A Pep Talk for Teachers Whose Summer Fades…

My 28,000 one hour shows equal 5,000 kids in the audience over a 32 year high school teaching career. The playing field—aka, my classroom from 1977 to 2010. It was a great ride! We had many winning seasons. Really. I mean it. Never a perfect, undefeated season, but always in the hunt, always finishing with a winning record.

What was the magic trick? The secret? The ace up my sleeve? We will get to that shortly but first, gather around, huddle up, it’s halftime and it’s time to have a serious gut check.

Ah, I can see the doubters out there—the teachers for whom the burdens of teaching have set you into a cynical spiral of despair. You’re down, and it’s only the half way point of the year. Your classroom seems like “Groundhog Day” (the movie) in which things that drag you down are repeated over and over.

Let’s make a list: unruly kids; way too many of them; lack of supplies; tepid admin support; parents who either don’t care, don’t want to know what’s wrong with their children—or worse, they ask you what to do!

Have I touched on some of your problems? I bet I have. But let’s not forget these mind numbing fumbles: the pay check is dismal at best; the curriculum you are told to teach is boring, not just to the kids but to you, as well. One more thing. You have no social life, no money for one, and no idea how to get out of this funk.

Is that what’s ailing you? Yes, I know. I just caused you to cry. “Are you crying? Are you crying? There’s no crying”… in teaching. (Okay, you can cry a little: but there is no crying in baseball). Now wipe away the tears, and as they say “Huddle up and listen.”

What makes a great teacher? I’ll tell you what. Endurance. Curiosity. Compassion. Selflessness. Humor. A solid work ethic. And the most important element—faith that you have something to offer those kids every single day. Ask yourself if that is what you are out there playing for? Are those qualities the ones you value, not just as a teacher, but are those the qualities you are teaching kids?

That’s right. I just identified the real ‘Lesson Plans.’ You don’t teach to a test. You are the test. You set the goal. You emulate the skills that you want them to begin to value and someday maybe master.

Let me add one important quality that I implied: patience. Malcolm Gladwell (if you don’t know who he is, then you are not paying attention to the way we learn) argues it takes 10,000  hours of productive practice to master anything; a musical instrument, a sports game, the act of public speaking, and on and on. So, for all you young guns out there teaching: patience, endurance. It’s going to take a while to learn the art that is teaching. Each year is a marathon, and summer is when you collapse at the finish line (or try to, if you’ve saved enough money…more on that later).

So what to do? Teach them to sing. To dance. To listen. To create with their hands or finger tips. Whatever you do—you do it first and preferably with them. Show them that it’s doable. Heck, you were once a student and you did it. They can, too.

I found lots of teachers who felt they hated what they were teaching. Take WWI, for example. Boring? Really? The gas used in that war is much like what Assad used on his Syrian people. It’s what Saddam Hussein used on the Kurdish citizens to keep control. It’s the weapon of choice for dictators. Ask the kids what we, as Americans, should do about it? And how different is that, really, when it comes to knowingly allowing drinking water in Flint, Michigan to be poisoned with lead? Get them pissed off. Remember, the sins of the past will repeat if you, their teacher, do not help your students to learn from the mistakes of our elders.

That’s your job. Your job is to get them to rise up. To ascend to a high level of thinking, of competence, of humanity. That is so not boring. And if you are not flying out of this huddle fired up to make a difference, then you may not belong in this arena. 50% of teachers can’t cut it and quit after less than five years. But if you have been reading this far into my pep talk, I’m betting you are not a quitter. I’m betting that you give a damn about most, if not all, of your kids.

I know the pay sucks. But stick together. Unions made the difference for me. We took pay cuts for medical coverage to kick in after we retired until 65. That was very ‘Union’ smart. We had to save for retirement, and those pensions that teachers have are golden—just ask folks in the private sector about that. You are a professional, so keep fighting for that profession. Those who can’t teach often don’t have the patience, the selflessness, the vision of a bigger picture, the persistence to get something right. 

They may have more money, but let me tell you, the Beatles got it right, “Money can’t buy you love.”

