I am so Smart

I’ve been blogging here for about 5 years, and it occurs to me that I have never shared why I think my thoughts merit posting.  Frankly, it is because I am so smart and I make wonderful decisions.  You should know about these decisions and why they indicate my brilliance.

I chose to be born to Anglo parents.  This was a hard choice as most of the people in the world are not White.  Only 18% of the world’s population are White so you can see why choosing a minority race was such a tough decision.  In hindsight, however, it was brilliant.  I have had every opportunity, I have never experienced discrimination by race, and I am not viewed as suspicious based on my skin color or dress.  This may be my most brilliant decision, which is good, because it is not reversible.

I chose to be born in the United States.  Again, a brilliant decision.  Americans represent 4% of the planet’s population and control roughly 30% of the planet’s resources.  Yep, this is the place to be.  Had I been born somewhere else and wanted to advance myself and my family by tapping into the incredible wealth of the USA then I would have to be an immigrant.  That is not a good thing these days, although every White person here was at one time an immigrant.  Birth in the US is a real entitlement desired by so many.  Once I chose to be born here I did not have to go through the arduous process of migrating here or having to pass the citizenship test which I hear is a real challenge.  I can be an American and remain totally ignorant of our history and founding principles.

I chose parents who speak English.  Whoa, any other choice could have been disastrous.  Learning English is difficult, but because I chose so wisely I do not even remember the process.  It just seems that I always spoke English.  That choice really helped me in school as the teachers only spoke English.  Worse, many are persecuted because they do not speak English so I avoided that experience as well.

I chose parents who are Christians.  Oh boy, there is no telling what mischief I would have gotten into had I chosen Muslim parents, or Hindu, or Buddhist or atheist, or whatever.  But because so many of the other Whites in this country believe our country was created as a Christian nation, once again I made a brilliant decision.  (Those folks who think the country was founded as a Christian nation could not pass the citizenship test and they are wrong, but I am not going to tell them for fear they may start discriminating against me!)

I chose parents who were financially stable.  I never suffered from hunger, I never suffered from lack of clothes, and I never suffered from a lack of shelter.  And, we always had health insurance coverage!  I was not forced into early childhood labor nor were my parents ever engaged in illegal activities to secure funding.  I might have been OK had I not chosen financially stable parents, but life sure was easier not having to worry about food, shelter and clothing.  Once again, a brilliant choice.

And perhaps my best decision was to choose parents who were emotionally and psychologically stable.  There was no addiction in my house.  There were not fits of rage, no child abuse, no drunken parents, and no parents who were high on drugs.  I had emotionally stable parents who loved me and cared for me, punished me when I deserved it, but never abused me.  I see others who did not choose so wisely who spend the rest of their lives trying to outgrow their childhood.  Thank God I was smart enough to avoid all that.

I will confess to making a strategic error in all these choices, however.  I chose a family that promoted thinking rather than simple adoption of opinion.  That was a mistake.  As a result I have become intolerant of those who made the same wise decisions I made but have chosen to punish the victims of poor choice, that is, people who chose to be born elsewhere, or to parents of color, who were poor, non-English speaking, poorly educated with few marketable skills, dependent on others for food, shelter and clothing, and in need of health care.  So, yes, those folks made very poor decisions.  But, I remain convinced that those of us who chose so wisely have an obligation to help the folks who chose so poorly.  It seems to me to be the least we can do.  The very last thing we should do is seek to punish the victims of such poor decisions.

That is why I think I am so smart and why I think you should read my blog as I articulate ways in which I believe we can advance the quality of life and promote the pursuit of happiness for everyone in our country.  That is a much more noble cause than seeking ways to secure my own wealth at the expense of others who we blame for their poor choices.  

Political Game Playing

I grow weary and fearful of the political games, more so because supposed adults continue to play.  For instance:

The “blame” game:  if I can show that this “bad” event is somehow your fault then that should exalt me.  Not true, of course.  International events are so complex and include so many random variables that blaming someone for a North Korea bomb test is the same as blaming someone for the weather.  Surely adults see through such things, and yet, candidates continue to play.

The “I’m more Christian than you” game:  If I can convince Christians I am one of them with the same faith and the same belief system then surely I will get their support.  Not true, of course.  At least not true for thinking Christians.  Jesus had something to say about the following:  It is very poor form to stand on the street corner and in front of multiple reporters publicly display one’s faith.  It is very poor form to claim a life devoted to Christ and enter the realm of politics opposing basic New Testament commandments.  It is very poor form to question an other's faith.  And it is very poor form to emulate southern evangelical hucksters who have grown rich by using their so-called faith to get their way in terms of material things.  I suspect that should Christ return during this election cycle He would grab His whip and chase all these “money changers” off the ballot.  It is so superficial, and yet some candidates continue to play.

The “I am a leader and you are not” game:  This is a variation of the blame game and is played by a candidate looking at all the actions of a given player then declaring those actions to be failures regardless of the real outcomes.  If I can convince enough people that the “other guy” was a failure, or that his or her policies and programs are failures, then surely I must be seen as a real leader for my ability to criticize the other guy and find flaws in his or her performance.  Even if it takes 62 votes to finally pass a bill declaring a program a failure rather than the facts.  There is no way to know what the “I am a leader” might have done in similar circumstances and what the outcomes would have been.  Finding flaws in human beings is a stupid game as anyone can play and everyone can lose.  And yet, candidates continue to play.

