I thought maybe if I started writing again it would release some of the angst that is bubbling up inside of me. The last few days of news did me in – first, a note that the White House had removed all sign language interpretations from their website. This may not seem like such a big deal to some, but to me (as to many others who were involved in the Deaf Pride Movement in 1988: the shutting down of Gallaudet University, the marching at the Capitol, the fight for deaf rights), it was a kick in the stomach. The second story (which turned out not to be true, (in itself a worry that one can’t trust what is reported)) was about ICE showing up at an elementary school in Chicago. (Apparently it was the Secret Service, or so they say, but who knows).
As a substitute teacher, I have come to adore the (many) immigrant children in the classrooms. (Our local area has a large population of Mexican immigrants who stand at various locations in the mornings waiting for job opportunities with the area construction and landscape crews). The mere thought of little Anderson who tries SO very hard to understand and to do what he’s supposed to do, and who runs up with the biggest eyes and smiles to give a huge hug – well the inkling that he would be carted off is enough to make me rush to the toilet bowl.
Don’t get me wrong. I agree we need change. I think our country has been broken in so many ways for so long. With my background as a teacher, my bugaboo has been the educational system, but I agree that changes are needed throughout many and most of our country’s systems and processes. I also understand that change is hard to accept, and that during the process of change, not everyone benefits. While I was certainly alarmed by many of the proposed changes touted during the election, and was both saddened and deeply concerned with the outcome, I consoled myself with a tiny bit of Pollyanna hoping that just maybe some of the planned shake-ups might, after a rough patch, herald some tiny bits of forward movement.
What I can’t stomach is the unkindness. I am empathetic to a fault, starting my teaching career with the SED population – Seriously Emotionally Disturbed (as labeled back in the day). Even with those kids who were troubled beyond belief and expressed behaviors that left me in tears at the end of every teaching day, I worked hard to understand the many factors affecting and resulting in their behaviors. At base level, I can’t say that any of those kids were evil – they were just lost souls who had drawn bad tickets in the lottery of life and whose chemical make-up, family upbringing, and unfortunate environments pushed them over the edge. And yes, I realize that outside my bubble of family, Facebook friends, and local social groups, that there are others who fall into this category. But that’s not all I’m seeing in the current leadership, although I certainly think there’s a lot of imbalance there. It’s the unkindness that’s digging my rabbit hole so deep.
Change? Okay. But do it with clear communication, explanation, kindness and compassion. Show us that you care for us as a people, that you have our what is good for our country as a whole in mind. We may not always like the change, but the knowledge that someone has our best interest at heart and truly cares about us is what will keep us afloat. Because without that, we are a sinking ship.
And the water’s rising.
