Arts and Education

Live and Let Die

When you were young and your heart was an open book 

You used to say live and let live 

(You know you did, you know you did you know you did) 

But if this ever changing world in which we live in 

Makes you give in and cry 

Say live and let die 

What was originally the theme song to the  James Bond movie “Live and Let Die” in 1973  has more recently become not only a subculture in American society, but law in several states.

http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-law-basics/states-that-have-stand-your-ground-laws.html

Under the Stand Your Ground law, a person who feels threatened has no obligation to retreat.

(Live and let die) 

Live and let die 

(Live and let die) 

Until recent years, the duty to retreat helped  define what “reasonable” threat meant. Stand Your Ground was seen as an extension of The Castle Doctrine, which allowed people who are threatened in their own homes to stand their ground in their own homes and defend themselves without having to flee their homes. Thus, with Stand Your Ground laws, the concept applied to one’s home has been extended, as long as one is engaged in legal activity.

What does it matter to ya 

When you got a job to do 

You gotta do it well 

You gotta give the other fellow hell 

But standing one’s ground, which of course has it’s place in certain contexts, has become a distorted cultural attitude across the country, as much as an atrocious law leading to the tragic death of an unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin, in the Zimmerman case.  We have stopped considering unintended consequences of behavior, speech, politics and laws.

You used to say live and let live 

(You know you did, you know you did you know you did) 

But if this ever changing world in which we live in 

Makes you give in and cry.

When did we become a culture of “Live and Let Die” ?

Sir Paul McCartney:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK2hKzZss5Y

Leisure Suits

I was born in 1963, just before Camelot was obliterated. By the time I started grade school, sartorial splendor was becoming a thing of the past.  In the 70s, countering the culture largely meant wearing informal, poorly made, unflattering, and often, just ugly clothes.  Changing one’s appearances was meant to denote changing  one’s attitudes. Relaxed fit clothing (before we called a particular style of jeans “relaxed fit”) was supposed to reflect greater freedom, fewer constraints, undoing structures of culture, and a more casual attitude. Adults were uptight; youths were tuning in, turning on and dropping out, which meant building a new harmonious society. Imagine. Then came those horrific Leisure Suits. Even then, I thought they were hideous and silly. The worst part was that Leisure Suits were for dressing up. They didn’t look comfortable or flattering, and came to represent a cheap, synthetic, and middling culture; a culture that was apathetic and confused, low brow and lazy.

A generation later, our children have grown up with a more robust culture. While access to information and communication has been revolutionized in the last generation, there has also been a renaissance of leisure activities and accoutrements. The leisure business is enormous, and people invest great time and money into leisure activities. This has been a terrific boon over the last generation, not only economically, but culturally. Pursuing a leisure activity such as a sport or art is productive. For years I have cautioned parents about over scheduling their children. Children (and adults) need unscheduled free time, but pursuing a hobby or activity (beyond looking at a screen) on a regular basis can provide skills that may go beyond the activity.

When we find a leisure activity that suits us, we strengthen ourselves and can expand. There are all kinds of attributes to all sorts of sports and arts, but the activities themselves often become metaphors for us. I was a great swimmer as a young child, and enjoyed the competence and strength I felt in the water. Many  years later in college, I swam every morning, as it felt like the only way my thoughts could flow in order to write papers. I hardly go to the pool for a swim these days, but I’m very much a swimmer in other ways, and yes, still a lifeguard of sorts. I tend to dive into whatever I pursue. Somehow, I’ve been able to stay afloat, treading from time to time, but mostly propelling myself forward using all my muscles, along the surface of the tide. I was well suited to swimming, and swimming suits me.

Those who are well suited to their work are often quite successful. It’s not always easy to find work that suits us. We often think of work as effort, and leisure as effortless, but there can be joyful effort in both work and play.  Leisure activities are not only ways to  have fun, unwind and relax, but are often ways in which we can more fully realize ourselves and develop our strengths to use in various capacities.  Leisure suits!

Prep

Maria Montessori was the original prep. No, she was not a preppy kind of gal in the sense of one who goes to a school that typically feeds the top colleges and universities and wears boxy clothes and shoes, with distinctive speech, vocabulary and mannerisms. Nor was she of the subculture that emulates the preppy style. Maria Montessori developed a philosophy of education from the concept of the prepared environment. While the Montessori method of pedagogy stems from this notion of creating a structure and order  so that individuals can be free to explore and choose that which best suits his or her needs, the prepared environment fosters independence and responsibility to oneself and to others. Even with individualization we can create social cohesion.

