Where is the love?

From My Side of the Desk

Where is the love?

While growing up, when my sisters and I complained about our peers’ venomous actions and attitudes, teachers love of creating homework avalanches, and the unfairness of life in general, our mother, who was probably suffering from a negativity migraine provoked by our whining, used to remind us that, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.” We’d roll our eyes as we stomped away from her while muttering various versions of, “You just don’t understand.” With the genius that only hindsight can reveal, I can most assuredly say, “Oh yes, she did.” The truth is, Negativity +Negativity=Negativity. Always. This is one fact-probably the only one-that I remember from my math classes.

If the headlines and teasers that yell at us from any periodical, online or in print, from newscasters, reality shows, infomercials, political and religious programing and talk show hosts prove anything, it is that the Pessimism Plague is flourishing. SoundBits, Tweets and Status reports overflow with vitriolic diatribes condemning others for expressing their political, religious and societal convictions. Oppositional hyperbole overwhelms facts and dishing dirt about anyone and anything prevails. Even the gloriously uplifting Olympics weren’t immune. Why, in all that is good and wondrous in this world, did the sniping about Gabby Douglas’s hair, LoLo Jones’ tears and Oscar Pistorious’s blades take center stage over their amazing athletic feats even for a nanosecond?

Where is the love? In this 2012 world where the realities of our lives can truly bite, we need to quit allowing triviality to trump what is really important, such as issues that affect our economic, physical, mental, and environmental health. And, of course, education should top that list, because we need to be able to comprehend, analyze and synthesize all of the information that bombards us every day. We need to be able to separate fact from fiction, to determine what is important and what is trivial, and to decide what choices to make to better our lives and to create a stable world for our children.

We need to read and hear uplifting articles that say something positive about learning, about teaching about school. Pieces with huge black headlines shouting about this school cheating on standardized exams and that school with an overabundance of one ethnicity and too few students of another only exacerbate the Pessimism Plague concerning American education. They do nothing but add to the cloud of negativity that hovers over our schools.

If I were an extra-terrestrial teen who had hopped in my UFO for a visit to Anytown School District, but read these headlines before I landed, I’d probably shoulder an apathetic attitude in my solar pack, too, just like my earthling peers do in their mental backpacks. I mean, seriously, did the majority of adults, those people who fuel our thoughts as we travel the information highways, suffer such heinous academic experiences in grades K-12 that all they can do is pass on this “School is something to be endured not enjoyed” mindset to their children?

Did they never have one teacher who filled them with a love for learning, or a class that intrigued them so much that all they demanded of their teachers and themselves, “More, please”? Did they never have a coach, a teacher, a principal, a counselor or their parents light a fire under their ambition like Gabby, LoLo and Oscar did? Someone who taught them that their belief in themselves and their ability to launch themselves over a vault, to jump over a hurdle or to fly down a track was ultimately more important than a tidy pony tail, a stoic face or a physical impairment?

Where are the stories on educators whose passion for teaching is revealed in every lesson, every welcoming word to a student, every moment they listen to a distressed child? Where are the stories on students who revel in their love of learning and their desire for more who spend precious hours tutoring, volunteering, interning and working to make their communities stronger? Where are the stories on schools that promote a love of learning over a test score and whose staffs and students impact people by paying it forward with food and clothing drives for those in need, Clean Our Streams work days and letter drives to military personnel deployed overseas?

Where is the love? It blossoms in the understanding that every belief, every idea, every thought is multi-faceted and that people can agree to disagree with each other without becoming hateful or resorting to name-calling and verbal bullying. It fosters listening, which is not synonymous with acceptance or rejection, but which does indicate respect for others' opinions and their right to express them. Love knows that disagreement is not equivalent to discrimination, but is merely a difference of opinion. It reminds hearts and minds of Voltaire’s quote, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” It pushes us to put our minds in gear before we put our mouths (or keyboards) in motion, to separate the real from the trivial, and to say something nice or not say anything. It reminds us that Negativity + Negativity =Negativity. Always.

And seriously, haven’t we all had our fill of that?

Until next week,

Connie
www.teachitwrite.com