Back when I was an engineer, one of the projects I worked on was a tertiary treatment facility for the city of Stockton in California. In case you don’t know, a tertiary treatment facility is an advanced sewage treatment plant. The water coming out of the plant was so clean; it was purer than the water in most city drinking water systems. Logically, it should have been piped directly into the drinking water system of the city of Stockton. It was logical and made a lot of sense to me, but the general public refused to even consider drinking the output of a sewage plant. Instead, we dumped the clean water into the dirty Stockton River, and then several yards upstream was the intake pipe for the city water treatment plant where they purified the river water to make it suitable to drink. To me, it was a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money.
Most people I have met do not like paying taxes, but almost all enjoy the benefits of our civilization and realize that we have to pay for them. Those who do not mind paying taxes acknowledge that they enjoy clean water out of the faucet, paved roads, and yes, public education.
Surveys show there is about a third of the population who will always vote against any tax, regardless how much they personally benefit from the services the tax pays for. It is the same logic that played out in Stockton. It is not logic at all, just the same strained reasoning that complains about the waste in government while continuing to reelect the same “wastrels,” and refusing to actually get involved to find out what is really happening and who, if anyone, is wasting what.
We just had a special session of the legislature, called in response to the purveyors of the delusion that we are overtaxed in Washington state. So we spent extra money to appease the fear mongers who insist we are spending too much money.
Hopefully, we will soon get to the point where we will elect reasonable people who we trust to do the best they can. Then we need to decide what kind of state we want to live in, and provide the revenue, yes, called taxes, to do a quality job.
I have been a resident of Washington for 30 years. I have also lived in two other countries and several states where the taxes were higher, the state government less responsive, and the quality of life lower. Recently, I have observed the emergence of prophets of fear, who make their living preying on peoples’ concerns about being taken advantage of and spreading misinformation and rumor to support their business of personal greed. These professional cynics don’t care if they destroy the communities’ quality of life, because they are personally getting richer. If you believe the merchants of fear, who want to destroy our state by starving our government of revenue and if you think there is a lot of waste here, I will be happy to forward you this e-mail I received about $48 million sitting in an unclaimed bank account in South Africa. All you have to do is …
Wednesday
Being thankful ...
For some strange reason, I started thinking about Thanksgiving this past weekend.
If Thanksgiving Day is really about giving thanks for our blessings and we are truly thankful, why only do it on that day?
My son will be coming home from the navy soon. It always bothered him when people would thank him for serving in the military. He didn’t do it for them, he did it for himself. And while he is serving his country, he is doing the best job he can. If others happen to benefit from his efforts, that is OK with him.
I did not get involved with the union for gratitude. I did it because I saw injustice and could not stand on the side. I am still surprised when I am thanked for my hard work on behalf of educators. I don’t do it for the thanks. I do it for me, because I must if I want to live with myself. I believe it is the right thing to do. How about you? Are you an educator to get thanks or because you believe in the greater good of public education? If there are any educators who entered the profession for riches or adulation, I have never met them. The ones I’ve met believe in the importance of educating our youth, and public education.
Still it is a moving experience to receive a thank you from a student.
It is a nice surprise to be thanked for doing what you believe in. And don’t forget to thank others for what they do. It makes every day thanksgiving day. Thank you.
If Thanksgiving Day is really about giving thanks for our blessings and we are truly thankful, why only do it on that day?
My son will be coming home from the navy soon. It always bothered him when people would thank him for serving in the military. He didn’t do it for them, he did it for himself. And while he is serving his country, he is doing the best job he can. If others happen to benefit from his efforts, that is OK with him.
I did not get involved with the union for gratitude. I did it because I saw injustice and could not stand on the side. I am still surprised when I am thanked for my hard work on behalf of educators. I don’t do it for the thanks. I do it for me, because I must if I want to live with myself. I believe it is the right thing to do. How about you? Are you an educator to get thanks or because you believe in the greater good of public education? If there are any educators who entered the profession for riches or adulation, I have never met them. The ones I’ve met believe in the importance of educating our youth, and public education.
Still it is a moving experience to receive a thank you from a student.
It is a nice surprise to be thanked for doing what you believe in. And don’t forget to thank others for what they do. It makes every day thanksgiving day. Thank you.
Monday
Fall back.
