Reflecting A New Year
I know it's counterintuitive to start out the new year with reflections. I think you're supposed to do that at the end of a year and start the new one by looking forward and making predictions or resolutions about what you think will happen or what you resolve to change or do in the coming year. But, I've never been very good at predicting, as evidenced by my very lackluster performance in the weekly football pool, and after many years of resolving behavorial change of one sort or another and always reverting to my own selfish ways, it seems more appropriate to just reflect on what I think the new year might bring, or what I hope it might bring or what I hope to do, see, think this year - thus reflections rather than predictions.
Each new year tends to bring surprises, both good and bad. Once you've reached that period of life so euphemistically referred to as "middle age", the years both seem to roll by faster than ever and in such a way that you can't remember by May what happened in January. Is that because middle age is much like the Middle Ages, a dark period where events unfold in somewhat random ways and you're cut off from the optimism of youth (The Classical Ages) and the wisdom of late life (The Enlightenment)? Well, probably not, but it seemed like a decent theorem just now.
Actually, we live now in such a fast-paced world with a dizzying array of new communication devices that it seems hard to be cut off from any piece of information for longer than a nanosecond - but no one has yet deciphered if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Do we really need to know that Britney is out in the world sans undergarments or that Paris has been detained on a DUI because she needed a late night burger after a drink or two too many? Or, as we are sitting in meetings or just walking down the street, do we really need to read that latest email?
And yet. (A little literary device I just picked up from reading Nicole Krauss's interesting book "A History of Love"). Information can be quite powerful. Information and education can change the world in profound ways and will likely do so even more in 2007 (uh oh, is that a prediction?).
What we should be reflecting on is whether we should be discussing, as a society interested in information and education, a number of things in the coming year.
If we reflect on a global world that is shrinking in metaphorical (and maybe even physical) size and that the coming years will bring an ever greater need for educating ourselves about a variety of important (to the health of the planet and the people that populate the planet) issues then can anyone tell me how it is that the teaching profession is still regarded so low and how we have not created the incentives for bright and able people to consider teaching as a lucrative profession? This doesn't mean to say that people that have taken on the burden of teaching today aren't bright and able people, but they most assuredly are underpaid for the task and for the challenges that face them in classrooms today.
If we want to leave no child behind, should we not start by making sure that we leave no teacher behind? Shouldn't teachers have the opportunity for wealth by mere virtue of what they offer society as a whole, as opposed to sports and movie stars that entertain us but rarely make a real difference in our progress as human beings? Shouldn't we make sure that teachers get ongoing training to stay up with the latest technologies, teaching methods, scientific ideas, innovations in the world of just about everything? If we expect to compete, as a country, in the coming changes to the global landscape, would it not make sense to make sure we have people teaching the future generations that are just as innovative and thought-provoking as those we set up as role models in the world of business or politics?
Now, it's possible that the teaching profession has brought this on themselves with less than innovative ideas for moving the profession forward and by retrenching into unions that shelter bad teachers and don't reward good ones, and that might need to change if we're going to take teaching and education seriously. But, that should be part of the ongoing dialogue about what it means to provide the kind of education needed to make the US continue to be the innovative country we are perceived to be with an economy that everyone would like to emulate (in terms of ability to grow).
As I reflect on what I would like from the new year it is hard to divorce those thoughts from what is happening around the world, from the religious wars (both physical, as exemplified by the Mid East and cultural - the debates over divisive issues and the silliness of "intelligent design" as something to be taken seriously), to the political arena and what the new year (or next two) will likely bring.
You all know that I have no regard for our current President and have no desire to see him leave office in anything less than total disregard for his failed policies. And yet. We've already started to hear the talk of what the legacy of the Bush presidency will be, and while I have no particular interest in seeing anything positive happen for Bush or the Republicans leading up to 2008, who really knows. Maybe he is a good guy in private, cares about other people, cares that he's led us into the disaster of Iraq, cares what happens to people who have less than he does. I know it's hard to tell from most anything he says or does. But. Who knows.
