Just Plain Bill

“You’ve got to be taught…”

This song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific from the late ‘40s, has a powerful message, one that is so relevant in this day and age as we grapple with instances of prejudice, bias…

You’ve got to be taught

You've got to be taught

To hate and fear,

You've got to be taught

From year to year,

It's got to be drummed

In your dear little ear

You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid

Of people whose eyes are oddly made,

And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,

You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,

Before you are six or seven or eight,

To hate all the people your relatives hate,

You've got to be carefully taught!

I often look back at the “growing up” years of my life…my formative years…and being raised in a home with prejudiced parents who had trouble with all people who were “different” from them. Both of my parents were born in England in the early 20^th century and their prejudices were learned from their working class parents and families. Even the Scottish and Irish, neighbors in the United Kingdom, were looked down upon by my parents. It’s what they’d been taught. I do understand they were both products of a much different culture than I, but sadly, their prejudices remained ingrained. I vividly recall my mother having trouble with my Portuguese girl friend in junior high school, warning me of dark-skinned children. Excuse me; I was only 14 years old.

I was raised in Oakland, California, my family settling in a restricted, mostly white neighborhood when I was four, just after the beginning of World War II. I witnessed “white flight” take place as African American workers in the war effort came to my neighborhood from a few southern states. The term Negro was actually politically correct at the time and commonly used (except for my dad who used the “N” word).

I experienced one of my young playmates being trucked off to a relocation camp. Although born in America, my friend was of Japanese descent, which automatically placed him in the group seen as a threat to our safety during the war (labeled as “Japs” by my dad). I also experienced a few Mexican American families moving in (“Mexicans”, sometimes called Pachuca).

When I was ten, I joined the East Oakland Boys Club, five blocks from my home. Its membership was about 50% white and 50% non-white. I went to a nearby high school that reflected the same percentages, and, because I worked at the Boys Club, I was “protected” during a race riot because I was known by club members of all colors as being “OK”.

I was growing up in a true melting pot – except that the Caucasians, the “whites”, were quickly leaving the neighborhood. Eventually, my mother, sister and I were one of only four or five non-ethnic families in a square mile area. (My father left the family in my early teens.)

By my late teens, a radical group, the Black Panthers, was founded, a revolutionary organization whose agenda included a variety of social causes, including monitoring the actions of the police department.

I’m providing this background, as it was only when I joined the Marine Corps at age 19, and served with Corps members from all geographical areas of the country, that I really started experiencing and understanding prejudice.

Where am I going with all this? Looking back, there were many experiences that could have encouraged me to be prejudiced, especially with the words and actions of my parents. I was short in stature, lousy at most sports, good at music (which had no street cred), and had acne. So, why did I become so liberal, accepting of all “kinds” of people?

Even though I was “carefully taught” to be prejudiced, thank heaven the teaching did not take, and, I’ve hopefully raised my three children to be accepting of all “kinds.”

Perhaps we’ve entered an age where –

You’ve got to be taught,

To love and embrace,

From day to day,

You’ve got to be taught

To befriend those who’re different,

It's got to be drummed

In your dear little ears

You've got to be carefully taught.

Parents and all other adults: by modeling, teach our young people – America’s future – that all people have value and are to be respected.

I close with the lyrics from a decades old song that still has a powerful message:

“I’d like to teach the world to sing

In perfect harmony

I’d like to hold it in my arms

And keep it company

I’d like to see the world for once

All standing hand in hand

And hear them echo through the hills

For peace through out the land

(That’s the song I hear)”

                                                   - Coca Cola Advertisement

Just Plain Bill

“Keep your eyes on the flag of our country…”

Each year of my ten plus years of elementary teaching, my classes wrote a song or two, to add music and verse to our curriculum. With the passing of another Independence Day, I was reminded of the one my third grade students wrote in 1976, to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the founding of our country:

Keep your eyes on the flag of our country,

With colors of red, white and blue,

With freedom of choice as our banner,

The rest depends on you,

Mountains high,

Valleys low,

Rivers flowing,

Mighty oceans touch our shore,

Keep your eyes on the flag of our country,

America,

America,

We love you yes we do!

Whenever I’ve communicated with my former students, they’ve referred back to one or more of the special parts of our school year that were designed to add enrichment to the standard 180 day school year. The Annual Snail Race (with Ronald Reagan as judge one year), the song we wrote each year (and performed on the local radio station), the school-wide art fair we sponsored for the school, and the gazebo third-graders built with hand tools are all favorites often recalled with nostalgia and fondness.

Now that I’ve returned to public school teaching after 33 years, presently on a substitute level with the possibility of a full-time basis, I’m looking forward to adding value from my personal repertoire – my stash of skill-focused, student-proven enrichment activities designed to engage and inspire.

Moving forward, I’m committed to keeping my eyes on the flag of the public school room, as I’m truly blessed – and so are my students.

Just Plain Bill

“Your writing has no style!”

Throughout my life, I’ve received many comments about the quality of my work, with most of the remarks having been of little, or no value at all. A good example of this came from a graduate assistant, who, after reading one of my papers in my doctoral course of study, said to me, “Your paper covers the question, but you have no style.” (Emphasis added.)

While I received an ”A” on the 40-page paper, that comment stuck with me, and over the past 40 years I’ve continued to wonder where and how I might acquire “style.”

I appreciate a certain style of writing in the many fiction and professional books I’ve read. For many years, I’ve been producing literally hundreds of resumes and cover letters for colleagues, family members, and students in my college classes – in my own “style.”

In addition, as a successful practicing learning and development professional for the past 32 years, I’ve designed and developed hundreds of training programs, many of which have been recognized as innovative and impactful. One specific compliment I remain proud of to this very day came from a senior company officer who defined my work as “mission critical.” To me, one can demonstrate effective, practical, and functional writing, which may or may not have “style.” Perhaps “style” is different from exceptional, and maybe much different from effective?

For full disclosure, I’m blessed by being able to work with the world’s best editor, Allyn Geer, a friend from Wells Fargo wholesale mortgage days, who helps me with mechanics and other stuff – allowing my personal “style” to come through a little more clearly (clear) (clearer)…

I also believe in the words of wisdom from my college Humanities professor, Jonathan Edwards: “The best (only) way to learn how to write, is to write.”

Finally, this blog is more about the relative benefit, or lack thereof, from comments that are likely judgmental, or simply the expression of one’s opinion.

I’ve learned an important lesson along the way – how the feedback I provide must be offered in a manner that includes how the recipient will benefit in a positive way, changing their work, growing their skills – quite possibly developing their personal “style” along their own way…