I heard the news in my classroom today: 27 killed in a school across the continent. Words cannot describe the sadness we should feel. I watched a video where President Obama wept openly. This is an unimaginable act that seems sanctioned by the lack of laws and a lack of courage to do what is right.s
Such sadness
Strong people weep
Shed tears
Shed not innocent blood.
A tragedy
Senseless, deplorable
Words do not express–
Certainly, do not replace.
In this moment
Plead, beg, pray
Where is our courage?
Certainly not in violence.
The right to bear arms
Holds us each close
Embraces one another
We should never let go.
Use one’s arms–
Bear arms for one purpose–
Love–
And to be loved.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Ivon, we will cry together until something changes. Xoxoxo
Perhaps our tears will be the catalysts for change.
Our world has turned upside down. We wondered what would happen when the radicals of the 1960’s and 1970’s were running the country – now we know. They encourage and sanction the unruly population they encouraged. The ‘feel good’ society the one who thought ‘anything against the establishment’ was the way to go. Now we are reaping the benefits of a lawless society. God help us.
I think it might be time for good people to take hold and do what is right in our world.
Agreed.
love conquers all….such a sad day.
It does and it is.
Very deplorable to hear this sad news..
May Almighty save all.
That is where we need to turn to now Lvsrao.
We pray and continue to pray through our tears for the families and the community that has lost so much.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Yes prayer offers some hope for healing.
It is hard to know how to relate to something so terrible. There is that desire… not to let the moment pass… to make a change while people are still in the shock wave of loss and agony… but the big question, is what can be changed… what is wrong? How easy it is to point the finger at the weapons. I’m not convinced. Having seen more TV than I wanted to, and a couple of the popular ‘action’ flicks… it seems to me that the west is much too tolerant to violence as entertainment. The culture has absorbed the violence, and it is reflected in every breath, every shadow and every reflection… protected by the constitution as ‘free speech’, we are allowing the promotion of a monstrous inhuman standard to saturate our world…
I think you are right. We have allowed a saturation point with violence and young people do not have the skills of discernment in place to perhaps fully understand the finality of the consequences of their actions. The best I have to offer is we can only change that which is closest to us-us and hope like a rock in water the ripples flow outward.
Yes, It was a very sad day indeed…horrific…and now we have Fergueson…racism is so evil…I do not understand it! I try to remember to share YOUR postings on my Facebook page whenever I read them…YOU always post very worthwhile thoughts and dreams, hopes and desires. Blessings! Namaste!
Thank you and take care.