Lasallian Moments of Rest and Reflection Founders Week | April 6-9, 2021
CBU Lasallian Moments of Rest and Reflection Founders Week | April 6-9
Introduction The world in which we live has changed dras-
other. In the 1930s, 26.5 million Americans were
tically over the past thirteen months. Masks,
unemployed due to the Great Depression. In the
social distancing, WebEx classes, streamed
1940s, 407 thousand members of the military
events, random COVID tests, quarantine and
lost their lives and 671 thousand were wounded
isolation, the suspension of athletic contests, ar-
in World War II – and the majority of these ca-
rows directing us in school corridors and store
sualties were between 22 and 26 years of age.
aisles, and hand sanitizer have become part
Through those 15+ years many of our ancestors’
of our daily life. At this phase of the pandemic,
learned how to sacrifice for the common good
542,000 people have died in the U.S., and the
while suffering terrific loss. And yet, they rose up
way in which we have had to deal with loss and
and embraced what laid ahead and created
grieving has also altered our psyche.
the most respected nation in the world. In 1998,
On top of the pandemic, our country has been faced with a series of events where far too many people’s dignity and God-given rights have been stripped away. Over this past year we have become acutely aware of the physical,
Tom Brokaw, a news anchor and author bestowed the title The Greatest Generation on the women and men who endured so much in the 1930s and 40s. Could you be The Next Greatest Generation?
psychological and emotional pain some mem-
At this time in our history, it may serve us well
bers of our community, particularly our African
to ponder how the events of the past thirteen
American, Hispanic / Latinx, Asian American,
months have shaped us. What have we learned
and Indigenous brothers and sisters have long
about ourselves and our loved ones? Have our
endured on a daily basis. Since its founding
priorities shifted, and if so, how do we move
in 1871, CBU has fought against racial hatred
forward?
and the oppression of marginalized groups. Although no one institution is perfect, one can see evidence 150 years later on our campus of the early Brothers’ efforts in laying a foundation for students of all faiths, identities, and backgrounds to succeed.
As a Lasallian institution of higher learning we believe it is important to set some time aside for self-care. Just as St. John Baptist de La Salle insisted that the Brothers and students set aside a portion of each day to rest, reflect, meditate, and read, we continue this tradition
Not to diminish the challenges we are cur-
by providing a Guide to be used at a time you
rently facing, but history informs us that almost
deem appropriate during Founder’s Week.
every generation is impacted by obstacles and
Hard copies of this booklet can be found at the
events that present an opportunity to become
entrance of the dining hall or online at cbu.edu/
more compassionate and tolerant of one an-
founders-week.
In this Guide you will find several different options for these Moments of Rest and Reflection. You are invited to page through the different options listed below and use in whatever blocks of time your schedule allows. I. Suggestions as to where on campus you may want to spend time in quiet for mediation and reading II. A letter from the Superior General of the Brothers of The Christian Schools on “Together and by Association” III. A prayer to begin your Moments of Rest and Reflection IV. Music for reflection (on Spotify) V. An article, Responding to Racism: A Lasallian dialogue and call to action VI. “The Place We Find Ourselves” a podcast on how an experience of sorrow or grieving can surprisingly lead to freedom VII. Ted Talk on being Asian American in the U.S.: “Where Do We Fit?” VIII. Three Poems IX. Prayers and reflections that correlate with the Five Core Lasallian Principles
Part I. Suggested Areas for Rest and Reflection You may want to begin your day or session in quiet mediation in Barry Hall Chapel, Stritch Chapel, outside in front of one of the Statues of Mary, in front of the DLS statue behind Lambert Hall, the grove, or wherever one feels comfortable and there are few distractions.
