The Road Less Traveled

The Road Less Traveled

Written in 2001 and included in the PhilWP Invitational Summer Institute I archives

by Amelia Coleman Brown

The Philadelphia Writing Project has led me in a direction that I have never thought of traveling. I've always thought myself as a leader, a soldier, for education. Prior to attending this summer’s institute, I thought that I was well-equipped with the weapons needed to fight the war against the miseducation of children of color and for the most part, I was correct. I was well aware of the issues at hand. I knew the significance and seriousness in addressing issues such as racism, language, values, and cultural and social injustices, and how these controversial topics ultimately impact student writing.

However, I was lacking the skills needed to combat the “small” but meaningful battles that urban educators and children of color face on a daily basis way before the actual war. I was lacking insight. I was lacking inquiry. I had my beliefs and for the most part they were informed. But I had never questioned those beliefs. Taking a deeper look into those beliefs, was there an openness co-mingled with those beliefs? Was I prepared to take a stance?

No, not until I was made to travel in the direction closer to home was I aware. I traveled within myself. It was inside Amelia that I found the “skills,” “tools,” and “resources” needed to leverage my capabilities within my classroom community. Often we look for answers in others but the most sincere answers lie within ourselves and within our students. We just need someone to help us bring the answers out, just like our students need our help to bring it out of them. Lisa Delpit writes, “…deep down, I think we all believe, that in order to effectively teach others we must first effectively teach ourselves about ourselves, so that we become more accepting of others.”

No, not until I was made to travel in the

direction closer to home was I aware.

As a result of this reflection, I began to inquire, to question, to look deeper into the topics that are most meaningful for me; I have begun to stake a stance.

During journal writing time on a warm August afternoon, I jotted down these acrostic poem about culture, a topic that we discussed in our sessions together.

Culture is …

Change over time

Unconsciously internalized

Learned and taught

Transparent and invisible

Unconsciously accessed to make sense of our world

Race, religion, language, and class

Everything in every way, including our past

Amelia Coleman Brown is the principal at William D. Kelley Elementary School. Amelia joined the Philadelphia Writing Project in 2001 as a teacher consultant.

Amelia’s piece was originally written in 2001 and was included in PhilWP Summer Institute I archives.