I haven’t posted for a while because I went abroad on a
European adventure with my wife to Denmark and Sweden. While there I was able to see lots of things
I had read about in books. I saw
castles, art that I could only see there, and viewed how the people interacted
with one another. I think the Danish
people are probably some of the friendliest people I have ever met and most had
some sort of a background in English, which made life easier for me as I
traveled because my Danish was very rudimentary. They were also quiet, but still louder than
the Germans who took offense to my loudness in the Mercedes Museum when I
visited years ago. The food was wonderful. It tasted so much purer. I think there might be something going on
with our food supply, but that is for another post. .. I took
many pictures and posted on the social media sites, where I gained likes from
former students. I think I might write a
post on social media and the potential it has for connecting with students
outside of school. All in all, it was a
great trip.
I think the thing I noticed the most is that the society in
Denmark is not tearing itself apart.
There are struggles and decisions, but when contrasted with our own
society the people were much happier. I
know that I passed homeless people who did not love life while freezing cold
outside, but in general the people as a whole were enjoying life. There was much laughter. The people were mostly fit. The question that kept coming to mind was, “Where
are we going wrong?”
In the US society is tearing itself apart in so many
ways. Everyone is demanding what they
think is their own version of justice, but no one is offering solutions. We appear to be a deeply unhappy group of
people. Everyone is angry about
something and just attempting to tear down everything around them. I know that America has always operated this
way. We are always on the brink. We are always full of passion and opinion,
but often short on solutions or the will to implement them. It is how the system was intended to work at
least for the discussion piece, but at this time nothing is being
accomplished. Our government seems inept
or unwilling to offer solutions. Groups
of people are going around hating themselves as well as others. The internet, which was supposed to
revolutionize the discourse, is full of anger, hate, sorrow, anxiety, and
confusion going in all directions. Online
lynch mobs are "swatting" people and causing people to lose their livelihood. Due process is now being scoffed at or circumvented
and freedom of speech is being shackled by political correctness. When
did this become America?
What happened to the belief that we all can succeed? Almost yearly now I get students who come to
me believing America is a giant lie.
That the things I am trying to show them is just a farce. Are things that bad? What if we all choose to stop believing that
we can get ahead or that our lives can be better if we work at it? Think about that. If everyone stopped believing that we the
masters of our lives what would the US look like? The answer is one giant riot or one docile
group of people. Those prospects make me shudder...
We still need the American dream. Everyone in the nation needs that dream. When a group of people feel like that is not
possible they riot. That is a scary
proposition. Is it that bad or as a
society are we all convinced it is really that bad, which makes it a self-fulfilling
prophecy? Personally, I still believe in
teaching my students they can succeed if they keep trying and teaching them
that the American dream is still attainable no matter where or when they were
born.
I feel like we are missing something. There has to be a better way than what we
have been doing for the last fifteen years.
We have to figure out how to heal the nation so we can all move
forward. We have so many wounds that
have been bleeding for so long. It is
time to figure out how to really apply a societal treatment... I am not sure what that treatment is, but I do know it cannot involve different groups of people projecting anger at another. We all have to work together instead of resorting to divisive measures. We have to understand we are all Americans who have a stake in the process. When Americans work together it is an impressive sight. When we fight it is truly ugly. Lets commit to working together for 2015.
The above has been rattling around in my head for the last
week and it influenced what I wanted to do for 2015 in my classroom. I am hoping that maybe I can make a
difference for the next group of people.
Maybe if I do enough in twenty years the US will have figured some of this
out.
Goals for 2015:
-Teach students
skills that will help them think more than the information that will be on county/state
tests.
This world is so confusing and people everywhere are trying
to sort it out. Just look at the
blogs/vlogs. Maybe if we give them these
skills they can figure this world out better than we can. I think this will help relieve them of some
of their stress.
-Show students that
this nation is still one of the few places on earth that if you choose to make
something of yourself you can.
I know this to be true.
I don’t care if everyone seems to think it is not. For some it will be harder than others, but
it is still possible for everyone. It is
all about mindset and how dominant you decide to be in your life. You want to complain about your lot in life
go ahead. Just remember that others are
not complaining and are climbing into the place you want to be. As a coach I have worked with once said, “You have
to choose to win.”
-Show my students
that there is a point to the history I am trying to teach them.
My class fluctuates between government and history due to
the nature of the course. My class is
not a parade of white men, like so many people like to think it is. In fact, everyone gets represented somewhere.
This is the story of the US. This is where we came from. This is why we exist in the state we do. Everything good and bad was the foundation on
which we now stand. You cannot
understand our current world and our relationships without understanding those that
came before.
-Help each student
begin to develop their own personage.
Many teachers push themselves upon their students. I had many of them. In fact, I became extremely confused about
the influence and meaning of the Jackson administration because I had two
separate teachers tell me very different narratives. I have never felt this is my business. My purpose is to help them develop their own
self. 8th grade is where it really
beings. I know that by 8th
grade my own beliefs began to take shape.
How else could I have formed an opinion about the state of American prisons
and presented a presentation and written a ten page paper? I still hold those opinions to this day. Sister Patricia helped me begin to think about
what I wanted to believe. I know that I
am only step one, but I still need to be that 1st step.
-Allow the students
to explore. They need it more than I
need peace.
The Danish were very hands off with their children. They ran around and no one seemed to care in
public. In the US everyone would be
yelling or judging or just plain old getting upset. Most people there just smiled and moved out
of the way. Parents let their kids fail
and fall over. I am going to try to be
more like this. Let them explore the
information. Help them process. If they really want to show me something they
created I need to let them. They just
want a little reassurance and guidance.
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