Who Are the Adults in Charge?

“You have ability and people who don't never forgive you for it. Your very existence is a constant reproach to them.”
― H. Beam Piper, The Works of H. Beam Piper (27 books)

Earlier this week, Peter Greene wrote a piece that got me thinking.

For those of you who don't know, Greene writes a blog called Currmudgucation. I often cite his words, but always struggle to describe him.

He's an education policy expert. Expertise forged from decades in the classroom.

He's a father, having both raised grown children and is now doing it all over again with toddler twins.

He's an advocate for the arts, regularly performing with local artists and in community theater.

He's also a fellow Pennsylvanian, though he's from the "pop" side of the state while I hail from the "soda" region of PA.

In short, he's what we used to call a  Renaissance man. A term that seems to have fallen out of favor these days.

Basically...he knows a lot of shit about a lotta shit. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but you can rest assured they are seeped in experience.

This week, Greene weighs in on names and what to call students who want to be referred to by a name different than the one given at birth.

In Tennessee, this is a relevant topic because of recently passed legislation. One law requires that teachers notify the parents of children who wish to be called by another name, while another frees teachers from being forced to honor those student's wishes. We are pretty good at that talking-out-of-both-sides-of-our-mouth thing. 

Many of the students impacted fall under the banner of trans, and thus for many, their concerns are easily dismissed. But it's not that simple.

As Greene writes:

"Names have power, so it makes sense that young humans, who are generally in search of both identity and some amount of power over their own lives, will often try to exert some control over their own names.
As a teacher, it's not a fight worth picking. I taught so many students--soooooo many-- who wanted to be called by another name. Sometimes it was perfectly understandable-- a common nickname for their full name, or going by a middle name. Sometimes it was a leap-- "Albert" would prefer to go by "Butch." I had some unusual cases, like the girl who had the same name as three other students in class, so told me she'd rather go by Andrea (pronounced Ahn-dray-uh). And a few times, I had a trans student who wanted to use a different name.

Did I agree with all of them? No more than I agreed with some of my students' questionable fashion choices. But it cost me nothing to honor these preferences, to give students that small measure of control over their own identities. It was a small thing for me, but a thing that helped make my classroom a safe, welcoming space where we could get on with the work of learning to be better at reading, writing, speaking and listening.

You may not believe this, but TC is not the name on my birth certificate. I know, hot take - as the kids would say.

I moved to Nashville in 1989, fresh from a radio job in Pennsylvania where my on-air name was TC Weber.

Most of the people I knew here were through my radio job, it was too confusing to revert to my birth name, so TC remained.

Over the years, I built up history and more relationships, all under the moniker of TC. My wife used to joke that she married a man with an alias.

That name became tied to my identity, even as I continued to use my birth name for "official business".

Four years ago I took a job with a local brewery. My much younger co-workers never bothered to ask me what I wanted to be called, they just began using my birth name as it was written on my application.

At first, I didn't try to correct them, despite it feeling dismissive and disrespectful. I just let it slide, thinking eventually they'd figure it out.

They never did. Because it was never important to them, which was well communicated to me. 

Even after years of working there, and countless people coming in and asking for TC, they clung to my legal name. A strange thing took root as a result. I continually felt less valued, respected, and connected. My resentment started to grow.

To use another word coined by the kids - I felt increasingly unseen and alienated.

I no longer work there, and truly I don't miss it.

Is this a feeling we want to replicate with kids? 

Greene tells the story of a teacher, Vivian Geraghty, who had two trans kids in her classroom and refused to call them by their chosen names. She cited religious principles as justification for her refusal.

Admittedly, I've not read the whole bible, but I'm familiar with large chunks of it and don't recall a portion where it states, "Thou must only be referred to by their given name."

Perhaps it's in the book of Ruth or Act II, and I missed it.

Here's the thing, how you refer to someone says as much about you as it does about them.

For example, calling me "boss", is a virtual guarantee that you and I are not going to be friends. The same goes for "chief". You are not someone I really want to align myself with in the future. 

Maybe you don't want bwe aligned with me in the future either, and thats fine, but again, it is not that simple.

If I've learned anything over my nearly 60 years on this earth, it's that life is pretty hard for everybody. If you choose to identify as gay or trans, or anything else outside of the perceived norms, it gets even more difficult.

