Star Trek TNG Darmok

SeeStar Trek Darmok.

Another night of insomnia, another blog post… Hmmm… pattern developing? Oh well, communication has been on my mind alot. As i posted last, there is power and strength in connectivity and relationships. My students are about to embark on our unit of westward expansion. The continual catastrophe that was contact between the Indigenous tribes and the American government and people was because of a number of things but communication and understanding was clearly deficient. I want my students to see that and to learn from that. They can only do better if we give them the tools to do better.

So as I laid in bed last night playing tetris on my phone (the ONLY video game I’ve ever enjoyed) I decided to continue my Star Trek TNG watching. I’ve slipped lately but before the episode began I remembered Darmok. If you haven’t seen it you need to. Its season 5 Episode 2. The short synopsis is Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew have to make contact and communicate with a species that they have never contacted before. There was no reference or prior understanding but they have to learn to communicate to survive.

The use of imagery and metaphor are relied upon heavily to resolve the situation. As I was watching I was typing out the guiding questions and tweeting with a few colleagues about my idea.

Let’s see how it goes…

And it began exactly like anything in a school needing technology does. The tech didn’t work properly. We did get it going though and all classes were able to watch the episode. It was really fun to see them get exasperated and frustrated with the miscommunication but began to understand what they were supposed to learn.

Then the magic word “codeswitch” came up. If you do not know what that is, read up here. The kids made connections with inside jokes, metaphorical stories, myths, legends, and other means of communication.

More exciting than successfully pulling this lesson off, I was just as excited about what I had understood better after watching the episode for the 6th time today, We have to know people to talk to people. Relationships take time, and I’m pretty sure that’s why they hurt when they go away. The support and structure those stories, memories, events, and jokes cannot just be “uploaded”. Again in partner with my previous post, we have to do this… We have to invest the time.

I cannot wait to read their responses next week!

Sawa Bona

Sawa Bona

I’ve felt off and isolated for several weeks. It is a number of things, personal, professional, familial, cultural, there’s something just not whole anywhere with me.

I made the mistake of falling asleep too early last night. So I’ve been up since 3AM, there’s a song titled that here . It's not completely appropriate but close enough… I like music. If you don’t I worry about you. But back to my early free time… I saw a headline a few days ago and never got around to reading it. I found the article by Dr. Starla Fitch and you need to read it too. . The accompanying TED Talk is worth a watch.

We aren’t people anymore, at least not like we used to be. And in a number of ways that’s okay. It’s evolution. Everything changes, even when we don’t want it to. And we just have to adjust and appreciate what we had. But what if what we had becomes harder and harder to obtain what we had? What if those connections that get lost. As the article and Talk say, 80 million Americans say they feel like there is no one close to them to share their lives with. To share their souls, experiences, fears, and to be there to endure pain and suffering together. That’s absolutely terrifying and degenerative to our species.

I don’t know why, I think there are a number of reasons but we just don’t like each other anymore. We pick, we fuss, we argue, we gloat, and we cower. We hide in our homes and echo into our own self-delusions and dreams. We are mean and mad at each other and we just don’t want to talk about it anymore, but these aren’t things we can just “not talk about”. It's easy to bitch about who has to pay what tax. It’s noble to discuss world-view ideological differences and work for consensus and know you are not always going to win. But after those disagreements, you are still a human. And so is everybody else. But we aren’t talking about those issues. And I’m not saying we haven’t had these crises before… But we should be past this…

The humanity of so many humans is daily questioned, trivialized, ridiculed, commoditized, and consumed by other humans. Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot includes the passage:

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

We are all we have kids! We have to be better at this. And I know we can.

We are discussing the Star-Spangled Banner in class this week. And my students were assigned to argue whether they felt it was an appropriate song for our National Anthem. They have to read an opinion contrary to theirs, because everyone has to listen to each other. Reasonable people can listen. We don’t have to accept another’s view. We have to listen to them. We have to hear them. This is how we become better humans. Chris Abani has a wonderful TED Talk here about storytelling and discusses elements of his past. He discusses after living through horror and destruction that he introduces himself as a Human for “so many days” The point being I am a better human today, than I was yesterday. And I will be a better one tomorrow. That’s all I can be.

