to feel hopeless myself? 

So, I decided to do something.  

I wrote a letter to my children—they are too young (5 and 2) to understand any of it, but I poured out my heart to them.  I told them how much I love them, and I told them some of the thoughts running through my head, including how to create a better country for them and every other child.   

Then I contacted a small group of former students with an idea I had about trying to unite Americans.   You might ask, “Why would he contact former students?”  Because, outside of my family and close friends, my students are the most important people in my life.  Because I trust and value them.  Because they are better examples of what America should be than many of the people with the largest platforms.  Because when people would tell me that they’re giving up on humanity, I tell them that I wish they could meet my students. 

For 17 years, my students have taught me countless life lessons.  One of the most powerful ones is at an event held at our high school called Cultural Coalescence.  The structure is simple: students sign up for a country—either one related to their ancestry or one that interests them—and they represent that country throughout the day in the gymnasium.  Everyone in the school gets to “tour” the countries, learn their history, hear their music, watch their dances, and even taste their cuisine.  By the end of the day, the lessons learned are clear: every individual in the school is valued, our diversities should be celebrated, and we share so many similarities as humans. 

The students at our high school come from all walks of life and represent every imaginable background.  And we thrive together.  When I look at them, I recognize the traits I want to see in America: respect, empathy, diligence, and the willingness to listen, learn, and work together. 

The three weeks since I contacted my former students have been a whirlwind.  A group stepped up as leaders.  Bria built a website.  They shared their voices. 

Our gamble is this: we believe that there are millions of people in our country who feel the way we do.  Although the divisiveness in our country is deep-seated, we believe loud voices, social media, and television amplify it.  We believe that unity can be stronger.   

Therefore, we are trying to bring people together.  The short-term goal is to spread awareness and provide a platform for people to share their voices.  The long-term goal is to raise money for a group of former students to travel across America to meet people.  It goes back to my belief that if people met my students, perceptions could change.   

I stopped feeling like a hypocrite.   

We need to be better as a country.  We can solve the issues plaguing us.  But only if we do it together.  It will not be politicians or celebrities who redeem us.  It will be we, the people.     

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