This past weekend we experienced the switch back to standard time. We became time travelers, falling back an hour and getting to use it all over again. As I was thinking about this, several things arose in my mind. When you “spring ahead” you lose an hour. When you “fall back” you gain an hour. However, moving ahead too quickly can be intemperate, and while stepping back can give you time to think, get a better handle on things, and a fresh perspective, you have lost ground. No matter what you do, it comes at a price that needs to be considered.
As I was jotting down some thoughts this past weekend, a group of people walked by, laughing and having a happy time. I chuckled at something one of the people said, and then they noticed I was writing and became concerned that I was recording them. After I explained what I was doing, they moved on, much more quietly, and it got me thinking. Why do we not want to be noticed? Why do we not think we are important enough to have our deeds recorded like the heroes of old? Why has it become something to be scared of? Has our behavior changed so that we are no longer heroic? Or is it that we only record non-heroic deeds to humiliate and embarrass? Is it our priority to knock down or is it to build up? What is our focus?
When I was still in the classroom, I noticed that when I praised good behavior, it was generally repeated. I don’t want to pretend that I never wrote referrals, but the power of the positive was astounding. It even works on yourself. Be positive. Be prepared for things to be less than perfect, but proceed and base your outlook as if things will work out for the best, and they will. You almost always find what you are looking for.
And next spring, you are not losing an hour, smile as you leap an hour closer to summer.
As I was jotting down some thoughts this past weekend, a group of people walked by, laughing and having a happy time. I chuckled at something one of the people said, and then they noticed I was writing and became concerned that I was recording them. After I explained what I was doing, they moved on, much more quietly, and it got me thinking. Why do we not want to be noticed? Why do we not think we are important enough to have our deeds recorded like the heroes of old? Why has it become something to be scared of? Has our behavior changed so that we are no longer heroic? Or is it that we only record non-heroic deeds to humiliate and embarrass? Is it our priority to knock down or is it to build up? What is our focus?
When I was still in the classroom, I noticed that when I praised good behavior, it was generally repeated. I don’t want to pretend that I never wrote referrals, but the power of the positive was astounding. It even works on yourself. Be positive. Be prepared for things to be less than perfect, but proceed and base your outlook as if things will work out for the best, and they will. You almost always find what you are looking for.
And next spring, you are not losing an hour, smile as you leap an hour closer to summer.
Tuesday
An individual struggle
I just finished reading So Sad to Fall in Battle, which was the basis for the film Letters from Iwo Jima. I recommend both book and film. They are very touching stories about individuals experiencing a horrific event told from a perspective we don't often see.
In Japan during World War II, the high command developed the grand strategic plan and general tactics to be used. The soldiers in the field had to figure out how to implement the plan which did not take into consideration the actual conditions they faced. And neither group could talk to each other because of the rigid class structure in Japan at that time. ...
Lieutenant General Kuribayashi Tadamichi, the commander of the defense of Iwo Jima was able to look beyond the way things had always been done. He analyzed how Japanese island defenses had fared and wanted to do better. Using reason and his knowledge of other cultures, he defied the norms and mounted a defense that is etched forever in American military history.
How about us? It's easy to say that the WEA should be doing such and such, just as it is easy to say that the Japanese army and the American marines did certain things. But the real story is that it is individuals who do things. If you read the book, you will see that Kuribayashi did not just do what he was supposed to do. As an individual, he did his best to do what he believed was the right thing to do. What about you? Do you blame the system and wait for "someone" to do something. The real story is about the individuals. It is about each one of us. Doing the best we can. And joining with others, each doing their best, for the power that comes from uniting.
Right now, we in public education are in a struggle for a simple majority for levy elections. There is no organized opposition, only our own inertia. All of us, as educators, need to vote. We also need to encourage other pro-education voters to vote. This is a grassroots campaign using phone banks to get out the vote. As with any struggle, even the battle of Iwo Jima, it is the story of individuals. Individuals are making the calls, and individuals are voting. I sent in my ballot and I joined a phone bank in calling. Now, I am asking you to do the same, for public education, for the students.
In Japan during World War II, the high command developed the grand strategic plan and general tactics to be used. The soldiers in the field had to figure out how to implement the plan which did not take into consideration the actual conditions they faced. And neither group could talk to each other because of the rigid class structure in Japan at that time. ...
