Reverence

“Where authority is unavoidable, what is needed is reverence. A man who is to educate really well, who is to bring out of the young all that it is possible to bring out, who is to make them grow and develop into their full stature, must be filled through and through with the spirit of reverence. It is reverence that is lacking in those who advocate ma­chine-made, cast-iron systems: militarism, capitalism, Fabian scientific organization, and all the other prisons into which reformers and reactionaries try to force the human spirit. In education, with its codes of rules emanating from a government office, with its large classes and fixed curriculum and overworked teachers, with its determination to produce a dead level of glib mediocrity, the lack of reverence for the child is all but universal. Reverence requires imagination and vital warmth; it requires most imagination in respect of those who have least actual achievement or power. The child is weak and superficially foolish; the teacher is strong, and in an everyday sense wiser than the child. The teacher without reverence, or the bureaucrat without reverence, easily despises the child for these outward inferiorities. He thinks it his duty to 'mould' the child; in imagination he is the potter with the clay. And so he gives to the child some unnatural shape which hardens with age, producing strains and spiritual dissatisfactions, out of which grow cruelty and envy and the belief that others must be compelled to undergo the same distortions.” Bertrand Russell, 1916

History

On History: History curriculum is constantly changing.  World History is especially changes and is challenging as not only is it vast, we educators can not agree on what is really important to teach. AP World History becomes a jumbled hurry of facts and high-pressured memorization but not really made for self-critical- thinking skills.  Students will write what they think will bring scores, not what they ‘think’.  

Kids tend to gravitate toward American history.  It is more familiar and can be taught as ‘flattering’ and easily absorbed as Berttrand Russell suggests. So here is a problem.  Say I get students- juniors or seniors- who had American History and English the previous year.  By the time they get to World, some are set in “American Exceptionalism” or depending on the teacher and parents “America is the worst”.  Perspectives.

I believed my job was to teach history, not influence beliefs (at least as much as possible, being human).  

Example: Every year, on November 11th, I teach “Remembrance Day”, not Veterans Day.  I teach WWI references and Flander’s Field as it relates to war.  No it was not in the curriculum. I am/was teaching war in 2001-retirement.  Mindful that this is the same time the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. I did not, and do not think it is my job to influence kids into NOT to go to war.  It is not my place to discourage any person into making a decision of that magnitude.  

Conversely, it has troubled me to see teachers; History teachers; American History teachers- promote patriotism in the classroom.  It is not my place to discourage, I also don’t think it is mine, nor anyone else’s place, to encourage enlistment.  What is absent from curriculum are reasons as to why the US invaded.  We could teach a three day unit explaining the Cold War, Russia, Bin Laden, the Mujahideen, and how these events are connected and led to US intervention. You could, and could try, knowing you would be violating direct orders.  And when I, personally, did tread on those dangerous grounds, students resisted- “no,not my country”; or worse, “yea, down with this country” (please stay off ‘my side’), and the rest just blinked. 

In history, we tend to formulate opinions and Then provide convenient facts to support our opinions.  In history class, it needs be the other way around- here are facts, Then you can begin to formulate your own thoughts.  In our “like,” “thumbs up, thumbs down” rapid and vapid social media we actually think our opinions have merit. 

The truly troubling thing for me- the thing that still keeps me up at night is- knowing that we/ I did not tech more facts during that time.  

The promoters of patriotism rally good feelings and a sense of justice, and righteousness.  Who doesn’t want that? Meanwhile, any opposition to that ‘good feeling’ is seen as treasonous- Because people don’t like to feel… bad?

The reality is- kids that I saw with the most patriotic apparel and devoted nationalist rhetoric did not go to war.  They went to college.  And the kids who did go to war did not necessarily go out of a sense of duty and patriotism.  Many went out of necessity.  The kids who went to get opportunities they could not otherwise get in the US. (Another issue).

So we have posters and banners and “mission statements” in schools advertising “critical thinkers”, “a safe environment,” “diversity”. And when questioned what was being taught- well, you will get criticism, a more hostile environment and a ‘uniformity or else’ message; quite the opposite message prominently displayed on school web pages. 

History is a touchy subject. History is a dangerous subject.  

History coupled with English- oh boy, you control those two subjects, you rule a nation. Language coupled with routine and nationalism= World History Empires. 

One last thing- I question what is taught and also what is not taught in school, it is what is NOT taught in history. 

