February 22, 2018

I’m angry.  I say that as a word of caution because my intention from the start with this blog was to not have a shouting match or become overly wrought, pontificate or be judgmental, and I especially didn’t want to upset my mother.  She loves me and is very proud of me and she often suggests to her friends at church that they read her “brilliant son’s blog.”  Her words not mine.  But I’m angry.  And when I’m angry I swear.  (Mama calls it “strong language”).  Proceed with caution because I write like I talk and when I’m angry I swear.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

In class last Wednesday, several of my students wanted to debate the 2nd Amendment and gun control.  We were studying the Constitution and the Framers’ intentions with the Bill of rights, so this wasn’t too far outside of the scope of an AP Government class but I told them that we needed to put it off until we were further along in our studies.  The following day, after being barraged with images of lines of students snaking out of school with their hands on their heads and cell phone video of classrooms in chaos in Parkland, Florida they practically burst through the door.  “Can we debate the 2nd Amendment nowwwww?,” one of them asked.  “Not while you’re emotional,” I returned, trying not to sound condescending, “but if you want to talk about what happened yesterday we can certainly do that.  We can debate the issue after we’ve all calmed down a bit.”

I love children and teaching them has been one of the most rewarding and joyful experiences of my entire life.  I try not to define others by what they do for a living but I openly encourage you to judge me by my job title.  I am an educator.  I have joked that I would do it for free or that I teach for free and I get paid to go to meetings and grade papers and honestly that isn’t far from the truth.  Outside of my family and my church, this is my life and these children in my classroom mean more to me than I could ever express.

That being said you must be out of your mind if you think that I will ever carry a gun into a school building to protect them or my fellow teachers.  When I hear about those brave heroes that shielded other people’s biological children with their very bodies from a hail of bullets it absolutely shatters me and I pray to God that if I were ever called upon I would do the same.  I tell my students their life is more important than mine the first day of class when we discuss these very types of safety issues and that a crazy person will have to come through me to get to them and I mean it.  I can say that with the confidence of someone who knows there are brave men and women who will do the same thing for my own daughters.  

But carry a gun?!  I can’t even work the damn Scantron machine at my school so I grade papers by hand.  Don’t tell administration but I’ve been known to kick the copy machine when I’m frustrated with it and people are suggesting that teachers be armed.  If you know me personally you know that I’m one of those few chosen people who are just idiotic and arrogant enough to think that they can do just about anything but I won’t do that.  I don’t always have the faith in my fellow teachers that I should but I’m saying I don’t trust myself.  The day that teachers in public schools are armed will be the day that I look for another job.  And I will burn in Hell before I send my own children to a school with armed teachers.

I find it ironic that some of the same legislators that don’t think I’m trustworthy enough to be left alone with my own class during testing are suggesting that maybe teachers should be armed.  These same lawmakers won’t give me a raise for getting a Master’s degree but they might pay me for being half-assed trained to respond to an active shooter on campus.  Nope.  My girls will stay at the house and be home schooled by my wife while I shovel shit before that happens.

The Pandora’s box of problems with arming teachers is so extensive that I can’t even begin to address them.  Suffice it to say that before we changed the WiFi access in my county every single kid in school could log on because some adult didn’t protect the password.  And you want us to carry guns?  I’m no Alec Baldwin and I’m not moving to Canada but I will eat ice cube and dirt sandwiches before I carry a gun to school.  If you think that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun then ask your government representatives to come up with some money for an increased police presence.  They are professionally trained to serve and protect.  I’m just a teacher.

December 30, 2017  EJ’s Birthday

Today is my eldest daughter’s 13th birthday and now that she is a teenager I think it is best if I take my right of parental embarrassment to the Web and share it with the world. As a professional educator (no really), I am familiar with the fact that most parents think that their children are special so I’m not here to tell you why I love my daughter.  I love her because she’s my daughter.  What I would prefer, instead, is to tell you why I like my daughter as a person, so I have compiled a list of quotes along with some observations which lead me to believe that she is truly a gift from God.

“We have some children who don’t really fit in with other children and EJ always makes sure that everyone is involved and feels worthwhile.”  

