Guest Commentary from Bill Scott (the Elder)

Bill recently sent this commentary to the Post Standard with the hopes that it would be published. The paper politely declined, on the grounds that it was not a subject that was of interest to most of their readers. They then proceeded to suggest that our humble blog might be more in line. Ha!

Anyway, courtesy of Bill, here it is...

Let Us Come Together

 

To the editor:

In my 71 years on this earth and my 45 years working in the field of education (mostly with SCSD), I have been a student of the change process. I have been a participant in and a leader of countless workshops, forums, and community meetings. I am relatively sure that I know the essential elements necessary to bring about productive change, but I am absolutely sure that I know what does not work. I have been around too long to stand by and see politics, ego, hardened positions, and canned arguments that don’t fit get in the way of a thoughtful solution to a problem that is harmful to our students staff, and families.

Recently the president of the Syracuse Teachers Association presented a plan on behalf of the Be the Change (BTC) group, which is a coalition of parents and school district staff. The plan they submitted is a thoughtful plan of action intended to resolve the immediate crisis of violence in the Syracuse City schools and to build a network of support for families and students whose experience in the schools has not worked for them. The reaction of some advocates who have frequently spoken
before the school board and who have shared their views through the media has been extremely disappointing to those of us who had hopes that the community could come together to meet the challenge of a deteriorating learning environment that will adversely affect the future of hundreds, if not thousands, of students.

I am and have been an advocate, so I will speak of our role from that perspective. The job of the advocate is a difficult one. We are most often in the position of fighting for the rights of those who do not have the resources or the voice to be heard. Our tools are often well-established arguments that can be brought out when the critical lens that we use alerts us to an injustice that must be addressed. We are usually outnumbered and out-resourced by those that we have to stand against. So, we develop an early warning system that gets us prepared for the fight before it begins. The down side of this is that we develop a kind of professional paranoia. We sometimes see things that are not there. When we let our bias or prejudice blind us, we use arguments that really do not fit the situation. Our weakness, ironically, is the same thing that we have fought so courageously against. When our arguments and proclamations do not make sense, we lose credibility among those who could be
our allies. Those who have always been opposed to our work delight in our loss of credibility and are only too happy to join the team for the prosecution.

Arguments that have been put forward by advocates to effectively stand against discriminatory practices just do not fit the plan put forward by BTC. The first reaction of some advocates appears to view the plan as the same old practice of excessive school suspensions and warehousing of students that does nothing to support students in developing the social/emotional skills that will help them to
be successful students and productive citizens as adults. Nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that the reaction to the BTC proposal is one of those times that some advocates need to take a second look at the plan before speaking in opposition.

The following beliefs underlie the BTC plan:

1. All students are entitled to learn in a safe and healthy school environment.
2. Some students need alternatives (for a limited period of time) to the traditional school setting in order to be successful.
3. Some students need intensive support in developing the social/emotional skills that will enable them to participate fully in the traditional school environment.
4. Families should have access to services to support the needs of their children.
5. The fact that needed services for children and families are lacking is tantamount to educational neglect.

I doubt that anyone who advocates for equal opportunity and access in public schools would disagree with any of the above precepts. If that assumption is correct, we are all on the same side. We have many common obstacles to stand against. I urge advocates to meet with BTC to work with their draft proposal in order to come together on a plan that assures that our schools offer an opportunity for success for all of our students. The advocates who have connections among CBOs, private and public service agencies, and the faith-based community can also help us to bring together resources that are needed to meet many of the needs of our children and families that have been neglected for too long.

Thanks, Bill, for your support in so many ways!!!