Education Is...

Greetings out there!  Again, I do hope that there are actual readers lurking, so don't be shy.  I would love to hear from you!

So you'll notice the topic of this post is "Education."  That is something I'm passionate about as a retired educator and daughter of an educator and a strong educational supporter.  So of course I was stunned when someone tweeted an article on how many GOP'ers now consider colleges "bad for America."  Although the author engages in some speculation about the reasoning behind this trend, I just shake my head.  How could ANYONE not support education? I know how much I value my education, how much my Mom valued hers, and how my Dad valued the education he did have and sometimes wished he'd had more.  He certainly always valued learning. He often told me: ' Once you get it in your head, they can't take it out!" We should all realize what a real treasure education is.

So time to blog about education.  But surprisingly, the bulk of this post is not taking the form I'd expected.  It turns out I will be presenting a new poem.  So I hope you enjoy and maybe even find it enlightening or stimulating.

Education Is...

Education is priceless
But yours has been paid for by early advocates of free public schools
By those who resisted norms and regulations
Restricting or outlawing the education of enslaved Americans
By those who sought to open educational pathways
Where women and girls had been excluded

Education is a gift
But yours must be unwrapped
By your study and synthesis
By your questions and analysis
By your search for contexts and meanings

Education is more than simple recall of facts
For yours should include
Learning and study skills
Inquiry and research skills
Development of the habit of thinking critically
Learning when and how your knowledge can be applied

Education is transfomative
Yours should prepare you
But also challenge and inspire you
Open worlds before you
Lift you and equip you to lift others

Education should be a right
But yours should also be a privilege
Connecting you with what has gone before
Encouraging you to explore new trends
Fostering your developing mind and self

Education should be lifelong
Yours should not stop when formal school days end
Seek to grow and refuse to stagnate
Continue reading, questioning, researching
And engaging with the world around you


And now some references you might find of interest

Public Schools Rising

American Ed. History Timeline 

Education Under Slavery

Read of Mathematician Sophie Germain's dedication to learning despite early discouragement from parents! 

Note AAUW's first study: Higher Ed. did NOT damage women's health

Remember: Comments are GOLD and sharing is caring.  Do share any thoughts in comments! 

Let's Aim For Mutually-Supportive Relationships

Greetings again, Readers!  You really never do know when something will spark a bit of inspiration.  I was watching a nature show and the host at one point spoke about predator-prey relationships in nature. Yes, in nature we expect this, but amongst us humans?

Now please don't say you have not heard of predatory loans or predatory capitalism. I've tried to find a definition of "predatory capitalism," and I think the closest I've come to finding a succinct encapulsaion of the concept is in an interview with John Perkins (some may know him as the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man). He said: " As expressed by famous economist Milton Friedman, it is based on a single premise, a single goal, and that goal is to maximize profits, without taking into account social and environmental cost."   Noam Chomsky, in the book Chomsky on Anarchism by Chomsky and Barry Patemen, said of predatory capitalism: "It is incapable of meeting human needs that can be expressed only in collective terms, and its concept of competitive man who seeks only to maximize wealth and power, who subjects himself to market relationships, to exploitation and external authority, is antihuman and intolerable in the deepest sense."

 It's not solely economics, either.  When I settled on this topic, I remembered an excellent 'views' article I had read at commondreams.org, The Predatory Presidency by Roy Eidelson.  He points out the need to reject calls of fearmongering and bigotry, then come together to strategize ways to protect ourselves against political predators.

I hope that it is becoming clear that a predator-prey relationship for humans needs to be rejected. I say we need to find a better way. We need to aim for relationships that are more mutually-supportive.

World Day of Social Justice

Greetings on this World Day of Social Justice, 2017.  The U. N. has been observing this since 2007.  The theme for 2017 is "Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work."  I finally was able to track down their page and you can read more here.

I'm not sure I have much to say about the current theme, although it makes perfect sense to me.  I would certainly believe that doing meaningful or even decent work would make it less likely folks would get into conflicts, since a priority for most people is family.  Being able to provide well for them would ease some pressure, so I can imagine work which would support  families should help lead to fewer conflicts.

 That said, I think it might make sense for me to write about:

What Social Justice Means to Me

 

One definition of social justice, from Wikipedia is:  "Social justice is the fair and just relation between the individual and society."  Nice and succinct.  Another is: "Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society."  That's from Oxford dictionaries (see: entry ).  That seems pretty close to what many folks talk of when advocating for social justice.

