Learning From Our Youth In A Time of Polarization
I am a teacher this year for a group of 9th graders in Durham, North Carolina, at a public charter school. This is my second year there teaching the same group of students I taught in 8th grade. I have been fortunate to move up with them in grades as they grow and discover more of who they are and what they are passionate about. It may seem strange to think that these young students could know as much about who they are or what they care about at only 13 to 15 years old but times have changed. Our youth are growing up fast, showing signs of maturity and awareness only befitting of a generation powered by information but also a sense of what's important in life. As teachers, we also have a responsibility to instill in them such awareness and appreciation for what's possible when they trust in themselves. As the nation moves through another phase of the pandemic and these young people deal with being online and away from their friends in the classroom, we still have opportuni