Over book-talk and coffee with a friend this week, I learned about a documentary being featured in selected locations throughout the U.S. The film is called “Race to Nowhere,” initiated, compiled and directed by Vicki Abeles, a parent and a concerned citizen.
Film excerpts as well as more information are available online at www.racetonowhere.com The film is featured at select locations (four or five dozen strong) throughout the country. The website offers a plethora of tips on how every member of society can help reduce the stress and anxiety experienced by our youth today. Valid suggestions that all can and should consider.
The problem with this documentary, however, is that it doesn’t address the real crux of the youth burnout in the U.S. The basic premise of “Race to Nowhere” is that all educational institutions – public, private, charter – are responsible for the demise of childhood in our country. According to the online film trailer and text, the SCHOOLS in our country are at fault. The schools are expecting too much, pressuring kids, and creating competitive environments. Additionally, proponents do not believe schools should pressure students with tests, nor challenge their sense of self-esteem by emphasizing academic achievement and success.
“Race to Nowhere” ignores the totality of our culture, families, economics, norms, global demands. It isolates one small component of our place on the planet as the singular cause for stressed youngsters – U.S. educational institutions. Friends, our schools can always improve and they are not perfect. Yet, there is no country in the world that offers the freedom to learn and grow for ALL with the vision of a brighter future than the U.S. The doors of American schools are open and provide equal opportunity for every child.
There is a destination and there is a finish line. It is up to all of us to nurture and model appropriate values for our young people. Our society as a whole will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences as a result. As the African proverb reminds us, “…it takes an entire village to raise but one child.” The only race to nowhere is if we place the blame on our schools without taking personal responsibility to raise and nurture our children as parents and as a society.
What do you think? Are American schools to blame for stress disorders in our youth? Are schools too demanding? What are your experiences on this topic?
Please take a few moments to share your thoughts and thank you for stopping by.
Like the balloons on this page, it has taken me a couple of years to float back into a new and much different routine after leaving thirty + years as a teacher and a school principal in three states. As a teacher and a school principal my days were long and scheduled.
No mistake, I am loving the opportunities that lay in my path in the autumn of my life and feel blessed. Yet, a compelling urge to shout to the clouds the gems that I learned from the experiences that came my way about what it takes to grow a great kid has become very powerful. The lives of kids depend upon it. Every adult should be aware of what it takes to grow a great kid because it is not always intuitive. The proverbial instructions do not come attached to the umbilical cord.
During my career, I worked in schools that served students and families from communities that were in grave economic need. I also taught and lead schools that were in affluent neighborhoods . . . and many in between. Throughout those years, one theme has always hung true and strong: HIGH EXPECTATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE. When we know and show our children that they can be successful, without exception, the results are remarkable. In my new blog that will appear twice weekly, you will discover ideas, suggestions and action steps that adults can take to make a difference in the lives of young people. You can have a powerful impact on the future by starting with our most precious resource, our children.
I hope you will be a regular visitor and perhaps share your stories if you are so inclined. Together, we can build a better world – even if it is just one kid – your kid, your student, a relative, a neighbor – at a time.
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” ~ anonymous ~
Too long and too remote, but not forgotten. I have been away, and not attentive to our weekly gathering for a few weeks, dear writerly friends. It has been good to rest and renew and to grow the creative spirit that abides and resides within me – truly, within all of us. There are times when we must stop, catch our breath, listen and rejoice in the opportunity to nurture our creative energy.
Today my virtual coach, Julia Cameron, has sent words of wisdom that have touched my heart. I hope they will inspire your reflection and motivate your writing as well.
In The Artist’s Way, Cameron quotes the ancient book of Jewish law, The Talmud when she offers these words of wisdom:
Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow, grow.”
As writers, we must be self-motivated through developing goals and disciplining our skills of focus and attention. Staying the path and following our vision for our creation is a structured and linear task. Yet, without creative inspiration, we would not pursue our craft. For many the intangible evolution of creative expression involves prayer and meditation – moments and times to reflect, rejoice and renew.
Meditative moments also mean that we must listen. That Angel voice speaks to us . . . but do we listen? Do we surround ourselves with life, love and people who will encourage and nurture our creativity? Do we avoid the negativeity and excuses that prevent us from being all we can be in our creative lives? Yes, of course we want constructive criticism and to know where we need to improve, learn and excel. Suggestions provide opportunities to help us to be our best.
Yet, we must never forget to seek:
our personal ANGEL and COACH
to LISTEN
to allow ourselves to “GROW, GROW”
Welcome back and happy writing.
Please let me know you have stopped by to “SPIN A GOOD YARN” with me today!
When we last gathered to Spin a Good Yarn, we talked about the consequences of new beginnings and what we leave behind. We also considered the transition part that bridges the gap between what was and what is. In the reality of it all, if we do not BEGIN, where is the joy? Consider the words of Italian writer, Cesare Pavese:
“The only joy in the world is to begin.”
About four months ago I embarked upon an idea that has been surfing my thoughts for a long time. I dove in and put pen to paper – actually fingers to keyboard – and BEGAN to write my novel. I used Michael Stackpoole’s book, Write Your Novel in Twenty-One Days. More than twenty-one days have elapsed now, and I am not finished – yet! However, I have written over 30,000 words and took the leap to share my first chapter with my writer’s support/critique group and a few family members and friends.
I have begun the process and I feel a JOY in taking that initiative. Do the gremlins of doubt struggle to sabotage me: No, you can’t do it! OR You won’t be successful! OR You are wasting your time! Yes, Yes, and Yes! These negativisms will always be taping at our walls, begging to enter and destroy the JOY of beginning…and, successful completion.
How has this been true for you? Think of times when you embraced the “joy of beginning” and write about it today. Use this opportunity to bask in the joy of your successes. Delight in your great accomplishment(s) because, dear writerly friend, you did take that first step to BEGIN.
See you soon when meet again in the cozy corner and Spin a Good Yarn or two together.
We are usually threatened by change. Whether the change is in our work place, residence or some other personal situation/encounter/relationship. Our stability and confidence – even our level of trust – is tweaked upon meeting a newness in our life. The comfort of knowing the ground rules and the expectations of the status quo is unsettling, to say the least. Experiencing a sense of loss of the familiar and the way it was is very normal.
In his book, Managing Transitions, William Bridges (author) discusses the importance and value of the often forgotten zone of the transition state. The transition state is the bridge part in and of itself between leaving the way it was and embracing the new way. We plan for the change and look forward to how we will implement the change, but we often forget the most critical bridge that connects the two. Not attending to transition can make or break success with the forthcoming change.
The transition period begs the question of honoring what has preceded the change – respecting the history and status of what was. Additionally, providing ongoing support and communicaiton as the change unfolds also plays a key role in the successful implementation of a change. Bridges challenges our consciousness as he draws from the words of French poet Paul Valery.
“Every beginning is a consequence. Every beginning ends something.”
How have you met new beginnings in your work place, professional or personal life? What support systems have been instituted by your own efforts, or that of others, to insure a smooth flow from what was to what is? What difference has a smooth transition – or not – made in your life? As a writer, what does Valery’s words mean to you? What steps must you take to be aware of your transitory place, honor the past and give yourself support for the future change(s) you may encounter?
I have been away for a couple of weeks visiting my family and honoring my roots. Bridges’s book offers a freshness of thought on the importance of what writers do each time they sit at a computer or uncap a pen.
Thank you, dear writer friend, for stopping by the cozy corner and taking a few moments to Spin a Good Yarn with me.
See you next week ~ Happy Writing and Happy Memorial Day Weekend~
WELCOME TO I BELIEVE IN YOU!