A few years ago, while in my late 40s, I was trying to impress upon my students the importance of “living in the moment.” In the attempt to convey that nugget of wisdom I said, “It’s a little different for me, I’m on other side of the hill, and I’ve lived more life than I have life in front of me.” The kids freaked out. I hadn’t meant it to be some sort of morbid commentary on my life situation, but they immediately wanted to come to my aid in my time of need. I realized that, while I was simply pointing out that time passes quickly, my students suddenly wanted to have a discussion about the fleeting nature of mortality. Things move fast when you’re in front of a 200 piece marching band. I turn 50 this week. I wear my greying hair as a badge of honor. Among the changes that have come with age is the belief that the world is really about shades of grey. In my 20s I believed that the world was very black and white, but it turns greyer with each changing hair on my head. Yet, there are 3 things I believe at 50 years old that I thought I would share.
1. I am not always optimistic, but I am hopeful. The last year or so has made me less optimistic about the future of public schools. It isn’t that I don’t believe that our public schools are America’s most important resource, but there are forces that are actively seeking to weaken them. Betsy DeVos and Koch Brothers (among others) are using their billions of dollars and influence to chip away at the fabric of our public schools. Those of us who are advocates for the important work of our schools don’t have billions of dollars; we simply have our voices and the ability to shape our schools from the inside. It’s an uphill battle, but it’s worth fighting. I am hopeful because the young people who are entering the education profession are doing it at a time when the work is challenging and they are changing lives regardless of what outside forces are doing. I am also hopeful because there are fierce veteran teachers in every building who have generations of students in the world who can attest to the power that one great teacher can make. Ms. DeVos and the Koch brothers will ultimately lose their war to demean the work of public school teachers because it’s a losing proposition. Public schools may lose some battles against these people, but we’re going to win the war for no other reason than we are right. We know that EVERY student can learn, and we know that public schools must exist to make that happen.
2. There is a cost. My home state of Iowa just provided Apple with $208 million in tax benefits to built a data facility in our state. I love Apple. I have the computer, I have the phone, the whole nine yards. Presumably Apple took the $208 million in benefits because it costs a lot of money to open the doors to a successful enterprise. Yet, legislators in Iowa have made it quite clear that they believe schools should be more successful with fewer resources. Because Iowa continues to give away hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to businesses already making gigantic profits, the result is that there is less money for schools and other public services such as mental health and clean water. Class sizes are getting bigger, programming for students is being cut, and this is happening while those same legislators have been systematically taking away the right for teachers to bargain collectively with their school boards. I’m not opposed to creating conditions for companies to want to come to my state; I am opposed to doing it at the expense of our schools and other public services. Our communities want schools with great technology, great curricular and extra-curricular programs, and they want great teachers. Those things require resources. It’s that simple and the people in Kansas can attest to what a system of corporate giveaways leads to. I often wonder if my state and my country are dumb enough to make the same mistakes that Kansas made. The simple answer is, oh yes, we are that dumb.
3. I believe that children are our future (with apologies to Whitney Houston). My school district has recently embarked on work that established some key dispositions we want every student to demonstrate. We are doing all we can to make sure our students are creative, communicators, critical thinkers, collaborators, flexible, adaptable, productive, accountable, and globally and community minded. Who wouldn’t want their young people to have those skills? I am lucky to see great teachers giving young people the chance to demonstrate these dispositions each and every day. Don’t believe the narrative that schools aren’t changing. Schools are adapting in order to face the challenges of the 21st century. In a world where the White House is filled almost entirely with white guys over 50, I am throwing in my lot with young people. If I were a young person, I would be dubious of us old guys; we haven’t always done a very good job. The old guys in government are doing all they can to help the rich get richer and punish those who weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but I promise there are still a few of us old codgers who want to empower everyone to make a better life for the next generation. I have a son who is going into education and I am confident he is going to make a huge impact on America’s next Great Generation. I may be 50, I may feel 60, but I’m young at heart because I spend my days around smart, passionate, and compassionate young people. My son and his friends are going to get it right, you just wait.