But what does that mean, really?  To me, first of all it means no one should be left behind. Society should be inclusive. Everyone should have access to good schools, decent jobs and a living wage (guess that does tie in with the U. N. theme somewhat), decent housing, health care, equal rights to have one's voice heard in society and fair treatment by the justice system.  In general, everyone should be treated fairly and have equal access to opportunities and justice.

These are very real concerns. One reflection of these issues is found in social mobility.  Data has shown that the U.S. has become less socially mobile.  Data analysis also shows that the U.S. is way down the list of social mobility among developed countries.  Although this article , by Lee Elliot Major and John Jerrim of IOE (UCL Institute of Education, Univ. College, London),  focuses on the UK, it's worth checking out.  Graph 1 speaks to how various countries rate in social mobility.  One implication the authors believe is that; "we are wasting talent."  So not only are these concerns real, but they have a practical consideration. With all the challenges we face today, it seems to me that wasting talent is not prudent for any country to do.  We need everyone on board to help us solve problems and enable us to rise together.

Social justice also means to me that although individual responsibility is not discounted, wider society still should be active in supporting its people.  Being a retired educator, I know this and let's think of education as an example. Educators know that we expect students to do their part: attend class, do assigned readings and homework, hand in assignments, prepare well for tests and whatever else they need to do to succeed in their studies.  BUT shouldn't WE make sure they have access to what they need to support them in this endeavor? They need such things as well-equipped and maintained schools, access to affordable texts and materials such as calculators, online research access, etc. , including not having to leave college under a ton of debt.  An example of the U. S. heading in the wrong direction in supporting social justice (that will likely impact students, for sure) is the very recent FCC decision to limit broadband Internet subsidies for low-income citizens (Lifeline program). Our thinking and policymaking needs to become more progressive.

Social justice also means to me that we should make better decisions that will positively impact our citizens - and our Planet. According to figures cited in this op-ed, military spending was the largest item in the U.S. Budget for FY 2015 - approximately 54 percent, while spending on education, by contrast, was at approximately 6 percent (and current admin. is thinking of increasing military spending).  I know I may be biased, but wouldn't investing in students and education be a better investment than more military hardware?  Instead of increasing military spending, shouldn't we spend more on things such as education, infrastructure, the environment?  We are not making good choices for our Planet either, if we continue to support projects harmful to the environment such as the DAPL, and ignore climate change. Shouldn't part of social justice be living together in health and peace on Planet Earth which we all share?

Finally, social justice means to me that all should be treated 'the same'; those who are like us and those who are different. Regardless of social class, race or ethnicity, religion, gender, gender preference or identity, disability or WHATEVER. Each person should be accorded equality (especially equality under the law), respect, and dignity.  We should heed the words of Chief Joseph from 1879:  "Treat all men alike. Give them the same laws. Give them all an even chance to live and grow."  It's as simple - and sometimes as messy - as that.


Please remember - if you find this post or any post here of value, do comment and/or share. Thanks.


Related Post:

Equality, Equality...

Touchstones of Truths, Part III

Third in a special three-part series.

Greetings once again.  If you've been reading along (and I really hope you have been!), we have looked at the idea of only apprehending glimpses of Truth. I have been proposing some touchstones of truths which I've observed. Our first touchstone was "Hey, We're All Human"; our second, "Things Are Not Always Mutually Exclusive."  So we will now consider our third touchstone and bring the series to a conclusion.

Useful Triad: Critical Thinking, Common Sense, Creativity

Isn’t it true that thinking, how we think, and indeed our thoughts, are important?  Remember that Rene Descartes said: “I think, therefore I am.”  If we follow that idea, then it seems clear that thinking is essential to our existence.  You can’t get much more important than that.

When I look at many issues today, I see the need for critical thinking.  In recent years, it has not been emphasized in educational curricula.  We need to turn this around and do all we can to encourage critical thinking in students and in the greater public.  And yes, this is related to acquiring knowledge says William Poundstone in an article supporting his recent book.  He mentions that those who are better informed with general knowledge tend to be more skeptical of “simple solutions” and better able to think for themselves.  Aren’t those the type of critical thinking skills we should be promoting?  And aren’t those the kinds of thinking skills necessary for good citizenship?  James Baldwin was a great thinker, and much of his work is so relevant to us today.  I recently ran across this quote: “Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”  I got shivers when I read that.

