The Dangerous and Secret Life of Boys

I have a son and two daughters, all under the age of nine. I have very little time left before my son starts experiencing "the urges." No, not the urges of bodily stimulation, but those of the curious minds of boys. Already my son has displayed his desires to hold or even be near things with blades, things made of metal, or things designed to shoot projectiles. Flashing lights and sound effects are also high on the list of drool inducers. He likes to build as well as destroy, arguably mankind's most highly developed skills. My son will soon exercise and practice his skills with or without supervision.

How do I know? I lived it. Any man who claims he did nothing stupid, dangerous, and destructive growing up is lying, has repressed the memories, or was never beyond sight of his mother. Notice I used the conjunction "and" instead of "or." We practice all three types of acts,-- stupid, dangerous, destructive-- often together. Please understand that this propensity for risky explorations has little to do with intelligence. Smart kids have no immunity against our biological urge to endanger ourselves and others around us. You can resist, for a time, but resistance is futile (the Borg are right). Lest you think I am exaggerating, I will present a short list of truly asinine stunts, topics, and experiments I was involved in over the years. I will leave out the dates and names of others, although my older brother was usually directing the chaos.

FIRED ARROWS STRAIGHT UP, THEN STOOD VERY STILL

EXPLODED BULLETS FOUND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SHOTS FROM A BB-GUN

FIRED ARROW AT FRIEND WHO WANTED TO PRACTICE NINJA ARROW CATCHING TRICK

THREW PACKS OF FIRECRACKERS INTO LIT BARBECUE GRILL

CHINESE THROWING STARS AND THROWING SPIKES, never mind the details

JUMPING FROM VARIOUS HIGH PLACES

HOME-MADE BLOW GUNS AND DARTS

EXPLORING DARK AND HIDDEN PLACES

SWIMMING IN THE RAIN-SWOLLEN CREEK


The list really does go on and on. All I know is that I will soon have to figure out how I will react to my own child's version of the same idiocy I performed. It's true that I am here, and I "turned out OK," but surely there has to be a way to break the cycle.

I suppose that's why men invented contact sports. We need a confined arena in which to dangerously bang into each other and cheer about it. Here's to the future. There isn't much time.

Live Well.

Heroic Leader Wanted

“Individuals who are unable or unwilling to purposefully, knowledgeably, and courageously work for social justice in education should not be given the privilege of working as a school or district leader.” --Marshall and Young, 2005

My eyes have been opened through my recent course work to the higher nature of public education. Leaders in education cannot become concerned only with standardized test scores. Leaders cannot afford to mistakenly believe that their schools are islands of learning beyond other concerns. The community of school is bound to the human community that surrounds it, and, by extension, to the rest of the world. The issue of involvement and interaction with the school environment is important, but only as it is a strategy that leads toward social justice.

We have learned that schools are filled with teachers and leaders of good intent, but also lack of clarity concerning the real problems of schools. We mostly fail to confront our complicity as agents responsible for the very inequities we rail against. We are complicit and instrumental agents who usher along cycles of social reproduction, even when the model we reproduce is the essence of racial and class hegemony. Jonathan Kozol calls our education system a kind of American apartheid. I would stretch a bit further and liken it to an Indian caste system, or the Mexican encomienda. In these old-world systems of social hierarchy, the effects of which are still actively being worked out, social status is determined by the nature of your birth. In India your occupation was a copy of your parents’ social level and associated work tradition. There were strong racial and ethnic restrictions built into this system, but all was cloaked in the primacy of religious mandate. The Brahmins, the keepers of religious tradition, not surprisingly, enjoyed the most privileged status. Social mobility was not a provision of the caste system. In Spanish-controlled colonial Mexico, the encomienda system was focused on your ethnic or cultural birth rights in a more blatant manner. The Spanish born, or peninsulars, were most privileged, of course because they were the conquering culture. As time passed other social strata had to be created. The criollos, or Mexican born of Spanish parents, were less affluent. The mestizos, or those of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage, were a level further removed from power. The indigenous population, still the bulk of society in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, received the least amount of access to the cultural capital of their day. Of course the African slave population was valued the least of all.

