I recently saw a meme like this one on Facebook that stated:
“The American flag should remain in public schools!
SHARE IF YOU AGREE!”
The comment attached was something to the effect that there should be an American flag in every public school classroom. I normally roll my eyes and keep scrolling, but mayhaps I smacked my forehead a little too hard and responded simply, “There are.”
The individual whose Facebook page it was answered with an ominous foreboding, “For now.”
Jeez, Louise.
Here’s what I have to say about that:
I didn’t respond because… really… what good would it do? People know what they know, right? By God, if the Christian Broadcasting Network reports it or you read it on the Internet, it really doesn’t matter what this highly qualified professional educator says who has over two decades of experience in the industry of education, does it? Although I have taught in three different states; taught students in public, private, and charter schools at every grade level and socio-economic status; taught almost every subject; has earned countless professional development credits past my bachelors and masters degrees; and the most overwhelming piece of evidence that no one is after our flags — I walk in and SEE ONE every day — there are people in this world who are very obsessed with the belief that there is some sort of underground, covert operation in the works to abscond with all the American flags in our classrooms.
I don’t know anything about that — and if an effort to do such a thing were truly in the works, I’d surely know about it. The person this week on Facebook didn’t really give any further information in the way of facts, figures, diagrams, depositions, data, documentation, testimony, or other evidence, nor did any eye witnesses come forward to corroborate the claim. But that’s okay…
… because there was a meme.
(See what I did there?)
I can’t confirm (but certainly can deny) that there is a conspiracy to remove all the flags from the classrooms of America, but here’s what actually ARE REALITIES in America’s classrooms today. You can click on the issues for, you know, actual facts:
Hunger
Child Abuse
Misogyny
Bullying
Self-Harm/Thoughts of Suicide
I checked on this person’s Facebook page to see if any of these real issues were being addressed.
They weren’t.
Why do people fall hook, line, and sinker for these insane and inane untruths?
Why do people invest themselves fully into these deceptions?
Why do people allow themselves to be derailed from the real challenges that we face?
And we gravitate toward our own comfort.
It’s hard to get out there in the world every day with the full intention of eradicating Hunger, Child Abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, Self-Harm and Suicide.
(Even so, public school teachers and a great many other Hope Givers are out there eradicating these problems every day!)
It’s much easier to sit behind the computer screen in the safety of one’s own home, cautioning the world of ‘pretend’ fears…
… because what’s really happening out there in the world is pretty goll darn terrifying to some people.
Come on, everybody. I know it’s not easy to be a Hope Giver. I get it. It’s not comfortable. We take things on that seem overwhelmingly impossible to correct. But #HopeGivers believe that we can make a difference. Can we all just stop a second and ask ourselves a couple of questions?
Do I have my panties more in a wad over flags and cakes and bathrooms than I do poverty or child abuse?
Do I spend more time talking about freedom and justice than providing it for those who are being marginalized?
Do I truly believe I can make the world a better place by sitting behind a keyboard?
Or might I venture out into the world ready to do the real work of BEING HOPE for someone?
Last week, the Rainy Dais Family came together to provide 28 fans for Advocates Against Family Violence and Hope’s Door Women and Children’s Shelter, giving the residents there some much 
needed relief from the sweltering sun. Part of how we did that WAS actually from behind a keyboard on Facebook! Go figure! But we didn’t just post about how hot the precious souls at Hope’s Door were. We actually had to go to the store and pick up a fan or get on PayPal or drop off some cash so that SOMEONE could go get what was needed. We all worked together because we saw a real need. A true need. Not a made-up need. Not a conspiracy theory. Not a red herring.
It may not seem like we cured all the world’s ills by doing this… BUT…
It may have changed a woman’s mind about staying at the shelter with her children or going back to their abuser. Think about it. She and her children are dripping with sweat in this facility that is so old (with precious little resources to keep it going) that it has no air conditioning. This woman is watching her babies lie lethargically on a mattress, their little chests heaving in the heat, knowing that there is an air conditioner waiting for them at home.
This is how we BECOME the very miracle that people need — and it wasn’t really that difficult to collect 28 fans. It wasn’t. It was like breathing, really.
So please, please, PLEASE:
Who knows?
The life you change could be your own.
Daisy Rain Martin is an author, speaker, advocate, and educator as well as a founding member of The Flying M-Inklings Writing Group. She lives with her husband, Sean-Martin, in the beautiful state of Idaho and teaches English and Literature during the school year to the best 7th graders the world over. Daisy spends her summers writing, speaking, researching, creating, gardening, and canning.
Hope Givers: Hope is Here, is the sequel, of sorts, to her comedic, spiritual memoir, Juxtaposed: Finding Sanctuary on the Outside, which was Christopher Matthews #1 top selling book in 2012. She has also written a free e-book for anyone who has or is currently being sexually abused called, If It’s Happened to You.
Please follow her weekly blog, SATURDAISIES, which addresses a plethora of current issues including child advocacy, all things hilarious, and matters of the heart. She would love for you to join the Rainy Dais Community by friending her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.