high school

musical? no. i was thinking more along the lines of english. I was talking with one of the english teachers at school a couple weeks ago and she was so touched that one of her seniors finished a book for the very first time in his life. she added that, of course this was a book that most people could probably read in a day, but this was a huge accomplishment for this student. Not because there was a lack of intelligence, but a lack of guidance, desire, and discipline.

I decided to dig into my bookshelf and took out a book from American Literature (junior english). The Color of Water was a favorite of mine from this class taught by Mr. Hiskes. It is "a black man's tribute to his white mother".

I remember reading this in class and the discussions and sharing that revolved around some of the stories. Mostly I remember Mr. Hiskes sharing stories from his own childhood. He was from the outskirts of Chicago and told stories of his mother, a white woman, taking the black children to the neighborhood pool back in the early sixties. As I reread this book that revolves around the issues of skin color, family, economics, education, and love it truly made me reflect on what I do and who I work with from day to day.

I also had the chance recently to grab a drink with an old friend whom i hadn't spoken with since high school. We both have had very different experiences since we last knew each other, but oddly enough things seemed very much the same. It's funny, working in a high school every day and seeing teenagers interact --sometimes I watch them and am so thankful I am not in high school anymore. And then sometimes I look around and have to ask myself, really, do these things ever change?