Are You Willing to Listen?

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to read one of my favorite stories to a fifth grade class in my school district. I chose to read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. 

In this story, Mike Mulligan and his beloved steam shovel Mary Anne get themselves into a predicament. They agree to dig a cellar for the new town hall in the town of Popperville. But there's a catch; they must dig the entire cellar in one day or they won't get paid. They dig the cellar so quickly that they forget to leave a way out. It is at this point in time when a little boy - not afraid to speak up for himself - shared a solution.

I love this story for many reasons; however, my fifth-grade audience was easily able to choose the one event that hold so much power. They were quick to explain that the little boy in the story saved Mary Anne. Adults were surrounding this cellar, but it was one little boy whose idea was the solution to the problem. They did not belittle him because he was young. They did not tell him that his idea was stupid or ill-informed. These adults processed what they were hearing and they listened. And you know what? His idea worked.

As a teacher, I will never know a day when school shootings are not common place. My students and my own children practice intruder drills on regular basis. We talk about how to barricade doors. We talk about what to do if a student is in the bathroom if the intruder announcement comes over the PA system. There are so many what-ifs, but we try to talk about them in case the unthinkable happens. And that makes me sad. 

But you know what else makes me sad? We have a generation of students who are tired of going to school in fear. So what did they do last week? Across our nation, they decided it was time to stand up for themselves.  But unlike the little boy in the story, they were not met by adults with open ears. These students have been belittled. They have been called every name in the book. Some have been suspended. Some have been paddled (yes, you are reading this correctly, in 2018 - despite the research against corporal punishment - students were submitted to it at the hands of educators.) 

And sadly, in some communities, these students have received death threats. From. Adults.

Adults are quick to forget that our adolescent years were full of mistakes. Those years were also full of purpose and drive because kids are not jaded, and they are ready to take on the world. Every time I open social media, I see adults verbally bullying kids. I see them telling kids that they should study more history so that they knew what happened to the Jewish citizens under Hitler's reign (trust me, they know). I see them telling kids that they should "walk up" instead of "walk out" (as though it is their fault that they have to deal with the fear of school violence).  These students are doing their best to fix an adult problem. 

Teachers have the privilege to work with teenagers each day, and here's what we know: our students care deeply about others. They care about making an impact on the world. These students walked out because they knew it was up to them to start a conversation that is long overdue. Did every student walk out for the right reasons? No. However, I have no doubt that a majority of students did so for the right reasons. It has been almost 20 years since the massacre at Columbine - and adults have failed to protect these students. It is time that we stop blaming these students for a classmate who did the unthinkable. It is time that adults listen to these students and their ideas and then come to the table willing to act on their behalf. 

Listening is leadership. These kids need us to listen to understand, not to respond, but to truly hear them. They need to share their stories and fears. It costs nothing for them to do this. As adults, it does not change our political stance if we listen. It does not make us more liberal or conservative. It does not take away our credibility if we listen (heck, it might actually add to it). It does not mean we have gone soft if we listen. I believe with all of my heart that the solution lies with the kids. They just need us to listen. Teachers will tell you that if you give kids a chance, their stories will change your hearts and open your eyes. So the real question is: are you willing to listen?