You know what makes it a little easier?

People allow you to be yourself.

Maybe it does make you uncomfortable, but that's no excuse. Go ahead, it won't hurt you to absorb a little of the difficulty and feelings of discomfort.

How dare we make life even harder for other people because we can't simply say, "What do you go by", and then honor their response.

I don't care if you want to be called Riki Tiki Tavi, honoring that wish shows I value you and I respect you.

Greene states it more eloquently than I:

I do not and probably never will grasp the current argument that one cannot practice one's faith unless one is fully free to discriminate against people of whom you disapprove, and yet that argument surfaces again and again.

But I do believe this-- it is not a teacher's job (nor, really, that of any adult) to tell a student who he or she is. We can nudge, offer encouragement and support, and create a safe place for them to try to figure it out. But the most basic part of treating a human being like a human being is to call them by the name they have for themselves. If you can't do that and if you insist that you must have the God-given right to make your disapproval of their identities clear to them in every interaction, then you do not belong in front of a classroom.

 - - -

Talking with my daughter, I brought up the pending legislation banning cell phones in schools. 

"Yes Dada, some kids have trouble managing their time, take that up with them." she said, " I'm a straight-A student and I'm capable of managing my time, so why do you want to punish me?"

It's a fair question and just another example of the broad brush legislators like to paint with. 

Much of the cell phone talk centers around the use of Yondr bags. These bags are used to secure phones during the day, and students unlock them as they leave school and exit the phone-free zone. 

We can't get dope and guns out of schools, but by god, we are going to get phones out. 

Last I checked these bags weren't free. I anticipate a district that uses these bags, will invest several million in their purchase. 

The laws of economics say that if you have a fixed budget and increase spending in one area, you have to decrease in another. 

District officials argue that schools already don't have money for teacher salaries, the arts, laptop updates, or a plethora of other items. Where is the money for the purchase of these bags going to come from?

Speaking of the money, it's always good to follow the money. 

Here's a little backstory on this initiative as well. This is another ExcelInEd pipe dream. 

In case you forgot, that's the bunch that used to sign the paycheck for our state commissioner of education. Some might argue they are still signing her paychecks, but that's another story. 

At this year's annual ExcelinEd shindig, founder Jeb Bush outlined why his posse felt this was an important initiative. Ironically, while the former Florida Governor was speaking, a glance around the room revealed a majority of adults tapping away on their phones while the pearls of wisdom dropped from his lips. 

You can't make this stuff up. 

 - - -

In my day, high school football was a source of community pride. Every Friday night it was our boys against your boys in a battle to determine who was superior. The boys on the field had grown up in town and were an integral part of the community for many years before donning the uniform. We knew the history of every athlete that became before and what it meant to rep our school. Many of those prior athletes found seats in stands for decades after their playing careers expired. Their exploits were held in reverence for eternity. It meant something to be a Cardinal or a Bear. An Eagle or a Warrior. 

These days, in the age of Name, image, and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, that community spirit is beginning to recede, replaced by individual glory rising over team accomplishments. 

The two have combined to reduce the game to a pursuit of next-level opportunities. There is too much money to be made by both students and adults to not try and hijack the game for personal interests. Players on losing teams don't get looked at by college scouts. If you can't start at one school, there is always one down the road. 

It's become all about Instagram, recruiting sites, and next-level jobs for coaches. 

This week a story comes out of Cleveland, TN where a QB suited up for opening day with one school, only to transfer to their crosstown rival for week two. It serves as an illustration of just how much things are changing.

The player in question, Cash Bandy, played for Cleveland last Friday but will suit up for Bradly Central this week after the school lost its starting QB to injury last week. Reportedly he was dissatisfied by the QB rotation implemented by his former coach, so he seized the new opportunity and was welcomed by his new coach. 

Said Bradley Central head coach Damon Floyd:” This is kind of the way high school and colleges is going. As long as you go by the rules, and he did. Approved by TSSAA. He’ll be playing this week. We are going to do whatever gives our team the best chance to win, and we feel like he will give us that chance. He has been in the playbook quite a bit studying. We’re just trying to catch him up as quick as we can. Obviously, our playbook will not be as wide open as it normally is.”

