Your job is your job. Do it 'til the cows come home.
/“Everyone does not have the same role in a revolution….Your job is your job. There are other jobs for others to do… Do your job the best you possibly can, regardless of what it is.”
These words from Mayyadda, our Deeper artist this past Sunday hit home. Versions of it echoed in comments and prayers that came in. Her job, she said, is to “help people replenish, rejuvenate, get in touch with whatever’s hiding in there…impeding you from doing what you need to be doing…and helping you clear that out. Whether it’s moving, singing, crying, laughing…”
If you were there or have listened to her music, you know: Mayyadda does her job. She came to share some of her “black girl magic” and she did. So it struck me to hear Mayyadda laugh at her younger self who thought she had overcome imposter syndrome. It stirred something in me to hear her honestly admit to wondering if she’s wasting her time doing what she’s doing, “fiddling while Rome burns.”
That next day the lead OpEd piece in the Strib was from Fabricer, Katy Schalla Lesiak. It is really good. And really important. She’s describing her professional work as a school nurse but also “doing her job,” I think. Her job of using her unique perspective, experience and her way with words to help others see and feel the local consequences of a federal policy.
Read it here at the STrib. I also pasted the text in below.
Mayyadda and Katy let themselves be stirred by something deep down and responded with what they have from where they are right now.
So what about you? What is your job? What do you need to be doing? What do you love? What is stirring in you, the magic waiting to be shared?
If those questions raise your own version of imposter syndrome or worry that you are wasting your time or not doing enough – you might be doing something right!
What if…
What if learning to hold space, allow and be honest about the doubts and feelings is part of the magic? What if those feelings don’t disqualify you from the job? What if you are doing it and you just don’t get to know it all the time?
Here’s my chance to say to Mayyadda, to Katy and to you – thank you. Thank you for doing your jobs of being you in the world. And for being honest about the doubts, comparison, mistakes, hubris and struggle along the way. It inspires me to keep learning and doing mine.
To shamelessly steal Katy’s last line, “call it doing your job, do it ‘til the cows come home.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune READERS WRITE - EDUCATION
As a school nurse, my DEI “offenses” are frequent – and critical.
There is a new web page where you can now report all diversity, equity and inclusion activities to the federal Department of Education: EndDEI.ed.gov. While I await the wrecking ball that is reportedly coming for the DOE, allow me to highlight a few of my recent DEI offenses. As a school nurse, I have many:
Conducting countless phone calls and meetings and reviewing student health records to determine what individual needs (and strengths) students have so they can best succeed academically. These are kids with diverse needs and backgrounds who by law deserve access to a free and appropriate public education.
Working with health staff across the district to support student mental health, and creating a welcoming, supportive environment (this may include using a preferred name — eek! Or acknowledging, even celebrating, various cultures) where students can learn about their own health, learn skills to cope with everyday difficulties and, as they get older, navigate systems of care with more independence.
Reviewing the scenarios that pop up daily in the school health office (I could write a book!) and considering how the student and family's insurance, language, transportation and other factors impact their access to care.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, eligible students can receive free services at school for speech, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive and developmental delays, autism, physical disabilities and health conditions that impact learning. This law guarantees inclusion for your child. If your own kid doesn't benefit, ask around — students from red or blue states; from rural, urban or suburban homes or no home; of all hues and beliefs; from private, public or home school all benefit from these services.
Efforts like this give kids the opportunity to develop to their full potential and make America great. Is the special education system perfect? Nope. But would I want students across the country to get their access to these services interrupted or axed? Also nope. In education, as in health care, if you're not taking an individualized approach to provide every kid what they need to succeed, or not laser-focused on including every kid regardless of their race, resources or disability, you might as well stay home. It is foundational and functional.
Call it DEI or call it doing your job, do it 'til the cows come home.
KATY SCHALLA LESIAK, Minneapolis
