In the midst of our reflection discussion this evening I had a moment (or a few, really) of complete unbelief. I couldn't believe how much I was learning, growing, and appreciating what was going on around me. It was one of those moments that you feel like you can save the world. You know? Those times when everything seems so clear and obvious and all of the world's issues seem to be right in front of you, so easy to tackle. One of those moments when you realize your purpose; not just on the trip, but at Wartburg, in the education department, and with these people. It became so clear that where I'm at right now and what I'm doing right now is exactly what it should be. I think we all have those times in our lives that we doubt our futures and our plans. This was one of those moments when I realized I should never doubt my future. Throughout everything we have done on this trip, to planting trees, getting rid of harmful ones, and trying to just make whatever difference we can here, this was still by far one of the most empowering experiences I could imagine.
We had a long conversation tonight with a guy that seems to go by the name of Smitty. He just happened to walk into the house while we were eating dinner, and conversation just flowed from there. There were moments of frustration and inspiration and amazement, but what really stuck with me was his talk about education. Obviously a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that I'm an education major and feel passionate about educating children in the future. But what was so empowering was listening to this man talk about the importance of education in a whole nother context. He isn't a teacher and hasn't been one (as far as I know), but from his life experiences and his knowledgability, he had so much to say about how important good education is. And I'm not talking about state-of-the-art text books or technology or having the newest, cleanest buildings, or having the highest enrollment and graduation rates. I'm talking about having passionate, influential teachers that care about their students, care about the future of the nation, and are devoted to making change. So much of what WE have learned in this class revolves around this idea of needing change in this society. And I agree, our society DOES need change, in many many ways. But the way it most relates to me is in the education system. Tonight opened my eyes to the fact that change in the education means change in so many other areas and problems in our society. For a man like Smitty to have gone through what he has in terms of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that came along with that, to be able to tell our whole group that the answer to many of our society's problems is education, is just so awesome to me. And not awesome in the 'really cool' sort of way, but awesome in the awe-inspiring, there-are-no-words, breath-taking sort of way. But it didn't stop there. When our reflection discussion went back to the education topic and I heard my classmates express their opinions on the importance of education and how 'corrupt' the education system has gotten, I felt even more empowered. I felt like what my future holds for myself is really actually so much bigger than myself. And it's not that I hadn't realized that before, but it's a whole different story to realize something like that in a completely difference context than normal. A lot of times people look down on teachers. Our profession is seen as the easy/fall-back profession that anyone could do if they needed or really wanted to. Many times we don't get respected or appreciated for what we're doing- which I can sometimes see why considering where the education system is at. But at the same time, I realized that even though people may not recognize how vital our profession is, the important part is that WE recognize how vital our profession is.
When I grow up, I won't be saving lives, or putting out fires, or bringing justice to the community- but I will be educating our youth. Our future. I will be making an impact. And impact that can affect the way our entire society works, from day-to-day business to dealing with horrific natural disasters. THAT is empowering and that is life-changing.  My classmates are teaching me so much, whether they realize it or not. Not just about my profession and calling, but about life and laughter and fun and work and passion and conflict and love and friendship. I couldn't ask for a better learning experience. I am so blessed.