I do know that it would be unwise for us to have a two year hiatus from discussing or doing anything important for the next two years while both sides of the political spectrum pose and posture and ready themselves for the next election (President, all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate).
So, some hopeful reflections on what we could talk about and work on in the next two years that might even give Bush something he could leave office and reflect positively on if these things even could get into the public domain:
Education - amending No Child Left Behind from a purely test driven initiative to one that tests as needed to maintain the level of science, math, reading and writing comprehension needed to succeed in higher education and in the real world, but also adds in elements of teaching creative and critical thinking that lead to innovative new ideas, adding in a No Teacher Left Behind component, relooking at the spending priorities attached to it, deciding if public education will be taken seriously or just abandoned and we move to a different system.
Energy - taking our "oil addiction" seriously and starting a new go-to-the-moon kind of national fervor that engages everyone in solving global warming, getting rid of our energy dependence on oil and coal, changing the priorities of royalties and incentives to old energy (oil and coal) and investing in new energy with serious goals to get this done by 2015, or whatever seems like a stretch, but realistic date.
Ethics - serious oversight of political/lobbyist relationships with severe penalties for anyone that violates good ethical government. Make government something we can be proud of and trust to get things done for people and less cynical about. Serious election reform by standardizing elections across the country with an Oregon style vote by mail system that has a paper trail attached and is easy for everyone to do.
Engagement - with the rest of the world. Reflect on whether our "national interest" is confined to issues of terrorism or fighting or whatever and look at and work with areas of the world that could really change the dynamic of peace in the world. Pre-empt things like genocide (and engage on the ones that are happening now, like Darfur), by giving hope to areas like Africa, areas of Central and South America with postitive initatives to fight health issues, employment issues - the things that alleviate hopelessness (and lead to terrorim and violence as the only alternatives).
There are obviously many other issues that we could reflect on, but if we started even with those it would make for an interesting year ahead.
For myself, I hope to continue my excellent life with Karen and that we always continue to learn, travel to new places, engage with new people (and old friends), see new things, encounter new ideas and work for peace. And, who knows, maybe I'll even finally win one week in the football pool.
Welcome to 2007. Happy New Year!
Each new year tends to bring surprises, both good and bad. Once you've reached that period of life so euphemistically referred to as "middle age", the years both seem to roll by faster than ever and in such a way that you can't remember by May what happened in January. Is that because middle age is much like the Middle Ages, a dark period where events unfold in somewhat random ways and you're cut off from the optimism of youth (The Classical Ages) and the wisdom of late life (The Enlightenment)? Well, probably not, but it seemed like a decent theorem just now.
Actually, we live now in such a fast-paced world with a dizzying array of new communication devices that it seems hard to be cut off from any piece of information for longer than a nanosecond - but no one has yet deciphered if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Do we really need to know that Britney is out in the world sans undergarments or that Paris has been detained on a DUI because she needed a late night burger after a drink or two too many? Or, as we are sitting in meetings or just walking down the street, do we really need to read that latest email?
And yet. (A little literary device I just picked up from reading Nicole Krauss's interesting book "A History of Love"). Information can be quite powerful. Information and education can change the world in profound ways and will likely do so even more in 2007 (uh oh, is that a prediction?).
What we should be reflecting on is whether we should be discussing, as a society interested in information and education, a number of things in the coming year.
If we reflect on a global world that is shrinking in metaphorical (and maybe even physical) size and that the coming years will bring an ever greater need for educating ourselves about a variety of important (to the health of the planet and the people that populate the planet) issues then can anyone tell me how it is that the teaching profession is still regarded so low and how we have not created the incentives for bright and able people to consider teaching as a lucrative profession? This doesn't mean to say that people that have taken on the burden of teaching today aren't bright and able people, but they most assuredly are underpaid for the task and for the challenges that face them in classrooms today.
