“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
If only it were that simple. My kids are adults now, but it wasn’t so long ago that I was prayerfully striving to make choices for their best educational options. From preschool through college, there were always concerns, challenges and “issues” to deal with. We mostly went the private Christian school route for elementary, with a couple of short home-schooling intervals. High school included public and charter schools. College was community and university. Huge Sigh.
I feel for parents as they make these choices and contend with schools, teachers and their children’s classmates. It sounds like I’m about 90 years old when I say that things have changed. “Back in the day…” blah blah blah! But it’s so true.
There are many more students with diagnosable mental and learning disorders, violent gangs, rampant drug and alcohol abuse. Sexual interactions are starting as early as 10 and 11 years old. Students from every background come from homes where there is little supervision or attention to what they are up to. And often, these are the very parents who complain the loudest and the longest if their child gets in trouble or isn’t succeeding academically.
My daughter was a student teacher for a first grade class where much time was devoted to managing the behavior of a few children with special needs. Bureaucracy is at its strongest when it comes to having a child assigned to a special education program—it takes a very long time and a large team of people to make it happen. This results in children who need extra attention remaining in overflowing classrooms. No one gets what they need.
My niece was a middle school teacher. She was recently verbally assaulted, then threats of serious harm were issued by a student. Was the student arrested or expelled? Of course not, initially. He got a slap on the hand and she was expected to be back at school as if nothing happened. But when other teachers rallied for her, the district’s decision-makers listened, resulting in the teen’s parents being given options of alternate schools for him to attend.
My daughter and niece have since changed careers.
There is a shortage of good educators, and why not? Why would anyone subject themselves to such a daunting task with one hand tied behind their back? Our teachers need support and empowerment. Parents need to immerse themselves fully in their children’s’ lives, not making room for their privacy or “rights,” except for safety and provision. That’s love. That’s nurturing and “irrigating the desert.”
More money is not the answer (as the NEA would have us believe). Family involvement is what’s needed.
Prayer and God have been ousted from public schools but you are still present. Use your voice; call your ELECTED school superintendents and tell them to stop coddling violent, substance abusing children. It may be the very wakeup call some families need to get help and it will certainly provide for a healthier, safer environment for the remaining majority of students and their teachers.
Diane Markins
Diane Markins
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—–Original Message—–
From: Diane Markins, Words In High Def <dmarkins@aol.com>
To: ppbholt <ppbholt@gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, Apr 22, 2013 10:14 am
Subject: Fear
Fearing (is) the Worst
From: Diane Markins, Words In High Def <dmarkins@aol.com>
To: ppbholt <ppbholt@gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, Apr 22, 2013 10:14 am
Subject: Fear
Fear seems to be the powering force for many- no, most people. If not at present, at some time in all our lives fear will be the over-riding mandate propelling us aimlessly forward or keeping us rooted in the same stagnant spot.
I’ve experienced this in my own life and watched it lived out in the lives of those around me. It seems really dumb to think that fear could run the life of a mature woman who has solid faith in a God who controls the universe, but if I’m honest, I have to say at times this has been the case.
Lame Fears
I’ve known the whispering fear that maybe I have heart problems because of family history (which has proven to be completely without merit). I’ve known the persistent fear of family with chronic illnesses. I’ve known the what if fear, that distracts me from fruitful productivity. What if the money doesn’t come in time to pay the bills? What if that mole is cancer? What if my daughter doesn’t like teaching school? What if marriages fail, people die, cars crash and it rains on Tuesday???
Fear of failure has caused me to not move forward on a project I really liked. Fear of successs (success! – you read correctly) has stopped me from doing great things because it might take me scary places and people would see what a fraud I am.
Horrific Fears
The worst kind of fear is the imminent threat fear. I’ve lived out a few of those that will linger in my heart for the remainder of my days on earth. One was during an off-road ATV trip in which my son went off a cliff. Unfortunately, he was out of our site when this happened and with a long line of riders, was not noticed missing until we came to a stopping/regrouping point. We backtracked and were met by some other riders who had discovered him. His vehicle was squashed and he was banged up and bloody, but was not seriously injured. The fear I felt while waiting for him to turn up was pervasive.
Another of those paralyzing times of fear was at a resort in Mexico. My 23-year-old daughter had been out with friends and failed to show up in our shared room. At 2:30 in the morning I began to feel uneasy and started calling our family and friends in the hotel. Those she had been with had gone to bed long ago.
My blood turned to ice as I envisioned the face of Natalee Holloway, the young lady who disappeared while on vacation in Aruba. I know that my daughter makes friends easily and could imagine her trusting the wrong people. Family and friends were rallied from their beds, all sharing the dread and fear that she had been harmed.
Thankfully, she had gone to spend some quality time with her brother and sister-in-law, the only people I didn’t call. I couldn’t imagine her stopping by the room of these newly-weds in the middle of the night, but that is exactly what happened. As I was charging out of my room to search, she walked up, being sweetly escorted by the young couple.
How’s it Workin’ for Ya?
Now, the point of sharing this fear fest: it doesn’t work. Fear doesn’t help, it doesn’t change things and it doesn’t make you feel better. While it might seem like we don’t have a choice, the fact is, we absolutely do.
The Bible is full of verses dispelling fear with it’s opposites: faith and peace.
If you don’t have time to comment, pass this along and please, don’t FEAR offending me!