When the scary subject of race is finally broached, kids want to talk and talk. It's very satisfying.
Ruby BridgesRead
I felt like there was something I needed to do - speaking to kids and sharing my story with them and helping them understand racism has no place in the minds and hearts of children.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of educating children about racism and the need for open dialogue to foster understanding.
Ruby Bridges expresses her conviction that it is vital to speak to children about racism and share personal stories to help them grasp that such prejudices should not exist in their hearts or minds. By doing so, she highlights the role of education in combating racism from an early age, suggesting that awareness and understanding can lead to a more inclusive and compassionate society.
In practice
In a school assembly discussing the importance of tolerance and acceptance.
When the scary subject of race is finally broached, kids want to talk and talk. It's very satisfying.
Schools should be diverse if we are to get past racial differences.
I've seen schools in Detroit where the windows are broken, where there's no heat, and children are sitting with their coats on in class in the middle of a snowstorm. I've also seen schools in California with Olympic-sized swimming pools and cafeterias like five-star restaurants.
Throughout my life, my prayers have actively sustained me - held me up, carried me through.
My message is really that racism has no place in the hearts and minds of our children.
I remember the first time seeing myself on TV, when my family was watching the documentary 'Eyes on the Prize' for the first time. There were pictures of people going up the school stairs, and Mom said, 'Oh, that's you!' I said, 'I can't believe this. This is important.'
You can never learn anything that you did not already know
High School is the place where poetry goes to die.
Teaching at best beckons us to morality, but it is not in itself efficacious. Teaching is like a mirror. It can show you if your face is dirty, but it the mirror will not wash your face.
Mathematics is the cheapest science. Unlike physics or chemistry, it does not require any expensive equipment. All one needs for mathematics is a pencil and paper.
In the field of higher ed, many have asked whether (or when) digital education will replace on-campus education. I wonder the opposite. Cinema never replaced theatre. TV didn't replace radio. I wonder how different digital education will be from classrooms, and where it will lead us.
He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.
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