Lieutenant General Kuribayashi Tadamichi, the commander of the defense of Iwo Jima was able to look beyond the way things had always been done. He analyzed how Japanese island defenses had fared and wanted to do better. Using reason and his knowledge of other cultures, he defied the norms and mounted a defense that is etched forever in American military history.
How about us? It's easy to say that the WEA should be doing such and such, just as it is easy to say that the Japanese army and the American marines did certain things. But the real story is that it is individuals who do things. If you read the book, you will see that Kuribayashi did not just do what he was supposed to do. As an individual, he did his best to do what he believed was the right thing to do. What about you? Do you blame the system and wait for "someone" to do something. The real story is about the individuals. It is about each one of us. Doing the best we can. And joining with others, each doing their best, for the power that comes from uniting.
Right now, we in public education are in a struggle for a simple majority for levy elections. There is no organized opposition, only our own inertia. All of us, as educators, need to vote. We also need to encourage other pro-education voters to vote. This is a grassroots campaign using phone banks to get out the vote. As with any struggle, even the battle of Iwo Jima, it is the story of individuals. Individuals are making the calls, and individuals are voting. I sent in my ballot and I joined a phone bank in calling. Now, I am asking you to do the same, for public education, for the students.
Welcome to my Blog!
I have never written for a blog so I hope you enjoy starting this adventure with me. Some of you may have read articles I wrote for newsletters or other periodicals and know that I like to tell stories.
Life is a story and I find it easier to make a point that people can relate to if I tell it as a story. However, life plays by its own rules, so while I will often tell stories, my writing will express how I feel at that moment, story or not.
A while back, I read a short essay which compared two types of people in a community: those who see themselves as taxpayers, and those who see themselves as citizens.
A taxpayer has a narrow focus on himself. "They" are stealing his money (taxes) and wasting it. "They" are always passing laws that take away his rights, and there is nothing "we" can do about it. He withdraws from any involvement in his community. Instead he joins with like-minded to share resentment, paranoia, and despair. In his world, there is no hope and the future will always be worse.
Citizens utilize a different perspective. They have a sense of ownership. This is 'our" country. A citizen works for the common good and contributes resources (taxes) to build a better community and country. She participates in government by voting and contacting elected representatives. She also joins with other community members to share and learn from their diverse ideas. For a citizen there is always hope and the future will always be better. Helping others less fortunate is the right thing to do and will result in a better life for all of us.
This comparison struck me as very similar to the contrast I see between members and dues-payers. When I became a teacher and signed my membership form, I decided to become a member. It takes more work than just paying dues, but it is also more rewarding because I am working to build a better association. Just as when I left engineering to become an educator. It takes more work, but instead of building a power plant, I am building a better world for the next generation through public education.
I hope it is clear that I feel strongly about joining together for the common good. When we work together, the result is greater than the sum of the parts.
Life is a story and I find it easier to make a point that people can relate to if I tell it as a story. However, life plays by its own rules, so while I will often tell stories, my writing will express how I feel at that moment, story or not.
A while back, I read a short essay which compared two types of people in a community: those who see themselves as taxpayers, and those who see themselves as citizens.
A taxpayer has a narrow focus on himself. "They" are stealing his money (taxes) and wasting it. "They" are always passing laws that take away his rights, and there is nothing "we" can do about it. He withdraws from any involvement in his community. Instead he joins with like-minded to share resentment, paranoia, and despair. In his world, there is no hope and the future will always be worse.
Citizens utilize a different perspective. They have a sense of ownership. This is 'our" country. A citizen works for the common good and contributes resources (taxes) to build a better community and country. She participates in government by voting and contacting elected representatives. She also joins with other community members to share and learn from their diverse ideas. For a citizen there is always hope and the future will always be better. Helping others less fortunate is the right thing to do and will result in a better life for all of us.
This comparison struck me as very similar to the contrast I see between members and dues-payers. When I became a teacher and signed my membership form, I decided to become a member. It takes more work than just paying dues, but it is also more rewarding because I am working to build a better association. Just as when I left engineering to become an educator. It takes more work, but instead of building a power plant, I am building a better world for the next generation through public education.
I hope it is clear that I feel strongly about joining together for the common good. When we work together, the result is greater than the sum of the parts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
