Wednesday, June 12, 2013

We must eternally press forward for what is yet to get.

In a letter to a Charles Clay in 1790, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
 "The ground of liberty is to be gained by inches, and we must be contented to secure what we can get from time to time and eternally press forward for what is yet to get. It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good."
If we interpret "liberty" as educational or academic liberty, and if we can agree on the definition of the word "persuade" as : to Cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument this quote resonates deeply with me on several levels.

As an educator, we must be more conscious of the "eternal" struggle our students engage in when it comes to learning about things that are meaningful, engaging, and relevant to them. We must also recognize that it takes time to persuade students to do even what is for their own good.

As an educator, we must be more conscious of the "eternal" struggle our colleagues engage in when it comes to learning about best practices, new initiatives and philosophical shifts that most likely conflict with their own ideals, beliefs, and opinions. We must recognize that it takes time to persuade colleagues to do even what is for their own good.

As an educator, we must be more conscious of the "eternal" struggle our administrators engage in when it comes to implementing initiatives that are beyond their control.  We must recognize that it takes time to persuade educators to do even what is for their own good.

As an educator, we must be more conscious of the "eternal" struggle our parents engage in when it comes to teaching and learning in the 21st century.  We must recognize that it takes time to persuade parents to do even what is for their own good.

As an educator, we must be more conscious of the "eternal" struggles our community and school board members engage in when it comes to balancing budgets and supporting our schools in cost effective and educationally principled ways. We must recognize that it takes time to persuade community members to do even what is for their own good.

As an educator, we must be MOST conscious of the "eternal" struggles we engage in surrounding our own belief systems about teaching and learning and being an educator in this time and age. We must recognize that it takes time to persuade ourselves to do even what is for our own good.

Conversations, discussions, arguments, and passionate discourse should always be a part of the educational process.  It should be happening everywhere from the classroom to the board room. While we must come to a consistent agreement on the end goal (student learning) , the road map will always be changing and evolving. As we complete another year in the life of a classroom, a school, or a district, the end will always represent an opportunity. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. If we acknowledge that positive change happens inch by inch, it is much easier to  "eternally press forward for what is yet to get".

As the hypothesis of  Joseph Ellis' biography of Thomas Jefferson "American Sphinx", Jefferson exhibited a duality that squarely placed him as both an idealist and a realist. Often,  this incongruity makes looking to him for wisdom a complicated endeavor. I believe classrooms, schools, and districts must live in this similar incongruity, at constant odds with the reality and ideal.  We must be content to "secure what we can be from time to time, gaining inch by inch, yet eternally pressing forward to what is yet to come." In other words, we must  accept our realities while steadfastly focused on what we must become for all learners.

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