There ain’t a story here that is fit to print.
Your elected representative, Gigi Talcot announced this week that she wants to provide grant money to schools to teach "values" as determined by the local "community standard". On the outset this might sound appropriate, but there are a few questions that are unclear. Perhaps Gigi has answered these questions and knows her agenda and just hasn’t shared them with us.
Not to be cynical, but sometimes politicians have hidden reasons for what they do. Yeah, it’s true! Sometimes they say one thing and stand so their shadow covers the real message. You think you see the whole picture, but some of it is shadowed. Later, when you do see the whole picture and see things you haven't recognized – you ask the presenter "what is that" and they say innocently – "oh, was I standing in front of it? I didn’t mean to." And you are stuck with the picture anyway.
The most important question is "who’s values are the ‘community’ values. I think we all think we know what this means, but do we really?
Most communities probably share some common values, like: "do unto others", "don’t steal", "don’t rob", "don’t lie", "don’t cheat", "don’t take PAC money", "don’t vote party at the expense of individuals", don’t inflate grades", stuff like that. But some communities seem to have elements that echo other concerns that they think are just as important, like: "prayer in school", "dress codes", "expression of thought", the "restriction of offensive thought", "restriction of offensive speech", "restriction of offensive writing" (no threat here, by golly!)
Values kind of fills the void left by the failed "self esteem" emphasis that has failed so miserably the last decade. Kind of a feel good kinda thing, maybe. Perhaps instead of teaching things to kids and dictating to them what we know to be the truth in how to get along, perhaps someone should start listening to the kids.
Does Gigi think that the kids who do drive by shootings have learned that at home or school? How about raping children? How about bullying and indiscriminate hazing? Do parents sit at home and drill their kids with flash cards teaching them how to best throw a sucker punch, to best cheat on a test, to best bully another, to best load and shoot a gun?
Look, Gigi. The best way to teach a kid is by example. The best way you and schools can teach values at school is by having them yourself and displaying them. Enough hollow rhetoric and construction paper posters.
Hey, all of you folks who deal with kids, (legislators too) – why not be honorable yourself?
Dress well, speak well, smell good (soap is cheap), come to work on time, do a full days work, pick up your yard signs after the election, do something right even if others aren’t, stop patronizing each other, tell kids "no" when they need to hear "no".
Let bus drivers stop fights on the bus.
Let kids take responsibility for their actions and give out real, concrete, objective punishment when they earn it. Hey, do that for your employees and administrators too.
The scariest part of all of this is that Gigi is a cosponsor of Mikes bill to hold adulterers liable for family problems.
If his bill and this bill get mixed together, perhaps a kid would be fined his or her milk money if they break up and get a new boyfriend or girlfriend. Not that there is any adultery – but a "value" lesson to give them a taste of how the government will come down on them if they choose to be adulterous later in life.
When kids see you are serious, they will be serious too.
Pete
(via email)
