Arts and Education

Same Opportunities Means Differences, Creativity, and Change

Our society talks a lot about diversity, but we talk about diversity as multi-colored or multi-gendered sameness. On the one hand, we want the same opportunities for everyone regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, economic status…..etc….On the other hand, we get stuck on what we mean by the same opportunities. Too often we focus on the sameness rather than on the opportunities.

The last couple of generations has seen a revolution in civil rights, and access to education and jobs. Millennials have been more color blind than their predecessors, partially because they grew up exposed to more racial and cultural diversity than their parents and grandparents did. They also grew up in a culture of gender equality (or as some would attest, post -Feminism).  This is not to suggest that racism and sexism and other bigotry does not exist; it does, but the culture at large has wandered through the desert for 40 years, and has transitioned to a new normal that is much more fully integrated by race and gender than at any previous time in history. There are still some firsts yet to come, and more diversity is necessary, but the idea that schools and workplaces, much less any place, should look the way they did a couple of generations ago, is anachronistic and stunting our progress. Millennials  have also shown their distinction as civil birth-rights with their ease and support of marriage equality. They schooled their elders on both sides of the political divide, that marriage equality is a civil right. We’ll see when the elders on the Supreme Court ultimately get it. Millennials seem to be most entrenched in same opportunities.

One of the (fairly recent, historically speaking) civil rights laws that many Millennials may not have been aware of was the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA 1990). Like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made discrimination based on race, religion or sex illegal, the ADA of 1990 protects against discrimination, in this case, based on disability. The power of these civil rights laws is the inclusion of so many who were previously excluded (and worse). The cultural impact is even greater: We have access to so many more gifts and gifted individuals who are different from us! It is equal opportunity for variety–not sameness. The more difference the better!

One of the cultural remnants of the ADA however, has been the seeming pathologization of so many previously “normal”, if unpleasant, phases of life and dispositions. It became beneficial for many parents to have their struggling kids tested and identified as having some sort of disability in order to get an IEP (Individualized Education Plan).   The IEPs are a reasonable first step, but are often not adhered to, and are difficult for teachers (and parents) to manage. The upsurge in disabilities is partially due to a new recognition of disability. At the same time, school systems have been decreasing arts and recess, and adding testing and uniforms, and earlier school times–all counter to enhancing individual academic, intellectual,social and emotional growth. Being more aware of disabilities and ways to manage them has been a great leap forward; but we must be careful not to create a culture of disability/pathology where everything is a problem that needs medicating in an environment that doesn’t allow for different rates of development, and uses inappropriate measures of assessment and  notions of success.   I spent years parenting and teaching in a culture that on the one hand suggested pathology was everywhere, but where there was also little interest in creativity or in diverse kinds of education. Perhaps there would be less pathology if more diversity of human nature were encouraged and nurtured. Diversity is more than skin deep. It is more than racial and gender orientation. To assume that everyone can be educated the same is small minded, at best. Sometimes, the real opportunities lie in diverse learning institutions and workplaces.

For Millennials who have grown up to expect opportunities for all, they are discovering a cruel economic situation that demands creativity. Creative thinking (and work) is not merely for artists.    Any strides that we have made in Civil Rights and educating, and having people become more included and productive, has come from a break from the status quo; from sameness to opportunity. Learning institutions and workplaces must continue to evolve to include more diversity of individuals (inside and out). Perhaps that will mean a shift in scheduling and organization from one that no longer supports what is truly a more diverse population and a creative culture.

Meme What You Say and Say What You Meme

Meme: an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2013

 

This week = signs were virtually everywhere. Yes, virtually. In my last piece, Right of Spring, I considered religious rites of Spring, Passover and Easter; cultural works of art, namely Stravinsky’s (and Nijinsky’s) “Rite of Spring”; political rights in the Middle East that began with the so-called Arab Spring; and here and now, legal rights, as the Supreme Court grapples with Prop 8 and DOMA and marriage equality for same sex couples. It is the legal right to which I referred as the right of this Spring. While I was considering Rites and Rights of Spring, = signs and other posters (i.e. pictures) were being shared on social media, and in all media. Their impact was immediate and vast. The signs and symbols reflected thoughts and emotions with an intensity (and often humor) that inspired a cultural ripple. These signs may not have changed minds, but seemed to allow people to share in the cultural discourse in ways that they might not have otherwise. The visceral effect of a graphic combined with the immediacy and vastness of the internet allows for memes to not only become “viral”, but to allow people to connect culturally.

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When you want to make an impact, consider the effect that graphic arts and other cultural arts have. Arts affect emotion, and engage the senses while connecting to our intellects (ideas and ideals).

Marketers,advertisers, and political consultants know this, but educators and anyone who wants to connect and make a difference could do well to meme what you say and say what you meme.

Good Work

For many, work may or may not be enjoyable, but it is doable. They have the proclivities and skill sets to manage their tasks, and with the appropriate disposition and drive, will continue to reap the rewards of their work as well as have opportunities to expand. This is true for any work, including school, from the earliest years, although certainly skill sets, habits, and mastery develop over time.