Part II. A letter from the Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools 5 June 2020 Dear Lasallians,
Lasallians are people who live in solidarity with neighbors near and far, who witness to fraternity, where the dignity of everyone is respect-
In 2 Timothy 2:9, Saint Paul writes to Timothy
ed and honored. Like the many good people in
that the “word of God is not chained.” For this
our local communities, we are at our best when
reason, he says, “I bear with everything for the
everything seems to be floundering. We know
sake of those who are chosen, so that they too
that racism, poverty and injustice are endemic
may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
in society. These evils are not easily eradicat-
together with eternal glory.”
ed. Therefore, we persevere in our educational
We know that God wills that all be saved. We are all chosen. We are all sisters and brothers.
mission to bring about systemic change for a more just and peaceful world for everyone.
We are one family. As Lasallians, we know this
Today, we call on all political leaders to be
truth; we live this truth. We believe as today’s
healers and unifiers; to heal divisions among
Gospel recounts that the two greatest com-
our citizens, uniting all for the common good.
mandments are love of God and love of neigh-
Today, we recommit to our educational and
bor.
evangelizing mission to bring healing and unity
In this difficult time for our country, we echo Pope Francis’ conviction of what God seeks
to our communities, our schools and our societies.
from us: The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering.
Your Brother in Saint La Salle, Brother Robert Schieler, FSC Superior General Brothers of the Christian Schools
Part III. A Prayer to Begin your CBU Moments of Rest and Reflection
It is significant that in the founder’s time it was used in the school situation as a reminder—usually voiced by a student, to the teachers and students—of the significance of what they were
Let us remember We are in the Holy Presence of God
doing in the educational enterprise. Remembering that we are in the holy presence of God
Stir up your trust in the infinite goodness of God.
during prayer and work can help us accomplish
Give honor to your Creator by leaving the care
great things. At CBU we too share De La Sal-
of your person in the hands of God. Don’t be
le’s enthusiasm for prayer and are constantly
troubled about the present or disquieted about
aware of the holy presence of God.
the future but be concerned only about the moment you must now live. Do not let anticipation of tomorrow be a burden of the day that is passing.
How did this tradition begin? How did it lead to our identity at CBU? When we say this prayer, we are invited to take a moment to pause and reflect about our God and Creator—the One
What you lack in the evening the new morning will bring you, if you know how to hope in God.
from whom all good things come. De La Salle prayed constantly for guidance
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
in his work with the Brothers and the educa-
Memoir on the Beginnings, 1694
tion of his students. In the tradition of “Lasallian” heritage, we too begin many classes with our prayer and use it as a springboard to guide us
The Significance of… “Let us remember we are in the Holy Presence of God.” Voicing this little prayer is a tradition that has been followed by graduates and students at Lasallian schools throughout the world—the traditional prayer of all Lasallians. The prayer frequently used at the beginning of classes taught by the Christian Brothers and their associates is… “Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.”
into our formal prayer. Let’s take a moment to look at the parts of this prayer. Brother Luke Salm has written about this prayer in these words: The problem with any formula that is repeated so often is that it loses its meaning and may become something that cannot be taken lightly or treated as routine. A moment’s thought might open up the implications of what the brief exhortation is asking us to do. Let us remember. The word “remember” presumes that one is not addressing the presence
This prayer, or rather this invitation, derives
of God for the first time. It implies that we have
from St. John Baptist de La Salle himself, who
forgotten something, and of course we have. In
prescribed that it be invoked at certain times
the business of running a classroom or a school,
throughout the school day.
in the rush to get to a staff meeting on time, or
while preparing to participate in a workshop,
The holy presence of God. We, who are limit-
God can hardly be at the forefront of our im-
ed in space and time, are being asked to grasp
mediate concerns. Time out, then, to remember
in faith and experience as real the presence of
what and Who is central to the entire enterprise.
