With family and friends observing, 57 School of Education juniors reaffirmed their commitment to becoming educators at the 19th annual SED Junior Pinning and Affirmation Ceremony last night at the School of Management Auditorium.
An SED tradition since 1989, the ceremony honors SED students’ commitments to education. Small blue pins are given to students as they recite vows for their future careers.
Audience members welcomed guest speaker Barbara Henry last night to share her teaching experiences. Henry was invited in 1960 to teach first grade at William Frantz Elementary School, New Orleans’s first desegregated public school under federal court order, according to a letter sent to SED students by SED associate dean Boyd Dewey.
In her first year teaching in New Orleans, Henry tutored 6-year-old student Ruby Bridges, the only student to show up to school during the desegregation. The previous teacher had resigned, refusing to take part in the desegregation movement.
“As teachers, you should never underestimate the power of the children before you,” she said.
Bridges attended school despite a large school boycott. Every day, Henry met with her in the building under the protection of federal marshals.
“We created our own oasis of love and learning, and we were able to shut out the hurts of cruelty, prejudice, bigotry that surrounded us both inside the building and outside,” Henry said.
The pair has since been remembered and honored for their role in Civil Rights history. Henry and Bridges have spoken in several conferences around the country and been featured on “Oprah.”
When SED faculty members learned Henry had moved to West Roxbury, Dewey said they “jumped on” asking Henry to speak at the ceremony.
“We worried that she wouldn’t accept, but she was very gracious,” he said, adding that Henry chose to eat dinner with the students before the ceremony instead of being treated at a restaurant.
Henry’s speech was received with a standing ovation.
“She is one of the most dynamic speakers, and it didn’t feel like she was addressing a crowd, but it felt like we were having a conversation,” said ceremony student speaker Allison Lavey, an SED junior.
“These are some of the finest students at BU, and I feel honored to sit among them,” Lavey said after the ceremony.
SED Senior Student Program Coordinator Jacqueline Boyle said the ceremony is unique because it takes place in the middle of the students’ college career, unlike many ceremonies during their freshman and senior year.
“The ceremony is the kickoff that marks the beginning of our career in teaching,” said SED alumnus Ryan Woods, who is now the education manager at Mary Baker Eddy Library. He said he still attends the Junior Pinning Ceremony every year as part of the alumni board.
“It was amazing to speak to people who will make a difference,” Henry said after the ceremony, “and if in some way I can offer words of inspiration, that is a wonderful gift I will give [the attendees].”