Stillness

The full moon made the snow glow in the woods around our house last night. The tall trees in silhouette and the silence reminded me why so many Christmas carols talk about stillness. The wise men and the composers of old seemed to understand something about stress relief in nature before we started marketing “nature baths”. Come to think of it, my dad introduced us to nature baths on the farm, although our “baths in the barn” usually included cow manure and corn silage.  It makes me smile. How did we get to a place where someone would try to sell you a walk in the woods? Worse yet, why would anyone buy one, especially in Wisconsin? As Thornton Wilder said, “Whenever you come near the human race, there’s layers and layers of nonsense.” Still, it’s often good nonsense.

Think of the personal and family “traditions” you engage in that no one else would understand. The rituals that spring from your ethnic background, your family or your community. Often surrounding food and its preparation, some were delicious, others, not so much. My Dad insisted on lefse and fruit soup at Christmas. It was great. He also wanted sardines and “clobbered” milk. Oh, my!  Yet, it was more than just the food. There was a connection to something beyond the present moment and the need to eat. For my mother, it went beyond the food. Even the recipes were sacred and the tools used to make them. Jeanette still brings out cherished pots and dishes to sanctify certain traditions. She has recipes written in her mother’s hand. We delight in the rituals. Why?

We like to say it’s for the kids, but I think it’s just as important for us. Most of us have come to understand that life is a mystery. We KNOW there is no way to predict our future in any meaningful way. We witness evidence of this on a daily basis. (Even hourly if you focus on social media.) We KNOW people — even those who have done all the things your supposed to do _who have suffered through no fault of their own. But we also know people, lots of them actually, who have managed to find a way to build the best future they can. We have found a way to be “happy enough” as we strive to find our best lives.  And for most of us, our best lives reflect the values shared in all our Christmas stories. Hope, kindness, love, compassion, humility, grace. We’ve created a whole season of the year that gives us permission to “be nice” in everything we do. We are permitted to give each other presents, to have parties, to sing songs together, even to eat CANDY. Some see it as a solemn religious story, others see it as a fun folktale. How can that be bad? (I know some will argue that Christmas is just another marketing gimmick to sell more junk. Maybe so. Just remember Thornton Wilder’s quote and laugh. Enjoy the stuff you want and ignore the rest.) Let’s just let our kids believe in magic for a little longer and give ourselves a chance to remember what that felt like.

  

We live in a cynical age. We are inundated by “news” organizations and social media with stories of crime and catastrophe. We are besieged by misinformation. Still, we want our kids to be critical thinkers who have faith in the human spirit. We want them to be “realistic optimists," but we also want them to enjoy innocence and childhood. The rituals and traditions we create around Christmas are the stories our children will remember. We know the world is filled with much goodness and hope. We need only see it and share it with each other. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Don't Let Them Down

            My daughter sent me a photo of her classroom today. It’s her first. She has funny, motivating posters around and thoughtful photos. Also a wooden nameplate with Ms. Danielson on it given by her older sister. The room reminds me of her mom’s kindergarten class minus the stacks of picture books and kid’s art. Knowing Cassie, it will look similar soon enough. For those who have classrooms – and for those who used to have classrooms – the end of summer is an interesting time of anticipation and hopeful optimism. Veteran teachers are determined to make this year better than the last. Cautiously hopeful that most things will fall into place this year, but fully aware of the surprises that await. New teachers are just praying they can DO all the things teachers are asked to do, things they are not even aware of yet. (Like having a student pop into your classroom just after the end of school to throw-up on the floor. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t make it to the bathroom and you’re my favorite teacher.” Sure.) I know my veteran friends will reach out at every opportunity to support their young colleagues and I hope parents will do the same. We need our schools to be successful.

            Lots of educators and historians, far wiser than I, have authored excellent books and essays about the critical importance of education in our society. I can sum up what they say by quoting a poster I had in my classroom: “Life is Hard. It’s Harder When Your Stupid.” (Yes, you’re was misspelled.) Every one of us has witnessed someone making life hard – and often dangerous – because they did not have accurate information, or they had problems with critical thinking. (Have you ever said to yourself, “How could I be so #*!# stupid?” I thought so. Me, too.) We humans have always tried to help our kids learn the things they need to know to make life easier, safer, and more satisfying. And even though we have regularly debated about the essential things people should know and be able to do, we have agreed that more informed is better. As we discovered new things about our world and our lives, we even created a system, a “scientific method,” to make sense of our experience. America, in order to make knowledge available to everyone, has created one of the most successful public-school systems on earth. We need to keep improving. Here’s where you can help.

            Like many of the community-based services we have come to expect, we often take them for granted. You can help support our schools by being a partner to what they do. Even if you don’t have children in school, take time to stay informed about your local schools. Attend school events, talk to teachers, parents, students. Follow local education reporters and read about your school districts mission to educate our kids. If you do, you will understand why most American citizens are satisfied with their local public schools. They understand, as do all educators, that education is a continual work in progress, but their school is doing all right. You will understand why students – years after they have left school – will write letters of appreciation to former teachers. You will better understand why high school students will come up to their former kindergarten teacher and say, “I love you, Mrs. D.” Why high school classmates will come together decades after graduation to celebrate their days in school. In many places, especially in small towns, the public school is the very heart of the community. Don’t misunderstand – there have always been serious, sometimes raucous, discussions about school issues. In general, however, fair-minded people know the enormous service our public schools provide. They understand the skill and dedication our teachers bring to their profession. We have difficult and dangerous problems to solve in America and in our world. We also have millions of curious and hopeful kids who need our support and encouragement. We don’t want to let them down.

            In his book The Constitution of Knowledge, Jonathan Rauch writes, “As Lincoln hoped, by using their hearts and their heads, Americans have kept their experiment alive long past the age when democracies die.”

Have a good year, Cassie.