well they dont.
i got to thinking the other day about the "who/what/when/where/why" my first exposures to social justice/ life inequities/ individual rights/ volunteering (you know that whole hippie/earthy kitten caboodle)... and i think there are so many things that have brought me to where i am today (doing jvc where one of the 4 tenants is social justice...) but when i got to the "when" question... it dawned upon me that much of my exposure came during my formative high school years (shout out to divine savior holy angels) and yes, if you click the link it IS really about my high school and if you've read the book... then no, i did NOT sniff glue in the way that is described in the book.
sorry for that rant... my point is... my high school years were very formative... and it was during this time that i gained my initial social justice exposure... so sometimes i wonder if my students think about the same things i thought about in high school... maybe some of them too are trying to get a grasp on what is going on in our world, maybe some of them are hoping for the same things i was/am or having those same conversations and crucial reflections...
or maybe they aren't.
but on Tuesday after I did morning load out (a process in which we take attendance, do uniform checks, sell lunches, listen to announcements and then send the students out on either our two buses or van for their morning work commute) i found a piece of paper that a student had left behind. it had the following passage which i had heard before and think is creative....
it is as follows..
"an american business man was at a pier in a small coastal mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. the american complimented the mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. the mexican replied only a little while. the american then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? the mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. the american then asked the mexican how he spent the rest of his time. the mexican fisherman said "i sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where i sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. i have a full and busy life, senor."
the american scoffed, "i am a harvard MBA and could help you. you should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buya bigger boat. with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. instead of sellling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. you would control the product, processing and distribution, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to mexico city, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise" the mexican fisehrman asked "but senor, how long will this all take" the american replied "15-20 years" "but what then, senor" asked the mexican.
the american laughed, and said, "that's the best part! when the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public. you will become very rich. you would make millions!" "millions, senor?" replied the man "then what?"
the american replied "then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evening where you could sip wine and play the guitar with your amigos."
so if one of my students had this printed out..
maybe they DO think about the same things i do... like that "east" and "fast" should rhyme.
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