And We Are Off....Day Two of Project Citizen @cwpfairfield and Already I Can Tell This We Be Amazing

On day one of the CWP's 1st two-week literacy lab, the incredible teachers: Dave Wooley, Kim Herzog, and Shaun Mitchell, already had me sketching in my writer's notebook, thinking about what it means to be a citizen who creates projects to project a voice in the world. I couldn't help but think of CWP Fairfield's Ubuntu Academy (which kicks off next week) and how my motto typically has been, "Actions speak louder than words."

Watch what I do, and you'll figure out what I stand for.

Obviously, as a National Writing Project Director, I stand for the power of the written word, but in my acts of civility, I also fight for the right so others can "WRITE" their world, too (it should be pretty obvious to everyone right about now that there's a lot needing to be fixed).

To me (x 100) there's also a we (x100).

Ever since I was a 19 year-old fortunate enough to study in London, England with Dr. Carol Boyce Davies, I've committed myself to working within heterogeneous communities with a goal of finding success for all. And trust me, I fully recognize with 100% of my being that the University where I do this work now is the antithesis of the heterogeneity I'm talking about. I know (because I've been telling myself this my entire life...if you don't like something, go out there and change it). I moved to southern Connecticut for a few reasons: the tremendous financial resources of a region, the diversity in public school neighboring these tremendously resourced communities, a mission with the National Writing Project, and my own inner-concept of Robin Hood's work. That is why most all of my work has been off-campus. That's where the magic exists.

My goal has been to mix up the me's as we find the collective we's.

The Brown School planted this seed, but I had to learn about financing on my own. As a public school teacher who took students to Denmark and St. Augustine, Florida often, I  learned what it takes to bring opportunities to kids. There, however, I didn't need to raise money for day-to-day routines, because it was a public school and I was paid by the state. It was the extra work that required ingenuity. Now, as one with a wider reach and a bigger wish to carry forward the Brown School mission, I've learned to build a mini-business that works to provide more opportunities to the community at large...that's the way its been. It's what makes me happy. These are the young adult literacy labs - it's writing, y'all.

My real work occurs during the summer and with the professional development I do in K-12 schools throughout the year. That is where I find meaning, joy, purpose, and spirituality. Add that 'o' to God and you have 'Good' - that's the mission, and how do we bring good to more people, and help them to live better lives? What do we have that can, as Jason Reynolds said, offer a feather or two looking for their first flight? We raise money and we put those funds towards good.

Day one of Project Citizen and I already created a symbolic flag for my notebook (knowing that Project Citizen and Ubuntu Academy talk to one another). Thank you, teachers. Keep on probing me and the students to think! It seems that one may say of history that the ultimate battle of the me & we, with its quest for true democracy, occurred in the 2020s. Only time will tell.