Actually, it is who we are

 Actually, it is who we are.

 

After every event of egregious violence, whether it is the recent attack on our Nation’s Capitol, the rampage in Charlottesville championing White supremacy, or the looting and store burning when the Black Lives Matter marches get out of hand… someone will write a column or give a speech proclaiming that this is not who we are.  Well in point of fact- it is exactly who we are.  Every one of those instances of extreme, unacceptable behaviors were committed by Americans and that is who we are.  More people are incarcerated in the United States than in any other western democracy.  We have more guns than any other western democracy.  Sadly, violence from the very beginning of our nation found a happy home on our shores.

In many ways, ours is a double-edged sword.  One the one hand, we are more religious but less organized, less class-conscious, and more libertarian than our western democratic counterparts.  On the other hand, we are more violent and more indifferent to economic inequality.  We are among the most charitable of all people and often resentful of government assistance to those most in need.  As the King says in the King and I, “’tis a puzzlement”.

What can we do about this for our children.?  First of all, we must conquer the racial divide.  The United States is no longer majority white.   Latinos are the largest minority group.  It is confusing as to the traits white supremacy folks believe makes them supreme?   Based on their behaviors, it is certainly not intelligence, reasoning ability or problem solving.  Is it just that they think peach is a better color than black, brown, yellow or red?  Makes no sense.

The United States is exceptional even though we mess up mightily on a regular basis.  The fact remains that we are the longest existing democracy that still clings to the rule of law.  The 46^th President of the United States was inaugurated in a peaceful process that included many of the pre-pandemic traditions.  The inauguration happened even if Washington, D.C. was guarded by national guard troops and the insurrectionists got that they shouldn’t show up.  

Our children do not know these facts.   The news media binges on all the negative.  They grab defeat from the jaws of victory every time.  Evidently bad news sells better than the good stuff.

As educators we must teach our kids enough history and civics so they can be stalwarts against the misinformation and partial information that is proliferating.  Amanda Gorman, the very young poet laureate who read her poem at the January inauguration reminded us, “there is always light if only we are brave enough to see it.  If only we are brave enough to be it.”   We must teach our children to both see the light and be the light for the next generation.

Betcha you couldn't pass it!

 Betcha you couldn’t pass it

 

Immigrants need to pass a test in order to become citizens.   Native born Americans just need to be born in the States.  They still get to vote.   

Our schools have worried that we are not giving kids a rigorous education so all students  are taking algebra II, but not civics.   Doesn’t take a genius to figure out which content will be more useful!   

Events of the last few weeks have shown how little the average citizen knows about civics and how the government works, yet they get to protest, to vote and to spread information that is clearly false.

It is probably too late to fix adults.   I am not arguing for a return of tests for voters because we all know how that turned out as the tests were used to disenfranchise minority groups.  And those efforts continue to be in play in some states.

But, we are short changing our students if we do not teach them how a democracy functions.  As Winston Churchill said, “democracy is the worst form or government except for all other forms that have been tried from time to time”.   He was correct.

We live in a democracy and our young people need to understand that democracy is messy.  That is the downside. An authoritarian dictatorship is ever so more efficient. The dictator speaks and the people hear and obey.   Without knowing how a democracy functions our children will never learn why we tolerate the downside to get to the upside that is so much more relevant to our lives.   Unfortunately, it would be great if adults were required to get some sort of instruction as well, but I am not that much of a Pollyanna  to expect anything to come of that.

We can help the next generation.   Currently some states (including Maryland) require a course in government and an exit exam for the course.  That course itself is barely relevant because it asks students to memorize things that are not functional to their daily lives.  Why not make native born students pass the citizenship test in order to graduate high school?   Immigrant students in our high schools could wind up being their coaches.

What students need is a course in civics.  They need to know the functions of each branch of government, what each branch can do and what it cannot do.  They need to learn that rights have connected responsibilities and that when advocating for their rights they must engage in those responsibilities.  Kids need to know what the Constitution says citizens are guaranteed and what it does not guarantee.  Students need to be taught that the U.S. is a nation of laws- not men or women!  They need to learn that the Constitution is the bedrock of those laws.