If some educators would read this, powerful reactions may arise. I’m crazy for drawing comparisons of American education to colonial racism. But am I that far off? America’s history runs parallel with that of Mexico. We are also still reconciling ourselves with our own history of slavery followed by legalized institutional racism. Social inequities in education continue to exist. How can that be unless social reproduction is being continued and managed through our public schools? Consider the explanations in another light. If “school” is not the problem, meaning the current system of education as practiced commonly today, then gross inequities must be explained in other ways. Try out these answers. Poor kids are just too ill-equipped socially, mentally, or otherwise deficient, and cannot learn well. They will never “measure up.” Those foreign language speakers just aren’t trying hard enough; they’re faking it anyway. Those special ed kids are hopeless, or they use their disabilities as a crutch. And those African-American kids just are a mess. They act entitled to everything and argue and complain whenever they’re held accountable for something. Once you see the counter-arguments for what they are, racist and elitist twattle, then what is it that remains? The system itself perpetuates social and racial inequities. Who fares consistently well while other identified sub-groups lag behind year after year?

And so the leader of the American school first must challenge himself or herself to face this ugly reality eye to eye. Call it by name. A leader in education must think and act like a social reformer. Social justice will never become real by wishing for it. It will never come to pass by waiting for others to make it happen. The easiest path to follow is the one that already exists; this path leads to social reproduction. Those who seek social justice in schools must blaze new trails in the landscape of educational practices.

Creating a school environment in which authentic dialogue among all parties involved is practiced and expected; this should be a high priority of the leader seeking social justice. Raising the level of educational discourse is essential if justice is desired. Anything less is just complacency. Leaders who are willing to engage in the tough and uncomfortable issues that really need to be the topics of staff development meetings; they are the ones who will move us closer to social justice. Leaders who understand that parental involvement takes on hundreds of forms, not just ten or twelve; they will earn the respect of the community. Leaders who take time to understand and appreciate the diversity of their student body; they will inspire students to achieve higher levels of learning. Leaders who speak of social truths and realities instead of test scores; they will earn the respect of their teachers.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe was executed by a lethal injection of carbonic acid at Auschwitz, 14 August, 1941. During the weeks before his execution he was regularly and savagely beaten and starved, once left for dead. Guards seemed to reserve their harshest torture for this affable priest. He continued in this nightmare environment to minister to others, perform Mass, give last rites, and generally share the work of God. He would use smuggled wine and bread for his Mass services. Relevance? Those dedicated to a great and noble cause will do anything necessary to bring about the desired change. Educational leaders should, indeed, view their position as a privilege as well as a heavy responsibility. Social change will only come when leaders actively seek such change. In the last issue of his publication, The Knight, Kolbe wrote,

“No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

Those who would be real leaders in education must dedicate themselves to social justice in the same way that religious leaders dedicate themselves to divine missions. In fact isn’t the educational mission another kind of divine mission? Do we not speak of love? And what is love if not an acute and sincere concern for the well-being of others? Social justice must ultimately be based upon a deep concern for the well-being of others. This requires school leaders who recognize the humanitarian mission of education. It requires individuals who will not compromise the educational mission out of fear of retribution or fear of angering teachers and parents. It requires a bravery and dedication usually attributed to heroes and saints. Anyone who moves into a school leadership position must accept this responsibility, or hopefully recognize their own limitations and allow someone else to take up the challenge.

Coffee, regular, keep it coming

My mom started giving me coffee when I was a small child. This is not unusual in Germany, but apparently it is in the USA. The coffee kids usually get is made for kids, and is made from wheat. It really is a coffee substitute, not the true drink. Still, I only knew that coffee was usually one of the normal drink choices around the house growing up. This normally did not cause a problem, but once in a while I got funny looks and comments from kids in school when I poured coffee out of my thermos at lunch. Some teachers raised an eyebrow as well. But they were mostly distracted by the manly sized sandwiches I would normally bring. Looking back as a teacher, I can appreciate the humor of it. Other kids are eating bologna on white bread, or braving the school offerings, and I sit with the deli special and cup of coffee. I suppose they were waiting for the smoking break next. Mom sure did make great lunches. That really was a great part of the day.