This is my best recollection of an email that I got from one of EJ’s teachers a while back and if someone had told me that she charged into a burning orphanage and saved three babies, while being crowned Miss America as she scored the game winning goal in the World Cup, I couldn’t have been any more proud.  We don’t see enough people considering other people these days and my heart swells to know that my child finds value in everyone.

“There are 5 extra questions on the test which are field test questions.  The state just wants to see if they are good questions to maybe use on a later test and they don’t record the results for individuals.” – Me   

“So can we contact the state and see if I got them right?”- EJ  

The child had done exceedingly well on her Final Exam but she just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that she had counted 42 questions on the test and her score was taken out of only 37.  Don’t mistake me, she isn’t a perfectionist necessarily she just wanted to know how she did.

“I’m not crying because we lost.  I don’t really care about that.  I’m upset because I won’t be on a team with some of these girls again.”  

EJ loves to win and she loathes losing (check her last name) but she enjoys being part of a team more than just about any child I’ve ever seen.  She is also really hard on herself when she screws up but never points fingers at her teammates when they do.  She will never be the most athletic player on her team but she will more than likely be the most coachable and the best teammate.

“Bird”  

This is one of the first words I can remember EJ saying when she was little besides “dada” and “mama”.  We even have a picture of her as a toddler on the beach with her finger pointed to the sky and I will swear on my life that she is saying “bird”.  Oddly, it was rarely a bird she was pointing at but instead it was a barely, noticeable jet no bigger than a speck.  That eye for detail has never gone away.

“I’m sure that you will get lots of emails from parents who think that their kids are special.  I’m no exception to that group except that I’m right.” – Me

Since I’m in the business myself, I like to touch base with EJ’s teachers at the beginning of the year to let them know that I’m not going to give them any grief.  I haven’t sent this email in a few years because most of her teachers are friends and co-workers that already know her but I never sent one during her elementary days that didn’t get a reply within a few weeks confirming my assertion.  One of the things I’m sure that I don’t delude myself about is that she is truly a joy to teach.

“The only issue I’ve ever had with her is that sometimes she doesn’t want to put her book away when it’s time to do other work.” -More than one of EJ’s teachers

Whenever we have heard this my wife and I always give her the stern face and a reminder that you ALWAYS do what the teacher says WHEN the teacher says it.  And then we typically sneak into another room and high five each other.  If this is the only negative report that I get from school about my child then all I can say is “Thank you Jesus!”

“That just hurts my heart.”- EJ  

I can’t even remember what she was talking about at the time but it struck me that she feels things deeply and that her seemingly, limitless imagination helps her to empathize with the pain of others to an incredible extent.  I envy her friends.

“If Jesus sits on God’s right hand, then who sits on his left?”- EJ  

She asked this question of our minister and it really only scratches the surface of her curiosity about her own faith not to mention the faiths of others.  It is also representative of her inquisitiveness in general and her willingness to admit that she doesn’t know something.  I could certainly take lessons.

“Hey Daddy…”

I saved this one for last because it’s my favorite.  Countless times daily EJ will begin a sentence with “Hey Daddy…” and what generally follows is a request for an explanation about something she wants to know; migration patterns of black bears to the second law of thermodynamics, the color of belly button lint or why I have nipples.  She asks and then patiently listens for my answer and often asks a follow up question or two.  I’ve begun to understand that it is isn’t just that she thinks I’m smart and that I know a lot of answers.  I think that she intrinsically knows that I derive much of my self worth from being appreciated by people that I love and respect and she is asking as much for me as for herself.  

So do I love my daughter?  Yes.  Do I like my daughter?  Absolutely.  More than that I unreservedly adore her.  Am I bragging?  Hell yes, but my salutation in her birthday card might explain why.  I simply wrote, “To the first, best thing I’ve ever done.”  I know beyond a shadow of doubt that statement is true.

Snowflakes, Safe spaces, and Participation Trophies

I’ve actually had the idea for this entry for a while but just a few days ago my thoughts crystallized after viewing a friend’s Facebook post. It was actually a meme showing D-Day landing craft with soldiers deploying onto the beach. The caption, if I’m remembering correctly, said something about Millennials leaving their safe space and what if they call us names.  I’ll admit I chuckled.  What struck me as the most ironic is that Millennials often refer to themselves as the “meme generation” and here a meme was being used to ridicule them.  