One of the things we learned about getting people to stop smoking is that the dangers of smoking taught in school were often delivered to families by the kids.  Maybe if we required and tested for civics education children could educate adults, who I bet couldn’t pass the citizenship test!

Character Counts

 Character Counts

 

This past week our nation was rocked by behaviors that were both frightening and disgusting.   American citizens performed act of insurrection against our Capitol building and upon the elected officials of our government.  

The people who did these things while primarily white and male, came from all walks of life.  It is totally irrelevant what one's political beliefs are.  What is very relevant is exactly what the Vice-President of our country said, "violence does not solve problems".

 People are blaming Trump for the violence and in some ways he is certainly to blame. However, there is enough blame to go around.  Somewhere along the line, the thousands of people at that insurrection also need to be accountable for their behaviors.

When these adults were children where were the people who are responsible for teaching character- I’m looking at the adults in the lives of these children- parents, educators, clergy, community leaders.  Why were they not taught that freedoms are inexorably linked to responsibility?   Yes our Constitution guarantees free speech, but that free speech is not unfettered.   We cannot cry fire in a crowded room where there is not fire; and we cannot make threats to the physical safety of others.

We have allowed the character of too many of our citizens to be lost to corruption.  Corruption is the erosion of standards and principles and their replacement with baser motives like money and power.

What is most frightening of all is that we live in a capitalistic society where supply and demand rule the economy.   So it is also true that when there is a high demand for these outrageous behaviors, market incentive increases and we get more of the vile twisting of character to cater to ego rather than principle.

We need to teach our children both at home and in schools and in the community that there are yardsticks of good character and these yardsticks are not bent or shaved to meet ego needs of others.

Each time a person accepts an unacceptable behavior, we all move closer to the fire.  And one day as last week, we find ourselves in the flames and wonder how that happened.

It happened because we failed to say “NO” to the minor acts of indecency by our children, adults and particularly our “so called” leaders. And so each time we did not call the person out on a wrongful behavior, each time we did not exact a consequence for that behavior, the next act of indecency just got more indecent until you had an attempt at a full-scale insurrection.  And each of us became complacent in those terrible behaviors. 

Character counts and we cannot start too soon to teach that concept to our children.

Make this a year of CAN

 Make this a year of CAN

 

Not sure about you, but I am really tired of the 2020 and the year of CAN’T.   We can’t be in school, we can’t eat in restaurants, we can’t travel, we can’t gather with loved ones!   How much CAN’T can people put up with?   I am done.

2021 needs to be the year of CAN!

First of all, let’s get more kids back in schools.   We know that the schools have not been a significant spreader of the virus.  Schools can open safely.  We also know that even middle class kids are going to lose six months to a year of academic achievement and lower socio-economic kids are expected to lose a full year or more.  That is learning that will not be easily caught up.

We also know that kids with disabilities have a finite amount of time for their entitlement and there has been slim to none discussion about extending that time.  The learning loses for those kids will have life-long impact.

We CAN have a more positive attitude about what is happening.   Right now the positivity rate in Maryland is about 9.5%.  That is really high, but it also means that the NEGATIVETY rate is 90.5%.   Why don’t we announce that along with the positive rate.   My guess is because we are afraid that folks won’t take the danger seriously enough.  But there is a significant danger to the mental health of all of us with the constant drumbeat of negativity.  This situation is particularly true for kids who are showing increasing anxiety, either because they are reflecting how their families are feeling or because  they are so anxious themselves.   We CAN have a more positive attitude and we need to start cultivating that for all of us.

We CAN reach out to our neighbors and to our schools and offer to volunteer.  We CAN volunteer virtually.  There are kids who are learning online by themselves.  We CAN volunteer to coach them virtually either during instruction or later.

