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Pursuing Authenticity Requires Practicing what we Preach
By Jeremy | February 3, 2010
Readers of this blog know of my fascination with stories and storytelling, especially the stories we live out loud everyday. You also know of my interest in public education, and my work with 20/20 Vision for Schools.
It’s time for a confession. Even before launching 20/20 in 2008, despite being known is some circles as the 20/20 Vision guy, my work on education reform was mostly theoretical. My passion was real, but day to day, aside from designing and architecting 20/20, my personal involvement actually living 20/20′s engagement paradigm was non-existent.
Why? I haven’t run a community group or helped lead a congregation in almost four years, which means I couldn’t commit an organization to adopt a school for service and advocacy. Nor have I been involved in direct youth work since 2005, so I couldn’t directly empower student leaders to become change agents within their schools. Finally, until this year, my son attended private schools, so engaging a school as a volunteer was difficult.
Then this fall everything changed. My wife and I enrolled Judah in our local public school, P.S. 102. Dropping him off that first day, we were struck by the visual of instructional signs in a dozen or more language plastered on the school entrance. Combined with the traditional clothing worn by many parents, the visible diversity energized us.
A couple of weeks later at an open house, my wife and I were among 14 or 15 parents meeting Judah’s fourth grade teacher for the first time. Only one other parent was obviously born in this country. Accents and surnames suggested that the rest were born in the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia.
The following week, I met Judah’s teacher to see how his transition to a new school was going and to learn more about the curriculum. She explained that fourth grade at P.S. 102 emphasizes not just literacy, but more specifically revising and editing written work. As an occasional writer, this both thrilled and concerned me.
Editing happens best one-on-one, but she has 25 students, and twelve or so are learning English as a second language. How could she manage to edit so many kids at various skill-levels at once? She invited me to come in once a week to provide more focused help for students who might need it. Since mid-October, some of my new favorite people are Judah’s classmates. The highlight of my year has been watching their confidence rise along with their literacy.
I met the parent coordinator on Halloween, and she asked if I might have any interest in helping start a writing club. Specifically, she was concerned about budget cuts to the school newspaper, and wanted to explore non-traditional media as a platform for student writing.
Five weeks later, together with a third parent we launched an online journalism club with twelve fourth graders representing all eight fourth grade classes at the school. They named themselves the Journalism Stars, and this week they published the first edition of their Virtual Journal.
We are learning how to celebrate the lives people live out loud each day. Here’s an excerpt about the club:
We are twelve 4th grade students, two parents, and one fearless parent coordinator learning that the most interesting stories are the stories of our lives — the ones we live everyday. Journalism is one way we can capture those stories and celebrate the life of our school with others.
Stories are all around us. … They can inform, persuade, or entertain us. They make us think or feel, and the best stories cause us to do both. …
Every great story has certain elements, like characters, plot, setting, timing, drama, and a purpose. Journalists discover the elements of the stories we tell about people or events by answering six basic questions: Who? What? Where? When? How? and Why?
Each month Our Virtual Journal will publish stories that relate to one of those six question. Our January 2010 issue begins by asking WHO? Who are we at Journalism Stars. And who are some of the interesting characters at PS 102?
Show support to the Journalism Stars at PS 102. They’ve reminded me, once again, what really matters for authentic living. Check them out and leave a comment or two.
Topics: 2020 vision, authenticity, education, education reform, journalism stars, judah, ps 102, story | 2 Comments »
February 20th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:48 am
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