Many days I wonder why I agreed to be the National Honor Society sponsor, namely when I’m resolving the 4th miscommunication in two days or listening to the 18th valid excuse why a student can’t participate in an activity at the last minute or searching unsuccessfully for that illusive place between relinquishing leadership and responsibility to the students, but still being aware of everything that’s going on. However, brief but illuminating moments can provide affirmation that transform feelings of helplessness and inadequacy into peace and enlightenment.
Saturday we had an NHS event meant to develop leadership skills at a retreat center about 45 minutes from the city. After a busy week, I was not looking forward to chaperoning an event from 7:45am to 4pm. Despite being a part of multiple planning meetings, I didn’t really understand the program we were to be working with nor did I grasp our role in it. I only knew that it didn’t seem as organized as I would have desired, but I am the club sponsor, so I showed up.
The first hour was filled with complete confusion: listening to questions that I couldn’t answer, realizing forgotten supplies, and wondering where the illusive contact person was. After I realized I was being snippy with the students, I decided to remove myself from the set-up situation and go listen to the lecture being presented by two of the officers to try to figure out what was going on. Over the next 5 minutes, I watched my students lead an interactive presentation regarding the importance education with a group of 25 students, who were a part of an after school program for underprivileged students where they learned English, computer and leadership skills. While the leaders and the audience were the same demographically, they had clearly come from completely different worlds. It became quickly apparent these two groups of involved, passionate, and articulate students had incredible potential to impact their community and a unique opportunity to affect each other throughout the day.
Before the presentation was finished, I rushed down inspired and excited to where the majority of my students were waiting around texting everyone in El Salvador. Even though I felt completely unqualified as their leader and unaware of what was going on when the day began, my tiny peek into the mixing to two worlds gave me insight into my role. These students have been exposed to charity their entire lives and are very comfortable “helping the poor” nearly exclusively in a hand-out and at a comfortable distance. However, I challenged them to shift the focus from “leading” this incredible group of their peers, to joining them in the games, in the discussions, in the experience. At first, they were resistant stating they needed to explain the games and put on the games FOR them since it’s THEIR day. I said I was certain that they’d rather be participating as one large mixed group than being laughed at from the outside. Then, my students contended they were supposed to be developing leadership skills. I continued stating that often leadership is coming up next to someone and getting to know them, learning from them and eventually you will have the opportunity to share what you know. I shared a few positive experiences that I’ve had getting to know people in Nigeria, Iowa and here in El Salvador in this way. It might take a lot longer and not even happen at all in a 6-hour Saturday session, but they are valuable and effective leadership skills to learn.
Soon after I had shared my leadership epiphany with them, the participants came down to the field to being their games. My students had a hard time joining in and during the first round, I went to each of the six different games reminding them 1 coordinator per game was enough, the rest of them should be playing! Interacting with peers from a different social class on an level playing field was tough and placed them out of their comfort zone, but by the end of the game hour, they had warmed up a bit. However, when lunch started, they immediately segregated themselves again, and I reminded them this is a great opportunity to hang out together. They were less than enthusiastic, but humored me.
The final portion of the day included small group discussions about the role of education in maintaining democracy in El Salvador and increasing its transparency. The schedule allotted 45 minutes, but I was skeptical groups of 6-8 high school students would really talk about the role of education in democracy for 45 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. I was grossly mistaken. When the student leader sounded the siren on the megaphone signaling the end of small group discussions, I had 3 of my students come up to me and ask why I cut them off so soon. They were having “inspired discussions”! I suggested that after each group presented their small group discussion it could be opened up as a large group discussion to end the day.
All of the discussion was done in Spanish, so I had to focus intently, but it was worth the effort. Listening to all of the students grapple with difficult issues presenting meaningful stances and worthwhile counters was heartening. One of the final comments was given by of the participants who called everyone to action. “What good is a seminar like this if we don’t act and act now in our schools and communities? We have the power to make change happen.” My students were similarly inspired by the day and the interactions they had had. “They really appreciate their education!” “They are so passionate about their beliefs.” “People at are school aren’t like this.”
The participants, my students and I all showed up, somewhat begrudgingly, on a Saturday morning having other things we’d rather be doing but knowing it was the right thing to do and we were all positively impacted. Maybe it was in a way that we’d anticipated, likely it wasn’t. However, it reinforced a belief that I hold. You don’t have to be overly talented. You don’t have to have all of the answers. You don’t have to spend a ton of money. You do have to show up. You never know when something powerful is going to happen and you wouldn’t want to miss out!