God who is outside space and time; God who is
We are in the holy presence. “We” means
present not only to us, but to God’s entire cre-
each one of us, individually and together as a
ated universe; the God who is absolute mystery
community. “We” also implies that we are per-
and at the same time is at the very ground of
sons and therefore the presence is a personal
our existence; the God whose very self is com-
presence. Personal presence differs from the
municated in grace to us who are God’s ratio-
way we are present to things (the furniture)
nal creatures.
or even to other people with whom there is no personal relationship (as in a crowd). Our awareness of the presence of God is the sort of person-to-person presence that Martin Buber would call an I-Thou encounter. And the presence is holy, in another word “awesome,” because of the Person to whom we are present is holy and we are made holy by recalling it.
Part IV. Music for Reflection on Spotify to listen to while reading the various reflections With lyrics https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ffHO1JbFplQ 89shw9eXbF?si=G0lH-lIcTKuPL6za6DHCWA Instrumental https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2EkRuw1hyatnzWpC4SxMAd?si=gocgXY9NR1ObTQbsRbHImw
To remember the presence of God in that sense puts us in touch with the source of our identity as human persons and with the ultimate goal that is our eternal destiny. Brother Ernest Miller, FSC, DMin
Part V. Responding to Racism: A Lasallian Dialogue and Call to Action.
own part in deconstructing. We cannot abide a
The text below can be viewed on YouTube at
educate, as a matter of course, their children in
the following link: https://www.youtube.com/
how to survive an encounter with the police. We
watch?v=XabjRfQYvxo (minutes 11:49 till 22:20)
cannot accept a society that tells black youth
world in which black mothers and fathers must
“you are worth less than. Your life is cheap.” Ernest J. Miller, FSC, DMin1 We are living in a historic moment.
At present, our society is in the depths of anguish and despair, what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called, “the disjointed elements of reality.” In this broken place, our nation needs to
The wave of public outrage
heed the ancient wisdom of the Hebrew proph-
in reaction to George Floyd’s
et Zechariah: take inventory of yourself and
21st century lynching launched
community. Publicly own the deep wounds and
protests of a scope and scale unseen in de-
painful consequences of oppression and suffer-
cades around the United States, and indeed,
ing in the land.
the world. These protests arrive at a moment when many people are hungry to end the moral pandemic of systemic, interlocking injustices.
Zechariah calls us to become prisoners of prophetic hope.
These protests arrive at a moment when many
We must shift from pleasant poetics of charity
people aspire to heal the nation and expand
to a prophetic praxis of hope “capable of [trans-
the quest for democracy, human freedom, and
forming] the status quo.”3 It opens up the pos-
human dignity.
sibility to create a movement that enacts trans-
This struggle requires frank discussion of the dimensions of human freedom and dignity – mercy, love, courage, resistance, imagination, empathy – all of which are part and parcel of building a better world.
formational justice, that is to say, a movement that brings about the fruits of the reign of God. However, what exactly is the problem against which we must dedicate ourselves to struggle? At the opening of the 20th century, the great
We watched crowds of people – of every age,
sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois
skin color, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
asserted: “The problem of the 20th century is
religion, and no religion – take to the streets
the problem of the color line.” This analysis re-
to cry out against deep-seated structural an-
mains “desperately relevant today,” as the na-
tiblackness. The racist ideology that emerged
tion continues to be affected by the fumes and
out of American slavery persists, framing Black
odors of systemic, structural racism in American
people “as dangerous and likely criminal.”2
democracy.
This ideology shows the distorted moral nar-
“[W]e have ingested the idea,” says Resmaa
rative of our democracy, which we must play our
Menakem, “that the white body is the supreme
standard of humanity.”4 “While we see anger
of every kind” and the promotion of “health in-
and violence in the streets of our country, the
stead of sickness, knowledge instead of igno-
real battlefield is inside [all of] our bodies” . . . [of
rance . . . relationship instead of loneliness . .
every color]. “If we are to survive as a country, it
. justice instead of injustice . . . love instead of
is inside our bodies where this conflict needs to
hate.”9 What, then, is required of us?
be resolved”; that “the vital force [behind] white supremacy is in our nervous systems.”5 If you don’t understand this truth, everything about this moment will confuse you. Everything about racial inequities, poverty, and social unrest will confuse you.