I can't say this quote makes me comfortable. 

I was raised to believe that wins came about through collective blood, sweat, and tears. Their value was derived from working together for months on end before collectively achieving success. The bigger the obstacle the greater the victory. . 

I don't know how many times I heard, that shortcuts are for the weak,

There are no shortcuts to success.

Success is brought on by outworking, not outbidding. 

As someone who played three years of varsity soccer, I have to ask, do bought victories taste as sweet as those earned collectively? We sucked my sophomore year, but in my senior year, we competed for districts. Damn those were sweet victories. When I recall those teammates, I do so with pride and affection. 

Coach Floyd may be giving the team the best chance to win, but is he doing what's best for them?

For me, the seasons of losing only made the winning seasons sweeter. Forty years after graduation I still feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in the Pocono Mountain Soccer program. We built it, and handed it over for future generations to continue the work. 

I learned that hard work has its rewards. 

Bonds are forged in steel through shared commitment. 

But hey, if you can get someone to come in from another team on Monday and win on Friday, who needs bonds of steel?

One other lesson that I was taught by my father as a child, and feels relevant here, is that if you are involved with someone and they cheat on you, they are likely to do it with the next person as well. 

Football coaches are fond of claiming to be molding not just football players, but men. This begs the question, what kind of men are we molding? 

But what do I know, I'm just an old white man stuck in the past. 

 - - -

In case you haven't heard...the teacher shortage in Tennessee has been solved. 

Districts across the state are reporting higher staffing rates than in past years. Knoxville is the latest. 

According to The TN Firefly:

Knox County Schools says the district has reduced teacher vacancies to near-zero levels through a “cultural shift” in the hiring process that simplifies the process for potential candidates.

In a district blog, KCS says only a handful of full-time teaching positions were open at the start of the school year.

“The most meaningful changes were made by thinking about how we can remove barriers for interested teachers to apply, and then how we could be more responsive to candidates and principal’s needs,” said KCS Talent Acquisition Executive Director Alex Moseman.

So how did they do it? Most of us know that prevalent practices of combining classes, increasing class size, utilizing long-term subs, and pulling unfilled listed positions, have been the preferred practices of other districts, but how is Knoxville doing it? 

According to Moseman, it's by making the application process easier. 

This quote by Moseman is a strong contender for the Quote of the Year award:

“You can buy a home from your phone nowadays. You should be able to get a job at Knox County Schools from your phone,” Moseman said. “Life can get busy, so for the people that need some flexibility in their schedule to get a job with us, we’ve built systems to account for the fact that they don’t need to be in a specific place and time to interview with us.”

NewsFlash: If you get hired as a teacher, your life is about to get three times as busy. So, if you don't have the flexibility to apply for a job, color me skeptical that you'll have the ability to hold a teaching job. 

The district additionally worked to make the hiring process itself more visible and accountable for principals. As part of that work, the Talent Acquisition team shared a scoreboard every week with principals and gave “shout-outs” to schools that were 100% staffed.

Nothing screams quality like a weekly scoreboard. Just get a body in there so we don't look bad in front of our peers. 

The Firefly goes on to share these nuggets of gold from the district's Talent Acquisition Executive Director Alex Moseman:

“We had to put ourselves in the mindset that we’re competing with everybody for great talent,” Moseman said. “We’re not just competing with other school districts, but also other organizations throughout the region. And with high competition, speed and efficiency is going to be the key component to being successful.”

Probably won't shock you to learn that Moseman's only classroom experience comes from a two-year stint as an Indianapolis TFA corpsman. 

 - - -

Quick question, has anybody seen Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds? Was she in town for her ethics committee meeting, or is she still in Texas? Asking for a friend.

 - - -

Before we wrap up, I want to brag for a second. Last Friday night my 13-year old Freshmen son started and played the whole Overton HS varsity football game against Father Ryan. I'm guessing that since he doesn't turn 14 until the end of September, he ranks among the youngest to ever accomplish this feat. The game didn't turn out as planned, but football games rarely do. We look forward to many more Friday nights and anticipate outcomes only improving. 

 - - -

Now it’s time to rattle the cup a little bit before I head out the door.

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