As an educator, I pledge to uphold Sister Corita Kent's rule: "find a PLACE to trust and try trusting it for a while."
That PLACE will be:
The heart of students.
The mind of students.
The spirit of students.
I will not practice and promote the pedagogical damage that has been placed upon us.
I will not tempt nor woo students with intellectual or psychological insight.
I will not hold the students' growth as hostage while trying to build up my own sense of self worth. (That shit I will take care of on my own time, on my own dime.)
And when I do make these errors—for I have and know that I will again—I will name it, claim it and apologize for it.
I will practice listening to my students. And not confuse listening to their voice with my need to be heard.
I will practice balancing my overly critical brain (who knows competition, who thinks she is right and who is incredibly judgmental), with my overly emotional heart (who needs to be liked and who needs approval desperately and persistently.)
In between the heart and the brain is the spirit, where my whole self as a human being resides.
I will practice speaking from this place—this place of wholeness. And it is from this place that I pledge to practice meeting my students.
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