The “I have a plan but you cannot see it” game.  All the above games are truly insulting to the American voter.  Each game assumes we are so stupid as to be sucked into the game, and sadly, there are people who do get sucked in.  This game is the worst, however.  It allows me the ability to do nothing but play the other games while avoiding a clear statement of intentions and programs should I get elected.  If a candidate does not have proposals to make the nation better, why run unless it is for self-aggrandizement?  And if that is the case, do we want such a person as President?  I think not.  I am not stupid.  You are not stupid.  If you want to get elected and want to avoid playing games you must show us your cards.

You must show us your cards in fiscal policy, foreign policy, human rights policies here and abroad.  You must tell us what matters more to you, corporations or individuals.  You must take a stand on American’s international role.  Are we the cops of the world or are we the bystanders?  What shall we do if a nation self-determines its government and we do not like that government?  You must take a stand on climate and announce what you would like to see done to improve it, if anything.  You must take a stand on women’s reproductive rights.  Do they have any or should it be left in the knowing hands of middle aged white males?  You must take a stand on immigration and offer proposed policies.  You must take a stand on corporations sending jobs overseas and bank deposits oversees to avoid US taxes all while spending tons of money to influence elections here.  You must take a stand on firearms.  Shall we impose limits or shall we allow anyone and everyone to own a weapon?  You must take a stand on health care.  Shall we offer a government supported and required program for those who cannot get insurance any other way, shall we impose the previous strategy of survival of the fittest, or shall we mandate a single-payer program as those nations with the highest standard of living have?  You must take a stand on education.  Is public education simply an opportunity for private sector folks to make money via charter schools and testing, rich folks to save money via vouchers, or an essential ingredient for the future of our democracy?  Etc.

I do not like the broadcast candidate debates as it appears to me such events only encourages game playing.  I would love to simply see a list of proposals and policy stands on a variety of issues from each candidate, both parties.

That, of course, would be rational and promote adult decision-making between now and November of this year.  If the candidate who wins the Presidency has done so via game playing we will have no clue what lies ahead for the USA.  I can think of few things more frightful than that.

Eldering

Perhaps at Christmas time more than any other educators reflect on what they are doing and why.  Now is soul-searching time on a variety of fronts, (virgin birth, wise men, sacrificing a son, etc.) and if you are a teacher or an administrator I bet you have spent some time in the last few weeks asking if what you are doing now is what you really want to do.  You may go through the same exercise during spring break and especially during the last few weeks of the school year.  But the reflection this time of year in a festooned home with remote family members suddenly juxtaposed can be the most philosophical time.  The brief moments alone, salvaged once others go to bed and lit only by the tree bulbs in an otherwise dark room, is fertile ground for reflection.  These are mine:

The information age is exactly that.  The internet has virtually hung all knowledge like low fruit.  I think that is wonderful.  I also am increasingly concerned that we are losing the line between knowledge and wisdom.  They are not the same.  Wisdom is individually accrued over years and years and those who have it are well worth seeking out.  We do not see that so much anymore as we have such ready access to knowledge.  My smart phone is smart; it is not wise.  Asking Google how to improve schools is pointless.  Ask someone with wisdom.  My window on the world is not windows 10.  It is windows 66.

I am an elder.  I was a superintendent for 17 years, and before that 23 years as an administrator and teacher.  I learned many, many lessons, few of which I have forgotten.  You may tap that knowledge, or ignore it.  You may pick another elder, or no elder at all.  I am deeply saddened by those I know who are already convinced they know all they need to know and not only have stopped learning but have started preaching.  Those of us who know better and know more, at first laugh then cry as we hear their homilies.  To preach prior to accumulating wisdom is a declaration to the world that one does not yet have wisdom.  Yes, we learn best with our mouths shut.  We learn even better when listening to those who have gone before us.  Else wise we make the same mistakes every generation suffers.  Or, every kid suffers.

I wish I could be with you while you think through your professional practice and calling.  I wish I could silently sit on the hearth and listen to you talk to you.  I would not interrupt.  I would not intervene.  That would be a violation of your sanctuary.  But I would love to hear your thoughts.  I have had similar thoughts for 40 years.  Now retired, I reflect in different ways.  Once alone with the Christmas lights I now see our issues in different light.  Brighter.  More hopeful.

You have wounds and grievances.  They must be given air to heal.  I know, I still bleed.  Find a friend you trust, no simple task, and air the foolhardiness of public education today, air the slights, air the lack of support, air the unjustified assault on your professionalism, and air the frustration with non-educators dictating to you only because they have been elected, not because they either knowledge or wisdom.  Ha!  Fools and idiots prevail in our profession and those of us serving kids fall on our swords for not blindly serving irrational, ignorant adults.  Say it.  Scream it.  Write it.  Get it out.

You have questions about remaining in education.  Is it pointless?  Is it worth it?  You have agreed to sacrifice income for the sake of making a difference.  Now, others with no wisdom or knowledge are dictating how to assess your practice with no thought toward the individual differences we can make in the lives of kids.  Improving test scores does not improve the quality of the human experience.  Air your doubts and your questions. 

In the best of all scenarios you air the wounds and grievances, the questions and frustrations in the company of an elder.  Get it out.  Then, if you are willing, dare to seek a response.  Chances are very high you will hear questions in return of such a request.  Prompts to clarify your thinking and help you find your path.  If so, you are with an elder.

And for most the current reality of schooling returns on Monday.  I hope you are rested.  I hope you are energized.  I hope you have reflected.  And I hope you have found your elder.

And I wish for you a Happy New Year, or a Happy New Semester as the case may be.  Make a difference.  May the Force be with you.