Searches about critical thinking in schools reveal there may be several reasons why critical thinking has not been emphasized: concentration on assessment, time factors, even lack of consensus on what critical thinking is or how it should be taught.  Still there are resources available, and communities should be aware and advocate for activities to get students to think critically.

Common sense is also something that we humans really need to exercise more often.  At Dictionary.com you can read that common sense is “sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like…”  We need to foster the awareness and reflective skills which will enable this.  After all, we don’t want Thomas Paine to be the last practitioner of this, do we?  This essay may be a bit generic, but it makes some good points about developing common sense. Please note that some of these suggestions  dovetail nicely with fostering critical thinking.

Creativity is also something we need to encourage.  Creative thinking is often a means to innovation, and even some math proofs have elements of creative leaps.  We often though think first of the arts and they are important to us as well.  I’ve always felt the arts were central to education and to humanity. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities found in looking over foundational studies that arts integration programs often provided social and academic benefits for students.  This page has links to that and other studies which show how vital and useful the arts are in education.  I also found a page which has some wonderful snippets about the value of arts education.  I especially appreciated the first two points.

Creativity and the arts can also be dangerous!  As explained in this essay, art “makes it possible to imagine that the reality it portrays or projects might be imagined otherwise.”  That could be threatening to the status quo, now couldn’t it?  So we have another reason for supporting the arts. 

Think also about what the arts mean to you personally.  Imagine a world without your favorite song, aria, or other musical work.  Imagine not seeing paintings or sculptures. Imagine not having your favorite novel, story or poem to read; no plays, musicals, ballets, or modern dances to enjoy.  Or try imagining a world where you would be prohibited from expressing yourself artistically.  I don’t care imagine such a world, do you?  I hope everyone realizes how enriching the arts are to all of our lives.

Conclusion

William Wordsworth (oh no, not another poet!) asked “Where lies the truth?”  Even today, as individuals and as a society, we still need to seek after this facet of the human endeavor, and to appreciate the purity of genuineness represented by Truth and Keats’s Beauty.

Any further thoughts or touchstones you'd propose? Please share in comments.


Remember, also, that if you find this post or any post of value, do comment and/or share.  Thanks!

The Nightmare is Continuing...

Greetings again... Hello... I notice I actually have a subscriber - well , bless you and don't be shy! Would always love to get a comment!
 
My heart and spirit have been so heavy since the election.  How can I describe the dismay over the election of this ---- yes, nutjob.  I hope I can still say that.  Some might say it's not respectful.  But here's a person who has shown he has NO respect for our Constitution and the civil liberties supposedly enshrined in it.  Here's a person who has also shown he as NO respect for many of his fellow human beings.  So my feeling is: how can I "respect" someone such as that?

If you've been paying attention, his nominees are indescribably bad. One of his latest nominees is Ms. DeVos, whose "efforts over the years have done more to undermine public education than support students," according to NEA President Lily Garcia.  Read about this travesty of a nomination and how she didn't even deny "buying influence."  in this article from commondreams.

Then there's the brutality of the tactics against protesters of the DAPL led by the Standing Rock Sioux.  These are peaceful protesters and yet, they have been met with horrible tactics of militarized policing.  The latest incident left a woman in danger of losing her arm.  Please read about this and her father's reaction.  

The nightmare part is that things are likely to get even worse with the "incoming administration."  From the article:  "While he ran a populist candidacy, Trump is building a cabinet for the 1%. If his history of dealing with protests is any indication, he’ll protect their interests – his interests – by force" 

In addition to news stories, commondreams also has op-ed or "views" articles which are often quite good.  This one, by Deborah S. Rogers is very good .  If there were ever a time for solidarity, this is it.

So, don't forget: you too, can subscribe to this blog and get posts by e-mail.  Look for that signup gadget in the navbar on right - or wherever it might be in a mobile set up.  And let me hear from you.  I really am in need of some encouragement to keep going here.  I work very hard to create good posts, and would love some interaction!

P. S.  

I seemed to have a time getting the text to flow around the graphic as I wanted.  When I checked it seemed to read ok.  Let me know if anyone has any problem with the graphic coveringn part of the text... thanks. 

Again, if you find this post - or any post here - of any value, please comment and/or share.  Thanks!

