Strength in the classroom

Strength in governance

Like a chameleon’s skin, the look of strength changes according to the situation.

I know this from over forty years of teaching high school students.

Managing other people is an art form—and in terms of art, a realistic landscape—not an abstract painting.

We are currently witnessing many faces of weakness in terms of our government and in some European leaders, who now are stepping into leadership as Putin’s threats affect their countries. Here, whether one is a Democrat or a Republican, a Libertarian or an Independent, we must face the fact that this war in Ukraine has highlighted a United States that has indecisive and inarticulate leaders, ones that most of us would not follow down a footpath.

Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, embodies strength and leadership through his words and more importantly, his actions, His example should be used by teachers in classrooms around this nation and the world’s.

If I learned anything about managing smart, precocious, and sometimes challenging people it was to lay down rules appropriate to the situation, enforce them, and consistently role-model such rules.

I remember well a specific afternoon in the journalism class when Darryl D. wrote what he thought was a hilarious parody of school administrators. One of the characters in his column he named Dick.

I watched him circulate among the younger students regaling them with the nuances of his column. Soon, he had 100% agreement that this column was brilliant, especially the subtleties which Mrs. Sabraw would “miss.” ( I had exceptional hearing in those days.)

One of my class rules was that I had the final judgement about good and bad taste in writing or speaking.

Darryl dropped the column on my desk and then sashayed over to the young girls in the class.

I read the piece and wrote “not appropriate for publication” in blue ink and dropped it in the outgoing work tray.

His classroom sovereignty tarnished, Darryl decided to take the issue to the world stage, our classroom.

What??? This column is brilliant! Give me one good reason why it is inappropriate for publication? he announced to his classmates.

Because, Darryl, I know what a dick is.

And I went back to correcting papers.