Swati Singh
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Banana Season

In education we frequently hear, “It’s all about the kids.” But this is a profession like any other, and like all professionals, youth practitioners need to feel valued and fulfilled in their work. So here's some good stuff that happened recently.
Swati Singh

by Swati Singh

Banana Season

Anyone who works in and around public education, especially in an alternative setting, should get a free pass to disappear during April-May (or however long I haven’t written) because it is officially "Shit is Bananas" season when some students realize that, not having done any work all semester, they may not graduate.

It’s also a season of celebratory events, which I genuinely look forward to because they are the culmination of the hard work of both kids and adults in these settings.

Let’s talk about adults for a sec.

In education, or any youth-serving work, practitioners frequently hear, “It’s all about the kids.” But this is a profession like any other, and like all professionals, youth practitioners need to be affirmed, and feel valued and fulfilled in their work.

It’s ridiculous for there to be this completely selfless expectation in the world of education and so much shame around adults acknowledging, let alone celebrating, their achievements alongside those of their students. As if doing so makes you a selfish asshole and suddenly renders all of your work as self-serving.

This runs deep, but I am actively trying to bat it away by acknowledging high points for myself in this work. How else am I supposed to know that I am happy and having an impact, and that the work that I am doing is right for me? As a youth practitioner, am I not allowed to care about that?

Let’s meditate on this: What professionals in our society are we robbing of this? Whose work do we treat as charity? Teachers and nannies top that tiered cake. I know a lot of healthcare professionals might fall into this category, but we revere doctors far more than teachers.

What has this mindset rendered in terms of how we value certain professions in society? A good parallel example is how we treat mothers, as if what they do isn’t work at all, but some kind of leisure activity away from work.

Bananas, but in a good way.

A lot of good shit has happened these last couple of months.

Los Compas Coffee was featured in the local LA news for its youth entrepreneurship training work with students with special needs.

This was a serendipitous collaboration with a teacher-friend of mine on campus, and the students ended up launching their very own mobile coffee cart, The Rolling Beans, as a result of this grant-funded pilot workshop and business coaching program. They even brew Los Compas Coffee every Monday morning.

A week ago, Los Compas Coffee awarded three teen entrepreneurs each with $500 scholarships capital investments for their small businesses. These are all students I have worked closely with this past year as a mentor and business coach, and I am so proud of these three young people.

While I’m marking this is an achievement for the academic year, this is actually the result of years of dreaming, visioning, and taking small steps to do this work in the community. The success of these students is a milestone for me as well, and I was elated we were all able to soak in this moment together.

Photo by Karina Romo Photography

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