‘I’m not dead, I’m still here’

Life is hard; it takes courage to move forward. My personal journey has had its share of bumps in the road. Part of my role as an educator is to encourage students to be resilient, accountable, and to instill the importance of not losing hope in the face of adversity. Sometimes all it might take is six words and an image.

I recently had my students create a six-word memoir. The assignment was fairly straightforward — to capture a memory or feeling based on truth with just six words, accompanied by an image. The assignment inspired students and I was amazed by the results.

Here are a few of the memoirs (with image descriptions):

• “Proven leader, still new, still improving” (a mama duck and ducklings)

• “Following tradition to protect our future” (soldiers in the Middle East)

• “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn” (a running track with a baton)

• “A traveler homesick for bigger skies” (a child at sunset)

• “Did I make a wrong turn?” (a worn path)

• “Knowledge is my key to success” (a graduation ceremony)

Some six words said more than others. I was stopped in my tracks with “I’m not dead, I’m still here.” These six words featured a haunting image of a tattered tent in the woods. I had a chance to connect with the student and what I found was that he had been homeless for more than a year when he was younger. I asked him to tell me more and his story was astonishing. His responsibilities included gathering water from the nearby stream, caring for his siblings, and scouring the nearby forest for wood. He went on to describe a vivid memory of his mom sobbing and chasing a wild dog with a stick. It turned out that the dog had tried to steal the last of their remaining food.

The inspiring part of this story is that this young man is resilient, positive, and driven. He is not homeless anymore, is in ROTC, treats everyone with dignity, and is in the process of enlisting in the military after graduation. This experience has shaped him and he wouldn’t want it any different.

“It all changed in one night” changed my perspective. This memoir was accompanied by a firework illuminating the darkness. I asked the girl who created this why this was so significant to her life. She told me that it represented the night that her dad walked out on her family and that her life has never been the same since.

You know what? This young woman struggles with her choices. Yet, she is still here and I have high hopes for her. She knows that I care and that I am willing to listen to one chapter of her complex story. In the end, this might be a variable in her ability to successfully move forward in life.

A young man who was born in Ukraine wrote, “Pushed down, keep trying my best.” English is his second language and he has expressed concern about family members who have been forcibly displaced by the Crimea conflict. Furthermore, he is an exceptional athlete, but his grades have kept him off the soccer field. My ultimate goal is for him to graduate from high school.

It is remarkable what we can learn about someone in just six words and an image. Providing students with an outlet for their voices to be heard and instilling a little bit of hope might be the catalyst in overcoming one of those bumps in the road. I strive to root intestinal fortitude in my students, but more often than not, it is they who instill it in me.

I am “Inspired daily by resilience and courage.”

Blake Livingston has been a teacher and coach for 16 years at Wasilla High School in Wasilla.