L'Affaire Tim Hunt

Whoa!!!  I don't usually blog about what everyone else is Twittering and writing about, but this one got to me.  I'd seen a headline about "distractedly sexy" on my NPR homepage, but didn't bother to check it out.  When I was perusing The Guardian today, I found out it was about Sir Tim Hunt and his inappropriate joke.  

Here's a quick recap.  This brief article lists links to three other articles which have examples of the tweets.  But the time.com one they give has my favorite; the one picturing Madame Curie.


Ok, so his "joke", remark or whatever was stupid, sexist, and inappropriate.  And pushback by tweets is ok.  But should he lose his job?  Sir Tim and his wife speak out to The Guardian.  I was particularly struck by the way the University almost heralded his departure after saying it would be "low key."

Now anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows I despise sexism, racism and all.  But I have to side with Sir Tim on this.  Haven't we all said something stupid or inappropriate at some point?  I don't think that should necessarily be cause to lose one's job.  There's also been another debate about should a person lose a job because of some social media post - done on their own time from home.  So do we also think that's ok?  Or what if Sir Tim had expressed some dissenting view critical of the UK government - or of his university?  Where does the slope end?

Universities in particular should be places of free interchange of knowledge and ideas.  Someone made the analogy of education being a messy bazaar.  We don't need to lose that.  I'm a STEM'er - a retired math professor.  I very well remember reading the research of a team of math researchers whose theme was that females were inherently not as good at math as males.  Certainly that made my blood boil, but I wouldn't call for their resignations.

I'd also like to share some of my experience.  My math professors were really quite supportive, and most of them were white males.  And the math students I had classes with generally were just fine.  I also remember being a lab partner with a fellow as a psych student (before I got into math) and we did just fine together.  And as a professor and member of a community college math department, our department was really quite diverse as far as gender and race. So I don't know if my experience was in any way typical, but I made out well.  I do remember interacting with a top-flight female scientist and businesswoman.  One thing she told me about women in science was that she'd observed that the men do tend to push the women out.  What a shame that would be.  We need all sorts of good minds in STEM, both male and female.  Of course attracting students to STEM fields is another discussion entirely - and there are of course, quite some other factors to be considered besides gender and sexism (i. e., does our society really value education the way it should and does it really value scientific careers?)

I'm sorry that Sir Tim feels that he was "finished."  I hope that he will find some way to keep contributing to the STEM community (and the larger community as well) to which he has already contributed so much.  What's that old saying about the door and the window?

Stop Educational Snobbery

An open letter to NPR Ed and Ms. Shereen Meraji:

I thought your article (I almost hate to link to it and give it any more traction) about why smart, low-income students aren't applying to elite schools would be interesting - that is until I read this line:

"These students often wind up in community college or mediocre four-year schools."

I was angered to read that, to say the least.  So I have written NPR Ed. and while the adrenaline is still pumping, am writing this blog post.

I am a proud graduate of a community college; the college at which I later proudly taught.  I am also a proud graduate of a state college now university.  I am also a proud graduate of a private Catholic liberal arts University.  Not elite schools, but I would describe my education at them all as excellent.

We need to dispel the notion that not being an Ivy Leaguer is a condemnation to educational "Siberia" and a roadblock to success.  Take Dr. Yvonne Thornton, author of The Ditchdigger's Daughters.  She attended Monmouth College (yes, here in NJ!) and became the first of their students to be accepted in to a Medical School (Columbia U., College of Physicians and Surgeons), so I think her undergrad experience at Monmouth U. ended up serving her pretty well.  She was also very talented, of course, and extremely motivated.  I've long felt that educationally, the student's motivation and efforts are what determine his or her achievement.

Of course, the article states that graduates of elite colleges turn out better financially.  But I'm not at all sure of all the reasons for that.  There may be biased perceptions that lead employers to favor graduates of elite schools, even if the two candidates are otherwise equal.  Graduates of elite schools probably also have access to more as well as higher-powered networks. There may be more at play here so just looking condescendingly at non-elite colleges isn't bringing those factors to the discussion.  And by not discussing them, we're not getting closer to actually addressing them.

This is an issue that deserves our attention, but this article doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Thinking Is Dangerous!

I'm always searching for writing exercises, writing prompts, blogging ideas and any activities to stimulate that muse.  Today, I happened across a quote from John Dewey:

"Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy.” 

