Integrants of Man
Two eyes, two ears, one mind, one heart, and a set of hands to bend the world to our ideals. Humanity is a tangible but unequivocal component in all of us. We are the beast made in God’s image. We pride ourselves on our ability to learn and feel, and yet we plunge the earth into rancid tyrannies time after time. By extension, we as a species are selfish.
As much as we celebrate religion and participate in worship, we deem nothing as untouchable. We bind our gods to our morals, and often bend morality to cover our tracks. In a sad twist, we are like rats with our backs to the wall. Be it social pressure, professional expectations, ego, or the apparitions of dread, we always make an enemy for ourselves. And while we are all unique, be it through our genetic composition or set of choices, we are all bound by this thread of humanity: It is our nature, it is our history, and it is a curse we can not live without.
Today, in the modern age, our lives are shadowed by patterns. So many have lived before us that it feels like everything we do is a reverberation of someone else’s struggle. In our neighbor, we no longer see the lone desire to conquer. Instead, we find bundles of trauma, towers of resolution, and long, unconfined fibers of emotion that weave themselves into a perfect reflection of their inhabitant. People are no longer just people. Their struggles act like arms to aid us in our own battles. In a discrete and autonomous way, their inspiration always seems to be the answer. And in this way, how we all act as independent libraries of struggle, is how the tether of humanity begins to emerge.
Tenacious will
Chelsea Johnson and Kelly Bathje are two teachers at Sentinel High School. Bathje teaches English and Digital Publications. Johnson focuses on World History and Psychology. While one teaches the predictability of the world and educates on how to change your immediate surroundings, the other teaches about the dynamic nature of the world and outlines the modern applications and methods to change it: two separate approaches based on similar concepts. One of them is laid back and linear, focusing on a direct goal at any given moment. The other is diligent and driven by dreams, sometimes overworking herself in the name of progress: two similar approaches but for different pursuits and through different means.
For Bathje, her determination comes from a place of doubt. With an overpowering father figure in the military, Bathje never thought she was enough. In academic settings, this would typically translate into a study-heavy routine. When the uneasiness of home began to manifest in middle school, Bathje would have intense waves of anxiety wash over her when she didn’t think things were going right.
It wasn’t until college that Bathje would largely rid herself of this anxiety by tuning into her dreams. When she picked up her wish to be a teacher, every other worry seemed to slip away. As the aged proverb states, a busy mind is a healthy mind. After deciding on a career, Bathje began to work like a mule, independent and uncaring of the constraints of their environment. Every day, Bathje would spend an hour of her life driving to campus. After eight hours of a consecutive class-after-class-after-class schedule, Bathje would diligently drive through two hours of Phoenix traffic just to get home. When she got home, her studying was like a laser, precise, unwavering, and constant. No matter the assignment, Bathje would move hell and earth to get it done. Even to this day, in her 23rd year of teaching, that drive and obsessive pursuit of success is still evident in Bathje’s character. With her strict deadlines and mindset of “being here to support, but also hold people accountable,” it is evident that a core value of Bathje is the pursuit of triumph: not just for herself, but especially for those around her. She dislikes having to scold her Journalism class, but knows that they need that push in order to improve.
Evergrowing heart
On the other side of the spectrum, Johnson’s determination stems from a collection of qualities rather than a distinct emotion or memory. Together with her linear personality and a sour history of procrastination, Johnson’s work ethic is like that of a machine; not cold and uncaring, but rather meticulous and swift.
Further clues for the formation of her determination can be traced to her childhood as the oldest sibling. Near the beginning of middle school and up until she left her home, Johnson was prematurely put in a position of surveillance over her brother. Essentially acting as his mother, Johnson not only had to carry the responsibility of watching out for her brother’s well-being, but also had the expectation to watch out for her own best interest.
Following the departure from her home at just three to six months fresh off 18, Johnson’s sense of determination continued to mature as she stepped deeper into the trials of the human experience. Up to this point in her life, Johnson’s resolve mostly stemmed from conflict avoidance- I.E., doing the minimum in school and reluctantly going to classes in order to avoid punishment. Consequently, when Johnson’s paradigm was shattered by the unconditional kindness of the community she had found in Georgia, Johnson began a chrysalis. Years later, during a session of deep reflection, Johnson would come to realize that the kindness of those around her was the direct catalyst for the shedding of her “bigoted” past.
Today, after a short interlude in the military, Johnson is much more than the standard teacher. In her classroom, plastered with gifts from students and memorabilia arranged in a distinct “comfort clutter” style, Johnson builds a soft environment that invites students to relax and be themselves. Additionally, as the leader and host of the Amnesty International branch at Sentinel High School, Johnson goes out of her way to not only make the kids in her classroom feel comfortable but also make kids across the world feel heard and valued. In a stark contrast to her earliest beliefs, Johnson lives and acts with an undeniable pep in her step; a love of life that blazes like a torch within her soul, providing both light and warmth to those around her. As further emphasized by her routine exit at six o’clock on Fridays, Johnson is willing to do just about anything for her students. As she describes it, “teaching is life”.
Invigorative instinct
It is important to remember why we do the things we do. As seen within the lives of Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Bathje, we tend to take the path of least resistance. We as a people tend to pursue what is comfortable, be it routine and discipline in the case of Johnson, or hardworking habits meant to stop the pain and anxiety provided by past trauma.
But more than this, the contrasting lives of Bathje and Johnson represent the saving grace of humanity: hope. Like two wildflowers sprouting on opposing sides of a garden, Bathje and Johnson demonstrate the unwavering determination within all of us. By traversing all the obscure obstacles within their paths with unique solutions and strategies, the lives of these teachers serve as a testament to the spirit of humanity. Through their experience, it is evident that no mountain is too high, no ocean is too deep, and no chance for success is unattainable. Like the diligent works of an artist, their lives provide color and beauty to the pain of being human.
