Real conversations about education

I am finding it increasingly hard not to believe that there really is a conspiracy around public education in this country. I spend time around very wealthy people who extol the virtues of this or that charter school. They talk about standardized test scores, how quiet and cute the kids are, and how nice the halls look. It is clear that none of them would ever consider sending their child to one of these schools. I, too, as the fortunate beneficiary of an elite education have never considered the choices offered by the public system as real choices for my own children.

Tests can be used for feedback and a more reflective teaching practice but the more I do this, the more I believe these tests are used to weed out the drones from the oligarchy.

Courage

Combat sports should be a part of the school curriculum. Things like wrestling and boxing can build character and they do an even better job revealing it. There is a connection between moral and physical courage. I have been witness to an amazing inability on the part of some of the people in my professional world to make decisions. This is more a result of cowardice than a lack of information.

Living Well

Robert Heinlein was correct when he stated that "specialization is for insects." I am distilling my educational philosophy more and more. I want my students to learn how to "live well." That will mean they need to gain education that is useful. They will need to develop the "barbarian virtues" at the same time they acquire the civilized ones. They must become servant leaders who cultivate self-discipline, accountability, frugality, good manners, curiosity, a sense of the possible, and the ability to be dangerous in pursuit of the good.

Developing a school culture that teaches these things has been/will be difficult in a culture that looks to imposed discipline, nice hall displays, and standardized test scores as the measure of a good school. It's not popular to point out that academic achievement often does not correlate to happy and successful living.

Indispensable Men

I think it was Charles DeGaulle who said "the cemeteries of France are filled with indispensable men." This quote has been playing in my head recently as I ponder the lines between being an advocate, being zealous, being grandiose, and being a martyr. I am guilty of being some or all of them. I look at the deck stacked against so many of our young people and realize the promise of "equal opportunity" is really just a joke to the oligarchs in my world. An economic status quo is now being reinvented and my students are odd man out. The education we are trying to provide is dangerous because it will make them useful. I have no interest in studying the replicability of my ideas. I just need a platform and some youthful volunteers who are interested in taking control of their lives and fighting "the Long Defeat."

To Know - To Care - To Act

I am so proud of how far Anthony has come. He, like other young people who have joined our armed forces in a time of war, represents the best of what this country has to offer.

Knee surgery

I have a torn quad tendon that will require surgery. This is not what I wanted to have happen at the age of 50. I had planned to be better than ever. I will choose not to look at this as a setback to that goal. I intend to be a more regular blogger, begin "my book" in earnest, lose bodyfat, plan my future, learn more patience, work on my EFT and Reiki, and enhance my creativity by figuring out how to exercise around this roadblock.

I'm back!

It's been too long but with an exchange student, a new baby, an adopted teenager, and a new high school, there have been a bunch of things to do.

We had a wonderful trip in March to Senegal. There were 13 high school students and we worked on a micro garden for AIDS patients. I believe that teenagers really want to be challenged. It's clear that they want excitement and some danger. Programs that combine these elements are essential.

EMT training, community fitness instructors, microenterprise advisers, and English tutors are just some of the things I've got lined up for them.