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To my fellow African American Educators,

I know your frustration. I know your irritation. I know your pain.

I see it every day. In classrooms across this country, our children refuse to take the privilege of having a decent education seriously. Its not their fault. They only react to what is presented to them. They only respond to the environment around them.

Parents,community leaders, the media and even us, on bad days, make it perfectly clear that getting and education is a complete waste of time. Why work toward a goal when you don't expect to live to see your 21 birthday? Why have a dream, if there is no foundation to stand up and reach for that dream?

My students know I care about their education. I tell them all the time. I fuss, cajole, complain, push, shove, expose, inspire, consider and make them THINK about their dreams and how they will reach them.

I call the house the moment they fall off the wagon. This, occasionally upsets the person that answers the phone, seeing how I'm calling while the soaps are on or keeping them from their nap, but I don't care. I believe the first step to a child becoming a life long learner, a useful member of society and someone who wants his or her dreams to come true, is to get the parents to buy into the concept.

I recognize mom made some mistakes along the way, but mom, does that mean your child should make the same mistakes? Does this mean you shouldn't work just that much harder to make sure that the mistakes don't happen?

My fellow educators, I applaud you. We have a job that NO ONE should have to do. I have to save our culture, our community, ourselves. What I do and what you do daily, directly affects what will happen to us as we step away and look back at those we taught. I want those I taught to have more than they thought they could have. I want them to know there is hope for them to be what they want to be, if they are willing to work for it.

Yes, its important to know our past; how else do we make decisions concerning our future? So teach them about our past, but point them toward the future. Its impossible to walk while looking backward.

Build up their confidence. See to it that they know that they are worthy of respect, knowing that respect from others starts with self respect. WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LOVE OURSELVES!

Mentor them all, every one, for every one of them has potential to change the world. Didn't someone believe that of us once, years ago?

Be both a teacher and a friend. For some need both.

My fellow African American educators, I know, I know. Sigh loudly, raise up your head, get in there. We have much much work to do.

Learn more about this author, C.S. Stone.
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