Hierarchy of Heroism

This morning a friend of mine made the comment about Oprah "What an amazing person. When it is all said and done, hopefully decades from now, Oprah will go down as one of the greatest people of all time. Like Gandhi and Mother Teresa."

I will be the first to say that I love Oprah....but I have some issues with this comparison. Oprah has done many, many wonderful things so far. She does wonderful charities (hands on even). However, Mother Teresa and Gandhi carried out lives of sacrifice. This comparison makes it difficult to ignore Oprah's posh lifestyle.

For example, there is a story about Momma T in Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution: "Mother Teresa was one of those people who sacrificed great privilege because she encountered such great need...But there is one thing I will never forget-her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn't going to ask, of course. "Hey mother, what's wrong with your feet?" One day a sister said to us, "have you noticed her feet?" We nodded, curious. She said, "Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. And years of doing that have deformed her feet."

That is one of my favorite stories. It is a perfect example of sacrificial living...and while Oprah is amazing...I think she is wearing the wrong shoes to be put on Momma T and Gandhi status.

There are different levels of heroism in the world. Like a pyramid, there are so many little acts on the bottom, that maybe inspire people to do a little more. The "awareness" part of activism. Getting the word out. It's what most people do. Then there are people that are on a higher level who write the checks and donate to charities and organizations because they are now aware. Without this support, many organizations could not go on. Then there is a group who goes beyond writing checks and puts their TIME and money into organizations. This is where I would put Oprah. However, the top of the pyramid is the smallest part. There are very few people who reach this status. These would be the people who give it their ALL. Living a life of sacrifice. Making their cause something worth dying for.

Momma T, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., the freedom riders all belong at the top of the pyramid. People who have given up physical comforts and joined the poor. There is a quote, "When I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor were hungry, they called me a communist." Oprah is wonderful. She's a saint. I do not, however, believe, she has joined the poor.

I think that there is danger in comparing Oprah to people who have carried out a life of sacrifice. If we put her at this status, then we are in danger of lowering our standards of heroism for future generations. If we keep getting rid of the top of the pyramid, then we run the risk of reducing activism to simple awareness.

It reminds me of the story in Mark 12:41-44 which states, "Jesus sat

down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. THEY ALL GAVE OUT OF THEIR WEALTH; BUT SHE, OUT OF HER POVERTY, PUT IN EVERYTHING-ALL SHE HAD TO LIVE ON."

Especially in the flashy world that we live in, it is hard to look past all of those people who are sparing SOME of their wealth to see the true value of sacrifice.

The Power of One

What is the power of one?

Sometime in October, my classes and I had a discussion that keeps coming back to me.

What is the power of one?

In order to study author’s purpose and to prepare for the roadies to come and visit our school, we watched the “Invisible Children-Rough Cut” documentary. After watching the film, our discussion turned to what a person can do. After all, here were three young boys who went to Africa with cameras from eBay who started a revolution both in America and in Africa. Are there still troubles in Africa? Sure. A student quoted Coach Ryan in saying, “you have to move mountains one stone at a time.” Change has happened in Africa, and because of these individuals, mountains were (and are) moving.

This discussion took place on October 20th. This was a day that people decided to wear purple in order to remember “the 6 young gay men who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools.” So I also brought up the topic of bullying. People often forget the power that they have. How their words can hurt, change someone; drive a person to do something drastic.

So what is the power of one?

My guess is that it is something that can move mountains or move a person to the point of no return. And my goal is to use my power for good, and to encourage those around me to use their power for good. We should, “Tell all the stones we are building a castle.”

The perfect end to this sentiment is this video clip, “Shake the Dust.” Appropriately, it was delivered at a “To Write Love On Her Arms” event, which focuses on teen depression and suicide.
Jedidiah says that the poet, Anis Mojgani, “remind[s] everyone the power of words and the value in their stories.”

Without further ado…this is for the school yard wimps and the former prom queens for the teachers and for the students for you and for me…shake the dust!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDtHdloK44

On the radio...uh oh! On the radio...uh oh!