You don’t have to look far to find data and studies to confirm the stereotypes about Millennials.  For the first time in 130 years, it has become more common for those aged 18-34 to live with their parents than with a spouse or romantic partner.  Lazy, shiftless, aimless, and spoiled obviously.  Except that the real truth is that they are simply waiting until later in life to get married and in fact they aren’t living with their parents in record numbers at all.  The year with the highest percentage of that age group still living with their folks was 1940. You know, the Greatest Generation.  Of course, in their defense it was still the Depression.

As a card carrying member of Generation X, I too have felt the sting as older generations looked down their noses and questioned our commitment to work, school, the American way, or whatever.  I remember quite vividly being told in high school that we would be the first generation to have a lower standard of living than our parents.  Gen Xers were born during an astronomical rise in divorce rates and a time period where, according to many researchers, less focus was placed on the child and more was put on the adult. Since the majority of our parents were Baby Boomers this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Rest assured that I’m not speaking to specific situations or people but more along the lines of generational stereotypes.(Hurts, doesn’t it?)

Kids Today…

What actually puts Millennials in the cross hairs of older generations is the natural human tendency to be disappointed with and frightened by the perceived incompetence of young people.  All the way back in Ancient Greece learned souls bemoaned the inadequacies of their younger generations and made many “hell in a hand basket” style prophecies.  One Roman suggested that even a woman would be a superior choice for leadership roles than many of their young men.  While a fondue fork to the tympanic membrane is less painful than much of their music what you mostly find is that they are just as smart(or not) and hard working(or not) as previous generations.

Of course some individuals and some policies are justifiably ridiculed but for the most part future generations are made by past generations.  Many young people today genuinely seek to be inclusive while prior generations plainly were not and of course any person that is constantly told from preschool on that they are special and can do anything will think of themselves as a unique snowflake.  But guess what Grandma; I’ve never seen a kid smelt their own participation trophy.  It’s hardly fair to lay weakness of character at the feet of an entire generation when most parenting today seeks to be more about preparing the path for the child and not the child for the path.  I think Pete was right when he said that the kids are alright.

Why Kneel?

Some time around the mid-1980s, I became aware that a normal form of protest was to burn the American flag.  People took sides, names were called, constitutional experts showed up, and of course the ACLU must have gotten involved. Also, my future self was thankful once again that social media and cell phones did not exist. Recently, the NFL has seen its share of drama as first Colin Kaepernick and then other players refused to stand for the national anthem as a form of protest against what they see as injustice and police malfeasance within our country.  

To be honest, this kerfuffle had lost its flavor and seemed to be winding down until the president spoke at an Alabama senatorial candidate’s rally this past week. In front of an audience of anywhere from 2,000 to 6 million supporters, Trump called for both a boycott of teams with protesting players and a mass firing.  Millionaire players were angered, billionaire owners more often than not took their side, reporters shoved microphones (or worse iPhones) in people’s faces, and I cared about the NFL again for approximately 15 minutes. Then I went to write a blog.

As a symbol, there is none with a more pre-attached value than the American flag. In an international survey from a few years back the flag was even more well-known than the Cross, the Islamic Crescent, and the golden arches of McDonald’s.  If you have a protest and you want the greatest bang for your buck there is no better choice than one involving the American flag. You had better be prepared for blowback though because the more dear something is the more venom is released in its supposed defense.  

So what do I think?

Several things, actually. The leftward-leaning part of me is concerned about the plight of the put upon while the proud, patriotic side is more than a little peeved that folks don’t seem to respect the flag that my grandfather risked his life to defend.  My libertarian leanings lead me to feel that business owners should be able to hire and fire as they see fit and the white part of me just might feel a little guilty.   

There have been issues involving race in our country since before it was even a country and I think that has seen little change during this presidency.  I do feel that the current White House tends to bring out the worst in people on both sides of the issue and the dignity of the office suffers as a result.  Preening in front of adoring crowds to puff up a fragile ego should be left to the professionals, you know like football players.