Coffee shifted at some point from wheat substitute over to the real bean. Even then my parents made it with milk and sugar. I still prefer it that way. I don't know if there ever was much thought or conversation given to the coffee situation; it was just normal for me. I'm glad it was. For now, it is a pleasurable part of life's routine. It is a habit like reading the newspaper, but not like habits of addiction. I will run out of coffee and then not have any for many days until I remember to buy more. No worries. I like coffee, and I choose to have it, but life goes on without it. I'm just a bit less satisfied with the world.

On one trip I took with my mom to Germany, we took a side trip to Poland. We actually went back to her hometown which she had not seen for over forty years. The town was part of Germany-- OK, Prussia-- at the time of her early childhood, but WWII politics shifted the borders around. While we were in Poland we were staying with people in their homes. These were people who either didn't know us at all personally, or who had not seen my mother in over forty years. What great people. All they needed to know was that my mother was friends with Mrs. J---, someone everyone knew. They did not have much, but we were invited to have some of what was being offered. At one point one of the women asked me what I would like. I said a coffee would be great. They were speaking German to me, incidentally, which was fine, because I was not prepared with much knowledge of Polish. It is a very cool language, I think. I understood many things before we were done that week.

The coffee that was brought to me was an unexpected and lovely experience. They had made the coffee in a style common in the east of Europe as well as the Middle East and North Africa. With Turkish Coffee, as it is known, the fine coffee grounds are boiled with the water and poured together into the cup. The dregs settle to the bottom. It was served to me in the Russian style tall tea or coffee cup. This is a glass that is held by a metal decorative holder. In the glass I could see all of the dregs that made up about two inches of the five inch vessel. My only thought of hesitation, having never had this style of coffee before, was the question of the grounds. Do you drink it down, or leave it? I was told later that some of the old men would drink the lees, but it was normal to leave them. That was the only coffee I had while we were in Poland, but it was fantastic. I enjoyed it very much because it was a dear commodity given joyfully to me by distant kin who had never met me before. Such a flavor is rare, indeed.

I started to really ponder on that trip what coffee might taste like around the world. Since before the journey in Poland I have tried to experience whatever I can of cultural food expressions. What a beautiful introduction into someone's world.

Back on my dad's side of the family there are the culinary offerings of South Central Kentucky. I actually never recognized that kind of food as anything other than normal. My grandma was an excellent cook, and I ate anything she made happily. But since this is about coffee, I have to share the one coffee trivia fact I know that connects coffee to the town of Burkesville, Kentucky. Joel Cheek of Burkesville was a traveling dry goods salesman in the late 1800's. He started blending different coffee varieties that he sold to customers after he realized that the most expensive varitey he carried was not actually the best in taste. He experimented with the blends until he arrived at the best tasting product. His customers agreed. Mr. Cheek then struck a deal with the kitchen manager of a Nashville hotel to buy his blend and serve it in the hotel dining room. When Cheek's blend ran out, the kitchen served their old coffee, but the customers complained. When Mr. Cheek returned, the deal was given a new life. He would continue to bring the coffee to the hotel, but in order to sell it abroad, he also agreed to give it the name of the hotel, the Maxwell House. (The only other culinary claim to fame for Burkesville is a burger joint called Dovey's. That is definitely a different story.)

My parents have never developed a liking for coffee that is much stronger than the kiddie coffee they used to give me. They get very dramatic over the coffee I drink now. How can I drink that stuff, they wonder. It's about enjoying experiences in life. Coffee can have a great range of flavors in much the same way as wine, beer, or chocolate. I savor the flavors of well-brewed coffee. It brings me a sensory experience that does not come with just any beverage. Tea can provide a similar experience, but proper brewing is important. That's another blog, I think.

No one has yet convinced me that coffee is bad for you. It's been said, for sure, but always on shaky evidence, or laced with propaganda. I'll go on brewing, drinking, and thoroughly enjoying the coffee I make at home. I will aslo gladly partake in coffees made for me by generous family members, friends, or the occasional barrista. And my children, too, will enjoy coffee if that is their choice.

Live well.