Although Maria Montessori studied young children and developed her philosophy and pedagogy for educating young children, the concept of the prepared environment is useful in other contexts. Currently, we are transitioning toward a new era in health care and education in the U.S. Some people are skeptical; some are fearful; some are hopeful. Regardless of the emotional dispositions people may have, change is upon us, and while there are still many people who resist change (or deny the need or reality of these changes), there are great efforts being made to prepare the citizenry for the soon to be implemented Affordable Care Act and The Common Core.

The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, is intended to increase the affordability and rate of health insurance coverage for Americans. It is also intended to streamline and improve the delivery of healthcare outcomes with the additional aim of lowering Medicare spending. As these reforms are new, the new healthcare environment seems rather daunting. Best to be prepared. There will be a barrage of ads and public service announcements soon, so that citizens/consumers/employers will be prepared to choose intelligently. Meanwhile, you can begin to get educated by perusing  https://

www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual.

And while we are discussing getting educated…..There is a new and potentially exciting educational reform being implemented called The Common Core. While some fear a federal government take over of education, and reflexively call for states to protest to assert their power to maintain their own education standards, the lack of cohesion and the lack of academic rigor that has plagued the nation under the previously scattered state standards has weakened our education system for a generation and created ill prepared young adults. The Common Core is an attempt to create common standards so that no state can dumb down the individual state curriculum or tests to get better results. The Common Core is a coordinated effort among governors and educators, parents and employers, using best practices and evidence from the U.S. and abroad, to create a more rigorous and deeper curriculum that is clear, consistent, and aligned with college and work expectations. The Common Core is more than benchmarks. It calls for a different pedagogy; one that creates deeper learning and application of knowledge that represents higher order thinking skills. Educators are preparing for this new education environment, and you can begin to prepare and educate yourself :http://www.corestandards.org/

Through the prepared environment, we can more thoughtfully engage while meeting our own requirements and responsibilities. This is the seed of a healthy and educated society and civic culture. Now we are literally getting prepared for a potentially healthier and better educated society. It is possible to create a healthier, more educated civic culture. Prepare for success!

Body of Work

**This entry is a departure for me, and I hope my intention will be understood.  In coming to terms with my own body of work, I hope to connect more, and have others consider what limits are imposed on us from physical, psychological, and cultural circumstances. I have never been comfortable discussing my limitations, but I hope that others will relate to whatever limits them and engage in how we can expand the possibilities for productivity and living creatively.

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UNCLE!  I have been wrestling with my physical difficulties for over fifteen years.  Of course I must keep wrestling, as autoimmune disease flares can be so difficult to withstand, much less manage. Even in between violent flares, (or even less violent flares) during supposed remissions, I don’t feel well—just less bad– and can medicate to be vibrant for a few hours at a time. If I am very careful, and exclude certain activities and include hours of rest, I can participate in limited activities and celebratory events, and no one would know anything. It is always carefully orchestrated. To complicate matters, I have had (and continue to struggle with) excruciating and debilitating spine problems, that have made normal activities anything but normal. I have preferred chairs, and shoes and bed and pillows, and have tried so many therapies and remedies (and surgeries). I have always done modest exercise and eaten organically. I do all the right things, and every day is such a struggle. I have had to acknowledge my limitations, as they have interfered with home and work and my abilities to participate, especially because I take every effort to not look compromised. I am blessed to have great support, and my spouse’s insurance, and I put myself together every single day. That’s the big accomplishment. I don’t want to look (or sound) like I feel. Often, I can’t even answer the phone, because I don’t have the energy. Usually, I have to get myself together, have some caffeine before conversations, so that I can fully engage. Then I am spent.

My work history has been challenging. I have only been able to work part-time, and often I have had to stop to recalibrate, as daily routines for most people are just too much for me. For well over a decade, I doubted myself.  After so many years, I saw that when I have the “normal” ailments that plague people, I am better able to deal with those, than with my default body. The hardest part, though, has been feeling unproductive and having to ask for help. That is a source of shame for me.  I confess all of this because I know that there are so many people who struggle with an array of difficulties that may or may not fit our conventional categories of ability or disability. There are so many people with more seriously challenging circumstances than mine, and with more serious conditions than mine, and that has always made me question my own capabilities. We work to live, and many people live to work. I have just been working on living and have tried to maximize my unspectacular life’s work.

