I just recently began reading your blogs (I wanted to start from the beginning), and on this one, I TOTALLY feel your pain! I can even visualize you sitting there giving your adult students the EXACT information that was to be on the exam, and the students, in turn, hurrying to scribble the questions and answers in exasperation. It has happened to me in that very same building in which you taught. The blank stares, the constant, “Can you repeat that Miss?” and the ultimate failures caused me to want to put my car in reverse and get behind it…my point? I FEEL you on this one!

RW

Hear Hear! You’re right…mediocrity is a murderer. I say let’s start correcting the problem in the place where it started – the home.

It greatly saddens me that the community at large faults everyone except the ones with the greatest spheres of influence. It’s not the government’s fault, nor the teachers, preachers, peers, entertainers, and as much as they have disgusted me at times, the brainwashing media.

Parents are the first teachers. And easily moldable, impressionable children obtain their primary mental and emotional imprints at home – and you can tell early on just based on their conversation.

Granted the aforementioned may make indellible impressions later, these can be thwarted with a solid foundation. And of course we realize that no situation is absolute, so as in every circumstance there are exceptions to the rule…

I remember the first time quite clearly – that my mother used the concept of “mediocrity” with me. I was quite perturbed. It was in 6th grade as I was working on a writing assignment after reading a book called “Death Be Not Proud”. She insisted that she read every paper I turned in (there’s a bright idea).

After finishing what I was sure was my final draft, I passed it along. And she said “This isn’t good. You need to do this over.” With unabahed cockiness I informed her that not only did I think I wrote well, but I knew that I wrote better than most people in my class. I couldn’t imagine the nerve of her insisting that I rewrite it. Quickly de-saddling me from my high horse she said “I don’t care about your friends and how well they write, because if their writing is not as good as this, that’s not the standard anyway. This is mediocre. You can write it better, and you will.” Then she proceeded to mark it up in big, bright red ink to show me just how far I had fallen below her expectations.

I was ticked, but I was also humbled! Today, I thank her over and over again. Because it was true that my writing was better than my “friends”, but they were friends who were allowed to turn in whatever they wanted – like “I” wanted to.

Following in her footsteps, editing is one of the many things that I get paid to do today – and I absolutely love it. She reminds me now that at some point, I hated English. It’s since become one of my passions, I can’t even remember that time with my deepest efforts.

I said all of that to say – parents set the tone for what children believe, even if they later form an exclusive set of opinions. As social and emotional sponges, they develop normative ideas of what life is – based on what they see. So my question is, what are we first showing them at home? Our actions become the lenses through which they view the world…

Before we blame others, I think we must first question ourselves.

btw, I love the ending theme of your post…want something more…and I’d add, “do” something better )

Mrs. B