No Cell Phone, Please

I have explained this particular quirk of mine to many people. It isn't because I am proud of it, or because I am some kind of neo-Luddite, but rather simply that I have not felt the need to own a cell phone.

While you're catching your breath and making your exasperated arguments in favor of this decade's favorite toy, let me explain the Luddites. In the late 1700's and well into the next century, the king of industrial labor in England was textiles, the manufacture of fabrics. This work had traditionally been done in small quantities by hand, but during the Industrial Revolution mass production became the mantra of business. Massive factories were being constructed all over Britain for the purpose of creating vast quantities of woven fabrics. These were to be made on giant looms that were automated, at least partially. Humans, especially humans with small hands, like children, were still needed to maintain the operation of the automated machines which were prone to jamming. The nature of these machines were such that they were not shut down in order to free a jam, so children repairing them often lost fingers in the process, or worse.

Ned Ludd, an Englishman working in the textile mill, saw the advent of these machines as the death of skilled laborers like himself. His solution was to destroy the automated looms. Taking his example, in the early years of the 1800's, a rebellion of textile workers arose during which many factories were destroyed. These followers of Ludd, called Luddites, were opposed to new technology which replaces skilled workers, or eliminates their own utility. In their era it simply was not possible to change careers when the apprenticeship program took an average of ten years. Losing one's job was very nearly a death sentence.

Today the term Luddite has been used to describe anyone opposed to technology for a varitey of reasons, but usually associated with folks who oppose using it at the workplace. Where do cell phones fit into this? Sorry, this is what's known as a long walk to the well.

I think cell phones are great. Really. I also think people have come to rely on them far too much, and use them for way too many purposes that are mere distractions. Put into the context of the driving issue, they have become quite dangerous. They also have taken the place of real human contact for a lot of users. Not to put too fine a point on it, but a multi-purpose convenience tool can essentially make you lazy if you let it. Dealing with middle school students has not convinced me either that the phones should be standard equipment in life.

Please don't leave comments about how your cell phone saved your life, or how your business couldn't function without it. I get it. I just ask for a little understanding when I say that I am not that important. I do not need to be that accessible. I have computers and phones in my home. I have computers and phones in my workplace. Virtually everyone I know has a cell phone, so what purpose is served by getting one of my own other than to say I have one? I have survived three pregnancies and births without a cell phone. Everyone involved is doing fine, thanks. And in a couple of decades of driving I have yet to experience the "stranded in the middle of nowhere in a panic" scenario that folks use to convince me that I need a cell phone. (When it does happen, boy, will I be sorry I didn't listen. There, I said it for you.)

Again, I am not opposed to them at all. The iPhone is actually very cool from what I have seen. But I just have yet to make that leap which will allow me to justify the considerable cost and hassle of owning one. Back in the early nineties I was the first and only person I knew who owned a Palm Pilot. I have bought several upgrades of that device over the years. Actually I got in trouble once at a meeting because the parent had accused me of ignoring her and playing on my calculator. I was taking notes on my Palm, but they were still quite unknown to the general public.

Each day when I come home there are perhaps seven or eight messages on the phone. I don't usually listen to them because mostly they are not for me. The people who really need me know how to reach me, or how to find me in person.

(In case you are curious, I also have avoided the following trends that dominate life for many others: smoking, the Adkins Diet, recreational drugs, liposuction, and tanning beds.)

You don't need to pity me, nor must you look away from my hideous condition. I'm quite alright with my Dell laptop, below-average phone bill, and computers and phones by the expanding millions all around me. Incidentally I have had the need, once or twice, to make a call while I was out. Here's the crazy part. I appealed to the spirit of civility around me; I asked someone if I could borrow her phone-- a total stranger!--and she was happy to let me do it. In a desperate and insane world, you sometimes have to resort to rebellious behavior to make a point. Thanks, Ned. You know how to reach me.

Live well.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is upon us in the greatest country in the world. We have much to be thankful for as a nation, even though we are struggling through a financial crisis. I have faith in our nation's leaders that they will guide us through the fog, and that once again we will persevere and resume our former greatness on the world stage. But I write today to explore for a moment just how fortunate we are, even during a relatively critical recession.

