What Would John Wayne Do?

America prides itself as the land of opportunity. It boasts a culture of rugged individualism, with the emphasis on individualism. To support our American success story, we cite heroes who rose up from humble beginnings. The self-educated Abraham Lincoln born and raised in a log cabin. Barons of the Industrial Revolution such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and David Sarnoff all started with nothing and made billions. The American success story continues today with Sam Walton, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. These icons shape our identity and set our goals.

When we graduate from school – high school or college – we’re expected to leave the nest and make our own way. We take entry-level jobs and climb the ladder of success as far is our talents can take us. When we face hurdles and setbacks, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. And when we finally reached the top, we are honored and praised for doing it our way, on our own. That is our American culture of individualism.

American culture is unique. Most cultures in the world can be called communal – cultures built around clans, tribes, neighborhoods, villages, and families. The focus in these communities is on the group, not the individual. We’re all aware of examples. Jews, for instance, view salvation not necessarily as an individual goal, but as a people. In communal cultures, it is just as acceptable for a teacher, a neighbor, or an aunt to discipline a child as it is for a parent. To steal a phrase – It takes a village.  Although they are different, both cultures share many of the same basic values.

I saw a billboard the other day that didn’t match my understanding of either culture. It showed a man and woman lying in bed, backs to each other, as far apart as possible with a huge gulf between them. The heading read, “Honeymoon Over?” followed by a divorce attorney’s name and telephone number.

Honeymoon over? Really? As soon as reality sets in, it’s time to quit? Since when did the rugged individualist become a quitter? When did our sons and daughters, our neighbors and friends, become so selfish?

There are all sorts of ways to crunch the numbers. Simply put, for every two couples in the United States who marry, another couple is divorcing. To be fair, people are human. We make mistakes. Things happen. I should know. I’ve been divorced twice, so call me a hypocrite. But I can still argue the greater point.

What’s truly objectionable in any culture is the cavalier attitude. That it’s acceptable to discard another human being as soon as the initial, temporary fairy tale stage of a marriage is over. That instead of cultivating a real relationship and confronting life’s challenges with your spouse, it’s better to walk away and continue the party with someone else.

That divorce attorney’s billboard is just one marker of a broken social contract. It reflects the current cultural shift in values in which the integrity of a promise has been replaced by the pursuit of temporary happiness. Another marker is the popularity of dystopian entertainment – books and movies such as The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies that predict futures gone wrong. These types of books and movies hint at the types of dark futures that could result when we break the social contract.

Not very long ago, Christians sought guidance by asking, “What Would Jesus Do?” Maybe it’s time for billboards in America to start asking, “What Would John Wayne Do?” 

Second-Class Citizens

If you run into a teacher any time soon, it may not be a bad idea to talk about the weather, the upcoming football season, the number of angels dancing on the head of some politician – anything but going back to school. Our summer road trip swept us from the New York Finger Lakes region, through Baltimore, Atlanta, and over to Knoxville. Coincidentally, many of our hosts were teachers or retired teachers. Listening to them trade stories about their experiences in public middle and high schools revealed a group of professionals who feel like second-class citizens – disrespected, devalued, and demoralized.

One conversation started when I mentioned the Maxwell House coffee plant in Jacksonville was asking for tax credits to upgrade facilities and hire 10 more workers – at starting salaries of more than $57,000 a year. Not one teacher we saw on our trip made that much. One dropped her jaw and asked, “Where do I sign up?” Another shook her head and said, “Why do we even bother?”

Let’s start with the basic assumption that most students want to eventually get good jobs. One middle school teacher recalled a kid who, when asked what he wanted to be, answered “I’m going to be car thief.” When the teacher chuckled and asked him to be serious, the 13-year old assured him he was being serious. The youngster told him about a theft ring based in New York City that paid big money to dropouts who steal cars. The teacher wasn’t surprised when the student became a client of the taxpayer-funded state prison system shortly after he turned 18.

The teachers said they often feel like the “enemy,” demonized by parents and politicians, dismissed by students and administrators. Simply, teachers are perfectly positioned for blame when students don’t succeed. Even after they wave big red warning flags.

“I probably shouldn’t say this,” said one middle school teacher, “but we have a shooters list.”

Think about that for a minute. Yes, it is exactly what you think it is.

“We know which students need professional help, who’ll end up in jail,” she explained. “We have kids who wouldn’t surprise us if they shot up a school or a mall. But administrators don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to ‘label’ kids. They just say, ‘There’s nothing we can do until something happens.’”

Many said administrators game the system to meet performance standards. One teacher complained she was told to keep test scores as low as possible. Lower scores, she was told, would lead to an increase in state funding. Another teacher in another state had the opposite problem. Her school forcibly transferred failing students to another school to increase its graduation rate and qualify for bonuses.

Parents, say the teachers, don’t want to hear it either. They say many won’t respond to notes or phone calls. And on the rare occasion when one does, it’s usually not very productive.

“One mother snapped at me, ‘Don’t you call me again!’” The teacher shook her head as she remembered the details of the phone call. “The mother said, ‘He’s your problem from 8:00 to 3:00. I got to put up with him the rest of the time!’ No wonder the kid behaves the way he does.”  

No wonder. We could debate causes and assign blame, but that won’t change the fact that we are losing far too many kids. That’s because far too many parents, politicians, and administrators have their own agendas that don’t include kids. That turns children into the real second-class citizens.

Maybe the challenge isn’t fixing what’s wrong with kids. Maybe the focus should be on the adults who cause the problems – and then blame teachers for the results. Fair or not? What do you think?