Media.net

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Fixing a Broken Nation

 Things are broken. They are broken everywhere and it has gotten so bad people are burning down their own cities. We know they are broken, we have known they are broken for a long time. We make jokes about them being broken. It used to be called "political satire" and now they are memes. They are both doing the same thing, pointing out where we know things are broken. We tell jokes about corruption and greed and control and abuse. We tell jokes about stuff because we know they are true, but we don't know what else to do. We don't fix it.

The first place things are broken is in the home. Our homes, our kids, our marriages, and our families are broken. We get hurt, we throw things away. We have no idea what marriage is or how it actually works. We have decided that marriage is about two people being in love. Marriage is today's society is for my benefit and I get something out of it. When I stop enjoying it, I leave. Marriage used to be the most foundational part of our society. We built a community of a husband and wife. They came together in a complementary way, had children, and established a family. Things were hard, we fixed it. Things got broken, we fixed it. Children were born into a family, homes were made. That's gone. Children have no stability, one-parent homes are harmful. We know it's true, we make jokes about it. Ever heard a joke about a girl with "daddy issues"? We know it's broken, but we don't fix it. We continue to destabilize the family, people just live together. Marriage has become a disposable relationship. It's broken.

Our schools are broken. The school has become controlled by people who aren't educators and they are making decisions that are not education decisions. I'm not a fan of the United States Department of Education, because I don't want bureaucrats in charge of education. I want the state to be in charge of education, and I want local schools and administrators making education decisions. Education has become a political tool and used for people to get elected and reelected. Until we get politics out of the school, it will be broken.

As long as we are on the topic of politics, our government is really, really broken. We have known that for years. My entire life I have known that politicians lie. Everyone knows the government is corrupt. Each side believes the other side is the corrupt group, but let's be honest. They are all corrupt. There is a reason they have made a system that only certain people can reach the top off. It's not controlled by the people, it's controlled by money. The government has become a business, and it's a dog eat dog business. The people in charge will do whatever they need to in order to remain in power. Our government is probably as corrupt as the Mafia ever was. You know it, I know it. We know the media, both broadcast, and social media have become nothing more than propaganda machines of the political parties. Journalists no longer report the truth, they report what they believe and what they want you to believe. Social Media is controlling the minds and hearts of many in this country. People believe things for no other reason than they have heard it over and over and over again. It doesn't matter if it's true, it only matters if the right people say it and say it loud enough.

Business is broken. Opening a small business today is harder than ever before. Real Estate to have a brink and mortar store is almost overwhelming on its own. If you do manage to open a store, you have to find a way to get your message out. The cost of advertising can be overwhelming. After all this, if you get your storefront and get advertised, you still have to deal with the fact the big box stores and the internet have a corner on the market. There is a reason that Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest man in the US. If you didn't know his name, he is the owner of Amazon. We talk about how CEOs of these companies make billions and the people they work for make very little. People want the government to fix this through taxation while continuing to shop Amazon. If you don't like how much Amazon or Walmart of Target CEOs make, stop shopping there. Shop local, small business. Maybe you have to pay a little more, just suck it up and do it. It's broken, but the number of people who are at Walmart every day proves it's not something we are going to fix. It will stay broken because, like marriage, business is all about what is best for me.

Finally, the church is broken. The church has become more of a business than anything else. It's not so much about making money, but it's about maintaining control.  People who are in leadership in the church love being in charge. They love calling the shots, and they won't let that change. We make jokes about the church not wanting to change anything. We make jokes that it's a fight to change the carpet color or what color the paint the walls. It's true, every bit of it. The church is no longer a community, it's a business, and that business is entertainment. The church today is focused on bigger, better, louder. Backdrops that change color, lights, and state of the art sound systems, projection systems, and professionally created websites. The church members are not just spectators, they listen to the leaders teach or preach or sing, and they just nod along and smile. They leave after they are entertained for an hour, not the least bit different than they were when they walked in. People are leaving the church, many have said we are in a Post-Christian era in our country. The church is broken, we know it, but no one will do anything to fix it.

