| I have had the wonderful opportunity to be a | | | | know? How could a few moments after being |
| teacher. My experience spans a decade in which I | | | | directed to be in a certain spot, she could not |
| have instructed hundreds of students ranging in | | | | manage to conjure enough memory to get |
| age from 3 to 18. My teaching has carried me | | | | herself to that spot again? Even with me telling |
| into the business field, and to the other side of | | | | her over and over again, she still could not |
| the planet, from preschool to high school. The | | | | manage it. Then, I saw it. I saw the barrier as |
| collected knowledge of those experiences has | | | | clearly as I could see the child herself. It was |
| brought me great thrills and satisfaction, but | | | | mediocrity. |
| above all has taught me much. | | | | That's it!! She was afflicted with mediocrity, the |
| This great opportunity to forge an amalgamated | | | | dulling, dimming, fog which, for whatever reason, |
| view of the human experience has lead me to | | | | resides in someone. Often times, mediocrity is |
| some incredible, and ever growing thoughts | | | | explained away by use of genetics, physical |
| regarding what is actually happening to us as a | | | | deformity, birth defects, infancy addictions, I've |
| collective whole. | | | | even heard "cultural retardation," but these can |
| When I say 'whole', I literally mean all of us - us | | | | only account for a small percentage of those |
| humans; all those who exist on this planet in | | | | countless people who are seemingly caught in a |
| human form at this time. What I have come to | | | | loop of no escape. Why do so many children and |
| understand is a why; THE why, I believe. | | | | so many adults make the same mistakes over |
| As a teacher, I have spent countless hours | | | | and over again in their lives to the point of ruin? |
| watching children. I have watched them play, | | | | Mediocrity. |
| work, argue, struggle, cry, pout, forge friendships, | | | | I also realized that there is another force at work |
| find understanding and on and on in an endless | | | | here which lends itself to and helps greatly in |
| drama of all that it is to be human. Children, after | | | | maintaining mediocrity. It is the formidable drive of |
| all, are windows into life itself for they have not | | | | ego which serves to so heavily veil mediocrity, |
| become masters yet at hiding, a skill which comes | | | | but also is what gives mediocrity its vice-grip hold. |
| with age. | | | | Ego disallows any reckoning. It has no room for |
| In recent years, I have encountered more and | | | | self-evaluation much less correction. It blinds the |
| more children who simply put do not have the | | | | mind and soul to enlightenment and therefore |
| knowledge to show for all the years they have | | | | arrests progress. If evil truly exists, it is in the |
| spent in a classroom environment. For example, I | | | | form of ego which whispers to us telling us we |
| have seen children who have had at least 5 years | | | | are well-behaved when we are not, that we are |
| of formal, classroom training, but still, in fifth | | | | correct without exploration of facts, that our |
| grade, do not know the Alphabet, or who cannot | | | | judgments are fair without hearing any witnesses |
| process more than one-digit level math. | | | | beyond our own emotions. It is mask, blinder, |
| Many a night I have lain awake wondering why. I | | | | earplug and scatterer of thought all rolled into one, |
| have read books and articles by those far more | | | | but I digress. |
| learned about these things than myself. I have | | | | Human history is a roller coaster of ups and |
| consulted other teachers, administrators, and | | | | downs - renaissance then dark ages then |
| parents. I have looked at the latest in educational | | | | renaissance again. I realized that when the balance |
| technologies, attended the workshops designed to | | | | of human existence is tipped toward mediocrity, a |
| help me close the gap for these kids, sat in | | | | decline will occur, and then, a cleansing is required. |
| teacher in-service telling me to be positive, and | | | | For the mediocre do not excel and for a |
| applied my greatest driving energy which comes | | | | renaissance to occur once again, the balance must |
| from my honest care for my students. Yet, | | | | be tipped back away from mediocrity. |
| nothing, no system, nor talk or nor technology, | | | | We are in a time of decline. Our arteries are |
| nor outpouring of care has changed the fact that | | | | clogged and our lungs breathe shallow. We must |
| most of my students have little to nothing to | | | | be thinned out to make way for the next leap. |
| show for their years in the classroom. | | | | This is what is meant to happen. A decline is |
| Now, my fellow teachers in lower grades tell me | | | | occurring. A cleansing must occur. I know this is a |
| the students coming up through the system are | | | | difficult idea to accept because we have evolved |
| in even worse shape, but why? Then, from some | | | | to a point that we have come to value the |
| point deep within my own thoughts, pieces | | | | individual, to value what each one of us can |
| started to fall together and at least a partial | | | | potentially bring to the table of life, and the |
| picture emerged. | | | | thought of this potential being squandered, |
| The why started to fall together as I coached at | | | | especially in mass, is sickening, even frightening to |
| a beginner, little league basketball game. I have a | | | | us. But worry not, it is to happen and must. |
| child on my team who is in the fourth grade and | | | | Our task then is what? What is it we, who find |
| is one of the tallest on the team. On defense I | | | | ourselves in these days, must do? I wish I could |
| told her to stand in the middle of the lane and | | | | offer a way out, a survival plan for the impending |
| guard the center. Throughout the game, she was | | | | loss that will occur as a natural order of life on |
| not in the center. I told her from the sidelines in | | | | this planet, but I cannot. The only advice I can |
| an encouraging voice to get into the center, but | | | | give you, at least at this point, is to implore you |
| each time we returned to defense, she was out | | | | to record as much knowledge as you can. |
| of position. When I asked her at a timeout why | | | | Preserve what you know by some means. Write |
| she was not in the center, she could offer no | | | | it down, record it, draw it, paint it, compose it; |
| reason for her failure. In fact, she seemed | | | | translate it into some tangible form, so that if you |
| completely bewildered by the idea that she was | | | | should be lost, what you know will not be. The |
| not in the correct position. Her expression was as | | | | more we can preserve of the wisdom we have |
| though she had never heard of it before. (Keep in | | | | now, the greater the next leap can be. |
| mind she is just one of many, many children and | | | | Leave little for the next generations to have to |
| adults who I have encountered with this same | | | | recapture of what we have. Lend them your |
| incapacity.) | | | | shoulders to stand upon. |
| My thought was how could she possibly not | | | | |