I Ignite.

Today, one of my kids said, "You should be a motivational speaker!"

It was one of my eleventh grade honors students, usually a kid who goofs off a bit and jokes around, but with good humor. Today, his eyes were alive with seriousness and inspiration.

There's a fire in my bones.

It's about Africa, and social justice.

And in it, I ignite.

I got to speak today about both, and it grabs me and slingshots me into this whole other world where my mouth cannot be silent, my speaking and lessons not arbitrary, and my vision and mission in the classroom not blown off.

It's the light in my fire, the passion in my bones, the thread of fabric that makes me come alive, and ignites something in me that just spews of love and justice and goodness, and a joyful and energetic cry out to bring forth that in others.

Jenelle asked how school went today. I shrugged about a few student behaviors, then light up like dyanmite and was like "But, I got to teach about Africa today!" and even to her, my words could not be stilled.

At 10:30 at night, I still sat up researching facts, pictures, you tube and video clips, ideas that may spur others to form a life line of hope and justice from the hearts of my Porter Ridge Pirates to the hands of people everywhere.

So it was a new unit on Africa today in World History. A brief unit in our book, which all the other Social Studies teachers just skip over and jump into Exploration and Expansionism (which, let me break and be honest -- I kinda hate teaching European stuff, especially ancient history, which basically means anything before 1900 to me -- don't tell! -- and that's about 90% of the World History that is taught in public schools...) But I decided to stop and study Africa. Because I think it's important that kids gain a global perspective, and see that history interlocks and civilizations everywhere were existing in different capacities at the same time.

So... we're studying Africa, from early civilization until modern day, a mini unit. And I lit up like fire. The facts ramble from me like common knowledge, not like the rumbling teacher digging through the Middle Ages for something to say. The stories and the people are alive, real, and glow like paintings coming off a page. The music, the air, the red dirt... it all surrounds me and embeds itself into my chest like a good whisper of real... of home.

So we got on tangents - purposefully - about Ishmael Beh and boy soldiers, about malaria and cyclical poverty, about civil wars and blood diamonds. And, we're not done, we've only just begun. The next week brings regions and geography, history and tribes, newspaper snippets, Skype calls, and an assortment of movie trailers for life (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda, Tears of the Sun, I Dreamed of Africa). And I bring... my heart, passion, and life-blood.

And that's not all... in US History Honors today, we plunged into Industrialization/Immigration and its effects on life and working conditions. Which spurred stories of child welfare, slave labor, human trafficking, child soldiers, forced prostitution, and microeconomics. It was incredible. Its one of the reasons why I always love teaching this unit - because its so central to our lives and society and justice today. And I love seeing their face and hearing their reactions to the cruel treatments of children and the fact that slavery exists still today -- and that they care enough to do something about it, and are hungry for more. That they leave class, surprised at how fast it went, but spilling sentences still of class content/discussion as they cattle their way into the hallway.

I ignite. I light like fire and find my strength here. In this mix of motivation and mobilization. Of classroom teaching and challenging what's been taught. Of perceiving students as information takers, to informed do-ers. Of life and love and learning.

I ignite. And in these moments, in these discussion, I know that I am doing, EXACTLY WHAT I AM CREATED TO DO.