I saw this documentary in 2007 and thought it might be important to share with students. Body of War- Just the trailer and maybe a link- I would not show it in class, because it was too sad for me to watch more that once. I was discouraged from even mentioning it in class- and overtly told- because it won’t be on any test it is pointless to pursue. Besides, it took away time from filling in ACT bubbles.  Parents might also be upset because its not your place to influence kids on war. No biases.  You must be neutral (AI). (Unless it is pro… got it). Thumbs up to high school military recruiters, anthems and pledges. Thumbs down to teaching why we have pledges, anthems and the importance of military influence over time.

In tomorrows blog- Making sense of it all. (or not)

 

“Study History or Be History”

Was a poster tacked above a door in our high school social studies office.  For 19 years my philosophical mind asked questions.  Won’t you be history whether you study history or not?  And we don’t really ‘study’ history, do we?  We get a canned curriculum of rushed, condensed, and mostly biased (on multiple fronts) information.

I think the poster was trying to copy the more famous quote of: “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”  And we already are.

Welcome to the new Middle Ages.

It’s not the Church this time, it’s big business. I’d like to expand on that later, but for now, the focus is on history.

“History, in every country, is so taught as to magnify that country: children learn to believe that their own country has been always in the right and almost always victorious, that it has produced almost all the great men, and that it is in all respects superior to all other countries. Since these beliefs are flattering, they are easily absorbed, and hardly ever dislodged from instinct by later knowledge.” Bertrand Russell

Russell’s essay on education is worth a read. Administrators I shared Russell’s article with disagreed.

Message clear- don’t talk about Education, just teach what ‘they’ tell you, be a goon for standardized tests, and collect data.

Oh, and put up threatening posters like: “study history or be history”. At least the second half is right.

Resist

I just got to thinking about how many former students have struggled with addictions. We blame and shame the individual but not the companies marketing and profiting- from what I consider criminal acts of propaganda. Companies (BM's- business model sorts) like alcohol, pharmaceutical, tobacco/ juul, technology prey on the insecurities of kids that they, the BM's, helped to create in the first place.

It breaks my fragile heart to hear about students as young as 9 withdrawing. Withdrawing from school, from life, and are getting nicotine patches, more drugs just to 'function'. Young, young teens are joining 12 step groups and if they are 'lucky' get intense psychotherapy.

On the one hand I am proud and impressed- but not surprised with the strength and resilience of students. It just simply does not have to be this hard! Life is hard enough without vultures, sinister greedy BM bastards that use data to harvest children.

There is no face for these companies for us to face. We/ I can only look at the faces of kids. Why not blame them? "If you kids only"... and sadly we do blame them. I would like to teach how massively powerful and destructive ads are- the subtle daily, hourly whiffs of disappointment for not being perfect.

Yea, may I suggest the next time you/we shame a kid for getting in trouble, doing drugs, drinking to excess- that we pause- and put the anger and fear towards the true culprit. Big BM's.

And to be fair, it is not BM's fault either. They are doing what is in their nature. To profit at all costs.

And we/ I need to do what is in my nature. RESIST.

Word!

Ever heard of Linguistic Imperialism?  Me neither. Niether? Either? Anyway, Linguists understand the power of language and its ability to dominate. Linguistic Imperialism is, was… IS a (hypothesized) tactic used by powerful nations extending political, economic, and ideological rule over “weaker” subjects.  

Because England dominated the globe during a global height of Imperialism/ Colonialism in the early 20th century, the language of English prevailed. 

Sure, most people think of military command or economic stagnation vs. superiority, but none of those could be possible without the very language shaping our minds supporting such ideology.

It is imperative for dominating countries to institutionalize subjects through words. 

India’s schools slowly became English speaking schools starting in 1848.  Native American children were tortured and killed (see Thanksgiving mass grave articles) if they were not complacent.  

This could be a long article, and like so many things about education, complicated- but I want to keep it short- it is in black and white.

Black: 

Absence of light; “eye’s pupil”; bad or evil; (n) black people; (adj) without hope; dirty, soiled; indicative of condemnation or discredit; connected with or invoking the supernatural and especially the devil (black magic); very sad, gloomy, calamitous; marked by disaster; characterized by hostility or angry discontent; sullen: ‘black resentment filled his heart;  distorted or darkened by anger- ‘his face was black with rage’; having dark skin, hair and eyes. 

White:

Having the color of new snow or milk; free from moral impurity; innocent- ‘the pure white heart of devout’; purity, not intended to cause harm- a white lie; favorable, fortunate ‘that’s mighty white of you’; the opposite of black; white-a person of European ancestry; free from spot or blemish; free from guilt or pollution; ‘white as thy fame, and thy honor clear’; white magic is with the intention of doing good; neat and clean; beholden to no one; wholesome; nonthreatening; free from sin. 

