Why?

Those of us in my field get the question a lot, “why do you do what do you do”. While it is sometimes hard to verbalize reasons, I spend my time exactly how I want to spend my life. I teach because I believe educational inequity is our country’s biggest social issue. I teach because I believe poverty can be solved through education. I teach because I believe every child should have warm meals, a safe home, and a thirst for knowledge. While I do not teach traditionally anymore, my ability to direct the young people in YouthBuild will have a direct consequence on the outcome of their lives. I do what I do because if I didn’t, I would be allowing the cycle of poverty to continue in the United States. I do what I do because I like urban youth, and well based on what I have experienced, they are not for everyone.

When I get discouraged, down trodden, or unsure of my next day, I have to remember that this job is not about me. I am a small part of something bigger than myself and while there may be steps back, the steps forward are strides. Every GED earned, every student who learns to read, and every student who finished high school is a stride forward. Those strides have to be worth more then the stumbles.

My stories are about my kids; characters in my life that are constantly telling me to work another day to diminish poverty. They are individuals who have required me to stay in my position despite its uncertainty at times. Finally, I do what I do because this is my passion. When I look back, I want to have stood for something that matters, something that changed a generation, education can and will do just that.