My radio interview...If you are more of a listener than a reader! ;O)

Less is more

Less is more

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with the Vice Principle of the school about a presentation that we had in March. “Invisible Children” came and discussed the situation in Uganda…talking about child soldiers and how these people have nothing and see education as a way out. Then we started talking about the lower level kids in the school…and the kids who have nothing. And how they were the ones that were most impacted…We made this observation and then parted ways to complete all of the tasks that come with final exams.

It was an interesting conversation…but not one that I was able to give much thought to…until another situation occurred.

I was sitting in another teacher’s intensive reading class…and a student came up to me with an envelope. She said that she collected it for “Invisible Children.” She wrote “$20” on the front. I added it to the money that my students collected earlier in the year and made the donation. $156.13 overall.

I didn’t notice the note. A few days later, Bubbles looked in the envelope ( I don’t know why I didn’t throw it away…it was “empty”) and pulled out a note.

It read:
“This money goes to the invisible children I wish I could do more but I can’t I hope this helps. Since they came to talk to us I was so inspired. I want to do so much more. If I can help please let me know.”

In addition to the conversation that I had with the VP earlier…that note really hit home. To many, it would look like only $20…but this student handed me that envelope with pride…because she did all that she could do. Her heart was in it. I loved that.

Then there was a newspaper article that came out about another student of mine.

“Last year, Tim Sharp finished his shift as a dishwasher at KFC and went over in his head how much money he had left after paying his bills. It wasn't much.
Stepping outside, he saw a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk. Sharp reached into his pocket, pulled out a few dollars and dropped them by the man, who woke up.
Most would think that Sharp has had a hard life, yet he just shakes it off. To him, giving to other people is a big part of what his life is.
He plans to major in sociology to continue the legacy that his mother, LouAnn Usina, created in Hastings before she died last year from cancer.
"I am who I am today because of her," Sharp said. "She made me see who I should be."
In high school, Sharp watched his mother head the OUR community program, where she gave food, clothes and support to as many as 5,000 people, mostly at her own expense.
Sharp already has picked up where Usina left off last year. Sharp's Take Stock in Children mentor, Tommy Lescroart, said Sharp's gas tank runs dry from giving rides to friends of friends.
Sharp was the kid who spent the few dollars in his pocket to buy cheese sticks for the student bullied in the lunchroom.
Since his mother's death, Sharp has worked three different jobs to support himself and prepare for college on his own.
Most recently he has worked at the St. Johns Housing Partnership, where he refurbishes houses for the under-privileged.
"I want to prove to people instead of show them," Sharp said. "You can do a lot with your life instead of complain about what you don't have."

For the full article go to:
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-01/graduate-menendez-succeeds-against-adversity

These accounts personify a story that I had heard many times before in church:

Mark 12 “41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[j]worth only a fraction of a penny.[k]
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

This story finally makes so much sense! It’s actually mind-blowing.

People who have nothing-what can they give? Surprisingly, everything. They give all that they can…their whole heart goes into their contribution, and at the end of the day…they know that they gave it their all.

I look up to these people who have nothing. I know that when I am beaten down…and when I feel like I have nothing to offer…I can change my perspective, because when I give my all, then I have everything to offer.

Here's the school!

Here's a short video about the school that I will be working with! :O)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKw7j-6y57k

cheers,

Jenni

Why we should help Haiti (insert Africa here)

So today we were discussing social issues in my English classes. During this conversation, the crisis in Haiti was brought up. One of my students asked (without malice) why we (the U.S.) should help when there are so many hurting here. It made for a healthy class discussion. It got me thinking. Now, before I continue writing this (and more importantly before you continue reading this!)I start with a disclaimer: I would never discourage people from helping those who are hurting on their doorstep. One thing that we must realize though, is that everyone is different…which means that everyone is going to be passionate about a different cause. Whether it is right outside your door or world’s apart. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it is quite beautiful…If we all felt compelled to contribute to one area of the world, then the rest would not know compassion….the rest would fall apart.

