The Next 48 Hours

 

Thanks, Katie Howland.

Last night my sister made a batch of Pakistan goulash, a favorite food from our childhood. She said she plans to eat this cheesy comfort casserole for the next three days.

I'm buffering myself in a Harris-blue shirt (today) and a new (Harris-blue) blouse and patterned slacks tomorrow. I'm ready to wear my Harris-blue RAYGUN "Books Build Better Brains" T-shirt on Wednesday.

I'm also giving myself, my students, and those around me all the grace I can muster.

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We are tense. 

This feels like applying for a new job: We have to convince ourselves the work and effort are WORTH it, while simultaneously reminding ourselves that if we lose, we'll be okay.

Or will we? 

Serve me up some of that Pakistan goulash.

Enough.
Be well.
Write.

Allison

It's Not Over

We know it won't be over on Tuesday. 

This from Reuters :

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Democrats are readying a rapid-fire response to flood social media and the airwaves with calls for calm and patience with vote-counting should Donald Trump try to prematurely claim election victory, as he did in 2020, Harris campaign and party officials told Reuters...

It has been eight years since a presidential candidate has delivered a conceding phone call to the winner and a concession speech to the nation, modeling for the free world what Democracy looks like. Hillary Clinton, despite winning the popular vote by almost 3 million, called Donald Trump :

"I congratulated Trump and offered to do anything I could to make sure the transition was smooth," she wrote. "It was all perfectly nice and weirdly ordinary, like calling a neighbor to say you can't make it to his barbecue. It was mercifully brief ...."

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Four years later, the tradition of conceding an election was jettisoned when Trump not only refused to make "the phone call" and "the speech," he also refused to attend Biden's inauguration or assist in the peaceful transfer of power. 

You all know this. 

But think of our first-time voters. They were in the fifth grade in 2016. They likely don't remember watching the Obamas, with utmost grace, welcome the Trumps to the White House in January 2017. Watch it here, but you might want to have Kleenex handy.

Our youngest voters have grown up seeing a good chunk of America decry its democratic principles during elections. To them, our elections do not come with calm assurance that this nation can move forward, guided by Lincoln's better angels of our nature.

I don't think Trump will concede a loss tomorrow night without months of fractious, litigious post-election disruption. He has already told us what he will do if he wins--which frightens me even more.

Regardless of the outcome of the vote, nothing will be over for some time to come.

Peace be with you.

Allison 

A Golden Ball

A gold mirrored disco ball hangs in the center of my classroom. It is there to remind students that we are in a place where we are kind to all, welcoming, forgiving, and patient. The expectation is civility, and students get it. 

This doesn't mean we never hear an insult or see rudeness. But such behaviors are the exception. Students even admonish each other: "Look at the golden ball!" which is a happy way of getting us back on track.

It's taken me years to hone an effective classroom management style, and besides my selfish preference to work in a peaceful space, there is a pedagogical reason for my attention to decorum. You see, when students feel safe from ridicule, they are more likely to share their opinions, try new learning, and explore their creative selves. 

This is also why civilizations have developed expectations for public interactions. We (generally) do not accost one another in the grocery store or at work or in the library-- We agree to behaviors that allow us to go about our business with some confidence and security.

Which brings me to Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

In the preceding 72 hours (not to mention the preceding 72 months) our news cycle roiled with "he saids--" and "she saids--" There no longer seems to be a basement to abasement. 

We've heard "comedians" riffing on ethnicity and gender; news anchors excusing racism; "serious" politicians condoning violent rhetoric; we've even seen a candidate for president miming a sex act.

The current atmosphere of public political exchange is the polar opposite of what I work to create in my classroom, where ideas are expressed with supporting evidence, with respect to people with opposing views, and with adherence to social norms.

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It used to be teachers taught students the civility they needed to function as adults in the world beyond the schoolhouse gates.

Now it seems we have turned this model on its head. I am preparing my students for a civilized public sphere that no longer exists. There is no golden ball.

Enough.
Enough.
Enough.

Allison