If we want to leave no child behind, should we not start by making sure that we leave no teacher behind? Shouldn't teachers have the opportunity for wealth by mere virtue of what they offer society as a whole, as opposed to sports and movie stars that entertain us but rarely make a real difference in our progress as human beings? Shouldn't we make sure that teachers get ongoing training to stay up with the latest technologies, teaching methods, scientific ideas, innovations in the world of just about everything? If we expect to compete, as a country, in the coming changes to the global landscape, would it not make sense to make sure we have people teaching the future generations that are just as innovative and thought-provoking as those we set up as role models in the world of business or politics?
Now, it's possible that the teaching profession has brought this on themselves with less than innovative ideas for moving the profession forward and by retrenching into unions that shelter bad teachers and don't reward good ones, and that might need to change if we're going to take teaching and education seriously. But, that should be part of the ongoing dialogue about what it means to provide the kind of education needed to make the US continue to be the innovative country we are perceived to be with an economy that everyone would like to emulate (in terms of ability to grow).
As I reflect on what I would like from the new year it is hard to divorce those thoughts from what is happening around the world, from the religious wars (both physical, as exemplified by the Mid East and cultural - the debates over divisive issues and the silliness of "intelligent design" as something to be taken seriously), to the political arena and what the new year (or next two) will likely bring.
You all know that I have no regard for our current President and have no desire to see him leave office in anything less than total disregard for his failed policies. And yet. We've already started to hear the talk of what the legacy of the Bush presidency will be, and while I have no particular interest in seeing anything positive happen for Bush or the Republicans leading up to 2008, who really knows. Maybe he is a good guy in private, cares about other people, cares that he's led us into the disaster of Iraq, cares what happens to people who have less than he does. I know it's hard to tell from most anything he says or does. But. Who knows.
I do know that it would be unwise for us to have a two year hiatus from discussing or doing anything important for the next two years while both sides of the political spectrum pose and posture and ready themselves for the next election (President, all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate).
So, some hopeful reflections on what we could talk about and work on in the next two years that might even give Bush something he could leave office and reflect positively on if these things even could get into the public domain:
Education - amending No Child Left Behind from a purely test driven initiative to one that tests as needed to maintain the level of science, math, reading and writing comprehension needed to succeed in higher education and in the real world, but also adds in elements of teaching creative and critical thinking that lead to innovative new ideas, adding in a No Teacher Left Behind component, relooking at the spending priorities attached to it, deciding if public education will be taken seriously or just abandoned and we move to a different system.
Energy - taking our "oil addiction" seriously and starting a new go-to-the-moon kind of national fervor that engages everyone in solving global warming, getting rid of our energy dependence on oil and coal, changing the priorities of royalties and incentives to old energy (oil and coal) and investing in new energy with serious goals to get this done by 2015, or whatever seems like a stretch, but realistic date.
Ethics - serious oversight of political/lobbyist relationships with severe penalties for anyone that violates good ethical government. Make government something we can be proud of and trust to get things done for people and less cynical about. Serious election reform by standardizing elections across the country with an Oregon style vote by mail system that has a paper trail attached and is easy for everyone to do.
Engagement - with the rest of the world. Reflect on whether our "national interest" is confined to issues of terrorism or fighting or whatever and look at and work with areas of the world that could really change the dynamic of peace in the world. Pre-empt things like genocide (and engage on the ones that are happening now, like Darfur), by giving hope to areas like Africa, areas of Central and South America with postitive initatives to fight health issues, employment issues - the things that alleviate hopelessness (and lead to terrorim and violence as the only alternatives).
There are obviously many other issues that we could reflect on, but if we started even with those it would make for an interesting year ahead.
For myself, I hope to continue my excellent life with Karen and that we always continue to learn, travel to new places, engage with new people (and old friends), see new things, encounter new ideas and work for peace. And, who knows, maybe I'll even finally win one week in the football pool.
Welcome to 2007. Happy New Year!
posted by Paul Salinger at 12:24 PM
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