The Power of One

They say one is the loneliest number.  In math, one doesn’t usually change anything, when it does, it’s just a little bit.  I think that one is a pretty amazing number though.  

My town isn’t very integrated, in fact, the Roma aren’t even a part of the town.  There aren’t many ethnic Turks in my town.  We have another not so ethnic minority.  They’re called Pomatsi.  I’m not sure if that’s derogatory or not.  I’ve only heard them referred to in one other way that I am sure was derogatory.  These are ethnic Bulgarians who have converted to Islam.  This is the only group that stands out as separate.  But they seem to get along fine.

I recently had a heavy discussion in my eighth grade class.  Our text book had a lesson on the simple past using the story of Steve Biko, the South African man who died fighting the Apartheid system.  We talked a bit about racism.  This is difficult with my students because their English is pretty limited.  Most of it was done with my best student translating the opinions of other students.  We talked about racism in America.  I asked if something like Apartheid still exists in the world.  One of my bright students, who will try to say anything, even when he doesn’t know the English, said it still does here, gori dowo (so-so).  “Pepi, what do you mean?”  I asked.  He proceeds to talk about how the Bulgarians and the Romi do everything separately here.  But he goes on to say that this is because the Romi think differently.  “All of them?” I ask.  Pepi tells me that no, not all of them, “Vish, tia e stabilno momiche.”  Pepi points across the room to the 17 year old girl sitting quietly at her desk.  She wears a pink corduroy jacket and a shy smile everyday.  She is the only Roma student I have.  I believe there are very few others in my school.  (It is an “elite” school, so we have students from out of our “zoning” who study English, and students from within our “zoning” who study normally.  As we don’t have Romi in our zone, so they’d have to pass an English language test to study with us).  Pepi seems to think that this one Roma girl is stable.  He goes on to talk about how most of “them” don’t want to study, they just want to fight, it’s better that they are outside of town…  

All I could do was emphasize their acceptance that this is not true for all Romi.  In many schools across this country, the example is the opposite.  I can’t say whose fault it is.  Is someone holding these people down?  The government, the ethnic Bulgarians, the school system, themselves?  Yup.  All of the above.  I am just grateful that these 25 Bulgarian 13 year olds see this One 17 year old working diligently to learn English so she can make something of her life.  

How many times in our lives has one made a difference?  It only takes One bad apple, right?  One first impression.  One time you hurt me and I cut you out of my life.  One picture is worth a thousand words.  One person can make or break a stereotype.  One student who listens makes it worth the rest of the disruptions.  We all have the One good teacher who shaped our academic destinies, in a good or a bad way.  Of course, there’s the example of Jesus!  He is the One person who has most significantly impacted human history, even if you don’t believe in what we Christians say about him.  And if you do believe us, he is the One person who opened up the gates of heaven for the world.  

Yeah, we’ve got to have faith in the One.