A Life-Long Duty
by Sophia Pappas on September 17, 2008 in Features
My father’s journey from a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, New York to an affluent suburb on Long Island epitomized the American Dream. We grew up embracing the ideal of equal opportunity, believing that every individual is responsible for his own success – an end to be achieved through work ethic and resilience. Unlike the Kennedys, my family rarely discussed public service at the dinner table. We lived a quiet patriotism. Our service was private and evidenced by our social mobility.
Subsequent social science courses (with professors and students jokingly referred to by my family as “Bolsheviks”) challenged my ideology. The value of what was absent from the family table, however, became apparent only later, when talking to my students at the classroom lunch table.
For three years, I had the privilege of being a pre-K teacher in Newark, New Jersey, welcoming children into the school system. I observed their interactions closely and designed lessons targeting their needs and interests. While participating in their play and mealtime conversations, I finally realized why public service mattered; why it wasn’t simply something to do after college, but a life-long duty.
The life experiences I had and those of my students differed vastly. Many of them, though only four years old, struggled with poverty, arriving at school already at a disadvantage. Our casual conversations, however, connected us on a human level, revealing our shared hopes and fears, and that which made us giggle.
I walked away from these interactions with a stomachache not entirely attributable to the over-processed cafeteria food. My ache in part stemmed from the knowledge that my students, their families, and Newark were just as much a part of our country as my own family living in the infamous East Egg. And yet, current policies and attitudes excluded my students from opportunities supposedly afforded to all citizens.
The plight of my students challenged me to extend my sense of duty beyond my career, my family, and my life. I could not advance the ideals that brought my yiayia and papou to Ellis Island simply by achieving personal success. Such a mindset presupposed the existence of a just and level playing field.
Having real choices in life and realizing my potential affirmed my individual dignity and worth. Through public service, I could extend these same choices to my students, and hopefully, help them realize their own successes.
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