I’ll close with music. My daughter and I’s favorite band. First here is the song. But it’s really worth it to listen to this live version. Skip to about 2:10 for the song to begin and wait for the Ali tribute at the end. That statement is the closest to religious thought I can achieve, and really I think that's all we really need.

The lyrics are here and I cannot express how much this song means to me. How many people I think of as I listen to it. My kids collectively and individually. So many of my students. A precious few friends and family. There are so many ways those connections with one another alter and break. We know they are coming too, but that doesn’t mean we have to like them. And damn, it hurts when things go away. But what did I have? That’s what keeps me going. Knowing that those connections can be made again. It is a terrible thing to live in fear and isolation. We have to be strong enough to reach out and listen. If someone has not done that for you, do that for someone. Don't let them scare or hate the human out of you! I I can admit I haven’t been a good friend, and I want to work on that. I would like to ask you to try it as well.

I’ll leave you this this passage from Dr. Fitch's TED Talk and know that I see you.

"Perhaps we can take our cue from the Natal tribes of South Africa. Members greet each other with “Sawa bona,” which means “I see you.” They respond with “Sikhona,” which means “I am here.”

Over and over and over and over and over and over

I find myself starting and stopping a number of ideas and never coming back to them. Its frustrating. There is so much to contend it is near impossible to focus on one item, area, issue, or concern. And when I do, all I see is how it connects to so much more and then it just becomes dizzying and I so I turn on Star Trek The Next Generation (which has become my escape). But even there, I keep seeing our stories. There are few issues related to human interaction that aren’t discussed on this show and perhaps that is an area I could focus and write more… But more on that later. This is just to get some thoughts out and hopefully serve as a cathartic exercise as well as a statement of action. So here goes…

I’ve talked before about my upbringing and the conservative nature of many figures of my youth. The story that got me thinking and typing today has its roots in those beginnings. Pro-life/Pro-Choice and Roe v. Wade were things I knew little of until I was a teenager. It was never discussed in my family, mostly because it wasn’t a topic to come up. But, the church made up for that… My opinion matters little but it lands on the pro-choice side, firmly. I always felt conflicted but as I matured I realized my conflict wasn’t about my views, it was about theirs. I get the idea of an abortion is terrible. I don’t know what pro-birth (be nice) pro-life people think happens or how someone feels when that decision is made but I can guarantee it isn’t a pleasant,  anticipated, or sought-after one. My thought has always been to reduce the needs, ensures a reduction in the practice. I also thought we should care about those kids we “saved from the mills”.

The modern pro-life movement does not care about either of those things. I will argue with anyone who disagrees, but the facts, the history, the movement, the actions, and what our country is now prove my point. Sen. Chris Murphy brilliantly pointed this out and I feel more confident in my views, even though my country may not represent that right now. This is a topic that will always divide us, but we have to find compassion and we have to be brave.

Another area of concern is how much of this should make it into my classroom. I know teachers all over the country are grappling with this, or they should be. The parallels cannot be hidden but it is a tightrope we walk. I’m not going to write too much on this as I don’t really know what it is I am supposed to do other than ensure my instruction is as fact-based as possible, in a world of alternative facts.

In class we have covered the first few decades of our nation. I guess this week is as good a time as any for an analytical review of the actions and events of our history. It's hard not to read the tweets and executive orders from President Trump and follow the career and ideology of Steve Bannon and raise eyebrows at studying the Alien and Sedition Act. The portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office juxtaposed with this “understanding” from President Trump’s DHS cannot be overlooked. More on Jackson and Trump here. I would also HIGHLY recommend Jacksonland by Steve Inskeep.

Of course the overall aura of Jackson on Trump’s worldview is clear. I don’t know how I won’t be able to talk about this understanding when we get there in class…

It is a tightrope we walk but I’ve been telling my students what the tweet below says for years…

We can’t help but talk about it, and we can’t help but be honest and truthful about it. Even if that scares us, and even if that isn’t what is popular in our particular school, community, or state.