What is required of the mission of Lasallian education – a mission of salvation – to enact racial justice and participate in creating an anti-racist society? As prisoners of prophetic hope, we are trying to keep track of not only our wounds and suffer-
Let us pray that God will keep this knowledge
ing, but also our strengths and our tremendous possibilities for coming together to take decisive
close to our hearts. After registering for this event, you received a copy of the “Mission Mandated Lasallian Vision
steps as communities of struggle “toward widening and strengthening human democracy.”10
for Racial Justice.”6 Take an opportunity to con-
If we are to amplify our participation in jus-
sider this document and offer comments and
tice creation, there is warrant for Lasallian ed-
suggestions about how we move toward en-
ucation to embrace a critical pedagogy – a
acting racial justice on a personal and commu-
discourse of educated hope and possibility
nal level. This dialogue is an opportunity to take
– across the curriculum and co-curriculum of
up the responsibility, as Kevin Ahern states, “to
each of our schools, universities, and other cen-
name God’s activity in the world, to be a pro-
ters of education.
phetic critic of society . . . .”
7
Let us provide those entrusted to our edu-
Saint John Baptist de La Salle and his first
cational care with the prophetic sensibility of
Brothers gave birth to our Lasallian association,
Brother John Johnston, FSC, who called us to be
which – to this day – draws from the deep wells
indignant like Jesus about human beings suf-
of their encounter with the Holy Spirit. Their
fering 84 under the weight of social imbalance.
foundational motivation was to establish Chris-
Let’s provide those entrusted to our care with
tian schools as a sign of the reign of God and a
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s prophetic quest to be-
means of salvation.8
come not just a Good Samaritan; rather, let us
Theologian-Educator Brother Luke Salm, FSC, helps us critically understand the mission of salvation at the heart of Lasallian education. Salvation is both a human reality and a religious
provide them with a deep education that leads them to become agents who transform the Jericho Roads of life so no one is terrorized or traumatized or hated by other human beings.
concept rooted in hope. God’s will is that every-
To conclude, I encourage you to reflect on
one be saved from “failure and disintegration
what you can do today – not tomorrow, not next
week, but today – to keep bending the arc of the moral universe toward transformational justice. To be a prophetic prisoner of hope is your vocation, your calling. It is a long-distance run. Let us take courage in the words of writer and social activist Audre Lorde: My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other [people] while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences.11
Endnotes
3. “Racism, the Church, and Healing for a Shattered World,”
1. Brother Ernest Miller, who serves as vice president for
Stan Chu Ilo (Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pasto-
mission, diversity, and inclusion at La Salle University in
ral Network, June 23, 2020).
Pennsylvania, earned his doctorate at the Chicago Theological Union in Chicago. What is presented here is the inspiring “Opening Meditation” of Responding to Racism: A
4. Resmaa Menakem (https://compassioncenter.arizona. edu/podcast/resmaa-menakem).
Lasallian Dialogue and Call to Action, an initiative of the
5. Resmaa Menakem (https://onbeing.org/programs/
Mission Officers of the Lasallian Association of Colleges
resmaa-menakem-notice-the-rage-notice-the-silence/).
and Universities in the USA (LACU) that engaged hundreds of Lasallians from 34 countries; and many others, individually or in groups, have subsequently accessed and viewed the dialogue. The 90-minute online exchange, which was conducted on 25 June 2020, was sponsored by the International Association of La Salle Universities (IALU) and co-hosted by the Office for Lasallian Education at Christian Brothers Conference and three of the Districts
6. Cf. “Mission Mandated Lasallian Vision for Racial Justice” in AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education 9, no. 2 (2018): 23-26. 7. “Towards a Sacramental Civil Society.” 8. Cf. The Rule of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Rome, 2015).
of the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN): District
9. Cf. “Together for Mission” by Luke Salm, FSC in AXIS:
of Eastern North America, Midwest District, and District of
Journal of Lasallian Higher Education 7, no. 2 (2016): 90.
