Something on my Mind: School's in Session...Right

If this is the first Tuesday after Labour Day, then school's in session...I think. See, I'm already out of touch with the school calendar. Funny how reitirement, er, reloading, does that to you.

"School's in session" means different things to different people. I alluded to this last week, but it was a great point then, too, and bears repeating: There's a sense of routine for some, panic for others; paycheques kick in for some, others get paid year round. Those lazy, crazy days of summer have been replaced by, well, those lazy, crazy das of fall, winter, and spring.

The scrambling schedule at home is now under control, as mom doesn't have to worry about kids being alone all day. Now she has to only worry about the few hours after school. Even the kids who were bored all summer—you know, nothing to do, no friends, and no real routine, have a change of pace and place: They can now have nothing to do, no friends, and no real routine..at school.

Hard to believe it, but my first year of school (as a student, of course) was 1960-1961. I even have all 14 report cards to prove it (just kidding: I didn't flunk).

As I read the cards, good things and bad things flashed back . One, I was once a really good kid; not a great athlete, not even an outstanding student, of course, but a real pleasant (and surprise, surprise, funny) kid. Two, teaching and learning (or better, teachers and learners) were very different back in those dark ages (no capitals here, Maurice, for "dark" and "ages," owing to one being a point in history, the other being a play on words).

The differences in teaching and learning, comparing then and now, are multi-fold. There are, in fact, so many that it would take a complete column dedicated to said contrasts. For example, the word "respect" comes to mind: respect for the teacher, respect for the institution, and respect for the opportunity to learn. Education just isn't valued, prized, and appreciated as it should be.

Today, there is a much more cavalier attitude towards education. The easy access to information and low expectations for good work and good grades are two obvious factors. Choose any system out there: Many students (and parents) don't appear to value a good, basic education.

Again, defining what true education is all about is fodder for yet another column. Education is more than books, Internet, group session, individualized work, and recess; it's acquiring the fundamentals and facts, and then applying them in a real world setting. Still, it's far more than that.

It includes curriculum, character, and context; it includes head knowledge, to be sure, but it must include "hand" knowledge (as in "hands-on" experience).

Believe it or not, we learned very well without smartboards, tablets, and computers. We had fewer days off, and more hard copy and hard facts. And as a sidebar, we were taught cursive writing and basic grammar, two significant missing ingredients in today's curriculum.

Speaking of handwriting, despite my teachers' best efforts, my own handwriting is now so bad, I am convinced I was destined to be a doctor. I can write indecipherable prescriptions with the best of them. And my grammar? As you know, I still love learning, teaching, and using grammar after all these years.

In fact, I spent years studying to be a grammar teacher, and now I were one.

It would be too simplistic to say that it was better then and worse now—even thought I lean that way. I knew of a lot of teachers back then who were losers, just like I know a lot teachers now (in every system) that are winners. Ditto for the students: We had some weird ones back in the '60s and '70s.

One of my greatest regrets is that I didn't thank my teachers enough—at least the ones who deserved thanking. I'm thinking of a couple of them right now.

You parents and/or former students: Take time out to thank former and current teachers.

Former ? Track them down; take them out for coffee, express appreciation (maybe even an apology). Current? Send them notes, assist them, support them in whatever way reasonable.

Teachers are humans like you, despite having four eyes (back and front of the head). Despite the detentions, homework assignments, and raised voices, they run a classroom hopefully like you would run a home—only they have more "kids."

Teachers, parents, and students: We all need that little word of thanks sometimes. It goes a long way to creating a better, lasting bond. Even if it is from 55 years ago.

 

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Something on my Mind: Re-what?

The end of August (ie., back to school) is both a glorious and frightful time for many of our readers. Those on the glorious side are as follows: stationary and clothing merchants, some moms and teachers, some students and school bus drivers; and on the other side, the list includes: some teachers, many new teachers, some students, and the rest of the school bus drivers.

So, you can see that heading back to school is a 50-50 proposition: half look forward to it, others don't; for some, it's glorious, for others, not quite. Even for those that do look forward to it, it may be no more than an opportunity to earn a paycheque once again. And we all need paycheques, don't we?

The "some moms" part is tough call, too: Many mothers enjoy having their kids around all the time, but the juggling act of having them around while holding down a fulltime job (in addition to having the fulltime job of running the household) is just too much.

That's where I have to hand it those brave souls who teach their kids at home: Not only have they chosen to not work outside home (with both its inherent benefits and stresses), but they are with their kids twenty-four hours a day, give or take a few hours of sleeping and shopping.

