Red Herrings and Paper Tigers

A hale, hearty archaeologist friend once told me that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. In essence, our reality is a bit holier than just the top soil would allow; only through excavation into layers of soot, undergrowth, and roots can we begin to get glimpses into the elegant complexity of human existence. There are times here in our desert classroom when I've been guilty of top soil evaluation. The other day, young Asif Khan stuck two cherry bombs between my toes and began to dance and jump around the room. My knee jerk reaction was to stick the cherry bombs between his toes and tell him he could enjoy the view from the inside of my suitcase. But, as I walked past a band of roving cows that night, I realized that if I dug in past the aesethic of Asif's action, the cherry bombs were nothing more than a red herring for the fact that he's starved for attention that his overworked mother and absent father can never give him. He'd do just about anything for acknowledgement of his existence, even if it means setting my toes on fire.

Every so week or so, we have a student who boldly declares, "I don't need The Merasi School. I can do just fine without it." This is never said quietly, in a corner, with venom coating every word. It is always loudly shouted with eyes darting between our teachers, looking for a reaction. In our teacher meetings, we've come to view these declarations as paper tigers, perhaps masking a desire to have influence on the world around him/her, to somehow, with their presence and actions, be able to shape or control the course of events. And, really, how can you fault the students? They came out of the womb being told they were of negative value, unable to contribute at all, let alone constructively.

Each of these actions is not evidence of an absence of ability or capacity in these students. If anything, I believe, it's an acutely felt absence in their own lives of evidence of their own worth. And that's our primary job here at The Merasi School. Through our presence, our actions, and our words, to provide constant and generous evidence of the tremendous worth and purpose of each student.