My Back Pages - Bob Dylan

   Those of you who've read my news column over the past few years or my recent blog know that occasionally I review a book such as The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, my favorite, or other books which have been especially poignant for me. I read and review such literature because I use the espoused history lessons to make important decisions in carrying out my public school employment responsibilities as well as personal responsibilities. I also often combine the lessons learned from history books with the lessons from the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA) Ethics book, An Administrator's Guide - Leading With Integrity by Clarence G. Oliver, Jr., Ed.D.. I consider Dr. Oliver one of my closest friends, as he "practices what he preaches" in making ethical decisions in his professional life as well as his personal life. I also believe that "those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it", as I campaigned against State Question 777 - "The Right to Farm" during the last campaign season. I received much criticism from even my closest friends, for standing up for what I believed in - but in the end, I'm satisfied I "did the right thing" for my friends as well as those who aren't.
   In addition to relying on written literature for lessons in professional as well as personal decisions, I also sometimes apply verbal literature in the form of  "folk songs" from the 1960's and early '70's. Such "folk music" is sometimes hard for me to interpret into an "ethical" professional decision because it was most often written by authors such as Bob Dylan, whose style was reflected in the social upheaval of the sixties. Occasionally, I hear a classical folk song which has a deeper, harder to interpret meaning, such as My Back Pages, written by Bob Dylan and covered by The Byrds. The version that has affected me the most, though, was performed by Joan Osborne and Jackson Browne, and the line that continues to resonate in my mind is "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now". To me, this line means: When I was younger I knew all the answers and had beliefs such as (if one has friends, 'has their back', and remains loyal in this life - friends will reciprocate). "Younger than that now" for me, means that I now know (even though I'm older) that I don't know near as much as I thought I did years ago, and that many of my lifelong beliefs just aren't always factual.
   I'm nearing old-age these days, but my learning experiences have accelerated over the past 2 years. As a matter of fact, in running for public office this past summer, some of my theories about life-long friends, loyalty, and honesty were tested, but in the end, were proven true. Some of my friends wanted me to "run for office" to serve all the people who I grew up with in my hometown, my adopted town, and the public schools, teachers, and students in "our area". I believed that if I was willing to sacrifice my well-being and personal resources for "my people", they in turn would "have my back", and the vast majority did. My personal philosophy of friendship is reflected in the poem "Then They Came For Me", written by Martin Niemoller, after he spent 7 years in a Nazi Concentration camp. Niemoller was a Presbyterian Minister who the Nazis arrested in 1938, but only after they interned many of his friends and acquaintances. He lamented years later, that if he had it to do all over again, he would certainly speak up for his friends and neighbors as they were being led off to certain death. He eventually came to the realization that it didn't really matter that he had "kept his head down" for fear of also being arrested, because he was also eventually interned. One may "google" Niemoller to see the poem. The lesson for me is to always stand up for what you believe is right, even at personal risk and sacrifice. I think of Niemoller's poem when I'm making decisions for our public school students and teachers.
   Our "Ethics" manual begins with a quote from Mark Twain "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." To me, this quote has particular meaning and I try to remember it often as I go about my professional responsibilities. Since I am a public school official (often called a bureaucrat by those who simply do not like our public schools), I try to always do right for our students first, teachers second. This philosophy gratifies some and astonishes the rest. Those astonished would be "school voucher" proponents and "school consolidation" proponents, as those entities continually disparage our public schools. I'll be writing more about vouchers and consolidation issues in future columns/blogs, because they threaten the very fabric of our schools, and will soon be in the spotlight.