Students Aren't Waiting on the World to Change

I used to really like John Mayer's song "Waiting on the World to Change." I thought he was speaking for me when he said, 
"Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it." 

The students I teach have reframed that for me. They believe that they do have the means to change the world. Today alone I supported students who led an assembly on disarmament, planned a town hall on gun violence, planned a brown bag lunch on the n-word, and led an inter-school discussion on what we can learn from other countries about gun legislation. When I was their age, I cared deeply about the world, but I thought of my sphere of influence as relatively minimal. Although I teach my students that they can make a difference no matter their sphere of influence, I don't think they place limits on the influence they can have. They are plugged in, motivated, and changing the world a day at a time. They have courage and confidence and they act inclusively and always mindful of being in solidarity with those on the margins. They are who I want to be when I grow up.