Joy Comes From The Excellence of Fantastic Teachers - Gratefulness - Excitement - Pride - Passion - Thankfulness - & Hope. A Moment to Reflect on What Counts Most

I was fortunate to host afternoon office hours yesterday, where teachers participating in the New Era Women Writers Program - The Cultivated Women's Collective - stopped by to pick up the first round of materials for their girl writing groups. These are teacher leaders who are the best of the best, and have been doing amazing work beyond the craziness of the nation and world. As each stopped by and discussed their excitement about what has already been accomplished, they shared wonderful things.

I'm also excited. I was going to crate the first round of materials, but then found the cloth boxes at Targets that were 1/20th of the price and much more stylish. They are starting with Ibi Zoboi and getting their writer's notebooks. I have set up an appointment with Dr. Marcelle Haddix for next week and, fingers crossed, hope I can get her to record a writing prompt for me. Gholdy Muhammad is next. 

It's National Women's Month, too, so this seems like the perfect opportunity to make things happen.

What I'm already hearing:

• The girls are super-excited to be selected. In fact, word has spread and more want to get involved? Can I ask more girls to join?
• Last week, I created a Padlet for the girls at my school and it is already filled with ideas and possibilities.
• I feel like this project is saving me. We are being super policed right now and can't teach much at all. Because this is extracurricular, I can actually teach. I am getting books in the hands of my writers. This should be what it is about.
  
• You would not believe what they are banning at my school. I'm hoping this club will get girls talking and books will be spread to others by word of mouth.
• There are so many teachers at my school that want to get involved. They are 'jelly' that I'm a part of this and wish they could be to.
• We spent all last week discussing, "Who is Octavia Butler? Why don't you know her? Who should? It's been super educational for the girls to realize that so many women writers are off the radar. We want all our girls to be on the radar. They need to know the shoulders upon which they might one day stand.
  

I had back to back classes, but an 8 a.m this morning, I feel like I gained so much life, joy, and purpose in one afternoon. Here I am simply allowing teachers to teach. We all can avoid the bureaucracy, the social positioning, the power structures, and the games. I can simply say, "Here's what I got, here's what you get, now what can we do to empower girl writers?" 

It's so easy. I've said it for what is approaching three decades now....cut out the academic bureaucracy, remove the k-12 school bureaucracy, listen to kids, and put funds into the hands of teachers. Teachers remain the most amazing, resilient, hard-working, and energized people on earth. If we invest in them, we invest in futures.

Sorry, higher ed. 99.9% of how your existence is self-serving and without any purpose other than to justify an economic structure that DOES NOT help society in the ways it think it does. Invest in the doers...not in the talkers.

It's that easy.