We CAN read to kids online.  We CAN help kids create a virtual social group besides school.  We CAN prioritize learning over other activities such as medical appointments and visits with family members.  Too many people are acting as if online learning is something to do when there aren’t other activities scheduled sort of like watching a streamed new episode on NetFlix.  

We all need a YEAR OF CAN.   And we each need to pitch in so we CAN!

 

 

WE here highly resolve

 We here highly resolve…

 

 

It is the time for resolutions for the new year.  We all make them.   The length of time  being able to keep them varies greatly.  During distance learning many families have come to have enhanced appreciation for classroom teachers.   However there are still lots of resolutions we should all make to make the rest of this year and the next year more profitable for everyone.   Here are some to consider:

1.    Come to school. If you aren’t in school you won’t be learning any schoolwork.   It really doesn’t matter why a student is not in school- illness, vacation, poor technology, visiting relatives, they all add up to being absent.

2.    Listen carefully:  Parents, kids and teachers all need to listen carefully to what is being said.  Parents need to listen to their children with the filter that says, “my child is going to present the best version of events”.  Teachers need to listen to parents and students.  The vast majority of parents are just trying to get the best outcomes for their child.  Don’t get defensive.   Students, it really doesn’t matter how old you are, you still don’t know it all.

3.    Be Prepared: Children need to bring the appropriate tools to their school work whether it is a tablet, paper, pencil, calculator or desktop.  They also need a quiet place to work.  Teachers need to have everything ready for the lesson BEFORE the lesson not on the fly as the lesson is happening.  Parents need to help students to have the tools they need for school.

4.    Take school seriously:  There are many ways to send the message that school is one of the most important things a child does in preparation for his/her future.  We all need to act like we believe this to be true.  That means school takes priority over other activities.  Families talk about school being the child's job for right now.

5.    Work as a team:  School is not a competitive contest where some people win and some people lose.  If school is done well we all win.  Start with believing in the good intentions of the other person, whether that is a student, parent or teacher.  No one is in the education profession to get rich.  Educators do care about kids.

6.    Get appropriate rest and nutrition:  Everyone does better when he/she is rested and not hungry.  Kids need to get enough rest to be alert for school.  Families and teachers need rest too so they have more patience with kids and school staff (the rest of life as well).  And few people do well when they are hangry.

7.    Take life and school one step at a time:  We will get to where we need to be.  Every child can learn, just not at the same time nor at the same pace.  We all need to give kids the time they need to learn.

8.    Make learning a safe experience:  Everyone fails at learning something at some time.  Make sure there is a safety net so kids are not afraid to fail when they try. Learning is a risk taking behavior.  None of us will take the risk if we are going to be embarrassed for failing.

9.    Have a sense of humor:  See the funny side of school.  That works for life too.  Find the humor in it all.  Even in the "extra" things we see during distance learning.

10.Make these school days the best days of your child’s life:   That really can happen.  Everyone needs to try to make that so.

 

Happy New Year and good luck on those resolutions.

Kids aren't the only ones who need to be healthy

 Kids aren’t the only ones who need to be healthy.

 

Humans aren’t the only ones who need to work to stay healthy.   Schools need to be healthy as well and I am not talking about taking temperatures, fogging classrooms or using hand sanitizer.   Being willing to try to learn is a risk taking behavior and kids will only take that risk if they feel safe in the school environment.

Schools can be healthy or sick just like people.

One of the things we have learned from all this distance instruction is that relationships are at the heart of any school experience.  Every time there is a school shooting it becomes clear that the shooter did not feel known or recognized by anyone in his school.   Students need to feel that their teachers are their coaches and want them to succeed.  It is not a “gotcha” experience.  Kids need to feel safe and accepted.   Teachers need to know whose parents are thinking of splitting up, which kid’s dog is very sick, whose family is moving again and what child has never been good at math.   Staff need to know kids as individual people not as “the fourth grade homeroom”.  They need to be able to take the time (that’s YOU pacing guide) to talk with children about their lives not just their school work.

