Be the Change!
The other day, I was watching Bake Off and a 'wondering' popped into my head. Why are there only white hosts/ judges? Now this isn't a random thought as I find myself looking at so many things this way now and it is because of Twitter.
When I joined Twitter (properly) in January 2020, I didn't know my thinking would be so significantly altered in such a short space of time but it has. It is as if Twitter has removed the scales from my eyes and allowed me to see the injustices in the world that we live in.
It is so easy, when we are living in our own personal bubbles, to assume that issues that others are having are not ones that we need to worry about - but that couldn't be further from the truth. If I bury my head in the sand, then I am adding to the issues across the world, but if I begin to question things and subsequently make changes then I am building bridges with others and that is what we need.
Be the Change!
Did you see the Diversity performance at Britain's Got Talent the other day? Wow!
Interestingly, it was hugely controversial with people saying that they shouldn't use BGT as a political platform. But did they or did they just use it to highlight an issue that needs to be talked about? Judge for yourself...
Ashley Banjo was making sure that they were being heard through the medium of dance and boy were they heard and this sparked conversation after conversation about an issue that really matters!
We learn from each other...
Because of the conversations that I have had on Twitter and the people who I have met I have collaborated on the website Empowering Equity in Education, I have become an ally for Mindful Equity UK, I enabled an amazing panel on representation at #BrewEdFindYourVoice and I have recently joined 'Educators for Anti-Racism and Equity in Education'. None of this would have happened if I had not joined Twitter and started learning from others.
Make a difference...
A few weeks ago, a little girl came into my classroom with a letter to the office in a sealed envelope. I dutifully sent it down and later on that day, the Head's P.A .came to my door and asked if I knew what the letter contained. No, I didn't. Apparently, it was a letter to the school's catering company asking them to reduce their use of plastic. I was astounded!
Inspired by the BBC programme 'War on Plastic' she was waging her own. She stood up in front of the class (she is 8 years old) and spoke with clarity about plastic pollution and what it is doing to the world we live in. The children applauded her, the adults welled up and the catering company have listened. On Friday, the packed lunch appeared in different packaging, with no plastic cutlery and no plastic water bottles. She couldn't believe it! She isn't stopping there though - she wants the whole school to rid itself of plastic, then the town, county, country and eventually the world! She is creating change!
On Thursday last week, another little girl in my class asked the children for their empty crisp packets because she and her mum are going to make sleeping bag covers out of them for homeless people. She too spoke with clarity about the plight that faced people with no home and she too wants to make a difference. These children are only eight years of age, but they are not burying their heads in the sand instead they are determined to make a change.
What are you going to do?
I started off by talking about Twitter, why? Because through this platform I have become aware of issues that need to change if we are to live a better, more equitable world. We need to work together to combat racism, inequality, homelessness, climate change and poverty. Many of you reading this will be in your home, listening to the rain but none-the-less warm and cosy. You may be worrying about work tomorrow or wondering how you are going to fit everything in but we are the lucky ones. We are the lucky ones but we are also the ones who need to come together to make change happen, just as the two little girls in my class have done this week. So, how are you going to be the change this week? What are you going to do that is going to make a difference.
Don't worry you don't need to tell me, but I bet you are doing something! I really hope I see you on Tuesday at #TinyVoiceTuesdayUnites - it is now on form midnight to midnight so there is even more time to connect.
Have a great week! ☀️🌈🌻