Just a little thing

The amount of nuance and balance required to engage middle schoolers so they learn and achieve is sometimes astonishing. Sometimes it's just a little thing that makes a difference. Today was our second day studying an overview of indigenous history in the United States. The subject is heavy and intense because we examine the ten stages of genocide and ask questions about the Mankato Massacre of 1862. 
I always strive to balance tragedy with triumph with my middle school students. I found a fantastic TED talk by visual artist Skawennati Imagining Indians in the 25th Century. She uses new media to make space in the viewer's imagination where often historic images of indigenous people take up space for modern and future Native Americans. Students are reading articles about ways that indigenous peoples are offering solutions to the worlds' problems as we continue to develop our global citizenship. 
It wasn't until my third hour class that I figured out that this photo could build a bridge between the challenging material of genocide and the uplift of resilient Native Americans. I told my students about my experience at Dachau. I felt overwhelmed with the weight of sadness and grief so I walked to the edge of the compound and visited the chapels and memorials there. This image is always in my mind when I have to face when sadness feels deep and darkness feels to great to bear. The light is there if we choose to see it or as Amanda Gorman said, "if we are brave enough to see it."