{"id":1576,"date":"2014-09-26T16:01:35","date_gmt":"2014-09-26T16:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/?p=1576"},"modified":"2014-09-30T12:47:42","modified_gmt":"2014-09-30T12:47:42","slug":"dont-blame-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/dont-blame-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t blame me."},"content":{"rendered":"

This past week I had the opportunity to go to my first ever National Association for College Admission Counseling<\/em> Conference in Indianapolis and it blew me away.\u00a0 From the keynote speaker to the various informational sessions, not to mention the incredible networking opportunities; it was much like my beloved IACAC Conference and left me feeling rejuvenated and bursting with thoughts and ideas.<\/p>\n

\"speaker_Canada\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The keynote speaker that kicked everything off was Geoffrey Canada, who is well known as a leader in educational reform.\u00a0 I connected with so much of what he spoke about, but what hit me right in the gut was a poem of his that he shared.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Blame Me<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The girl\u2019s mother said, \u201cDon\u2019t blame me.<\/p>\n

Her father left when she was three.<\/p>\n

I know she don\u2019t know her ABCs, her 1,2,3s,<\/p>\n

But I am poor and work hard you see.\u201d<\/p>\n

You know the story, it\u2019s don\u2019t blame me.<\/p>\n

The teacher shook her head and said,<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t blame me, I know it\u2019s sad.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s ten, but if the truth be told,<\/p>\n

He reads like he was six years old.<\/p>\n

And math, don\u2019t ask.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s sad you see.<\/p>\n

Wish I could do more, but it\u2019s after three.<\/p>\n

Blame the mom, blame society, blame the system.<\/p>\n

Just don\u2019t blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge was angry, his expression cold.<\/p>\n

He scowled and said, \u201cSon you\u2019ve been told.<\/p>\n

Break the law again and you\u2019ll do time.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve robbed with a gun.<\/p>\n

Have you lost your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man opened his mouth to beg.<\/p>\n

\u201cSave your breath,\u201d he heard instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour daddy left when you were two.<\/p>\n

Your momma didn\u2019t take care of you.<\/p>\n

Your school prepared you for this fall.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t read, can\u2019t write, can\u2019t spell at all.<\/p>\n

But you did the crime for all to see.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re going to jail, son.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there is a God or a person supreme,<\/p>\n

A final reckoning, for the kind and the mean,<\/p>\n

And judgment is rendered on who passed the buck,<\/p>\n

Who blamed the victim or proudly stood up,<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll say to the world, \u201cWhile I couldn\u2019t save all,<\/p>\n

I did not let these children fall.<\/p>\n

By the thousands I helped all I could see.<\/p>\n

No excuses, I took full responsibility.<\/p>\n

No matter if they were black or white,<\/p>\n

Were cursed, ignored, were wrong or right,<\/p>\n

Were shunned, pre-judged, were short or tall,<\/p>\n

I did my best to save them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

And I will bear witness for eternity<\/p>\n

That you can state proudly,<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2010 By Geoffrey Canada<\/p>\n

\u00a0In education especially, there are an insurmountable amount of obstacles when it comes to policies, politics and resources.\u00a0 It is no doubt a challenging field to be in right now and I have heard the heartbreak countless times from many fellow colleagues and teachers who feel they no longer are able to truly teach or counsel students the way they need to because of all these challenges .\u00a0 It breaks my heart.<\/p>\n

But we CANNOT play the “don’t blame me” game.\u00a0 Because who truly suffers from that?\u00a0 Our students. The reason we are here.\u00a0 We have to fight the good fight..for them.<\/p>\n

How often do we fall back on excuses that keep us from serving students to their full potential?\u00a0 How often do we utter the words, “there’s not enough time” or “I did my best” when in our hearts of hearts we know we could put forth more time, more effort.\u00a0 What if…we made a promise to ourselves to do everything in our power to make our students successful?\u00a0<\/strong> I am not talking about doing things that are allowed in our budget or that can only be done in our 40 hour work week.\u00a0 Sadly, that is just not possible sometimes.\u00a0 We often use those as easy outs to avoid the dirty work.\u00a0\u00a0 The kind of work that will change student’s lives, the kind of work that will change the world. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about those heroes and those you look up to who have changed the world as we know it, not just in education.\u00a0 Did they stop when the bell rang? When the clock hit 5pm? When their boss said, “no we can’t do that.”\u00a0 No, they pushed the boundaries.<\/p>\n

\"writers\"<\/a>-Freedom Writers Diary: truly inspirational book you should check out \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

