Be the Change

I paced up and down the aisle in the June Jordan School's auditorium reviewing what I wanted to say to the high school students. The theme for the day is Be the Change. I decided to recite a poem that I wrote about the importance of education and end with a song that I used to sing in prison. I did not write down any notes. I like to shoot it off the cuffs. Since I had 15 minutes to address the students, I knew I had to keep my talk focused on the theme.

I was afraid that I would forget lines from my poem so took it with me to the podium just in case. However, I didn't need to read it because I had it down. The song, surprisingly, was all right, especially when I haven't sang for a long time. I thought I would be nervous. Somehow, singing to a school of students didn't faze me at all. They even clapped with the rhythm. The morning address of the assembly went well.

However, when I started my three workshops with small group of students, I didn't feel that I'd made a big impact. I knew they were listening, but they weren't responsive. It seemed like they're so jaded or desensitized that there's nothing I could tell them. They knew everything. I used to think the same way when I was their age. Well, I had to learn the hard way. I realize that we have to reach to those kids when they're in middle school. I hope something I'd shared with them today had touched them in some ways, whether they wanted to admitted or not.

Four of my friends accompanied me to the school workshops. It's good to have some moral support.

Changes have to come from within first. We all need to be the change everyday.