If you could change one thing …
Q. I just finished a week at a Leadership camp. One of the things I enjoyed the most was Open Talk time. The camp counselor posed a question, and we all responded. It’s the kind of thing you always do. I’d love to hear your responses to two of my favorite ones. First, if you could have one superpower, what would it be? And second, if you could change one thing about the world, what would you change? Thanks, I can’t wait to hear your answers. – 14-year-old
Mary Jo’s Response: Thanks for thinking about me!
I’ve posed the first question to students many times – even to our grandchildren. I LOVE the responses – some young people ask for invisibility, others for super strength, some to be able to fly like Superman, still others to be able to read people’s minds. As a result of asking this question for years, I have my answer ready (and to be frank, it’s changed over decades!). As a young teacher, I thought it would be amazing to be able to control other people’s thoughts. Picture me teaching a room full of middle schoolers and wanting them to listen and you’ll get my intention. I no longer wish for such power. I don’t want so much responsibility!
Now I’d like the power of teleportation. Mobility is tougher for me these days; I once traveled to 13 different countries to teach, going as far away as China and Russia. Now, it’s an effort to get to Pittsburgh some days. I’d love to be able to think of a destination and simply be there, like a Port Key in Harry Potter.
Your second question is more challenging. It would be easy to respond by saying I’d like the world to be at peace. I would truly love to see a world where cooperation and collaboration are the norms and differences are settled with diplomacy instead of weapons.
I’m a huge public health advocate, so another possibility would be access to health care for all people, especially children.
Yet another possibility touches on my strong identity as a teacher. I’d love it if adults would find common ground on education. The first step, I believe, would be to listen to students. Middle and high school students are old enough to have opinions about how they want to learn, and I think we should listen to hear them.
Ultimately, however, if I’m confined to one change, I think I’d like to alter the human mindset to remove the concepts of “us” and “them.” Let me explain. I encountered death as a 23-year-old pediatric oncology nurse at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City. The experience was a spiritual one for me; I was honored to provide care for desperately ill children. I often was with my young patients as they drew their final breaths. Facing mortality inspired me to live with intention. I’ve served young people for over five decades. During this time, I’ve repeatedly observed people hurting people for no other reason than a bizarre conclusion that a group of people were unworthy by virtue of their ability, their gender, their nationality, their race, their sexuality, their finances, or their belief systems. This is illogical to me.
If I could change one thing about the world, it would be for each of us to see the worth in all of us.
Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.