I have been thinking a lot about service lately. (And not just serving my favorite spring/summer weather fashions now that it’s FINALLY warm outside!)
It started a few weeks ago when Captain Corrie Mays visited our school to share about her career in STEM & what it is like to be one of the first female Naval Flight Officers who is a part of the Blue Angels.
It led to a discussion with students about service and the myriad of ways that one can serve. When we think of service it’s easy to first think of those who serve in the armed forces or those who are public servants working in government. But there are so many other ways to serve one’s community Of course it can also be fighting climate change, fighting for reproductive rights or to end gun violence. But do not dismiss the simple ways we can serve by just choosing kindness, empathy, and respect when interacting with others.
As we have become more attached to our screens, I am concerned about the ways in which we are all losing touch with what I consider the basics of human interaction: communicating with one another in real life. Not texting or FaceTiming or messaging on Instagram or on Zoom. Actual face-to-face human interaction. We become icons of who we are as people the more we interact online. You lose so much nuance in a conversation when you are not in the same room as someone. As a result, we can easily shrink behind online personas and lose touch with our empathy and kindness.
So, I am going to try to try my best to offset all my online interactions with more offline ones.
Ok, some updates as of late.
At the end of May, Randi Weingarten (President of the American Federation of Teachers) visited my school and my classroom!
On June 1st, I spoke at the Wear Orange Rally representing Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. It was an honor to share the space with survivors as well as family and friends of survivors. I am grateful to Moms Demand Action for inviting me to participate.
Here is a Fox 5 New York segment about the event
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Then, on Thursday, June 6th we joined Representative Dan Goldman, Representative Maxwell Frost, Mayor Adams, and Chancellor Banks for a very special announcement. New York City schools committed to sharing new federal resources made available regarding the safe storage of firearms with students, teachers, and families. The announcement followed Congressman Goldman’s letter to NYC Public Schools Chancellor David Banks requesting an update on NYC Public Schools’ plan to distribute these resources throughout the district.
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It was thrilling for Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence to be a part of this major announcement. The goal is to get other schools to follow suit.
By the way, if you want to support the work of Teachers Unify, you can go here
So, now I am a few weeks away from the end of the school year. The last day of classes was on Thursday and now kids have state exams.
I will be proctoring many New York Regents exams from now until graduation. However, I am looking forward to this event on Tuesday. I think it is sold out, but if you want to join let me know!
I promise to write more regularly, but as you can see I have been busy!
i will remember empathy and kindness today … and taking the time to have more conversations with strangers in the room. 🐦⬛ connection and authentic communication. as i’ve gotten older, a lot of my connectivity points have rubbed off.
Huge congrats on the 22 years