Ideal Work

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What is ideal work for you? As much as we would like to chill and enjoy every luxury life can offer, it is not a reality for us. We must work.

Let's return to the opening question.

How do you define ideal work?

W. E. B. Du Bois says, “The ideal of Work–not idleness, not dawdling but hard continuous effort at something worth doing by a man supremely interested in doing it, who knows how it ought to be done and is willing to take infinite pains doing it.” Tasks aligned with our interests and expertise are valuable. I found Du Bois's words in the book, "The Education of Black People: Ten Critiques 1906-1930," edited by Herbert Aptheker.

I reread the quote, retyped it, and meditated on its implications.

Writing is hard. It is not easy to pull concepts from various sources, sort them in your brain, form opinions, and create something readable.

The writing process can be painful, but it’s worth it when ideas shape sensical sentences.

Submitting an article for publication and accepting rejections, revisions, and resubmission requests is not enjoyable, but it fits Du Bois's description of ideal work.

Writing, like reading, is a tool for strengthening the brain's muscles. We can also say the same about teaching.

When students learn about their ancestors’ contributions to history, it can open their perspectives to joyful futures. Culturally responsive writing and teaching have the potential to affect lives.

Imagine lesson plans where teachers bring the identities of marginalized students inside the margins of English curricula. Learning objectives and assignments cover Shakespeare, Shakur, Lessing, and Lamar with equitable rigor. In these classrooms, “the classics” include hip-hop and infuse critical discussions about identity.

The future is now. Ideal work happens in blog posts, articles, books, and classrooms.

This week, I traveled and met with counselors, coordinators, interns, and administrators committed to supporting diverse students through African-centered education courses, programs, and services. The community college invited our team of educational professionals to experience their contributions to equity initiatives. Connecting with the campus team and their students forced me to feel grateful for my job.

It is ideal work.  

Writing and teaching require tenacity and creativity.

Prompting ChatGPT to write an essay is feasible; you could take a similar route to teaching and copy slides from an old deck or another teacher. It's different to listen to that itch or intuition and respond from scratch.

To pursue a valuable career in Du Bois’s eyes is to embrace and appreciate the challenges of engaging in worthwhile endeavors. Without struggles, we will not see the changes for ourselves, our families, or our communities. The current state of anti-diversity policies in education calls us to pursue ideal work.

Contemplate your reply when the knock comes at the door or your phone rings with a notification. Our answer offers us the real test of courage.

We must trust the tedious tasks to take us to our destinations in life. Hopefully, along the way, we experience a fraction of joy.

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