Thursday, September 19, 2013

We need to value each other and all we bring

There are a number of negative articles and stories circulating right now that involve or affect education, for example: segregation of the Greek system in Alabama “It's Not Just Alabama”, the life of adjunct professors “An Adjunct's Death Becomes a Rallying Cry for Many in Academe”, and campus sexual assault issues “Occidental Settles Suits on Handling of Sex Assaults” .

There seems to be a pattern here; one that is not so obvious yet, it stares us in the face regularly. We do not value each other the way we should, and we are highly guilty of it in education as well. It is not that we are not celebrating the successes, but that there is so much fodder for our failures out there for people to write about.
We should be ashamed, and not just an “oh we are really trying” kind of shame, but the kind of shame that spurs us to action, to do better.  Action is something this country does very well when it wants to.
United States has a history of achieving whatever we set our minds to. The country is certainly not perfect, but perfection is for higher beings not us mere mortals. We can however, strive to be better and lately it seems we have become lax in this department.
Education can lead to so many positive things. Yes, there are politics and bureaucracy involved in education, yes, there are traditions that we hold dear, and yes, there are always budgetary concerns. All of these things should not be an excuse to value each other less.
 
Educators let us set the example.
Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam
 
References

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