Want to know what really ails us here in the USA? Well, here’s a snapshot of the country…and it’s not pretty (nor what you think).
We’ve got a lot of issues, don’t we? Whether you want to talk about the ongoing discussion, debate and activism (including rioting) about racism or the issues of the financial stability of the country (or lack thereof) as evidenced by the declining economic position of the middle class. We can, and probably should, debate our issues related to gay marriage, and that will lead us to a discussion about the problem of tolerance (or, again, the lack thereof).
I contend however, that our overall issues are deep, moral issues about our character. Until we, as a people, are willing to engage in this discussion, then there are no fixes that will really count. And, as evidence #1, I’ll shift to the topic of education since that’s where I’ve spent my last 12 years working.
Back in April, the legal case about how several Atlanta educators cheated on their students end of year tests came to some culmination. The cheating was rampant, including principals and senior teachers. Yet, if you read some of the commentary, the issue ISN’T that educators cheated, but rather a discussion about testing or about poverty or about children under pressure.
Those issues do deserve further discussion. On each I have a strong opinion. However, those issues can’t fully be solved in some way that matters while we ignore the deeper societal challenge before us. In this instance, we obviously are living in a culture where cheating easily acceptable, or if not fully “acceptable” (they were ultimately arrested, lost their jobs and are facing jail time), then seen as a fairly normal path to solve a tricky issue.
The funny thing….well, not funny at all but truly sad…is that educators as a rule usually are the ones on the front lines of condemning students for cheating. It’s among our top laments about the state of students we face today. And yet, having worked with educators for over a decade now, it’s sad how easy it is for the hypocrisy to arise when the shoe is on the other foot
As I’ve said before, I write this to help you realize how to Live Well, and I will continue to maintain that to do this, to Live Well, you must have an integrity that you won’t compromise on. You always tell the truth, live truthfully in your actions and words. I understand these Atlanta educators (and sadly probably many others in other states) felt under pressure. Yes, raises were probably connected to how the students did, and maybe the educators had done heroic work for the students, yet not to a level necessary related to the test. I get all of that. And yet….
That was the moment for personal integrity. Then, right when the first person considered changing an answer for a student, was the moment for the person’s core values to emerge to say “no…I won’t cheat.”
But look at our country? When was the last time that we really condemned a cheater? Sports coaches cheat and then flee their team ahead of sanctions only to get hired to high paying jobs elsewhere. Politicians cheat in a variety of ways and yet somehow end up financially stable, out of jail and with maybe only a semi-tarnished reputation. Business leaders cheat, bankers and brokers cheat, mortgage lenders cheat….and they never go to jail (or rarely do) and somehow seem pretty well off financially.
The message of our country seems to be “cheat as much as you can get away with…and if you get caught, just say you are sorry and move along….back to more cheating.” We simply don’t care.
Sigh. This is among the most frustrating posts I’ve written. We are in trouble as a nation. We have spent the past 25 years saying there is no truth, that things are merely relative. We’ve let leaders like Clinton not only get away with cheating, but to prosper where he’ll get paid $200,000 to give a speech. We see the rioting in Baltimore and are frustrated with poverty and worry about Iran and get mad at politicians of both parties for their stubbornness….and we don’t confront the real issue.
We have a morality problem. Till we confront that, confess it, condemn the failures and decide to live a different path, then there will be no fixes.