This is so relevant today.  There probably isn't a day now that you don't find some report of dissent being squelched somewhere around the world.  You also can find numerous reports of people rebuffed or ridiculed for asking questions.  Isn't it usually the result of "thinking" that stirs folks to dissent or ask questions?

Unfortunately, it seems as though critical thinking is not emphasized in education as it once was.  If there's anything we need, it would be MORE critical thinking.  We need students to be able to eventually take their places in society and help solve societal, political, communication, technical, and business problems.  Critical thinking is crucial for that.  The ability to sift through and analyze information, to formulate cogent questions, and to weigh arguments can indeed have practical as well as intellectual benefits.

Which brings us back to Dewey.  If "thinking" - critical thinking - is so necessary, why is is so dangerous?  There may be many reasons.  Maybe the powers that be don't want their policies questioned.  Maybe we'd have to look at history differently if we analytically asked different questions.  Thinking might lead us to conclude we might have to examine - maybe even change - some of our own beliefs.  Now THAT can really be scary.

In any event, if we are to progress as a society, if we are to progress as humanity, we must think - and think critically.  We once thought the Sun revolves around the Earth.  Courageous thinkers were eventually proven right.  It was once thought that certain Americans should be denied the right to vote.  Courageous thinkers and activists led the way to change.  We cannot, must not do less than to continue to use our brainpower critically.

Any Hope for This Supreme Court?

Well, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on college affirmative action programs  in Michigan.

I just shake my head.  Such programs can really make a difference in the lives of students and enable them to pursue their degrees at a more varied list of institutions.  Please note the track record of what happens when such bans are created.  Justice Sotomayor in her dissent, cited the drop in the percentage of African-American and Latino-American students at UCLA and UC Berkeley after a California ban on such programs. The NY Times has stunning graphics which detail what has happened to African-American and Hispanic-American enrollment in colleges in states having bans on affirmative action. 
"Supporters" of such bans may argue they're against 'discrimination' - but the results of the bans show that the effect is certainly discriminatory - against minorities. And in today's world, where we bemoan the fact that not enough of our young people graduate from college, I feel such bans are counter-productive to the educational interests of our nation.
If you read Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he has a great section about the worth of affirmative action.  Maybe I should send a copy to the Attorney General of Michigan. Oh, and the members of the Supreme Court as well. 

Ed Report

I suppose many of you readers have seen the media reports of the lackluster performance of U. S. teens in the latest International tests of Math, Science, and Reading (PISA Test).  The Guardian has a good overview here .

As a retired college math educator, I'm not surprised, unfortunately.  The lack of motivation on the part of some of my students reflected the problems we face in educating our students.  A teacher can run the most engaging classroom in the world, but if the student is not motivated to do homework and internalize the material, will learning take place?  Have we been focusing too much on "entertaining" the students that we're not giving them a thorough dose of material? 

And that's just the start of my questions!  I read somewhere that the results of poverty were similar to those of brain damage and that intense remediation is needed for those students.  With reports that so many students do live in poverty, I have to wonder if they're truly getting the type of remediation they need.  Parental involvement has also been shown to affect achievement.  Are we doing what we can to encourage that and provide students with educational role models when necessary?

Many educational critics have said that we're no longer emphasizing critical thinking.  I would have to agree.  Certainly we need training, but wouldn't the ability to think critically give us better employees, leaders, citizens in the long run? 

America must also truly support education.  We must show that we value learning and the intellect.  Dr. Henry Giroux was recently on the Bill Moyers Journal program.  He says we need to reclaim the value of the intellect (or something like that).  This page on his site has links to his online articles which you can read. I encourage you to do so.

More good reading on the subject can be found in Malcolm Gladwell's fine book, Outliers. He makes at least two good points:  1) Persistence was often related to excelling in math (now, if we can just get THAT through to the students!) and 2) schooling does work - but those at-risk students need more of it (good luck getting that accomplished on a large scale, though).

Some discussion can be made about the diversity/ inclusiveness of some participating nations' schools.  There might be a case that the U.S. has a more diverse/democratic educational system.  That doesn't mean we should be content or satisfied with where we're testing. I think we must view this as a challenge that requires a concerted effort to answer. My overall conclusion is that the schools cannot do this job alone.  We must as a nation seek to elevate our achievement and lift each other - especially our students - up.

Billy Elliott and Escape

I recently had the occasion to view the film Billy Elliott. It was a wonderful film, very memorable and affecting.

