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Let Us Set The Standard
Let us lead lives that are evident in truth and character.
For we have been given a holy calling –
to create a new world, one little life at a time.
This article was written by our associate and is
intended to remind us all that, as educators,
our directive to promote truth and understanding never changes.
A new year begins: On the first day of school
in our small town, I arrived to my classroom just after the first day’s
light. The hot August air hung heavy in the un-air-conditioned
turn-of-the-century building. There was much to do before welcoming
parents and children. Because many parents did not believe it was
necessary to come out of their rural hide-a-ways to pre-register their
children for kindergarten in the spring, the first day of school was
always hectic.
The circus unfolds: As the first parents
arrived, I began my one-woman show. After forms were completed, I met with
each parent to go over legal issues: address and phone numbers where the
parent could be reached, a copy of the state birth certificate, the
child’s social security card, etc. Some parents could not read. Some tried
to present a copy of the hospital birth record as a legal birth
certificate. They had to be sent home or to the county office for the real
document. The birthday deadline for a child's admission into the public
school kindergarten was September 1st, so there were always a few
disappointed or irritated parents who had to take their child home for
another year. Before long the
room was swarming with parents, children clinging to grandmothers’ skirts,
aunts searching for proper identification, and general chaos. The system
truly needed reform, but the principal saw no need to change what had
always been done. By 10am the last parent had left and I finally had a
chance to welcome the students properly.
Our first birthday: I temporarily filed the
documents and during the next few weeks concentrated on teaching 27
children the content and skills of their missed preschool education. The
first birthday we celebrated was Matthew’s. He turned 5 on September 1st
which made him the youngest child in the class. And although he was a
quiet, shy boy, he seemed to fit in well. When I announced to the class
that it was his birthday, he didn’t smile. We celebrated his special day
anyway. One
mother's legacy: As our first 6 weeks came to a close, so did
registration. The late stragglers had arrived and our official class roll
was complete. I went through each child’s final records and prepared to
file them in the school office. When I reviewed Matthew’s birth
certificate, I noticed that his birth date was written in one digit, not
two. September 1, not 01. I looked more closely. The date was not
centered. Liquid paper had been used to white
out the first digit. Then the photocopy I now held was made. Matthew was
not born on the 1st, he was born on the 11th or
21st.
I went to the office to register
a complaint. Although Matthew was a sweet boy, I would be doing him a
disservice if I allowed falsified records to mark the beginning of his
school career. The principal was not as convinced. He stalled on any
action for 6 more weeks. I gently pursued the issue.
In the end, the mother was discretely asked to remove her son. She then
took him to 3 other county schools in the area before she accepted
responsibility for his care another year.
My wounded soul: The incident was upsetting.
I spent my energy every day trying to level the educational playing field.
Children who, in August, did not even know their own names, would walk out
of my classroom in May able to read. Teaching was not my job, it was my
passion, my mission, and my all-consuming service to mankind. It deserved
only the highest standard. One that called for uncompromised integrity.
That year, my ethics had been violated.
Matthew's wounded soul: Matthew was wounded,
as well. He received seeds of deception. He overheard conversations about
misdeeds. He misinterpreted being expelled. Did he grow to become a
wholesome young man, or did he follow his mother’s example and skirt the
law? Is he now a man of integrity or is he a cheat and a liar? I moved
away years ago and will never know the man he became. However ...
The character of a man is not inherited.
It is assembled – daily, from the little acts of justice in his midst.
Compassion is shown. Kindness is passed on.
And integrity is fostered deep in a man’s soul.
Let us set the standard toward which our children can strive.
Let us all lead lives that are evident in truth and character.
For we have been given a holy calling –
to create a new world, one little life at a time.
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