Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.{New Orleans edition}

As I have written many times before, traveling is undefeated. Removing ourselves from our comfortable surroundings, and familiar haunts can immediately open our eyes to new perspectives in a wider world.

Over the past several decades, our society has become increasingly more polarized - and high schools most often reflect the communities that we serve.  So, the need for us (teachers) to take our students beyond the school walls, and into the wider world is more pressing than ever.

St Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square New Orleans

Last week's trip to New Orleans, Montgomery, and Atlanta illuminated a different world for many of us.  It is hard to find authentic culture in this globalized world where we can get anything we want (with two day shipping) from Amazon Prime.

So, sometimes you just have to get on the bus and walk the streets of a far away town...and experience it through the smells, tastes, and sounds - which (as of yet) Amazon can not provide.  So, eating beignets and drinking cafe au lait along the mighty Mississippi, smelling the gumbo and horses in the French Quarter, or hearing the brass band of a second line parade tearing down Toulouse Street brought it home.

Georgia Aquarium

We learned local history along our tours, and even paddled down the river on the Steamboat Natchez - but standing in Martin Luther King's home in Montgomery, where the floor of the front porch still has a hole in it from a bomb, is simply something that you can not get from a book or movie.  From walking down the same street, in the same Alabama heat, as all of the marchers did from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 - to tasting a greasy cheeseburger at Atlanta's Varsity, we were no longer bystanders to the forces of history and culture that have come to shape our world.

Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama State House

And, as always, traveling with these teenagers is undefeated.  They roll with the punches, make the best out of most things, and are full of spirit and energy.  I'm so incredibly grateful for this work, and for these kids, that it overwhelms me sometimes.  I return home with a full heart, and ready to plan a trip for next year.

This trip continually reminded me of the great Mary Oliver quote:
"Instructions for a life: Pay attention.  Be astonished.  Tell about it."

What new, incredible things will we experience?

Second Line Parade, New Orleans

The Case for Teaching

It is easy to get down about teaching.  It is easy to believe that the job is thankless, but I still find it amazing, and here are some of the reasons why:

1.  Teenagers are ...fun.  The kids that I teach still get so exited about things.  From music, to prom, to Starbucks - they exhibit an unbridled enthusiasm for so many things.  They introduce me to new memes, music, YouTube videos, fashions, and slang - and it is often hilarious.  Not yet jaded, they appreciate levity and fun, and continue to actively seek it.  That teenage ethos is 100% contagious, and constantly helps me see the wonder in my day.  It is both a challenge and a gift to channel their enthusiasm into curiosity about history, and global connectivity.  But that is what keeps me coming back.

2.  Teaching history forces me to constantly read, learn new things, and just...get smarter.  The thing about teaching high school kids is that they will challenge you.  So, because my business is teaching history - I have to be so on my game.  If I mess up a fact, or mispronounce a name, or incorrectly spell a term - they will let me know...immediately.  Thus, I have to work hard to make my students believers.  I have to sell it every day - and I love it.

3.  It makes me more compassionate.  Working with these kids, and seeing them everyday - has increased my capacity for compassion.  Though instilling rigor is crucial, I find myself most interested in how my students feel each day.  Are they happy?  Do they feel sick today?  Is there joy on their faces?  Seeing the ups and downs of a teenager's life throughout a ten month period has grown my heart, and inspires me to be a better person.

4.  I need to be creative, and teaching enables me to do it.  Whether it is coming up with new lesson plans that get us outside of the four walls of the classroom, or designing new t-shirts - the culture of my classroom demands that I push creative boundaries.  I love being surrounded by 20 - 30 creative people daily - who have an expectation for excitement.  This makes me excited each morning, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

5.  Academic wrestling is fun.  Introducing and engaging in conversation about the impacts of the Green Revolution, decolonization movements, or the rise of feminism is invigorating.  It encourages me to see new perspectives, and listen with an open mind.  I love hearing what students have to say about topics that they are hearing for the first time.