What is YOUR cause? What is it that you work for?\u00a0 How passionate are you about it? Are you willing to do what it takes?\u00a0 Are you willing to sacrifice personal time?\u00a0 Reach in to your own pockets? Maybe you are gasping at the thought of that.\u00a0 Maybe you think it is ridiculous for an employer to expect that of you.\u00a0 And you are right, they cannot really ask that and they probably won’t ask that of you.\u00a0 Sometimes it is just necessary. \u00a0 Some of my best friends are teachers and I have heard them tell me numerous stories about kids in their classes who maybe showed up to the coldest day of the year without a coat.\u00a0 Or maybe they suspect, a child does not have any food.\u00a0 These friends of mine do not even think twice to go out and buy a coat, bring extra food to class, etc.<\/p>\n

\u00a0With shrinking budgets and messed up priorities in the administration of any field, sometimes all we can lean on is the human spirit and the desire to make a difference<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am blessed to work at a school that for the most part says “yes” to my crazy ideas, but I also get my fair share of obstacles and challenges that I believe to keep me from doing the best job I can to service my students.\u00a0 But I cannot just stop there.\u00a0 Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands, our own pockets, our own resources.<\/p>\n

\"Copy<\/a><\/p>\n

I struggle with the balance of this VERY often. \u00a0 I value my small amount of free time and lord knows I certainly do not have the luxury of deep pockets. \u00a0 BUT I refuse to NOT do everything I can to give my student workers the best and most valuable campus job they have ever had.\u00a0 I refuse to NOT do everything I can to ensure my lost little high schoolers know I am here for them through the overwhelming college search process.\u00a0 Even if it means giving up my weekend time to work with their schedule, texting\/calls\/emails at all hours of the night, or maybe just taking them out for coffee\/lunch\/dinner that is not in my “expense budget”.\u00a0 That is what being passionate IS.\u00a0 It is not doing your job from 8-5 and anything after that is not your problem.\u00a0 If you are passionate it is always your problem<\/strong>.\u00a0 I would rather live a life of sacrifice for a passion….than have more free time and less meaning in my life.\u00a0 So Geoffrey’s poem really spoke to me. It made me think, am I doing enough?\u00a0 Can I do more?\u00a0 Who am I letting slip through the cracks?\u00a0 Maybe if I can make a few more phone calls, reach out just a little more, go the extra mile, re-think my communication plan, it may make the world of a difference for one student who did not think college would be an option for them.<\/p>\n

Don’t blame me, we don’t have the funds:<\/strong>\u00a0 But how can you get creative with what you have?<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t blame me, I only have so much time:\u00a0<\/strong> A little extra of your own time will go a long way.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t blame me, it is out of my control:\u00a0<\/strong> You have more control than you think.\u00a0 You can still have a positive influence.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What this poem made clear is that we have more impact on these kids than we will EVER know.\u00a0 Let’ take that seriously.<\/p>\n