For many others, work and school may or may not be enjoyable, but can be extremely difficult to do. They may have circumstances and/or proclivities that impede their abilities to develop skill sets and manage their tasks, and perhaps for a variety of reasons, lack the appropriate disposition and drive to work. It is certainly easier (and more rewarding) to teach,parent,coach,manage, and inspire talented and driven kids and adults. What about those, who for any number of reasons, do not respond positively to the work? For those who are successful (in any sense), it is difficult to understand why those less successful don’t just adopt successful practices. It is frustrating for those trying to educate, parent, coach or manage those who don’t “get with the program”.

Our attempts to develop good students and good workers are fueled by our cultural concepts of work (and success). We seem to be a bit confused. In the last generation, we have seen not just an increase in busyness, but a cultural shift that supports busyness. Perhaps we are confusing busyness with good work.

We can do a better job of supporting our next generation meet the adult world and its attendant tasks, by allowing kids to experience work as more than being busy. For some kids, work is particularly effortful when circumstances and proclivities inhibit abilities and attention. They are often not able to be effective. While we may not all be able to do ideal work or derive joy from our jobs, we can do good work in our communities. Many schools over the last generation have added community service requirements. (I don’t like the term community service as it connotes parole.) The intention to create caring citizens is indeed admirable. Now we need to extend what was started, to  truly value work that contributes to others as good work.  Too often kids accumulate hours without connecting to new people or ideas. This is busyness, even when the tasks are for good causes. Much of the busyness of our lives is necessary, but we could still be less busy and do better work, by expanding “the program” and including all types of kids and adults. Contributing to others and broadening and strengthening our communities, and yes, bridging our schools to the greater community, strengthens the best in all of us and enables us to discover skill sets that may not have been tapped thus far.

Homework

I hate homework. I am an educator who knows the value of reinforcing skills and reading, but I am confounded by the generation that thinks that having parents do homework with kids is a good thing. As a parent, I confess to always hating homework time, and was relieved when my kids were finally expected to do their own thing(which they always did anyway)–probably high school. The expectation in Middle School that parents should assist their kids on projects and regular assignments is not only baffling to me, but a practice with which I strongly disagree. Should parents have a sense of what their children are learning and how they are doing? Absolutely. Should parents be working with their kids because the schools expect it? NO!

As parents and educators, we need to be raising children to become adults who can think for themselves, express themselves, realize their own potential (and limits), and adjust accordingly. With the best of intentions, we have added projects and busyness to everything in our lives, and expected that parents should be ever present in their children’s lives. Perhaps this has been an overreaction to previous generations and the baby boom’s experience of the generation gap, as well as the fear of the absent parent or raising deprived children. Having parents involved in their kids’ school life does not need to take the form of taking on their children’s lives. Parents can complement their children’s education with community cultural experiences, broadening their children’s school experiences while letting their children fully experience their own schooling.

The tween tribe exasperates parents and teachers, and while adult authority is still necessary, the generation gap is part and parcel of development.Tweens and their elder teens need tremendous guidance, but also a bit of space for healthy exploration. The trick is figuring out what healthy exploration is. Parents see disaster at every turn and have tried to create safety and optimal conditions for their children’s success. But maybe this time of upheaval, which is generally difficult to navigate on a good day, can be embraced in small ways.  How can we influence our adolescents in a positive way, while giving them freedom to do the dumb things that they do?

We can stay out of their way in small ways (like not participating in projects other than life histories) and not doing their work, and allowing them to struggle with their work. They will probably reject our music, and aesthetics, and seem utterly materialistic or ascetic and make themselves appear in ways that may make us cringe, but when we encourage them to choose their own reading and arts and sports and outdoor activities as well as their choices for the screen and mall, we are participating in their education and growth in more important ways than sharing their work.

Kids (and adults) need freedom from work in order to generate better thinking and productivity. Kids need guidance and freedom from adults, but guidance does not mean doing everything with them (and certainly not for them). As much as parents want to provide everything possible for their children, providing them with other mentors and teachers in their communities is a gift. If parents are involved in their children’s schools, they should consider connecting schools to the larger community–exposing students to life outside of what seems like a mandated life that gets assessed with tests and rubrics. But that outside world has to become integrated into school life.

Teachers and administrators can bridge the school with the outside community. When artists in residence come to schools, or even assemblies with performances, kids may think they are just getting out of class, but often they are inspired as well as entertained. The arts often attract those who are critical thinkers and masters of technique and expression, features that attract our yearning for creativity and newness, whether or not we have talent. This yearning is particularly prevalent and undeveloped among adolescents. They need Cultural heroes to inspire them and encourage them to create and participate in positive ways.

We have a lot of homework to do, but it isn’t our kids’ assignments. Our homework is to connect schools to greater communities during school hours; to encourage our kids to engage in the arts and cultural community at large. For too long, schools have been cut off from the “real” world. We can begin to change the culture of schools by connecting schools to the larger culture. There are so many education and outreach programs in cities and towns, from cultural centers to business and science and technology centers, that are still largely separated from schooling. Let’s do a little bit of extra-credit homework: Let’s insist that schools incorporate more cultural programming and residencies and let our kids experience a bit more of what matters.