And when this season is over, when the scoreboard says you have won more than you lost, when the kids start meandering out of your classroom—that’s when you will notice that ‘Thank You’ note left on your desk that reads “You don’t know how much it meant to me  when you ran out to the parking lot to ask me if I was ‘okay’. It mattered a lot.”

So, the season really begins anew.

To quote John Keating, “What will your verse be?”*

(If you don’t know who he is…for shame. Look him up. Oh, one more thing, ask a wonderful, retired teacher to come back and share a lesson to your kids. Those folks still got it…just ask, me

www.robertpacilio.net

It’s Time for a ‘WE ARE THE WORLD’ Moment

I’ll keep this short and tart. On March 7^th in 1985, people of all ages, religions, colors, and sexes put their egos outside the door and came together to sing a song of unity. It was a fundraiser called “USA for AFRICA.” It was all everyone could talk about for over a year. 

Singers from all backgrounds: rock, Rand B, country, pop, folk and even the Big Band era joined their voices to remind the United States that we could do great things when we sang as a chorus. They had one thing in common—they were Americans and they saw something terrible happening globally. It was time to ask people to rise up to “make the world a better place for you and me.”

The people who need to be front and center today are not the singers; they are our politicians. All of them.

This time is now. I’m not talking about the Moon, Mars, or even the protection of the Earth (although that is an imminent threat to our survival). I am talking about American Intolerance. We cannot be defeated on the battlefield, but we can be defeated by division, selfishness, and persecution.

I am old enough to remember the phrase “AMERICA: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.” It was aimed at those who protested the war in Vietnam. It was really about disagreement, fear, and anger. James Michener said it best in the final line of his work about Kent State, “Tolerance. God, how we needed it then.” Four died that day in Ohio in May of 1970, and it took the lives of these college students to turn public opinion against the conflict in Vietnam. It  brutally reminded every American that the right to protest should always be part of the creed all Americans hold dearly.

Winston Groom, the author of the book Forrest Gump, was asked what the theme was.. His simple answer: “We can’t all be smart; we can’t all be rich; we can’t all be famous, but each and every one of us can treat all people with dignity.”

This is the team we play for. All of us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9BNoNFKCBI

Photos from Upspsplash
Top photo courtsey of :Natalie Rhea Riggs
Lower phote courtsey of James Lee

Lincoln’s Lament: We Must Find Our Political Center and Save the Union

Lincoln’s house is most definitely staggering in all directions.

Divide and conquer — that’s how the battle goes. The nation is tugged to the left with the progressive, magnetic pull of figures like Warren, AOC, and Sanders most of whom argue for government to take on the burdens of health care, climate crisis, and income equality (they are just some of those proponents).

Meanwhile, America is in the grips of the right with the Trump administration, the influence of McConnell on the judiciary and legislative branches, and the fear of a “Deep State.”

And if that were not enough, Americans find themselves worrying whom to trust. (Where did you go Walter Cronkite?) The “mainstream” media is labeled “fake news” by an administration, which claims that organizations like The New York Times are the “enemy of the people.” The Fox News channel is blamed for being a collaborator and mouthpiece for the interests often labeled “Far Right.”

So what do Americans trust and where is the center of political gravity? The answer: “pragmatism, compromise and limits” according to the writer Beverly Gage. (Yes, for full disclosure, she writes for The New York Times Magazine.) As a matter of fact, she explained that this moderation “…can be hard to rally people behind….” However, this essay is my singular rallying cry. Read on.

While moderation and “centering” oneself may be the mantra of personal wellness; I would argue it is the only way to heal the divide that has pitted patriotic Americans against each other. (After all, it was the key to success for the great Coach John Wooden, but let’s stick to politics for now.) Let’s take on the issues and see if there is consensus.

Can we agree that Medicare generally works? Can we agree that keeping one’s private insurance if one prefers is also beneficial? They do not have to be mutually exclusive. There are many Democratic candidates who support this position; Beto O’Rourke comes to mind. The Republican option is to kill the ACA with no plan to insure the 20–40 million people who would be removed from insurance to have any hope for coverage.

