“You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge,” as Dr. Phil McGraw said. “When we know better, we do better,” said Maya Angelou. Tenets such as these remind us that knowing paves a path toward personal power. That doing furnishes opportunities for personal peacefulness. Tempers rise. Feelings hurt. Resilience flees. When these things happen in schools, it’s time to inhale, stand tall, and get to work . . . on ourselves! This book has reminded us that there are peaceful ways to intervene. It has also informed us that there is power in our choice of words and behaviors. With the balance of peace and power, we can help mend the turmoil. We need not give up personal peace for power or personal power for peace. Peace and power reside in our ability to be generous of spirit, to recast meanings, and to minimize fear. We see others’ troubles as their own, even as we care about them. We problem- solve ways to alleviate difficulties, even as we know the quest is likely infinite and “letting go” can be a wise choice. Teaching with Vitality reminds us that we are powerful in shaping our lives and the quality of our relationships. We recognize our always- growing, always- changing internal resources for reconnecting with students, co- workers, and parents. If we don’t know what to do, we search for ways to understand and act. We resolve to do better, one step at a time. You now have many options for considering your course. You have many perspectives from which to make your choices. Though it may appear that we are working to fix others’ behaviors, we are the beneficiaries: we change our minds to change our perspectives, to change our relationships, to change ourselves. And through it all, we can revive. We can thrive. We can find ourselves on the path to health and wellness in our schools and in our communities. And, we can see vitality return to our teaching.
La infancia de Maya Angelou en el sur de Estados Unidos y su exilio voluntario