Fitting In

It seems to be one high-stakes drama after another. Extreme dissension defines the day in that we pretend that our black-and-white ethics and standards would apply and appeal to all.

Reason has become a sapling amongst a forest of political agendas. Without the strength of reason, that tree that marks the center of the forest, the populace is lost.

From that tree of reason, People run free. Trees of the ideological species have grown such a canopy, however, that People are losing their footing on the dimly lit ground.

People want to feel empowered again.

In schools, students want to feel equally empowered – empowered with choice, opportunity for growth, cohesion, caring, belonging, and control.

People can no longer, particularly today, feel like they are being operated on. People must know that they are the operators.

America is now the macrocosm of schools.

The political culture has become a non-democratic, negative culture.

A negative culture robs us of our reason, rationality, long-term interests, and sense of well-being. We People have lived in communities, learning to get along, establishing rules for behavior, and meeting the expectations of these rules in order to survive and thrive. People inherently have the capability of creating positive culture because of the quest for survival, a quest which has lasted for millions of years. Fitting in with a group and promoting its success is a basic human drive. If it’s ones perception he belongs to a group, he will promote the well-being of that group. If, however, one feels outside of the group, that he doesn’t belong, can’t contribute, and is without influence, that person will not only mistrust those around him but will work toward their destruction. More so, that person will work to create an opposing culture, recruiting peers who also sense that they do not belong.

Welcome to America.

Welcome to our schools.

Schools must become a microcosm of America. Schools may empower students, offer them opportunities for control and influence, and breed positive culture. Schools connect members to one another, constructing community and belongingness. Schools are a springboard into our democracy. Schools are trees of reason, the center of the forest, and not a sampling but a redwood.

Watch closely our schools.

Listen to what’s happening.

Know that our democracy will return as students springboard into recreating our culture.