Instead of a knee-jerk defense of the American ideal symbolized by the flag, maybe we should consider that America isn’t the same for all of its citizens. Possibly, if we ask this blog title question to someone who supports Kaepernick and other protesters and actually listen to their response instead of telling them that they were wrong we could learn why they feel the need to choose such a precious symbol.  I would, however, issue a word of caution to those protesting.  The other night I had a player get a yellow card for dissent for pointing out to the official that he had missed a call. “People hate to be wrong,” I told him, “but they hate it even worse when you point it out.”

Tearing Down History

Given the past weekend’s events in Charlottesville, I thought now would be an appropriate time to have a discussion about the debate over removing Confederate statuary. As this is a Blog (and more specifically my blog) it won’t be much of a discussion if you don’t comment or question so please express yourself. Sorry I’ve been away so long but life has gotten busy and “blogger” is a low priority on the list of hats that I wear. So to the seven of you (Hi Mom!) who have been waiting for my return let’s go.

Backseat Memories (Not those kind)

As a child, I remember peering out of the back seat window at the striking statue. With wings that reach up over 20 ft, the angel of Fame clutches to her breast a dying confederate soldier with one arm while the other hand holds a laurel crown of Victory which she is about to place on the fallen heroes head. This emotional work signals the entrance to the downtown area of Salisbury, North Carolina, birthplace of Food Lion, Cheerwine, and yours truly.

This statue, like most Confederate honoraries, wasn’t created and dedicated until the early 1900s, meaning almost half a century had passed since the beginning of the Civil War. The Lee statue in Charlottesville was placed in 1924 putting it 60 years after the conflict and the “Confederate flag” recently removed from the South Carolina state capitol didn’t go up until 1961.

Heritage Not Hate

To many these symbols are representations of the cruel institution of slavery and painful reminders of the segregation and disfranchisement that followed. Others see them as a point of pride in their heritage and symbolic of the resiliency of the Southern spirit. Where the NAACP and many white nationalist agree is that they are symbols of a white man’s America. This unexpected convergence in beliefs is why one group wants them taken down while the other fights to keep them.

I would argue that no other region of inhabitants of the U.S. have more pride of place than Southerners. Much of this regional pride stems from the feeling that they have been viewed as second-class or have been subjugated by an outside power. (Much as the Basque in Spain or the Scottish and Irish who make up a great portion of our lineage) These feelings were in fact the true cause of the Civil War, whether it be cloaked in the hazy arguments of the states’ rights or the more honest belief that slavery was necessary to preserve the Southern economy and culture.

Open to Interpretation

While the meaning and purpose of these symbols can, has, and will continue to be argued, I would like to point out one simple fact. They are symbols. Taking them down, just like putting them up, is symbolic and doesn’t truly create or destroy history. These actions are merely expressions of society and its beliefs at a particular time and place. When you look around the world you rarely find so much stonework dedicated to those who attempted a violent overthrow of the established and ultimately victorious government and although they may stoke pride in many white Southerners they serve as painful reminders to many of our black brethren.  

So, if these and other statues are removed who will then teach us about the past?  Why history teachers, of course.  And to the young lady that writes for the Alt-right online newspaper who suggested that Lee’s statue (and others like it) help African Americans remember their own past, I’m sure the disproportionate representation in prison population, disparity in test scores, and barriers to full participation in the economy will serve as gentle reminders.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics…

Just how common is common sense? Perhaps the more important question is how much sense is there in common sense? If we were to break “common sense” down into its parts which half would be more important? The reason for these linguistic gymnastics is that the truest definition of the term is “a belief that is held by many or most.”  Pay particular notice that the word “fact” or “truth” does not appear in the definition. I’m afraid “reason” is also missing.

If I were to ask you what is happening with the crime rate would you say that it is going up or down?  What if you were asked questions about the rates of teen pregnancies, or unwed mothers, or the number of abortions.  As you begin to feel unease about the increasingly dangerous and immoral world that your children and grandchildren inhabit what does your common sense tell you?

