Mindless Fanaticism

I have a pet peeve.  We all do.

I watch a lot of television news.  Lately there has been a lot of coverage about the deteriorating situation in Iraq.  This morning the story broke about the beheading  of American journalist James Foley.  I find the situation terribly depressing for many reasons.  But,  I get quite irritated when I hear someone on television refer to the IS fighters in Iraq as "mindless fanatics."

Yes, they operate under a very different set of rules.  Clearly a different set of values. They don't seem to be adhering to tactics or techniques considered to be conventional or legal by any standard.  I understand this.  I would never defend what they do.  I find their actions abhorrent and against my own personal ethics.

But they are not mindless fanatics.

I know this because I fought against men like them in al Anbar in 2004-05.   I found the Sunni insurgents in Fallujah to be resilient, tough men.  Their bravery was quite extraordinary at times.  They were a shrewd adversary. They were - and are - very committed to their cause.  They are not "devils with horns and a forked tail."

To call this "mindless fanaticism" is just lazy in my opinion.   Those who use this term  simply don't know any better or - probably the case - haven't taken the time or effort to learn about these people.

If  an American soldier or Marine - armed only with a rifle, pistol, or grenade - rushed an enemy position without regard to his own life, we would give him a medal.

We wouldn't flippantly dismiss it as the act of a mindless fanatic.

Room With A View

I have a great view from my office.

Green athletic fields.   An American flag in the distance.  A memorial tree to a treasured alumnus.  A pond with geese and ducks.  Trees.  Courts for play.  Not a fire ant in sight, though I know they're out there.  I don't like fire ants.

One of my favorite things to do is look out my window and see all the activity.  Just yesterday I watched the cross country team's interval training, the quarterbacks working on the "three-step drop," and the field hockey girls practicing their shooting drills.  The kids were sweaty, but they looked happy and resolute.  The coaches were focused and organized.  Trainer Ed taped an ankle.

Everything was exactly as as it should be.

Stop by sometime for a visit.  You're always welcome in the Upper School.  I'll give you a bottle of water or a cup of coffee.  Then we can visit about your children, Country Day, or whatever you want.  I'm really busy these days, but I try never to be too busy to get to know you.  The better we know one another, the better we will understand one another.  I suspect we have the same goal in mind - your children.

Then I'll show you the view from my window.

Dinner table question of the week:

Is it ever ethical to Wi-Fi piggyback?  If so, under what conditions?

A Vital Link

Last Saturday evening I spent time with the Upper School Link Crew at their annual retreat in Midlothian.

Twenty-seven great kids and two positive, dedicated, and caring adult leaders.  Lots of positive energy.  I found the entire experience very invigorating.  A fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Please take note of the the attached photo.  You will notice a box of snacks and a water bottle.  Beside them you see a binder marked "Lead by Example."  Lead by Example.  I really like that motto.

Energy food and a noble mission.  Think on that for a moment.  In a sense that's what we really need most.  Sustenance and a raison d'etre.

Much has changed since you and I left high school.  It is a different world in many ways.  The traditional ways of providing guidance to children - while still very sound - need augmentation from time to time.  We as parents need help sometimes.  (I know I do.)  One of the many ways FWCD helps families like ours negotiate the murky waters of parenthood is through our Link Crew program.  We believe that peer guidance is very effective if done correctly.  Our goal is to do it correctly.

Our Link Crew has a dual mission, both noble:

Develop and reinforce healthy habits in our 9th graders.  We want to help our newest members strengthen communication with their peers, teachers, and families.  We want to help them improve their ability to identify and solve problems.  We hope that they will appreciate people who are different from them.  And we want to increase their confidence in fulfilling their academic and social responsibilities at FWCD and beyond our gates.

Leadership development for our Link Crew leaders.  I like to think of the Link Crew as a "leadership laboratory" for our LC members.  They run the program with adult guidance and supervision, they learn to address and manage conflict, they explore cultural diversity issues, and they learn to serve as positive role models, mentors and facilitators.

Lead by Example.  That's what they do.  I like that.



Dinner table question of the week:

Have you ever heard of Aung San Suu Kyi?  Google her.  Extraordinary woman.  Inspiring.  Talk about her with your children.  We all need heroes.



Aung San Suu Kyi

The Academic Village

Relationships take time. They have to begin sometime, however.

Ours starts today.

This blog entry begins what I hope will be a weekly correspondence. My intent is to create the ongoing conversations that I believe are vital to any learning community.

Sometimes these blog entries will be commentaries on books I have read or news events that affect us all.  Sometimes they will be serious in nature. Other times they will be humorous.   I just believe that it’s very important for you to know who I am and what I stand for.  I hope that you will enjoy reading them and take advantage of the comment box if you wish.

Each Friday Musings will conclude with a Dinner table question of the week.  This is a single question that I hope you will generate meaningful discussions within your own family.

