To all the Pittsburghers who came in wagons over the mountains,
who worked long hours in hot mills,
who scrubbed laundry and floors to keep their families together,
who worked for clean air and greener buildings,
who strove to make their place a better place.
I found this dedication in the book Pittsburgh: 1758-2008, published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as I ended the first section of my groundwork research this week. As with end of any project, I began to look back and think about what I could have done differently.
For my Cultural Sustainability groundwork project I wondered if what I had chose to look at really mattered to anyone but me. After researching I began to realize how much truly inspiring work people are doing using community oriented educational programs, what I refer to in my paper as place-based education. I am not alone in the hope that we can begin to shift our educational system away from standardized testing and the limits of the school walls — but teach children the values of their community and appreciation for the things that make each of them unique.
What inspired me to look further into types of educational reform is my love for my hometown of Pittsburgh. While I am a traveler and I love to experience different ways of life, I am always happy to know I am coming home to Pittsburgh. What frightens me though is the harsh reality that many of my peers leave the city for better jobs and different lifestyles. Though I can understand the appeal, I can’t imagine leaving Pittsburgh for good. So instead of losing the city I love, I am choosing to fight for it so that the generations after me understand the history and importance of their hometown and feel a similar responsibility to keep it vital.
Sometimes I doubt I will ever be able to accomplish this goal, but when that time comes I know I will be able to find the inspiration to keep going. The dedication in that book reminded me that through all of my work, what I am actually doing is trying to make my Pittsburgh a better city for everyone, and honor all of the people who moved here and labored hard, and those who continue to do so, creating a better place for me.
