The dailiness of life brings many challenges. Often we think there is little we can do, or that anything we might do would likely have little effect. So we end up doing nothing. Or worse, we may fall into an attitude of mad-itude, constantly aggravated over even small events, largely complaining to everyone around us, adding another annoyance to their day. We then become the challenge!
I like this little poem for the truth it offers:
What if the little rain should say,
'So small a drop as I
Can ne'er refresh a drooping earth,
I'll tarry in the sky.' Unknown author.
Each of us has a voice, and it is needed.
I was struck this morning by the power of one voice -- then others joining with it.
What happens when a favorite teacher is laid off?
Rather than accepting the news defeatedly, when Christina Gutierrez (better known as Miss G. to her students) was notified in mid-September that she would be laid off due to low seniority, her students at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles rallied.
The last day she worked 500 students organized a sit-in protest. They wanted to voice their disapproval of the decision.
Prior to this 4 students and friends Noemi Rodriguez, Jimmy Biblarz, David Kamins, and Maya Festinger felt there had to be something they could do about it. They teleconferenced twice a week, investigated rules and regs, and thought about the logistics. Using word of mouth (I was surprised it wasn't texting) they publicized their plans, and the day of the protest they handed out information for all that were protesting.
I won't be surprised if any of them become lawyers.
They lined the halls the day of Gutierrez' departure, careful not to block any exits or disrupt traffic flow in the building. When the principal asked them to be quiet, they started to snap. By day's end, the students had gathered 300 letters of support.
This did not prove to be a solution, however. Rather than letting it end there, the students kept forging on.
Gutierrez took a substitute teaching job at an elementary school. Meanwhile her replacement wished to work at an elementary school. The simple solution was: why not switch the two teachers?
And I ask, since she had a replacement, why was she let go in the first place!
The students prepared to present their solution at a school district board meeting.
We want to create a legitimate student representation. We don't want to be belligerent or bludgeoning. A lot of what we are about is proposing solutions, rather than listing grievances. Maya Festinger
The result? The board members conceded and allowed Gutierrez to return to Hamilton High.
What do I conclude?
It began with Gutierrez whose voice meant something to the students.
What does it take to have a voice that others rally to support?
I suspect she respects her students and genuinely likes them. I'm sure they feel this.
In a situation such as this, it would appear that those who are powerless (in this case the students) must accept without murmur the decision of the powerful (the school board.) But in this case, the powerless showed their acumen and ultimately that they were not powerless at all.
It's inspiring! In the midst of seeming hopelessness, we don't have to cave! Perhaps it is only rarely that we are ever powerless. With a little heart, we can accomplish a lot.
Where can you add your voice today? Don't be silent! Let your voice be heard.
Karin
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