Wonders never cease. In my attempt to stop being a grumpy old bastard, I've made a pledge to have a more positive outlook on my profession. It's funny because I honest believe I am an optimist. But looking back at some of my blog entries, I seem like one negative SOB. Even Kristie and Casey have mentioned how pessimistic I am at times. And that just isn't me. I mean for Pete's Sake, I'm a Bengals fan. How can I not be an optimist. Until 2005, the last time they had a winning season was 1991, my junior year in high school! That's a long time between winning seasons, yet I stayed true. So how can I not be an optimist?
But it's true. So I've made a pledge to lighten things up and be more positive. I'm sure that will be good news to a few readers out there.
One thing that has changed my perspective is the book "Jefferson's Children" by Leon Botstein. That book is dedicated to dispelling several myths around our culture and education system (in addition to calling for the disbanding high school completely). Botstein makes an interesting point that, I think, is part of the reason I've become so negative recently. He believes that most Americans have fallen victim to looking back at an idealized past that never really existed. He argues that as we get older, we tend to become more dissatisfied with our present. That causes us, naturally, to reflect on our past. And the worse we perceive ourselves to be, the better we tend to view our past, even if it wasn't really that much better.
I can clearly see how I have fallen victim to this. Often I find myself thinking or telling a colleague, "What happened to the way things used to be?" And the time I am referring to is from an idealized past. It's not like when I was in high school or college things were perfect. Maybe I just lacked the perspective I now have, so I never noticed some of the problems around me. Or maybe now I am looking back at my former years with rose colored glasses.
I suppose this isn't always bad. It has helped my writing quite a bit since I've spent a lot of time - especially since my parents died - mining the past for topics and material. However, the problem in this lies, as Botstein correctly argues, in that while we are so busy looking back at 'the good old days,' we tend to neglect all of the good things that go on now.
This is true. Yesterday I spent a few blog entries complaining about the wretchedness of the lives of my students. But since I spent so much time focusing on that, I didn't focus enough on all that they accomplish IN SPITE of all the crap they face and have gone through. Just a few minutes ago I had a great talk with the student who I had to banish to the office yesterday. He was a completely different person today. Why? Maybe he took his med. Maybe he got some sleep. Maybe his home life wasn't shit. Maybe he got the message yesterday. Or maybe it was my attitude toward him. This time I paid genuine attention to him and listened to him. Yes, we got off the topic, but it was quality time. Now in the second class, he is working hard instead of pouting.
In terms of education, Botstein points out that while drop out rates today are worrisome, they are, though, a fraction of what they were in the 1940s (the key time for when many Americans look back as "the good old days") when before 1945 half of all students dropped out. Despite all of the problems our schools do face today, they are doing wonderful things. More language are taught than ever before. Technology is far more available. A variety of classes and skills are taught more than ever. I tend to forget about these good things while I'm busy complaining about the negatives.
Often I tend to forget all of the good things that happen in my classes. Instead I focus on the negatives and that is wearing me out.
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