” QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE RAIN AND BUILD AN ARK ” !
So said repeatedly by my advisor, mentor, and dear friend when I was in grad school at Clemson University back in the day. This was Dr. Don Fuhr’s mantra in encouraging his students to make a difference.
So , I’m trying. I’m trying…………..
As a passionate educator ( now retired ) and as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, I have for many years advocated that students be taught how to distinguish fact from fiction.
Call it what you will : preaching , pleading, berating, demanding, truth-telling , begging . No matter . I’m attempting , in a very small way , to build an ark countering the flood of rumors and outright lies on social media.
To be perfectly clear, I am NOT referring to opinions which are clearly identified as such. That is anyone’s prerogative.
However, teaching kids to examine all they read and all they hear would produce a knowledgeable and thinking pool of soon-to-be adults. Just one teacher could take the lead in creating an educated electorate , assuring that all things spoken or written are truly explored, researched, and verified ——–and not just simply accepted at face value.
And as a forever advocate of the autonomy of the classroom teacher, I know that she or he alone can direct the challenge . No curriculum needed………
This can begin in kindergarten with something as simple as ” Fish fly and birds swim “.
With the over-reaching of social media , the lines are dangerously blurred. I am absolutely appalled at the constant hammering of untruths ! And if asked for a link for proof, there is rarely a response .
As is so often the case, education is the only answer……….
How hard is it to teach our youngest to our oldest that knowing truth from fiction is critical to a healthy citizenry and a healthy nation ? Valid points can be made without spreading rumors and lies, but too many of us fail to recognize that——or choose not to !
An advocate for truth ? You bet. An advocate for education ? You bet. An advocate for our teachers and their ability to make it happen ? You bet.
I have always admired the teachers in the trenches. And I have seen first hand the influence of dedicated teachers. Encouraging students of all ages to question and verify EVERYTHING equips them with a tool for honesty and integrity , one more step in a better future for all.
And I ask you, what could be more important than knowledge over rumors , truth over lies , discernment over puppetry ?
Build an ark …………………
A real education system with good teachers is truly the backbone of any country. Our education system has become something else and I’ll leave it up to you to decide what that is but because the system has failed we have lost way too many good teachers. Hopefully we are on the verge of returning our system to what it should be and what it was at one time.
I sense some of the same. Actually did a blog on THE OLE SCHOOL, contrasting the difference when I taught at WBHS in the 60s and being an administrator at FCHS some 20+ years later. And now retired, I still see the changes, some good, some not-so-good, and some that are in response to a change in times and opportunities and that can’t be controlled. It’s a culture that goes way beyond just schools. However, I do believe the one thing that all of us could and should do is respect our teachers and encourage better pay for the trained professionals they are ! Thanks for your dialogue——-and come to Lavonia sometime.
build it!
AMEN , Isaac , AMEN !!!! We’re in enough of a mess without lies and half-truths. Thanks for reading and responding. Nothing quite like having my preacher grandson read and support my meanderings——and telling me if he disagrees !