Morning Bird Droppings June 3, 2010
Searching for the ends of a bell shaped curve

“Tell me what gives a man or woman their greatest pleasure and I’ll tell you their philosophy of life.” Dale Carnegie

In the aftermath of the Republican and Democratic conventions going on nearly two years ago now I realized how much I do not like politics. Each candidate throws out political promises that literally by definition are lies. They are simply words spoken to get elected and as I look at the words of Carnegie maybe we should find a simpler way to decide on a candidate. Perhaps just weight and height or average intelligence and maybe even an achievement test.

“The courage of the truth is the first condition of philosophic study.” George Hegel

“All the interests of my reason, speculative as well as practical, combine in the three following questions: 1. What can I know? 2. What ought I to do? 3. What may I hope?” Immanuel Kant

Perhaps we should make a philosopher president. As I venture forth this morning trying to not reiterate the multitude of media that has deluged us all week with political dribble. In reviewing files on students and even employees, looking at references, in the past I have found the person who is writing the reference very definitely allows their perception to drive the effort. So in effect a reference is a biased resource. How can we truly get to know and understand a candidate or prospective elected official?

“Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.” Hans Margolius

As I read this morning thinking of various reports about a student I had recently read. Often I will wait to review records forming my own opinion before digging into the actual files so I am not biased by someone else’s opinion and perception of a give student. I definitely am trying not to be prejudiced by others thoughts.

“The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of.” Charles H. Perkhurst

“Simple people… are very quick to see the live facts which are going on about them.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

I am amazed often at how our system works we design everything in generalities that are driven by what will work most of the time. Some might even say there is truth in the bell shaped curve of statistical data. But those fringes of humanity at either end of the curve, that minute quantity, end up in judgment and in reality forced to survive by the same general guidelines as the majority. We do this in schools and education on a daily basis. One test fits all sort of thing and we then do leave children behind for what ever reason. On a grander scale when we apply to national or state issues so often a small group gets pushed aside for the greater good. Or I should say the presumed greater good of the majority. How do we determine the majority is an accurate number and not one influenced daily by media muckrakers and shock jocks?

“To do exactly as your neighbors do is the only sensible rule.” Emily Post

“The idea that men are created free and equal is both true and misleading: men are created different; they lose their social freedom and their individual autonomy in seeking to become like each other.” David Riesman

I was chatting with a fellow teacher about kindergarten age children yesterday as when a teacher workday most end up in my room asking questions about snakes or spiders. Many times they come to help feed or to hold a specific animal. Always I get thinking and it is interesting how we take the little children and make them conform to totally unnatural standards for four and five year olds. You should be quiet, stand in line, color in the lines, do this, do that and then as the get older by the time they are twelve years we have continued adding to the guidelines and by the time they are in high school they have the agenda down pat imposed by some political faction.

“Agenda – 1: a list or outline of things to be considered or done, 2: an underlying often ideological plan or program” Webster’s Dictionary

It bothers me that we eliminate individuality from children we strip away the aspects that make them who they are. It starts so young when we stop children from questioning or from playing and imagining or provide technology to do all the work. I am not against technology I wish I had a calculator back in high school but I learned how to do math not simply use a calculator.

“We are citizens of an age, as well as of a State; and if it is held to be unseemly, or even inadmissible, for a man to cut himself off from the customs and manners of the circle in which he lives, why should it be less of a duty, in the choice of his activity, to submit his decision to the needs and the taste of his century?” Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

“We are discreet sheep; we wait to see how the drove is going, and then go with the drove.” Mark Twain

It is sort of sad to be compared to sheep but after watching the politics of the past week it is so easy to see a few words rumors and politics shifts one way or another. Years ago herders would have a “Judas goat” to lead the lambs to slaughter the flock simply followed never questioning just follow along. Many years ago Disney Studios had a film on border collies. Basically they of course saved the day but one particular scene was of the flock pushing and following and a great number of sheep ended up in the stream nearly drowning. A quick note border collies always have very short names, such as Dot, Jim, Bo always generally one syllable. It is easier to say quickly when working sheep. Anyhow the two dogs risk their lives to save the drowning sheep and the rest of the flock and get them safely home. Earlier when I started I did not realize the direction and I am sitting here now thinking of teachers as border collies steering guiding the herd. Occasionally we get a Judas goat as a teacher but hopefully they get weeded out as we go.

“It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed.” Albert Einstein

A bit of grounding and as I think of the bell shaped curve and sheep and how we in education strive to have standardized everything. I also see Einstein that great thinker point out that even in our world of majority rules the individual can still be found and still be, “warmly acclaimed.” Please keep all in harms way on your mind and in your hearts.
namaste
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