Then there's people like me, who have said "enough is enough," and "it's time to move on." I love teaching, but I no longer have the fire in my belly for it. And I could always do with the extra salary, even at two days a week. However, my life is too complicated and distracted to spend the better part of 26 extra hours each week (teaching, driving, prepping, and marking) in school-reated tasks.

Folks say that I am "retired." But when they see the look of horror on my face, they correct themselves by using the word "semi-retired" instead. Well, it's "no" and "no." I suppose I am retired from teaching, and I suppose people say that sincerely, but I'm not retired, per se.

From teaching, yes; from working, no.

My primary job remains the supervision of homeschoolers, which is growing, and demanding more and more of my time. I am also now starting to write legal curriculum for a pair of lawyers in Calgary, hoping to place it into Canadian high schools soon—a very ambitious, but long-overdue project.

In addition, I will up my chicken and turkey business shortly, supplying organic, government-inspected birds to those who want them. I am also planning to work with an area domestic wood retailer, supplying them with well-seasoned, well-weathered wood from barns, corrals, and granaries.

(I may give you a call soon about that pile of junk, er, wooden history, just behind those hoppers of yours.)

Even though I'm 62, as I recounted in recent columns, though I don't feel a day over 72...I mean, 52. I have too active a mind to slow down, though the body isn't quite as spry. I need to be going and doing. Though sometimes the highlight of any day is watching re-runs of Bonanza and Hogan's Heroes.

I wish I was 52, even 42. I have a lot of dreams and visions (not the same, but certainly related) that are designed more for a younger guy with unlimited years ahead of him. At this stage, I have to pick my projects, plan my weeks, pool my resources.

There are things that I am discovering about my temperament, my likes and dislikes, that set parameters for what I can or cannot do in any given day. There are retail (read: money-making) projects that are winners, in my opinion, but time, ability, and energy just aren't there.

The sobering reality is that some things no longer grab me like they once did, so I have to adjust accordingly. I am thinking primarily vocationally, but the rules apply to other segments of life.

I just need to keep active on a daily basis, doing things in manageable time chunks, and working at things that drive and push me (not vice versa). And having an opportunity to chip away at things from a desk--or ultimately perhaps, a wheelchair—brings with it a strong balanced sense of reality.

In the meantime, I am not "retired." If anything, I am simply "re-loading."

 

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Something on my Mind: The Facade of Culture

When it comes to working and playing, I wear many different hats, Let me see: writer, director, farmer, actor, and preacher. You may see "teacher" missing: Indeed it is, because after twenty-five years of being in a classroom setting in one form or the other, I have hung up the slate, so to speak.

I suppose "once a teacher, always a teacher" still holds, though. I find myself always teaching a word here, a concept there, even a little instruction on worldview here in this column.

Recently I found myself in Vancouver/Langley teaching (more like preaching, I suppose) a number of Bible messages to a large group of Chinese students. It was actually a bilingual church: While the old people had their sessions in Chinese, the young one had theirs in English—and that's where I came in. (That would make at least one of the old person with the young people, wouldn't it?)

I had to do the English-speaking part. My Chinese vernacular is limited to "chow mein," "one ton soup," and "chop suey." Uhmm, thtat would make a great meal, but a terrible sermon.

I left all my Chinese jokes at home, of course. I never told the one about keeping "Wings" and "Wongs" out of the Chinese phone book, just in case someone might wing the wong the number. Nor did I talk about those "Chin" twins. Just wondering: Would that be a double chin?

These kids, so-called (ranging in ages from fifteen to past thirty), were just as smart and polite as I expected. They were mostly students (ranging from secondary to post-secondary), or running the whole gamut of professionals. Not a tradesman among them., mind you. I have been hanging out with young Chinese students and professionals for years, and these guys were no different from any others in that culture.

Now I'm sure you probably don't give a rip about any sort of preaching gig I had, and I get it. Just like I don't get off on hearing about someone's drinking exploits, or sexual conquests. Fair enough.

So today's column isn't about faith, facts, or feelings. It's about culture.

I was reminded at how similar, not different, we (English and Chinese) were when I was there. Age notwithstanding, I was reminded at how similar we were in terms of interests, feelings, needs, inter-personal issues, careers, and life itself.

In other words, the differences in the Chinese culture and the English culture are merely skin deep and mask for what we actually have in common. And for that matter, one can change the word "Chinese" with Afghani, Irish, or Peruvian, and my argument still holds true

I posit that we (= humans) are all the same underneath this cultural variation or facade. Adopt a child from any culture other than English, and that child grows up English. It simply replaces one set of cultural norms and quirks for another set.

