As educators, parents, and persons who were once young and now thought to be elder, and thus, wiser, and more wondrous, and accomplished, within our own being we might feel we are less than we appear to be. Tis true; our parents, Teachers, Professors, and friends had such high hopes for us. Our own dreams were even more impressive. Most of us envisioned that we would reach the pinnacle as we progressed until we failed an examination, received a lower grade in a class, or "disappointed" our family when we did less well than they hoped we might?
Today, while not the actual anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's birth date, is the occasion on which we commemorate the man who reminded all of us of our greatness. Reverend King reflected; we are human beings. When we are united, we can, and will accomplish grand feats. We can overcome injustice, hatred, and abuses of a perceived power. As a country, we need not continue on the path of prejudice. A dream of opportunity for all can be realized if we work to right the wrongs of the past that, at the time of his speech, and today, still live. In front of hundreds of thousands, Doctor Martin Luther King Junior cried out for an ethical, economic, and emotional equity.
Once again, Americans are up in arms or perchance, better armed and dangerous. Only little more than a week into 2011, citizens have had to confront their fears, feelings, all at gunpoint. It began on a calm, clear Saturday. In a Safeway Store Tucson parking lot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords held one of her customary Congress on the Corner events. It was January 8, 2011. Friends and admirers from each political Party turned out. Suddenly, cordial chatter turned icy cold. gunshots shattered the calm. People were slaughtered. Some survived. However, as a nation, we were all wounded.
Retorts followed. Seemingly, a culture was changed, or was it? Just as has occurred, many times in the recent past, people quickly took sides. Blame was ballied about. Solutions were also presented. Some argued for stricter gun control laws. Others used the occasion to validate a need for less restrictive restraints on gun ownership. Persons who held a position similar to the most prominent victim proposed a need to protect themselves.
This year, Christmas and New Years Days were days of intense reflection. Perchance, that is true every year and for every individual. I cannot know what is true for others. I am only certain that on each of these dates I was immersed in a rigorous course of study. My gifts or the curriculum came wrapped in a routine event.
The lessons covered were Empathy and Education, although perhaps these were presented in reverse order. Possibly, the truer program was entropy and encouragement. Each edifies. I wonder; on each of the two days these topics were intertwined. In my attempt to analyze and understand what I needed to learn or did, I invite your assessments. Please indulge me as I share the story.
Perchance, on this the twenty-second commemoration of a lesson learned, it is time to reflect on our first, foremost, and greatest Teachers. More than a generation has passed. In that time, I have acquired much knowledge. Yet, I am forever reminded that the more I know, the more certain I am. I know nothing with certainty. What I once thought was the greatest treasure, a tradition I could never part with, was other than it appeared. I never imagined what would become my truth. Today, I share the tale with you.
Many deem the school system is broken. Improvement will come when elementary, middle, and high schools operate as businesses do. Educational institutions need a plan. Districts must select the best teachers and require these mentors to shape their students. Standardized curriculums sensitive to the calendar and standardized test, policymakers posit, will serve our children well. Principals and parents, all but students speak in harmony. These experts in education speak in unison. Today, philanthropists concur. Corporate Chief Executives also sing in chorus. Adults concerned with accurate calculations and "matters of consequence" adopt the stance, "It is just that simple."
"The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative, inventive and discoverers" ~ Jean Piaget [Swiss Psychologist. Pioneer in the study of child intelligence. 1896-1980]
"The purpose of education is to enable us to develop to the fullest that which is inside us" ~ Norman Cousins [Essayist, Editor associated with Saturday Evening Post 1912-1990]
"America's noble experiment, universal education for all" may have become but an idealized theory. In practice it long seemed the impossible dream. However, for the hopeful this statement was a reverie, although the veracity was virtually unrecognizable at best. Still the notion lived on. The powerful prose marveled many. That is all but believers in a for-profit privatized educational system. Today, corporate aficionados have conquered. Commerce controls School District Administrators. It shapes decisions made. Countless elementary and secondary school campuses are transformed in accordance. Big business buys and sells city classrooms. Our forefathers would have thought present-day headlines could only appear in fictional accounts. Nonetheless banners blare, "This Class Is Brought to You By. [fill in the corporate enterprise of your choice]"
Currently, I am writing for an educational organization. In penning my pain for what occurs in our schools today, it occurred to me the same impersonal approach, awareness, or lack thereof, is evident in offices, neighborhoods, and in our broader community. People pretend to or believe they " know" their fellow workers, their family members, and their friends. Yet, more often than not, I observe that this is not necessarily true. I, we, she, or he only comprehends what is visible on the surface.
Few choose to ask of, address, or answer the deeper concerns that life delivers daily; I offer this narrative and request your reflections. We all have our own tale to tell. I invite you to share yours. Please trust that I care; your secrets are safe with me. I suspect that others will honor you as I choose to do. I believe we all relate to sorrow.
Today the distress I wish to discuss is heartbreak, heartache, and heart felt feelings. In my own life, I am witnessing that many close to me are battling life-threatening illnesses. Their terminal diagnoses affect me deeply. They weigh heavy on those closer to the " patient" than I. I cannot begin to imagine the pain long-suffering persons feel. Yet, through the quiet trials and tribulations of a teen, who supposedly studied under my tutelage, I learned. What we hide hurts us most.
