Lynn asked Michelle Obama:

Thank you for this opportunity. I am at the end of a 24-year career as a high school English teacher in an urban school in Oklahoma. My students come from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Oklahoma City. I am frustrated by the way that our nation has slammed the door in the faces of the young people. What hope can I point them towards to find a way out of hopelessness?

Michelle Obama First of all, I hope that frustration isn’t getting the best of you. Because to me, your frustration is a sign that you care—and that’s a good thing. We need people like you out there, hopeful and fighting, even in the face of injustice or inequality.

So what hope can you point your students to? To me, the best answer is to shine a light right back on the young people themselves. I find so much hope in young people who are up against so much—families trying to make ends meet, schools short on resources, communities too often ignored by policy makers—yet they’re still learning and growing and dreaming big dreams. They’re helping raise their brothers and sisters, helping their family earn money, and learning how to adapt and survive in scenarios that a lot folks have no grasp on.

And here’s the thing: all those experiences are giving these young people a leg up on many of their peers. They’re developing skills like grit and resilience that will help them in so many settings in the future. They’re taking on responsibilities that most kids won’t have to deal with until they’re far older. They have so much to offer the world, but most of the time they don’t even see it.

So it’s up to folks like us to show it to them, to hold a mirror up to their lives, to show how much strength and talent and potential they have—all the skills and attributes they already possess that many kids their age can’t compete with. Too often we focus on what they don’t have. Folks like you and me need to show them what they do. It’s not a cure-all, of course. But it’s amazing what someone can do when they see more in themselves.

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