If you fly one and a half hours from Florida to the southeast, covering 1,975 miles, you will arrive in Haiti. This country, one of our neighbors in this hemisphere, is among the poorest in the world. More than eighty percent of the population lives below the poverty level. What does this mean? Poverty means that basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter can not regularly be acquired. Consider the per capita GDP, or gross domestic product. To get this number add the total dollar value of all goods and services produced in a year and divide that total by the population. Haiti's per capita GDP is $1,300 after converting into US dollars. Remember that figure is an average, so many will earn less than that amount in a year. The same figure for the USA is $43,444. The average American family will spend seven percent of their income on entertainment, over $3,000. The computer I am writing this blog entry with had a purchase price of $1,000.

Poverty exists in our own land as well, to be sure. The essential difference is, though, that in our country there is at least a theoretical possibility that an impoverished family might one day gain economic mobility and strength. The future for most Haitians today is bleak. With an average life expectancy that hovers around 50 years, the misery of poverty is relentless and fatal.

We will go on complaining about our economy, which is truly salient on a global scale, but as we fret and worry, remember our less fortunate neighbors for whom the essence of life is often beyond reach.

This Thanksgiving I will spend many quiet moments reflecting on my own blessings and bounty. I have a healthy and loving family. Type-1 diabetes is a daily reality for one of my children, but, because I am employed and have health insurance, the life-saving supplies we need are available to us. With my own strength of body and mind, I am able to provide many comforts for my family. My career gives me as much job security as any other could provide. Being an educator also provides the kind of job satisfaction that many others lack. I am helping young people to appreciate the power of learning. In our world knowledge is power. Everyone does the best he or she knows how to do; those who know more can do more.

Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing, not even tomorrow, is promised. The life that we are blessed to live in the moment is all we can be sure of. Be thankful for what you have, and then make time to appreciate and enjoy it.

Blessings be upon you.

James Bond

The Bond films, according to the earning power of movies, are the most successful franchise in cinema history. The newest films in the series have managed to do what none of the previous editions of the series could do. James Bond is finally being taken seriously by nearly everyone. Quite an improvement over many of the classic movies.

There is even early talk of Daniel Craig possibly making an Oscar run. I don't have much to write about this development other than I think it is about time this series has come of age. I love the movies for all of the reasons that have been parodied in the Austin Powers movies. But the Craig incarnation of the character seems to defy parody. It's as if the makers of the movie watched the Jason Bourne series and asked, "Why can't we do that with Bond?" After all, Bond films paved the way for all other spy and action films. Now the original spy thriller is taking the lead again.

The only question now is what comes next? The original Fleming stories are nearly used up. Can the character grow beyond his maker?

America, Fulfilling the Dream

What a bold and emphatic statement the American voters just made! We have elected Senator Obama as our next leader, and have done so with the sound of thunder and the power of a flood. The orators and leaders of our past-- Douglass, Lincoln, King-- each expressed a desire to see equal opportunity truly find expression in society. Their words have finally been transferred into full reality away from the realm of philosophical deferment. Our nation has conjured with our collective will more than a milestone, we have illuminated a beacon of historic light. All of our past struggles have led us here, and what follows will be filtered through this new reality. In our efforts to secure our own civil rights, we always have looked for tangible signs and evidence that progress is being made. The famous firsts have been recorded and repeated and revised again and again, but still racial inequity has been the rule of the land in nearly every arena of public life.

What greater example of social progress is there than what we now have manifested in our highest national office? How many millions of children have been told by the well-meaning adults of the world that anything, even becoming president, is within reach if you just apply yourself? Now those words have been granted a bit more credence. Many writers and commentators will try now to be dismissive of a racial issue in this election. They will claim that race did not play a significant role in the outcome. But to do this diminishes the impact that this country's decision must now manage. The time is now to push harder than ever to erase the racial inequities that plague our society. We are running out of excuses.

Our new leader may possibly face the toughest future of any previous president. Expectations have been raised like never before, and so the pressure to fulfill the promises of two years of campaigning will be immense.

Where will our new leader take us?

Kyrie eleison.