To ease your troubled mind here are some facts.  The crime rate has been trending down since 1991 and teen pregnancies are down by ½ since the same year.  According to the CDC the number of unwed mothers has dropped over the last decade and the number of abortions are at the lowest numbers since legalization in the early 1970s and have been declining since 1981.

So why should I care, Brian?  It’s not like common sense is dangerous.  

Feelings Run Amok

My concern is that common sense is based more on feeling than on reality. American history is full of incidents of politicians, of every party, preying upon the ignorance of constituents to push legislation, so to claim that any current politician is responsible for this “misguided populism” only continues the loop.  Being stirred by emotions makes one less rational and therefore more susceptible to manipulation, so save your passions for college basketball and leave them out of politics.

Describing legislation as “common sense” is an easy way for politicians to over simplify complex situations and to convince their followers that they can claim logical and often moral authority.  It also points to singular solutions to problems which almost always require cooperation.  Whenever safety and morality are offered as end products to emotional people it may be time to stop and ask a politicians a few simple questions.  Safety from what and for whom?  And whose morality are we using as a basis for decisions?

Whether it’s a voter I.D. law or a border wall we may want to exchange common sense for common ground.  And for those of you that noticed I’m using a quote from Paine’s American Crisis as the title instead of a quote from Common Sense good for you.  I mean it’s not like we’re experiencing and American crisis after all.

Legal

President Trump has once again provided Americans with a real life scenario that normally only gets discussed in poli-sci classrooms.  Trump’s executive action to ban travel and/or refugees from 7 countries in the Middle East and Africa was met with much confusion upon implementation and then stiff resistance.  Immigration lawyers rushed to courtrooms,  judges issued late night injunctions,  and eventually the ninth circuit decided that the executive action should be put on hold until cases could be decided in court. These setbacks finally led to the president firing off some nasty tweets holding the Judiciary responsible for any potential terrorist activity.

On the surface it appears to be yet another instance of misunderstanding (or disliking)  checks and balances but to me it seems to be something that goes far deeper. It seems that many Americans and the politicians who represent them don’t grasp the difference between something being legal (or constitutional) and being good policy.

Those who follow N.C. politics know that we have had more than our share of controversial legislative actions that have led to convoluted legal proceedings.  Three in particular deal with gerrymandering, advice and consent for the governor’s cabinet, and a battle between the State School Board and the Legislature over the powers of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Right

I am legally able to take my dog’s favorite toy and put it in a tree in the front yard but that doesn’t make it right. I’m also constitutionally allowed to raise my children to hate black people, Methodists, or cats but I’m sure few people would think that that’s good parenting. Since this is my blog and freedom of speech is constitutionally-protected I will tell you exactly how I feel about each of these four issues and why.

The travel ban, as originally written, was poorly conceived and botched on implementation but I do find it ironic that all of the hyperventilating liberals hating on executive actions had no problems with Obama’s actions favoring immigrants.  The issue I have with the ban is that it solves a problem that doesn’t really exist and in fact probably makes my children less safe by alienating Muslims already here legally.

As for the N.C. laws, they are also getting bogged down by wrangling over constitutional legalities with little discussion as to their merit.  The December actions of the State Legislature would have been humorous if they were not such an obvious political hack job and an overt announcement that the level of cooperation with the incoming governor would be nil. The timing (post-election but pre-inauguration) coupled with the fact that the original convening in Raleigh was meant to deal with hurricane disaster relief threw down the party line gauntlet.  

The gerrymandering business is the most disturbing to me personally because it represents a level of legalized corruption formerly only seen in Banana Republics (not the store) and Eastern Bloc dictatorships.  Claiming any level of legitimacy because lines were drawn based on party affiliation and not race carries no water in my book.  Elected officials from a party that only claims 31% of the state’s registered voters controlling district drawing for over 9 million residents is hogwash.  Yes Obama’s Department of Justice signed off on the maps but it’s also been the GOP stance that he got nothing right.  Curious indeed.