Can we agree that drug cartels in the three Central American nations are murderous, breed corruption, and have been the reason for the exodus of innocent people in harm’s way? So wouldn’t it make sense to deal with security and poverty there before many more immigrants pour into Mexico and America? Wouldn’t that be a smart investment?

Can we agree that those who do seek asylum need to be treated according to the “Golden Rule?” Haven’t we learned from the past wars that refugees are the innocent ones caught in the gunfire? Can’t we agree that these folks really are here as a last resort? Wouldn’t we do the same if we were as threatened as they?

Can we agree that human beings of all races and standing must be treated with dignity?

So can’t we agree that immigration judges, who are under the overwhelming stress of 50 cases before them a day, be bolstered with more judges? Money being allocated to deal with the problems of overcrowding and underserved (in terms of food and other necessities) should be targeted to the problem and not feeding the coffers of private security firms (which are making a killing financially on a per diem basis.)

Can we agree that the globe is heating up at unprecedented rates? That the glaciers are melting? That ubiquitous extreme weather conditions are not normal? Now the tricky part — can we agree that man made pollutants are the cause? I think we can. 121 nations agreed in Paris. (Then, America pulled out of the Paris Accord.) So do 95% of all scientists (The other 5% are working for the fossil fuel industry — the source of energy that may be replaced.) Can we also agree that our children and their children will face a crisis of unimagined horror if we don’t begin now? Perhaps a “Green Revolution” may be too extreme for some, but renewable energy is the only way out. We cannot “clean coal” our way out of this. Neither is fracking or drilling in the Arctic long term solutions.

So ignoring these issues or denying that they exist is not an option. Numerous candidates are behind varying plans to move America in the direction needed. Some say, why should we lead, or what good will it do if other nations pollute? Answer: why did we enter WWII and stop Hitler? That’s what we do. We save the world from disaster. That’s what makes us great. But we have to do it as one.

Finally, let’s talk income insecurity. Can we agree that medical insurance and prescription drugs cost too much? Well, my first point on Medicare/ private insurance would go a long way to dealing with part of that. (Of course, it means that Obamacare is a good idea that needs to be expanded.) We know the voters were up in arms when they believed they would lose it. (And only Senator John McCain saved it, along with a tepid Justice Roberts).

As for prescription drugs, can we agree that Canada and other nations have eased the burden of high cost? (If you don’t believe that one, do a little research. Diabetics know how expensive insulin is and how much cheaper it is Canada. What it means is that Big Pharma has to be reeled in. Many candidates have plans for that, too.

So why aren’t any of these ideas being debated in the halls of Congress. One reason is the filibuster. According to Senate rules: “In essence, a filibuster is any use of procedural rules to block or delay legislative action. The continual talking prevents the matter from being voted on, and the bill may simply be ‘talked to death.’” Nowadays, they just know that if either side can’t get 60 votes, why bother? However, sometimes legislation may get the votes, then the second barrier comes into play. Senate Majority Leader McConnell can refuse to bring a bill to “the floor.” That is why he calls himself “the Grim Reaper.” Remember, we reap what we sow; and if we sow division, we all lose.

That’s why nothing happens…or at least a reasonable part of why nothing is accomplished. So what can be done? Several candidates like Governor Jay Inslee (among others) advocate that the filibuster must end; 51 votes in the Senate should allow a bill to pass. And the power of the Speaker should not be absolute. If, say for example, 30 senators demand a bill be brought to the vote, so be it. It may not be Robert’s Rules of Order…but since I am Robert, I can make a new rule.

Moderation, compromise, pragmatism, limits — these are not liberal or conservative ideas. They are part of the building blocks that help build American values.

Our Civil War was the bloodiest attack this Union has ever experienced. It’s true that Lincoln made many compromises to end slavery. The economic issues on which the South relied, as well as the protection of States’ sovereignty did not outweigh the inhumane, inherent nature of slavery that America considers its Original Sin. The State of our Union is in crisis. If we don’t find our center and make a change in our discourse, we will, most surely, perish as the bastion of freedom for all.