September 11th and excuse-making
Happy Friday morning – the one before September 11th – the “wake up” call day for all Americans. Life as we knew it eleven years ago is no more … and maybe that’s a good thing. We were a bit naive to think that because we are US citizens we are somehow exempt from the bad guys. Well, that’s not us anymore, at least that’s not me. I have no excuse for not paying attention to who and what’s around me. As I work to be responsible for my own self and not trust that Uncle Sam or the police or whomever is supposedly watching is going to take care of me, I take care of me (and as part of that, I take care of you!)
This time of year is a good place to stop and take stock of what’s going on and where this train is going. My work, being SO calendar-driven, forces me to do this day-in and day-out as the school year starts up. The opportunity to work with and help both new staffers and new ADVISERS gives me a vantage-point into the inner workings of the school house. Often it’s not a pretty sight these days!
From loss of planning times to crazy numbers of preps to over-crowded classrooms, it’s not a happy place. When you add yearbook to the mix, it’s a wonder this gets done at all let alone to the standards that I’m proposing! I’m not backing down though under the auspices of standing for something (rather than standing for nothing). I figure it this way: you’ve got to do the work, you might as well do it right!
And part of doing it “right” might just be as simple as not accepting “the dog at it” mentality that parents seem to live by (why, because it worked when they were in school – and they think it should work now – maybe that’s why we got here!)
Oscar Bustos, my main guy when it comes to Balfour rings, etc, suggested we read this piece :
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html
please copy and paste it into your browser and take a minute or two to read it. I am sure it concisely and wonderfully puts into words exactly your thoughts. Is there any comfort in numbers? I’m not sure but possibly “knowing” feeds action and in little itty-bitty ways you can make a difference in this world by NOT being that parent. Maybe you will follow Ron Clark’s lead in creating a classroom where excuses are not acceptable; work is!
You will hear/see me doing just that when I ask questions like “What’s your story?” Or hear me say “That’s your story – I want to see the work” when asking to see a spread or a story or a photograph. I’m busy BEING a person who not only no longer TELLS stories that are merely excuses dressed up to look pretty but who works not to accept them so easily from others. Let’s all be accountable for doing what we say we will do. What better place to practice and learn this then in yearbook and newspaper classes? What an opportunity we have been handed!
