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Copyright © Louis Schmier and Atwood Publishing.
Date: Sun 7/7/2002 2:39 AM
Random Thought: It's More Than The Subject
As I walked through dark, pre-dawn, soggy morning, I was thinking
of fire storms. Maybe it's this heat and humidity, even at the wee hours
of 5 a.m. Well, it's not, really. I've been engaged in a discussion in
which a professor said, "We are professors of history. Let's teach
history!" I have no qualms with that statement--as far as it goes. I
just think it doesn't go far enough. I have a wholeness approach to
teaching that includes and goes beyond a subject. Some would call it
character education. It's a good characterization of my educational
philosophy and vision.
Recent events have made me more aware of their need. I have been
reading about the less than natural causes of the raging and destructive
forest fires in Colorado and Arizona. Like all of us, I've been reading
also about the raging and devastating fire storms of sexual abuse within
the Catholic Church. And let's not forget those devastating fire storms
of financial corruption within some great corporations. These
ecclesiastical and entrepreneurial conflagrations are racing through jobs,
spirits, confidences, reputations, portfolios, devotions, pensions, homes,
hopes, souls, and mutual funds. Oh, the fires will be extinguished in the
forests, corporate offices, and bishoprics, but many of the hurts won't
heal, many spiritual and financial savings won't be saved, many lives
won't recover, many careers won't be rebuilt, and there will be scars.
These fires weren't set and fanned by academic dropouts. They are
spiritual and economic leaders, talented graduates of our colleges and
universities and seminaries. The deeply disturbing revelations about
these ravaging clerical and corporate fires that are shaking the very
foundation of our religious and economic systems show how easy it is for
supposedly educated people to come up with a bunch of very defensive and
self-serving excuses, rationalizations, and explanations for some immoral,
unethical, dishonorable, and illegal acts. Every day we hear of
individual or institutional corruption which carry huge human and dollar
costs.
Don't think that we in the Ivory Tower are so pure of heart that
we can look down our noses from the battlements on such sordidness:
prominent professors plagiarizing and engaging in various other forms of
academic dishonesty; academics compromising themselves, often at the
expense of students, in their quest of the holy grail of tenure;
university research scientists playing with results of experiments;
coaches fudging resumes; faculty in cahoots to falsify grades of athletes;
presidents kowtowing to alumni and engaging in face-saving and
rationalizing damage control when scandalous sports programs hit the
headlines; and an overwhelming majority of students on our campuses
believing cheating is part of the "game."
Everyone is moving to the tune that "everyone's doing it, doing
it, doing it." To them it's "no big deal." To them it's a resigned
go-along sigh of "oh, well." Well, it's not well; it's down the well.
It's not a game; it's gamy. It not a tune; it's a song and dance. And,
it is a big deal. It's a faustean deal with the devil, for our graduates
will take, as so many obviously already have taken, with them into every
facet of their working and personal lives a corrosive cynicism that
expects and accepts and condones bad motives and bad behaviors.
These people are our past and future graduates. Too bad we too
often train them without educating them. If we don't frontally address
these issues day in and day out in and out of our classrooms, if we don't
inoculate students with a high expectation for themselves and others to
live noble and worthy lives, if we don't assume responsibility of modeling
and instilling virtue--honesty, respect, and integrity--in our students,
we will keep on producing animated scandals waiting to happen, persons
without character or with weakened character, persons unencumbered by
scruples, persons with a compass that has no markings for true north,
persons without the will or the courage to stand up and say no, persons
with a willingness to look the other way.
If I teach more than my subject of history, if I promote character
education as well, if I take a wholeness approach in and out of the
classroom, will I be doing any good? Will I really put fire-retardant on
or in front of these consuming flames? Will I make a difference? Will I
have a lasting impact? I don't really know.
What I do know is this. I have to be true to my true north. I do
know that when I or anyone seeks to truly make a difference, there is
always someone around who is going to tell me that I'm nuts or I can't do
it or it's not my job or I am out of step or I'm not with the program or
it's not going to mean much. Some people are just not going to like what
I do, no matter how I explain and demonstrate; some people are going to
disagree with me, no matter how reasonable I am; some people are going to
feel threatened even though I'm not doing any threatening thing; some
people are going to ignore me; and some people are going to flat out
reject what I am doing and attack. I'm not Joshua. I cannot control that
anymore than I can make the sun stop in its tracks. What I can control is
the realization that the actions and opinions of others have no real
bearing on my worth as a person or the legitimacy of my vision. It's not
the end of the world when I experience the passive or active rejection or
shunning that inevitably is going to occur. Rejection hurts only when I
allow it to hurt, and there's no reason whatsoever for me to allow it to
hurt.
I also know that just because someone diminishes or ignores or
rejects what I believe and what I'm doing does not mean I must diminish or
ignore or reject them too. I always have to keep in mind that the
opinions of others are just that-- opinions. I will always listen; I will
always consider; I will always reflect; I will always be teachable. I will
always learn and grow. I will always change. I don't let criticisms
automatically stop me. I keep looking beyond them and focus on my "why."
In many ways it would be so much easier, more comfortable, and safer to
ignore my vision, to let myself be distracted, side-tracked, stopped in my
tracks, and be tossed aimlessly around by everything and everyone of those
"others" who comes along. Sure, to follow a steady and positive purpose
is harder, less comfortable, and maybe riskier. It demands an outer thick
skin and an inner strength. It requires a deep commitment, a
perseverance, and a determination. But, it's truer. For too long, I had
traveled, like most, that well-traveled road. Only a little over a decade
ago did I discover that if I venture and struggle to travel that
regrettably road less traveled, will I actually get somewhere and at some
place valuable and and do something meaningful.
I do know that it's great to be noticed, to be appreciated, to
have support and encouragement, to know that I've been heard or that I've
touched someone or that I have made a difference. But, it simply does not
always happen. And if it does, many is the time I will never know it. I
do know that its really none of my business to decide in advance how
decisive what I do really is.
I do know that character does count as much as, if not more than,
knowledge. I do know that we help students prepare themselves to make a
living. I do know that it is also important that we help students prepare
themselves to live rightly. I do know we urge students to attain honors.
I do know it is also important that we help students become honorable
people. It is important that we be concerned with preparing the whole
person and not merely the one dimensional professional and wage earner. It
is important that we have a combined character based and information based
approach to education rather than merely an information based approach. An
education without guiding character is no education at all; it is training
and schooling that is in danger of producing a bunch of dangerous
characters.
I do know that I have to be true to this purpose that motivates,
energizes, and drives me. I do know that I don't have any other choice but
to give it all I have. I do know that I must know what must be done, go
confidently forward, and just do it. And, if I discover that it's not
enough, and it probably isn't, I'll just have to do it harder and better.
And, for me, the character of recent headlines about these characters who
have little or no character makes the need for character or wholeness
education even more imperative.
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