I've been a part of several online conversations about the immortal quote related to "repeating history". What troubles me most and dampens most of my discussions about this is I can't say "this isn't who we are" with a straight face. The problem is, and why this is happening now, is because it has happened before, over and over and over and over again. There isn't an era in our history that doesn't have a parallel to what we are doing now. The methods, optics, and coverage have changed but the song remains the same. We are a nation that has seen itself from its inception as a social club of exclusive citizens. That definition of citizen has changed through our history and is in no way set in stone. It is up to us as a people to decide how much of the good and the bad prevail... and how history records it.

I can’t offer a lot of guidance other than know your material, study, read and become a sponge of information, good information, fact. Based, information. I can tell you I will be with you, if you need advice, if you want to talk, if you have a concern, please contact me through social media. We have to reach out and be there for each other, we have to know others are there for us…

11-9-16 Now What...

I've been busy, but not busy enough… I think I'll treat the return to the interwebs like tearing off a band-aid. Just jump right in...

I love driving. I enjoy the feel of it. I'm not a car guy tho, I don't care what it is I just like driving. The control, the movement, the multi-tasking, the group dynamic of traffic. I'm weird and i embrace it. Music is a big part of that driving thing. Everywhere i go can be a journey.

My current mode of transportation is a remarkably reliable compact car. Domestic because whatever but it works. It has a radio but no connections for Ipods or anything like that i'm going to have to fix that at some point but for now its local radio. I love some of our local stations. I love that Chuck has been on the air since I was the age of my students. I miss Phil and Brant but the music is really what I like.

Before I begin please be kind in your judgement of songs, remember I’m at the mercy of the radio… and yeah I know that’s not what some of these songs are talking about but I don’t really care, I look for meaning… But I would like to give you a glimpse into my journey to school today.

Today’s journey began with the chorus of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream “let's runaway and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back” I mean I was in a car, I was going, I could… run. My state has given me reason to. My country told me last night, money and fear mean more to them than the future and freedom of my children and my students. No, of course I wouldn’t run away, but only a fool would think I, and countless other teachers, didn’t have that thought cross our minds.

I flipped the station. The Edge had the The Head and the Heart's All We Ever Knew. And “all we ever we do is all we ever knew.” rambles on the as the chorus. It was such a sobering chorus as i recalled what happened last night. I teach history. I cannot emphasize how REAL this is right now. “I'm trying to wake up from this.” he sings later. Even the damn la la la la la la’s make sense. I know I’m reading too much into this but it's how I process and how I think we are supposed to relate and learn.

And as I pulled into school and a station flip gives me Gnash's I Hate You I Love You with the chorus “I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you…” There aren’t words for where and how we are right now. There aren't words for how I feel about my country. Van Jones spoke for so many parents last night. So many of my students. We have to do better than this, and we will. I love what this country can be, I don’t like what it expressed last night.

Then my day started…

I found it hard to smile in the hallway. Some of these kids are scared, and they have a real reason to be. They were told last night, their country is at best indifferent, and at worst, complicit and condoning of their suffering.

We are watching 1776 in class this week as a reward/learning opportunity for the incredible work my students have been doing this year. In spite of this climate, in spite of knowing the adults don’t care. This has been and will continue to be an interesting and tough year teaching our nation’s history. And my student's will learn and grow. And be more prepared than we were.

We got thru about 30-35 min of the musical and then spent the rest of the time discussing what we witnessed.

Pieces of the musical are remarkably relevant. The conflict between the interests of rights, specifically property rights, was telling. What is worth fighting for? What is valued? Gleaning from the results last night, teachers got the message. The kids got the message as well by the way, they aren’t cared about. Their future is not worth the sacrifice or even the attention of their elders. We. Are. Failing. Them.

Judge Wilson’s comment “we could let loose the beast without an ability to control it”. Boy was that one that stuck with a few kids. There is new territory for us. These are just short thoughts. I don't have it in me to unpack all of these right now.

