The Austrian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) wrote:

“And now let us welcome the new year,

full of things that have never been.”

As this new year and new semester begins, I’m crafting a course for district staff regarding our commitment to humanity, justice, belonging, and community. There are so many topics, so many resources!  How do I winnow it all down to a nine-week class?  There are stacks of books in my office, and around my house.  What themes? Which articles, books, podcasts, or films will be most helpful to the people in the class? 

Today I mused that creating a syllabus is like organizing a playlist for someone you really care about. What will they get into, even if the theme is new, genres never explored or actively avoided, but all the songs are what you love and want to share? What is important is the artistry, point of view, the beat. My son will turn down the car sound system because suddenly he realizes the lyrics will offend me. Luckily, I can’t really distinguish the lyrics, as he explains why he turned it off:  he loves the beat.

The beat. The pulse. The energy. Back to the syllabus and thinking:  I acknowledge how overwhelming it is to even try to understand so many complex things that we, and the young people in our lives, are faced with every day. Sometimes we certainly can’t “understand.” We can listen, get thoughtful, and realize new insights. Our empathy develops as we stay curious.  We won’t all like the same music, we won’t all love the themes. We will learn and grow together as we dig deep into what is being revealed as we go through these times. We have live-action examples of racism, violence unleashed, violations of many amendments to the Constitution in our daily news.  

I hope this course helps us imagine and create possibilities for our students that have never been, that we have long believed could be. But this class isn’t the only opportunity for that  –  If you have dreams, ideas or questions about ways to support humanity, justice, belonging, and community, please let me know.

I’d love to think with you.