Empowerment

When I was a junior in high school, I had the lead in the school play. We were doing a performance of Twelve Angry Women, the “sister” play to the famous Twelve Angry Men. If you’ve seen the 1957 film, I was playing Henry Fonda’s role. I was excited about this role, as I was the only juror who saw the good in the other characters for the duration of the play. I also planned to run cross country that fall. The cross country coach, however, forced me to make a decision. “You either pick the lead in the play or running,” he said. My first reaction was to ask, “Why can’t I do both?” After all, I was the kid who was involved in many extracurricular activities and never had trouble balancing my time. I ended up choosing the play because I thought, "I can run for the rest of my life, but the chances were slim that I would ever have the opportunity to play Henry Fonda’s role again." Plus, I thought there was a slight chance I would make it to Broadway (I was an idealistic 17 year-old) and this would be the first step in getting there. I think back to that decision now and realize what that coach did was empower me to make a decision. He didn’t tell me what to do; he didn’t persuade me to join his team. He told me to think about the pros and cons of both sides and really think about how they would impact my future. What I didn’t realize then is that we can’t do everything and be everything for everyone. I thought I could handle the lead and running; my coach knew that was not realistic but empowered me to make the decision.

As a teacher, I’ve learned one of the best things I can do is to empower you, my students.  I can give you a voice in my classroom. I can help you see the potential you possess--whether that be in your writing, in what you say, in the arguments you make, in the kind acts you perform. But what do you do with that empowerment? Do you empower yourself in the decisions you make? Do you take advantage of every single situation?

Here’s where I’ve seen you practice empowerment in the classroom. In IB English 11, you have been fighting for your “Fantasy Macbeth” team. Your voice has been important in arguing Shakespeare’s text as well as tackling logical fallacies in persuasion.

In Junior Theory of Knowledge you have been exploring knowledge in the arts and what that looks like. In examining whether or not art can imitate life, you created sculptures that represented your own understanding of life. Your ability to express yourself in that class is due empowerment.

In Senior Theory of Knowledge, I taught the best lesson I have ever taught in 18 years of teaching. What you did on our One Percent Day empowered each other and me. I looked around the room as we were doing that exercise to make us one percent better, and truly was amazed. Tears welled in my eyes and still do as I think about the kindness that you bestowed upon one another and to me that day.

So what do you do now? Empower someone else. Give someone else the confidence to believe in himself. Congratulate other people on their successes; don’t just thrive on yours. Build each other up. As IB students you have so many stresses and expectations derived from other people. Instead of fending for yourself with those stresses, help one another. When my sister went to Cornell University, she arrived as a pre-med major. She quickly changed her major after she was absent from class one day. No one in the class would share their notes with her when she asked to borrow them. The environment there was so cutthroat that helping a friend who was sick and missed class was out of the question. You have the ability to empower one another by working together. Remember, you are stronger in numbers when you do that.

What else do you do? Empower yourself. Work on becoming more confident. Believe in yourself. This past month in Senior TOK, one of the seniors said something in a seminar that stuck with me: “There also are roses that grow from concrete.” I love the optimism in that statement. So, I encourage you to believe in yourself. Be that rose that grows from the concrete--that person who can blossom no matter what the environment because of hard work, determination, collaboration, confidence. Own a positive attitude. Empower yourself with confidence. And know that I never stop believing in you as my students.

So did I make the right decision in choosing the play over cross country? Well, I never made it to Broadway, but today, I am a runner. I'm not sure about what to make of that irony. What I've learned more than anything is that I may not have made the decision that led me to my ultimate career, but I was empowered to make a decision for myself. In turn, I developed a confidence in myself that I use every single day in the classroom. I didn't get that confidence from taking on the lead in the school play. I couldn't learn that confidence any faster had I chosen running. I learned it because someone thought enough to empower me to make that decision. For that, I am grateful.