Opus 2014-231: Tax Dollars at Work: We Are All Leaders Now

We had our bi-weekly faculty meeting on Monday and I am again ready to retire.  Give me a few hours with the students and I am ready to go again but two hours with politically correct ignorance is about all I can take.

We are getting another new mantra.  Common Core Curriculum is not enough.  There is a book out that we are going to be reading at these Monday meetings that has a title of The Leader in Me.  I know because the principal copied the first chapter and passed it out for us to read.  I assume that was illegal but we are educators so it must be okay.  She says she is going to buy the books for us.

Cool.  The only problem is that after reading the first chapter I know it is just another rehash of a failed concept:  We are all wonderful and we are all capable of greatness.  In fact I think those words were actually used about us all being capable of greatness.

On reflection the premise of the book is so foolish that we are afraid to point it out.  What could be more obvious than the reality that we all cannot be leaders and we are all not destined for greatness.  Can most of us improve?  Yes.  Will we?  That is the big maybe.

So now in addition to trying to figure out what the jargon of Common Core Curriculum means and trying to get my job of teaching done in spite of it, I will be expected to find ways to allow the students to be leaders.  What this seems to mean is that they need to feel good about themselves.

The high point of foolishness for me sums up the atmosphere in education.  One teacher was sharing about a student who suddenly exclaimed, “At last.  I understand math.”  That seemed a great moment but the teacher continued, “She doesn’t, but she thinks she does.”  Everyone was happy that she was happy and ignored the endorsement of ignorance.

Someday you may be forbidden from firing that student because of laws enforcing social justice.

It is getting harder to distinguish the inmates from the therapists.

homo unius libri