To answer my student’s question in a P.C. manner…it is essential that we help out in our community. However, that begs the question: what is community? Especially in this technological age. According to Mark Wrathall, a contributor to U2 and Pop Philosophy, “As economies and societies become intertwined through the technologization and globalization of world culture, a sense of…responsibility for the poverty and suffering of far distant people increases…There is a sense in which our responsibility grows along with the globalization of the economy.” I, personally, find this to be true. As technology and global relations become more aligned between cultures, I find the gap to be closing. So where does that leave community? In my definition, everywhere.

Yes, I feel that the people that are hurting in Haiti are a part of our community. Yes, I feel that we should help those in our community. While many feel that it is against human nature to help those that we do not know, I think that one of the BEST things about human nature is that we can and do help those we do not know.

This last part I could not bring up in a class setting …but I believe these two stories best illustrate this extraordinary part of human nature…they are a couple of my favorite stories. Not that I am going to drag too much religion into this thought…but one of these stories is located in the bible. It is a short one: “Jesus wept.” These two words have different theories, which is cool. Some say that Jesus wept because he was sad that his friend (Lazarus) died. Others say that he wept because he was saddened by the lack of faith around him (people not believing that he would provide a miracle). Yet another group says that he wept at the sight of everyone’s pain. That he felt their pain. This last theory happens to be my favorite.

The second story is told by Shane Claiborne, who went to work with Momma T (Mother Theresa) in Calcutta. He says, “One of the beggars in Calcutta approached me one day, and I had no money on me, but I felt a piece of gum in my pocket, so I handed it to her. I have no idea how long it had been since she had chewed gum, or if she had ever even had the chance. She looked at it and smiled with delight. Then she tore it into three pieces and handed one to me and one to my friend so we could share the excitement.”

While these two stories are exploring the two different emotions of joy and pain, they are so related. The idea that we are connected by our emotion. The idea that as humans LIVING IN COMMUNITY, their joy should be our joy. Their pain should be our pain. We should want to help those in our community because it should hurt to see them hurt. That, in my opinion, is why we should be included in the gift that is cross-cultural community. Otherwise, we miss on the chance to see something so beautiful and so human.

I got my location…IDP camp, here I come!

About Pabo
Pabbo Secondary School was founded in 1980 by the Ugandan government and was displaced because of the war in 1996. In 1998, Pabbo’s 561 students and 23 staff members were able to return to the original site. Regrettably, there have been student abduc...tions since the school was opened. The largest IDP camp in northern Uganda, Pabbo IDP camp, is near the school and is home to 64,000 people. All of Pabbo’s students live in that camp and walk two miles to class daily. Prior to the conflict, Pabbo was a boarding school but now the school is unable to allow students to live on campus. Many of the students are formerly abducted LRA soldiers, orphans, child mothers, and several suffer from HIV/ skin diseases. AIDS. The average class size is 65, yet the existing classrooms are only built to hold 44. Malaria is growing more and more common among Pabbo students and many already have it.

For its 561 students, Pabbo had only seven classrooms, all of which were in ill repair with one borehole and three latrines. We have been able to construct three furnished dual classroom blocks with rainwater harvesting systems integrated into the roof structures. A new six-stance latrine for the female students has been completed, along with hand washing facilities. As Pabbo is not on the national power grid, we added a generator that powers every building on the campus.

We have supplied a limited quantity of core texts in the main compulsory subjects and are pleased to continue to assist in teacher training and support by providing leadership, school development planning, monitoring and evaluation, psychosocial support, financial management and planning, record keeping, and computer literacy trainings.

Plans for the near future include a fully furnished laboratory block. Due to the large financial commitment, this project will be phased using Round III money to complete the core structure of the building and pending Round IV funds to complete and furnish it. We plan to break ground soon, completing Phase 1 before the end of the year. Pabbo will also continue to benefit from the support of teacher training, supply of scholastic materials and sport equipment and the new emotional literacy program being implemented on a pilot basis in select S4S partner schools.