FORUM
Thank and appreciate all teachers
Nigel Alston
Motivational
Moments
"Teaching is the choicest
' ?f professions because every
? body who is anybody was
taught how to be somebody by
a teacher."
-Author Unknown
I live with a tdwther. 1
think she's a very good
teacher - one who cares about
'? - her students, holds them
i responsible for their actions
and challenges them to live
up to their potential and her
expectations,
Some udays it is not so
easy.
A young schoolteacher
discovered that in a dream
one night. An angel appeared
to him and said: "You will be
given a child who will grow
up to become a world leader.
How will you prepare her so
that she will realize her intel- ^
1 _ ligence, grow in confidence,
develop both her assertive
ness and sensitivity, be open
minded, yet strong in charac
ter? In short, what kind of
education will you provide
that she can become one of
the world's truly GREAT
leaders?"
That's a tall order, isn't it?
The young teacher apparently
thought so, waking up in a
cold sweat. It is also one that
is being met every day a yel
low school bus travels
throughout the community or
a student sets foot inside a
classroom.
What kind of education do
teachers offer to the thou
sands of students they
encounter each day? The
answer lies in the unseen
hours of preparation, the
money teachers spend on sup
plies from their well-earned
and often insufficient pay
checks. It also shows in the
lines of frustration on their
faces when some students just
don't try to succeed, Tffspite
the opportunities available
today. The list of challenges is
endless.
I am who I am today
because of the teachers in my
life, and I think about the
importance of teachers and
appreciate what they do daily
as the time of year for gradu
ation is upon us. Students are
making the transition from
one grade to another, from
high school to work or col
lege, from college to that first
"real" job or the continuation
of more educational experi
enees.
The transition is made
possible by dedicated teach
ers who understand the value
of education and experience
in the preparation of students
for a world that is ever chang
ing.
I read the parable of theC
young teacher, written by
Steve Goodier, that began by
describing the difference
between education and expe
rience: "Education is what
you get from reading the
small print. Experience is
what you get from not reading
it!"
I think good teachers pro
vide both, a task often unrec
ognized and underappreciat
ed. Teachers have probably
asked themselves the same
question the young teacher
thought- about: "How might
my teaching change if I
KNEW that one of my stu
dents were this person?"
His thought process illus
trates the challenges met daily
in this most important of pro
fessions, teaching. He
believed a student would need
experience as well as instruc
tion. problem-solving ability,
growth in character as well as
knowledge. A student should
also understand and appreci
ate the past, yet feel opti
mistic about the future: know
the value of lifelong learning;
set high standards; learn dis
cipline. yet also need love and
encouragement.
His teaching changed as a
result. He started to see each
student in a new way, "not as
they were, but as they could
be," according to the story.
Each was taught as if the
world depended on his
instruction.
"Children are living mes
sages we send to a time and
place we will never see,"
writes Goodier.
This story "isn't simply
about an unnamed school
teacher," according to Goodi
er. "It is a parable about you
and me. whether we are par
ents or even teachers."
As another school year
comes to an end. we should
all thank and appreciate all
teachers. After all, "every
body who is anybody was
taught how to be somebody
by a teacher." While we can't
pay them what they deserve,
we should acknowledge that a
child's future depends on
their influence. That's price
less.
Nigel Alston is a radio talk
show host, columnist and
motivational speaker. Visit his
Web site at www.motiva
tionalmoments. com.
Despite Oscars, Hollywood not colorblind
Brian
Gilmore
Guest
Columnist
At the Oscars, Hollywood
made an attempt to atone for its
sins against black America. Yet.
despite the awards, it is a birtpre
mature to believe that the situa
tion in Hollywood has changed
for African Americans after
decades of exclusion and racial
stereotypes.
Three black Americans won
awards: Denzel Washington for
best actor, Halle Berry for best
actress (the first African-Ameri
can woman to do so), and. to top
the evening off, a lifetime
achievement award was given to
the dean of black American thes
pians - Sidney Poitier. But the
situation is still far from perfect.
There is simply too much evi
dence to suggest otherwise.
There are the continued com
plaints within the black commu
nity about the inability of blacks
to find work both in front of the
cameras and behind them in Hol
lywood. The NAACP threatened
boycotts last year because of this
problem. And choices for black
actors have often been limited to
stereotypical roles such as con
victs, servants or athletes. For
example, Morgan Freeman has
been nominated for an Oscar
three times - for playing a pimp
("Street Smart), a chauffeur "Dri
ving Miss Daisy") and a convict
('The Shawshank Redemption").
The speeches at the awards
from Berry, Poitier and Washing
ton seemed to offer the most
compelling truths about Holly
wood and race.
Berry's tearful mixture of joy
and pain seemed to represent the
dreams, hopes and frustrations of
all the black women who have
struggled vainly to conquer Hol
lywood's rigid racial mores.
Berry's emotional reaction was
troubling because she is a well
respected actress w hi* has been
able to find steady work in Hol
lywood. Imagine what the many
talented black actresses who
can't find work are going through
each day as they watch their
careers pass slowly before their
eyes.
Washington and Poitier took
the edge off the awards with their
speeches. Washington was affa
ble and content simply to pay
tribute to Poitier. However,
Washington's cynical opening
remark to his acceptance speech
- "two birds in one night" - was
subtle humor with a powerful
message to Hollywood; Don't
think that one night of awards
can reverse decades of exclusion
and exploitation.
Poitier, who won a best actor
Oscar in 1963 for his work in
"Lilies of the Field." chose a con
ciliatory tone as well. He paid
tribute to all those in Hollywood
who gave him a chance, and
accepted his lifetime achieve
ment Oscar "in the name of all
the African-American actors and
actresses who went before me in
the difficult years." Poitier's
message to Hollywood was clear,
as well: You know you can do
better.
And ultimately, that's what it
will come down to: what Holly
wood does next. There has been
some progress. Slack actors and
actresses have received six
awards since Louis Gossett Jr.
won best supporting actor in
1982 for his role in "An Officer
and a Gentleman." There have
been 12 nominations for blacks
in acting categories since
Whoopi Goldberg received the
best supporting actress Oscar for
her role in "Ghost" in 1990. This
is in contrast to only two Oscars
for African-American performers
from 1927 to 1981 (Poitier and
Hattie McDaniel. who won a best
supporting actress for "Gone
With the Wind") and 22 nomina
tions from 1927 to 1989.
But there will have to be
more because receiving awards
and nominations is not the only
measure of progress. There have
never been as many aspiring
I
black filmmakers, screenwriters,
directors, producers, actors,
actresses and technicians as there
are now. Spike Lee showed a
generation of young black artists
that you can make films and get
them distributed internationally.
And then there is the most
important category of all that
desperately needs to be
addressed: those coveted deci
sion-making jobs within the
industry. This is where the real
change can happen in Hollywood
- at the executive level. Not only
will a presence of more blacks in
decision-making roles in Holly
wood likely alter the inequities
?
that are so disturbing, it will also
make possible a more honest and
varied depiction on screen of
black life in America. For an
industry that seems to be finally
trying to put its sordid past
behind it. that would make this
year's Oscars truly a watershed
moment.
Poet-attorney Brian Gilmore
is the author pf two collections of
poetry, including his latest "jun
gle nights and soda fountain
rags: poems for Duke Ellington "
I Karibu Books, 2000). He can he
reached at pmpmj@progres
sive.org.
KRTPHOTO
Trailblazer Sidney Poitier holds the honorary Oscar he
received at the most recent Academy Awards ceremony.
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