The Bridge

"... So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible--and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people--must be prepared to 'go for broke.'"

James Baldwin

Inevitably, when education's teach-for-tests battles seem all consuming, a student appears to remind me how closely identity and motivation are linked. A young boy from Seventh Avenue shrugs when asked what he likes to read yet is happy to hear about his neighborhood's beloved poet Langston Hughes. After being treated to a Friday afternoon screening of Charles Burnett's Selma, Lord, Selma, a fifth-grade class responds by singing "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" while exiting the school. A volatile, 14-year-old manchild from the projects is hushed as James Baldwin's essay "The Harlem Ghetto" is read aloud at the beginning of class.

Our parents proudly sang "The Negro National Anthem" to my sisters and me on weekend mornings. As a special education teacher in public schools, I have been impressed that so many of my students are receptive to the stories they have been told and keep in a file labeled "back in the day." Their genuine appreciation of past events has convinced me that courageous curiosity (the lifeblood of critical thinking) truly is within reach.

The adults who lead them--both family members and educators--are challenged to present this warrior generation with narratives that inspire because the messages reveal the world as it is and the strength needed to confront complexities.