Infinite Possibilities

April 17, 2009



Today, I get the opportunity to spend some time in the classroom with a group of middle school students. They are in 8th grade and getting ready to journey on to high school. I ask them what they are looking forward to or scared of, but before I get all the words out I already know I will be met with total silence. What 14 year old is brave enough to talk about their true feelings in front of their peers? It's too bad, because I am sure that they are all going through the same thing and if only one of them was brave enough to speak it out loud, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.

I move on to the required portion of the lesson where I show them two high school transcripts: one is from a student who will not be graduating this year. She started failing almost all of her classes from 10th grade on. Then, I show them the transcript of the top Latino male in the whole school. He has a full-ride scholarship pretty much anywhere he wants to go. He's already been taking college classes. He has almost entirely all A's in his classes-classes that are honors and AP or college level. This kid kicks butt! People are impressed!

And then a short Mexican kid in the front row says, "Yeah, but it doesn't matter because he'll still just be flipping burgers at McDonald's anyways." Sometimes, kids this age are such smart mouths, but I had the feeling that was not the case this time around. His statement comes from experience. What has he seen happen in his own life and to his own family? I can only imagine.

When I spent the years in Africa, it was easy to see how people there were oppressed. They didn't even have basic health care or education. How can people rise up, much less maintain status quo, when they are sick and unaware?

Here, the ways in which we systematically squish groups of people down are different but no less real. Some would argue with that point. Some might say we have come so far. I say we still have a long way to go.

And yet, I want to believe that this top Latino male student is going to make it. We've seen others who have found their way through the tangly webs of the isms they were born into. I want for that little Mexican kid, and for all the others in the class, to know how much they are truly capable of.

I am saddened to think that these children truly believe they are worth less because of their race, ethnicity, and class. Their personal life experiences are profound teachers. Why should they believe me over that?

I am trying to see if this top Latino student will come talk to the 8th grade class. I want the students to see examples of what is possible. They have seen enough examples of dreams stamped out.