I struggled over the topic for this week’s post. So much has happened over the course of the last four weeks. I wish I had hours to sit and share with all of you. The decision to narrow down these ideas came to me during church this morning. (Perhaps cliché, I know…)
Every Sunday, at St. Anna’s Church in Mid-City, we pray for the perpetrators and victims of the murders in New Orleans. The priest or a parishioner reads the name and age of each murder victim from the preceding week. They are typically male, between the ages of 20-25. Even when I know this list is coming, it catches me off guard. Perhaps it is the startling consistency of this list, or maybe that the dead are almost always younger than me. This morning, I had an odd but fleeting thought of hope, that perhaps in a few years, there will not be such a list to read each Sunday. These are not just the victims of horrific acts of violence but of a failed education system—one that could not provide the promise of future success for these boys or the perpetrators of these crimes.
New Orleans is in an interesting era of rebirth, one that is perhaps not all that unfamiliar to the city. It seems that the progress and failure of the city comes and goes in waves. We seem to be moving in a good direction, but the question of sustainability remains. Success and sustainability hinges on the triumph or failure of this experiment in education. Education must be the cornerstone of all efforts to improve the city. If schools cannot provide a safe environment for our youth where there is value attached to education, boys will continue to drop out of school. Violence will continue to plague the streets of New Orleans.
Our ninth graders arrive tomorrow for orientation. Today, as a team, we closed our eyes and pictured each one of them walking across the stage at graduation, ready to go on to college. I was moved to tears as the magnitude of this future accomplishment sunk in. As my principal read the names of each of our ninth graders, and I visualized them walking across the stage, the similarities between the reading of this list and the one at St. Anna’s were eerie. Of course the contrast in meaning could not be more vast. Perhaps one day we will need one list instead of two. The good people at St. Anna’s can certainly find something else to pray about…
Kim,
ReplyDeleteThis was very moving. I have to say your point about the important role of education in a young man's life is spot on. The teacher is the key in all of this. I think that if the teacher can connect with these young people then there is a real chance of a good outcome. You've had some good success in this endeavor in Dallas, and I know you'll continue to find ways to reach these kids. It's a tough stuggle to reach the hearts and minds. I hope you get the support you need. From what you told us so far, you have an inspired team to work with and everyone seems so focused. I look forward to your next entry on the blog.