Of course the rags-to-riches, escape from opressive circumstances, or break through to one's ultimate potential is pretty familiar territory.  I immediately thought of Flashdance (maybe not quite as deep as Billy Elliott, but the heroine does want to better herself through ballet!).  Other films in this genre would be Working Girl and Slumdog Millionaire (which I haven't seen).  Still others have been taken from real life stories: The Blind Side, The Pursuit of Happyness, October Sky. I've listed here films, but of course there are many other examples in literature and in real life.

It was suggested somewhere in my searching out some things about rags to riches stories and myths that the classic hero makes good with work and maybe some luck has gone somewhat out of favor. I still think this is a pretty persistent mythological story line.  The American Dream is of course to get ahead through education and effort.  Also, think of all the young folks who dream of making it in the NFL, NBA or as a music star (whatever genre).  I  think it's still very much around.

The trouble is: it's often more myth than reality.  Studies have found that America is not as upwardly mobile as many of us might think.  Sociologist Fabian Pfeffer found that parental wealth is an important factor in the socioeconomic mobility of children.  A study by the Pew Charitable Trust found that children whose parents were in the bottom fifth in income tended to remain below the middle income level as adults.  You can read a bit more about this here.

Does this mean the myth has no value?  Is is just something that's a social control?  I'm not so sure.  I think that these stories can be inspiring.  The real life stories do show that such successes are possible.  But we must make sure that we always put the 'myth' in context.  Students need to know that the odds are against making it big in sports or music.  Even rising to a high position in business or academics is a long shot.  That doesn't mean that students - and the rest of us - shouldn't put forth best efforts.  It means that we need to be aware of other factors (such as the social constructs of our field). try to work around those, and of course have a Plan B. It also makes sense that we should put in place things that might help youth to achieve success.  Mentoring programs, career guidance ( for example, how many would-be sports or music stars would cosider a career in say, science, or a more behind the scenes job such as athletic training or music production), and of course, educational suppport could be important building blocks for a solid future.

Another thing we must be aware of is the dynamic between making a living and doing what one truly loves.  Billy is fortunate to be able to do what he loves at the highest level. Many will not be quite so fortunate.  Each individual must find this balance for him or her self, but we must as a society and a community dialog about this dynamic and strategize ways to work through it.

And oh, yes, I love happy endings!

Petition!

I recently wrote the Sec. of  Education about getting a system of free colleges.  That was my Mother's dream for her students.  Her college (Glassboro State Normal School) was free then (1928 - 1930); otherwise her family probably couldn't have afforded tuition.

Today, I finally got to my mailbox after a few days absence and found there was a reply.  Not from the Sec. (oh, well), but from a director in their Federal Student Aid "division".  Although I will give props that this director at least had read my letter and knew the gist of it, I was still dismayed by the answer.  The director basically said this would take an act of Congress.

Well, d'oh?  Call me a bit naive, but shouldn't the Department of Ed be advocating for STUDENTS?  Has there been any thought to proposing or even advocating for such legislation?

So I thought one option for me to do would be to start a petition at change.org.

Someone started one already!  So far only two signers.  I KNOW we can get more!

For what it may be worth, please visit and sign the petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-congress-pass-a-law-requiring-all-public-colleges-to-be-tuition-free#


Of course thank you in advdance!

And This is 2005?

Sometimes I wonder if we humans really have entered the 21st Century. I saw this news report of a professor in my state who told a racist joke in class.

To me, this is totally unacceptable. As an educator myself, I feel it is my job to open the minds of my students to education and my subject matter, not to make them feel uncomfortable or turn them off. Educators must set a high standard for students in creating an atmosphere of acceptance of students regardless of ethnic or cultural background. I feel that all educators need to practice the philosophies of two of my grad school professors; Dr. Adams who always said that once she had a student, that was her student and she took full credit for that student; and another lady (whose name escapes me), who always expressed to us that she thought teachers should be the head of a classroom family. I can also proudly say that my Mother, an elementary teacher, certainly practiced those principles in her classroom. I really don't know what this fellow was thinking - or NOT thinking.

I could also go on about the state of humor here. Sometimes I think our humor gets too mean, too "in your face". I find racist jokes certainly the most objectionable. I like to see humor build bridges between people who can laugh at some common human foibles. Humor that belittles others certainly has no place in the classroom.