Since I was a child he hounded me. She stalked me. I was bullied, intimidated, tormented not by a single person, but by a throng of thoughts. Why did another child, adolescent, nay adult ever bully me. What was it about me that kept me safe from harm or a persecutor's pointed proclamations?
Drama fills the airwaves. The tragic comedy comes to life, or is theatre of the absurd. The curtain rises. The cast murmurs. They say, it was first heard, or read in May 1897. At the time, Mark Twain and his demise were the topic. Today, The New York Times splashed the story on the front page of the paper. Bill Clinton Tried to Get Meek to Drop Out. The former President and friend of the Meek family, "last week tried to convince Kendrick Meek, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Florida, to drop out of the race."
While many muse as a culture we cannot continue "Waiting for Superman" to transform our schools, others expect our Teachers to be Supermen or Superwomen. Some say private school Educators are superior. Only the Instructors employed in public educational institutions are flawed. There seems to be agreement in our society; these Teachers cannot take the lead. The system, critics cry, out must change. Philanthropists proclaim they are here to save the day. Privatization is the only way to work through what has been a woeful failure. No, Administrators and the current Administration avow; Teachers are the problem. We must assess their performance and pay Educators accordingly.
Today many businesses are disconnected in a connected world. Corporations seek customers. Potential purchasers can access concisely presented persuasive information. Clients are sold products. Support? Some may be available sometimes . Web pages are Marketing Tools. No real relationships emerge let alone evolve. Technology used serves the organization. Commerce has too little concern for consumer needs. Executives and enterprises pay less attention to what is authentically desired. Conversation. In the search for potential patrons companies ignore what is right in front of their faces and in their hearts; people are gregarious.
Humans are social animals. We each crave a connection. Facebook and Twitter founders understood this. The statistics overwhelming show this. Yet, rather than embrace what is real, organizations opt for what causes a break-up.
In the Fall, this year and every year, in this nation talk turns to Education. The President of the United States delivers a speech to students. Articles appear in the news. Television broadcasts beckon us to think about our Education Nation. In 2010, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, did what many thought novel. He donated $100 million dollars to Newark City Schools. Some were skeptical of his motives. More rejoiced. Certainly with abundant cash in the coffers, change would come to the nations schools, or at least to the chosen educational institutions. However, it might not.
Whispers whirled around the White House, on The Hill, within the Department of Justice, and finally filtered down to the streets. In truth, talk could be heard on the avenues, where average Americans roam, long before declarations came from above. Should BP CEO Tony Hayward Go to Prison? The public wonders. What would the Obama Administration do. Countless clamored; with full knowledge that President Bush's DOJ Killed a Criminal Probe Into BP. It was believed that the potential indictments threatened the most senior officials. More recently, words of warrants have become a distinct possibility. Criminal charges are being considered against BP in regards to the Gulf oil rig tragedy.
Recent reports reveal a reality that invites further questions. If money can't buy me love, can it buy me happiness? "When has having more money made you less happy?" asks The Take Away, America's Conversation News Program. I share my answers.
From birth to the ripe old age of near nine, I was very well-off, and yet, not very happy. Later, after having been extremely poor and ecstatic, I became well off again. The two experiences of being with and without wealth were as dissimilar as can be. Bliss, I learned, is not a by-product of affluence. I share the story.
I was born into a wealthy family. My natural father and Mom made much of their lives. Together they started a business. The firm, with my natural father at the head, grew. The person who was never emotionally, 'Dear Old Dad' to me, was skilled at what he knew. He knew how to calculate the numbers and create great wealth; however, not necessarily ethically. As much as this troubled my Mom, who had stopped working with him almost from the first, for twenty years and ten days, she stood by his side. For her, the last eight and a half were a struggle. The reason; I was born.
On this, another Labor Day the average American finds him or herself underemployed, and over worked. People see the prospects of unemployment in the rearview mirror and through their front windows. Loss of jobs appears just around the bend. Today, might we ponder the fruits of our labor? In 2010, the twenty-first century, Americans have few dreams. The future seems dire. Most of us already receive less in benefits. Further reductions are on the horizon. The common folk face greater wage cuts, coupled with the threat of layoffs. Indeed, a substantial number of citizens claim unemployment. Those without papers who share this status are not even counted. People who have been out of work for so long do not qualify for any relief. Certainly, these laborers are not calculated into government statistics.
Dearest Doctor, I have come to my senses. Days ago, when you offered your diagnosis, I died. No, not literally. Had you done me in, I would not be here to write what I hope will help inform your bedside manner. Well, in my case only the way in which you approach a patient who merely sits in an examining room chair near you is the concern. You may recall our time together began so innocently. We sat down to review the results of annually scheduled blood-work. I had not felt sick all year or on that day. You had even expressed, it had been so long since we last saw each other. You scanned the pages, and proclaimed, that I must have returned to my bulimic ways. My spirit perished. I had done nothing of the sort! Yet, you said you were sure I had.
There is so much flak for what seems would be a fine Presidential appointment. The nation's Chief Executive, Barack Obama, is often characterized as Spock, a Vulcan who is almost virtually void of emotion. It is said that our current President is practical. He acts on logic. Yet, this supposed intellectual individual has, at times, seemed ready to do other than what most think reasonable. Mister Obama has not appointed the truly best Sheriff for towns throughout the country, Elizabeth Warren..
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