Thus far, my life’s work has not been published or patented, and probably not even downloaded. I have sought to share my education and appreciation for the arts with others, especially with adolescents, who even in the best of circumstances, must navigate tumult and difficult terrain . I have taught various subjects and students in a variety of educational settings, all along the spectrum of learning abilities. It’s not sexy work, (nor status work), and has often been fraught with frustration, as adolescents are intuitively gifted at frustrating adults, but I have gotten to learn and improve along the way. There are many, many bodies whose work I have supported and guided, and I hope illuminated, at least from time to time. As for my body of work….even with all the compromises and interruptions, I have worked to expand myself and others. At this point, my body is an awful lot of work. But there are still ways to participate, expand, and contribute; perhaps remotely.

I hope you are reminded that there is much joy and struggle that we often do not see when meeting others. Looks can indeed be deceiving. I am fortunate in so many ways, but I long to contribute more; to continue educating myself and others; to create connections and strengthen my community, and to support creative living and learning, even with this body of work.

Patriot Acts

Happy Juneteenth! June 19, 1865 became known as Juneteenth, after the last of the slaves, those in Texas, were finally free. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation dates back to September 1862, and took effect the following January, the last of the states to finally emancipate slaves was Texas. In Texas, Juneteenth has  been an official state holiday since 1980.  There are currently 42 states and the District of Columbia which recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or special day of observance.

For many, reading The Emancipation Proclamation has become the traditional Juneteenth celebration. I hope that more Americans are considering the importance of Juneteenth. As we grapple with current definitions and interpretations of freedom and the challenges we must meet in today’s world, I often look to inspiring acts of patriotism from the world of the arts and culture. Creativity comes from freedom. American arts and culture is replete with what I like to call, “patriot acts”. These works, a tiny sampling here, are inspired and inspiring, and invite us to celebrate as well as create more “patriot acts”. I’m sure you will find many, many more to enjoy as well.

Ray Charles, America the Beautiful

http://youtu.be/1OTRRzSuWro

Aaron Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man

http://youtu.be/1TLV-4HJ41s

Dylan Smith
Trumpet BM Degree Recital
Eastman School of Music
April 3, 2010

“America”-West Side Story, (1961) Rita Moreno, George Chakiris

http://youtu.be/P50NXB3R4sc

Jasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55

http://youtu.be/9bWJt2hjBH0

Billy Holiday-Strange Fruit

http://youtu.be/Web007rzSOI

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance-American Masters

http://youtu.be/Jh_DpDXdvkA

Richie Havens-Freedom (Woodstock 1969)

http://youtu.be/W5aPBU34Fyk

No Problem?

An aspect of youth culture that each generation seems to embrace on its own, is the lingo of the day. Gee is just a letter now. Swell is what happens when something puffs up. Groovy? Um…that’s just old fashioned now. Some current expressions are not necessarily new words, but newer or greater usages of already existing words. Awesome. Of course, the word “awesome” has lost it’s power, which was it’s original meaning. (Powerfully inspiring; daunting; stunning; amazing; breathtaking.) Likewise, the use of the word “epic” has become rather pedestrian. Epic fail.  I remember when one of my kids first said “my bad” to me. It was in response to some mess or something that broke. I remember feeling confused. I was expecting an “I’m sorry,” or “my fault”, or “my mistake”, or even “oh no!” . My bad? In my ignorance I tried to do the parenting thing whereby the parent distinguishes the person from the behavior (or result of the behavior). “No, you’re not bad….”. After a humiliating glare from this young adolescent, a rare occurrence ensued–a vocabulary lesson. From the kid. I got that “my bad” is used linguistically like  an apology, or “ my mistake”, but without acknowledging the mistake or an apology. A mistake is an opportunity to correct. An apology is contrition. “My bad” is an acknowledgement that something went wrong. Oh well. I get the current usage, but can’t help but think that there is significance to the lack of consideration of mistakes, opportunities to correct, or contrition. It’s a larger cultural phenomenon, not merely lingo.