___________________________________________________________________________

Those of you who know me well understand that I have long admired Thomas Jefferson.  What has drawn me to him over the years is his active mind, breadth of interests, and spirit of optimism.  His home, Monticello, nestled upon a mountaintop in Albemarle County, Virginia, is one of my favorite places to visit.  It is beautiful, but what I like most is that it personifies the man and his many interests.  As you walk thought the entry hall to the parlor,  through the dining room and into the sitting room, you begin to get a sense of his passions.  But it’s his book room, cabinet, bedchamber and greenhouse that really tell his story. (More on that later. Jefferson will be a frequent subject of my Friday Musings. I plan to devote an entry to each of these rooms and what they mean to me.)

It was in these rooms – Jefferson’s sanctum sanctorum – that he envisioned and planned the “academical village” that would become America’s first secular public college, the University of Virginia.

I am no Jefferson scholar, but I like to think he envisioned his academical village to be a safe, beautiful place, bustling with inquisitive students who accept the responsibilities of service within our democracy and the trials of academic rigor.  These students are welcomed each morning by professional teachers, lifelong learners who embrace their role as mentors and scholars who welcome and encourage lively debate.  Administrators accept their roles as problem-solvers and are devoted to freeing students and teachers from the unnecessary distractions that keep them from their teaching and learning tasks.

Jefferson’s village is progressive without deviating from established core values, and it is committed to the ideal that the moral and ethical development of young people is a fundamental responsibility.

Sound like a place you would want to go to school?  Me too.

Can you envision this school in Fort Worth?

I can.

Let’s build it together.  Starting today.  Today.

Before we can do that, I want to explain what I believe are the three key components to the village.

1.  Our Physical Space.  It is safe and quiet.  Conducive to reflection.  Beautiful.  Lots of trees.  Its buildings are clean and comfortable.  The environment matters.  Learning spaces are well-equipped and pleasant. The fields and facilities are to be admired.  It makes you want to think and create.

2.  Our Students. They are selectively admitted.  They take full advantage of what we offer.  Need-based financial assistance is provided for deserving students.  Honorable conduct, energy, and service required.  They are committed to one another and their school. They see education as an exciting act of enchantment.  They believe they are in it together and the effort is worth it.

3.  Our Adults. We believe in the mission of the school and exhibit its core values.  We are genuinely interested in our students’ well-being.  We articulate and enforce clear expectations based on reasoned judgment. We are the village elders.  

Over the course of the year I'll visit with you, your children, and the Upper School faculty about ways we can create our academic village at Fort Worth Country Day.  This will be a theme this year.  If we all understand and embrace the roles we play in our village, we can ensure that our school - the place where we spend so many of our waking hours - remains one of the finest independent schools in the United States.

Dinner table question of the week:

"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality which guarantees all others." (Winston  Churchill)

Do agree with this statement?  Why or why not?

Sacred Spaces

We all have sacred spaces.

A library.  A car.  A place of worship.  A garden.  A vacation spot.  A cemetery.  A baseball field.  A recital hall.  A golf course.

I find internal peace reading quietly in my office, walking alone in rural Normandy,  touring the battlefields of southern Pennsylvania, camping in Big Bend, visiting with loved ones on Cape Cod, and backpacking the southern Appalachian Trail.  These are places where I find refuge, where I do my best thinking, and where I feel safe.

Being there makes me a better person.

It seems these days that we have to work harder and harder to find time for our sacred spaces.  We complain of being busier, about all the demands on our time, about being tied to our smartphones and about the stresses of the modern world.  We worry about our weight, if we are wearing the latest fashions, and if we belong to the right club.  We obsess about our cars and about where our kids will go to college.

But that's no excuse.

We need to reorient the way we think about our sacred spaces. They are as necessary as air, water, and food.

Time spent in our sacred spaces refreshes us.  It is transformative.  We will be better people - and more at peace with ourselves - if we can visit our sacred spaces.  We will be kinder, more patient with others, more reflective, and more tolerant of one another's differences.  That makes us better parents, spouses, and teachers.

Where are your sacred spaces?

Can you get there sometime soon?

I hope so.

The Extended Hand

Have you ever heard of Tom Lee of Memphis?

I hadn't until I came upon his statue this summer while jogging along the banks of the Mississippi River.  What struck me was the simplistic beauty of the memorial and the resolute look on Tom's face.

In the early evening of May 8, 1925 Tom rowed his small skiff Zev into the muddy Mississippi to save 32 people from the sinking steamboat M.E. Norman.  What was most remarkable is that Tom didn't know how to swim.   And he didn't even know anyone on board the ship.  He must have been scared.  I would have been.

Looking at Tom's statue made me think how often I extend my hand to help others.  Not enough.  I plan to make this a goal this year.

If Tom Lee can extend his hand, can't we?

Recipe for a Wonderful Evening

It's quite simple really.

You take good friends...

Sameer and Claudia.  Lise and Tom.  Ana and Pete.  Debby and Bill.

Add good food...

Tenderloin.  Asparagus.  Twice-baked potatoes.  Milkshakes and cookies.  Cabernet.

Sprinkle with thoughtful, reasoned discussion...

Russians in Crimea.  International travel.  Race relations in America today.  Music.  Children.  The future of American education.

Voila!