The Main Thing

We are on the cusp of the annual winter, a.k.a. Christmas, break.  Schools across the nation will close for multiple days during this time, a time we refer to as the “holidays” no doubt due to the fact that everyone has some holidays in December and early January.  There has been plenty written about the “reason for the season” and coping with the stress of these days.  Though suicide rates are lowest in December, our efforts to make everyone happy, to do all things, be all things, achieve that special ambiance expected by families and tradition is highly stressful.  One would think the “holidays” would be a time of rest and rejuvenation, but in a nation that has commercialized these days many find themselves even more panic stricken and more frantic than usual. 

There is a way out of this, I believe.  The solution is keeping the main thing the main thing, as Stephen Covey would say.  What overwhelms is the effort to accomplish multiple goals simultaneously and to view all goals as equally important.  This is not multi-tasking.  This is multi-goaling.  And multi-goaling is dreadful.  Many of our goals this time of year compete with each other and efforts to accomplish all goals and to be successful with all goals is the source of the stress, panic and frantic we see around us. 

So, what is the main thing for you about Christmas?  Is it the celebration of a religious belief that marks an event where a deity blessed humanity with the human birth of His son who was both God and man?  Is it the gathering of family?  Is it the food?  Is it the decorations?  Is it the music?  Is it the gifts?  Is it the parties?  Is it the wonder on the faces of children we love at the time they open presents?  Whatever your main thing is then the focus on accomplishing that main thing will guide you through the multi-decisions and multi-tasks facing you this time of year.  When you know what the main thing about Christmas is for you, everything else becomes the “little stuff” and there is no really good reason to sweat the little stuff.  Yes, you will likely attempt to accomplish all your goals, but I believe you can do so with laughter and lighter heart and more celebration once you know what you care most about.  What is your main thing?

(I also believe it is fairly easy to determine your main thing at Christmas time.  Of all you believe to be important, of all your goals, which one if foiled will upset you the most?  Which failure is your nightmare?  When you know that, you will know what you care most about.)

But I did not initiate this piece to talk about the Christmas holidays.  So the above is really a metaphoric ramble as a preamble to my main point:  If we do not know what the main thing is about any of our complex human efforts we are likely to go astray, feel panic, feel stress, and run in circles as though one foot is nailed to the floor.  When we have multi-goals of equal importance and often in conflict with limited resources we are not likely to be very successful at all of those goals as we are not deity, we are not omniscient, we are not omnipresent, and we are unable to perform miracles whenever we chose to do so.  I do not know for sure about you, but I know that I am a man, both flawed and precious, gifted with some talents but not all, able to do good things but not able to be perfect.  I am not God. 

Aye, there’s the rub.  If each of us is mortal and flawed then none of us are God.  And if none of us are God, why are we so bent on persecuting those who think differently than we do, who believe differently than we do, who act differently than we act, who are born with more or less skin pigment than we have, or have desires different than mine?  Why is it so important to insist on our own way when we know we are flawed and imperfect and in that we know we are no different than all other humans?  I chose my parents wisely.  I am an Anglo male heterosexual and a Christian with a good education and reasonable financial security.  I am so lucky because I was born in a nation that has traditionally valued all those characteristics and declared them to be the “best”.  Anyone who has characteristics other than those are perceived to somehow fall short, to somehow be less than me.  Those others who did not choose as wisely as I did are even worthy of denial, banishment, and persecution.  Ha!  How dare I practice persecution given that most of these characteristics were merely genetic and cultural luck?  No, I did not choose my parents.  Nor did you. 

Given all the above, finally, let us talk about schools.  Public schools.  Public schools are clearly a multi-mission, multi-goaled organization.  The goals assigned to and assumed by public schools are simultaneously becoming more diverse and more stringent.  Elected bodies at multiple levels (federal, state and local) are quick to require new demands of public schools, and apply sanctions for failures to meet those demands.  Read sanctions as persecution.  Yes, we will be punished by lay people who control budgets if we do not accomplish what they deem most important.  The great tragedy is, lay people do not know what is most important and because of that we are assigned multiple goals that are quite frankly impossible to accomplish.  Each level of government assumes the role of God.  “Do this because I say so, I am elected, and I must be God.  If you are not successful you will experience my wrath."  Most amusing to me is the fact that state officials get very upset if they see federal demands in conflict with their own demands.  Same is true for local boards and the state and federal government.  From the school’s point of view it does not matter if the mandate comes from the Board room, the state capital or Washington D.C., it all feels the same to the practitioner.

