Tuesday, November 30, 2004
The Pact
I honestly thought that I had blogged about this over the summer when I was telling you about the books that I was reading and the movies that I was watching. But, alas, upon further inspection of my archives (see the right column on this page), there is no mention of this fabulous book.
A couple of years ago I happened to be watching one of the morning news magazines (probably CBS), and saw an interview with three young African-American men who had made a "pact" as high school students to support each other through pre-med and medical school. The three of them grew up in inner-city "projects" in New Jersey. Each of the three is now a medical doctor (one is a dentist). They have written a book called The Pact, which I read this summer. Although it may never win literary awards (they're doctors, not authors), it is a wonderful story of how Relationships can get you through some really very tough spots in life. It also reminds me of how really _bad_ it can be for some people out there.
I have decided to read this book to the students in my homeroom on our reading day (on Tuesdays every week). Our homeroom period is 22 minutes long, so there's plenty of time to do good reading with them. Today, as I was reading, something that "Sam" wrote really jumped out at me. He said, "It seemed easier to me to give up my ambitions than to have to face the disappointment of not fulfilling them." I think that this is key in working with a poor demographic, or with disadvantaged students. Most of what they see around them presents a VERY compelling argument that failure is imminent. So ... it's easier to NOT try to succeed because the disappointment would be overwhelming. It's frustrating to me, who was raised in an environment where success was common and worth striving for. I can't imagine spending years and years growing up watching the only true success happen with people who are breaking the law or breaking up families (etc.) SIGH..... What can be done to encourage people in this situation?
I ought to stop typing now, before I really launch out on a soapbox (I've done that already this month ... don't need to put you through it again!) Please, if you have a chance, pick up a copy of "The Pact" ... you'll be glad that you read it!
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