San Francisco New Orleans. 2.
Tomiko
Brown-Nagin
10. Cf. W.E.B. DuBois, Black Reconstruction (1935). (https://news.harvard.edu/
gazette/story/2020/06/a-reading-list-onissues-of-race/).
11. The Cancer Journals (1980).
Part VI. Podcast — “The Place We Find Ourselves” Hosted by Adam Young, a counselor in Fort Collins, CO, “The Place We Find Ourselves,” emphasizes why “lament” (an experience of sorrow or grieving) surprisingly leads to freedom. https://soundcloud.com/anewliturgy/anl-no-7-lament (15:02 minutes)
Part VII. Ted Talk: Where Do We Fit? Jess Fong’s presentation, Where Do We Fit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1-E2DIpB2s (7.5 minutes) Being Asian-American in this country can be a conflicting experience because one is caught in the middle of many different social dynamics: between mainstream American vs. one’s own traditional Chinese roots, layered with socio-political values one way or the other.
Part VIII. Three Poems 1. Amanda Gorman is an American poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization.
comes lapping and clear, the curled fronds of seaweed will furl and splay, their algal sisters brushing strands against sands where littleneck clams feed underwater. Light rain will fall and one cannot help but lean into the uncer-
The Miracle of Morning https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XOieGJl6g4s (2.22 minutes)
tainty of the sea. Bow: a knot of two loops, two loose ends, our bodies on either side of this shore where we will dip our hands to feel what can’t be seen.
2. Poet and multimedia artist Diana Khoi Nguyen was born and raised in California.
Horseshoe crabs whose blue blood rich in copper will reach for cover, hinged between clouds and
She earned a BA in English
sea. It will never be enough, the bull kelp like a
and Communication Studies
whip coiling in tender hands,
from UCLA, an MFA from Colombia University, and a PhD from the University of Denver
hands who know to take or be taken, but take nothing with them: I will marry you. I will marry you. So we can owe what we own to every beauti-
Vow by Diana Khoi Nguyen It will be windy for a while until it isn’t. The waves will shoal. A red-legged cormorant will trace her double along glassy water, forgetting they are hungry. The sea will play this motif over and over, but there will be no preparing for it otherwise. Water will quiver in driftwood. Sound preceding absence, a white dog trailing a smaller one: ghost and noon shadow, two motes disappearing into surf. And when the low tide
ful thing.
3. Joy Harjo is an American
was invented by the Christians, as was the
poet, musician, playwright,
Devil, we sang. We
and author. She is the incumbent United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold that honor.
were the heathens, but needed to be saved from them — thin chance. We knew we were all related in this story, a little gin
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo We were running out of breath, as we ran out to meet ourselves. We were surfacing the edge of our ancestors’ fights, and ready to strike. It was difficult to lose days in the Indian bar if you were straight. Easy if you played pool and drank to remember to forget. We made plans to be professional — and did. And some of us could sing so we drummed a fire-lit pathway up to those starry stars. Sin
will clarify the dark and make us all feel like dancing. We had something to do with the origins of blues and jazz I argued with a Pueblo as I filled the jukebox with dimes in June, forty years later and we still want justice. We are still America. We know the rumors of our demise. We spit them out. They die soon.
