This blog entry will infuriate many. This blog entry may cause folks to “de-friend” me. This blog entry will NOT be read by enough people. And… there is a chance a person may agree with this blog entry.
November 10, 2016
Over the school’s PA System: WE HAVE THE RESULTS OF OUR SCHOOL’S ELECTION: 85.4% – HILLARY CLINTION; 12% – DONALD TRUMP; 2.6% – GARY JOHNSON. So, based on the “election” results, the liberal message / platform is strong with the public-school students.
I said NOTHING about the results – either the result of the school’s election or our nation’s election. NOTHING! I couldn’t. If I did, I would have faced disciplinary action. I had to: TO BE AN ADULT. I had to be the “adult.” It took all I could not to bring the hammer and tell the students: YOU WILL BE OKAY. SERIOUSLY. STOP IT. Stop believing all the CRUD you are hearing! The country will survive Donald Trump. The country has survived every president and will survive Donald Trump.
How beautiful it was to see these very student-centered college professors cancel classes or postpone tests so their students can handle the grief of Donald Trump being elected?
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=8365
Are you kidding me? ADULTS, what are you teaching your students? Canceling classes; tests; postponing exams, the adults have taught the students that when you don’t get what you want, you can stop the “world.” You – moral narcissists – can stop others who did do their work in preparation for the next day’s class from learning. Such moral narcissism is dangerous, especially when it inhibits one’s ability to learn. There were students who were prepared for your mid-term, sir. There were students who did their homework and were ready for the next day’s classes. I understand that you made it a choice to take the exam. Sigh! A college student having a choice to take an exam? LET ALONE A MID-TERM EXAM? Please. Then, funny because it is an econ professor… the econ. professor comes up with a “word problem” for how the student’s choice will impact their grade.
The “To Be an Adult” response: show the students – recognize that this was an election and the result is miniscule in the history of the United States of America! Mr. Trump is the 45th President. That’s all. That is all. He hasn’t even had a day as the president. All the things he has said, you (THE ADULT) believe he is going to achieve? Tell your students, life moves forward. You (student) need to change your “mind-set.” You need to get a grip on your emotions. Do not allow your emotions to dictate your actions!!
How beautiful it was to see these middle school teachers march alongside their students in support of being anti-Trump? http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Oakland-Middle-School-Protests-Trump-Alongside-Teachers-400728431.html
Are you kidding me? So, without contacting parents ahead of time, you (the adults in this situation) took those children or the cool thought “accompanied those middle school students” out of class to protest the election results? And… go figure, there were some students who did not return to the school. Wow. When I took a HIGH SCHOOL choir to a residential care facility DURING THEIR CLASS TIME (we walked to and from the residential care facility), I was admonished / disciplined by the administration, because we left campus. The choir didn’t even miss another class, but since I didn’t get the parents’ permission for them to leave campus DURING THEIR CHOIR CLASS to go sing for the residents at residential care facility, I was in trouble. In this situation, very similar, the teachers / administration / ADULTS IN CHARGE, get a “pass.” These teachers and administration get a “pass” and support the students because why? Good question for them. But, I see the answer to “why” as: the teachers and administration supported / agreed with the children’s views that we have elected the wrong person. My goodness… where were the “walkouts of celebration” when we elected the first African-American president?! I would have thought that that would have been a monumental time to walk out of class in support of our electing the first African-American president. We encourage middle school students to protest? Middle school students? When did middle school students know as much as adults, let alone know as much as high school students. Middle school students were “parroting” their parents and influential.
By the way, what about the children who do support Trump? Support the election PROCESS? I missed that in the article. How were they cared for? Did they feel they ‘had’ to conform and go with the group? Was there a safe place for them to enjoy being with other children who share their point of view?
The “To Be an Adult” response: The adult would have told the middle school students, “Everything is going to be fine. This is one election. We were fine when a one term senator who, by the way – didn’t finish his one term – was our president for the last eight years. We will be fine. If President-Elect Trump doesn’t do his job, he won’t be president for long. Enjoy being a child.” Show a sense of optimism. Seriously. Support the slow growth of growing up. These are 11; 12; 13-year-old children. Allow them the joy of being children.
And then, there was amazing display of courage by the Milpitas High School principal? Really? As of the writing of this blog entry (November 11, 2016; 8:00am), I am shocked there isn’t a “gofundme” account set-up for Mr. Morales. http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/10/breaking-news-milpitas-high-principal-leave-for-ant-trump-profanity-student-walkout/
Are you kidding me? A high school principal believed it was appropriate to escort 250 or so high school students to the stadium and then express his opinions? Placing Mr. Morales on administrative leave is quite appropriate. My opinion: Mr. Morales wasn’t placed on leave for expressing his beliefs, it was because he used poor language. I appreciate his taking responsibility for his action. But, he aligned himself with those 250 students and left out the students who do support Trump and / or even the election process.