Also, Franklin’s description of the “new race” that was spawned on this continent holds a number of apt adjectives for our current state. “More violent, less-refined". There is some evidence now that those traits are still there...

Our country, state, and community needs work. Our hearts need work. I’m not religious but I’m glad I was once. I’ve lost so much respect and faith in people I never thought I would. I’ve found so much more to this work and in this world and in the hearts of those I’ve met. We are a good people. Humans have the capacity, we just have to find it again.

My Ipod came thru for me after class. I had the headphones in walking to the car, and Portugal the Man's Modern Jesus . This is one of my favorite songs. This was listened to a lot last night... The words of the chorus "Don’t pray for us, we don’t need no modern Jesus, the only rule we need is giving up, the only faith we have is faith in us…" We are beyond prayers. Action is needed. It’s time to grieve, it's time to reflect, and it's time to continue working.

The Buddhist proverb has never meant more to me now,,,

Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.

We all woke up today (if you're reading this anyway), and we all lived our lives today. We had class. And we will tomorrow. I'm going to let the kids talk. It's their future, and its our responsibility to fight for it.  

There I blogged again... It'll get better...

I got in trouble for not blogging… So I’ll start slow and get back into it. My summer was spent reading, a lot of reading. It was really a good summer! I moved to 8th grade this year so I am teaching US History. I’m finishing my masters in Native American Leadership from Southeastern this fall. I get to teach colonialism, American Independence, Indian Removal, Slavery, and the Civil War while simultaneously taking Tribal Sovereignty and Critical Thinking masters courses! This should be a good year, no matter what the anti-education legislators in this state, aided by our remarkably ineffective and anti-education governor try to do to rain on my parade. Hey, they already started losing, I mean thank you Edmond for this. I am so glad this classless stunt didn't amount to much... That being said, we still have work to do, this somehow elected leader still occupies an office, as does Nathan Dahm, who for some reason won't debate Kimberly Fobbs (feel free to ask him about that, but god luck getting a response). John Waldron is going to need all the help #OKLAED can muster, as will many others.

School has started well. I mean, when Deborah Gist makes an appearance on the first day, you know school really started. And while I was being the old curmudgeon teacher breaking the rule of going over my syllabus on the first day, I did add jokes. I have all 8th grade courses. My morning groups are under 30, but My 3 afternoon courses are all 30+ and possibly growing, but hey, what’s life without challenges??? I cannot wait to see how many state legislators want to visit and see what we are doing to learn about this country and what it means to be a citizen.

I have a number of kids I had last year, so a lot of the relationship and culture building is more of a “dusting off and remembering” exercise, than building from scratch. I hope this allows us to move a little quicker and dig a little deeper. I really cannot describe how excited I am for this year.

I also got to enjoy my birthday present this past week. My daughter is a BIG Coldplay fan, my sister and I bought tickets, and one for her, last spring. We couldn’t tell her until the day before, but with her treatment and recovery going well she got to see them and I really enjoyed watching her much more than the show itself, which was extraordinary.

 
 

So, there, I blogged… This week should provide material as we discuss the French and Indian War, and go over the anti-bullying culture we are creating in our building…

Something new... A book review... Sacred Hoops by. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty

I’m going to do something new because I did something I haven't done in a while… I read a book, cover to cover, in one afternoon. I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and purchased a few books I was hunting. This is one of them. Go buy it. Now.  

I’ve been looking for Phil Jackson’s books for a while, and looking for time to read them. It's summer break and I have two pools at my apt complex. After making it home from the store I realized I had nothing else to do for the day. I headed to the pool, book in hand. A few hours later, a few breaks, here and there, and I was done. It's a very well written book and this review is definitely meant to coax you into putting your eyes on a copy. There is a lot of wisdom in the pages and incredible insight into what it takes to lead people towards a common goal. 

First off, I grew up in the 90’s. Many of my most vivid memories are watching the greatest athlete of all time win 6 rings with the Chicago Bulls. My friends and I would watch them together, my dad loved watching Jordan play. I think now, he liked watching the Bulls play. I always knew there was something special about that team, there had to be. How else did they win so much? I was way to young and immature to see it then. Reading this book confirmed my suspicion, those were special teams. 

