Children of poverty and trauma (subject of one or more ACEs) show up in classrooms everyday living under the paradigm of the perspective that “I can’t”, “I never will” – fill in the blank with your own self-defeating message. For all practical purposes, it appears that the “truth” they know or the reality they are living is the only truth that there is to know. Teachers and other caring adults have the ability to shift a child’s perspective, help them see beyond where they have ever seen before. My friend’s story helps make the point.
This story is about my friend Rod. Rod is an African American man, large in stature and in heart. He is a connoisseur of all things culture and has spent years conducting research on African-American culture, African culture, the slave trade, and more. In the process of this research and search for his own full circle experience, Rod had his DNA tested, and it showed that he came from Senegal. So, in 2006, he packed up and traveled back to his homeland.
During the tour, the guide would share about the different sites and then they came to what the guide called “The Gate of No Return”. He shared with those in the group that when slaves were sold, they would go through this gate, and it was called “The Gate of No Return”, because they knew when you went through, they were never coming back. Then the tour guide paused and said, but this is not true, then looking to my friend, he said to the group “because this man came back”. That day the tour guide discovered that the truth he knew was not all the truth there was to know.
It response to my friend’s story, I penned a poem. I called it, “The Boy Who Would Become King”.
The Boy Who Would Become King
He was a little boy looking for his own,
The path to self from deep within him groaned.
He searched and wandered, high and low,
Taking the next clue, where ever it would go.
As he pressed forward there began to shone light,
Could he see it, would he find it, would it finally be right?
The quest not only his, but for countless others yearned,
The voices said “no use, you’ve passed through the gate of no return”.
But the little boy refused to give up, he could hear the bells of hope ring,
He would return and he would become king.
So, remember that children that we serve are not where they will always be. Make it a point, every day to help others, especially those children that are most vulnerable. Help them see beyond today. Help them realize that the truth that they know may not be all the truth there is to know.
Dr. Ivy Bonk is Educational Psychologist/Consultant with IMAGINAL Education Group, Founder/President of ReThink Learning, Inc.
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