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Beyond Begging
Community cannot take root in a divided life. Long before community assumes external shape and form, it must be present as a seed in the undivided self: only as we are in communion with ourselves can we find community with others.
Parker Palmer
The Courage to Teach
My first year of teaching at Linden High School, which was situated amidst the cherry orchards, meant I would have my own classroom for the first time. Prior to that, I was a student teacher who shared nooks and crannies with others in the schools in which I taught. To have a classroom that would bear my personal signature, my teacher imprimatur, was thrilling.
As a nascent English teacher, I joyously quoted Lewis Carroll from Jabberwocky:
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
My enthusiasm waned as I stood in the doorway, though. Mrs. Barbera from next door, who had heard me gasp, peered over my shoulder. Once the prior teacher had left the classroom, my fellow teachers had pillaged it. Everything that was not nailed down had been taken. Classroom sets of novels. Gone. Bookshelves. Vanished. She said this was to be expected. Furniture, materials, and supplies were in demand and my colleagues took advantage of the freebies.
It was then that I learned to beg to take care of my students. I became quite shameless at asking for books from my colleagues and at scrounging whatever giveaways I could find. Fortunately, in my third year of teaching, I discovered grant writing. My first $11,000 grant came with great celebration in my school and district. I was able to parlay my skills as a writer into successfully funded initiatives to ensure our dreams would come true.
What I learned is that people want to contribute to causes that have meaning to them, and fortunately, education means so much to so many. Over time I learned to curate the stories that resonated with those in our community. When your dreams and ours align, magic happens.
In her book, All About Love: New Visions, author bell hooks writes,
Moving from solitude into community heightens our capacity for fellowship with one another. Through fellowship we learn how to serve one another. Service is another dimension of communal love. At the end of her autobiography The Wheel of Life, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross confesses:
I can assure you that the greatest rewards in your whole life will come from opening your heart to those in need. The greatest blessings always come from helping.
I recently attended a Legacy Breakfast for Channel Islands students who had received scholarships. I sat at one table, introduced myself, and listened to each student’s story—how they came to CI, what their majors were, and what this scholarship meant to them.
And then I said this:
You probably notice that the donor who provided your scholarship is not here. That is because in many cases, this individual has passed away. You were but a dream to them—a deserving student somewhere in the future who would benefit from their support. While they are no longer with us, you are their legacy. Their lives continue through you. Someday, you will be in the position to pay it forward—to provide a scholarship for someone just like you. Their generosity has made your education a dream come true.
These days, I’ve moved far beyond begging. Instead, I frame the needs that we have as an invitation to join our community. I invite you to support our School of Education.
Opportunities abound for you to consider sponsorship of our events, programs, and students:
This Spring 2024, we will host our 13th Annual Social Justice in Education Conference featuring Gloria Ladson-Billings. This complimentary event welcomes our entire region.
Ö Our Early Childhood Studies will host El Día del Niño/Day of the Child—a carnival for parents and children featuring food, fun, and great literature.
Ö In Summer 2024, we launch two new degree programs to serve our region—the MS in School Counseling (with Pupil Personnel Credential) and the Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Equity and Justice (DELEJ), designed to support educational leaders in PK12 through community colleges.
Why should we give? It is the greatest expression of our love of our community. I look forward to celebrating your gift to us with you.
For fellowship in community,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth C. Orozco Reilly
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