Phil Jackson was the coach of the Chicago Bulls during their two 3peats. He inherited Jordan as a member of the team. The other parts, and the development of their success was a collective effort, lead principally by Phil Jackson. 

Phil mentions, as many have already speculated, and believe, the idea that “anyone could have coached the Bulls with Jordan”. Well, while there is truth to that, and one can even hypothesize with the evidence in the text, anyone could have coached the Bulls. But they would not have won 6 titles. This book helps show why and how they managed to win 6 titles in 8 years. 

I was always intrigued by professional coaches. How did they do what they did? Surely, an NBA practice was more than drills and lay ups? I know those are the basics and all, but what else did they do? Also, it was weird to me that they did that for a job? Was practice 8 hours a day? What all else did they do? Of course, I was comparing this to my shallow knowledge of the game. Little league, and middle school ball. As I’ve grown, I’ve understood a lot more. And in that understanding, I have learned to find ways to learn and develop. I love learning new things, and there was a lot in this book. 

The book begins with a discussion over competing ideologies. This conflict serves as the thesis for why Phil is the way he is. 

Phil Grew up in a remarkably strict and devout Christian home. He discussed the influence of his mother and her faith.  Her strength and knowledge is a testament many in this country can relate. Later in the book this incredible piece of understanding clarifies how Phil allowed this to shape his being and actions. 

The value of our identity, all of it, is critical to our development as a person. Phil's ability to move beyond the binary understanding of our being and use all elements of our humanity to reach people is something we should take into account as teachers. Much like teams, our classes are remarkably diverse. All walks of life, all experiences, all income levels. This has to be a part of our understanding. And we have to be aware of this in decision making, classroom management, and how we conduct our classroom overall.

Throughout the text, Phil discussed his Zen philosophies and beliefs. He discussed his understanding of Christianity and how many of the attitudes and values were universal. The strength of compassion and care was not only discussed, but emphasized with moments. Phil worked to impart a philosophy and practice within his players. They were a part of something, and that something was going to be as great as they allowed to be. They were more than just players winning a game. During a playoff run Scottie Pippen lost his father. Phil and the team's reaction was not only personal, it helped deflect suspicion, innuendo, and criticism from outside. During the second 3peat Toni Kukoc had joined the team. Toni was from Croatia, which was in the midst of a bloody Civil War. While no one could have honestly sympathized or felt what Toni was going through, they worked to understand and made accommodations for Toni, as best they could. 

Side note: I remember this story and use it in my class. There is an ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary Once Brothers, over the former Yugoslavian basketball team. Dino Radja, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, and Drazen Petrovic were all parts of this team, and all made it to the NBA. Go watch it and tell me it isn't a compelling story. 

Back to the Review: The word mindfulness is mentioned several times. And if you've ever had the chance to hear Phil discuss this in an interview, mindfulness is one of his favorite words. It would be a big one on his word cloud. He defines mindfulness as simply paying attention to what’s actually happening. When this practice is applied to all the other resources, a shift in awareness occurs (p. 5). People can become attuned with one another, and if you recall (how can you forget) how smooth and poetic the play of the entire Bulls teams, they were in tune with one another. 

I appreciate how Phil contrasts this with a more common view and understanding, the Puritan Work Ethic. Phil was raised in a home where "idle hands and minds were the devils tool." The constant necessity to be "doing" or "working" is something we can all, in some way, understand. This is how we live in this country. This is how we are forced to teach sometimes... What I took from this reading, and what I have learned as I've grown older is speed isn't everything. Taking our time to understand, taking a breath to pause and reflect, simply paying attention to "what's going on" can be powerful. Mindfulness isn't a scary or bad thing... 

The answer to one of my earlier question is, coaches do a lot. And a lot of it has little to do with the sport they coach. The egos, the personalities, the talent, the resources, the goal, all have to have shape and purpose. That's what coaches do. Phil found ways to elevate their talents. He found ways they could grow and learn. The religious discussions within the text often turn to spiritual conversations and journeys. Something much more palatable and workable in the unique dynamic of teams and even classrooms. Wisdom is rarely certain and always cautious. The necessity to be right and to win can often cloud true victories.

