Associate Superintendent Dr. Paul Bauer was prepared to introduce the speaker but planned to rely on a formal bio. He stood in front of the full house at Southview’s gym when from stage right the speaker interrupted him, “Don’t read that. Just say why I’m here,” she pleaded with some degree of humility. Bauer placed his notes to the side and assured the audience that Dr. Donna Beegle had a long list of academic credentials and an important message. He indicated that it was great to have such a large group of teachers, staff and employees gathered in anticipation of a great school year here to listen to our distinguished speaker.
With this, Dr. Beegle took the mic and showed all of
us at the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis what it means to be
passionate. She wasted no time diving into the content. She is on a mission to
provide life-changing information that shatters myths about people who live in
poverty. She herself lived in Generational Poverty – dropping out of high
school at age 15. She described a cycle that left her with deficits in the use
of language. Her story from that point showed how she was inspired and
motivated by people who believed in her and how she herself managed to get her
GED, move on to college, earn a Masters degree in Communication and a Doctorate
in Educational Leadership and so much more.
She reminded us that Albert Einstein said - If you
expect a fish to climb a tree it will spend its life thinking it’s stupid. She
went on to explain that so much of learning depends on the context of which
they can build. The characteristics of different life experiences labeled poverty
she advises fall into different segments: Generational Poverty, Working-Class
Poverty, Immigrant Poverty, and Situational Poverty. Millions of Americans live
in poverty and it remains a barrier to education. She only briefly mentions
Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed
(1970) and Abraham Maslow’s Heirarchy of
Needs (1943) but it is clear that her remarks are both intensely personal
and very well researched.
Her own story is the subject of a one hour PBS
special entitled The Invisible Nation
which is soon to air. The filming of this documentary has been ongoing for 20 years.
The producers began filming in 1996. Several books were available in the back
of the room of which the author graciously offered to sign. She signed my copy
of SEE POVERTY…Be The Difference! with
these words: Wes – Change Lives! Donna M.
Beegle.
She concluded her speech with what she referred to
as her one and only poem. (It appears on page 142 of the signed book I now own.)
CURIOUS
I find myself more
late with every crisis
more angry with
every injustice
more greedy with
every deprivation
more rude with
every judgement
more disorganized
with every eviction
more negative with
every untreated illness
more unstable with
every insecurity
I find myself more
civil with every bite
more respectful with
every kindness
more hopeful with
every chance
more grateful with
every opportunity
more ready to
learn when I am safe
more motivated
when there is hope
more happy when I
am valued
I find myself like
the 37 million people in poverty
responding in very
human ways to my environment
Poem published in SEE POVERTY...Be The Difference! (2006)
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