One of my seniors came to conference with me yesterday. She told me that she'd been thinking a lot about the power of words, as a result of the work we'd been doing in Speech: Art of the Spoken Word, a junior/senior English elective. One of the most challenging aspects of the course is helping students find the confidence to voice their thoughts and fully commit to them, and in doing so, open themselves to others.
My student said she'd been inspired by my statement that, through language, we have the ability to shape our destiny, as well as to inspire and move others. Thanks to ongoing "air time" and oratorical practice, she'd also gained courage and confidence in being able to speak her mind. Thinking about her own life, she identified an area where she might employ language to repair past damage. Due to abusive, fractured familial relationships and the cruel aftermath of divorce, she has been completely estranged from her father and younger brother for the past four years, and the ensuing separation has caused psychological agony and scarring. While my student knows she cannot control other people, her newfound confidence in speaking spurred her to summon her courage and do something she'd previously deemed unthinkable. She dialed her father's number and suggested that he, she, and her brother get together. To her surprise, her father agreed.
While this situation might not ultimately conclude in Hollywood, fairytale fashion, my student reported that her rendezvous with father and brother went extremely well--they went out to the movies and dinner afterwards, and enjoyed warm, friendly companionship and conversation--no hint of acrimony or awkwardness to sour the moment. She's cautiously optimistic about the future, knowing that she's strong enough to seize the reins to her life: a lesson with ramifications stretching far beyond classroom walls.
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