One thing I love about we humans, is regardless of the uniqueness the situation, we are a predictable and pattern-happy bunch. So much of what happens on a sports team can be applied to our classrooms. They can be infinitely applied to our competitive world of business and economics but, that's not what I do. I truly appreciate how Phil applies such selflessness and community into his coaching. That can tear down walls and create magic in our classrooms. 

I want you to read it so I won't keep writing about it. Something special happened this season in the NBA the Warriors went 73-9, besting the Bulls regular season record. They didn't win the title though. What the Warriors did (then didn't finish) was remarkable. Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors was, of course, a player under Phil Jackson during a few of those championships. I haven’t read a lot about Kerr’s coaching philosophy but I would be willing to bet it was no accident a pupil of Phil Jackson’s was the person to coach a team past his regular season record, even if they didn’t “get that ring”. 

I hope you go read this, in spite of my endorsement... 

Orlando and American Violence

I'm not really sure what or how to say what I've been thinking this past week. I’ve been thinking a lot about a lot of things.. What happened in Orlando was what can only be referred to as an expected surprise. That is, we didn’t know where, who, when, or why, but let's be honest and admit we were all resigned to the fact that there WOULD be another mass shooting. It was just a matter of time. According to numbers we often do not have to wait long at all for one of these catastrophes to occur.

It leads us to the benign and redundant questions…

Why does this happen here?

Why or what is it about the people within these borders and violence?

Why can’t we do a damn thing about it?

Now, I’m a history teacher and valor-filled violence is the title track to our nation’s melodious mayhem. We are 240 year riot in progress from indigenous interaction (colonization), The Civil War and slavery, to Jim Crow. The Indian Wars to reservations and Indian Removal, the Dawes Act, and later land runs. Violence is a big part of our story.

The framing of these events, of course, is everything to our perception of good and bad violence. History lets us clean it up, but a better understanding of all elements would give us a better chance at knowing what to do today.

Our history is multi sided and we MUST start acting that way.

Of course, I spent most of my life blind to the other half of that history. As a white male, my rights have NEVER been in danger in this country. I haven’t had to fight for too many of mine. From my comfortable privileged positions I can always frame a furtherance of liberty and freedom as “just” and “benevolent”. I can even lament the awful tragedy of “it's about time”, not considering the “why” behind why it took so long…

This attitude should rightly be seen as patronizing and demeaning. I now know not to see things this way. As if a government made of white guys needs to tell women, POC, the  LGBTQA community, and religious minorities they can have rights!?!? The audacity in the belief this government “gave” those constituencies rights is ignorant at best, or at worst, a further protraction of White Hegemonic Power and control, cloaked in the praises of “Freedom and “liberty”. Being honest about this can start the healing…

This is critical because, as Hasan Minhaj pointed out so eloquently (clip here whole speech is worth watching tho) “Civil Rights are an all or nothing thing.” And as Obama noted in his 2004 Address to the Democratic National Convention (another speech you should watch if you haven’t already) “We are the United States of America” and if one person’s rights are violated, or one person is hurting unnecessarily, “...that hurts me too.”

This attack was on American values. This attack was targeted towards the LGBTQA community. And as long as elements of our culture attempt to degrade and belittle the experience of their fellow citizens, events like this will continue.

There have been remarkable outpourings of support, condolences, and raw emotion for and within the LGBTQA community. I read account after account, and reaction after reaction and cried (I can be a crier). History is valuable and knowing all our brothers and sisters history is by far, the best way to combat the fear and hatred that is allowed to fester.

If we continue to allow this blindness to continue, violence and misunderstanding will always be with us. We will never rid the world of evil, no matter what a pundit or politician says. But we can minimize it and make it hard to thrive. Fire needs fuel, Humans need food, water, and oxygen, hate needs ignorance fear. Let’s starve it out…