My City August 2021

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? I would teach – without worry about reporting or other bureaucracy, standardized testing, or curriculum that doesn’t fit for the young people I work with. Is your glass half full or half empty? The glass is always full – half air and half water. Both the air and water are useful, but used in different ways. What’s one work-related thing you want to accomplish in the next year? We are re-starting the Genesee County Citizenship Academy – a program that teaches young people about county government. Most people (youth and adults) don’t understand the huge impact local government has on their lives. We get a young person from each Commissioner’s district and they will work on issues important to youth in the county. What makes you feel at peace? When young people use their voices to make positive change in their community and world. I hear so many complaints about young people, but I don’t see that in reality. Many people say, “Children are the future.”Young people are important leaders and improving things NOW, not in some distant future. What is your most prized possession? I think I have a mind that is good at asking questions. Some folks think the key to teaching is having a lot of knowledge. I want to ask questions to help folks discover the answer for themselves.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

I am lucky to work with young people who are making a difference. I know it is the young people doing that work, and I cannot take credit for it. When young people work to change the laws of Michigan, do things to care for the Flint River, or work to end hunger in their community, it makes me feel good about the present and the future. But it is not my accomplishment, it is theirs . To me, that makes it even better. What motivates you to work hard? I love the “light bulb”moments – when a young person understands something they did not before, and you can see it in their face and hear it in their voice. When you teach someone, that is as close to immortality as we can get on Earth.That person takes that knowledge and shares it with someone else, and it ripples out in ways beyond imagination.

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