Both candidates argued for change; one rooted in the fresh perspective of an outsider, the other based on deep experience as a maverick in the halls of power. And while I believe that both candidates would, indeed, have shaken up the way Washington does business, neither of them addressed what I consider to be the underlying problem: the willingness of citizens to accept glib pronouncements from our nation’s leaders which imply that the consequences of decisions made now don’t have to be addressed until sometime in the distant future. Well, if there is one thing the worst economic crisis since the Depression has made clear, it’s this: the future has an annoying tendency to sneak up on us when we least expect it to.
Which leads me to the notion of respect - Lasallian schools worldwide commit themselves to the implementation of five core principles:
• Faith in the presence of God
• Quality and practical educational program
• Proclamation of the Gospel message
• Concern for the poor and social justice
• Inclusive community that promotes respect for all persons
This last principle was the focus of attention in the class meetings conducted by our Principal, who wanted to draw students’ attention to two concerns that violated the Lasallian emphasis on respect for all persons. Both issues were slightly related: student-to-student verbal and physical abuse and student use of inappropriate language in personal and on-line conversations.
As I listened to his tough and very clear message about what is and is not acceptable at La Salle, it occurred to me that it is very easy for adults to take for granted the relatively harmonious environment our students encounter every day. Teenagers will always be teenagers, however, so they will test each other and us in provocative ways. At La Salle, however, students recognize how to respect the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. And, because we educators perform our duties rooted in the assumption that our students will not cross that boundary, we tend to forget that adolescent meanness still happens – albeit beyond our hearing or view. So when inappropriate behavior – language or disrespect – slides above the socially acceptable boundary, it glares at us like the headlights of an oncoming car. We are startled – perhaps even shocked - by the behavior and scurry to drive it back below the surface.
Which brings me back to the problem I believe the word change has been used to fix – only mere change won’t fix the national tendency to let future generations cope with – and pay for – the decisions we make today. Assuming, therefore, that La Salle’s teenagers will perfectly respect the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate behavior is just as misplaced as thinking that the nation’s next generation of citizens will be able to easily fix the mistakes we make today. We need to get below the surface to attack the root problem – whether it is greed at the national level or disrespect at the local level. And that requires careful attention to the values we espouse.
There is an inherent discipline necessary in rooting our behavior in a set of values. Paying attention to how our values operate in our daily lives is the first and most critical discipline. We’ve ignored that at the national level and we were at risk of losing focus here at the local level – hence the decision of our Principal to meet with the students. Those meetings served two purposes: to remind students of our Mission-based values (Students are challenged to demonstrate respect and appreciation for people
of different talents, cultures, religions, genders, and economic backgrounds.) and secondly, to remind adults of our responsibility to reinforce the discipline necessary to ensure our values become engrained in the students entrusted to our care.
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has been, for me, a wonderful opportunity to be grateful that a place like La Salle exists and is unafraid to address present day challenges when they occur - not at some distant point in the future.
