Doing Democracy The Best Way I Know How - One Democracy at a Time. The Kids Are Gonna Be Alright

I admit. Yesterday did not take off in the way I intended. 14 years of 14 hour days, 7 Day a Week caught up to me. Yet, I knew that the only thing that mattered to me was a 2.5 hour turbo with undergraduate students. They were the priority and focus, yet I began my day with bureaucratic nonsense. At some point every educator must think, "Enough is enough."

The local scene, coupled with the academic, community-partnership, allied professions thing, simply came to a head in my office while I needed to prep for class. It wasn't pretty. I did what I had to do and returned to the university for the students. 

I had to hide the truth of K-12 education, as well as higher education and think of a philosophical way to justify it. Impossible, but I know the serenity prayer.

In class, however, I know how community is built, purpose is set, and kids work with kids to problem solve. As expected, they stepped up to the tasks at hand, tackled the course readings, and made sense of what they wanted to do with new knowledge (post 9/11, post debate, and pre-what is possible in education). It was something to experience, even as I was having a moment inside. 

As usual youth saved the day. The dilemmas continue, however, and that is what I have to work through. Every thing is more complex than everything. The more you try to make sense of it, the more maddening it becomes. 

Doing good. Doing Right. Converting the Evil, who think they're doing Right. Trying to make sense of it all. That is much more difficult.

Yet, onward I go.