All kids can learn, just not in the same way or on the same day.   Schools need to have high expectations for every kid not just the white ones from upper middle class families. Different kids are going to need different supports to reach those goals.   A football coach doesn’t expect to have a star quarterback on day one.  There will be lots of practices and support.  So it is with students.   Perhaps that upper middle class kid doesn’t want to go to college.  Perhaps she wants to be a chef.   Teachers can help her run interference with her family to get there.  Or maybe that lower socio-economic kid really does have the potential to be a veterinarian.  He is going to need lots of supports in a family where he may be the first person to go to college.  Healthy schools have systems in place to help all kids learn to their highest ability in whatever way works best for them.

Freedom from fear is a critical component for a healthy school.  That means behavior expectations are clear and enforced for both kids and staff.   Kids are innately fair.   They will usually accept consequences they see as deserved.  Other students will feel safe to learn when they see behavioral expectations enforced in an equitable manner and that includes staff.  So if kids can’t bully other kids- and they should not- neither should teachers be allowed to bully kids and/or other staff.   Behavioral expectations should not discriminate by age. 

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix” it is the mantra of a do-nothing school.   First of all, leadership doesn’t know if something is broke if no one is ever asked.   Data need to track discipline, is one demographic more likely to receive consequences than another.   Are there some teachers who seem to “rule the roost”.   Do people have something to say but are afraid to say it for fear of being a snitch or a malcontent?   Do kids and staff have opportunities for open discussion and disagreement without fear of retribution?   Is it ok for some people to love chocolate and other not to like chocolate at all?  

Healthy schools make for healthy learners, and that includes students and staff.  Vaccines aren’t just needed for viruses. 

Unions have an out-sized voice

 Unions have an out-sized voice

 

Just about everyone agrees that it is in the best interest of children for them to be back to in-school learning.   There are huge differences of opinion about just how fast that should be happening.

Unions have taken on an out-sized voice in making the determination of when kids need to be back in school.  Mostly they push for a much more conservative approach.  They are arguing that they, too, want children back in school but only when it is completely safe to do so.   Of course, teachers are just one of the stakeholders invested in the decision.  The parents, school administrators – oh and the students- all have significant investment in getting children back into the school buildings for in-school learning.   But schools can’t open without teachers to staff them.  Therein lies the rub.  Reprising the refrain from the Viet Nam war protestors, teachers are just saying, “hell no we won’t go”.   One school district in Maryland had to delay the partial re-opening of its high schools because teachers wouldn’t come to school.   A program in Baltimore City serves about 48 students who are homeless have huge difficulty accessing online instruction.   The children are in two groups of 24 each.   They receive breakfast and lunch at school.  They s it at desks with Chrome Books surrounded by plastic shields, while they learn online.  Where are the teachers?   They are at home, they refused to come in.  Instead teacher aides walk around the room helping the children as necessary.  Teachers aren’t safe to come in, the aides and kids are-go figure!   So far there have been no virus outbreaks among the 48 children.  Baltimore City serves over 83 thousand students.  Forty-eight of those kids are in-person in-school, sort of!

The unions are also pushing back against any hybrid systems.  The unions have made it pretty clear they do not want teachers back in school until they are 100% safe.  When exactly will that be?   When exactly was ANYONE 100% safe in a school or anywhere else.

Parents are pushing back against the unions.  “Educators and teachers’ unions are not infectious disease experts or public health officials, and frankly, that’s who parents trust in making these decisions,” said Keri Rodrigues, the founding president of the National Parents Union, an advocacy organization with hundreds of parent groups across the country.

In the U.S., school districts with active unions have been last to open or have not opened at all.  The American Federation of Teachers president, Randi Weingarten does say that waiting for a vaccine in every classroom is a stance that goes too far.  But she also says that when people disagree with the union stance it is just a reflection of “typical anti-union, anti-teacher animus”. " If one teacher dies from the virus that is one too many".   Of course that is true, but it is also true of if one grocery store clerk, one nurse, one grandparent dies of the virus that is also one too many.

No one is suggesting we risk the health of teachers, but why are so many teachers content with risking the futures of children.