Dear Students
I am going to exercise my privilege as instructor to take a few minutes at the start of our class time to respond to what happened in Floriday yesterday.
The world so often seems like an awful place. When we are whole enough to get beyond our own immediate feelings, I believe that there are three things we can do to address the terribleness of the world.
1. We can influence our government to address the causes and effects of problems. We can urge them to create new laws and programs that will help, and we can urge them to eliminate laws and programs that are dysfunctional.
2. We can respond to distress among our fellow humans with decency and compassion. This means we must take care of ourselves, our families, and our friends; and we should also seek to help those who are consumed by disordered cognitions and emotions, instead of turning away from them.
3. We can create and spread knowledge and ideas. I cannot articulate the depths of my feelings about this, but I know at the core of my being how much education matters.
Although I believe all of these things, I have committed my professional life to the third--the dissemination of knowledge. In that spirit, I refuse to let one murderous person derail what I am able to offer you in the privileged setting of this classroom. If you are too distressed to make good use of today's lesson, I understand that and encourage you to address your emotional needs and take care of yourself. You are welcome to return to class when you are ready. I will be here.
Sincerely
Amanda
