A Teacher's Journal: Just Another New Year?

Think about it---Pretty much every time education comes across our collective radar, anger is not far behind, is it? Every decision is met with criticism and every action is second-guessed. Calling our responses "passionate" would be putting it kindly most of the time!

And honestly, it seems like that "passion" is getting us no where quick. If we're truly interested in maintaining---and improving---a public school system that is recognized nationally for academic success and that contributes to the strong growth in our local economy, then we've got to start working together rather than opposing one another at every turn.

What will it take to make my dream of collective action a reality?

First, our school system will have to learn to communicate better: I'm always blown away by the negativity that my neighbors have towards the Wake County Public Schools. Parents completely committed to individual teachers and buildings speak with scorn about our system as a whole, doubting the intent of every action that we take. I've sadly learned over the past few years that trust between our system and the community is almost non-existant.

What's frightening is that this lack of trust results in flawed assumptions about the direction of our system. A perfect example is the incorrect assertion that yearly redistricting happens primarily because of our county's commitment to diversity. No matter how hard I try---or how many numbers back up my argument---I can't convince critics that redistricting is primarily a result of explosive growth.

But building trust is the responsibility of the system. District leaders and school board members---who I know as honest, hardworking people---have to commit themselves to explaining the rationale behind every decision and to reaching out to those groups who are the most critical of our actions. While the conversations are sure to be difficult, they're also essential for a system that depends on the financial and emotional support of the community that we serve.

Next, every citizen will have to seek out answers before jumping to conclusions. One of the best tips that I ever picked up about communicating in difficult situations was to always ask why a resonable, rational person would make decisions that appear--at first glance--to be illogical. By doing so, you're forced to see your "enemy" as a human that is worthy of respect. You're also forced to think critically about both sides of an issue before forming opinions.

I'm not sure that this kind of critical thinking characterizes conversations around education in our county. Instead we all---teachers, parents, business leaders, district leaders, elected officials, community activists, reporters---tend to make emotional judgments about those who we disagree with. Then, we allow emotional judgments to override facts when making up our minds.

Does this sound like anyone you know? It definitely describes my behaviors when responding to critics. "They're clueless," I'll rant, "If they were intelligent, they wouldn't make these mistakes."

Dehumanizing those who we see as opponents makes it easier to ignore them---and makes it less likely that we'll consider perspectives other than our own. To responsibly participate in conversations about the direction of education in Wake County, we owe it to ourselves to think critically---and to trust that others are reasonable and rational too!

Finally, if we're going to see acrimony around schools fade, our elected leaders need to make education a real bipartisan priority. Someone once asked me what I thought the greatest barrier to school improvement was. My answer: Election cycles and politics.

Interesting, huh?

But remarkably true! Education---which you'd think would be an issue that drew consensus rather than conflict---is political times ten. Often, well-intentioned elected officials end up getting suckered into political jockeying that clouds progress...and anytime politics becomes the primary factor in decision-making, it's our system that suffers. Fighting within the ranks of our elected officials frustrates me only because it ends up interfering with our ability to educate children.

Imagine how productive we could be as a community if we were committed to finding solutions for educational challenges together? By organizing the best minds representing diverse perspectives into work groups based on a true spirit of collaboration and consensus building, we would benefit from a collective intelligence that often seems lost in our conversations about education.

Now that's a dream worth pursuing, isn't it?

But it is a dream that will take effort from everyone---including you and me---if we're going to make 2008 something more than just another New Year.