Dear FAS Leaders,

As we write today, we cannot separate ourselves from the devastation facing the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.  Like you, we have been horrified by the visual images of utter destruction, desperation and hopelessness which have filled the news of the past several days.  Our hearts and our prayers are with all who have been touched by Hurricane Katrina.

Perhaps like you, we are also torn between a desire to turn off the television so as not to face these images, and simultaneously compelled to find some way to help.   Of course, that urge to help can be readily satisfied by making a donation to one of the myriad support efforts pouring forth.  Yet, in a phrase that we have come to value for its wisdom, we find that, for us, donations are both necessary and insufficient.  And so we have been left asking, “What else can we do?”

The answer, as is so often the case, is that we teach.  We teach our youngest students knowing that regardless of their proximity to this tragedy, they are personally impacted by the knowledge that the world is not always predictable and safe.  We support their efforts to reassure themselves with routine and ritual, time and listening, so that they may regain their confidence over time.  We remember that they too will feel compelled to help and we teach them that they are old enough (no matter how young) to make a difference.

We teach because those who are actively engaged in the search and rescue efforts, the work of the shelters, and all of the emergency response teams had teachers once too.   They were taught, as we now teach, a commitment to work and the ethic of quality service.  So too do they recognize that preparedness to serve requires of them physical and emotional health, the support of strong relationships, and the scholarship demanded by their work.  We teach so that our students learn to balance the individual with the common good allowing neither to displace the other, yet understanding the intrinsic interrelatedness of each. 

We teach so that our young people learn that turning off the television simply makes the images disappear, not the reality.  We teach them to seek truth and depth of understanding even when it is uncomfortable.  We teach them to see beyond looting, to the impact of extreme poverty and hopelessness; beyond blame, to the interdependence of local, state, federal, and private agencies engaged in a common mission; beyond physical possessions, to the emotional turmoil which has no timeline. 

Like September 11th, this disaster will become a part of our collective experience, a shared time of personal and community wide impact.  Our responses as a nation, as a local community, as a school, as a family, and as an individual will shape and re-shape our perspectives about government, social justice, science, and sociology for years to come. 

And, so, we are reminded of the Chinese symbol for crisis which is the combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity.  Like individual and common good, it is a delicate balancing act to consider both in this situation.  Yet it may just be our collective belief that things will get better and out of tragedy will come greater hope and strength that will sustain those most devastated.  Without doubt, it will be our work toward that end that ensures it.  And, so, we teach.

We’ll speak to you soon,

Sincerely,

Sam Chaltain First Amendment Schools		Molly McCloskey ASCD

Last updated: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | 06:07:47