Ask for a stronger back...

I have been trying out a new toy this week... TOSWF. Sounds fun, huh? It is a Test of Silent Word Fluency. This brief test gives an idea of a student's reading level. I was the first guinea pig;I don't want to brag, but my score was great! I tested my Vincennes Class and was surprised that some of them had below a ninth grade reading level. I tested my kids and husband... (the downside of having an English teacher in the family). Very fun. When I tested an entire class today, I was shocked that 83% of the students are below a 6th grade reading level. 83%?!

Another part of my week has been catching up with friends (either personally or via facebook and blog) regarding their time in Haiti. I look at those pictures of tiny, malnourished babies and my heart just breaks. So many with no home, food, clothes, etc.

So... all of this to get to the point in the title. I was reading an essay by Zora Neale Hurston (again... English teacher) where she talks about the label of "colored" and being reminded that she was the granddaughter of slaves. She says that those labels on press her forward to individuality and success. She talks about how all of us have labels in our lives, but they only make us happier when we succeed. I wonder if my students with such low reading levels, poverty, broken homes, and more will see it that way? Will they excel in spite of their history, or will they use it as a crutch?

Each day on my drive home, I pass a sign on a church that says, "Don't ask for a lighter load, ask for a stronger back." Although I usually hate those silly sayings, this one has stuck with me. I wonder if I am willing to ask for the stronger back.

I have life pretty easy. I love my family, my job, my church, my friends, and the list goes on. I like to be comfortable. I like my easy life. When we pray at night, my kids' prayers (after thank-you, God items) sound something like this, "Please protect us. Please protect our house. Please keep our van running. Please keep us happy, safe, and together. Please keep my parents here to raise us. Please keep us."

In truth, I think my prayers are more like that, too. Again, I like comfortable. Am I willing to be uncomfortable? Am I willing to ask for a stronger back? Am I willing to stretch?

I don't know.