Wonder

I’ve been spending a large amount of time reading and preparing lessons on Civil War period literature. Actually, the preparation has included more than just literature: nonfictional pieces, spirituals, and photography. In researching events within this time period, I find myself in awe of the change enacted by key individuals. Growing up in the Land of Lincoln, I’ve always been aware of the accomplishments of Honest Abe, yet I don’t think I’ve ever truly considered the onus of pressure and responsibility he felt at this pivotal time in history. As I read Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, I stand amazed at his hunger to learn how to read and write and free himself from his enslaved condition. I wonder what these individuals, and countless others like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., were like as children. What did they experience in their formative years that may have been a catalyst to cause them to seek out experiences in life that would bring about change and impact the lives of so many? Then I wonder if any of the students I am teaching or their contemporaries will affect their world, our world, in such a way. I can hope and wonder.