Each year, I ask my middle school students to write an essay comparing and contrasting John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change" to Mahatma Gandhi's "Be the change you wish to see in the world." They reflect on the lyrics they most agree with and why. It is one of those assignments that I hope inspires critical thinking, a broader worldview, and a sense of valuing humanity for the sake of humanity. Although I never share with my students which lyrics I aspire to, my hope and wish for each them is that they will be the change . . .
Perhaps only half a dozen times in a lifetime do we have the opportunity to bear witness to extraordinary people who are changing the world in such powerful and positive ways that their names will still be known a hundred years from now. I believe Malala Yousafzai is one of those genuinely extraordinary people.
I'm so happy that Malala was honored with a Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless global work for peace, understanding, education, and girls' rights to equality in cultures where they are suppressed and oppressed!
Here's to Malala . . . a young woman who truly is the change she wishes to see in the world! May she inspire our students. May she inspire our teachers. May she inspire each of us!
