Youth Action for Social Justice

online journal

I have a goal I'm working towards. My goal is to make my dreams come true!

Malika Carter
Mills College Education Department
May 2003

I dreamt a world last night:

People took a stand for

What they knew was right

The powers that be could no longer

Shut them out

Justice could no longer be denied

The leaders became

Our leaders

And change was no longer

A dirty word

I dreamt a world last night:

Schools were prioritized

Schools were unified

Those leaders that became our leaders

Said to the thinkers

Become the Doers

And they did

And their ideas

Became reality

What was rethought

Became redone

Remade

And every child

Had a voice

And change

Was celebrated

I dreamt a world last night:

And in the dream

Those leaders

Our leaders

Listened as much as they spoke

And when the downtrodden said,

Take my hand

Love me

And I will no longer be a stranger

And my children might no longer suffer

Those leaders? Our leaders?

They made it the order of the day

And everywhere people joined hands

And community was built

From the ties that bind

And the love

Changed us all

I dreamt a world last night:

Where I taught the children

And they taught me

And those leaders that became our leaders

Wrote new laws

New priorities

About how the world would be

They saw the promise in

The clear eyes of the children

The promise I see everyday

And they knew that in time

They would be replaced

By seers and thinkers

And visionaries

If the teachers taught

And the world began to change

I dreamt a world last night:

I put a hand in the ocean

And sent a ripple to every corner

Of our society

I listened to a child

And helped her open a door

That we had both

Dreamed into reality

It’s a first step

Before the leaders will see

And justice will be delivered

She walked though that door

Made out of hope

The one we dreamed into being

In her mind she carried the promise

And as she crossed the threshold

I knew without a doubt

That our universe was

Changed

So when I'm not dreaming, I'm listening.

I asked my 4th and 5th graders what we should know as new teachers, and this is what they said:

* Take us outside to learn….
* Teach us math…..
* When we learn science, let us learn by doing fun things…
* Kids need to pick sometimes…..
* Teachers need to let kids do some art….
* Kids need to write poetry…
* Teachers have to be strict….
* Kids need to make things….
* Teachers need to take kids on field trips….
* More PE…..
* We need to do experiments….
* Teach more writing…..
* Let school be fun…..
* Be nice…..
* Get the kids’ attention….
* Kids need free choice….
* Not so much homework……
* More Fridays…..
* Let kids say their ideas…….
* Explain things more…..
* Teach kids how to use things…..
* Teachers should try to get kids’ respect and they should try to understand children…..
* Be patient….
* Be gentle…..
* Teachers need to know a lot of things…..

Okay, so be patient and kind. I can do that most of the time, and teach math and hands-on science, all right I can do that. And I'm going through the list and you know what? It all makes sense! These kids know exactly what they want; who doesn't want more Fridays? And they are pretty clear on what they need; we all need to be respected.

So I have a goal I'm working towards. My goal is to make my dreams come true.

Dreams of justice and equity

Dreams of peace and hope

Dreams of community

Commonality

Uplifted dreams

Unlimited dreams

Crazy dreams you might say

And that’s all right

Because the only ones who have to believe

That the future is limitless

Are the children


So this is my offer,

I'm sending it out to everyone of you,

I'm sending it out to every one of the children,

I'm sending it out to everyone,

I'm a new teacher,


And I am willing to teach to change the world

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