The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
The conference I was at last week, New Teacher Center Symposium on Teacher Induction, was informative, inspiring, and empowering. We had the great privilege of hearing from Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade, a classroom teacher in East Oakland, CA for 21 years, and current Associate Professor of Raza Studies and Education at San Francisco State University and Co-Founder of the Teaching Excellence Network. Don't know much about Oakland? Google it. It's the definition of urban teaching and Dr. Duncan-Andrade was beyond inspiring to listen to.
One quote from Dr. Duncan-Andrade that stuck comes from his conversation around Socratic Hope ("show the sermon, don't preach it"):
Are we reflective enough to be on the painful path with our students?
Not just, "Do we care about their pain?" or, "Are we ensuring we understand their pain?" Are we willing to truly walk with them, each and every step of the way? Because that, my friends, is what this takes.
I want to share this 14-minute video clip with you. It's one of Dr. Duncan-Andrade's speeches, called Growing Roses in Concrete, and it illustrates how absolutely vital it is that we know and love the children we spend each day with.
I do hope you take the time to watch this video and allow yourself some space to think about it.
Do you believe in and love your students? Do they know that you love them? What do you do, each and every day, to prove to your students that you're on their path beside them? How does each of your students know that you believe he or she is important? And why does it matter?
http://rosesinconcrete.org/
Dave Chappelle's interview with Maya Angelou (5:35 - 8:26)
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