Weekly Thoughts
What a week. I honestly don’t even think I have words. I certainly know that I don’t have my thoughts straightened out. What I do know, however, is that I’m blessed to be in a profession that gives me the opportunity to combat racism each and every day.
Nearly one in 10, or 9.6 percent, of black children (ages 3-17) has a voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorder, compared to 7.8 percent of white children and 6.9 percent of Hispanic children
Boys ages 3-17 are more likely than girls to have a voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorder (9.6 percent compared to 5.7 percent). [source]
Each day that I go to work, I’m directly impacting an individual that could grow up to be George Floyd or Breonna Taylor. Not only am I in a position to impact their academic, social, and life skills, I’m also in a position to love them fully and fearlessly. I’m in a position to be an advocate for them and their futures. I’m in a position to recognize their inherent worth as an image-bearer of God. I’m in a position to fight for them daily, in small, unseen ways.
When the Black Lives Matter movement began, it was my experience as a public school SLP that helped shape the narrative for my husband. It was my experience as a public school SLP that helped open my eyes to the reality of what was happening around me.
Amidst the myriad of ways that we can join in solidarity and become an ally (which are good and right and valid and necessary), I’m even more so reminded that what I do daily matters. How I do my job matters. There are days when to do the job well seems overwhelming and futile and meaningless. And to be sure there are days when I have to choose to let some things go for my own mental health, for my family, etc… But, on the whole, when I do my job well, and you do your job well, we can affect change. All of us, both those who dedicate themselves to the small and unseen as well as those who dedicate themselves to the grand and visible, will affect change. Everyone working together in the space that they’ve been given“will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains.”
What’s New This Week:
I took last week off, so things are pretty quiet around here. However…
On the blog this week I share 10 verbs parents can model in the grocery store.
In my TpT store I’ve just posted Vocabulary Quick Activities for Older Students. It’s also been added to my Vocabulary Bundle.
Reading, Watching, Listening, Doing
Again, it’s been rather a quiet week. I’m mostly finishing books:
One Long River of Song
The Universal Christ
Phantases
I’ve started Writing with Flannery O’Conner and so am reading some of her short stories.
I started a book on Celtic Christianity which I have forgotten the name of and am too lazy to go get at the moment.
I’m still working through The Silmarillion and The Way of Kings.
Last night, I watched Corialanus on the National Theater’s YouTube channel while watching Tom Hiddleston and Josie Rourke live chat on Instagram. I think that is literally the only thing I have seen on a TV screen this week.
I’m in the middle of listening to a 3 part series on The Prancing Pony Podcast covering Túrin Turambar.
I hope that you all have a lovely weekend and week ahead. I hope also that you will take some time to consider your place in the movement to be anti-racist, especially as it applies to us as educators. We hold so much potential for goodness in our hands. Let us not waste the opportunity.