Many have bemoaned the youthful,contagious response to “thank you”: “no problem”. Really, there is nothing wrong with someone saying “no problem”. I’m glad there was no problem. However, “you’re welcome” is much more of an acknowledgement. To thank someone for something or for a service and to receive the acknowledgement that one is welcome to that opportunity is how we create cohesion. Not having a problem is lucky. It does not create social cohesion. “No problem” is used linguistically in the same way that “you’re welcome” is used (without the welcoming), just like “my bad” is used like “I’m sorry” (without the apology).

Yes, each generation has it’s jargon and expressions, and in some ways they differentiate the generations even though there may be parallels. We don’t just identify an era (or generation)by the lingo, although like music and fashion and other art and design styles, we have clues to understanding the era. New words or expressions are in part an attempt to distinguish an era. This is now. “My bad” may be used like ‘my mistake’ or ‘I’m sorry’, but it is interesting to note the lack of contrition. We live in an era of not taking full responsibility. We hear politicians all the time saying that they take full responsibility for something wrong, but it seems like just saying “I take responsibility” is taking responsibility. “My bad.” Move on. Likewise, problems are either avoided or disregarded. “No problem.” There are enormous problems with our infrastructure, education, economy and jobs, environmental concerns, and endless wars and violence (among many other issues), and while we are thankful for what we have, we are not welcome to engage in coherent solutions. “No problem”. There has always been loyal opposition in politics, but because of ubiquitous media and the changing state and quality of journalism, it seems like this era is not only less polite, but less about engagement and social cohesion. There will always be problems to solve and mistakes to correct.. Situations are not static. They reverberate. Responsibility and relationship are essential and always unfolding, unless they are cut off. “No problem.” No thank you.

reality shows

Reality shows us unimaginable forces. Tornados violently devastating towns, leveling neighborhoods for miles; teachers sheltering children from savage storms and at other times, from deranged  murderers; first responders rushing to save and assist victims; caregivers everywhere attending to needs great and small; love among family members and friends…..These are the images of reality that are continuously shown on our screens in the aftermath of dramatic events. They may be gripping events, and often seem unprecedented, yet it is the reality of the human responses that grips us. We may not know or understand all the facts that contribute to such absorbing incidents, but we have immediate and visceral responses to them. Sometimes those experiences are overwhelming or maddening, but often they are invitations to examine ourselves.

These events become the stuff of history, and therefore lessons. The truths of these events– the forces preceding the events and the forces of the events, as well as the aftermath, become the stuff of art.  In the meantime, we watch and listen to images of reality that force us to imagine what we would be; what we could be; what we should be.

On days like today, reality shows us the art of living.

Mother Culture/Mother Nature

Are you a mother-to-be? A new mom? An older mom? A working mom? A SAHM (Stay-at-home-mom)? A single mom? A teen mom? A soccer mom? A dance mom? A stage mother? A yoga mom? A mommy blogger? An activist mom? Do you wear Mom jeans? Are you the Mom In Chief? (Unless you are Michelle Obama, the answer is no.)

At home, are you Nurse Mom? Dr. Mom? Chauffeur Mom? Coach Mom? Cheerleader Mom? Teacher Mom? Event planner Mom? Administrative Assistant Mom? Human Resources Mom? Chef Mom? Housekeeper Mom? Librarian Mom? Accountant Mom? Shopper Mom? Nutritionist Mom? Stylist Mom? Police Mom? Detective Mom? Artist Mom? Singing Mom? President Mom? Dictator Mom? Queen Mom?

Are you joyful? Adoring? Content? Anxious? Cautious? Zealous? Spirited? Exhausted? Loving? Open? Comforting? Proud? Curious? Concerned? Careful? Bold? Kind? Protective? Discerning? Demonstrative? Caring? Nurturing? Guiding? Pedantic? Receptive? Clumsy? Consumed? Graceful? Grateful? Tender? Connected? Learning? Strong? Weak? Adapting? Evolving? Lifting? Creative? Delighted?

This Mothers’ Day, as we embrace our mothers and their nature, let’s use this cultural ritual to transform the culture of mothers (and others). Mothers, especially in the last generation, have been defined as a something-mom. The mom part is a bit self-deprecating. Is it because mothers feel like mothers first and then something else? Or do mothers still feel like they are not quite something else? Traditionally, mothers have not only played the role of domestic goddess and liaison to schools, but have been involved in civic and community projects (usually without recognition of being the ones who do the volunteer work, beyond donating and sitting on boards). Good schools and workplaces, as well as healthcare and nutritional, clean food must be more available and accessible for all.  Schools and workplaces must transform (not merely evolve to accommodate those with the most choices) to support the entirety of our lives. We must move beyond the 19th century industrialization model to a more fluid model of work and school, so that our mother culture supports and enhances mothers’ nature (and mother nature).