So, what are we going to do? Realistically, nothing will change. It's too hard, it takes too much work. The only time things change is when things explode. Even then, the change is usually small and not long lasting. We have had race riots in this country, and each time they get worse. The reason is, nothing changes, and the changes don't last for long. A group in the government gets together, they make a change, and eventually, that fades away. Occasionally, a leader will inspire a few and they will get worked up for a time, but eventually, it gets hard and it fades. The reason for this, in my opinion, is we start to big. We try to fix the entire system. I am committed to fixing things first at the cornerstone. My family, my kids. I want to focus at home and fix things. Fix things locally, where you are. A firecracker can't move an entire mountain, but it can make a dent. Enough dents and the mountain will be gone. Do what you can where you live, where you work, where you learn, and where you worship. Stop supporting those who are the problem. Stop shopping big if you can shop small. Stop attending the churches that entertain and find a community of faith. Stop voting for corrupt politicians, and vote for quality people. Do the work where you live and you will begin to slowly make a change.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Want To Feel Like a Failure? Teach!

 I had a rough day. I love being a teacher, I really enjoy students, and I worked pretty hard to get here. This year more than any other, there is a lot of pressure. First, you have the pressure to teach your students all the things they are supposed to know. They have to pass this test every year. While teaching them, you need to make sure they are behaving like they are supposed to behave. They don't want to behave, they don't really want to learn, and they definitely don't want to do any work. The first layer of pressure is from students. Some of your students will not behave, will not do the work, and will not pass the test. The first feeling of failure is when you can't manage your classroom like you are told to. You can't manage it like the videos of the teacher you are measured next too. Your students argue, talk back, get out of control, don't study, don't hand in assignments and generally seem like they don't care Students tell you how they would rather sleep, party, play xbox, or do anything other than what you are asking of them. They tell you your class is stupid and boring and you suck at your job. You are informed they learn nothing and its a waste of their time

With the students informing you that you are a failure, you have parents. Don't get me wrong, most parents are great. Some are very involved and will back you up. There are some who are not involved and won't back you up. There are some that will believe whatever their child says. There are some who just aren't around. The struggle comes in when a parent is upset because you didn't teach them enough, didn't treat them right, or had to correct them when they are out of line. I have really had a great experience with parents at my school, but this is a general statement about teaching. I have been lucky, not everyone has been. Dead beat parents exist, the parents who let the kids disrespect them, cuss them out and behave however they want. If they do this at home, they want to do it at school. If as a teacher you try to stop this behavior, you are the bad guy. The second failure is the parents.

Third level is when you struggle with school leadership. Principals, coaches, directors, HR, and other people in various leadership positions. Like the parents, most administrators are great people and work very hard. To be fair, I am sure 99% of school principals can write this blog about expectations and feel like a failure because of students, parents, teachers, the community, the school board, and on and on. Since I'm not a principal, I won't write that blog. Now I have a great principal. My wife has a great principal. Not all principals are great. Some are not involved, do very little, and don't support the teachers. Some make life almost unbearable for teachers. All principals have high expectations, and they should and they have to. They have to find things for you to improve, and if you aren't perfect, you need to improve. Many of us who are teachers, try as hard as we can. I pour out everything I have during the day. I often feel sorry for my last 2 classes of the day because often I have little to nothing left. I don't feel like I can do anymore, but there are things I have to do. I have to do more, and they will point out what I need to improve and fix. I feel like I have failed when they tell me what is wrong. It comes with any profession like teaching when you must improve. It's hard, and it often leaves you feeling like you failed.

As a teacher, you often feel like you are stuck. You are stuck between students and other students, or a student and another teacher, or between two teachers. You can't solve, fix, or manage everything. Especially with Covid, we have added things we have to attend too. I have to teach, manage my class, improve in my teaching, and keep kids safe from a virus. This is rough when the rules and guidelines have changed a dozen times. My students think I make stuff up, they forget to wear a mask, they don't social distance and I have to mitigate these situations. If a student gets sick, I feel responsible. One more area that I can feel like I fail.

The sad reality is you will fail someone. You will miss someone, you will mess something up, you will fail to connect with a student. It will happen. Teachers teach because we care about students and the weight of that is crushing. Students say things that wound your soul. You aren't supposed to take any of it personally, you are supposed to just brush it off, after all, you are the adult and the professional. It sounds good in theory, but pouring your heart and soul out for a student who turns around and tells you how horrible you are, it leaves an emotional scar. Students lash out because of discipline, because of poor grades, because they are bored or frustrated or just angry. We have to carry all that, and not let it get to us. When it does, it is another failure. Teaching can be hard, teaching during a pandemic is even harder, and teaching during a pandemic during a highly polarizing election has been the thing of nightmarish. I will keep doing it, keep trying to do my best because I do have great students and great parents and great administrators at a great school. Some days are just hard, even in Australia.