The Museum

There are benefits to blogging as soon as a topic comes to mind, but life doesn’t always happen that way so here we are … a day later 🙂.

In my house, it’s a weekend of nonstop birthday celebrations and day #2 was spent visiting the Civil and Human Rights Museum in Atlanta. I only thought of how wonderful it would be for us to spend the afternoon at the museum revisiting history – however difficult that history may be – but I never imagined how emotionally charged my time there would be.

I won’t spoil your visit (you really must visit) by telling you about all the exhibits, but what I will share in this blog is how experiences, thoughts and feelings like those that I had on yesterday serve as persistent reminders of 1) how very much so many others sacrificed so that I and people like me could have access to basic human rights; and 2) the duties and obligations that these sacrifices affix to my life.

Of the many privileges that I now have access to, the opportunity to receive an education is one that I value immensely. As I walked through the museum, I was reminded of the intolerance that I have for those who don’t see value in receiving some sort of education (even if just the basic K-12). I was reminded of those who struggled for us to attend school and children across the globe who wish that they could attend school and are unable to. I was reminded of why I value sitting in a classroom, why I often enjoy these experiences more than many other encounters and why I am so committed to the field of education, as well as the profession of teaching.

I get it! I know that school is not for everyone, as I am often reminded. And I get that some of the schools across our country are worse than the street corners – metaphorically and literally. And I get that for many, institutionalized education is a graveyard for creative minds. But I also get that for many people, education is the gateway to opportunity. I get that even for a high school graduate the chances of success often exceed those of a non-graduate.  And I get that for me and many like me, education has afforded us opportunities that we would not have been granted otherwise.

So yes, on yesterday I cried a lot. I cried tears of thanksgiving just for the sacrifices endured so that I could learn. And I cried because I willingly accept the challenge to in some small way leave my imprint through educating others.