It is too quiet here.
It is too quiet here. Sometimes, it feels like the type of too quiet when I send small groups of students to work in the hall and no longer hear them. Other times, it feels like the forced lull before an assembly about motivation, or anti-vaping, or attendance awards. Most of the time, it is the type of silence that is pleading to be filled.
Since we have moved to “remote education,” a phrase that I might use to briefly teach oxymorons, I have missed the voices of my students. Although it is easy to write about missing their moments of brilliance, it is the moments in between that I miss the most. I miss when they ask me about Trailer Park Boys or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I miss hearing them lift each other's ideas up, and shoot them down, during class discussions. I miss when they ask me if I actually like Cardi B or who told me about Solange.
But nothing really beats the projects that they complete where I can see that their voices have grown over weeks of thoughtful work. To answer the pleas in this eerie quiet, I find myself looking back on the work of my former students. I remember the journeys they took to arrive at these incredible presentations for the Youth Voices Conference. They remind me of why we do this work and remind me that in those moments where I tell them to be quiet, to allow them to take one last minute to let their voices fill the empty space.
"Gender Equality in Sports" by Hope Grunert
"One Nation Under God" by Makayla Gyambrah
"Changing the School System" by Janiya Ashton
"Music in Our Schools" by Clair Holody-Gaiek
I think "It is too quiet here" is a brilliant idea. It shows that teachers want their students to be heard on such important topics. I throughly enjoyed this and support teachers who support their students. I am so thankful for teachers like and brave students who advocate for such important subjects.
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