So, what are these goals and what is or should be the main thing?

Shall we work to ensure that no child is ever left behind?  Shall we work to end childhood obesity?  Shall we work to screen kids for various diseases and physical handicaps?  Shall we work to ensure that all kids do well on a high stakes standardized test?  Shall we work to ensure that we have highly diverse co-curricular and extra-curricular programs and that those programs win in competition?  Shall we work to ensure that we are the best show in town every Friday night?  Shall we work to ensure that schools are safe havens and bullet proof against assault by lone wolves?  Shall we work to arm staff against assault or should we work to control weapons that kill children?  Shall we work to judge teachers and hold them accountable on a variety of measures?  Shall we work to reward every child and help him or her be successful or shall we work to simply identify the winners?  Should we work to appease all parents who know their children do not lie and that their children are gifted, or should we work to identify obstacles to learning and develop plans to improve the child’s success?  Should we comply with all legislative mandates from every level or should we seek to accomplish the main thing?  Shall we work to have the best and shiniest facilities?  Shall we work to be as energy efficient as can be?  Shall we work to promote the successful attainment of each child’s potential?  Shall we work to promote the learning of every child?  Shall we keep the student teacher ratio as low as possible or teacher salary as high as possible?  Shall we work to ensure that only one side of every issue is taught regarding religion, history, science, and economics or shall we prepare children to know and understand a variety of schools of thought?  Are we an institution of indoctrination or an institution of education?  Shall we involve professionals and the community in decision making or should we be more top-down boss manager oriented?  Shall we work to improve technological applications and hardware in the classroom?  Shall we work to prepare students for careers or for college?  Shall we work to create “choice” by funneling public school dollars to the private sector?  Shall we work to ensure that all products and programs are selected based on low bid or shall we seek the best that can be bought?  Shall we work to keep taxes low or work to expand the educational opportunities in each system?  Shall we work to lead or comply?  Or, should we seek to provide and ensure the best possible learning experience for every child in the system in order to promote his or her future success?

As a school superintendent I was charged with accomplishing all those goals.  Whether I did or not was judged by a group of elected lay people, each of whom had different responses to each of the goals above.  I survived for as long as I did because I knew my answer to each of those questions and for me I knew the answer to what is the main thing we should be doing as a public school system.  When the goals of the Board changed, I retired.  When my philosophy of education ran in conflict with the Board, I retired.  Simply put, I would not bend when it came to keeping the main thing the main thing and that played out in a variety of ways. 

My main thing is we should work to both provide and ensure the best possible learning experience for every child in the system in order to promote his or her future success.  Student teacher ratios must be low, teacher involvement in decision-making should be high, support of teacher learning and development must be high, support of students identified with learning deficits should be high, programs ancillary to the “main thing” take a back seat, and compliance with mandates will happen but not at the expense of moving forward on the main thing.  We must have assessment to know how each kid is doing, but that assessment should never, ever be used to judge kids, teachers, schools, and/or school systems. 

I have known my main thing for over 40 years now.  Once I knew my “main thing,” decisions became easy.  What I lobbied for at a variety of levels became easy.  How I handled conflict became easy.  I am not and was not God, and it was important to listen to all constituencies, not just the loudest, the most passionate, and the most influential.  Kids are less likely to be successful without an array of support inside and outside of the school. 

And so, my friends and readers, I encourage you to consider what your main thing is regarding the Christmas holidays and while you have some time off consider your main thing regarding public education.  I believe that will bring you more peace and more joy.

I cannot insist that you all agree with my selection of the main thing as that would be contrary to my basic beliefs.  I can wish for each of you a very Merry Christmas, and if that is contrary to your beliefs I wish for you very Happy Holidays.

May joy and peace be yours.