Listening to Reason

I seriously considered naming this post “Liberals who won’t listen talking to conservatives that can’t hear.”  It seems that we are constantly talking past each other, busy making our own political points, while never listening to what anyone who disagrees with us says.  We gather our ammunition from wellsprings of our own choosing be it Fox News, CNN, Breitbart, The Drudge Report, or any of another thousand locations for “news and information” and then assault or fellow Facebookers with our own Constitutional interpretations.  As we feverishly disseminate our opinions we can’t help but constantly wonder to ourselves, “Why can’t they get it? It’s so obvious.”

The reason that “they” just can’t get it is a mental habit that psychologists refer to as confirmation bias. We all suffer from varying degrees of confirmation bias and if you don’t believe that you do just consider the curious case of Grayson Allen. If you think that Mr. Allen is the worst version of any human being, not just a basketball player, then you are probably a Carolina fan. If he is a young man who has made some mistakes and has been properly punished and is receiving undue notoriety and negative press then you are probably a Duke fan. If you wonder why the Pack can’t seem to throw it in the ocean in overtime I will come up with an example for you some other time.

When presented with any evidence, whatever the source, our brains tend to follow the same pattern.  If it agrees with an already held notion then it only serves to reinforce what we believed. If it disagrees with our previously held beliefs then we simply dismiss or ignore it as uninformed or unimportant.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, this seems to be a prevalent attitude amongst political followers of all stripes.

Fact vs. Truth

Many of the more liberal tree-hugging types who are concerned about global food supplies refuse to accept that there is no scientific evidence pointing to a lack of safety with genetically modified crops. “Frankenfoods” are dangerous and only time will tell when a study finally proves their long and firmly held beliefs.  My grandmother felt the same way about microwave ovens.

Millions of conservatives would rather point to the 5% of scientists that don’t believe in global warming or at least man’s contribution rather than the millions of scientists that do.  Satellite pictures of Greenland finally living up to it’s name are unconvincing because evidence clearly shows that over the course of thousands of years the earth’s temperature has fluctuated.  I was most impressed with the Congressman who brought the snowball into the House chambers to show the ridiculousness of global warming.  You can’t argue with that logic.

So how do we fix our own heads?  Well according to research by Charles Lord, the only solution is to systematically sort through the evidence and consider its value if it had produced results to the exact contrary.  This approach is the only way to overcome our own biases and it will require actual cognitive effort not just bumper sticker reasoning.  It also requires curiosity and a willingness to be proven wrong.  After all, those with the least imagination tend to be the most dogmatic.

Dig if you will the picture

The story sounds oddly familiar. A hard fought and even sometimes vicious campaign for president with accusations of fraud and outside influence. The sitting president’s party loses the election and originally accepts the loss only to later reverse course. In order to pry power from his hands, foreign troops invade from both the North and the South to enforce the democratic election of his opponent. The “duly elected” president is sworn in, not at the Capitol, but at an embassy in another country fearing for his safety in the country that he now heads.

This is not an alternative history of the United States but rather the true story last week of the west African country of The Gambia. This scenario, similar to one hinted at by some domestic, right wingers for how Obama would try to keep power, seems to be working itself out peacefully and most of the Senegalese troops have returned to their own country.  What happened in the U.S. would be just as strange if we tried to explain it to aliens and not living it ourselves.

It went like this.  On Friday, the guy who can’t handle a twitter account much less the nuclear codes(Obama’s words) sat down to tea with the founder of ISIS(Trump’s words).  Later, the two liars(Obama & Trump’s words) got into a car together and rode down to the Capitol for the inauguration. With his right hand raised and the other on not one but two bibles, the guy who “pumps himself up by putting other people down” was sworn in as the guy who tried to send your grandmother in front of a death panel with his healthcare law watched.  In America we call this a peaceful transfer of power and it’s something that makes our hearts swell with pride.

Cool story bro, then what happened?

Next, the President began a speech to a crowd somewhere between 250,000 and 1.5 eleventy billions in which he thanked the outgoing president for his graciousness.  Evidently forgetting that he had actually won or potentially just stuck in campaign mode, President Trump (I just typed that for the first time) then began to rip into everyone around him for enriching themselves at the expense of everyday citizens.  In what the Lefties immediately named the “Carnage Speech”, Trump painted a vision of America that was inspirational only to doomsday cultists and James Cameron.