Antonyms of each: good/ evil; white/black

I picked examples from Cambridge dictionary, Online dictionary, Merriam Webster, Webster, Macmillan and Wikipedia.

Oh, and about sex- there is not a word in the English language (spell check capitalizes on the e), that describes the sex born, opposite of man without being subjugated by the masculine. 

Wo-man (old English from wyf, ‘wife’ of man); Fe-male; lad-y; madam (originally ‘my’ lady, ownership, until the word turned meaning into prostitute); Mrs. is still a title meaning property of Mr.  Mr.’s. 

Language shapes our perceptions of the world.

And that is why English must be mandatory requirements for graduation in the US. The highest prerequisite hours in every state is English. Without mastery of the ‘master’ language, there might be mistrust in the master.  

And it’s spreading.  Countries are clamoring for English to compete or decease. 

But what are we creating?  The “Right” words for a white world. 1984 kinda stuff.

“[The English language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts... if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

― George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

Chaos

​"It’s familiar, but unhelpful, to believe that chaos exists only outside of us, “out there” somewhere. And that this chaos “out there” presses in upon our internal lives in an intrusive and disruptive manner. Yet referencing chaos as solely occurring outside of ourselves positions us as passive victims. If we could only trust the grace, beauty, flow and fluidity, which can potentially arise out of chaos, we’d then touch into the boundless possibilities that exist beyond our commonly held misconceptions." Joseph Campbell

For El

In my minds eye I can see you sitting in the front desk just to my left as I looked at the classroom.  I’m not going to lie, your face had a permanent -credulous look each day in Philosophy.  You didn’t speak much but your face was telling.  One day we were talking about Truth and Authenticity, Sartre, I think.  And you raised your hand and coldly said something like this:  “Ms. Newson, you talk about authenticity, but you dye and straiten your hair.”  And I did.  I used to ‘highlight’ my hair and straighten it frequently. 

Your one sentence changed me.  I thought about what you said all the way home that day.  I came to the conclusion you were right.  I may not have liked what you said or how you said it, but you were right El.  I’m glad you and I became friendlier as the semester went on and you began to trust me.  I am also grateful for your comment.  Thanks to you, I stopped coloring my hair, and straighten it only occasionally.  But you spoke the truth, and I listened.  Thank you El. 

For C

I remember after the first two days of my class, you wanted to drop.  I happened to walk into the counselors office while you were explaining why.  I don’t remember what happened that made you come back to class, but it turned out to be a long teacher-student relationship.  A year later, you were calling me mom.  I really liked that. 

I treasure those chats with you and  I am so happy to hear about your new baby girl!  You look so happy and she is precious! My heart!  XXOO to you and she. C.

~mamaNewson

Dis-Orders

Growing up, I watched a lot of TV.  I was exposed to commercials that cleverly instilled marketing tools for kids that got them to spend, beg for toys- and to get fat.

No big mystery to solve when there was an epidemic of eating dis-order’s. Then follow that up with decades of billion dollar diet schemes.

Angry about that? Well, then you are hysterical. You have a mood dis-order.  Just stay calm and carry on.  Anger is not to be tolerated. That is, unless you have the laws on your side- then let the fury unleash! (Thanks radio).

Sad that you are a tool? You now have diagnosed depression due to your inability to adapt (to an intolerable circumstance).

Afraid you are not enough? Take an anxiety pill. It’s you, not me (says big pharm) Shame the individual for taking pain killers- not the promoters.

Drinking? Shame on you. Now enjoy 90% of media that promotes alcohol consumption- in oh so subtle ways…

Feeling ugly? Good. Buy products to perpetuate your self-loathing.  It and you will never ever be enough, without spending, always spending.

Economically sandbagged? Too bad, your fault. Although laws, socio-economic policy, and private banks promotes and obviously perpetuates a galvanizing disparaging money gap- it’s still you. Happy Holidays. Now Go spend. Charge it. 

Confused about science? Perfect.  Let “us” tell you what to do.  Don’t listen to scientists, that’s for dummy’s.  Listen to the big money makers and politicians to decipher facts.

And by “facts”, we mean our interpretation of facts.  Data used for manipulation. 

It’s imbedded:

Athletes? Take the money and run. Do not kneel, do not speak, just bow and nod to owners.

Musicians? Shut up and sing.

Educators? Do not be human, teach to the test. 

Stay Calm, Carry on… for ‘us’. 

Politicians? Say what you want, post threats, get angry, be sad and afraid- but know the laws are in your favor, you are good. 

