WowMe: Kingdom of Lost Souls…

If you don’t know about this person, then you are in for an uplifting, inspirational treat. Mr Pete’s ponderable has a lot of WowMe to it, as it is truly astonishing to hear stories of how someone who cared made a difference. Read on! -editor

In the Kingdom of Lost Souls, the shadows whisper and dreams surrender to fears and desires.   To Be Your own Hero you must conquer the Demon Dragons in your Head. Fear is Power when you understand how you can draw strength from it. WE are God’s creation and NO ONE can damn Us but our Own SOULS.

A New and Naive Teacher chose the lonely path of the righteous. After witnessing the Rodney King Riots on TV, she heard the call. That noble call to serve Mankind.  That singular call to duty involved a series of cries.

 The Cry for Justice, a CRY for Peace.  A CRY for Opportunities, a CRY for Respect.

The idea of Public Service is the backbone of Humanity.

Humanity reflects that we are all ONE, and share the abilities to Love and have Compassion and to be Creative.  YOU and Me are WE…

This teacher needed to establish a common ground where she could communicate with her students.  This was not an easy task. Their backgrounds were different. They were from different cultures.   A string of Pearls that she proudly wore on her first day, reflected two symbolic meanings.

For her the Pearls symbolized the pride and respect her father felt for her achievements and goals.
For her students it was a materialistic reminder of a society where they were not welcome and had no ability to obtain access to.

One step up, two steps back.
Music can be seen as a common ground.
Music can be enriched with memories of the past, dreams of the future. Songs can unite us in all our miseries and glories.

She thought that presenting the lyrics from the songs of rap artist TuPac would help give her connection she needed.   Unfortunately her students were already well versed with these lyrics. They had the ability to recite them back to her. There was no point in teaching the meaning of the words, her students lived them.

Another step up (for effort), but two steps back and a side shuffle.

The step up is her continued commitment to her students, while the school and the other teachers had given up on them…

The side shuffle is the idea of the creative process. This will lead us to a common ground.  The students will learn to share their experiences.

Finally recognizing the pain and discouragement her students were suffering from, this teacher (Erin Gruwell), made reference to the Holocaust.
One student raised his hand:  “WHAT IS THIS HOLOCAUST?”

Mrs Gruwell asked her class for a show of hands:

“Who doesn’t know what the HOLOCAUST is?”

The whole class raised their hands.

The Teacher was Shocked.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” is a reading staple in high schools. She figured that perhaps introducing her class to this book would provide an opening… some common ground as it would help the students see the realities of human suffering, regardless of cultures and time frame.

The first battle: RESPECT

The school had these books. They were just sitting on a shelf. However, Mrs Gruwell was told her class was not worthy to get the books. It was even suggested that her class would not be able to read and understand THAT book.   So the Teacher got a second job and paid for the books herself.

While distributing the books to her class the students noticed that they were all new. Having discovered that their teacher had to take a second job to obtain the books, the students started to show RESPECT to their teacher.   The Teacher gained the student’s respect because they saw that she made a serious commitment towards their education.

 The Teacher showed RESPECT for her students because she knew that they deserve an education and access to that book.

NOW we are making progress, a triumph march forward.

That’s a Wrap!

… with a strong “To Be Continued.”

Thanks for reading and pondering with me (us!) — Mr Pete and Annie (AKA the editor)

About Mr Pete

A music aficionado, Mr. Pete’s mind and ears have no horizons. He has the uncanny ability to suss out the right song for the right time — a skill that is truly amazing. The Gang here at Jedemi enjoys his contributions.

Bonus Clip…