Where the Next Man's Nose Begins

By now I’m sure we have all seen this image. Protesters in Michigan demanding that their state reopen made national headlines along with other such protests. This picture to many represents the anger the protesters are feeling. Maybe you see poor behavior on the part of the protesters. I look at this a little differently. To me it is a study of rights and responsibilities.

One of the great joys of my professional life was teaching civics and government. “Your rights end where the next man’s nose begins” I would always say.  I heard that in college and despite not knowing it's exact origins, I rehashed it anyway.  The point is you have the freedom to do whatever you want as long as you don't hurt others in the process.

It is our right to protest. It was one of the first ideas the framers had when writing the Bill of Rights.  The first amendment encompasses many of the freedoms that we embrace the most.  You have the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.  I am a strong believer in these rights and I recognize everyone's freedom to exercise them.  Protest whatever you want and despite my opposition, I will acknowledge your right to protest.  Even though the protester below makes my blood boil, I will respect their rights to display this incredibly insensitive poster.  Just like when my blood boils to see an American flag being burned.

It is our responsibility to not harm others while exercising those rights.  This is where the next man's nose begins.  While I'm happy to celebrate the free speech rights of all our people, I'm a little more critical of how people exercise their responsibilities.  The visual of armed protesters is definitely off putting.  Until you do your homework and find out that it is not new.  These pictures were taken about 50 years apart.  Michigan protesters on the left wanting to re-open their state and Black Panthers on the right protesting a gun control bill in the Washington State Legislature.  Both are menacing photos of conveying a message in an extreme way.

  

American citizenship is challenging.  I think it was meant to be by the framers of the Constitution.  They laid out what our given rights were, but not the responsibilities of the citizenry to exercise them.  They left that to us.  Not being aware of our responsibility to each other or disregarding it takes us to a dark place.  Our present day protesters have a legitimate message.  They have the right be heard, but showing up in mass during a pandemic and openly brandishing firearms is not responsible.  Instead of activism, the intimidation and aggressive behaviors used border on terrorism.  I hate to use such a strong word, but we have to face the facts.

As I sit and type this, I am exercising my right to free speech.  In no way shape or form will I defame anyone or commit libel or slander in the process.  That is my responsibility.  I know exactly where the next man's nose begins.  If we all can do this, maybe protest turns into dialog and maybe division can turn into consensus.  We are stronger together than we are apart.  History has been a great teacher in that regard.  Pushing us into extremes will not allow any progress.  Protest all you want, but be responsible in being heard.  You never know who may be hurt in the process.

Teacher Appreciation Ramble

I almost picked up an LSAT application in college.  Late in my teacher education program, I seriously considered becoming an attorney.  I had inspiring instructors to blame for that.  I was a social studies education major and my schedule filled up with courses in law and government.  I enjoyed the logic and back and forth of the legal argument.  I loved going to class to hear about and read about cases where the little guy took their troubles all the way to the Supreme Court to set precedence that defined the rights of an entire country.  How can you not be inspired by that?  I was convinced that to elevate the little guy, I had to become an attorney.

Once I started student teaching I realized that this was not true.  This is not a knock on attorneys.  This is was an adjustment of my professional logic.  Those inspiring college instructors influenced me to inspire my students with the same stories.  I learned really quickly that as my students became as invested and as curious as I was, I was creating informed citizens.  It is much more rewarding thinking that I am preventing the existence of the little guy.  The notion that you can build empowered people with your daily work should inspire anyone to become a teacher.

Fast forward to the present.  I can see this turning into a ramble.  The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a whole new respect for teachers.  I have to admit that I love seeing the admiration for the work of a teacher on social media.  I feel like people have gotten a little taste of what teachers do.  Just a little taste.  These classrooms have two to three students in them.  These teachers can let school out early when the day gets tough.  These teachers don't have to worry about their students' safety and well being over a weekend.  Don't get me wrong, parents at my school have done a great job helping our kids with their work.  It still cannot substitute for a person giving their professional lives to countless kids that don't belong to them.  I hope that this feeling of admiration for teachers during the pandemic is genuine and permanent.

I hope you take time to reflect on the teachers that have impacted you.  I wrote about my turnaround teacher in a blog post a few years ago.  I think we all have a teacher that we will never forget.  I can't say that about any attorney (sorry guys).  When I tell my students that I wanted to be an attorney at one point, they always ask why I didn't.  The consensus is that being a lawyer is a way cooler job.  They don't get what us teacher types understand and that is okay.  I only hope that my teachers and I help them find their purpose and chase their personal missions.  We have the opportunities and unique skill sets for this that parent-teachers do not have.

I know I'm rambling, but think about the scene in Saving Private Ryan when he reveals to his men that he was a school teacher?  That was a huge turning point in the movie because all of those soldiers can relate to a teacher.  They put two and two together and saw his leadership skills and it all made sense.  Teachers are special people even in the movies.

I could do this all day.  Let's reduce the ramble into a bullet-ed list.

• Teaching is not a job, it is a life.
• Teacher's work is never done, only improved.
• Teachers make more decisions in a day than just about any other profession.
• Teachers have to deal with the constant moving target set by policy makers.
• Teachers get bashed online, but can't bash back.
• Teachers are being asked more and more to be familiar with psychology and prescription meds.
• Teachers are learning survival practices in the event of a shooting.
• Teachers are in very short supply.

Honestly, I could go on and on.  It's easy to ramble on and on about something that means so much.  Teachers, you mean a lot to a lot of people.  Please know your worth and know that you are appreciated.  Danielson may think you are "Proficient" but I think you are all rock stars.  Ramble over.

Mission Never Accomplished

While I am hating all the setbacks that have come with this pandemic, it has provided me time to do all the things that I say I have no time to do.  While cleaning out the garage, we sat and sorted through some boxes and totes that were a mystery when it came to their contents.  We got to take a great trip down memory lane with old pictures that turned into stories to tell the kids.  One box turned up a couple old newspaper articles that were written when I started my tenure at Central Junior High School.

I remember that interview like it was yesterday.  I remember calling each teacher and just talking to them.  I remember the massive ring of keys that were left for me.  I remember pouring over old files in the office learning everything I could about my new school.  Then I realized that that article hit the paper almost ten years ago.  I will be entering my tenth year as the Principal of CJHS on July 1st.

I read the article.  A few lines stuck out for reflection.  Bob Ellis of the Daily American wrote that I exuded confidence and I had a keen attitude for getting the job done.  After a short bio and a couple accomplishments at Elverado I found this quote from me, "Student success comes first.  That not only means that we should be on the cutting edge of how to educate students but we must be willing to raise the bar for them so that they may exceed their own expectations."  I really enjoyed reading this for one really big reason.

I feel like this is something I would have said last week.  I have had a lot of one of a kind experiences at CJHS.  I have the honor of awards and the agony of working though troubled waters.  Over this time I am most proud of the idea that I feel like I am on the same mission from where I started.  Many things have changed around me, but I have stayed on mission.  I looked through he faces of this picture.  After having a couple mental laughs, I realized that these kids got the same me that my students will get in August.

Principals these days do not last this long in their schools.  One report has the average stay of a middle school Principal as 4.48 years.  Another report says that only 11% of principals stay ten years or more at one school.  My current contract will take me through year twelve.  If you find yourself in this rare air, I hope you are still on mission like you were on day one.  Because this mission is never accomplished.  There is no finish line.  The mission is the pursuit of serving students in the best way possible.  The job of the Principal is a tough one and we have to settle for it never being done.