Part IX. Nine prayers and reflections that correlate with the Five Core Lasallian Principles
We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own
Faith in the Presence of God I don’t know who, or what, put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone, or Something,
children’s future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled nor enriched by hatred and revenge. There is no power greater than a communi-
and from that hour I was certain that existence
ty discovering what it cares about. Ask “What’s
is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in
possible?” not “What’s wrong?” Keep asking.
self-surrender, had a goal. Dag Hammarskjold
Notice what you care about. Assume that many others share your dreams. Be brave enough to start a conversation that
Respect for All Persons Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger
matters. Talk to people you know. Talk to people you don’t know. Talk to people you never talk to. Be intrigued by the differences you hear. Ex-
and are not fed, those who are cold and are
pect to be surprised. Treasure curiosity more
not clothed. This world in arms is not spend-
than certainty.
ing money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children. Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what’s possible. Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something. Know that creative solutions come from new connections. Remember, you don’t fear people whose sto-
Inclusive Community / Respect for All Persons When We Teach A Man To Hate… When you teach a man to hate and fear others, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies.
ry you know. Real listening always brings people closer together. Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world. Rely on human goodness. Stay together. Margaret Wheatley “Turning to One Another,” 2002
Faith in the Presence of God
ther’s shaky hands and failing sight made eat-
We Are Never Alone
ing difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest...blindfolded...and leaves him....alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night...and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since
Once he survives the night...he is a MAN. He
Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food
cannot tell the other boys of this experience.
was served in a wooden bowl! When the family
Each boy must come into his own manhood.
glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometime
The boy was terrified...could hear all kinds of noise...Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth... and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically...never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.
he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed
Finally, after a horrific night...the sun ap-
his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
peared and he removed his blindfold. It was
He asked the child sweetly, “What are you mak-
then that he saw his father...sitting on the stump
ing?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I
next to him...at watch...the entire night.
am making a little bowl for you and Mama to
We are never truly alone. Even when we do not know it, our family and friends are watching out for us...sitting on a stump beside us.
eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-yearold smiled and went back to work . The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spo-
Respect for All Persons The Wooden Bowl A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfa-
ken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Respect for All Persons How Far You Go…
what they say about teachers: ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong because someday in your life you will have been all of these. George Washington Carver
To emphasize his point he said to another guest; ‘You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?’ Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, ‘You want to know what I make?’ (She paused for a second, then began...) ‘Well, I make kids work harder than they ever
Concern for the Poor and Social Justice The Gem Inside A wise woman traveling in the mountains found a precious stone. The next day as she met another traveler who was hungry, she opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman for it, knowing it would give him security for a lifetime. Without hesitation, she gently handed it to him. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. A few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I want to return it in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”
thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I-Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) ‘’I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
Quality Education The Teacher at the Dinner Party The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?’ He reminded the other dinner guests
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn
everything they need to know in English while
But even though your heart itself
preserving their unique cultural identity.
should lose the will to stand,
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand
no matter what may happen, child I’ll never let go of your hand. The life that I have given you
over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance
no one can take away.
to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we
I’ve sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word.
live in the United States of America.
The everlasting Father
I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.’ (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) ‘Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high. You want to know what I make?
has made His covenant with you and He’s stronger than the world you’ve seen and heard. So don’t you fear to show them all the love I have for you I’ll be with you everywhere in everything you do. And even if you do it wrong and miss the joy I’ve planned, I’ll never, never let go of your hand.
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. The life that I have given you no one can take away. Faith in the Presence of God
I’ve sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word.
I’ll Never Let Go of Your Hand
The everlasting Father
I know what you’ve been hearing. I’ve seen you hide your fear. Embarrassed by your weaknesses, Afraid to let Me near. I wish you knew how much I long for you to understand. No matter what may happen, child I’ll never let go of your hand. I know you’ve been forsaken by all you’ve known before. When you failed their expectations they frowned and closed the door.
has made His covenant with you and He’s stronger than the world you’ve seen and heard. So don’t you fear to show them all the love I have for you. I’ll be with you everywhere in everything you do. And even if you do it wrong and miss the joy I’ve planned, I’ll never, never let go of your hand. I’ll never let go of your hand.
Campus Ministry cbu.edu/campus-ministry
Center for Community Engagement cbu.edu/center-for-community-engagement
Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion cbu.edu/office-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion