Having something to Say, #HashtagAmerica by Jason Sparks @cwpfairfield Worth the Listen

I thought I posted this earlier this summer when a student introduced it to our Young Writers' Institute. She discussed it was being passed around among the aspiring writers at her school and I was thankful.

Why? Because Jason Sparks verbally, perhaps theatrically - maybe pretentiously (aren't all writers this way?) speaks to a new generation who wishes to communicate something larger than themselves.

People are dying 140 characters at a time

Those of us who choose to listen to young people, encourage them to have a say in the world, and desire monumental changes globally to achieve greater equity, have much to learn from the young people we teach. I wish to hashtag America, too.

•  In some ways, youth of the 21st century have many more worries on their adolescent plates than we did just 20 years ago. Knowledge is at their fingertips if they ask the right questions and want to learn. They don't need to await a textbook or squawker of information to preach at them. Anything they want to know, they can find out themselves.
• Example: I have a freshman who took an interest in a chapter of Outcasts United that depicted the war zone of late, 20th century Liberia. He went online and, surprising to me, found several websites that aired footage of the war that would be deemed much too graphic for an American audience (read: the Hunger Games....he caught a glimmer of what happens in districts elsewhere). He wrote to me about the documentaries he watched and, mature, wanted to process this reality given his childhood of summer vacations, video games, extracurriculars, and the high  pressure to make it in college that made him oblivious to realities around the world. He wondered, "Why doesn't U.S. curriculum ask our generation to become more involved with global realities and injustice?' -- Good question. He might even wish to within the U.S. to see these inequities.
• By virtue of age, young people are disrespected. The Holden Caulfield's, Romeos, Juliets, and Charlie's feel unheard and are skeptical of adults who are leaving them a pretty f#$#ed up world. Similar to the way we process our grown-up reality, they too have worries, fears, concerns, and a drive to find safety (and, I'd argue, watch Pleasantville...do adults ever find safety or do they lie to themselves behind the stories they tell themselves?)

I'm a fan of any form of expression that makes me think and connect to humanity. I wish more schools encouraged communication like that of Jason Sparks, instead of a regurgitation of information that may not empower them and their futures. I hope (the verdict is yet to be seen) that the Common Core will push for real critical thinking. Chances are, however, the assessments will continue to stifle youth voices. I, for one, am on the side of kids. #talkingaboutarevolution