Betty Firth

Last weekend, as my mind was reeling from the latest insane, irresponsible, unethical, selfish, greedy, illegal, ridiculous, unpresidential thing that Donald Trump perpetrated, I felt a wave of despair for how our government is operating and for the unpreparedness of our naive, uninformed, unprepared, disconnected population. Those waves persevere like the ocean waves do: repetitively, relentlessly, making me wonder at times, “How can I keep my emotional balance in these unbalanced times? How do I keep my head above the waves of despair?” I look for signs of hope and for sparks of inspiration, and I do find them in some people in my personal world and some in the larger world; some living, others shining through history.
Sunday, I found respite in a Zoom conversation with two friends, Michael and Kristin, who live in Marshalltown, Iowa. We were visiting online after attending a Quaker meeting on Zoom with our Duluth-Superior Friends Meeting. They are both teachers and had just completed a week of in-service days preparing for the new school year. Kristin talked about the joy of meeting her new elementary students at parents’ night and making her room a welcoming place for her diverse group of students. Many of the parents do essential work on the area farms and for the companies that grow, process, and transport our food. Their families live under the threatening shadow of ICE. Kristin sent me photos of her room, bursting with colors on posters, dolls, and other crafts from Mexico, Bolivia, Peru. A large book rack holds at least 50 books sporting beautiful cover designs with many geared toward Nicaragua, Cuba, Dominican Republic culture and languages from the Heritage Language Resource Center. Students helped with the selection.
She also had felt the weight of one training after another during the week, with 30 sessions plus online training providing information about potential dangers they could face and necessary protections for the children including: suicide prevention, bloodborne pathogens, adverse childhood experiences, ethics for Iowa educators, dangerous chemicals, seclusion and restraint, protecting student privacy in school, free speech and intellectual freedom, supporting talented learners, child abuse, bullying, cybersecurity, school shootings, and dyslexia. It is good that the training is provided, but what a heavy load of disturbing possibilities, and I could well imagine the cumulative weight that would put on Kristin’s caring and sensitive mind and heart. She combatted the emotional drain by using well-practiced recharging techniques of breath work and singing, focusing on positive conversations with other teachers, waking walks out in nature, and decorating her room to express a joyful welcome.
She and Michael indulge their love of music in many ways: singing together at home and with friends, playing the upright bass and banjo in a local band during neighborhood festivals and farmers markets, generously spreading the joy they help create. Many songs are in Spanish as Kristin is fluent and Michael is aspiring.
As we talked, sharing our sadness and our search for joy, I told them I thought their school district and town were lucky to have them there. They had lived in Duluth and loved it but moved to Marshalltown to be closer to Kristin’s mom. Kristin said how much she appreciated the town and the school personnel, telling a story about the school district superintendent. He had been warned when he moved there, “The town has changed. It’s not like it used to be,” with the implication that it was worse with the more diverse population. He responded, “Yes, I think it has changed…for the better.” What lucky students and teachers to have a champion like that at the head!
Many years ago, as a first-grade teacher in Illinois, I always appreciated the shining stars like Kristin and Michael, those teachers that brought their intelligence, passion, and enthusiasm for learning to their classrooms with a genuine interest in their students, and I did my best to emulate them. I know you don’t have to look very far in the Ely schools to see those stars shining from many classrooms, doing a difficult job under circumstances that have become increasingly more difficult over the years.
Michael works with students in the English Language Learner (ELL) program who often know multiple languages. He is a caring and sensitive man who is more introverted than Kristin. He said that after many years of teaching, he is feeling the weight of having to be the Mr. Teacher disciplinarian persona at school when he would prefer to be his authentic Michael self. Kristin smiled at him, saying, “Yes, but the teachers that work with him say he always brings sunshine into the room.” So, it sounds like the Michael spirit makes it through in spite of the challenges.
In our painfully polarized country, the advice I hear from all directions is to reach out to people, make connections, get to know each other, and build relationships in order to rebuild trust and work together to improve our fractured culture. That advice comes not just from neighborhood watch groups, political organizers, Braver Angels, or communities of faith, but was even promoted by Amber Lewis, speaking recently at Tuesday Group for Northspan of Duluth about economic development. Their motto is “Engage and Elevate,” and they recognize that a healthy, thriving community is based on good connections between people and groups across the spectrum. Boundary Waters Connect in Ely is based on the same philosophy: that nurturing interconnectedness helps develop a more vibrant and caring community that will attract new residents and businesses and ensure people will want to put down roots and stay.
We are encouraged to go beyond our own little bubble of like-minded people. Get to know people who may have views that you disagree with but with whom you probably have a lot in common. At the heart of it, most of us want the same things: security, freedom, happiness, good health, safety, peace of mind, love, and a sense of belonging. We may be reluctant to reach out, feeling shy or awkward, not wanting to be intrusive, but also not wanting to be rejected. I would encourage all of us to try it anyway, push a bit beyond our comfort level, and take a chance on other people. I have often felt that adults need to learn from children in this regard. When I was teaching, I would see kids in the classroom and out on the playground just unselfconsciously reaching out, “Do you wanna play?” “Wanna be my friend?” They might have a spat one day but would be back as friends the next. We just need to loosen up a little bit and ask each other to play, which can sound like, “Would you like to go for a cup of coffee? I’d like to get to know you better.”
Labor Day weekend offers the following opportunities to play well with others, make your voice heard, meet some new people, and probably lift your spirits. I’ll look for you!
On Monday, Sept. 1, the Annual Labor Day Picnic will be held at Olcott Park in Virginia (Ninth Ave. W. and Seventh St. N.) from noon to 4 p.m. with kids’ activities, a raffle, food, and music by Cowboy Angel Blue. Political speakers start at 12:30 p.m. All are welcome! https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/823795/.
Then, from 4-5 p.m., there will be a Workers Over Billionaires rally on North Ninth Ave. W. and Ninth St. N. in Virginia. Their flyer says, “Just like any bad boss, the way we stop the takeover is with collective action. We are working people rising up to stop the billionaire takeover – not just through the ballot box or the courts, but through building a bigger and stronger movement. We are growing our movement and fighting for a country that is more fair, just, equitable, and free for all of us – and not just a chosen few.” https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/823795/.
Come join us at elyindivisible.org to meet a whole slew of people worth getting to know.