We clearly go after the abused and not the abuser. The abuser is a vague faceless logo, and ironically we champion ceo’s behind the scene.  “They must be brilliant to make that much money, have that much power”… I hear.  They? Or, the they inherited an empire already under control with fancy lawyers who keep the money hush hush.  but your neighbor, your kids, your friends and family- are faced with the burden of proof.  Go ahead and shame your neighbor, go ahead and blame a friend. Do it unconsciously, so you can rationalize it in the end.  

Don’t fix it.  Just ‘pay’ attention to the dis- Order around.  It’s you, not me, and if it is me, I am a product of this created dis-ordered-ness. 

Fat? Confused? Addicted? “Its’ you, not us!”

Spain will ban advertising of unhealthy foods targeted at kids.  Reuters

“Our children are very vulnerable to advertising and it is our obligation to protect them,” Minister Alberto Garzon on Twitter

“Nine out of ten food advertisements targeted at children are for unhealthy products, according to consumer association OCU.”  And governments are intervening. 

Other countries are taking similar actions to protect kids:

Conversely, in the US, bm’s (business management sorts) continue to hold the kids responsible, not the militant, hyper-aggressive companies profiting off the backs of those kids. And why would the US government intervene?  Because the government is beholden to monetary incentives.  Bm’s and the government are inseparable.

Frustrated parents and teachers will get all kinds of ‘helpful’ tips like: “limit screen time”, “turn off the tv,” “create a bedtime routine to help kids sleep”.  As if!  

BM’s are masters at spinning the blame, guilt and shame at the individuals for “screen addictions”. “It’s you, not me”.  

We point fingers at each other and ourselves.  This creates more anxiety and depression- on top of the piles of negative feelings dumped on by bm’s. 

There is (intended to be) separation of Church and State dating back to the Middle Ages.  The church controlled all learning and it got too powerful. Learning ceased.  But there is no separation of corporation and state in the current era.  Yet, corporations control all learning and they are too powerful. 

Schools are ads within ads within ads surrounded by profiteers of addiction in a coerced and controlled environment. No escape.

Until we start focusing on bm’s influences, and stop blaming each other (and kids!), this will only intensify, if you can imagine that.

Propaganda

Speaking of Freedom, Time and Trust Truth…

Word o’ the week: Propaganda

Or, in America, rebranded and made into a government agency: “The Counsel of Public Relations.” You know, it sounds better.

Ads targeting kids, misleading and false or exaggerated information for the purpose of profits or political endeavors. 


It is estimated that advertisers spend more than $12 billion per year to reach the youth market and that children view more than 40,000 commercials each year. These figures represent dramatic increases over those from the 1970s.  APA.

Is there any place a kid can go and not be manipulated by ads?  

Those who can't...

“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. 

_George Bernard Shaw, 1903.

I’m afraid that is true with me.  That scandalous slur is meant to degrade teachers and mock the entire profession.  Thanks GB. Admittedly, you might be right in my case.  

I “do” nothing. But I do nothing really well.  Honestly, I have no skills. I don’t cook well, I don’t sew well, I’m a terrible house-keeper (whatever that means).  I’m not a good driver, writer, artist, or builder.  I don’t do fashion, nails or hair, well.  Oh, I can copy a style, and stick with it, but it’s not what I “do”.  I don’t speak another language. I’m not a scientist, mathematician or engineer.  This is not self-deprecation, this is a testimonial. 

I’m scattered, quirky, weird and crazy, cantankerous and argumentative- but those are not a “do-ing”, more of a be-ing.  I guess reading, researching and being curious can-be-a-do, but I don’t think that is what Shaw had in mind.  It’s also less acceptable to answer “I watched clouds,” to the question, “what did you do today?” 

But what if teaching is what I “do”? Or did? For me, it was the doing of teaching that was the discipline in and of itself.  It was my art form.  In teaching- I was a stand up comedic actor, a storyteller, a listener, a mother-figure, a historian, a disciplinarian, an advocate, a revolutionary, a student, a sage… of sorts.  

3-5 shows a day, 5 days a week.  29.4 years. 

There is no data or detailed algorithms to watching a student ‘click’. Witnessing a person have an insight, an epiphany- seeing a facial expression go from a human do-ing into a human be-ing (see what I did there?) is like describing a cloud.  You can’t define it, but you know what it is when you see it.

Those who can teach,  do wonderful things for those who can’t. 

For J

I will remember you.  You curly haired moppet. Born on this day, gone now but not forgotten.

I see you as a casualty of a sort of modern warfare on the human spirit. Squelching the wild ones!  As promised, I will keep on keepin on.  Avoiding the captain’s seat but still minding the rudder. Steady slow as she goes while others have quick ambitions. 

And now, a moment of Silence… as I miss you.