Stay blessed in the mess \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past week I had the opportunity to go to my first ever National Association for College Admission Counseling Conference in Indianapolis and it blew me away.\u00a0 From the keynote speaker to the various informational sessions, not to mention the incredible networking opportunities; it was much like my beloved IACAC Conference and left me feeling rejuvenated and bursting with thoughts and ideas. The keynote speaker that kicked everything off was Geoffrey Canada, who is well known as a leader in educational reform.\u00a0 I connected with so much of what he spoke about, but what hit me right in the gut was a poem of his that he shared. Don\u2019t Blame Me The girl\u2019s mother said, \u201cDon\u2019t blame me. Her father left when she was three. I know she don\u2019t know her ABCs, her 1,2,3s, But I am poor and work hard you see.\u201d You know the story, it\u2019s don\u2019t blame me. The teacher shook her head and said, \u201cDon\u2019t blame me, I know it\u2019s sad. He\u2019s ten, but if the truth be told, He reads like he was six years old. And math, don\u2019t ask. It\u2019s sad you see. Wish I could do more, but it\u2019s after three. Blame the mom, blame society, blame the system. Just don\u2019t blame me.\u201d The judge was angry, his expression cold. He scowled and said, \u201cSon you\u2019ve been told. Break the law again and you\u2019ll do time. You\u2019ve robbed with a gun. Have you lost your mind?\u201d The young man opened his mouth to beg. \u201cSave your breath,\u201d he heard instead. \u201cYour daddy left when you were two. Your momma didn\u2019t take care of you. Your school prepared you for this fall. Can\u2019t read, can\u2019t write, can\u2019t spell at all. But you did the crime for all to see. You\u2019re going to jail, son. Don\u2019t blame me.\u201d If there is a God or a person supreme, A final reckoning, for the kind and the mean, And judgment is rendered on who passed the buck, Who blamed the victim or proudly stood up, You\u2019ll say to the world, \u201cWhile I couldn\u2019t save all, I did not let these children fall. By the thousands I helped all I could see. No excuses, I took full responsibility. No matter if they were black or white, Were cursed, ignored, were wrong or right, Were shunned, pre-judged, were short or tall, I did my best to save them all.\u201d And I will bear witness for eternity That you can state proudly, \u201cDon\u2019t blame me.\u201d \u2010 By Geoffrey Canada \u00a0In education especially, there are an insurmountable amount of obstacles when it comes to policies, politics and resources.\u00a0 It is no doubt a challenging field to be in right now and I have heard the heartbreak countless times from many fellow colleagues and teachers who feel they no longer are able to truly teach or counsel students the way they need to because of all these challenges .\u00a0 It breaks my heart. But we CANNOT play the “don’t blame me” game.\u00a0 Because who truly suffers from that?\u00a0 Our students. The reason we are here.\u00a0 We have to fight the good fight..for them. How often do we fall back on excuses that keep us from serving students to their full potential?\u00a0 How often do we utter the words, “there’s not enough time” or “I did my best” when in our hearts of hearts we know we could put forth more time, more effort.\u00a0 What if…we made a promise to ourselves to do everything in our power to make our students successful?\u00a0 I am not talking about doing things that are allowed in our budget or that can only be done in our 40 hour work week.\u00a0 Sadly, that is just not possible sometimes.\u00a0 We often use those as easy outs to avoid the dirty work.\u00a0\u00a0 The kind of work that will change student’s lives, the kind of work that will change the world. Think about those heroes and those you look up to who have changed the world as we know it, not just in education.\u00a0 Did they stop when the bell rang? When the clock hit 5pm? When their boss said, “no we can’t do that.”\u00a0 No, they pushed the boundaries. -Freedom Writers Diary: truly inspirational book you should check out \ud83d\ude42 What is YOUR cause? What is it that you work for?\u00a0 How passionate are you about it? Are you willing to do what it takes?\u00a0 Are you willing to sacrifice personal time?\u00a0 Reach in to your own pockets? Maybe you are gasping at the thought of that.\u00a0 Maybe you think it is ridiculous for an employer to expect that of you.\u00a0 And you are right, they cannot really ask that and they probably won’t ask that of you.\u00a0 Sometimes it is just necessary. \u00a0 Some of my best friends are teachers and I have heard them tell me numerous stories about kids in their classes who maybe showed up to the coldest day of the year without a coat.\u00a0 Or maybe they suspect, a child does not have any food.\u00a0 These friends of mine do not even think twice to go out and buy a coat, bring extra food to class, etc. \u00a0With shrinking budgets and messed up priorities in the administration of any field, sometimes all we can lean on is the human spirit and the desire to make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am blessed to work at a school that for the most part says “yes” to my crazy ideas, but I also get my fair share of obstacles and challenges that I believe to keep me from doing the best job I can to service my students.\u00a0 But I cannot just stop there.\u00a0 Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands, our own pockets, our own resources. I struggle with the balance of this VERY often. \u00a0 I value my small amount of free time and lord knows I certainly do not have the luxury of deep pockets. \u00a0 BUT I refuse to NOT do everything I can to give my student workers the best and most valuable campus job they have ever had.\u00a0 I refuse to NOT do everything I can to ensure my lost little high schoolers know I am here for them through the overwhelming college search process.\u00a0 Even if it means giving up my weekend time to work with their schedule, texting\/calls\/emails at all hours of the night, or maybe just taking them out for coffee\/lunch\/dinner that is not in my “expense budget”.\u00a0 That is what being passionate IS.\u00a0 It is not doing your job from 8-5 and anything after that is not your problem.\u00a0 If you are passionate it is always your problem.\u00a0 I would rather live a life of sacrifice for a passion….than have more free time and less meaning in my life.\u00a0 So Geoffrey’s poem really spoke to me. It made me think, am I doing enough?\u00a0 Can I do more?\u00a0 Who am I letting slip through the cracks?\u00a0 Maybe if I can make a few more phone calls, reach out just a little more, go the extra mile, re-think my communication plan, it may make the world of a difference for one student who did not think college would be an option for them. Don’t blame me, we don’t have the funds:\u00a0 But how can you get creative with what you have? Don’t blame me, I only have so much time:\u00a0 A little extra of your own time will go a long way. Don’t blame me, it is out of my control:\u00a0 You have more control than you think.\u00a0 You can still have a positive influence. What this poem made clear is that we have more impact on these kids than we will EVER know.\u00a0 Let’ take that seriously. Stay blessed in the mess \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1576"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1595,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1576\/revisions\/1595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blessedinthemess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}