So Happy Mothers’ Day! Give your mother the love she needs! And check out Moms Rising.org. I’m going to make a gift right now! Join me in making a happy mothers’ day today and tomorrow.

http://www.momsrising.org/

Appreciation

It’s almost 7:00 pm; almost the end of the day. Soon Teacher Appreciation Day will be over. It’s not that the shout outs and appreciations are not appreciated. Teachers welcome appreciation. Who wouldn’t? Unfortunately, the appreciation seems limited. If we truly appreciated teachers, we wouldn’t set aside a day to appreciate us.

Perhaps teacher appreciation starts with appreciating learning; appreciating knowledge; appreciating studying; appreciating organizing; appreciating nurturing; appreciating culture; appreciating performance; appreciating patience; appreciating guidance; appreciating caring; appreciating growth; appreciating limits; appreciating work; appreciating differences; appreciating individuality; appreciating creativity; appreciating roles; appreciating responsibility….

Acknowledging qualities that we all need to appreciate will certainly be appreciated. Every day.

 

 

Script

Cursive!… Foiled again!

Among the seemingly perennial issues in education, there is a resurgence in the concern over no longer teaching handwriting (i.e.cursive English). Given that education is one of those paradoxical institutions that on the one hand has as its aim to prepare for the future, it is also, more often than not, conserving the past. The present state of education is one that generally feels like it is behind the present moment in the rest of our culture. K-12 education tends to play catch-up, rather than lead the culture. As schools across the country are debating and implementing the new Common Core Standards, many teachers have suggested that something’s got to go, and that something will be handwriting, as keyboarding has more  cultural relevance.

Many lament the notion that students may no longer learn cursive. For some, it is a cultural  loss for the next generation(s). In some scientific and educational communities, some point to studies suggesting an academic advantage for elementary students who learn cursive over those who don’t. Is learning cursive a necessity today?

With limited time and money,and mandated testing, many teachers have suggested dropping handwriting lessons from the curriculum. Certainly keyboarding is a necessity in everyday life in ways that handwriting is no longer requisite. Of course there are people who never mastered penmanship and were/are quite intelligent and high achieving. Physicians are not the only ones who can’t write a legible script in script. For those  who are dysgraphic, or perhaps less severely, just not good at handwriting, keyboarding is a gift, and can transform their written communication and ability to achieve. However, one of the more interesting arguments for teaching cursive, is that in practicing the smooth movements connecting letters, mental connections are also made, that are not replicated in keyboarding. The argument continues that even learning to read cursive writing advances certain mental capacities for making connections, as we see and interpret connected symbols.

What may have begun as picking up a twig or a rock and etching symbols in dirt or on caves, progressed into handwriting. With the quill and ink, cursive became more developed as the writing method was employed to limit spills and breakage. Of course, in our age, the keyboard is the most expedient form of non-vocal communication. The most obvious sacrifice in abandoning learning cursive is the individuality–the signature.Even learning the uniformity of the cursive alphabet, handwriting is a uniquely individual enterprise. It can be honed, but handwriting is still not quite anonymous. It’s personalized.

Many cling to teaching handwriting as part of a cultural heritage. Some regard penmanship as an art form. Others tout the importance of fine motor skill development as well as it’s connection to brain development. The detractors focus on the imperative of teaching the most necessary skills for the moment, and handwriting seems like a cultural remnant–irrelevant to the tasks of the future.

It seems to me that the arguments for and against teaching cursive are essentially from a tired script. Many debates in education seem to be either/or in nature. Teaching cursive is slow, and there are so many other things to test. But if teaching cursive can help develop both left and right hemispheres of the brain and their connectivity, then maybe we need to look at other ways to teach and practice writing script. We don’t need to teach cursive just because it was our script. Handwriting may never be used the way it was prior to this moment in history. However, like science, math, history, language, physical education and art, it is a way of seeing and doing that creates connections, and making connections is essential to creativity. Perhaps rethinking our script about teaching script as a remnant of the past, to a practice of creativity, makes handwriting the future.