Far From the Madding Crowd and other Pithy Comments

As a Chicagoan I have the distinct displeasure of living in a state that is undergoing significant political turmoil, and yet the surreal events surrounding our governor hold a certain fascination. While his impeachment trial begins in Springfield, he appears on national talk shows telling us all that he almost appointed Oprah to the Senate. It didn't take long for various on-line polls to ask whether we think Oprah should have been appointed to the Senate. This, in addition to hourly polls of the Illinois Governor's approval rating, the President's approval rating, our opinions of the dresses chosen by the First Lady, and the type of dog the First Family should choose.

Never have so many differing opinions about so many issues had so little relevance. Our children are growing up in a society that feels a right to comment on everything instantaneously with no time for reflection nor concern for the consequences of voicing such opinions. We need to proactively teach our children that not every issue is subject to a public opinion poll or a majority vote. There are certain matters on which the correct choice is not the popular choice. There are certain matters that should be left to experts to decide. I do not want an Internet vote on whether I should have surgery and I do not want the President to take a public opinion poll on every issue before him.

As Winston Churchill so aptly stated "I hear it said that leaders should keep their ears to the ground. All I can say is that the British nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are detected in that somewhat ungainly posture." In contrast there is the story of the French revolutionary who jumped up and cried "There goes the mob. I am their leader. I must follow them."

Os Guinness, in his book "The Call," states that our decisions, opinions and actions, including our decisions on our life's work and calling, should have an Audience of One - the One being the God of the Universe. We need to teach our children what is right and true and then help them to base their decisions on those principles, rather than the fickle movement of the crowd.

Such a concept needs to be proactively taught to our children in these times because it is counter to technology and culture, which are powerful allies.

So what do you think of this concept? Please email me back with your votes and I will post the results on line .............

Grandma's Cane and Other Profundities

On the wall of my office hangs my grandmother's cane. She used to babysit me when I was a little child and she would hit a ball to me with her cane and I would hit it back. The reason a young boy was willing to quietly pursue this activity for hours on end was not due to any overdose of cold medicine, but rather because my grandmother told me stories the whole time. She told me Bible stories and Ukrainian folk stories and morality tales and anything she could think of during those wonderful afternoons.

Now what does that have to do with teaching today's kids? Everything. The purpose of "teaching" is really to pass on our accumulated wisdom and to enable our children to use that wisdom to think for themselves and make wise decisions in their lives. That requires more than passing on information or skill sets, and it is what is most lacking in the majority of educational programs today. My grandmother did not pass on to me any chemical formulas, any calculus equations, any graphs, charts or literary analysis. She passed on to me something deeper: a sense of purpose, an understanding of the integration of all knowledge and a desire to always seek context and meaning. She also taught me to ask "Why?"

There is simply too much information available for our children to possibly memorize or even review it all. What we must teach them today is to look for the context, to find the pattern, to always seek their purpose and to continually ask "Why?" And we cannot exclude a discussion of faith from the equation. It is the only area of inquiry that can truly satisfy questions of purpose, context and meaning.

That is how learning can be an exciting journey for student and teacher and it is why I switched careers to be involved with education. It is why I look at Grandma's cane every day with gratitude and awe for what she was able to pass down.

First Time Out

Hello out there. I will be posting my first blog entry tomorrow so tune back in then if you want to read any of my slightly off beat musings about education, technology, today's kids and what we need to do for them.