I was amazed (actually, simply reminded) of how girls giggle and boys tease in all cultural contexts; how the urge to be impressive and cool crosses all cultural boundaries. These kids like their sports, Pokemon, styles, and sleeping in—just like any other normal kid.

I met my share of Hungs, Laws, and Woos over those recent six days, but they could have just as easily been Epps, Loewens, or Thiessens. Or MacAdams, McKinleys, or MaChines.

Okay, okay, I jest: not Machine.

Thus, I find culture a bittersweet concept. Much damage is done in the name of culture (far more than, say, skin colour or religion). Yet the good elements of culture are something to celebrate. An abuse of the cultural angle leads to nationalism, abuse, bigotry, and death. A balanced expression of culture is like the many flowers in a flower bed: Many flowers, but only one garden. And they're on the surface, with different-sized roots.

Or another metaphor would be a carpet: It may be patterned or plain, shag or coarse, coloured or not. The key is that carpets are superficial and simply cover what is really there, namely, the floor underneath.

To further my metaphor, humanity is the floor and there's only one floor.

I was enriched by being with those young people in Vancouver/Langley, and I welcome the opportunity to return someday. In superficial matters, we were different from each other (from the skin out); in the essential matters, namely, character, personality, and temperament, we were all the same.

By the way, I even met the Lee brothers—you know, Ugg Lee and Home Lee.

 

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Something on my Mind: Change...Again (Part 3)

You would think that I could "change" my subject matter, now heading into my third installment "on change," wouldn't you?

Maybe I should launch into wordplay, one my favourite games (as you know). For example, if you"change" your clothes in private, can you "change" your mind in public? And would "ex-change" be money you once had in your pocket, but now it's missing? Or has it been switched with a purchase?

Or try this one: When a traffic light "changes," what does it change into, a banana? Strange: It's still a traffic light, isn't it?

On a slightly higher level, when is it good to change, and when is it not? Philosophers have been asking that question for millenniums. Now it looks like a county-famous columnist is doing the same thing...

Take any retailer or technocrat: If they were lost in the '40s and '50s (like me), where would we be today? While you're at it, ask any change agent in medicine, education, and banking the same question. You'd find they all strongly embrace some sort of change.

Speaking of bankers: Would they like deal with more than "spare" change?

So, yes, there is a place and time for change, but we all need to know the when, the why, and the what, don't we?

Another factor to be considered is that change simply for change sake may be an indication that there may be some scruples or principles issues lacking here. Not always, but certainly worth thinking about.

Politicians, for instance, are prone to change positions on policies because switching may get them more votes. It's a simple math equation: more votes likely means more time in power. And that would include politicians of any stripe (left, right, or on the fence). However, in my opinion, change for personal political advancement is highly questionable.

Retailers are another example of change agents: They will change inventory because they want to attract a certain type of customer (ie., one who spends more money), or one who has a lot of friends. Fair enough; that's sound business sense, but to what extent? And what ends up being compromised? In other words, to what degree will they will relax principals simply to attract more customers?

There is a place for keeping up with the times, even in other contexts: sometimes books need to be updated, procedures need to be improved, or displays need to be modified. I would add a caveat here: Just so long as the foundational information and truth is not altered only for the purpose of caving in to the latest trend.

While the approach may be tweaked, the underlying truth should not. I think that's pretty reasonable. Back to the traffic light illustration: The change is cosmetic only, while the underlying function and duty remains the same. They just "go with the flow," if you will.

But in terms of the bigger, deeper picture, we must remember that what was right back then should still be right today. What was for the good of the populace back then should still be for the good of the populace today. Truth, virtue, and ethics should never be altered for the sake of expediency.

I appreciate that my argument may sound over-simplistic, but remember what I said a couple columns ago? Re-stated: Keep your word, manage your money, monitor your choices, and enjoy your journey. And let "change" be the path, not the detour.

You need to ask yourself any number of questions, and this applies to your private world as well as your public world: Is there a right or wrong here? Will there be any unnecessary or debilitating harm done? Perchance there is a moral or ethical issue?

Pause for a moment and think how life would be different—better, of course—if our leaders in business, politics, entertainment, even sports (oh wait, I already said "entertainment")--ask themselves these questions. Let's throw in all forms of authority, even yourself, while we're at it.

You might be in for a pleasant surprise...for a change.

 

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