I was told by a friend that my writing stirs too much up and that he wishes I wouldn’t write. Actually, the “friend” didn’t tell me. Word was sent. I’ve been trying to think of the response to this statement. I’ve been trying to think of the cause of this statement and sentiment.
I never thought of my writing as something that stirs up anything, let alone trouble. I never got that label when I was writing about baseball for a while. Sure, I remember a Texas message board thread in 2007 dedicated to why I was wrong about whatever I wrote about. And, I remember it getting really personal about my aptitude for the sport, but it was never something that was considered trouble. Sports writing, for the most part, is relatively simple. You see something, you write your take after doing some research and figuring out the reasons why you saw it. I was always drawn to the personal stories of athletes — their “why”, their dedication, and their lives that centered around a profession that will tell them that they are done before the age of 40.
I began writing about education a few years ago. I think that’s when the stirring started. At first, there were just philosophical disagreements. I wrote a series of articles about how I believe homework was outdated and did nothing for kids. While it seemed pretty straight forward to me, I was met with criticism. But, it was at least criticism based in the overarching goal of doing what was best for kids.
Then, I began to write about our practices and attitudes. As the site grew bigger, the criticism became more personal. I won’t even bother with going into the strange details of how people went about anonymous comments. Then, a book came out. More criticism. But, again, it was nothing that doesn’t come along with writing on the internet and challenging the an institution that still holds its core values from the Industrial Revolution.
It got quiet for a while. A pandemic hit. Then, I wrote this.
Since that article, anything else I write is met with the “his writing stirs too much up” critique. Truthfully, I am more than alright with that. Honestly, I feel like I finally got this writing thing right.
Writing is supposed to stir things up. Writing is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable when it comes realizing that Black lives do matter. It should make people feel uncomfortable that right now systemic racism dictates that Black lives truly don’t have the same value as white lives. I do not worry about being shot when I leave my house. I don’t worry about getting pulled over. I don’t worry about having to give my daughter the talk before she leaves the house.
There is systemic racism in this world, just like there is systemic sexism, systemic inequality of the LGBTQ+ community in this world. Until all voices and lives are valued equally, writers (and teachers) have an obligation to stir things up, to continue to write, to speak up, to say, at every opportunity that all of this is wrong.
If we don’t, we condone.
And, so, now, even when I write things about not owning students’ free time, it evidently stirs things up. It isn’t going to stop me from doing it, no matter the criticism. All of it — from education reform to equality to even issues in sports — is too important to just sit on the sidelines and play it safe. Doing that just allows the inequity to continue and grow. Doing so allows generations of kids to leave the education system with some archaic diploma rather than those meaningful skills that will allow them to thrive in tomorrow’s world.
We must stir things up, even if friends are uncomfortable. It’s too important not to. Plus, writers just can’t ignore the issues and the truth. Writing is in their soul; writing is what they do. None of this “stirring” is meant to divide. It is meant to uncover truth and, hopefully, inspire people to be better and do better.
That is the hope. Until that happens, stirring it up is the only option.
Gary Armida 