The “To Be an Adult” response: as the article cited, Mr. Morales did a fantastic job having the upset students go to the stadium. Kept people safe. Following the assurance that everyone was safe, Mr. Morales should have informed the students that if they did not return to class, he would phone their parents and have them go home. Then, whatever is the district’s policy in regards to not going to class would be enforced. Mr. Morales would teach the students: rights, comes responsibilities. Sometimes those expression of rights can lead to a “legal” response; in this case, suspension or detention.
So, what happens to or for the “pro-Trump” students? I have read several articles and I am missing the “safe rooms” for the “pro-Trump” students. Yes, there has been some inappropriate “pro-Trump” actions, but not to the level of this student being beaten or the RIOTS in Portland. http://www.ktvu.com/news/216760384-story
Are you kidding me? By only supporting the students who are “anti-Trump,” you have alienated the rest of the students. We (adults on campus) have been taught that all students are important. If all students are important, how can you (adults on campus) not recognize that: walking out with “anti-Trump” students; writing emails to OLDER students expressing your feelings about the election sure does alienate the other population. Yes, you are bullying those students who do not agree with your vision. This young lady should have been in a safe environment.
The “To Be an Adult” response: Prior to the election, all the schools should have been given a strong message that every student on every campus is safe! When any student hurts or defames another student due to differences is UNAMERICAN and will face the consequences according to our district’s policies ! The week prior to the election, our principal did write an eloquent statement stating that all views of the presidential election will be respected on campus and as far as I know…there were no incidents coming close to the ones described in this article.
Bottom line, I am Monday Morning Quarterbacking… I get that. How did we not see this rotten behavior coming? How did any adults on a public-school campus – at any level – believe that any response other than “respect the process / respect the results” was appropriate? Our students needed us to be adults. We needed to take control of the situation. Each of us had two buckets of clear liquid: one was water and one was gasoline. In the cases in this article, among many others, adults on campuses certainly did not put out the fires. The road to hell is paved with best intentions.
I am very sad to have read, there were adults on campuses that missed the opportunity to remind students:
1). All of us are totally responsible for our actions. Control our feelings and we control our actions. Do not allow feelings lead to actions that hurt others or you. Instead, decisions were made based on feelings. Paraphrasing from an educator, “I know you are all feeling lost or depressed, so _______________” There are times that are depressing, for example, the loss of a close relative. There are religions that insist a week of mourning for a dead relative. But, to equate the results of a presidential election to something so major as the loss of a relative; leading a teacher to change the day’s events? Really? No. This was a time for us (adults on campus) to show our students how to deal with a loss and discourage them to allow their feelings to lead to negative actions. Actions should lead to feelings. Hurting others leads to feeling good? In my twenty-eight years of teaching, I cannot remember a time when I see students’ feelings leading to hurtful actions as being acceptable, understandable, or explainable. If we continue to encourage such thinking (feelings lead to actions), we are a doomed nation.
The book AS A MAN THINKETH by James Allen needs to return to the classroom. Some quotes from the book:
- Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.
- Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.
- Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.
- Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.
The Bible will not return to the public-school classroom, but this is a strong quote Proverbs 23:7 (NIV) – …for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
2). Our nation has had 44 presidents. Most of our nation’s presidents have been outstanding and a handful – questionable. Our nation will survive a Trump presidency. Who knows? Our nation may even thrive with a Trump presidency. Wouldn’t you (our students) want the president to succeed? Would you (our students) want others to see you succeed if you were a leader of an organization? We want whomever is president to succeed because his success gives each of us a greater chance to succeed.
3). Our students are watching us. Therefore, we need to be on our “best game” at all times. Again, I am grateful for Mr. Morales accepting responsibility for his actions. Very good leadership. Because he has informed his students that there are certain / specific students he identifies with, he may need to step down. He made a mistake. He deserves to be a principal. I hope he will continue to be a principal. He sounds a like a “solid” man who made a mistake. Would be a powerful lesson for the Milpitas High School community to hear him – in person – say what he said in the story I shared and then reassure the Milpitas High School community that all the people at Milpitas High School are important to him. Again, so hard to be a public-school employee. You want the freedom we all have, but we have limited freedom. We needed to show our students that life moves forward.
Monday, November 14, 2016 will be an interesting day. I hope we will re-boot and learn how to respond to a “loss” in a more loving spirit.
God Bless the United States of America.