Down the street some protesters, turned rioters, broke windows at some businesses and then washed down their Starbucks with some pepper spray delivered by the local constabulary.  They shouted things like “Dump Trump” and “we want organic pepper spray” in what passes for a modern version of civil disobedience and application of democratic ideals.  Around the nation, civics teachers wept.

Saturday brought a different group to the capital.  With numbers around ½ million and either much larger or much smaller than the inauguration crowds, women from around the country came to have their voices heard.  In a showing of sisterhood and solidarity not seen since the 1970s, women (and a few men) filled D.C. to the point that the couldn’t even march.  Most found inspiration while others back home clutched their pearls as Madonna gyrated and dropped the F-bomb.  Then Facebook broke.

This past weekend showed our best and our worst and both how strong we are and how far we have to go.  As we all pray for healing in our divided country let us also not forget the men and women of The Gambia.  In a country where just over half of the population is literate and nearly 2% are infected with HIV/AIDS, political squabbles often turn to real violence.  But for the grace of God…

Finding My Joy

When I was younger I can remember thinking to myself that if I only had three things in life I would be happy. My list was simple: a wife, a house, and a job.  I wasn’t concerned much with the order that I got those things I just knew that I needed them. Anyone that knows my wife knows that I am a proud member of the “Married Up Club”.  Anyone who has seen the house I live in now and the one I grew up in can see that they are similar in size with the only major difference being lawn maintenance (sorry Pops).  What I don’t have though is a job.  I have something much more… I have a calling.

I grew up around people with jobs. People who spent hour upon hour in dyeing & finishing or the warp room producing some of the finest denim the world has seen. Folks that would bend over miles of woven fabric under UV lights looking for slubs and other minor imperfections. Hard working, salt of the earth people who perpetually kept their noses to the grindstone so that they could support their families and provide a future for their children.  With a little embarrassment I have realized that I am the first member of my family, in a line that stretches back over 100 years, that has never drawn a paycheck from a cotton mill.  I know what a job is and thanks be to God I don’t have one.  What I do is teach.

I often joke with my students that I teach for free and I get paid to go to meetings. Honestly, in the last 12 years I haven’t worked a single day and I’m proud of it. What I have done is impart knowledge and occasionally wisdom to the most confused subset of our population. Along the way I’ve cried for their losses and victories, placed flowers on their tombstones, and occasionally kept them from killing each other. I’ve even been able to convince some of them that an education is the key to their future and alarmingly a few have decided to become educators themselves. Oh yeah, and I loved them. And I told them that I love them. They are my kids.

If it ain’t broke…

The public education system is not broken. It isn’t perfect but that certainly doesn’t mean that it isn’t working. Can it be better? Of course, but tell me what human institution couldn’t use a little tweaking.  The people that I work with are the education system and they certainly aren’t broken. They have dedicated their lives to making other people’s lives better and when politicians claim that they are failing in their calling it brings a cold fury on me that I struggle to contain.  Education has become a political football kicked around between our two major parties in an attempt to score points with voters to the detriment of teachers and the children that they love.

I have a simple litmus test that I use to gauge every action of my teaching day and every thought about education policy; does it help kids? That’s the business I’m in and if that thought doesn’t guide your decisions about education I have little time and no tolerance for your ideas.  I heard a preacher once say that sitting in a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. Sitting in a student’s desk for 12 years does not make you an education expert either.  Who are the education experts? Teachers.

Only six states spent less on education per pupil than North Carolina but our students’ scores were 23rd on national tests.  That’s one heck of a return on investment for a failing system.  When adjusted for inflation, North Carolina is spending less per pupil than before the Great Recession and I can’t overlook how our General Assembly bragged about increased spending on education.  That would be like me explaining to EJ that I have increased spending on her birthday candles over the last ten years.  Sure you are 12 now but 9 candles will have to do.

Simply put, we need to build up the people who are in the trenches everyday with our most precious resource and not belittle or politicize their impact.  We need to settle on one effective curriculum and teach it with the proper support and stop testing our kids to death.  We need to fund education as if our future truly depended upon it and on this day especially we need to remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  

Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.