Bird Droppings September 11, 2012

Where is your homework? I think the puppy ate it.

 

            Last evening and earlier this morning I read numerous status updates on Facebook and many news related editorials on various differing news internet sources of today’s anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers. Many started with you will always remember that day. Amazingly enough I forgot that day thinking back to eleven years ago. Of course sitting here I do know what day it is but it is also the day I started back to teaching. I came into the school a new teacher so to say even though I had taught many years before and had been in industrial training for a large portion of the between time.

It still was a bit overwhelming to be back in a classroom and then disaster hit in New York City and we were in lock down. I was in a twenty six by sixteen foot room with seven students. There were six girls and one boy who continued from the moment we came in to complain about hating girls and asking if I had heard of his name since he was supposed to be the baddest boy on the block. Interesting how such an event impacts us. As the weeks went on my baddest boy and I became friends and he graduated a year or two later, I still have a picture of him walking across the stage. However back to my original thought I was asked by my then principal several months later what day I started for some record keeping process. I honestly did not recall the date.

It was not an old man’s memory loss but I had pushed aside that day.  Sitting here as I am remembering back and pondering which is one of my favorite things to do. I am wondering why so often we push aside responsibility. It was so easy to blame some terrorists eleven years ago and yet the antecedent for the behavior went further back and was far deeper than the act itself. Our seemingly response and determined consequence superseded in many ways the initial behavior.

 

“A new position of responsibility will usually show a man to be a far stronger creature than was supposed.”William James

 

Looking at education and school work, while on one hand I am an avid fan of not having homework there may be times when it is appropriate and it is those times that so many issues of responsibility pop up and excuses arise. In twelve years back in public school teaching I have heard my favorite actually numerous times. I am a big fan of this excuse and always question deeper, the puppy ate it routine. That is since in my own life as a parent one of my sons actually had that happen and we sent the evidence shredded notes and his project in a zip lock bag as evidence. We did not follow the puppy around checking for residue in the droppings however but I have had students suggest that they could bring in the final evidence sadly they don’t know who they are messing with when I say sure just to prove you right go ahead bring it in.

 

“Mistakes fail in their mission of helping the person who blames them on the other fellow.”Henry S. Haskins

 

Puppies seem to be number one on the blame list then parents and then friends and or friend’s lockers and of course the car is on the list near the top. I have never quite figured how a car grabbed a homework sheet out of a backpack and hid it under the seat. It always seems there is someone else to blame in this world no matter what the problem. Watching politics currently be it over taxes not released or college transcripts not released (which actually were) and how no matter what way tax cuts go both sides will blame the other.

 

“Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.”Booker T. Washington

 

 I have had other teachers walk in my class room and observe students who have been trouble in their classes and in my room sitting doing their assignments often from another room. Trust is a powerful word but it is also a two way street and one must trust to be trusted and conversely it is reciprocated. I hear far too many teachers say they demand respect or trust from students and that is a sure sign that it is not happening in that room. For trust and respect is earned not demanded.

 

“We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until… we have stopped saying ‘It got lost,” and say “I lost it.’”  Sidney J. Harris

 

 It is a powerful moment when students begin to trust their teacher and in turn when a teacher begins to trust their students. Miracles begin and do occur in learning when this relationship is attained. Difficulty is when those students do not trust everybody else as trust is not always generalized. Far too many people do not provide the ground work for trust and in effect provide a negative setting which in and of itself promotes a lack of responsibility and trust.

 

“It is easy to ignore responsibility when one is only an intermediate link in a chain of action.”Stanley Milgram

 

Children learn from example and watching adults who themselves are not trusting and or responsible only promotes that same behavior in children and or students. I always come back to Dr. Laura Nolte’s poem from early 1970’s “Children Learn What they live”. Which reminds me to look across my room at my faded hippy day’s poster of same name. I should probably get a black light to bring out the colors.

 

“When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.”Louis Nizer

 

This last quote is perhaps one of the oldest illustrations yet still is so profound and so true. This is definitely one to think about as we go about our day please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts and to always give thanks namaste.

Wa de (Skee)

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