Rule #23 – Stereotyping Victimizes Both the Typer and the Typee

Here at Lindbergh High School, Student Council elections are in full swing, with lots of posters on the walls touting various candidates. Wit and word play abound. A couple of boys in my AP Gov’t. class created a clever poster playing off the Donald Trump campaign slogan: “Make Lindbergh Great Again.” They have encountered some of the same hostility that supporters of Mr. Trump have, with blasts on social media, posters torn down, etc. While I suspect they may actually support Mr. Trump’s candidacy, I also know, having talked to them, that their poster (see below) also represents a tongue in cheek approach to their campaign. I also expect they will be trounced just as badly as the candidate they used as a model will be (of course, I never would have predicted that he could be the presumptive nominee, so my prognosticator credentials are open to debate), at least in part because they don’t have a vilified opponent.

But it made me think. Supporting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign does NOT make make someone a racist, misogynist, or any other label ascribed to the candidate. Neither does supporting Bernie Sanders make his enthusiasts freeloading socialists looking for a handout. All the calls to put Hilary Clinton behind bars ignore the minor detail of presumed innocence on which our justice system is founded. To demean the supporters of any candidate, to stereotype them in any way, is both insulting and inaccurate. People have valid reasons for their support of their candidate, whomever that is or may have been, and there is no reason to gratuitously insult their thinking.

You want to make snarky comments or post mean-spirited memes about a candidate? Well, I doubt that is an effective strategy, but the candidates knew what they were in for when they started running and I don’t feel any sympathy for them in the least. However, I’m also willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (and, honestly, I DO have significant doubt in almost every case) that they are running because they believe that they can lead the country in what they see as the right direction. They are not evil (well, maybe with the exception of Ted Cruz – just kidding – mostly), but flawed human beings who want to serve their nation. (I even acknowledge that for Senator Cruz.)

This is going to be an ugly election. I’m going to be more thankful than ever for DVR and digital music sources. I’ve made this point before, but I worry about the next 4 years, because whoever becomes President will go into office being, not just opposed, but despised by almost half the country. That’s a bad enough problem without compounding it by transferring that aggression (and we’re not talking micro-aggression here) to the people who are supporting and voting for our eventual leader.

     We must respect the office, if not the office holder; more importantly, we must respect each other. If we lose those pieces, we’re in even bigger trouble than you think we already are, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum. 

Happy Holidays, 2015

Sharing the annual Holiday Newsletter (Volume 17!). However you celebrate the season, may it be joyous and fulfill the promise of a bright 2016. (You can open the picture to make it bigger and more legible, if you want.)

Taking a Flyer OR No Fear of Flying

I just finished a 6-week sub gig at Lindbergh High School, filling in for a teacher on maternity leave. That it has taken me a week to put this blog-entry to bed is just one indication of how tired I was at the end of the job. Thanks to Ronni Zagora for trusting me with her kids. It was a pleasure and an honor.

I am embarrassed at just how quickly I had forgotten just how much work teaching is. This was not that tough a gig (3 AP USHistory & 1 General Psychology), with an already prepared calendar and assessments (for the history) and an enviable schedule. (Hint: subbing for the department chair is probably a good strategy if you can manage it.) I used to be critical of teachers-turned-administrators who began making demands on their staff. “Don’t they remember how tough this job is?” I would snarl to myself, or anyone else within earshot. Sorry about that, and for not always recognizing that their job is also hard.

I hope you’re not expecting some critical expose of public schools in general or Lindbergh in particular. I have not one bad, or even critical, thing to say about my experience there. One thing about subbing (or guest speaking): If the students respect the teacher in whose classroom you're working, you'll almost certainly have a good day (or in my case, 6 weeks). 

The kids were fantastic; I didn’t have even a sniff of anything that could be called a discipline problem. The students were respectful and at least responsive, if not always super motivated. They were, after all, high school juniors and seniors (and seniors, especially this time of year, are pretty much done). It took a couple days for me to get my “sea-legs” back (perhaps not the most apt metaphor for a school with an airborne mascot), but I was teaching in my wheelhouse and quickly found my rhythm.

Nor did the kids didn’t seem to mind the passive learning to which they were subjected. I did thank them for their patience on the last day of the “Berndt Talking Tour.” I mean, anyone who knows me knows that if I can do one thing, it’s talk. Press the “On” button and away I go. I remember showing an early baby picture of Nicci, and having one student say, “She looks just like you, her mouth is open.” I’d have been more insulted had it not been so true.

The social studies faculty (with whom I had the most contact) were incredibly warm and welcoming. Even though I’m (still) an introvert, I quickly felt a comfortable kinship. And once I was able to find my way to the office without a Sherpa or leaving breadcrumbs, I also had pleasant, helpful encounters with the support staff. Everyone struck me as competent, although if I really met an administrator, I don’t remember him/her. I’m excited for my former student, and my current friend, Dr. Eric Cochran, as he takes over the (challenging) principal job next year. I’m confident he’ll be great.

One thing I learned, or at least reinforced, is that I absolutely made the right call a couple years ago when I submitted my final letter of retirement and decided my time had come. I had only a few misgivings at the time, and none now. I’m glad I did not dishonor the profession of which I am so proud to have been a part by coasting to the end of my career for another year or two. I’m proud of that career and what I accomplished in it. However, I’m also proud that I recognized when it was time to go, not because I was lazy or had lost my dedication or skills, but because I knew that I no longer had the energy to do the job the way I believe it needs to be done, and, more importantly, the way kids deserve to have it done.

When talking about my decision to really retire, I previously used the party-host analogy. I’m updating that analogy to fast-food. As a sub, even a long-term sub, I was the teaching equivalent of fast food. The kids didn’t starve, but what our patrons (students) need are nutritious, home-cooked meals. I’ll do in a pinch, but even with a selection of “healthy choices” on the menu, it’s not in anyone’s best interests to subsist on fast food.

I may have more to say down the road, as I make generalizations about teaching and education from this added perspective, but I had a great time at an excellent school and I’m grateful to Keith Cochran for thinking (and taking care) of me and recruiting me to spend time with him and the Flyers. Based on my experience, I have no doubt that these young men and women will truly soar.

New Memories Under Construction

Forgive the over-long hiatus. It’s embarrassing to admit just how quickly I forgot how much work is the art of teaching. I’m currently filling in on a maternity leave at Lindbergh High School (where Hancock connections show up almost daily). I will then resume more regular posts, assuming I have think I have something relevant to say.

Thanks for your patience.